Abstract This paper explains that, while many poisonous vapors may be present during a fire, carbon monoxide has characteristics that make it particularly dangerous because it causes oxygen deprivation. This author suggests that the solution for firefighters is a piece of equipment called a SCBA (self-contained breathing apparatus), which includes a face mask, bottled air supply, a regulator to control pressure, and a harness to carry the apparatus on the firefighter's back. The paper stresses that fire departments must replace all their breathing apparatus at once so they are standardized, and every firefighter has the same level of protection.
From the Paper "When SCBA devices were first developed, they were sold as units. Today, however, most departments buy each piece of apparatus separately. This means that each firefighter has his or her own face mask, which reduces the chance of contagious illnesses being spread because multiple users used the same mask while one of them was coming down with something. In addition, departments need to buy extra masks in case masks get damaged. They also need extra bottles, because one bottle per firefighter may not be enough air, making a bottle exchange necessary. This makes it even more important that components be compatible with one another."
Abstract This paper explains that an authoritarian military style of management of the police officers used in earlier days worked efficiently as the officers were unskilled, lower educated, and sometimes unethical. Police officers today are more educated and technically competent than they were in the past and require a different style of management. The author believes that the role officers can play in their own motivation is to want to improve and show cooperation with the administrators; the rest of the role in motivation still lies with the police administrators. The paper states that the major challenge in the motivation of police officers lies in reducing cynicism and motivating officers to perform better.
Table of Contents
Relationship between the Amount of Supervision and Control
Balance between Control and Motivation
The Case of Lt. Morse and an Accountability System
Officers Role in Creating a Motivating Environment
Does Motivation Only Come From Within?
Role Of Police Administrators in Motivation
Unique Issues within Police Organizations
From the Paper "As the two of the concerns are indirectly related, it is important for police supervisors to balance the increase in one with the increase in the other. The increasing level of supervision and accountability leaves officer demoralized if motivational measures are not taken up to balance the situation. It is very important that officers are motivated due to the nature of the job. Officers need to be constantly motivated to control crime on the streets. Inefficiencies of officers may trigger a wave of crime in the society. Thus, supervisors must employ various measures to sustain officer morale."
Abstract This paper uses change management theories, which suggest two-way communication within a clear power structure and a blueprint for planned change, to explain why this Act has failed. The author points out that, when mandating the NCLB Act, the federal government gave control of effecting these changes over to the states and neither fully funded them nor arranged for them to be overseen in a coherent fashion; therefore, change was not implemented completely because of power struggles, miscommunication, lack of incentive, and funding. The paper suggests that, in the future, if change is to be wrought federally in a systematic top-down fashion, it may be necessary to overhaul the entire system by which public education is provided, so that the hierarchy is responsive to federal demands and under the direct supervision and direction of a national department of policy and curriculum.
Table of Contents
Introduction
NCLB Implementation
Assessing the Problem through Change Management, Systems Thinking and Organizational Development Principles
Suggested Strategy for Facilitating Educational Reform in the United States
From the Paper "The NCLB mandated changes certainly apply as having an affect on the accountability structure of the education superstructure. In addition to creating strict standards for accountability, it gives far more power regarding the daily control and domination of the school system into the federal government and national bureaucracies than was previously located there. So one may see that this bill does represent is in fact a form of organizational change, both of accountability and power structure. Because it is a vast sort of change, one can see that it must be treated with finesse if utter havoc (which some teachers predict) is to be avoided."
A look at the history of the development of Political Action Committees (PACs), how they operate, and what are the disadvantages and difficulties of having a political system influenced by them.
1,362 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 4 sources, 1999, $ 45.95
From the Paper "With the advent of the information age, and with the virtual necessity of the use of these new media to disseminate information, elections are becoming ever more costly. The 1982 election, an off-year election, cost over $240 Million to conduct. Politicians are scurrying to find new funding sources. A recent trend has been the increase in the proportion of election expenses covered by Political Action Committees, or PACs. These groups represent a group of people with common interests who "want to advance a specific political agenda by contributing to candidates who share their views." PACs are a potent financial tool in elections. The sources of PAC money are manifold and multifarious; many types of PACs exist. As a corollary, many have called into question whether high campaign contributors indeed influence the policies of the candidate in their favor. Further, with the abundance of soft money, campaign contributions are becoming ever more difficult to track or to regulate."
