Case Study on Hr Planning Essay Example for Free

Case Study on Hr Planning Essay It is the country†s best recognised energy brand. Centrica is a multinational company, with businesses in many countries. Centrica was formed in 1997 and consists of eight separate energy-related businesses, ranging from the supply of gas and electricity to consumers and organisations in the UK and Europe, to storage of gas for other providers, and drain and pipe work maintenance. The UK energy market is highly dynamic. Customers look for the best deals and are increasingly prepared to switch suppliers. In 2007, 900,000 customers switched energy providers. An energy company needs to show it is not just competitive on price, but that it can also provide the right levels of customer service to attract and retain customers. British Gas does not only supply gas but also deals with the installation and maintenance of domestic central heating and appliances. It provides a maintenance and breakdown service for electrical white goods and home wiring. Through the Dyno brand, British Gas also offers drain clearing services, plumbing and home security services. To deliver these services, British Gas needs high calibre staff. It employs more than 9,000 trained gas engineers to install and maintain central heating and gas appliances. This case study explores how British Gas manages the recruitment and selection of new employees. Page 2:  The role of human resource management Managing a successful large business involves acquiring, developing and maintaining a wide range of resources. These resources include materials, buildings, land, equipment, technology and, crucially, people. Any organisation needs good employees who have the right skills to achieve the company†s aims and objectives. Human resource management (HRM) is the business function that focuses on the people aspects of an organisation. It ensures the efficient management of people in the business. It is responsible for ensuring that an organisation has the right people to deliver its overall business plan. Meeting customer needs Centrica, the parent corporation of British Gas, has to deliver long term profitability. Its shareholders expect the business to show a return on their investment by making profits, now and in the future. British Gas needs to contribute to these profits. This means consistently meeting the needs of its customers with competitively priced products and services that give good returns to the company. Residential consumers across the country are the core customer base of British Gas. These customers expect top-class service at keen prices. If British Gas does not meet this standard, the company may lose business to competitors. To ensure customer satisfaction, British Gas engineers must have the technical skills to undertake work to the required standard and the people skills to deliver good customer service. Through its engineer recruitment team, the British Gas Academy must therefore ensure that the company attracts and retains the best engineers. This involves several complementary tasks. It requires planning to assess the future needs for skilled employees at British Gas. It requires a recruitment and selection programme to bring new people into the business. It requires a training operation to equip new recruits and existing employees with the right skills. Retaining people Importantly, British Gas must also ensure that it retains its best people. It is much more cost effective to retain trained and highly skilled staff than recruit and train up new people. British Gas seeks to retain people by offering a mix of financial and non-financial benefits. As well as good pay and a pension scheme, the company provides employees with the opportunity to buy shares in Centrica and it offers a great place to work and high-class training. Page 3:  Training As an expanding business, British Gas needed to increase its workforce to meet customer demand. At the end of 2002, British Gas established the British Gas Academy. The Academy has helped to develop and refocus training facilities to handle the extra training requirement in recruiting an additional 5,000 employees into the engineering workforce. * British Gas runs an intensive apprenticeship programme. This is delivered in training centres. Trainees should expect to qualify by year five. All domestic gas engineers become fully acquainted with the latest computer-aided diagnostic technology. There are also traineeships, which provide a way for new recruits to learn about the gas industry and gain relevant skills and qualifications. British Gas provides technical training for all its engineers throughout their careers. This ensures that its employees are kept up-to-date with new information and technologies to enable them to provide the best service possible. Training does not simply focus on technical skills and knowledge. Most employees have direct contact with customers, so it is important that they have good people skills. Awareness training is provided for employees across British Gas through an online learning package. Another programme is improving staff†s cultural awareness, particularly to support the growing international operations at British Gas. Page 4:  Workforce planning Workforce planning is the process of assessing a company†s current and future labour needs. The British Gas Academies must consider not just overall employee numbers but also the skills that will be required within the business. Workforce planning also involves managing any training and recruitment process to ensure the organisation has the right staff in place. Managers at British Gas conduct a programme of forecasting to predict how much the