Strategic management accounting and finance Essay

Strategic management accounting and finance - Essay Example That information, in turn, can then become the knowledge that leads to wisdom. The idea is that information, knowledge, and wisdom are more than simply collections. Rather, the whole represents more than the sum of its parts and has a synergy of its own. In an organizational context, data represents facts or values of results, and relations between data and other relations have the capacity to represent information. Patterns of relations of data and information and other patterns have the capacity to represent knowledge. For the representation to be of any utility it must be understood, and when understood the representation is information or knowledge to the one that understands. The value of Knowledge Management relates directly to the effectiveness with which the managed knowledge enables the members of the organization to deal with today's situations and effectively envision and create their future. Without on-demand access to managed knowledge, every situation is addressed based on what the individual or group brings to the situation with them. With on-demand access to managed knowledge, every situation is addressed with the sum total of everything anyone in the organization has ever learned about a situation of a similar natur e. Today's business environment is characterized by continuous, often radical change. Such a volatile climate demands a new attitude and approach within organizations-actions must be anticipatory, adaptive, and based on a faster cycle of knowledge creation. Movement from a manufacture to a knowledge context Most of today's companies are built around organizational structures ranging from bureaucracy to adhocracy (Brezillon). According to Weber, Henderson, and Parsons, the attributes of a modern bureaucracy include impersonality and the implementation of a system of authority that is practically indestructible. Toffler sees it as a network of roles fulfilled by individuals. Bureaucratic organizations usually deal with routine operations. At the other end of the spectrum, an adhocracy represents any form of organization capturing opportunities, solving problems, and getting results. One crucial difference between both structures is the way information and knowledge flow inside the structure. In the bureaucracy, they flow bottom-up along a hierarchical path, before coming down again along a different hierarchy. In the adhocracy, hierarchical ties are relaxed and information and knowledge mostly flow through lateral relations (Brezillon). Some of the current challenges businesses face includes: - A growing emphasis on creating customer value and improving customer service; - An increasingly competitive marketplace with a rising rate of innovation; - Reduced cycle times and shortened product development times; - A need for organizational adaptation because of changing business rules and assumptions; - A requirement to operate with a shrinking number of assets (people, inventory, and facilities); - A reduction in the amount of time employees are given to acquire new knowledge; and - Changes in strategic directions and workforce mobility that lead to knowledge loss. All of these factors make knowledge management a necessity rather than a luxury. Organizations must have a clear handle on how knowledge is discovered, created, dispersed, and put to use. In some ways, knowledge managem

Mother Teresa Essay Example for Free

Mother Teresa Essay One of the most loved people in the world, Mother Teresa devoted her entire life in a selfless deed of humanitarian acts. Being canonized as a saint by the late Pope John Paul II, her existence is forever cherished by those who came to love her and experienced the charitable works she did extending her self to the outcast and poorest sector of society. One of the most comprehensive and intimate autobiography written about Mother Teresa, is T. T. Mundakel’s Blessed Mother Teresa: Her Journey to your Heart which has been published in October 19, 2003 which happened to her beatification as well. This autobiography pertains to the most personal account of Mother Teresa’s life where the author maintained a close relationship with the saint herself. The one-on-one dialogue presented personal narratives coming Mother Teresa’s own words. Mundakel penned her struggles in life, her boundless faith in God, and her works as a nun reaching out to the poor in her country India, as well as her life before her sainthood and how this shaped her to the person that she is, loved and cherished even after death. This essay will delve into Mundakel’s work and how Mother Teresa’s life has created such impact to the world. She is clearly considered as a global leader who greatly reached out to her ‘constituents’ serving as manifestation of God’s kindness and selflessness. Born from a wealthy family situated in Albania, Mother Teresa does not have a close encounter with poverty just yet. Showing an interest to the stories of missionaries and their lives, this already manifested