Tags: action, campaign, committee, government, political
An opinion piece in favor of congressional term limits, pointing to several reasons why the current practice of unlimited terms is dangerous to American democracy.
1,144 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 3 sources, 1999, $ 39.95
From the Paper "In recent years, the status quo in Washington seems to be leaning towards career politicians and ever increasing length of service as a legislator. While many support the idea of career politicians as natural considering the degree of specialization and experience now necessary, other conservatively-minded reformers see the career politician as debasing the federal government and antithetical to the principles of democracy. While there are formidable arguments in favor of career politicians, it is clear that this idea of lifetime service to the government is antithetical to principles of American democracy and the intentions of our forefathers. This dangerous trend must be curtailed by the institution of Congressional term limits. "
Abstract This is a discussion paper on the distribution of water in the southwestern part of the United States. There is an emphasis on how the limited amount of water makes it a commodity thereby a cause of increasing social and political tension over water distribution. There is also an emphasis on the environmental consequences of changing naturally-occurring water patterns.
After discussing the successes and failures of the founding fathers, the author of the paper concludes that they mostly did a good job, but disputes that America now has a pure democracy.
1,360 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 2 sources, 2000, $ 45.95
From the Paper " A perfect democracy would be a democracy where everyone- the poor, the rich, the weak, the strong- get to have a say in what the government does. Wherein the supreme power ultimately rests with the people. However, this is not reality. Instead, representative democracy can be defined in two ways: the responsible model and the popular model. In the popular model, ordinary people have a great deal of freedom and ability to participate actively in government. In this type, elections express the popular will and determine policies. Examples of this model include the House of Representatives, the Virginia Plan, and citizen initiatives. In the responsible model, citizens play a more passive role. Government officials have a great deal of freedom to act on the behalf of the country as a whole. Elections here, grant popular consent and determine leaders. Examples of this model are the Senate, the New Jersey Plan, and the Supreme Court. Although the people of the United States live in a democracy that has both popular and responsible elements, democracy here has always been more denoted by the popular model. "
From the Paper "The Midwest is expected to see prices of gasoline reach up to three dollars a gallon this summer. The cause is that more than three quarters of the energy that powers our automobiles, homes and factories; is from fossil fuels (coal, oil, etc.). These resources which some told us would last forever, is suddenly in short, limited supply. Our oil is running out and there is little time left to ponder what we will do about it. Energy is all around us; we just have not found safe and easy ways of capitalizing on it. Finding the nation a reliable and plentiful energy source must be the top priority for the American government."
This paper examines how an organization can handle a crisis. The steps an organization takes during a crisis will determine how they come out of it. This paper lays out how an organization can effectively deal with crisis to prevent lasting damage.
1,430 words (approx. 5.7 pages), 8 sources, 2002, $ 47.95
Abstract This paper looks at the importance of a company's crisis management strategy and how the strategy that an organization takes during a crisis can affect the long-term health of that organization. It also puts forth the theory that organizations often collapse because when a crisis occurs they are not equipped to deal with it in a quick and timely fashion.
From the paper:
"Planning ahead of time can help soften the negative impact of an ongoing crisis. Decisions made while planning for a potential crisis tend to be more rational then a decision made in the middle of a crisis. Develop a crisis manual that is simple and easy to read and make sure it is used; it is worthless if it sits idle on a shelf. All employees need to be trained so they know what their roles will be during a crisis. This training will help prepare everybody in the organization to avert or effectively manage extraordinary incidents. It is not possible to plan for all potential crises that can occur. Rather an organization should prepare an action plan that involves responses for various aspects of a possible crisis."
Abstract This paper discusses religious freedom as a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution including historical background and current issues like religion in politics, polygamy, the Native American Church, and Seventh Day Adventists. This paper is about how the religious freedom that we cherish in the United States was established historically and discusses some of issues involved in maintaining religious freedom today.
From the Paper "The religious beliefs of a person are the most sacred and intense commitments of the individual self. Religious beliefs should not be assaulted or hindered by any outside force. These convictions are the most private and personal thoughts that a person cherishes. They should neither be affected by nor influenced by any law or government restriction in our society. The right to religious freedom is established in the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States."
Abstract This paper looks at the effect of NAFTA on the United States in the decade since NAFTA became law and the eight years since it actually went into effect, an effect that cannot be understood in isolation but that must be understood within the context of globalization and transnationalism, looking at some of the most serious consequences of a world with borders made so permeable by alliances and corporations especially in terms of human rights and the environment.
