Capstone Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Capstone - Essay Example Special academic programs serve the purpose of arming nurses with tailor made skills meant to enhance workplace related competence. Upon acquiring the required theoretical knowledge, nursing students may demonstrate their ability to articulate the acquired skills in duties within actual healthcare facility settings. At this juncture, I will examine my professional and intellectual growth upon completion of the nursing program. A nurse is free to choose any project as long as it addresses practical, real world challenges using the knowledge and skills gained while pursuing their graduate program. A capstone project entails a paper and presentation which uses the nurse’s experience to address a particular challenge identified in a proposal. A capstone program aims to evaluate nurse’s ability to identify a problem, formulate a relevant research question, use correct methods to tackle the research question and identify how their knowledge relates to current scholars and stu dies. The nurse should also be able to demonstrate the ability to organize information, interpret significance, write a good prose and use evidence and example to develop his study. Capstone portfolio is a benchmark assessment for the program and provides an opportunity for assessment by multiple parties. It help an individual assess himself as a nurse and long time learner and professional (Huba and Freed, 2000) because after graduation, the individual is involved in a process of continuous reflecting, self-assessment and self-guided scholarly and professional growth. When information from your capstone portfolio is used, it provides a forum for assessment by employers or other people from whom the individual seeks specific opportunities. Assessment plan for capstone portfolio is comprehensive as there is minimum requirement (average grade point) to qualify for the program and other qualifications an individual is supposed to meet like the need to provide finger prints, check of cr iminal records and computer competency. Then in the course of the program there is constant assessment by instructor on the courses undertaken and grades earned in return. In other cases a nurse is expected to pass a certain specified course before they can be allowed to undertake another course. This could also apply in courses where one needs to pass in the theoretical classes before they can be allowed into the field for practical work or internship. Classroom experience provides a basic framework before you are allowed into the field which is used as a forum to assess how good one has gripped the concepts that were taught. Upon completion of the program, I have acknowledged importance of acquiring informed consent from clients during clinical and social care procedures. Professional conduct of nursing involves explicitly defined guidelines concerning ethical practices. In addition, the program emphasizes the importance of nursing professional conduct towards the cultural require ments in a nurse-client relationship. In my practical encounter with geriatrics patients, I have learned that clients may refuse to undertake certain clinical procedures, even if those procedures are beneficial to their wellbeing. Throughout the course, I appreciate the fact that clients have a right to decline treatment. As a nurse, I will only be able to administer clinical procedures after acquiring voluntary and informed consent from a patient. According to Heartfield and Andre (2011), this relates to

Myth Of Sisyphus And The Allegory Cave Essay Example for Free

Myth Of Sisyphus And The Allegory Cave Essay In the world of philosophy, it is widely known conception that Socrates and Plato had been the first few philosophers. A friend of mine once told me that some things that are said by philosophers could be footnoted to Plato. However, the validity of this statement may still be dubitable or debatable. But there is a point in this statement. It would then be hard for me to identify which philosopher had presented a compelling vision of the struggles and meaning of human life. Plato had presented as an idealist may have claimed that the man from the cave who had accepted the glaring sun would have to be the person who had sought the truth. Taking out the metaphorical aspect in the allegory, it seems that what Plato wants to convey is that man and his folly could not be reined at times especially when they are presented with the Truth. A man then who is trying to present this Truth would then be deemed as insane or they would shun his/her assertions as false or even wrong (Brians). On the other hand, Camus has presented us with a different side of human nature. Upon reading the Myth, I could fairly deduce that Camus wanted to convey the idea that Sisyphus’ ordeal could be taken in twofold. First is that it may just be pure torture to not be able to fulfill an ultimate goal and it could be seen as a victory on his part viz. being able to fulfill the destiny and be happy about it (Keefer). Reading what was said above and reading further the original text, there seems to be a connection between the two philosophers. The connection here is that Plato in his search for the truth is like Camus’ where it could be inferred that Camus’ discussion about life in general could mean finding the truth about life by doing the best we could in what we have in life. The connection may be arbitrary