Emergency Medical Technician and Past Firefighters Essay Example for Free

Emergency Medical Technician and Past Firefighters Essay Having to see other people get hurt and not being able to help happens to me a lately. In life many accidents occur whether we want them to or not. There are several movies like â€Å"The F456y7allen†, â€Å"Ablaze†, â€Å"Bad Day on the Block,† among others, that show how firefighters overcome the flames and save peoples’ lives while risking their own. Seeing these movies and looking at how accidents happen has inspired me to become what we call a â€Å"hero,† meaning a firefighter. To become an amazing leader such as a firefighter you need to be not only trustworthy and courageous, but you must also be able to work and communicate with other people under stressful conditions. One aspect of this profession that you not have considered is how incredibly varied and intense the job of a firefighter is. Firefighters solve many different kinds of problems every day, from simple medical emergencies to complex incidents like fires, floods, terrorist-related incidents and traffic accidents. In order to complete these tasks, they have to have courage. Although it is dangerous, they can save many people from dying or getting hurt. Being respected by many children and adults is something that makes me want to become a firefighter (Aspiring Firefighters). If you are wondering how much I would work, most commonly firefighters work in 24-hour shifts, reporting to work at 7:30 am and working until 7:30 am the next day. On the average firefighters work a total of 56 hours per week, but since these hours are worked on a continual basis, firefighters enjoy a lot of time off. On the average firefighters work ten 24-hour shifts each month, leaving them to enjoy 20 days each month where they are off duty. (Aspiring Firefighters) Firefighters are scared while performing their jobs. If any firefighter tells you that he or she has never been in fear for his or her life, they are either new to the fire service, don’t want to frighten you, or perhaps appear weak (Aspiring Firefighters). A fireman suit has three layers of structural firefighting gear. The outer layer, which is water resistant and protects from puncture, is usually made of a Nomex/Kevlar blend. The thermal layer protects from heat. The Moisture Barrier keeps most moisture out, this is also usually made from some sort of nomex/kevlar blend This suit usually weighs up to 60 pounds. Although this suit is heavy it isnt impossible to wear and with many practice i will be able to succeed in helping people. If i am selected to be a firefighter, I will have to go through several stages of rigorous training. This lasts 2 months, 5 days a week from 7am to 5PM. If I complete the firefighting portion you will move on to your EMT-B (emergency medical technician) class. This lasts 3 months, 5 days a week from 7AM to 5PM. You will also have 2 hours of physical training a day; this is usually running and weight training. If you complete your EMT-B you will move onto EVOC (emergency vehicle operation class). This lasts about 1 month, 5 days a week from 7AM to 5AM. Once your training is complete, you will be placed in a station where you will be required to complete a 1 year probation period under the supervision of a preceptor as well as the company officer. International Firefighters’ Day (IFFD) is a time where the world’s community can recognise and honour the sacrifices that firefighters make to ensure that their communities and environment are as safe as possible. It is also a day in which current and past firefighters can be thanked for their contributions. There are many different qualities that make a firefighter a hero. They not only risk their lives to save other people’s, but they overcome many obstacles like having to go thru many different types of training, such as â€Å"EMT-B† and â€Å"EVOC†. They have to wear special clothing that weighs up to 60 pounds and work from about 7:30 am to 7:30 am the next day. Not every person could become a firefighter it takes courage, desire, and heart to be as dedicated to the job as these men and women are. I am definitely willing to overcome these obstacles to help and save many lives that are in danger. As renowned scholar and philosopher Joseph Campbell once said, â€Å"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself. †

Reader Response Essay - Slave Purchases and Breeding: Unruly Slave :: Reader Response Essays

Reader Response Essay - Slave Purchases and Breeding: Unruly Slave While reading the letter written to Andrew from G.B. Wallace many things ran through my head. There were three main thoughts though, a difference in society and acceptance and a different language and form of writing, and the way some of the words and terms were used. I found all three of the topics very interesting when I further looked into them. The thing that really hit me was how common and normal slavery and slave trade was in 1855. We all have learned in our history classes that slavery existed and all about it, but for some reason this letter really struck me as real. It really shows how the slave world worked. The trading and buying of other human beings is so casually talked about. The terminology for the slaves is also a very telling part of the letter. The word Negro and dispose of are nothing that we would ever say today. To hear â€Å"the Negro of whom I wish to dispose† would be totally unheard of and inappropriate today. The differences are amazing. The style in which it is written is another interesting aspect of the letter. The words used and the forms in which they are used are different from what we are used to seeing today. I found that when I was reading the letter I had to read it very slowly and over a few times. The letter is written in a very formal business-like manner, and that adds even another aspect to confuse a student. I personally, and I would assume most students my age have had little or no experience in the business world and with formal writing and reading. It is a different and many times difficult thing for me and others to deal with. I also found the terms â€Å"breeding Negro woman†, â€Å"young acting Negro man† and â€Å"dispose of† very interesting. I guess I never really thought about certain women being â€Å"used† for breeding purposes only. It makes me wonder what they did with the â€Å"breeding women† after they were past their breeding years. I am also really amused by the â€Å"young acting Negro man†. Could he sell him for more money if he was young acting?