Mother Teresa’s innate selfless character. In the midst of wealth where her world has been limited to that kind of environment, the lives of the missionaries may have trigged her interest for an adventure accompanied by faith. The fact that missionaries are able to go from one or another to be able to serve ignited Mother Teresa’s interest the different world which missionaries’ visit and must have wanted to feel the kind of spiritual passion in which motivated the missionaries to do great works. Her desires to be a missionary pushed her to the goal of pursuing that dream by becoming a nun. By the time she arrived India, she has attained one of the things she may have wanted to experience like the rest of the missionaries she have heard of – a different world to where she can devote her service. When she was exposed to poverty, a whole different world has been brought in front of her. She cannot contain that such suffering and pain were being inflicted in this part of the world that Mother Teresa decided to give her full time to charity works. From the experiences that she had when she was submerged into poverty, Mother Teresa was to accomplish one of the most dedicated congregations aimed for the welfare of the poor. She started the Missionaries of Charity which is patterned on Franciscan aim of serving those in need, especially the outcast and most distraught sector of the society (Baldoni, 2003, p. 136). She also built a home for the orphans and homeless children called Nirmala Shishu Bhavan, for she was able to experience how it was to not have a home when she was just starting out as a missionary. Her missionary work did not aim in just helping the poor but to live and suffer with them. Ever since as a kid, Mother Teresa had already had a clear path that she wanted to take – a life committed in faith and to reach out to others. When she had witnessed the extreme poverty happening in Calcutta, it became an eye-opener for her and that further strengthened her vow and her faith to her mission and to God. In this present time, the Missionaries of Charity have grown into a significant number of approximately 4,000 nuns and still counting. From this aspect, it can be considered that Mother Teresa was successful in attaining her goals. The fact that her mission still exists in the presence of the congregation and the homes she spearheaded to be built, it is a manifestation of continuing her goals even after death. From Mother Teresa herself, one of the factors why she became successful in achieving her aim is due to her unwavering confidence to God by constantly communicating with prayer. The strong faith she pushed her to be a missionary is the same faith which made her stronger to surpass all the struggles she experienced in pursuing her missionary goals. That faith reminded her that it is a vow that she have been fated to serve and should be continued for the rest of her life. Mother Teresa was deeply honored in the global community. For she did not only focus on helping the poor of India but expanded it throughout other places in the world which experience famine, poverty, and calamity victims, the moment the missionary membership expanded as well. Through her consecutive efforts in helping suffering people from different places of the world, her name became recognized as the forefront of missionary works centering on humility and empathic deeds. Gaining recognition for her works, this influenced sectors of the society such as the government and the church to strengthen and intensify their work in reaching to the poor. Mother Teresa and her congregation became a good example on how service to the poor should be done and how to reach out to the people. The life and achievements of Mother Teresa is a hard path to follow. As the Christian Church preached to live a life like what Jesus did, emulating Jesus or Mother Teresa’s path is one hard task. She experienced a lot of hardship with her faith as her weapon and guidance for survival. From that, an ordinary individual will find it difficult to live a selfless life. Her accomplishments are not to be taken lightly for it took years to be able for the congregation to be built and its goals to be continually performed with so much strength and vigor. This autobiography made by Mundakel is indeed a tribute to the late missionary. The consistent gratitude honored for Mother Teresa shows a deep appreciation to the contemporary saint, despite of living in a fast-pace modern world, was able to attain a goal which helped a lot of people. Though it can be said that Mother Teresa’s life is hard to follow, her strength and passionate faith should be imitated or an individual to conquer life’s struggles and difficulties. Mundakel’s work is a manifestation of Mother Teresa as her love for God and her love for people brought her to be the most-loved person by the world. References Baldoni, J. (2003). Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders. New York: McGraw-Hill Professional. Mundakel, T. T. (2003). Blessed Mother Teresa: Her Journey to Your Heart. India: Liguori.