UK market for domestic gas engineering services will grow. This helps the company decide how many additional engineers it will need in the future. British Gas makes detailed forecasts of its demand for engineering personnel for one year in advance and makes more general estimates for a further two years into the future. Factors affecting workforce planning At British Gas, workforce requirements are driven by two different demands. First, there are contract customers that have service agreements with the company. Second, there are customers who call for one-off assistance if they have a specific problem. Demand for both these services has grown. In the last three or four years, the need for engineers has expanded accordingly. This has meant that it has had to recruit more staff. There are several other factors that influence workforce planning for British Gas. Engineering skills need to be constantly updated. Health and safety issues are also critically important in the gas industry. Health and safety regulations are changing all the time and EU regulations must also be considered. Apart from regular formal training to close skills gaps to ensure engineers stay up to date with technical matters, British Gas can alert engineers about technical changes via field radio or text messaging. Engineers can work all their careers in the field until they retire. Qualified engineers may spend up to 10 years gaining their skills, qualifications and experience. They have valued practical skills that are needed to deal with equipment and customers. However, British Gas also needs suitable people for promotion to higher roles, such as management jobs. It needs managers to plan, organise and co-ordinate the teams of engineers. It therefore needs to attract and recruit a wide range of people into the organisation. Page 5:  Recruitment As part of its workforce planning, British Gas implements a diversity and inclusion strategy using tailored action plans. This means it actively seeks new recruits from a wide range of backgrounds. The need to recruit a diverse engineering workforce is seen as critical by British Gas. It plans recruitment to ensure it has a socially inclusive workforce. This is important as it will enable British Gas to reflect the diversity of its customer base. For example, it is useful to have employees from different nationalities and backgrounds to communicate with customers that do not speak English as a first language. Recruiting more women engineers may help to attract female customers. British Gas has won a national award from the Council for Registered Gas Installers (CORGI) for its efforts to encourage and attract women into the engineering workforce and into plumbing and associated trades. To dispel the myth that only men can be good engineers, British Gas runs a Georgina and the Dragon campaign for children. What British Gas recruitment programmes  have achieved  is demonstrated by various awards during 2009: * British Gas  won awards from the Local Employment Partnership in the East Midlands. The awards for â€Å"Unlocking Talent†Ã‚  and the  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Outstanding LEP Achievement Award†Ã‚  recognise  the companys recruitment work with the LEP and Jobcentre Plus in the region. * British Gas has been named in the 2009  Sunday Timess 20 Best Big Companies to Work For. * The British Gas Academy won an award from Women into Science and Engineering (WISE). The award Investor in WISE   rewarded the efforts British Gas makes  to promote science,  engineering and construction  to girls and young women. Advertising British Gas tries to appeal to a varied and diverse audience when promoting its apprenticeships. To advertise opportunities widely, British Gas uses specialist Sky channels like Parliamentary Projects TV, which focuses on careers, and Passion TV, which is aimed at the black community. In print media, it uses womens magazines, publications targeted at ethnic minorities such as The Muslim Weekly as well as other careers directories for the same reason. Other channels include radio, newspapers,  British Gas website  (www. britishgasacademy. co. uk) and a DVD for schools. Recruiting gas engineers of the right level is important. Candidates for a British Gas apprenticeship must be at least 16 years old, and have a minimum of four GCSEs at grade C or above or equivalent (e. g. NVQs). However, they need more than academic qualifications, they must be able to show some aptitude for customer service, such as being able to listen to customers and understand their requirements. Application British Gas uses an online application form. To help British Gas decide an applicants suitability, this includes a value-based questionnaire. This requires responses to a series of statements about attitudes to work. There are 90 statements in all, and an applicants overall responses are rated green, amber or red. The colour reflects the attitudes the applicant has about work and people. This helps to show which roles a person is best suited to. British Gas does not take applicants with red ratings further as they may not show a fit with the company requirements. However after an initial screening, green and amber applicants are invited to an interview and assessment centre for the final selection process. Here, candidates must show evidence of qualifications, ID and driving licence. Page 6:  Selection At the British Gas assessment centre the emphasis is very much upon core competencies and life skills. Life skills are personal skills that are likely to affect the customer experience when someone is working in the field. British Gas engineers needs to show courtesy and politeness, for example. These