Henry Mintzberg Essay

Business Strategy 1.0 Introduction In the recent years the views of ‘strategic management’ has changed significantly. It has been critically studied and classified as a field of managerial practice that should have been given more thought. (Knights and Morgan, 1991) There are two essential parts to strategy, actions that are planned ahead and developed carefully according to many factors once implemented. A proper strategy created and implement to a company would give a competitive advantage over other companies. This report will address the position of the article in a wider debate as different scholars have different opinions in strategy. It will discuss about the theoretical underpinnings, strengths and weakness in Henry Mintzberg’s article â€Å"Crafting Strategy.† 2.0 Position and Theoretical Underpinnings According to Levy, Alvesson and Willmott most of the â€Å"current thinking is anchored by the work of Michael Porter and Henry Mintzberg.â€Å" (Levy, Alvesson and Willmott, 2003) Henry Mintzberg’s Crafting Strategy is based on research that was conducted over numerous years that focused on several organisations that have taken various decisions over a period of time. The decisions made by organisations were taken into account and put together as different types of strategy. His thesis was â€Å"the crafting image better captures the process by which effective strategies to come to be.† However â€Å"the planning image, long popular in the literature, distorts these processes and thereby misguides organisations that embrace it unreservedly.† (Mintzberg, 1987) The article appears to focus on an emergent approach to strategy. Mintzberg states, â€Å"a key to managing strategy is the ability to detect emerging patterns and help them take shape.† This is suggested through the fact that the role of a manager â€Å"is not just to preconceive specific strategies but  also to recognize their emergence elsewhere in the organization and intervene when appropriate† (Mintzberg, 1987). One of the earlier influential writers of strategy Philip Selznick who supported this theory wrote about the ‘character’ of an organization being separate and integrates â€Å"commitments to ways of acting and responding.† (Selznick 1957) Ghosal, Barlett et al also suggest this point by mentioning â€Å"it’s the focus in traditional strategy on value appropriation rather then value creation.† (Ghosal, Barlett et al, 1999) Mintzberg’s theory captures a mix of Richard Whittington’s classical and processual school of strategy. This is modelled in the article as the potter is characterized as a craftsman strategist. In Whittington’s model ‘developing and defining’ falls under Michael Porters classical ‘deliberate’ approach to strategy and thinking lies within Henry Mintzberg’s approach to emergent strategy. In the view of strategy Porter (1980; 1985), Andrews (1971) and Chandler (1962), the prescriptive approach to strategy is shown for its dependence on analysis and planning. This is also view is also supported by Graetz who suggests that strategic thinking is already considered necessary process closely linked to strategic planning. (Graetz, 2002) Wilson goes further by mentioning, â€Å"strategic thinking should replace strategic planning.† (Wilson. L., 1994) Heracleous proposes that strategic planning and strategic thinking is two distinct b ut related processes, strategic planning is analysis and strategic thinking involves synthesis. (Heracleous, 1998) Many scholars including Mintzberg who emphasizes heavily on the processes of learning, compromising and adjustment is that strategy is a process. He suggests that the planning and then implementing strategy is unsustainable for long term. (Mintzberg, 1990) In 1994 Mintzberg provided some evidence of the failure of planning. 3.0 Strengths Mintzberg’s does identify â€Å"there is no such thing as purely deliberate strategy or purely emergent one.† This is further emphasized when he states â€Å" all strategy making walks on two feet, one deliberate and the other emergent.† This suggest that deliberate and emergent is intertwined which is emphasized when Mintzberg mentions, â€Å"deliberate and emergent strategy form the end points of a continuum along which the strategies that are crafted in  the real world maybe found.† (Mintzberg, 1987) Mintzberg treated strategy differently from traditional literatures that only focused on one type of strategy. While other scholars associated themselves in four schools of strategy Henry Mintzberg defined ten schools of strategy. (Mintzberg, 1998) Crafting Strategy is positioned in the learning and design school. In this he suggested strategy as a ‘ploy’, which gives company a competitive advantage, as the strategy is misleading therefore, unpredictable thus competitors are unable to know what the company is planning. This is supported by Rumelt who mentions â€Å"one person’s strategies are another’s tactics – that what is strategic depends on where you sit.