Channel Tunnel Construction: Project Management

Channel Tunnel Construction: Project Management The Channel Tunnel is considered to be the largest private sector infrastructure project of the twentieth century. It is a fixed link transportation system comprising twin rail tunnels with an additional service tunnel each 50.5 kilometres in length. These run below the English Channel connecting England and France. The terminals can be found in Folkstone in the UK and Coquelles, near Calais in France. In 1986, a treaty of Canterbury was signed establishing the political framework for the project. This addressed issues such as jurisdiction, national boundaries and governmental involvement, consequently defining the role of the Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) and Safety Authority. In the same year, the Concession Agreement was awarded to Eurotunnel (ET), a bi-national company formed by the Channel Tunnel Group (UK) and France Manche S.A. (France) for 65 years. Eurotunnel subsequently became owner and operator of the project and awarded the construction contract to Transmanche Link (TML) for the tunnels design, construction, testing and commissioning. ET also became linked to the banks via a loan agreement and to national railways via a usage agreement. The scope of the project entailed the development of a system to accommodate the transfer of regular traffic through airport-sized terminals onto an entirely new rail system with minimum transit time and shuttles travelling at high speeds with high capacity in a confined tunnel environment. This therefore defined the technology to be used, since a high integration was required between works and specific transport equipment, an unprecedented rolling stock which included the heaviest traffic on rails, and the largest real-time data system ever employed to manage shuttles travelling at high speeds. Project Roles and Responsibilities Project Sponsor As the project was privately funded, the sponsor had to raise finance on an unprecedented scale through bank loans and equity while making shares available to the public. The loan was secured through a consortium of 203 banks worldwide. An increase in finance during the course of the project was necessary to accommodate for the previously unconsidered needs of the IGC and for safety and environmental concerns as well as the approval of changes made to the project plan by the manager to address the commissions concerns and the degree of fast-tracking between the several phases of the projects. Contractual issues had to be resolved during the course of the project, with a revised agreement to that made with TML in 1987 being drawn up. As installation of equipment progressed, the concern shifted to the training of personnel for the operation of the transport system. Maintaining communication between both sides of the tunnel was also crucial in achieving project success. Project Manager The project managers principal responsibility was to plan and organise the project effectively to meet the sponsors design and construction specifications while adhering to cost and time constraints. During the construction phase, the project manager had to appoint sub-contractors for various stages of the project, with fixed-price contracts issued to reduce costs. Other duties included the modification of the project plan to accommodate for changes in the original design necessitated by pressures from the Intergovernmental Commission and accounting for safety and environmental concerns. The project manager also had to ensure that there was effective communication between the French and the English sides of the tunnel construction. Project Timeline Commissioning Jan 1990 total tunnel bored reached 50km Dec 1986 Geotechnical study of Shakespeare Cliff carried out. Cross channel surveys developed for the 1974-1975 tunnel project were refined using the latest satellite observations Nov. 1987 Funds arranged totalling  £5 billion Oct 1990 Eurotunnel Signs agreement for  £1.8 billion additional bank credit facilities June 1992 The installation of complex signalling, control and communication system begins. Nov 1993 Commissioning Program Begins August 1987 Construction work begins on both UK (Shakespeare Cliff) and French (Sangatte) sides of the channel Figure 1: Fast-track programme for Channel Tunnel [Event dates obtained from Wilson Spark (1994)] Original Project Objectives The fundamental objective of the tunnel was to offer a comfortable, fast, frequent and reliable transportation service that linked the United Kingdom to France via the English Channel. ET suggested that that two rail tunnels and a service tunnel be constructed. The service tunnel was to be fitted with safety and electronic equipment of the highest standard while the rail tunnels were to be designed to accommodate shuttle speeds between 100 to 160 km/h with an average journey time of three hours between London and Paris. The project was initially scheduled for opening on the 15 May, 1993. This meant that the time taken between design consideration and completion of the project was set at seven years. Since Eurotunnel could not start earning revenues until the tunnel became operational, schedule overruns were linked directly to loss of revenue, and were considered a more damaging consequence than direct cost increases. Based on the conceptual design, the budget was estimated at  £5 billion. It can therefore be observed that the quality of the system was of greatest importance in this project. A compromise was necessary between the desired quality and the time taken to achieve this quality, since as the time increased, so did the costs (in the form of lost revenue). Figure 2 indicates the time-cost-quality relationship for the Channel Tunnel project. The red dot represents the relative importance of quality with respect to time. Project Strategy The scale of design was massive and consequently broken into several smaller projects that ran simultaneously to achieve the overall objectives. Realistic