Expectancy Violation theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Expectancy Violation theory - Essay Example EVT is used to understand and to evaluate their interactions and the outcomes of those interactions in this scene. EVT asserts that every person has an expectation regarding other people’s behaviors that affect their personal space. Personal space pertains to the invisible and varying spatial levels that people put around their bodies. Their idea of personal space guides their spatial expectations from other people. For instance, Fran has a small personal space, where she talks closely to people, such as one to two feet away from them, regardless of her personal and professional relationship with them. To further understand the scene, the concepts of expectancy, violation valence, and communicator reward valence are applied. Expectancy is what people think will happen (or what they expect to happen) and not what they desire to happen. Context, kind of relationship, and communicator characteristics affect expectancy. Context includes cultural norms and setting. Relationship lev el and status depend on similarity, familiarity, liking, and relative status. Communicator characteristics are comprised of demographics, as well as physical appearance, personality and communication style. During the interview scene, Maxwell expects deference from Fran, since she is applying as a nanny. ... Her cultural beliefs and practices influence her open, honest, and warm attitude and actions toward Maxwell and his children. The context calls for a large distance between Fran and Maxwell during the interview process, but Fran deviates from the social norms when she repeatedly comes close to Maxwell and invades his intimate distance. In addition, the relationship level of the two suggests that as a job applicant of a low-status job, Maxwell expects Fran to be not so familiar in her attitudes toward him. He does not expect to like her immediately, and in fact, he does not think Fran has enough experience and background to be a suitable nanny for his children. Fran acts and feels the opposite once more when compared with Maxwell. She feels at home at the Sheffield’s residence already, as she walks around confidently and speaks closely to Maxwell and his children. She also shows liking toward her employer and treats him like a friend by invading his intimate distance. Finally, for communicator characteristics, Maxwell is detached in dealing with his children and employees. He has a respectable demeanor and he communicates in a formal manner, which is not surprising because he is a Broadway producer. He talks to them rarely within his intimate distance. Furthermore, Maxwell is a handsome bachelor, which makes him appealing to Fran. Fran does not have many similar communicator characteristics to Maxwell because she is friendly, outgoing, and frank. She is attractive and sexy too, which makes her confident in her actions and allows her to easily violate Maxwell’s personal space. Violation valence is the next concept of EVT, which pertains to positive or negative values placed on particular unexpected behaviors. In the interview scene, Maxwell

Between 1820 and 1860 there were a few fundamental differences between the economies of the North and South Essay Example for Free

Between 1820 and 1860 there were a few fundamental differences between the economies of the North and South Essay ?Between 1820 and 1860 there were a few fundamental differences between the economies of the North and South. How far do you agree? Between 1820 and 1860 there were problems in America that resulted in the civil war in 1861, the economy affected the North and South during the civil war, and some major differences helped win the civil war. However this does not mean that the economy had many fundamental differences. For example the methods of earning money were different, but overall both earned roughly the same amount of money. Firstly, the main difference was that the North relied much more on money from industry and manufacturing, as they had more connections with foreign countries, and more factories were built. In the North in 1860 there were 74,000 factories producing two thirds, of goods for America. Whereas in the South there were only 2 major factors: Textiles factory in South Carolina and an Iron works in Virginia set up in 1840. Although they had fewer factories, the Iron works was vital, as it supplied the North with weaponry during the Civil war. In 1850 the South only produced 10% of the nations manufactured output. However the South did lack the industrialisation because their agricultural methods were so effective they had no need for change. The South was also very traditional and disliked change, whereas seven out of eight immigrants had chosen to settle in the North, and they had seen new ideas in other places in Europe so were welcome to change. This is shown by the South’s labour force being reduced from 82% to 81% over 60 years, on the other hand, the North’s labour force was reduced from 68% to 40% over the 60 years. This is however not a reflection on the North rapidly reducing agriculturally, because they still relied on agriculture, and a lot of the North was still rural. Around the urban areas, the population was increasing as towns and cities were developing swiftly. As the North had smaller but still prosperous farmers known as yeomen, they did not earn as much money through agriculture, because they did not have many or any slaves at all, so they could not produce the high quantities that the south did. Farmers that had lots of land were called plantation owners; there were many more plantations in the south, and when the cotton gin was created in 1793, there was a boom in cotton, and the benefit of having slaves increased. This made Southern plantation owners invest their capital in the Slaves, because they produced so much cotton, which was very lucrative. 55% of slaves worked in cotton which shows how much money was made out of it. The South needed to transport their goods to the North so that it could be transported abroad, but there was a lack of transport in South, as they only had 35% of the train tracks, which affected them in the Civil war. This meant it was fairly expensive to transport the cotton, but they still received a good amount of money if they lived near a train track. When the cotton arrived in the North the Lowell factory system meant the manufacturing of it was very cheap, which meant the North earnt a large margin on it. Although the danger of the South investing all their money in Slaves was that when slavery got banned, they lost a lot of money, which was partly why they were so keen to keep slavery. However only one quarter of the population owned a slave, as they were expensive (in 1860 they were $1800 which was double the price in 1820). The Norths economy was based on free labour whereas the Souths was based on slave labour, which meant that the Norths economy was more stimulated by the presence of workers with money who could buy products, which would make money for the company, which in turn would increase wages or hire more workers. The Souths economy was largely devoid of this benefit. Essentially, the economy in the South was weaker and only based on a few important exports (cotton, tobacco, and sugar). This made the South less diversified, as they focused their sales on cotton. Another difference is tariffs; in 1828 congress passes a controversial high protective tax. This majorly benefitted the North as they were the main distributors. However the South were very worried about this because they believed that if they stopped buying the expensive foreign goods, then foreign countries would stop buying their goods, as they would have tax on them too. This affected the economy until the tax was promised to be reduced after the law in 1833. In contrast the North and South didn’t have many fundamental differences. They both created a lot of money, and were not lacking at all, the only difference was the method in which was used to make the money. The economic diversification was similar too, as 10% of Northerners owned 68% of the wealth, and the wealth was dominated by the plantation owners, called oligarchies, as there were few free-soilers. 12% of the plantation owners owned half the slaves. This shows that there were few farmers, but the big plantations owned many slaves. Even though the North seems to be more industrial, the South also made efforts to modernise industrially, but they just lacked because of the closed opinions of the southerners. Also not many people in the North and the South owned slaves, it was more of a rare thing, and the main owners, owned a large amount of slaves. However there was a larger need for slaves in the South, because there was cheap labour force from Europe settling in the North which meant slaves were more expensive so were not deemed as important. Overall I think there were many differences between the North and South between 1820 and 1860. Some affected the outcome of the Civil war such as the transport boom, and the industrialisation in the North, but a fundamental point is that numerically they have equal amounts of income; there were just different methods to earning the money. However the differences were major; the amount of industrialisation, and amount of agriculture, the manufactured output, and the need for slaves, was all very different for the North and South. The main similarity was the economic diversification.