† (Rumelt, 1979) Crafting strategy shows flexibility and therefore makes it more prepared to implement. Henry Mintzberg states â€Å"strategies can be ‘form’ as well as ‘formulated.’ (Mintzberg 1987) It suggests that there is no standard approach to strategy thus every company or individual can use it as it is tailored to the company needs. According to Kipping as it is flexible it allows â€Å"freedom to craft their best strategy† (Kipping, 2010) 3.1 Weakness In this article Henry Mintzberg based his research on mass production companies such as Honda, Volkswagenwerk and General Motors. His conclusions about strategy derived from assessing these major companies may not be applicable to other companies as some managers are not competent to the strategy. This is mentioned by Noe who states â€Å"Emergent strategies†¦rely on the organization’s ability to learn from the actual experiences of employees at all levels† (Noe et al., 2003) Whittington states †mechanisms ensure that the strategy process remains objective rather than being captured by a particular management faction.† This suggests that managers are able to draw from extensive and less detectable sources of power. (Whittington, 1993). Mintzberg argues that the reality of strategy is not a planned organizational phenomenon but better characterized as an emergent. (Mintzberg et al., 1998) However Mintzberg fails to address these additional conditions suggested by Whittington that  are thought to be potentially vital points in strategic management. Stoney mentions that â€Å" In the strategic management model, responsibility for corporate level decision-making rests with a core or strategic elite who are discharged from the day-to-day responsibilities of operational activities, these being devolved to the lowest possible level of control.† (Stoney 1998) Supported by Anthony and Dearden mentioning that strategic planning is a function in the executive level that is designed to ensure that the direction is followed as set. (Anthony & Dearden 1976) This will help companies maintain a competitive advantage however as it is only based on executive level views lower ranked staff in the companies is ignored. This is suggested by Alvesson and Willmott who states, â€Å"broader power relations privilege the interests and viewpoints of some groups while silencing and marginalizing others. â€Å" (Alvesson and Willmott, 1996) Henry Mintzberg himself mentions this view by stating â€Å"senior management sets of broad guidelines a nd the leaves specifics to other lower down in the organization. (Mintzberg ,1974) As a few of Mintzberg’s theory is based on the processual school of strategy in Whittington’s model Levy, Alvesson and Willmott mentions it â€Å"provides a sceptical perspective on established classical and rational perspectives.† (Levy, Alvesson and Willmott, 2003) However it fails to explore in a wider perspective of domination or analyze the managerial assumptions. Alvesson and Willmott further states that in the processual school of strategy, Mintzberg’s view of power fails to look â€Å"within an intra-organizational perspective that eschews consideration of broader social and political structures.† (Alvesson and Willmott, 1966) This suggests that Mintzberg does not take into consideration many other factors that may be important to his view of strategy. 4.0 Conclusion Mintzberg does appear to focus most of his ideas towards emergent strategy however he does address that there can be no such thing as just deliberate or emergent strategy. (Mintzberg 1987) They both need to intertwine in order for the strategy to work. Crafting strategy is based on long-term learning, â€Å"errors become opportunities and limitations stimulate creativity†Ã‚  (Mintzberg 1987) This is what â€Å"causes the moulds streams of decision into patterns† as suggested by Hedbery and Jonsson. (Hedbery and Jonsson, 1977) 5.0 References Alvesson, M. and Willmott, H. (1996) Making Sense of Management: A Critical Introduction. London: Sage. Andrews, K.R. (1971) The Concept of Corporate Strategy. Homewood, IL: Irwin. Anthony, R & Dearden, J. (1976), Management control systems. Illinois: Homewood: Richard D Irwin. B. Hedbery and S. A. Jonsson, â€Å"Strategy Formulation as a Discontinuous Process,† International Studies of Management and Organisation, 7/2 (1977): 90 Chandler, A.D. (1962) Strategy and Structure: Chapters in the History of the American Industrial Enterprise. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. David Ley, Mats Alvesson, Hugh Willmott. (2003). Critical Approaches to Strategic Management. In: Mats Alvesson, Hugh Willmott Studying management critically. Cornwall: Sage Publications. 