for others but this is what I could fairly deduce, so far. This certain connection then is making it hard for me to actually choose which philosopher had best described the meaning and struggles of human life. I could always go for the idiosyncratic or eccentric way that people tend to cling to ignorance and half-truths, which would be taken here as the little ‘t,’ or I could always go for the peculiar way where people would tend to find happiness in the absurd. Whichever philosopher I would choose, it would still trickle down to one idea, which is that the meaning and struggles that is present in human life could no longer be grasped in just choosing between the two philosophers. What they could present to us though is that a certain view about it but taking this question into the big picture would make it hard for a person to actually present an answer as quickly as one could blink the eye. Alas, the specifications had been set. In lieu of what were mentioned above, it is in great belief that Albert Camus has presented us a unique and dark approach in the struggles and meaning of human life. Not because his time is much closer than the present time but his approach has given me a new perspective that Plato did not. Camus, description of human life could be construed as something ‘absurd. ’ It seems that he believed in finding happiness in the absurdities that are presented to us and still say that â€Å"all is well (Keefer). † In a way, his assertion could be observed through other people in this world. Some people rejoice in the merest things and some people find it hard to be happy about the simplest things. To sum up what constitutes human nature and life would take me a lifetime or more to make me come up with an answer. What could be done though is the speculation that Camus’ claim could be justified in few of the people that I know. What is essentially a big score for Camus’ work is that he had been able to deduce a certain aspect of human nature and life where there are those who could rejoice in the mundane thinking that this is their life and the struggles that they have vary with such embracing of life. Plato, by using his works, could be deemed as an idealist. His concept of the world of forms and world of objects (â€Å"The Philosophy of Plato†), itself could be a way to rationalize his idealism. Yet, Plato had been one of the first few philosophers of his time and his deductions are commendable. This would not mean though that Plato would not have his flaws. One of this could be his assertion that man would continually find truths and few or nobody could be able to truly grasp the Truth since this Truth resides in the world of forms and it is what could be found in our soul (â€Å"The Philosophy of Plato†). What could be presented to us then is the replica of those Truths. This assertion may have been reasonable enough but as the course of the changing path of philosophy, Plato’s work could now be compared to other philosophers. The struggle then that a person would have according to Plato is to be able to find the truth and hopefully discover the big ‘T,’ Truth (Brians). In this aspect, what could be the strongest point that the opposition could present then is the fact that indeed some people are still struggling to find the truth. The meaning of life or our real identity is few of the truths that could still be found. This may be a big point for the opposition but not all of the people would believe this as so. They would naturally attribute this as curiosity that we have regarding the concept of life and some people usually get lost along the way that they tend to just accept the absurdities that are happening around them. Finding the meaning of life and wondering about the struggles that presents us would have taken us a lifetime. It is actually a tedious and sometimes a disappointing exercise. Yet most of the people are still, consciously or unconsciously, tries to resolve this big matter. I may not be in a position to prescribe how a person would be able to achieve these feats but I may be able to give out my own opinions about it. Choosing Camus’ work would definitely imply that I am under the impression that human life and conditions would not be easily resolved by trying to look for it in the form of the big ‘T’ or Truth like Plato had insinuated in his allegory. It is in my opinion that some people would not be actually be able to find the real meaning of life but he/she could more or less find a certain idea of what it would mean to live out the life that he/she has. Camus had summed it up through his Myth. In a way, it would be up to us on how we would be able to address the jackpot question that is life. We may be the defeated hero or we could take it out as the defiance against the forever frustration of the question and try to live out the life that we already know it to be. Although this would not necessarily mean stagnation but it would be called embracing what we have and try to make it our own ultimate goal to succeed. This mean then that people would be able to change the course or path that they could take especially when it could change in the long run. The only assertion that I could make then is that it would then depend on perspectives. Work Cited Article from the link given : Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus The Allegory of the cave. htm The Philosophy of Plato. 2002. September 21, 2007. http://radicalacademy. com/philplato1. htm.