Ethnocentric Approach To Human Resources Management Essay

Ethnocentric Approach To Human Resources Management Essay In this time of rapid globalisation and competitive business world, firms seek to gain competitive advantages by going global via entering foreign markets. According to Chew and Horwitz, (2004), over the years, this rise in global competitive pressure has led to the growth of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) that generated the need for developing global management strategies as well as to designing International Human Resource Management (IHRM) strategies in order to gain long term competitive advantages. Subsequently, Shen, (2005, p83-102) as cited in Plessis and Huntley, (2009, p414), reports that the notion of International Human Resource Management (IHRM) can be defined as a set of distinct activities, functions and processes that are directed at attracting, developing and maintaining the Human Resources (HR) of a Multinational Corporation (MNC). Thus, the above definition clearly implies that the various Human Resource Management (HRM) practices of a Multinational Corporation (MNC) are entirely focused upon the international management strategy that it adopts in order to maintain or manage its Human Resources (HR) within its foreign subsidiaries. Moreover, Sims, (2002, p364) states that Multinational Corporations (MNCs) usually adopt one of the four major strategic approaches to planning and managing their international Human Resources (HR). In addition, Hodgetts and Luthans (1999, p253) as cited in McNally and Parry (2000, p85) also state that Multinational Corporations (MNCs) usually adopt one of Heenan and Perlmutter (1979) classifications of international staffing which include either the ethnocentric approach, the polycentric approach, the regiocentric approach or the geocentric/transnational approach to planning and managing Human Resources (HR) globally within the foreign subsidiaries. Furthermore, according to Caligiuri and Stroh, (1995, p496), over the years, ethnocentric Multinational Corporations (MNCs) have been dominant in numbers, especially in the case of firms from developed countries like the UK and the US seeking to enter the lesser developed foreign markets within the region of Asian countries. This according to Sims, (2002, p365) is mainly due to the fact that such an approach to International Human Resource Management (IHRM) simply requires exporting the Multinational Corporations (MNCs) already established Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and policies to its foreign subsidiaries via the usage of expatriates. However, Weirich and Koontz, (2007, p277) over the recent decade, various literatures published by academicians and practitioners within the field of International Human Resource Management (IHRM) have illustrated that each of these strategic approaches to planning and managing Human resources (HR) internationally has its own merits and demerits for these Multinational Corporations (MNCs). Hence, this report seeks to critically evaluate the benefits and the drawbacks for adopting and ethnocentric approach to Human Resources (HR). In doing so, this report firstly outlines what constitutes adopting an ethnocentric approach to International Human Resource Management (IHRM) and then highlights its merits and demerits in addition to providing a brief overview of the benefits and the disadvantages of the other approaches to international staffing. This report discusses the merits and the demerits of adopting an ethnocentric approach to managing Human Resources (HR) globally within the context of a US owned Multinational Corporation (MNC) which is looking to reassessing its current ethnocentric approach to managing its Human Resource (HR). The given scenario of this report is that the Human Resource (HR) director of this US based Multinational Corporation (MNC) feels that its ethnocentric approach to managing its Human Resources (HR) globally is inhibiting the organisations a ttempt to become a global company. Thus, by evaluating the advantages and the disadvantages of adopting an ethnocentric approach to international Human Resources (HR) strategy, this report would provide critical analysis of various academic literatures and other relevant sources in order to come to a rounded conclusion and provide justifiable recommendations. These recommendations would be in relation to whether this US based Multinational Corporation (MNC) should continue to adhere to its ethnocentric approach to managing its staff globally or whether this US based Multinational Corporation (MNC) should seek to alter its current approach to managing its staff globally in order to truly become a global company and to gain further competitive advantages in the years to come. The evaluation of the merits and demerits of adopting the ethnocentric approach also constitutes providing a brief overview of the advantages of adopting the other approaches to managing staff globally which include the polycentric, the regiocentric or the geocentric approach. Hence, this report would not only provide valuable insights to the Human Resource (HR) director of the US based Multinational Corporation (MNC) but would also provide the general readers of the report with useful information in relation to comprehending the importance of adopting those International Human Resource Management (IHRM) practices and policies within its foreign subsidiaries which provide the Multinational Corporation (MNC) with sustainable competitive advantages over the long run. Overview of the Merits and Demerits of the Four Major Strategic Approaches to International Human Resource Management (IHRM) As mentioned earlier in this report, there are mainly four major approaches that most Multinational Corporations (MNCs) adopt in relation to managing their Human Resources (HR) globally. According to Caligiuri and Stroh, (1995, p496), these have been categorised by Heenan and Perlmutter (1979 as a Multinational Corporations (MNCs) global management strategies of being ethnocentric, polycentric, regiocentric or geocentric/transnational in its approach to managing its Human Resources (HR) within its foreign subsidiaries. Plessis and Huntley, (2009, p417) defines the ethnocentric approach as the approach where the cultural values and business practices of the home country are predominant as it is the Head Office (HO) of the Multinational Corporation (MNC) which develops a managing and staffing approach and applies it consistently around the world. According to Pattanayak, (2005, p416), Multinational Corporations usually adopt such a strategy in the early stages of internationalisation process in order to ensure that the corporate values of the parent company are instilled within its foreign subsidiaries so that the same corporate standard and reputation is maintained all over the globe. For example, McNally and Parry, (2000, p85) asserts that such an ethnocentric predisposition allows a global company to control the strategic direction of all its foreign subsidiaries and that it is a very nationalistic approach as it highly regards the parent companys Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and policies as the best-way for managing the Human Resources (HR) globally as well as to attaining the overall corporate goals of the Multinational Corporation (MNC). Furthermore, Sims, (2002, p365) states that Multinational Corporations (MNCs) usually adopt this strategy via sending expatriates to fill all the senior management posts within it foreign subsidiaries as a result of which these Multinational Corporations (MNCs) can withhold tight control over all their foreign counterparts. According to Ferner, etal, (2004, p364), the