92-110. Graetz, F. (2002). Strategic thinking versus strategic planning: towards understanding the complementaries. Management Decision, 40 (5), pg 456-462. Ghoshal, S., C. A. Barlett, et al. (1999). A New Manifesto for Management. Sloan Management Review 40 (3): 9-20. Heracleous, L. (1998). Strategic thinking or strategic planning? Long Range Planning, 31 (3), pg 481-487. Kipping. M. & Caillutet, L. (2010) ‘Mintzberg’s Emergent and Deliberate Strategies: Tracking Alcan’s Activities in Europe, 1928-2007’, Business History Review, 8 (4), pp.79-104. Knights, D. and Morgan, G. (1991) Corporate strategy, organisations, and subjectivity: A critique. Organisation Studies. 12(2): 251-73. Mintzberg, H. 1987. Crafting Strategy. Harvard Business Review 65 (July – August): 66-75. Mintzberg, H. (1990) The design school: Reconsidering the basic premise of strategic management. Strategic Management Journal. 11: 171-95. Mintzberg, H. (1994) The Rise and Fall of Strategic Planning. New York: Free Press. Noe, R. A., Hollenbeck, J. R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P. M. (2003) Human Resource Management: Gaining a Competitive Advantage, 4th ed, New York: McGraw-Hill. Porter, M.E. (1980) Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors. New York: Free Press. P. Selznick, Leadership in Administration: A Sociological Interpretation (New York, NY; Harper & Row, 1957) p.47. A subsequent paper by the author (in process) on the â€Å"design school† of strategy formation shows the link of Selznick’s early work to the writings of Kenneth Andrews in the Harvard policy textbook. K.R. Andrews, The Concept of Corporate Strategy, Revised Edition (Homewood, IL: Down Jones-Irwin, 1987). Porter, M.E. (1985) Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance. New York: Free Press. R. P. Rumelt, â€Å"Evaluation of Strategy: Theory and Models,† in D.E. Schendel and C. W. Hofer, eds., Strategic Management: A New View of Business Policy and Planning (Boston, MA: Little Brown, 1979), pp.196-212. Stoney, C. (1998) Lifting the lid on strategic management: A sociological narrative. Electronic Journal of Radical Organization Theory 4(1). Whittington, R. (1993) What is Strategy – and Does it Matter? London: Routledge. Wilson. L. (1994). Strategic planning isn’t dead – It changed. Long Range Planning, 27 (4), pg 12-24.

Advertisements are Mental Pollutants - 641 Words

Advertisements are Mental Pollutants In the article â€Å"Brands R Us,† Stephen Garey makes a powerful argument about advertising. We need to change our views of advertising and fully recognize its powerful and collective effects. Focus groups and other forms of testing have proven that the majority of ads are useless and unsuccessful. â€Å"It’s been estimated that 80 to 85 percent of all advertising is neither consciously seen or remembered by the consuming public,† yet it is still in our brains. Nonetheless, there is a direct connection between an individual’s exposure to advertising and their product consumption. While we may not be paying much attention to each and every message that comes our way, the collective effect of all this advertising is quite powerful. â€Å"All during our waking hours, about 3,000 to 5,000 messages per day, per individual, are instructing us to buy.† There is little doubt that advertising as a whole strongly influenc es overall consumer behavior. Advertising is generally so carefree and amusing, that the collective messaging pratically gives us permission to ignore the long-term consequences of our daily purchasing decisions. We most certainly need to reduce consumption, we can take steps toward advertising less and consuming fewer unnecessary goods. On a broad scale, advertisements are the most prevalent and toxic of mental pollutants, because they support unrestrained consumptions, sendoff subliminal messages, and encourage negative body image. First,Show MoreRelatedA Critique of Toxic Advertisements763 Words   |  3 PagesIn Brands R Us, Stephen Garey explains the silent danger of advertisement to the public and to the world. Although advertisements affect such a small amount of people, the dangers of advertisement may not seem realistic. According to Garey, people consciously do not notice it. He goes on to tell that there are between 3,000 to 5,000 advertisement messages in a persons dail y life, which influences the affect. People do not realize how much a massive flood of ads cause an effect. Though consumerismRead MoreBrands r US by Stephen Garey: The Negative Effects of Advertisement647 Words   |  3 Pages â€Å"Brands r us† by Stephen Garey is about the negative effects of advertisements. According to Garey, most people do not think much about advertising, and we do not realize how it affects us. However, as he states in his essay, â€Å"There is a direct connection between an individual’s level of exposure to advertising and levels of product consumption.