time estimates for the project were obtained from detailed schedule planning during the inception phase of the project. This included activity definition, activity sequencing, and activity duration to develop a baseline project schedule. During the course of the project, monitoring and re-evaluation of the time estimates were performed by the implementation of a hierarchical planning/control system. This allowed overall strategic planning, proper reporting to management and detailed logging of day-to-day activities using a computerized reporting system to monitor the progress on all aspects of the project. According to the Channel Tunnel Treaty, Eurotunnel had to obtain funding for the project from private sources, without government aid or loan guarantees. Hence, financing was obtained through equity and loan capital markets. The Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) was put into place to ensure the quality objectives were achieved. This included implementation of a Safety Authority which was responsible for monitoring and specifying design procedures, specifications, construction and issues related to the environment, operation and safety. Since the project was bi-national in nature, the IGC mandated that if there were differences in the standards of the two countries, the higher of the two should prevail. The Quality Management plan included quality planning, quality assurance and quality control. Contracts played an essential role in defining the scope of work, cost, timeline and rules of engagement (or penalties). Contract Strategy During the conceptual design phase, Eurotunnel contracted TML for the construction of the tunnel. The contract agreements were based on estimated costs since at this stage of the project, detailed design was incomplete and hence, fixed prices were not available. Based on the estimated costs, the contract had three facets: Lump sum works for the construction of terminals and installation of mechanical and electrical equipment in both tunnels and terminals. Target works, for all tunnelling and related equipment such as the tunnel boring machines. The arrangement was that if the actual cost was less than the target cost at completion, the contractor will receive 50% of the savings, while if the actual cost exceeded the target cost, the contractor was required to pay 30% of the excess, up to a maximum of 6% of the target cost. Procurement items for the rolling stock and its associated equipment on a cost reimbursement basis with a procurement fee. Project Manager Type and Style ET comprised mainly of banks and contractors. Throughout the project, ET was largely criticised for its approach to design and management. This resulted in failure to deliver the project according to the sponsors time, cost and quality objectives. Additionally, since ETs organisation was bi-national, a sole project manager could not be identified. Organisational Structure Eurotunnels organisational structure can be described as functional, but its two board system made it unique. This is depicted in Figure 3 below. Figure 3: Eurotunnel Management Structure: Joint-Board System (adapted from Stannard (1990)) / In retrospect with the original project objectives, the Tunnel was not opened until 6 May 1994 at a cost of approximately  £12 billion. Additionally, original specifications for the rail system and tunnel quality were revised in order to keep costs down. Many reports have analysed the Channel Tunnel project in an effort to determine what went wrong in such a massive construction venture. From its inception, it was plagued by financial and technical woes, blown schedules and highly public battles between the company managing the project, ET, and its contractors, TML. One of the factors responsible for the cost overruns stem from the short time allocated for bidders to place their proposal for the project in the inception phase. Due to time constraints only a conceptual design was presented and priced. All detail design was to be completed during the construction phase after the bid was won (an example of fast-tracking in the program). Consequently, a number of design problems were not identified from the onset of the project and no provisions were made for them in ETs initial cost estimates. A typical example of this was the need for air-conditioning in the tunnel, and therefore, an additional  £200 million to accommodate this new design aspect. Later on, this lead to disputes between ET and TML about who was responsible for these cost overruns. Another important factor to consider was the poor communication between the British and French teams, in addition to ET and TML. Project communications was an important aspect in project planning, especially for a project of this magnitude. The multi-national team of approximately 15,000 persons included the politicians, governmental workers, bankers, lawyers and analysts who were responsible for obtaining an approved proposal plan and financing, and the construction workers, machinists and engineers who were responsible for the actual implementation of the project. With a task force of this size, an executional communication plan was necessary to address horizontal and vertical communication channels. An analysis of the Risk Management revealed that focus was on engineering risk as compared to process and approval risk, such as IGC safety decisions and approval, while the business risk was addressed via contractual agreements. During the project life, several key members of the ET team resigned and TMLs management also underwent significant change. Strategies were adjusted given the depreciating status of the project. Organisations involved such as the banks, Safety Authority, environmental issues, local authority and public opinion interfered strongly and permanently in this project that was constantly under media scrutiny. The Channel Tunnel was able to withstand all these delays and cost overruns principally because of its highly robust future income stream.

Uploadng Your Brain Essay -- essays research papers

UPLOADING YOUR BRAIN†¦ "I'm sorry, Jim, but I just don't think it's right for a man's atoms to be scattered all over creation and then brought back together again. It's just not right." (Character, Dr. Leonard McCoy, original Star Trek series) I wonder what Bones would have to say about swallowing, or being injected with billions of microscopic robots, or nanobots, to enter into a three dimensional cyberspace - a virtual reality environment or to enable him to live forever? In an article that could be taken from a Star Trek: Voyager script, I think Dr. Kurzweil is proposing the coming of the perpetual human as a result of nanobot technology. I guess it's not that strange a conception for science and sci-fi to be bedfellows. It's actually quite exciting to see some of the fantastic ideas once seen only in the entertainment media come to fruition. I just wish they'd work on the teleporting theory so that commuting would become a thing of the past. It would sure help the ozone layer. In due time, I suppose, but I don't know if I'm ready for an energizer bunny type of human being. Neural implants are now being used to counteract tremors from Parkinson's disease as well as multiple sclerosis. Cochlear implants are helping the deaf to hear and a retinal implant is now underway in the hopes that the blind may one day see again, or for the first time. Along those lines, Dr. Kurzweil, believes that nanobot based implants will enhance the human brain and in effect I believe, create a race of super intelligent humans. At present, the nanobots cannot be made small enough. But he states that in 30 years we will be able to miniaturize (shades the movies Fantastic Voyage and Inner Space) them and send billions of the blood cell sized scanning machines through every capillary of the brain to create a complete noninvasive scan of our every neural feature. Perhaps noninvasive on a physical level, but what about our emotional and spiritual levels? Right now we find our rights being stepped on more and more as the federal government takes control of areas in which we should be governing ourselves. When governments, extremist groups and terrorists get hold of this of kind of technology the results will be devastating. Mind boggling, if you will. Instead of bugging your phone or house you could be slipped a "nanobot mickey" and the "spy nanobots"... ...l your thoughts and actions. Talk about the ultimate violation. They could be put in the food or water supply of an entire population. Forget cryogenics or cloning. If you combine cybernetic and nanobot technologies you could upload your knowledge and experiences into a computer and then be put into a cybernetic body (the Bionic Man/Woman meet Bicentennial Man) you could, quite conceivably, live forever. But, would you want to? I might if I could outrun a car and eat all the cheeseburgers and chocolate cake I wanted without gaining an ounce! Seriously, though, I doubt that I would. I personally do not feel comfortable with the human race having access to this kind of knowledge. We're not exactly the most stable of species. I want to live my 'natural' life in my biological body as I was meant to. Not some man made super body. Dr. Kurzweil regards the freeing of the human mind from its severe physical limitations as a necessary next step in evolution. He sees it as moving us inexorably closer to becoming like God. Maybe God had a very good reason for our physical limitations. No, I'd rather take the natural, age-old approach to God myself - dying as we were meant to do.

Meeting the Needs of Students

Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are a leading cause of death and disability among children and adolescents, with an annual incidence estimated at 180 cases per 100,000 children between the ages of 1 and 15 in the United States (Yeates,2005). Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) are defined in the special education law in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 1990) as being an â€Å"injury to the brain caused by an external physical force, resulting in total or partial functional disability or psychosocial impairment† that affects a child's educational performance (Cave,2004). Knowing that, students learning needs are different from students with other exceptionalities (Spear,2005). General and special education teachers need to use a variety of specific strategies based on learning styles and certain resources, with students who have experienced a TBI, to promote learning in all subject areas. A TBI alters a child’s mind and changes the way he or she thinks. Teachers must be aware of this and know how to adapt in order to accommodate their needs in the classroom. TBI’s change cognition and behavior in students and no two students with traumatic brain injury will display the same characteristics (Spear,2005). Students who have sustained a head injury may experience problems in physical, cognitive, and psychosocial areas. Physical effects With regard to physical deficits, individuals with TBI may have an array of problems ranging from sensory deficits to difficulty with mobility. Headaches and fatigue are common, especially during the early stages of recovery (Bullock,2005). Their muscles may be â€Å"weak, hypotonic, or spastic,† which could interfere with learning activities such as writing and keyboarding. They may also experience seizures. In general, schools are more proficient at making physical accommodations for students. Cognitive Effects Cognitive difficulties are common following a brain injury and some may seem quite baffling to educators unfamiliar with TBI (New York State Education Dept. ,1997). For example, children with TBI may have short-term memory problems, yet, may be able to easily recall information learned prior to their injury. This has significant implications for assessment purposes. Furthermore, it is possible for a student to perform well on â€Å"some widely used standard assessments† using his or her prior knowledge. Such a â€Å"false indication† of the student's current level of functioning may prevent the individual from receiving the proper services. To avoid this drawback, several different methods of assessment should be used when attempting to determine the needs of a student recovering from TBI. Memory is only one aspect of cognition that is affected by TBI. It also commonly affects a student’s ability to attend to â€Å"instruction, mental processing speed, and thought formulation and reasoning†. These are only a few of the hardships faced by students who are affected by TBI and educators must be aware of these problems. Psychosocial Effects Difficulties that result from changes in the student's social, emotional, and behavioral functioning are known as psychosocial effects (Bullock,2005). The changes in the brain resulting from the injury, along with stress and anxiety brought on by rehabilitation and recovery, may cause children with TBI to exhibit unusual emotional states, such as dramatic mood swings. This emotional state can bring negative reactions from peers and teachers and makes it difficult to maintain positive relationships. When children with TBI return to school, their educational and emotional needs are often very different than before the injury. Remembering how they were prior to the brain injury may make injured students feel â€Å"embarrassed, ashamed, or frustrated† about their change in performance in the classroom (Bullock,2005). Of the various types of difficulties resulting from brain injury, the psychosocial effects have proven to be the most challenging for school personnel and parents to manage. Resources and Services Available The effects of a brain injury include a wide range of services and accommodations that may be needed. Highly individualized planning is also required (Zabel, 2005). Many students with mild to moderate TBI’s usually return to regular general education classes with some adaptations and modifications. Students with TBI who attend mainstream classes may also receive accommodations or related services under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504. Section 504 covers â€Å"all students who have a physical or mental impairment that substantially limit one or more major life activities, including learning† (Zabel, 2005). Students with more significant impairments should be referred to special education evaluation to determine if specialized services are necessary to address any cognitive, communication, physical, or social limitations. What Educational Interventions Are Successful? Students who have a difficult time concentrating or completing tasks need strategies. Teachers should present information to these students based on their strengths. These students have to choose a way to strengthen their learning skills by practicing modalities such as learning visually, kinesthetically, or auditorily. It is important that teachers include prioritizing, structuring, and slowing down while instructing a lesson. This can simply mean talking slower, giving less information at a time, and answering questions more thoroughly(Cave,2004). ClassroomAccommodations Altering the classroom environment is essential when trying to meet the needs of a student with a TBI (Bowen, 2005). As an educator, you may want to provide external devices and cues, which the student can use to compensate for organization, memory, and motor deficits. Assistive devices can include technical equipment and materials such as â€Å"tape recorders, calculators, electronic spellers, computers or word processors, augmentative communication devices, timers,or equipment for mobility (e. g. , wheelchair or electric scooter)†. Other external cues used to remind students include â€Å"labels, maps, checklists, pictures or icons, photograph cues, post-it-notes, calendars, planners, and journals† (Bowen, 2005). Modifications to existing materials can assist students with TBI to learn and function in the classroom setting. Typical adjustments that allow students to participate at their grade level include providing â€Å"large print books, books on tape, and graphic organizers†. A similar approach involves â€Å"altering the expectations for student participation. † For example, teachers may choose to allow more time on tests, reduce the amount of written work required, provide exams in multiple choice format, or give pass/fail grades rather than letter grades. Researchers have found that modifying the educational environment and increasing the amount of structure and predictability in the child's school day facilitates learning† (Keyser-Marcus, 2002). We must consider each child's individual difficulties and circumstances when determining appropriate modifications. Therefore, we must assess the influence of the environment on the student's ability to focus and learn; and we need to explore a variety of modifications before we modify the educational surroundings. Due to the fact that many students with TBI experience difficulty with fatigue, a modified school day may be necessary for better performance. Scheduled breaks or a shortened school day may limit fatigue. Another strategy would be to schedule difficult subjects early because the student’s alertness level is higher. In addition to modifications to the school day, researchers have found â€Å"that altering the student's workload, extending deadlines, and breaking tasks into smaller components have all improved academic performance†. TBI Organizations The Brain Injury Association helps promote â€Å"awareness, understanding, and prevention of brain injury through education, advocacy, and community support services† (Monfore, 2005). Its web site has links to support groups and has a wealth of information on various aspects of brain injury. The Brain Injury Society is a non profit organization that works with clients, families, and caregivers to identify strategies and techniques to â€Å"maximize newfound potential for a stronger recovery† from brain injury. This organization sponsors events, as well as provides general information on TBI, a newsletter, links to other relevant sites, and important contact information â€Å"for government officials in a position to affect legislation†. Summary Children and youth with traumatic brain injury can pose a significant challenge to educators in educational planning, teaching methods, and monitoring of students' performance. For students who have experienced TBI, educators should be aware of the medical, neurological, and psychological issues which shape each individuals TBI case (Stevens, 1994). The educator must understand the relevance of these issues to plan effective educational programs. Regardless of the types of accommodations and strategies we use with these students, the most effective programs depend on our willingness to learn about the specific consequences of the injuries and our attempts to customize the instruction and curriculum to meet the needs of those students. Educators have a vital role in providing the widest range of opportunities available to these students.

Healing Meditation

Healing Meditation Introduction Meditation is a process of a determined focus on a sound, thing, movement or just attention to enhance awareness of the current moment, decrease anxiety, boost recreation and uphold personal and spiritual advancement (Seaward, 2012, pp. 67-74). Even if meditation is a significant religious endeavor in some religions and customs, it could be carried out by anybody irrespective of their cultural or spiritual settings to alleviate stress and ache.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Healing Meditation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More While the Western health practitioners start comprehending the function of the mind in health and illness, there is more concern in the utilization of meditation in medication (Ospina et al., 2008, pp. 1199-1201). Meditative processes are progressively provided in health clinics and hospitals like a device for boosting wellbeing and quality of life. For instance, meditation is use d in individuals with enfeebling, chronic or terminal sickness. This paper compares and contrasts inclusive and exclusive meditation. Comparison and contrast Inclusive meditation is a kind of meditation that permits every thought to get into the screen of the mind, yet have no opinion or psychological connection. Inclusive meditation entails observance with psychological detachment (Ospina et al., 2008, pp. 1201-1203). Some of the examples of inclusive meditation are Zen Meditation and Mindfulness Meditation. Exclusive meditation (also referred to as restrictive meditation) is a kind of meditation that concentrates on just a single thought, to the barring of every other. Some of the vehicles for exclusive meditation encompass mental recurrence (mantra) and recurring sounds (nadem) just to mention a few. Some of the examples of exclusive meditation include Transcendental Meditation (TM) and the Relaxation Response. Both inclusive meditation and exclusive meditation are similar in tha t they both concentrate on silencing the occupied mind. The purpose is not to eradicate stimulation but instead to guide the attention of an individual to a particular healing component; a sound, a word, an image, consciousness or the breath of the individual. In a case where the mind is â€Å"occupied† with the sensation of calm and tranquility, it cannot set itself out and be troubled, stressed out or dejected. Inclusive and exclusive meditation can both entail actions that maintain the attention pleasantly rooted in concentration.Advertising Looking for report on alternative medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In an instance where the mind is calm and focused on concentration, it does not respond to the recollections from earlier times or anxiety of plans in the future, the two key contributors of chronic strain known to impinge on health (Ospina et al., 2008, pp. 1204-1209).  On the other hand, inc lusive meditation differs from exclusive meditation. Exclusive meditation involves methodically going past psychological activity and transcending every thought to experience gradually polished, more powerful phases, up to when an individual gets to the condition of pure awareness. Exclusive meditation is practiced as the deepest concentration of the mind with no thoughts but just consciousness, in its most pure and serene form. On the contrary, inclusive meditation is normally deemed a process of â€Å"open monitoring†; observing all thoughts, perceptual experiences or impressions as they emerge and set off devoid of judging or grasping, and is carried out to acquire insight and composure. Unlike inclusive meditation, exclusive meditation does not entail observing of thoughts, watching the breath or examining the body but is just a practice of transcending thoughts. While inclusive meditation occurs normally within the realm of the mind, exclusive meditation takes concentrat ion to the state of pure awareness, away from the mind (Ospina et al., 2008, pp. 1210-1213). Conclusion Meditation has been employed as the primary remedy for curing some illnesses, as an added cure in an extensive treatment arrangement, and as a way of boosting the quality of life of individuals. Both inclusive meditation and exclusive meditation are alike in that they both focus on bringing calm and peace to the occupied mind. On the other hand, they differ in that while inclusive meditation is based on all thoughts, exclusive meditation excludes thoughts and is based on consciousness. I think inclusive meditation is more effective as inclusion of all thoughts increases and eases the power of concentration thus inculcating a better sense of peace and pleasure. References Ospina, M., Bond, K., Karkhaneh, M., Buscemi, N., Dryden, D., Barnes, V., Carlson, L., Dusek, J., Shannahoff-Khalsa, D. (2008). Clinical trials of meditation practices in health care: characteristics and quality. The journal of alternative and complementary medicine, 14(10), 1199-1213.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Healing Meditation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Seaward, B.L. (2012). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being. (7th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones Bartlett Learning.