Head Quarters (HQs) of these Multinational Corporations (MNCs) not only send expatriates but also plays a crucial hand in outlining or highly dictating the policy on other aspects of Human Resource Management (HRM) which include factors like compensation and reward systems, collective bargaining, communications, union recognition, and welfare and training policies, etc. The benefits of adopting an ethnocentric approach is able to be seen when a firm needs to produce extremely standardised products or when the host-country lacks technological expertise in which cases employing staff from the Head Quarters (HQs) can guarantee consistency to a great extent (Francesco and Gold, 2003, p166). Thus, from these statements, it can be clearly deduced that those Multinational Corporations (MNCs) who seem to adopt such an ethnocentric approach or strategy to managing its staff globally mainly seek to centralise its Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and policies which are mainly designed and implemented at the Head Quarters (HQs) of such Multinational Corporations (MNCs) with the view to maintain total control over its foreign subsidiaries. However, adopting such an ethnocentric approach to managing Human Resources (HR) has its own drawbacks despite of the merits of being able to hold onto the cultural values of the Head Quarter (HQ) of a Multinational Corporation in addition to being able to yield the benefit of maintaining a tight control over its foreign subsidiaries (Decenzo and Robbins, 2009, p5). In addition, Francesco and Gold, (2003, p166), asserts that sending expatriates to foreign subsidiaries also limits the promotion opportunities of host-country staff which could lead to demoralisation of the staff at these foreign subsidiaries in addition to loosing advantages that could be gained from competencies of local members of senior management staff. Thus the above statements clearly imply that an ethnocentric approach to Human Resources (HR) can be highly rigid which can inhibit the flexibility that contemporary firms require in order to gain competitive advantages in this era of rapid globalisation of markets and growing competition. On the other hand, McNally and Parry, (2000, p85) reports that the polycentric approach to managing Human Resources (HR) are based on strategic decisions which are adapted to suit the cultural context of the countries within which these Multinational Corporations (MNCs) operate. This implies that within a polycentric approach, the Human Resource Management (HRM) policies and practices within the foreign subsidiaries are adapted to meet the cultural and other environmental circumstances of the countries in which these Multinational Corporations (MNCs) operate. In other words, Sims, (2002, p365), reports that such a strategy makes a subsidiary independent from its Head Quarter (HQ) as mainly local managers are given the responsibilities for managing their Human Resources (HR). Myloni, etal, (2004, p; 519) reports that such an approach to staffing and managing Human Resources (HR) is seen to be less expensive as Multinational Corporations (MNCs) do not need to send expatriates for managing its foreign subsidiaries as required in the case of adopting an ethnocentric approach. In addition, it also resolves the issues of adapting to cultural changes when expatriates are sent to foreign subsidiaries and also eliminates the costs that can be incurred from failed expatriate assignments (Monks, etal, 2000, p541). However, Pattanayak, (2005, p417) states that such an approach also presents the challenges for Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in relation to maintaining understanding between the corporate and the subsidiary management in addition to imbibing the original culture of the company. On the other hand, Hannon etal, (1995, p536) report that the regiocentric approach to Human Resources (HR) strategy highly focuses on grouping of subsidiaries based on specific regions instead of countries. Furthermore, according to Sims, (2002, p365), these subsidiaries are usually staffed by managers from any of the countries within the region which poses the drawback of limiting communication between the region with their Head Quarters (HQs). Subsequently, Edwards and Rees, (2006, p113) asserts that with the geocentric/transnational approach, Multinational Corporations (MNCs) seek to create a synergy of best practices. According to Kelly, (2001, p538) these best practices are adopted from both the Head Quarters (HQs) of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and from their respective subsidiaries in order to develop consistent global Human Resource Management (HRM) practices and policies which can eventually yield long term organisational competitive advantages for both the Multinational Corporations (MNCs) as well as for their subsidiaries. For example, Buzzle, (2009) reports that within such an approach, suitable managers are hired centrally for taking key managerial positions within the foreign subsidiaries from a global pool of talent , chosen in accordance to their abilities to meet the global corporate objectives in addition to being responsive to local needs. Myloni etal, (2004, p521) claim that this approach to Human Resource (HR) strategy enables a Multinational Corporation (MNC) to develop core competencies in the form of competent managers which can be a crucial source of gaining competitive advantages for a global firm. However, according to Pattanayak, (2005, p417), such an approach also has its own demerits in the form of being expensive to recruit the best talents in addition to completing the paper formalities associated in relation to hiring these foreign nationals to work at different parts of the globe for specific subsidiaries of Multinational Corporations (MNCs). Despite of these drawbacks, by far, from the discussions made above, it can be clearly deduced that the geocentric or the transnational approach to Human Resource (HR) strategy would suit the global corporate goals of most Multinational Corporations (MNCs). Thus, from all the above discussions, it can be stated that even though each of these different strategic approaches to International Human Resource Management (IHRM) strategies have their own merits and demerits, the ethnocentric approach to Human Resource (HR) strategy seems incompatible towards attaining the flexibility that is needed in order to gain competitive advantages in this era of global competition. Subsequently, the geocentric or the transnational approach seems to be the most relevant and to be the most useful approach that a Multinational Corporation (MNC) should seek to adopt in this era of contemporary business world. However, for substantial evaluation of the appropriateness of these strategies the following other factors which highly influence International Human Resource Management (IHRM) also need to be taken into consideration. Other factors that influence the approach that is adopted to International Human Resource Management (IHRM) According to Muratbekova-Touron, (2008, p335), in this era of rapid globalisation and competitive business world, one of the major growing concerns facing such global companies or Multinational Corporations (MNCs) is that how such companies can attain the right balance between the local autonomy of their subsidiaries and the extent to which these are controlled by the corporate headquarters of these Multinational Corporations (MNCs). Furthermore, Reade, (2003, p208) illustrates that the statement that greater collaboration between all the subsidiaries of a Multinational Corporation (MNC) is not only highly desirable but is also completely essential in order to effectively cope