† For Garey, increased advertising leads to wanton consumption, which can pose dangers to our health and wellbeing (566). But even he can argueRead MoreHarmful Effects of Smoking1418 Words   |  6 Pagescancer. An aim of my study has been to determine that smoking also effect on family and society. Results indicated that smoking was not only effect on environment, health but also effect on family, society. Introduction In 1868, the smoking advertisements first appeared and Bill Durham became first leading tobacco to advertise at a big scale. Since there, there have been numerous findings about harmful effects of smoking cigarettes. They affect three problems: health, family and environment andRead MoreA Brief Note On The Pollution Control Programme1728 Words   |  7 PagesKm/h in the central areas of many major cities. The quantity of all the three major air pollutants (namely, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons, and carbon monoxide) drastically increases with reduction in motor vehicle speeds. For example, at a speed of 75 Km/h, emission of carbon monoxides is 6.4 gm/veh.-km, which increases by five times to 33.0 gm/veh.-km at a speed of 10 Km/h. Similarly, emission of other pollutants increases with the reduction in vehicle speed. Thus, prevalent traffic congestion in IndianRead MoreCommunity Essay1717 Words   |  7 Pagesstreets, even the most rural. Most of these political signs are in the cent er of town. In the center of town, on one of the corners of the town green, there is a woodened billboard that anyone can hang their slip of advertisement. In front are also signs. This observer noticed advertisements of a golf outing, the summer day camp, fundraisers, charity events, etc†¦ There are 4 schools in Colchester: an elementary school, an intermediate school, a middle school and a high school. There is also bus transportationRead MoreCommunity Vitality At University Medical Clinic1377 Words   |  6 Pagesgeneral appearances of those constituents were healthy, clean, and decently dressed. None of the citizens appear to be malnourished and those who exemplify obese attributes were no more than 20 pounds overweight. No citizens with disabilities or mental disorders were seen. None of the citizens that were observed seemed to under the influence of alcohol or drugs. During the assessment, there were no pregnant women or women with strollers seen. INDICATORS OF SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC CONDITIONS The homesRead MoreCigarettes are Killing Us1489 Words   |  6 Pagesvehicular accidents, alcohol, cocaine, heroin, ADIS, and homicides combined. Cigarettes do not support or benefit the public in a positive way. Cigarettes are filled with thousands of chemicals and are highly addictive. Cigarettes have caused numerous mental and physical problems for smokers and the people who surround them, impacting families, communities and society. Cigarettes and tobacco should become an illegal drug in North America. The negative traits of smoking outweigh the positive traits; tobaccoRead MoreCommunity Windshield Assessment2564 Words   |  11 Pagesappearance of those you observed? Do they appear healthy? Do you notice any obvious disabilities, such as those with walkers or wheelchairs, or those with mental or emotional disabilities? Where do they live?From my observations they all appear healthy. I did not notice anyone with a walker, wheelchair or cane. No one appeared to be with mental or emotional disabilities at this time. I do not know where they live. Do you notice residents who are well nourished or malnourished, thin or obese, vigorousRead MoreEssay about Psychological Health Effects of Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill2537 Words   |  11 PagesIntroduction Oil spills happens every year through cleaning of tankers. These spills contribute more petro-pollutants to the ocean than offshore rig blowouts though less attention is generated when compared to blowouts of oil rigs (Nadakavukaren, 2006). Whenever there is a rig blowout or tanker spill, far more attention is attracted as in the case of the Gulf of Mexico oil spill. The Gulf of Mexico oil spill is an oil spill that occurred in the Gulf of Mexico with oil spilling for three months inRead MoreLEG 100 Final Exam5289 Words   |  22 PagesWhat level of culpability does CERCLA require before authorizing an award of punitive damages against a polluter? Answer Selected Answer: It is only required that the defendant be the responsible party in regard to the pollution with the defendants mental state being irrelevant. Correct Answer: Recklessness Question 4 5 out of 5 points What does the Superfund Recycling Equity Act do? Answer Selected Answer: It exempts recyclers from liability in private-party actions under CERCLA. Correct Answer: