Abstract This paper explains that a hazardous material emergency is any uncontrolled release or possible release of a hazardous material or substance that requires assistance from a local fire department or "hazmat" team to control it. The author points out that the first steps for the incidence commander are to assess the situation, determine which level of magnitude the situation is (HAZMAT level 0, 1, 2, or 3), and then pass this information to whichever local, state, and federal organizations are required. The paper relates that air surveillance at the site of a hazardous material incident is vital to ensure that the personnel involved are not exposed to chemicals or materials in the air and that lingering particles do not contaminate local surrounding areas, placing the public in danger.
Table of Contents
Hazardous Material Emergency
How to Command an Incident Response
Researching Identified Materials in an Incident
Main Objectives of Site Control
Standard Operating Procedure for Response Activities
SARA Title III
Essential Personal Protective Equipment
Decontamination of Personnel
Role of Hazard and Risk Assessment and Decision Making in Hazardous Material Control
Basic and Advanced Hazardous Material Control: Similarities and Differences
How Chemicals Behave and Knowledge is Vital
Toxicity
Basics of Air Surveillance and Strategies
Importance of Computer
Common Symptoms of Mental Stress
Temperature Stress and its Importance
Physical Fitness and Leadership
Benefits of Exercising an Emergency Response Plan
Terminology
From the Paper "Identifying materials in any hazardous materials accident is vital to site containment. Whenever there are unidentified products at a containment site, the incident commander must attempt to identify those products. First, visual inspection should be made to attempt to identify the materials. This can be done via binoculars if the materials appear to be corrosive to the eye. Additionally, the commander must look for the presence of smoke, vapor, or fire to help determine the chemical nature of the compound. The commander can also look for the original containers, to help identify the products."
Abstract This paper explains that the acute care nurse practitioner (APN) performs four roles: educator, researcher, clinician, and consultant/manager. The APN's role as consultant/manager is perhaps one of the most important of the four because this role helps to improve the use of existing scarce resources. The author points out that, in the acute care setting, the APN management role includes taking histories, conducting physical examinations, ordering, performing and interpreting appropriate diagnostic and laboratory tests, prescribing pharmacological agents, treatments, and non-pharmacological therapies for the management of the conditions, which they diagnose. The paper stresses that the structure of the acute care APN's role will depend upon the collaborative agreement with physicians and other members of the acute care team and organizational setting.
Table of Contents
Introduction
The Role as Consultant/Manager in an Acute Care Setting Implementation of APNs in Acute Care Settings
Summary and Conclusion
From the Paper "The research also shows that once an APN has started the implementation process, it is vitally important to continue to solicit timely feedback from other staff members, patients and management. This feedback will help solidify productive interpersonal relationships and the overall health of the acute care operation. The experts on organizational change say that staff members must feel comfortable in providing feedback to their managers, and likewise, supervisors must learn how to share their perceptions of individual job performance in an accurate, clear and honest manner. Managers at all levels can facilitate the communication process in their organizations by ensuring that the process is one in which people are able to provide and receive feedback in an open, honest and constructive manner."
Abstract This paper examines how, according to Fraser Seitel, the practice of public relations (PR) has become a multibillion-dollar business that employs thousands of practitioners around the world. How and what a person says can affect a company in a significant way. This paper defines public relations, examines the impact of PR on society, and discusses the authors views.
From the Paper "Some people are confused when describing PR. Some people assume that "spin" and PR are one in the same. This is not true. Spinning is used to take a bad situation and "spin" it to cover or lie to deceive someone. Spinning is basically an outright lie that is used to hide what really happened. This is considered to be unethical. In PR, once someone lies, they will never be trusted again. One example of spinning is the time that former President Clinton "assured the American people that he did not have sexual relations with Monica Lewinski." Clinton's reputation was damaged after this statement was proved to be false."
Abstract This paper describes the Mintzberg model of management. It goes into depth about the business concepts of the interpersonal role, informational role, and decision-maker roles in management. This essay also discusses what the manager of any task must do and how to go about doing it, pulling from examples of criminal justice and policing.
From the Paper "The key to success is effective management. Management that takes time to listen and respect what is demanded of them produces successful results. Management is a skill, and skills can be learned over time. Technical skills involve specialized knowledge and analytical ability that can be easily learned. Human skills describe the executive's ability to work as a member of a group ad to build cooperation. This skill involves being sensitive to others feelings and being able to empathize with different views and cultures. Conceptual skills involve coordinating activities and interests of organizations into a common objective: translating knowledge into action. Henry Mintzberg constructed behaviors and attitudes of chief executive officers for any organization. He is currently a Cleghorn Professor of Management Studies at McGill University in Montreal, and an established author. The three main roles of the CEO of any company can be broken down into: interpersonal role, informational role, and decision maker roles."
Abstract This paper explains that the first police forces in 19th century America were modeled after the Metropolitan Police of London, formed in 1829; however, American police were part of local government, unlike many other nations where the local police are a part of a nationally administered force. The author explains that modern police earned regular salaries from the city government, which was beneficial because they no longer needed to charge fees for their services, making them far more helpful to the public. The paper relates that police departments are measured by their city's crime rate; therefore, police departments use a management and control system, which measures the valued output against the cost of producing it, the financial cost ,and the sacrifice in civil liberty.
From the Paper "Toward the end of the nineteenth century, police departments started to hire blacks and women. Blacks frequently patrolled black neighborhoods but their chances of promotion into white neighborhoods were slim. Women were hired as "matrons" to help lost children, monitor women's lodging rooms, and guard women prisoners. It was not until 1968 that women were allowed to work full time on patrol. As a result of pressure from the civil rights movement and the women's movement, police departments across the United States began to change their recruitment patterns, providing more opportunities for women and blacks."
Abstract To determine the effectiveness of building codes in contemporary settings, this paper provides an analysis as to the adequacy of specific sub-parts taken from 29 CFR 1926, Sub-parts 16(a) - (d), Construction Industry Standards. The paper concludes that such regulations are appropriate and should remain in place.
From the Paper "The regulation of building construction has been traced back 4,000 years to ancient cultures such as the Chinese, Greek and Roman empires. Long ago, building regulations emerged based on the attempts of our ancestors to establish ways to control or avoid devastation from building fires and construction failures (Lynch, 2001). Today, there are a number of specific parameters that affect the cost of buildings including government building codes which are enacted with the intention of protecting public health and safety. These codes can assume the form of both prescriptive and performance requirements, as well as industry demands which may not be reflected in actual building codes themselves which consist of such desirable factors as climate control, elevators and other aesthetics (Building Codes, 2001)."
Abstract This paper explains the complexity of ethical dilemmas that intelligence personnel face in their line of work. On the one hand, their main job responsibility is protection of the homeland, but on the other, their hearts and minds are often entangled in serious ethical considerations, which stand in conflict with their professional responsibilities. The author points out that ethics is deeply embedded in the national psyche and has a profound impact on intelligence community, too; some ethical standard is certainly present in intelligence work, but the extent to which this ethical standard is followed by the personnel, varies. The paper stresses that the intelligence community has now attained technological capabilities, which give them immense powers; therefore, it is important that these powers are not misused and, for this reason, there is a need to established ethical boundaries, which encourage intelligence personnel to work with integrity.
From the Paper "It is commonly assumed that intelligence community and its activities are designed to ignore larger ethical concerns to ruthlessly pursue the goal of national security. This notion is heavily supported by evidence that clearly indicates that homeland security is always the chief concern and the route to reach the destination is devoid of ethical considerations. However a closer analysis of the history of intelligence community reveals that there have been instances of dissent when people operating from their own ethical paradigm went against their superiors. This was done not to harm national security but to precisely and solely attack the route designed to accomplish this goal."
Abstract This paper discusses three possibilities as possible solutions to both the scarcity of land for schools and the diminishing funding to build them. These three possibilities are double sessions, extended school days, and year-round school. It looks at how each solution has its advocates and opponents and examines some of the pros and cons of each possibility.
Outline
Double Sessions
Extended School Days
Year-Round School
Conclusion
From the Paper "One of the drawbacks of the portable classrooms, however, is the additional time needed for changing classes at both schools. In order to keep the school day the same length, it would be necessary to eliminate the lunch break; instead, "Students would snack on pre-packaged lunches in their classrooms" (Dodd, 2002). That would very likely be seen as a significant con by the students; it might well be a pro for teachers, however, in that they would not have students too interested in lunch activities to remain focused on the lessons. Arguably, parents would prefer that solution as well; they would then truly know where their children were and what they were doing, at least for the duration of the school day."
Abstract This paper explains that" All That We Can Be" by Charles C. Moskos and John Sibley Butler relates that from the first days of armed combat in colonial times, blacks have fought in the army. Nonetheless, the more than a million blacks serving during WWII were mostly in segregated units. The author stresses that, in 1948, President Truman signed Executive Order 9381, which desegregated all armed services and guaranteed equal treatment and opportunity for all military personnel. The paper stresses that, after the Vietnam War, race relations in the Army moved toward being integrated completely, and systems were put in place to fulfill the promise of equal treatment and opportunity.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Why This Book Was Selected
Why Bother with Questioning Race at All
The History of Blacks in the Army
From before the American Revolution to the Gulf War
The Two Phases of Integration
The Problems Facing the Integration Process
Blacks Come from Poorly Educated Backgrounds
A System for Assigning Jobs to Recruits
Moskos compares the Army to College and the Corrections System
The Army Success with Racism Is Not a Control Issue
Fundamental Problems Show Themselves with the Most Furtive of Glances
The Army Leadership
The Non-Commissioned Officer Corps Is the Backbone of the Army
The Officer Corps Is the Executives of the Army
Specific Programs to Deal with Racism
Equal Opportunity Is a Guarantee
Practical Solutions Can Be Applied to Everyday Situations, Based on
Demand
From the Paper "In Somalia, an interesting thing occurred. Black soldiers came face to face with their "ancestors". Some watched the scenes carefully for mixed feelings about blacks being on the other end of the rifle of other blacks. Apparently, however, the consensus for Black American troops was that these people were not their ancestors and were not the face in the mirror, but a shadow of the past. Here, in this dictatorship in defense of a democracy, Afro centrism had not found its perch. Being black did not mean and for many, does not mean being a hyphenated person. For many blacks, being an American is enough. In my
opinion, this is because they know and are secure in the knowledge that America was shaped by blacks and the title of American is theirs as much as it is a middle income white boy's from the suburbs of middle America."
Abstract This paper explains John Kingdon's "multiple streams" theory of public policy, which maintains there are three separate, independent streams that flow through the policy process: The problem stream, the policy stream and the political stream. The author points out that the most significant administrative change occurred when President Lyndon Johnson signed into existence the Medicare bill in 1965, which meant that the Social Security Act is now responsible for supplying health coverage to nearly all Americans of age 65 or older. The paper relates that the current pay-as-you-go Social Security system has had a deleterious effect on the economy because it has decreased workers' overall saving rates; increased national saving is crucial to increased capital productivity and long-term economic growth.
Table of Contents
Introduction
History of Social Security System
Program Shortfalls
Social Security Today
The Problem Stream
Indicators
Events
Feedback on Existing Policy
The Policy Stream
The Political Stream
The Launch-Window
The Push for Major Reform
Conclusion
From the Paper "The current state of the Social Security system is not in immediate danger: at the moment Social Security tax revenues exceed what is necessary to pay benefits. The program trustees believe that the projected balances will grow to $7.2 trillion in 2026. After this period, however, after the trustees project that the system's output will begin to exceed its intake, and balances will begin to decrease. If this comes to be, further projections indicate that by 2041, the funds will be-if no changes are put into place-technically exhausted, and the program will be insolvent."
This paper is an assessment of current and future employment and advancement opportunities with the FBI, including pay, benefits, education requirements, training and available locations.
Abstract This paper explains that, in the wake of the Home Security Act of 2002 and the FBI Reform Act of 2002, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is experiencing some shifts in human resource policies, which will affect current and future employees. The author points out that, while the FBI enjoys a certain "cloak-and-dagger" quality to its image, the reality is that the FBI requires employees for a wide range of job opportunities besides special agents. The jobs include professional support roles in any number of positions such as computer specialist, crime scene specialist, linguist and intelligence research specialist. The paper states that the FBI is headquartered in Washington, D.C.; the agency maintains field offices in a number of large cities throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and several major foreign cities.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Review and Discussion
Background and Overview
Pay and Benefits
Employment and Advancement Opportunities
Employment Locations
Conclusion
From the Paper "Not surprisingly, pay scales are tied to the types of work involved, as well as other factors such as employment location (cost of living allowances are paid as with other federal positions) and seniority. In this regard, the FBI falls under the federal employment regimen, and employees receive GS ratings; special agents, for example, can attain a GS 15 rating and are eligible for "availability pay," which is equal to 25 percent of their annual base salary."
Abstract This paper explains that traffic congestion, which is caused by bad governmental planning and unplanned traffic incidents, is a serious problem in major cities and causes many inconveniences to drivers. The author points out that, by rarely obeying laws such as crossing over solid white lines, using turn signals and stopping at stop signs, drivers do not trust each other; therefore, they take more time to be sure things are happening as expected, according to the law and safely. The paper relates that soliciting public opinion and ideas could help the government come up with new ways to improve traffic problems.
From the Paper "Inadequate signs and laws include traffic signal problems, unsatisfactory speed limits, and lack of stricter land-use laws. Traffic signals are supposed to be timed so that traffic moves in the most efficient manner. Many traffic signals need to be retimed because drivers sometimes "hit" every light. New innovations also have arisen regarding traffic signals, but for some reason are only used at very few intersections. Pressure sensors are sometimes used underneath the road when intersecting with busier roads to detect when a car pulls up to the traffic signal. The signal will only turn green for that less busy road when it detects a car so that drivers on the busier road do not have to wait for cycles of the traffic signal when there is no cross traffic."
Abstract In the early 1990s, under the Clinton administration, a system of national healthcare was proposed for the United States. Although the plan failed, many Americans still believe that they would be better off if the government paid for the costs of healthcare. This paper examines both sides of the argument - those who are pro-national healthcare and those who believe that the physician-patient relationship is not the proper province of government. The paper examines Europe's policy of state sponsored healthcare to compare with the United States.
From the Paper "So, no matter how many facts and figures each side brings to the table, the basic argument remains -- is the field of Healthcare appropriate for federal intervention? Regardless of the scope of European successes, regardless of the contribution to the general welfare, and regardless of its equalizing propensities, the use of federal dollars to pay for Healthcare in the United States will remain controversial. It is not that one side does not wish to help the other, the well-off to help the unfortunate, but rather that there is a difference of opinion on the ultimate extent of personal responsibility. For so long Americans have made so much of the concept of "self-reliance" that the mere mention of the creation of a new government program conjures up images of an uncontrollable and meddlesome monster."
Abstract This paper explains that the bi-partisan "No Child Left Behind" (NCLB) act of 2001 was designed to correct the problems of demoralized underpaid teachers, of dilapidated and unaccountable schools and of students who had been failed by the system. The author points out that the problems with NCLB noted frequently by educators are a significant failure rate, funding, fair consideration and accountability. This paper stresses that the federal government, the local schools and other influential parties should cooperate to correct the problems of the NCLB program or this program will be relegated to the pile of programs, which never worked and cost billions of dollars.
Table of Contents
A Problem in the System
Problem Context
Significance of the Problem
Issue 1: Significant Failure Rate
Issue 2: Funding
Issue 3: Fair Consideration for Students
Issue 4: Accountability and Enforceability
Literature Review
Proposed Solution, Including Rationale and Benefits
Recommendation 1: Funding Improvements
Recommendation 2: ELL Student Provisions
Recommendation 3: Assessment Reforms
Recommendation 4: Modifying Rewards
Specific Recommendations for Action
From the Paper "The NCLB act impacts national public schools and was designed to correct the failure of those schools to better serve the taxpayers that fund them. It is also targeted to help the neediest children because failure in the public schools affects a disproportionate number of minority and disadvantaged children which can doom them to poverty. Since literacy and academic scholarship are some of the most effective tools to escape poverty, allowing these students to remain at the mercy of failing schools was absolutely intolerable. Changes needed to be made that would assure students a chance at literacy and would provide them with the opportunity to compete against better performing schools. The bottom line was that the existing education system in many ways was simply broken and steps had to be taken to repair it. The action that was taken, NCLB, has resulted in several programs that reach into a number of areas that are sacrosanct to many in the current educational system."
Explores the need for universal service based on skills needed to compete in the Information Age and identifies key areas that public telecommunications policies should address in defining universal service for the future.
Abstract This paper seeks to address whether access to relatively new telecommunications technologies such as the Internet and broadband should be covered by a redefinition of universal service-advanced universal service. This paper examines the concept of universal service from a historical perspective to evaluate its current regulatory status. It examines the needs and barriers to implementing advanced universal service, explains broadband technologies, looks at initiatives to help narrow the digital divide, explores policy objectives and finally makes recommendations for policy makers for basic and advanced universal service. This paper finds that universal service policies should continue to ensure access to basic Internet and that policy makers should continue to closely monitor the deployment of advanced telecommunications technologies to ensure equitable access by all citizens. It does not, however, recommend that advanced universal service be deployed at this time.
Table of Contents
Abstract
Introduction
Overview
Methodology
History of Universal Service
Initial Executive, Legislative, and Regulatory Environment in 1934
Deregulation and Universal Service Fund in 1996
Bill Introduction
Conference Committee
Passage of the Telecommunications Act of 1996
Section 254: Revision of Universal Service
Federal-State Joint Board on Universal Service
Public Interest Advocates
Section 706: Advanced Telecommunications Incentives
Need for Universal Service
Information Age
Economic Benefits
Digital Divide
21st Century Job Skills
Empowerment
Access as a Right
Broadband Technology Descriptions
Broadband
Cable TV Networks
Digital Subscribe Line: xDSL
Fiber Access Networks: FTTx
Wireless Access Networks
Applications
Internet Access
Video-Conferencing
Video on Demand
Near Video on Demand
Digital Television
Barriers to Advanced Universal Service
Opposing Arguments
Executive, Legislative and Regulatory Climates
Monopoly vs Competitive Environment
Emerging Policy Arenas
Current Initiatives
Public
Next Generation Internet
The President's National Information Infrastructure Advisory Council
Department of Education
Department of Commerce
National Science Foundation
Department of Agriculture
Universal Service Administrative Corporation
Department of Housing and Urban Development
Private
OpenNET Coalition
AT&T
IBM
Partnerships
Presidential Advisory Committee
The Benton Foundation
Family Technology Resource Centers
Policy Objectives
Access
Standards
Competition
Content
Positive Outcomes
Negative Outcomes
Options
Option A
Option B
Option C
Recommendation
References
From the Paper "Section 254 of the Telecommunications Act of 1996 not only reaffirms the central importance of universal service in telecommunications, but it has vastly expanded the concept. The FCC is charged with assuring that all rates for universal service are just, reasonable, and affordable, not just the rates for interstate service. The word "affordable" had not been used before this legislation, but the 1996 Act introduces the concept of affordability directly and explicitly into national policy. The 1996 Act expands the services to which the universal service concept applies and institutes a formal process for expanding the definition of universal service over time. Although access to the network for high-cost areas and low-income consumers has been supported for years, the 1996 Act explicitly requires this policy and requires that it be implemented with specific and predictable mechanisms, in the form of contributions from all providers of telecommunications services to support universal service. A whole new range of institutions has been identified as having a role in universal service policy."