with the global competitive pressures and towards becoming successful in attaining global competitive advantages. Moreover, Liu, (2005), also confirms the notion that Multinational Corporations (MNCs) face the dilemma of optimising the balance between standardisation and localisation of Human Resource Management (HRM) policies and practices. This according to Liu, (2005) is because of the desire of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) to develop global brands by thinking globally and acting locally and by developing the right balance between local responsiveness and global consistency and control. Subsequently, Markus and Harzing, (2007) state that contemporary Multinational Corporations (MNCs) should not opt for standardisation in terms of adopting the home country practices but should seek to adopt the strategies which underline the best practices in relation to Human Resource Management (HRM). Furthermore, Reade, (2003, p208) reports that the Head Quarters (HQs) of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) have the responsibility of identifying and transferring relevant skills and expertise from different parts of the corporation as well as of disseminating it to all its foreign subsidiaries in order to attain its global as well as local corporate objectives (Reade, 2003, p; 208). For example, Markus and Harzing, (2007) state that if the home country practices of a Multinational Corporation (MNC) are highly effective then all the subsidiaries of that company should be yielding competitive advantages provided those practices are applicable in different cultural and other environmental contexts. This is because, according to Francesco and Gold, (2003, p166), although the overall international corporate strategy of a firm determines which strategic approach to International Human Resource Management (IHRM) it adopts, other environmental factors should also be taken into consideration while determining which strategy a Multinational Corporation (MNC) should adopt in relation to managing its Human Resources (HR) globally. Such factors include the political and legal factors, level of development in foreign locations, technology and nature of the product, organisational life cycle as well as cultural differences (Francesco and Gold, 2003, p166). Moreover, Markus and Harzing, (2007) states that ethnocentric approaches to managing Human Resources (HR) globally are no longer valid in this era of competitive and globalised business world and that the geocentric or the transnational approach to managing Human Resources (HR) internationally is more contemporary towards attaining competitive advantages and towards becoming truly global by implementing the best Human Resource Management (HRM) practices within contemporary Multinational Corporations (MNCs) and in their respective foreign subsidiaries around the globe. 4.0 Conclusions From the critical analysis of various literature sources made above, it can be concluded that the US based Multinational Corporations (MNC) should change its approach from an ethnocentric one to a geocentric or a transnational approach to managing its Human Resources (HR) globally in order to gain more flexibility in terms of adapting Human Resource Management (HRM) practices according to subsidiaries cultural and environmental contexts. This is because contemporary firms can gain competitive advantages only by adopting Human Resource Management (HRM) strategies that find the right balance between standardisation versus localisation of such practices and policies. Recommendations The following recommendations have been drawn for the US based Multinational Corporation (MNC) based on the critical evaluation of the benefits and the drawbacks of adopting an ethnocentric approach to managing Human Resources (HR): The Multinational Corporation (MNC) should adopt a geocentric approach to Human Resource (HR) strategy rather than an ethnocentric one in order to gain competitive advantages as the ethnocentric approach pose certain limitations which inhibit companies from going truly global in terms of failing to adopt the best practices in relation to International Human Resource Management (IHRM). However, the firm should also take into consideration whether the environmental factors mentioned earlier in this report support it to alter its approach to International Human Resource Management (IHRM). For example, if this US based Multinational Corporation (MNC) produces highly technological or standardised products then it might need to continue with its ethnocentric approach. Nevertheless, the firm could still opt to adopt a geocentric approach to staffing and hire the best expertise from around the world in order to gain competitive advantages over the long run. Thus, it can be stated that the US based Multinational Corporation (MNC) should seek to alter its approach from an ethnocentric to a geocentric/ transnational one in order to manage its Human Resources (HR) more effectively globally. (Words: 3000)

Case Study: Impact on Children of Substance Abuse, Domestic Violence, a

Studies have shown that children who grow up in families where there is substance misuse, mental illness or domestic violence are more vulnerable to significant harm (Kendall-Taylor and Mikulak 2009).Children’s vulnerability usually stems from the effects of substance misuse, domestic violence or mental illness on parenting ability. Substance misuse, domestic violence and mental illness can result in parent’s finding it difficult to organize their lives to meet both their personal needs and their children’s physical, emotional and social needs. Parents may also find it difficult to control their reactions and adverse mood fluctuations, thus, many children are often affected and some even for a life time .Naturally this can terrify children and leave them feeling fretful, uncertain and over cautious. Vulnerability such as the effects of maternal drug or alcohol misuse or direct physical attacks on the abdominal region of a pregnant woman, may even extend to the un born child. Substance Misuse The term 'misuse' has different contextual applications. When applied to substances such drugs (whether prescribed or illicit) or alcohol, it simply means that the usage of the substance in question is too much (excessive) and may cause harm to the concerned individual either by directly affecting daily endeavors, or by gradually destroying a normal life. Usage of legal drugs such as nicotine, caffeine, or alcohol without much thought is often common with many people (National Alliance on Mental Illness USA 2011). It may cause difficulties in relationships or affect performance at home and at work. According to findings, persistent use of one or more of these substances often leads to some level of tolerance in the affected individual. Thi... ... to make them feel important and wanted which would in turn serve to make them ore open and cooperative. Bibliography Eastwood, Paul. Statistics on Drug Misuse: England. pdf, England: UK NHS Information Centre, 2011. Kendall-Taylor, Nat, and Anna Mikulak. FrameWorks Institute. Feb 2009. Retrived on 15 Aug, 2011 from http://www.frameworksinstitute.org/assets/files/PDF_childmentalhealth/childmentalhealthreview.pdf Mental Health Foundation . 2011. Retrieved on 15 Aug, 2011 from http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/ National Alliance on Mental Illness USA. Mental Illness. 2011. Retrieved on 15 Aug, 2011 from http://www.rethink.org/about_mental_illness/dual_diagnosis/what_is_substance_mi.html WHO. Management of substance abuse . 2011. Retrieved on 15 Aug, 2011 from http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/publications/alcohol/en/ (accessed Aug 08, 2011).

Using Literature as a Gateway to Critical Thinking

Sometimes, the groans can be heard clear across a campus, and they resonate in memory for years. When a professor assigns a text for reading, anything from the poem â€Å"Just to say† by William Carlos Williams to Herman Melville’s â€Å"Moby Dick,† the students are rapid to react as if they have been handed a death sentence. In some cases, this is because they have so much their reading on their plates that they just feel overwhelmed, but many times, it is a matter of their previous failures to grasp anything meaningful from a literature assignment. This later is the primary point of importance in continuing to distribute the literature. Many university students lack a fundamental grasp on the tools they require to read and write critically, which in turns leaves them without the ability to think and reason in logical and critical terms. The influence of critical thinking on the success of a student at the university level is undeniable.   It will influence how well they comprehend the texts in front of them. It will affect the way in which they can relate one text to another across classroom and semester borders. It will also have a great effect in the way in which they can communicate their ideas to both their peers and their instructors. The way in which a student learns to read and produce written work will be the fundamental core of their language and communication abilities without regard to area of specialization. This learning begins very early in childhood. Learning to read as a child one develops a sense that the author is the beginning and end of the page, and the words used are there for the sole purpose of the surface story. Once a student is capable of surpassing this stage and he or she begins to consider the works on a deeper philosophical level the real learning begins. The student will begin reading for more than simple content and an entire new world will open up full of possibilities. Many students will never learn to recognize the deeper or more subtle meaning in many of the texts unless they are first exposed to it in literature.   Poetry is exceptionally useful for this purpose. The allusions, worked in through metaphor, simile, and symbolism, give a deeper insight to the position of the author from the outset. The famous lines of â€Å"This is Just to Say† by William Carlos Williams provides an excellent example for this type of inquiry: I have eaten the plums that were in the icebox and which you were probably saving for breakfast Forgive me they were delicious so sweet and so cold If five students are asked what the narrator is really speaking about, the instructor will likely get five, or more, differing opinions. The poem may be about real plums.   The poem may be about the consumption of personal space or time.   The poem may be speaking on the conceit that obtaining forgiveness for acting may be earier to obtain than permission. These tools allow the student to understand there is a greater depth to the approach than the simple words on the page as a literal expression of a real object, place, or person. At the same time, these keys offer a new light on the author’s angle of approach. Knowing where the author is coming from helps to weed out fallacious arguments, personal vendettas, and even suppositions masquerading as facts. While others ideas can help a reader to formulate their own intellectually sound opinions, those ideas will only be as firmly grounded as the foundation of facts they are based on. The number of times that something is presented as a fact, only to turn out to be an opinion may really shock and surprise many of the students who are used to opening a text for a class and consuming what is before them for regurgitation. This technique is particularly well suited to high schools where the teacher to student ratio often precludes discussion. When the students then have to begin seeking out secondary sources and turn to the internet for information they will have to confront decisions on what is ‘good information’ versus ‘bad information.’ They will not even be able to be certain that newspaper articles and TV shows presented as news are giving them the honest facts. Looking at headlines on the internet, with a tool such as Google News, you can instantly see how word choices affect the entire tone of a story and change meaning dramatically even when reporting on the same incident. By giving students the tools they need to think critically, through the exploration of literature, the universities will begin to overcome the most common objections to much of the assigned reading. These students will begin, and continue, to question even those facts and ideas that appeal to them. This will give them the ability to construct strong and fair opinions of their own. It will lead them to be more cautious when writing papers for any number of disciplines. Not only will they have the moral stamina to stand up for their opinions, they will be certain that their opinions and statements are both fully realized and backed up with good documentation. The trouble with literature in the classrooms is not in the amount of time spent on literature itself, but on the lack of time spent on discussing the literature to bring about these changes to the culpabilities of the students as critical thinkers. Just reading it is not good enough.   In order to derive a benefit which will deepen the experience of education, and therefore contribute more effectively to the community, the time must be taken to teach explication as well as construct. Defining the importance of literature for the students and then perusing the matter if educating with it as a matter of common course is imperative to the end result of a well educated individual. These individuals will return more to society than what they take from it. In order the continue to chip away at the disparity between classes, races, and even genders, it is important to continue to train students who will think and reason in logical and critical terms through the ability to read and write critically. Literature is as imperative as resource as the air they breathe.

An essay on the benefits of sanitation in developing countries. The WritePass Journal

An essay on the benefits of sanitation in developing countries. INTRODUCTION An essay on the benefits of sanitation in developing countries. INTRODUCTIONDISCUSSIONCONCLUSIONREFERENCESRelated INTRODUCTION This essay seeks to highlight with references four of the major benefits of sanitation in developing countries. Sanitation is the hygienic means of promoting health through prevention of human contact with the hazards of waste. In public health terms, the main source of this hazard is from human and animal feaces. Other sources include solid waste and domestic wastewater. Therefore, any intervention that seeks to separate these waste from humans is termed sanitation. Sanitation or sanitation interventions could be in form of hardware e.g. hygienic latrines or software in form of hygiene practice such as handwashing with soap. Mara et. al. (2010) opined that â€Å"Sanitation is the safe disposal of human excreta† defining ‘safe disposal’ as the hygienic containment or treatment of the excreta to avoid adversely affecting human health. Available 2010 figures show that 2.6billion people, mainly in the developing countries lack access to improved sanitation.It also sh owed that about 1.2billion people lack even an unimproved sanitation facility and practice open defeacation. (WHO, UNICEF, 2010). Statistics from various studies conducted have pointed to the enormous number of people that lack adequate sanitation worldwide and this has prompted some interventions and target setting by organisations across the world. Of such targets is the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) of the United Nations on sanitation which seeks to halve the population of people without adequate sanitation by 2015 using 1990 figures as baseline and also World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) target of ‘Water and Sanitation’ for all by 2025. These targets underscores the importance of sanitation among human population and is geared at creating awareness through all levels of government to the burden that lack of sanitation poses to the people. This essay shall describe the benefits that comes with sanitation in developi ng countries with references to buttress the importance of achieving this targets and what is at stake to be gained. DISCUSSION Sanitation has many benefits but one of the most important (if not the most important) is its contribution to the healthy living of a community or society. Health is wealth as it is commonly said. So, the health status of a community or family has a great role to play in their livelihood. Diarrhoeal diseases are mainly of feaco-oral route and they account for around 1.6 – 2.5million deaths annually. (Mathers C. D. et. al. 2006). Many of these deaths are under five children in developing countries. From the work of Black K. et. al. (2010), diarrhoeal was the leading cause of death among children under five years of age in sub-saharan Africa, resulting in 19% of all deaths in this age group. Eventhough studies carried out has not rigorously separated the specific effect of sanitation from the overall effect of water and sanitation intervention, systematic reviews has suggested that improved sanitation can reduce the rates of diarrhoeal diseases by 32% 37% (Fewtrell I. et. al., 2005). Apart from diarrhoeal diseases, other diseases such as Schistosomiasis, Trachoma and Intestinal helminths causes lots of morbidity episodes and death in a lot of cases. The table below shows the morbidity and mortality rates of selected water, sanitation and hygiene related diseases. Source: Maggie A. et al (2007). American Chemical Society. It can be seen from the table that all these high morbidity and mortality causing diseases are related to unsanitary disposal of excreta. With good sanitation practice, a very good substantial reduction to these figures can be achieved and the general health situation in the developing world would be greatly improved. The popular ‘F’ diagram (Figure 1 overleaf) showing transmission routes of feaco-oral diseases clearly shows also how sanitation could substantially reduce the spread of diseases. Even in a situation of good water supply, without sanitation in place, high risk of contamination in households still exist. Figure 1: Feaco-oral diseases transmission routes and interventions to stop them Source: Feachem R. G. et. al. (1983). Sanitation and disease. Apart from feaco-oral diseases, sanitation lowers considerably the risk of children’s exposure to malnutrition and other infections that might not be directly feaco-oral but that becomes prevailent with increasing episodes of diarrhoeal. (Isabel Gunther et. al., 2011). Overall, sanitation directly improves the health of a community or household by reducing morbidity and mortality. These health improvements indirectly translate to economic benefits. In addition to the benefits sanitation brings to health, it also generates economic benefits. The benefits include direct cost reduction in catering for health due to less sickness especially from diarrhoeal diseases, less days lost at school or at work due to sickness or having to care for sick people and also convenience time savings from walking or queuing at shared sanitation facilities or open defeacation (Hutton G. et. al, 2007). Hutton et. al. interprets the benefits of water and sanitation improvements as being in three categories. ‘Direct economic benefits of avoiding diarrhoeal diseases, indirect economic benefits related to health improvements and non-health benefits related to water and sanitation improvements.’ These benefits are summarised in table 2 below. The benefits were valued to monetary terms using economic methods for valuation. Table 2:   Economic benefits arising from water and sanitation improvements Source: Hutton G, Haller L, Bartram J (2007) The prevention of sanitation and water related diseases could save some $7billion per year in health system costs and an additional $3.6billion per year savings in averted deaths based on discounted future earnings (Hutton et. al., 2007). In many of the developing countries, around half of the hospital beds are occupied by people with diarrhoeal diseases at any one time. This shows the amount of burden that these preventable diseases bring to the developing countries. Sanitation practices can reduce these occurrences to a very minimal level. Figures from Lao People’s Democratic Republic shows that poor sanitation and hygiene cost the country 5.6% of her annual GDP (Gross Domestic Product) per year when expressed on a national scale. (Hutton et. al., 2009). Ghana and Pakistan figures also suggest that general improvement in environmental conditions could save 8% 9% of GDP annually. (WHO, 2008). All these statistics and figures show the potential economic gains that is set to b e derived or gained through sanitation practices. The Disease Control Priorities Projects has found sanitation as the second most cost effective health intervention in the world at $11.15 per DALY (Disability Adjusted Life Year) loss averted, coming behind hygiene promotion which is at $3.35 per DALY averted. (Cairncross et. al., 2006). Table 3: Economic benefits resulting from meeting the MDG sanitation target and from achieving universal sanitation access. Source: Hutton G. et. al., 2007. Table 3 (previous page) shows the cost-benefit ration that is potentially attributed with achieving the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) sanitation target of halving the number of people without improved sanitation by 2015 to 1999 baseline figure and with achieving universal sanitation access in the non OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. This means a one dollar investment on sanitation could bring up to ten dollars worth of economic return gained from the productive work of not being sick. (Mara D.D. et. al., 2010). Therefore, sanitation practices brings about economic development on a national scale through all the averted deaths, avoided DALY losses and money saved in disease treatment that can be used efficiently in other areas of the economy. At the household and community level, the household has more productive time from the ones saved from attending the sick, more children time at school which indirectly translates to better income genera tion for the family or community and therefore a better living standard. Even though health seems to be the strongest point for the spread and campaign of sanitation practices, it is not always the main reason why people want to have clean and hygienic way of practicing sanitation. Other needs to have a good sanitation practice may include: privacy, safety, comfort, cleanliness and respect (Jeff Conant, 2005). Therefore the social benefits that come with good sanitation practice too are enormous and very important in maintaining a good social stratification and integrity within a community. Engaging in good sanitation practice because of the economic gains and health benefits comes most handy in respect to the government. Sourcing of funds and prioritising investment in sanitation improvement projects or infrastructure are the areas where arguments sell and allowing the government to understand the benefits that comes with sanitation improvement. But, when it comes to the people themselves, social factors such as privacy, dignity etc. as mentioned earlier seems to be the stronger reason why they will want to have good sanitation. The billions who must defeacate in bushes and open places face daily assaults to their human dignity and safety. Jon Lane, 2008, noted that â€Å"the humble toilet can speed social development by: aiding progress towards gender equality promoting social inclusion increasing school attendance building community pride and social cohesion and contributing to poverty eradication.† In the absence of adequate sanitation, women and girls are usually the most affected. Women are the ones that care for children and bear the highest risk of direct contact with faeces. Women and young ladies alike are the ones that bear most, the risk of assault and in some cases rape when seeking privacy in the dark at night to defeacate. This problem affects their well-being and limits their free and equal participation in the economic and social life of the community in which they find themselves. When there are no toilets in school or no separate toilet for boys and girls, girls enrolment and stay in school are most affected. They have to stay back home during their menstruation and generally loose motivation for school attendance. â€Å"Globally, one in four girls do not complete primary school compared to one in seven boys† (Jon lane, 2008). Also studies in Alwar district of India shows that sanitation increased girls school enrolment by one-third and improved academic p erformance for boys and girls by a quarter. So, sanitation brings about more gender equality and lessens the burden and risks on women and girls. Another strong social benefit that comes with sanitation is community cohesion. The act and practice of collectively keeping streets and the environment clean (environmental sanitation) and also, the joint effort communities put in improving their sanitation practice (e.g. eradication of open defeacation) brings a bond and a sense of belonging to the members of a community. It makes them share a common pride of cleanliness. This brings about a change in social attitude that they can boast of. â€Å"For example some villages residents have painted signs that read: daughters from our village are not married into villages where open defeacation is practised† (Jon Lane, 2008). All the social factors that gets affected by the extent of sanitation practice are indirectly linked to the subject of poverty profile. Poor people tend to be the ones that are not able to access good sanitation hardwares. This deprives them of their major asset – physical health and ability to work t hereby making their situation worse. But interventions in sanitation can help them keep healthy at all times and help them divert their resources to other critical areas, raising their economic status and reducing the gap between the rich and poor in developing countries. Sanitation practices assist in environmental sustainability. It can be used to strike a nutrient balance in the present world where there is so much stress on our available resources. Human waste gets into water courses and land from open defeacation, disposal of untreated sewer effluents into river channels and leakages from not well designed pit latrines. â€Å"In the developing world, roughly 90% of sewage is discharged untreated into rivers, polluting waters and killing plants and fishes† (United Nations Water, 2008). Also â€Å"In Asia alone, 13million tonnes of feaces are released to inland water sources each year, along with 122millionm3 of urine and 11billion3 of greywater† (United Nations Water, 2008). This is a major for people using streams as their primary water source and economic risk for people that depends on aquatic life (e.g. fishing) for their livelihood. Figures from United Nations also suggest that â€Å"water pollution arising from poor sanitation costs south east Asia more than US$2billion per year, and in Indonesia and Vietnam creates environmental costs of more than US$200million annually primarily from the loss of productive land† Sanitation practices contain human waste with the option of safe treatment for disposal or maintaining the containment. Therefore sanitation stops this trend of environmental degradation and avoids the losses associated with it. Human excreta contain valuable nutrients (Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium). â€Å"We produce 4.56kg Nitrogen, 0.55kg Phosphorus, and 1.28kg Potassium per person per year from feaces and urine. This is enough to produce wheat and maize for one person every year† (WSSCC in Mara D.D., lecture material, IPH, 2011). Going by the fact that conventional mineral fertiliser are mainly of Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium constituents, farmers in developing countries can use the nutrients in excreta to enhance agricultural output at lower costs. The practice of â€Å"Ecological Sanitation† can be used to achieve this. That is, practice sanitation for environmental sustainability while at the same time turning waste (excreta) into a resource. The range s of practices include â€Å"Arboloos† (where a tree is planted on the latrine pit in succession), â€Å"Urine diverting latrines† (that produces fertilisers from urine and composted feaces) and â€Å"Biogas toilets† (that produces methane from anaerobic digestion of feaces). By using this technology, a three way benefit can be derived from sanitation. Environmental sustainability, increase in crop yield leading to better economic benefit while at the same time satisfying the health benefits that comes with sanitation. CONCLUSION REFERENCES Black R, Cousens S, Johnson H, Lawn J, Rudan I, et. al. (2010) Global, regional, and national causes of child mortality in 2008: a systematic analysis. Lancet 375: 1969–1987. Cairncross S, Valdmanis V (2006) Water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion. In :Jamison DT, Breman JG, Measham AR, et al. (2006) Disease control priorities in developing countries, 2nd ed. New York: Oxford University Press. Feachem R.G., Bradley D.J., Garelick H., Mara D.D. (1983) Sanitation and disease. Health aspects of wastewater and excreta management. Chichester: John Wiley Sons. Fewtrell L, Kaufmann RB, Kay D, Enanoria W, Haller L, et al. (2005) Water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions to reduce diarrhoea in less developed countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Infectious Diseases 5. Heinonen-Tanski, H., Pradhan, S.K. Karinen, P., 2010. Sustainable Sanitation- A Cost-Effective Tool to Improve Plant Yields and the Environment. Sustainability, 2(1), pp.341-353. Available at: mdpi.com/2071-1050/2/1/341/ [Accessed June 2, 2011]. Hutton G (2009) Economic impacts of sanitation in Lao PDR. Jakarta: World Bank and Water Sanitation Program Hutton G, Haller L, Bartram J (2007) Economic and health effects of increasing coverage of lowcost household drinking-water supply and sanitation interventions to countries off-track to meet MDG target 10. Geneva: World Health Organization. Isabel Gunther, Gunther Fink. (2011). Water and sanitation to reduce child mortality. The impact and cost of water and sanitation infrastructure. Policy research working paper 5618. The World bank Development Economics Prospect Group. Jef Conant. (2005). Sanitation and cleanliness for a healthy environment. Hesperidian Foundation, UNDP. www.hesperidian.org Jon Lane. (2008). The economicand social benefits of improved sanitation. Speech delivered at the fourth Carribean Environmental Forum and Exhibition. St. George’s University, Grenada. Assessed at www.wsscc.org. Mara, D. et al., 2010. Sanitation and health. PLoS medicine, 7(11), p.e1000363. Available at: pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2981586tool=pmcentrezrendertype=abstract [Accessed February 9, 2011]. Mathers CD, Lopez AD, Murray CJL (2006) The burden of disease and mortality by condition: data, methods, and results for 2001. New York: Oxford University Press. Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. (2002). Access to sanitation in developing countries. www.parliarment.uk/post/hom.htm. United Nations Water. (2008). Sanitation protects the environment. Fact sheet 4. www.esa.un.org. W.H.O. (2006). Human Development Report Office.   Economic and Health Effects of Increasing Coverage of Low Cost Water and Sanitation Interventions. W.H.O., UNICEF. (2010). Progress on sanitation and drinking water – 2010 update. Geneva: World Health Organisation. W.H.O., UNICEF. (2000). Global Assessment of water supply and sanitation. World Bank (2008) Environmental health and child survival: epidemiology, economics, experience. Washington, DC: World Bank.

Monorail Accident Disney Theme Park

Monorail Accident Disney Theme Park On July 5, 2009 two monorails collided that resulted in one fatality (CBS News 1). Monorail accidents is not a common occurrence, but even if it is, the significance of this tragedy is made more dramatic by the fact that it occurred in Walt Disney World, one of the major Disney theme parks in America and around the world.Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Monorail Accident Disney Theme Park specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The accident tarnished the image of Walt Disney Theme Parks because it was supposed to be a safe place for children and adults. A deeper look into the accident revealed safety issues that Walt Disney World was compelled to rectify. The Accident The Walt Disney monorail system that can be found at Walt Disney World was considered as one of the safest transportation systems in the United States. This assertion is supported by facts. First of all, the said monorail system was in operation since 197 1 (Walt Disney World’s Monorail Accidents and Mishaps 1). Secondly, it was the only fatality in more than three decades of service. However, what was not made clear in the initial discussion was that the monorail system had three accidents in the past. The only thing highlighted was the fact that no one was fatally injured in these three accidents. But a similar accident occurred in August of 1991 when a monorail collided with a tractor as the tractor was too close to the train (Walt Disney World’s Monorail Accidents and Mishaps 1). The tractor was used to film the monorail system for a TV commercial. This incident indicated that a lack of coordination and the absence of standard operating procedures for moving monorails during closing time can spell disaster. In this case, the driver died on the spot. He was identified as Austin Wuennenberg. Aside from the death of the driver, the monorail crash cost $24 million in damages (CBS News 1). Wuennenberg was the driver of t he purple monorail and he had with him six passengers. The pink monorail had no passengers and it was driven by an operator so that it can be moved into the maintenance facility of the said monorail system. The operator of the pink monorail survived the incident unscathed because he was backing up the monorail and therefore it was the tail-end of the vehicle that collided with the purple monorail. Since, Wuennenberg was driving the monorail forward, the front operating cab slammed into the rear operating cab of the pink monorail. The Investigation After the accident, the company’s Vice President of Communications Michael Griffin assured the general public that the accident was extremely rare (NBC News 1). In fact, the monorail system carried an estimated 150,000 riders on a daily basis (Zibart Hoekstra 92). When made to comment on how long Wuennenberg had been with Disney, Griffin did not answer this particular question (NBC News 1). But the investigation of the National Tra nsportation Safety Board (NTSB) revealed that it was not the driver who was at fault.Advertising Looking for term paper on business corporate law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More It is important to point out that the accident occurred at 2 o’clock in the morning. In other words the Magic Kingdom Park where the monorail was located was already closed. However, the monorails continue to operate because of the need to transport customers to the parking area or to the hotels within the said theme park. In a typical day the monorails are allowed to operate only an hour or two after closing time. Two hours after closing, the said vehicles are returned in order to perform maintenance checks. The pink and purple monorails were in a closed loop called the Epcot Beam. At that time there were five monorails in operation and these were called: Pink; Purple; Red; Silver; and Coral. But it was the pink one that was ready t o be returned via the Express Beam. Thus, the pink monorail had to be positioned at the Spurbeam Connection and Switchbeam 9 so that it can proceed to Switchbeam 8; and from that point move forward to the Express Beam. At exactly 1:53 a.m. the monorail central coordinator gave the go signal to the operator of the pink monorail to move it past Switchbeam 9 on the Epcot Beam. When the pink monorail was in position, the next step was to coordinate the alignment of Switchbeams 9 and 8. When the alignment procedure is completed the pink monorail can begin backing up until it reaches the Spurbeam. The operator of the pink monorail waited for further instructions. The central coordinator instructed the shop panel coordinator to complete the alignment process. The coordinator removed power from that section so that the alignment procedure can be completed. The monorail system employed at this particular theme park uses a Power Distribution and Monitor System (PDMS) and it has a graphical pr ompt that helps the shop panel operator monitor the alignment process. But if the said operator did nothing, the system will time-out and the prompts will disappear (National Transportation Safety Board 5). If the shop panel operator failed to align the switch-beams there is no other indicator that will help him point out the error. It was at this point when a series of human errors resulted in an accident. The NTSB investigators discovered the reason why the shop panel operator failed to align the switch-beams. The report said that â€Å"Two minutes after the central coordinator requested for the alignment of the switch-beams, and a minute or so after the shop panel operator removed power, the operator of the Silver monorail informed the shop panel coordinator that he experienced a left side door alert as it traversed towards the maintenance facility† (National Transportation Safety Board 5).Advertising We will write a custom term paper sample on Monorail Accident Di sney Theme Park specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The said personnel had to record into a logbook that the vehicle was already in the repair facility. A minute later, at exactly â€Å"1:56 a.m., the operator of the Red monorail informed the shop panel operator that it was about to enter the maintenance facility but received instructions to hold at a designated location† (National Transportation Safety Board 6). Thus, when the shop panel operator returned to the switch-panel, he did not realize that he was not able to complete the alignment process. Nevertheless, he restored power to the Epcot Beam and informed the central coordinator that the spur-line has power. The central coordinator instructed the pink monorail operator to override in reverse. The operator of the pink monorail began to back-up. But it has to be made clear that these monorails travelled in a loop. Since the switch-beams were not aligned the pink monorail simply went back to the loop but only this time it was moving backwards. The purple monorail was in its path. The failure of the shop panel operator to align the switch-beams was easy to correct because most of the time the central coordinator was stationed at the Concourse Tower where one can find display screens, the PDMS and video monitors. These devices and equipment enabled the central coordinator to see the repositioning of switch-beams from the tower (National Transportation Safety Board 10). However, the central coordinator was not at the tower. Shortly before the accident, â€Å"the on duty central coordinator requested for a sick leave to his supervisor the monorail manager† (National Transportation Safety Board 10). His request was granted but it took some time before the replacement can take over. Thus, in the meantime the monorail manager took over as central coordinator. The only problem was that he was in a local restaurant and communicated to the shop panel operator and the operators of the monorail through his radio, without visual confirmation of the information that he received. Conclusion The investigators were able to determine that the company’s procedures did not specify the need for the coordinator to observe the video monitors and electronic displays when issuing commands with regards to the movement of vehicles. There were also no procedures to ensure that the shop panel operator completed the alignment request.Advertising Looking for term paper on business corporate law? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More These lapses were considered in the modification of the procedures. In addition, management made it a policy that the monorail drivers must always stay in the forward facing cab. The drivers are now trained to visually confirm the correct position of the beams (National Transportation Safety Board 14). Management also made it a policy to have a spotter or observer in radio contact with the monorail driver. Finally, management limited the power of the central coordinator when it came to moving monorails. Approval from the monorail manager is needed and this limited the power of the coordinator to issue commands with regarding the movement of the same. They also upgraded the software of their management information system in order improve their capability to monitor switch-beam operations (National Transportation Safety Board 14). Finally, management devised a new radio signal that will direct all the vehicles to stop at once without delay. Walt Disney World’s Monorail Acciden ts and Mishaps 2011. Web. CBS News. NTSB Releases Report on Disney Monorail Death. CBS Miami, 1 Nov. 2011. Web. National Transportation Safety Board. Railroad Accident Brief. Washington, D.C.: National Transportation Safety Board, 2011. Print. NBC News. Disney World Monorail Trains Collide, Kill Driver. NBC Southern California, 29 July 2009. Web. Zibart, Eve and David Hoekstra. Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney’s World for Grown-ups. New Jersey: John Wiley Sons, 2009. Print.