are personal qualities that have a direct impact upon customer perception. Core competencies involve team working, interpersonal skills (such as dealing with people), motivation and responding to change. These are crucial skills that can affect the way an individual fits in and works within an organisation. Candidates attend the centre for a half-day assessment. This has three elements. The total scores from the three-part assessment help British Gas to decide who receives a job offer. Candidates are notified of the outcome within 14 days. All candidates can receive feedback. For those candidates offered a job, British Gas provides the usual job benefits including a van from the outset and a competitive starting salary. The new recruits then go on to benefit from the comprehensive programme of training through its Academy. This ensures that they are given the best start in their new careers. It also builds employee motivation and commitment to the company. Recruiting and selecting staff is an expensive process. By following a robust selection programme in this way, British Gas is able to ensure it gets the right people with the right skills. It also means it maximises the benefit from its investment. Page 7:  Conclusion Recruitment and selection at British Gas is driven by the need to maintain the competitive position of the company within the energy market. Domestic gas customers demand the very highest standards of service. They can be assured that British Gas engineers have high-level skills and expertise through its careful specification of entry qualifications followed by top quality training. British Gas also assesses the personal attributes of staff through role play and questionnaires as these influence customers perceptions of the service and the company. Great care is taken in determining the organisations future staffing needs. This drives the recruitment and selection process to ensure British Gas is seen as offering dynamic and exciting career paths for people of all backgrounds. By developing and nurturing its people, British Gas ensures that new recruits have the right qualities to help the business to compete.

Budget and Account Management of Restaurant | Case Study

Budget and Account Management of Restaurant | Case Study Traditions Ltd Question One. Marginal costing, Comparison between Traditions Ltd Marginal costing for all departments and without the restaurant department; Without the restaurant, the store is profitable. The store is capable of making a profit of  £9,000. This indicates that the restaurant department is making losses. Even without putting the fixed cost incurred by the business into consideration, the restaurant had made a contribution of  £-30,500 in that particular period alone. This is a high level of loss to be incurred by only one department. Among the other three departments, furnishing is the least profitable. This is because; the amount of purchase for resale that ends up being sold is very low. This increases the stock in the store such that closing stock for the furnishing department is very high as compared to the other department. By the end of the period, closing stock is more than the opening stock. This indicates that there were fewer sales made in this department during that particular period. Question two. Financial and non-financial consequences of closing down the restaurant department; Following the financial position of traditions Ltd analyzed in the previous sector, the restaurant department was making losses. This has prompted the management of the store to consider closing down the restaurant department. Doing so, traditions restaurant is will be faced with various implications, both financial and non financial. Closing down the restaurant department will lead to reduction in the overall profits realized. This is because; the contribution margin will increase leading to reduction in profits. This is because fixed cost will be shared among three departments. Since fixed costs per period of time do not vary by the amount of units produced, the other three departments will have to incur these costs. This will increase the overall costs leading to reduced profits. As indicated in the calculations of marginal costing statement, when the business is operating four departments, the total contribution margin was  £390,500. On closing down the restaurant, the total contribution increased from  £390,500 to  £421,000. This means that a higher contribution margin is to be shared between remaining departments. Another financial implication of closing down the restaurant is that the store will be required to retrench workers. The business will have to pay employees in the restaurant department such as Claude. This will have a negative financial effect on the business. Socially, when a business retrenches workers, customers do not like to be associated with it. In this context, Claude is a renowned chef especially after winning the potato-sculpting competition. This made him famous as he created customer loyalty. Many customers visit the store because of him. Closing down the restaurant will reduce customers who also shop in other departments. This will lead to a decline of sales in the other three departments. Reduction of sales will lead to reduction of overall profits in the business (Tennent, 2008). Another financial effect of closing down the restaurant will lead to low selling of the restaurant assets. As indicated, the restaurant has been having challenges regarding its’ assets such as the dough mixer. Due to poor maintenance of these equipments, they may be valued very poorly. This will limit the store in recovering some of the costs. Other than financial