Social Stratification and The Movie Sweet Home Alabama Essay -- essays

Social stratification as defined by Brinkerhoff et al. is â€Å"an institutionalized pattern of inequality in which social statuses are ranked on the basis of their access to scarce resources† (Brinkerhoff et al. 152). By scarce resources, many people have to deal with poverty and having a lack of money to buy the things they need in their lives. Social class is defined as â€Å"a category of people who share roughly the same class, status, and power and who have a sense of identification with each other† (Brinkerhoff et al. 155). Your social class has to do with your socioeconomic status along with the power and connections you have. Social mobility on the other hand is â€Å"the process of changing one’s social class† (Brinkerhoff et al. 153). The change in a social class is something that is shown in every day life and the media. It is the American Dream to move upward in society. The movie Sweet Home Alabama is a prime example of social mobility in the main character. The main character Melanie Carmichael left her small town Alabama home and achieved an impressive upward social mobility. She began her life as a daughter of a respectful working class family to become a world famous fashion designer in New York City. At the beginning of the movie, Andrew, the mayor’s son, proposes to Melanie. She says yes, but before she can marry him, she has to clear up a not so final divorce with Jake, her high school sweetheart she left behind. Melanie is now caught between two classes and two cultures, the working class that she grew up in and the upper class she has now placed herself in. As the film continues, her dilemma will require her to acknowledge and reconnect with her mother who lives in a trailer park while sti ll trying to impress h... ...ust they be bigger and stronger to fulfill the requirements of this job? A structural functionalist would believe that woman are dependent on men. That Melanie should have had to marry Andrew in order to survive and be upper class. The fact that Melanie was able to move upward in society all on her own as a woman is something that a structural functional theorist would completely disagree with. Sweet Home Alabama is a Cinderella story line with a little twist. I believe that once you look into things sociology can be found everywhere. Social movement and social mobility is found in everyday life. Melanie is just one example of how people move up in class. Gender inequalities and sexism are another hot topic that this movie not so openly shows. Sexism in this movie is more behind the scenes but once brought up is rather evident just as it is in everyday life. Social Stratification and The Movie Sweet Home Alabama Essay -- essays Social stratification as defined by Brinkerhoff et al. is â€Å"an institutionalized pattern of inequality in which social statuses are ranked on the basis of their access to scarce resources† (Brinkerhoff et al. 152). By scarce resources, many people have to deal with poverty and having a lack of money to buy the things they need in their lives. Social class is defined as â€Å"a category of people who share roughly the same class, status, and power and who have a sense of identification with each other† (Brinkerhoff et al. 155). Your social class has to do with your socioeconomic status along with the power and connections you have. Social mobility on the other hand is â€Å"the process of changing one’s social class† (Brinkerhoff et al. 153). The change in a social class is something that is shown in every day life and the media. It is the American Dream to move upward in society. The movie Sweet Home Alabama is a prime example of social mobility in the main character. The main character Melanie Carmichael left her small town Alabama home and achieved an impressive upward social mobility. She began her life as a daughter of a respectful working class family to become a world famous fashion designer in New York City. At the beginning of the movie, Andrew, the mayor’s son, proposes to Melanie. She says yes, but before she can marry him, she has to clear up a not so final divorce with Jake, her high school sweetheart she left behind. Melanie is now caught between two classes and two cultures, the working class that she grew up in and the upper class she has now placed herself in. As the film continues, her dilemma will require her to acknowledge and reconnect with her mother who lives in a trailer park while sti ll trying to impress h... ...ust they be bigger and stronger to fulfill the requirements of this job? A structural functionalist would believe that woman are dependent on men. That Melanie should have had to marry Andrew in order to survive and be upper class. The fact that Melanie was able to move upward in society all on her own as a woman is something that a structural functional theorist would completely disagree with. Sweet Home Alabama is a Cinderella story line with a little twist. I believe that once you look into things sociology can be found everywhere. Social movement and social mobility is found in everyday life. Melanie is just one example of how people move up in class. Gender inequalities and sexism are another hot topic that this movie not so openly shows. Sexism in this movie is more behind the scenes but once brought up is rather evident just as it is in everyday life.

Foundation and Empire 8. To Trantor

Devers bent over the little dead globe, watching for a tiny sign of life. The directional control was slowly and thoroughly sieving space with its jabbing tight sheaf of signals. Barr watched patiently from his seat on the low cot in the comer, He asked, â€Å"No more signs of them?† â€Å"The Empire boys? No.† The trader growled the words with evident impatience. â€Å"We lost the scuppers long ago. Space! With the blind jumps we took through hyperspace, it's lucky we didn't land up in a sun's belly. They couldn't have followed us even if they outranged us, which they didn't.† He sat back and loosened his collar with a jerk. â€Å"I don't know what those Empire boys have done here. I think some of the gaps are out of alignment.† â€Å"I take it, then, you're trying to get to the Foundation.† â€Å"I'm calling the Association – or trying to.† â€Å"The Association? Who are they?† â€Å"Association of Independent Traders. Never heard of it, huh? Well, you're not alone. We haven't made our splash yet!† For a while there was a silence that centered about the unresponsive Reception Indicator, and Barr said, â€Å"Are you within range?† â€Å"I don't know. I haven't but a small notion where we are, going by dead reckoning. That's why I have to use directional control. It could take years, you know.† â€Å"Might it?† Barr pointed; and Devers jumped and adjusted his earphones. Within the little murky sphere there was a tiny glowing whiteness. For half an hour, Devers nursed the fragile, groping thread of communication that reached through hyperspace to connect two points that laggard light would take five hundred years to bind together. Then he sat back, hopelessly. He looked up, and shoved the earphones back. â€Å"Let's eat, doc. There's a needle-shower you can use if you want to, but go easy on the hot water.† He squatted before one of the cabinets that lined one wall and felt through the contents. â€Å"You're not a vegetarian, I hope?† Barr said, â€Å"I'm omnivorous. But what about the Association. Have you lost them?† â€Å"Looks so. It was extreme range, a little too extreme. Doesn't matter, though. I got all that counted.† He straightened, and placed the two metal containers upon the table. â€Å"Just give it five minutes, doc, then slit it open by pushing the contact. It'll be plate, food, and fork – sort of handy for when you're in a hurry, if you're not interested in such incidentals as napkins. I suppose you want to know what I got out of the Association.† â€Å"If it isn't a secret.† Devers shook his head. â€Å"Not to you. What Riose said was true.† â€Å"About the offer of tribute?† â€Å"Uh-huh. They offered it, and had it refused. Things are bad. There's fighting in the outer suns of Loris.† â€Å"Loris is close to the Foundation?† â€Å"Huh? Oh, you wouldn't know. It's one of the original Four Kingdoms. You might call it part of the inner line of defense. That's not the worst. They've been fighting large ships previously never encountered. Which means Riose wasn't giving us the works. He has received more ships. Brodrig has switched sides, and I have messed things up.† His eyes were bleak as he joined the food-container contact-points and watched it fall open neatly. The stewlike dish steamed its aroma through the room. Ducem Barr was already eating. â€Å"So much,† said Barr, â€Å"for improvisations, then. We can do nothing here; we can not cut through the Imperial lines to return to the Foundation; we can do nothing but that which is most sensible – to wait patiently. However, if Riose has reached the inner line I trust the wait will not be too long.† And Devers put down his fork. â€Å"Wait, is it?† he snarled, glowering. â€Å"That's all right for you. You've got nothing at stake.† â€Å"Haven't I?† Barr smiled thinly. â€Å"No. In fact, I'll tell you.† Devers' irritation skimmed the surface. â€Å"I'm tired of looking at this whole business as if it were an interesting something-or-other on a microscope slide. I've got friends somewhere out there, dying; and a whole world out there, my home, dying also. You're an outsider. You don't know.† â€Å"I have seen friends die.† The old man's hands were limp in his lap and his eyes were closed. â€Å"Are you married?† Devers said, â€Å"Traders don't marry.† â€Å"Well, I have two sons and a nephew. They have been warned, but – for reasons – they could take no action. Our escape means their death. My daughter and my two grandchildren have, I hope, left the planet safety before this, but even excluding them, I have already risked and lost more than you.† Devers was morosely savage. â€Å"I know. But that was a matter of choice. You might have played ball with Riose. I never asked you to-â€Å" Barr shook his head. â€Å"It was not a matter of choice, Devers. Make your conscience free, I didn't risk my sons for you. I co-operated with Riose as long as I dared. But there was the Psychic Probe.† The Siwennian patrician opened his eyes and they were sharp with pain. â€Å"Riose came to me once; it was over a year ago. He spoke of a cult centering about the magicians, but missed the truth. It is not quite a cult. You see, it is forty years now that Siwenna has been gripped in the same unbearable vise that threatens your world. Five revolts have been ground out. Then I discovered the ancient records of Hari Seldon – and now this ‘cult' waits. â€Å"It waits for the coming of the ‘magicians' and for that day it is ready. My sons are leaders of those who wait. It is that secret which is in my mind and which the Probe must never touch. And so they must die as hostages; for the alternative is their death as rebels and half of Siwenna with them. You see, I had no choice! And I am no outsider.† Devers' eyes fell, and Barr continued softly, â€Å"It is on a Foundation victory that Siwenna's hopes depend. It is for a Foundation victory that my sons are sacrificed. And Hari Seldon does not pre-calculate the inevitable salvation of Siwenna as he does that of the Foundation. I have no certainty for my people – only hope.† â€Å"But you are still satisfied to wait. Even with the Imperial Navy at Loris.† â€Å"I would wait, in perfect confidence,† said Barr, simply, â€Å"if they had landed on the planet, Terminus, itself.† The trader frowned hopelessly. â€Å"I don't know. It can't really work like that; not just like magic. Psychohistory or not, they're terribly strong, and we're weak. What can Setdon do about it?† â€Å"There's nothing to do. It's all already done. It's proceeding now. Because you don't hear the wheels turning and the gongs beating doesn't mean it's any the less certain.† â€Å"Maybe; but I wish you had cracked Riose's skull for keeps. He's more the enemy than all his army.† â€Å"Cracked his skull? With Brodrig his second in command?† Barr's face sharpened with hate. â€Å"All Siwenna would have been my hostage. Brodrig has proven his worth long since. There exists a world which five years ago lost one male in every ten – and simply for failure to meet outstanding taxes. This same Brodrig was the tax-collector. No, Riose may live. His punishments are mercy in comparison.† â€Å"But six months, six months, in the enemy Base, with nothing to show for it.† Devers' strong hands clasped each other tautly, so that his knuckles cracked. â€Å"Nothing to show for it!† â€Å"Well, now, wait. You remind me-† Barr fumbled in his pouch. â€Å"You might want to count this.† And he tossed the small sphere of metal on the table. Devers snatched it. â€Å"What is it?† â€Å"The message capsule. The one that Riose received just before I jacked him. Does that count as something?† â€Å"I don't know. Depends on what's in it!† Devers sat down and turned it over carefully in his hand. When Barr stepped from his cold shower and, gratefully, into the mild warm current of the air dryer, he found Devers silent and absorbed at the workbench. The Siwennian slapped his body with a sharp rhythm and spoke above the punctuating sounds. â€Å"What are you doing?† Devers looked up. Droplets of perspiration glittered in his beard. â€Å"I'm going to open this capsule.† â€Å"Can you open it without Riose's personal characteristic?† There was mild surprise in the Siwennian's voice. â€Å"If I can't, I'll resign from the Association and never skipper a ship for what's left of my life. I've got a three-way electronic analysis of the interior now, and I've got little jiggers that the Empire never heard of, especially made for jimmying capsules. I've been a burglar before this, y'know. A trader has to be something of everything.† He bent low over the little sphere, and a small flat instrument probed delicately and sparked redly at each fleeting contact. He said, â€Å"This capsule is a crude job, anyway. These Imperial boys are no shakes at this small work. I can see that. Ever see a Foundation capsule? It's half the size and impervious to electronic analysis in the first place.† And then he was rigid, the shoulder muscles beneath his tunic tautening visibly. His tiny probe pressed slowly- It was noiseless when it came, but Devers; relaxed and sighed. In his hand was the shining sphere with its message unrolled like a parchment tongue. â€Å"It's from Brodrig,† he said. Then, with contempt, â€Å"The message medium is permanent. In a Foundation capsule, the message would be oxidized to gas within the minute.† But Ducem Barr waved him silent. He read the message quickly. FROM: AMMEL BRODRIG, ENVOY EXTRAORDINARY OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY, PRIVY SECRETARY OF THE COUNCIL, AND PEER OF THE REALM. TO: BEL RIOSE, MILITARY GOVERNOR OF SIWENNA. GENERAL OF THE IMPERIAL FORCES, AND PEER OF THE REALM. I GREET YOU. PLANET #1120 NO LONGER RESISTS. THE PLANS OF OFFENSE AS OUTLINED CONTINUE SMOOTHLY. THE ENEMY WEAKENS VISIBLY AND THE ULTIMATE ENDS IN VIEW WILL SURELY BE GAINED. Barr raised his head from the almost microscopic print and cried bitterly, â€Å"The fool! The forsaken blasted fop! That a message?† â€Å"Huh?† said Devers. He was vaguely disappointed. â€Å"It says nothing,† ground out Barr. â€Å"Our lick-spittle courtier is playing at general now. With Riose away, he is the field commander and must sooth his paltry spirit by spewing out his pompous reports concerning military affairs he has nothing to do with. ‘So-and-so planet no longer resists.' ‘The offensive moves on.' ‘The enemy weakens.' The vacuum-headed peacock.† â€Å"Well, now, wait a minute. Hold on-â€Å" â€Å"Throw it away.† The old man turned away in mortification. â€Å"The Galaxy knows I never expected it to be world-shakingly important, but in wartime it is reasonable to assume that even the most routine order left undelivered might hamper military movements and lead to complications later. It's why I snatched it. But this! Better to have left it. It would have wasted a minute of Riose's time that will now be put to more constructive use.† But Devers had arisen. â€Å"Will you hold on and stop throwing your weight around? For Seldon's sake-â€Å" He held out the sliver of message before Barr's nose, â€Å"Now read that again. What does he mean by ‘ultimate ends in view'?† â€Å"The conquest of the Foundation. Well?† â€Å"Yes? And maybe he means the conquest of the Empire. You know he believes that to be the ultimate end.† â€Å"And if he does?† â€Å"If he does!† Devers' one-sided smile was lost in his beard. â€Å"Why, watch then, and I'll show you.† With one finger the lavishly monogrammed sheet of message-parchment was thrust back into its slot. With a soft twang, it disappeared and the globe was a smooth, unbroken whole again. Somewhere inside was the tiny oiled whir of the controls as they lost their setting by random movements. â€Å"Now there is no known way of opening this capsule without knowledge of Riose's personal characteristic, is there?† â€Å"To the Empire, no,† said Barr. â€Å"Then the evidence it contains is unknown to us and absolutely authentic.† â€Å"To the Empire, yes,† said Barr. â€Å"And the Emperor can open it, can't he? Personal Characteristics of Government officials must be on file. We keep records of our officials at the Foundation.† â€Å"At the Imperial capital as well,† agreed Barr. â€Å"Then when you, a Siwennian patrician and Peer of the Realm, tell this Cleon, this Emperor, that his favorite tame-parrot and his shiniest general are getting together to knock him over, and hand him the capsule as evidence, what will he think Brodrig's ‘ultimate ends' are?† Barr sat down weakly. â€Å"Wait, I don't follow you.† He stroked one thin cheek, and said, â€Å"You're not really serious, are you?† â€Å"I am.† Devers was angrily excited. â€Å"Listen, nine out of the last ten Emperors got their throats cut, or their gizzards blasted out by one or another of their generals with bigtime notions in their heads. You told me that yourself more than once. Old man Emperor would believe us so fast it would make Riose's head swim.† Barr muttered feebly, â€Å"He is serious, For the Galaxy's sake, man, you can't beat a Seldon crisis by a far-fetched, impractical, storybook scheme like that. Suppose you had never got hold of the capsule. Suppose Brodrig hadn't used the word ‘ultimate.' Seldon doesn't depend on wild luck.† â€Å"If wild luck comes our way, there's no law says Seldon can't take advantage of it.† â€Å"Certainly. But†¦ but,† Barr stopped, then spoke calmly but with visible restraint. â€Å"Look, in the first place, how will you get to the planet Trantor? You don't know its location in space, and I certainly don't remember the co-ordinates, to say nothing of the ephemerae. You don't even know your own position in space.† â€Å"You can't get lost in space,† grinned Devers. He was at the controls already. â€Å"Down we go to the nearest planet, and back we come with complete bearings and the best navigation charts Brodrig's hundred thousand smackers can buy.† â€Å"And a blaster in our belly. Our descriptions are probably in every planet in this quarter of the Empire.† â€Å"Doc,† said Devers, patiently, â€Å"don't be a hick tom the sticks. Riose said my ship surrendered too easily and, brother, he wasn't kidding. This ship has enough fire-power and enough juice in its shield to hold off anything we're Rely to meet this deep inside the frontier. And we have personal shields, too. The Empire boys never found them, you know, but they weren't meant to be found.† â€Å"All fight,† said Barr, â€Å"all right. Suppose yourself on Trantor. How do you see the Emperor then? You think he keeps office hours?† â€Å"Suppose we worry about that on Trantor,† said Devers. And Barr muttered helplessly, â€Å"All right again. I've wanted to see Trantor before I die for half a century now. Have your way.† The hypernuclear motor was cut in. The lights flickered and there was the slight internal wrench that marked the shift into hyperspace.

Swot Analysis and Organizational Development in the Nigerian Public Service

Abstract: The public service in Nigeria has suffered setbacks which are largely attributed toineffective and inefficient management. The general poor service delivery of publicservice organizations can be attributable to the inability of these organizations todevelop proper evaluation strategies that would assist them refocus on their coremandates. A relatively new concept in organizational management, SWOT is a toolthat assists organizations assess themselves by evaluating their internal and externalcompetencies, challenges, opportunities and threats, with a view to enhancing their performance.Using secondary data and a purely descriptive approach, the paper examines the concept of public service and organizational development and prescriptively presents SWOT as one such tool that can enhance the performance of public service agencies. Conclusion: In today’s organizational context, performance has assumed a pivotal role in the face off rapid changes in the domains of globaliz ation and technology. To survive, grow and succeed in achieving their objectives public enterprises in Nigeria must become aware of their strength, weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.This can be achieved by using SWOT analysis in performance management decisions. In the Nigerian public service, annual budgets and annual performance evaluations areused in managing performance-outcomes and behavior. These deal with the past and not futuristic. The use of SWOT analysis framework can help improve enterprises ‘efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. This will turn around the Nigerian public service and enable it to achieve the national goals and remain an influential institution and as an instrument of public service delivery and development.Nevertheless, while useful for reducing a large quantity of situational factors into a more manageable profile, the SWOT framework has a tendency to over-simplify the situation by classifying the organization environment into catego ries in which they may not always fit. The classification of some factors as strengths or weakness or as opportunities or threats is somewhat arbitrary. Perhaps what is more important than the superficial classification of these factors is the organization’s awareness of them and the development of a strategic plan to se them to its advantage. In view of the expected benefits of SWOT analysis, we recommend that public service organizations should take advantage of this management tool to improve on their overall performance and service delivery. SWOT analysis will expose these organizations to their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats so as to assist them to take evidence based decisions about strategies that will focus on effectively achieving their core mandates and visions.