From the Paper "Transnationalism has changed the shape of our world. This is true even though most of us have only a vague idea about what transnationalism is, and even those who believe that they know what the word means in fact disagree over the definition of the term that is more or less a synonym for "globalization". Globalization, or transnationalism, in general refers to the current flows of capital, people, information and images and culture across national borders. Such flows of money, products and ideas across the previously far more impermeable national borders of the world has been brought about in large measure through two important and related processes: The first of these is the establishment of such international trading agreements as NAFTA, or the North American Free Trade Agreement (a pact that was in many political and economic ways prompted by the founding of the larger and more economically powerful European Union). The second major reason for the increase of economic globalization has been the substantial increase in companies that do business on a global scale. These companies have been substantially helped by such agreements as NAFTA, which is hardly surprising since large corporations provided significant pressure to have such alliances brought about (www.latimes.com)"
Abstract This paper examines the financial crisis surrounding health care in the United States. Lack of financial support is cited as the most common reason for rapid closure of many hospitals. This state of affairs is naturally causing a great deal of anxiety in the community as number of elderly patients has risen some 53 percent and unemployment is already a major problem of the country. This paper studies the issue closely and shows why physician?hospital-organizations are being viewed as the most viable option.
From the Paper "Hospitals in the United States are facing numerous problems today, which are posing a huge threat to the existence of health care industry. While for some, it is close to impossible to fathom why hospitals would be faced with such a situation when number of patients is increasing every year, but the truth is that despite many advancement in technology and increase in efficiency, hospital industry is experiencing a major turmoil. There are several reasons, which can be given for present condition of hospitals in the country, but the most commonly cited reason is inadequate financial support. Some 23 hospitals were forced to close down within five years from 1995 to 2000 in the state of California alone. And some 150 more are expected to stop providing their services in the coming years unless something positive was done to improve the current state of affairs. Washington is another state where injured health care industry is desperately looking some kind of relief from government quarters."
The paper discusses health care in America and concludes that the government cannot successfully serve the public and therefore, privatization of health care is the best option for all parties.
Abstract The paper describes the inefficiency of government spending, focusing on health care. It details the problems of HMO's, Medicare and Medicaid and explains why they have failed to provide adequate health care. The paper then presents a case for privatization by showing how it will improve medical services for everyone.
From the Paper "Government spending is a very popular topic in today's society. Some believe that the government is inefficient in using public funds to fund a public good. Regardless if one is a proponent of government spending or an opponent, it is undeniable that government allocation of public funds has been woefully inadequate, to say the least."
Abstract This paper relates to unfair labor practices that develop in corporations, contracts and professional athletic teams. The paper encompasses the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and why it disciplines and acts upon violating industries and associations. The composition examines five cases and one law review article. Through these cases, comparisons and dissimilarities between the disputing parties are investigated to demonstrate how the NLRB resolves these conflicts. In addition the cases are compared and contrasted to each other to explain how each individual case is unique in its unfair labor practice.
From the Paper "The NLRB is acronym for the National Labor Relations Board. The NLRB was formed in 1935 under the Wagner Act and it guarantees non-supervisory employees the rights to self organize, choose their own assembly, and bargain collectively. The National Labor Relations Board is an independent administrative agency authorized by the Wagner Act of 1935 to oversee the laws, to investigate and hold hearings on unfair labor practice complaints, to issue cease and desist orders against employers discovered guilty of unfair practices, to determine the composition of appropriate negotiation units, and to oversee union certifications and decertification secret ballot election."
Discusses budgeting in public sector & non-profit organizations. Critiques primary budget formats (performance, program, zero-based and objects of expenditure).
1,350 words (approx. 5.4 pages), 6 sources, 1988, $ 47.95
From the Paper " The purpose of this paper is to critique the principal budget formats used by public sector and non-profit organizations. In this critique, the strengths and weaknesses of each budget format are identified, and their managerial implications are stated.
THE BUDGETING PROCESS
A budget, as a noun, is a detailed financial plan for the organization, which (1) describes financial resources expected to be available to the organization during the period covered by the budget, (2) identifies anticipated sources of the financial resources, and (3) provides a plan for the allocation and use of the identified financial resources (Garrison, 1985, p. 274). Budgeting, as a verb, is the process by which a budget is created (...)"