implications, the store will also face non-financial challenges as a result of closing down the restaurant department. One of the main challenges is bad image of the business which will be brought about by retrenchment of employees. Potential customers dislike businesses which often lay of their employees because terminating employee’s employment suggest that the business is no longer profitable. More so, society does not like business entities that lay off employee because unemployment is viewed as bad. These employees have families and other responsibilities to take care of, without their jobs, they cannot. As such, it is viewed as the fault of the store that these families will suffer. Potential customers will not like to be associated with such businesses (Drury, 2006). Question Three As management accountant, Samantha will be required to prepare, come up and analyze financial information for the store. This will be very difficult since she does not have prior experience in management accounting. More so, the company does not keep well organized information data base. There is no previous history of management information in the company and as such, she has to first of all collect her own management information. This is rather a very tedious. In her role, she will have the responsibility to ensure that the management of the store has to make decisions which are well informed from now going forward so as to guarantee the store’s future profitability, stability as well as its growth. Samantha will have to come up and maintain management information systems as well as financial policies by liaising with the management to provide a better support service on all aspects of finance. As indicated, Samantha and some of the management colleagues such as Albert often argue. More so, the top management colleagues are old and will not for sure understand fully these financial policies so as to make sound management decision regarding the company. Her role also includes looking into the future. She is supposes to analyze the performance of the business in the past years and offer advice to the management on how to prevent challenges that the business encounters. Currently, the restaurant department is making losses and as such, it is her responsibility to advice the management whether to close down the restaurant or to put more capital in it so as to make it more profitable as Claude advices. She will be required to make Traditions Ltd adapt to changing environment. The management of the store prides itself on running the store through maintaining the standards of services and customers relationships which is mainly related with a bygone era. This means that the store cannot be able to attract the young middle class people who provide a very significant market. It is her duty to make sure that the store taps in this market so as to increase sales. She should advice the management on adoption new and upcoming trends so that the y can be able to make decisions which will inline the store to new trends hence attract more customers. It is her duty to identify departments that need reduction in operational and production costs. Most importantly she should be able to establish better and effective strategies so as to control spending. This will involve reducing the spending habits of some department and increasing others. Each department is headed by a family member and in reference to their relationships; some of the managers of departments such as Albert will not be willing to reduce their spending habits to increase other departments. Since is a family owned business, sibling rivalry will be unavoidable bringing about more challenges and disagreements among decision makers. Management Information System (MIS) for Traditions Ltd; Management information system (MIS) is vital in its role as an agent of sharing information within a business. There are various factors to consider while implementing a management information system at Traditions Ltd (Graham, 2005) (Clarke, 2010). These factors include; The level of knowledge of the users. Traditions Ltd is a family owned store. The managers of the store are above fifty years of age and most of them have little or no knowledge of what management information system is. These managers also do not have siblings to act on their behalf. They are required to access the MIS and effectively use it on daily basis. As such, the management information system that can be effective in the store should be easy to use for the management and simple to understand (Khosrowpour, 1997). The security of the system. A secure MIS should be implemented in the store. Since the store is family owned, there may be conflicting interest within the family. A management system should be in such a way that it is transparent and each member with access should be able to view what others are doing (Galletta Zhang, 2006). Stock control systems; Stock taking is a process that requires the making a list of stock with their location and value. A stock control system must be able to show make orders, track stock levels as well as issue stock. The systems should contain information on the value, location, description, reorder levels, quantities, supplies and information on previous stock history (Office, 2009). Inventory turnover is a ratio that describes how many times a business inventory is sold and replaced over a period of time. To calculate the inventory turnover days, the days in the period are divided by the inventory turnover formula. Inventory turnover ratio is a key measure for determining the efficiency of the business in management of company inventory as well as making sales from it (Wanjialin, 2004). It can be calculated as; Inventory turnover =cost of goods sold/ average inventory. Or =sales/inventory Day sales Inventory is simply the inverse of the inventory turnover ratio multiplied by 365. i.e. Days Inventory= (Average Inventory/Cost of good) *365 Question 4 Budgetary planning and control system; Budgetary planning is the process by which a budget is prepared in an organization. A budget is a plan which is expressed quantitatively for a specific period of time. It can include various items such as assets, liabilities, planned sales output and revenues, amount of resources, cash flows and costs and expenses. As a management accountant at Traditions Ltd, budgetary planning is vital in the operations of the store. This is a process that will involve identifying objectives, looking for alternatives and collecting information about them and choosing the best alternative that suits the store. The final step is to implement the chosen alternatives to achieve the set objectives. In planning the budget, one needs to make sure that the plans are properly quantified, financed and be able to control resource allocation and performance (Plumptre, 1988) (Bogsnes, 2009). The main functions of the management accountant involve forecasting. This is where I am supposed to lay down objective to be achieved at the end of a specific period. Come up with a plan on how these forecasted objectives are going to be realized. Communicate this plan to all members of the departments in details so that they can follow the plan comprehensively. Coordinate various departments by keeping an eye on what is happening within the operation of the store. Select a team of managers and supervisors who are going to monitor every day activities in the store and make reports. Come up with authorization protocol where every employee should be able to follow. To boost morale and encourage employees, motivate employees either through giving rewards for best performers or promotions. Evaluate on regular basis the performance of the store to know whether the store is in line in realizing of the set objective (Radev Allen, 2006). Some of the behavioural problems one might encounter as a management accountant are the unwillingness of some management colleagues as well as other employees in the implementation of the plan. Since this is a family business, and each department is headed by a family member, some of them may be unwilling to cooperate especially when it comes to financing. This might result in mistrust, leaving behind some aspects of the plan which will lead to under realization of the objective. Budgets are time consuming and tiresome. As such, a management accountant should be ready to work long hours without pay so as to meet deadlines (Lacey, 2013). The best way to gain budget control in the businesses is through the analysis of variance. There are two types of variance analysis. One is the fixed analysis which does not change with the level of activities within the business. The other one is the flexed analysis which is prepared in such a way that it can be altered to indicate the actual activity involved. A flexed variance analysis will suit Traditions Ltd. This is because; the management accountant should be able to monitor each and every activity that is taking place in the store. Actual profits= budgeted profits+ favourable variances – adverse variances. For budgetary control to be effective, serious attitudes should be emphasized. There should be clear boundaries between managerial duties and other duties undertaken by employees. Budget targets which are challenging should be identified and more emphasis put on them. Routines for data collection, analysis and reporting should be established. Reports should be aimed at respective managers and reporting periods should be fairly short. Time variance reports should be prepared and where they are adverse, action should be taken to get back to favourable (Business : The Ultimate Resource, 2003). References Bogsnes, B. (2009). Implementing Beyond budgeting : Unlocking the Performance Potential. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons. Business : The Ultimate Resource. (2003). Beijing : Citic Publishing House. Clarke, S. (2010). Computational Advancements in end-user Technologies : Emerging Models and Frameworks. Hershey: Information Science Reference. Drury, C. (2006). Cost and Management Accounting : An Introduction. London: Thomson. Galletta, D., Zhang, P. (2006). Human-Computer Interaction and Management Information Systems : Applications. Armonk: M. E. Sharpe. Graham, G. (2005). Exploring Supply Chain Management in the Creative Industries. Bradford, England : Emerald Group Pub. Khosrowpour, M. (1997). Managing Information Technology Resources and Applications in the World Economy : Proceedings of the 1997 Information Resources Management Association International Conference Vancouver, B.C., Canada. London : Idea Group. Lacey, D. (2013). Managing the Human Factor in Information Security : How to Win Over Staff and Influence Business Managers. Hoboken: Wiley. Office, G. B. (2009). The National Offender Management Information System : Report. London: TSO. Plumptre, T. W. (1988). Beyond the Bottom Line : Management in Government. Halifax: Institute for Research on Public Policy. Radev, D., Allen, R. (2006). Managing and Controlling Extrabudgetary Funds. Washington : International Monetary Fund. Tennent, J. (2008). Guide to Financial Management. London: Profile Books. Wanjialin, G. (2004). An International Dictionary of Accounting Taxation : 12000 + Entries on Accounting, Auditing Taxation in the USA, Canada, UK Australia ; Clear one Sentence Definition Right to the Point. New York: ] iUniverse Publ .

Audit of Injuries in Cricket

Audit of Injuries in Cricket An Audit of Injuries in Cricket in Scotland in the 2008 Season Abstract Cricket is a popular sport played and followed by millions around the globe. It is a relatively non contact sport with a low to moderate risk of injury. However, in the last decade, the incidence of injury has been shown to be on the rise. This is possibly due to increase in workload for the modern cricketer. Aim of the study The aim of the study was to audit the prevalence and patterns of injuries in cricket in Scotland over a complete season. A study of this nature has never been undertaken in Scotland. This study will act as pilot study for a long term injury surveillance program in Scottish cricket. Cricket researchers have long been in favour of a ‘world cricket injury surveillance report. This study, we reckon, will contribute to such a report when undertaken. Methods A questionnaire was sent to Cricket Scotland who in turn engaged 150 professional cricket players from the Scottish international team, SNCL Premier League, SNCL division I and division II. Involvement of the team coaches through the initiative of Cricket Scotland was sought to increase the compliance for return of the questionnaire. Results We received feedback from 26 of the 150 players that we approached. The numbers of injuries reported throughout the season were 18. An increased prevalence of injuries was apparent at the start of the season with 27% of all injuries occurring in April. Of all the players, 42% suffered injuries at some point of time during the season. Most of the injuries (66%) occurred in match situations. Acute injuries accounted for 60% of the. As expected, bowling was responsible for 36.84% of injuries while fielding caused 52.36% of injuries. Upper limb injuries contributed to 57.89% of the injuries. Finger injuries in the form of fractures or contusions had a prevalence rate of 15.29%. Lower limb injuries accounted for 31.58% of all injuries with knee and shin stress fracture being more common. Hamstring injuries having prevalence rate 16.67%. During the entire season, there was not a single case of head, neck or face injury. Midsection injuries accounted for 10.53 % of injuries with 5.26% prevalence rate for side or abdominal muscle strain. 35.29% of injuries took more than 6 weeks to heal enough for the player to participate in a match again, while almost half of the injured players took more than 4 weeks to recover from injury. Only 8.33% of international cricketers had access to a medical support team while 75% of players did not have injury advice at all. At the domestic level, medical support as well as provision of sports injury advice was lacking for 100% of players. Likewise, none of the clubs we came across had implemented injury data collection or monitoring program. Discussion The injury patterns and prevalence rates identified showed similarities to previous studies, especially for lower limb and fingers injuries. Bowling and fielding were recognised as major contributors for injury. The time lost due to injury as shown in the study is a concern. It is interesting to note that none of the domestic players had access to medical back up in the form of a doctor or a physiotherapist. Even at the international level only one player had a sports doctor to attend to his injuries. In summary, we identified a need for the provision of medical support to players for helping them to realise their full potential. A national database for cricket injuries within the confines of the Scottish government similar to the ACC or the SMAGG should be implemented. The ICC should look to help full as well as associate members in setting up injury prevention programs. It should allocate funds and provide expertise in the form trained personnel for the same. Appointment of injury statisticians for recording of injury data in every first class, one day or twenty 20 match should be looked at. At the end of every match an injury report should be sent to the team management, the SNCL which in turn will pass it on to the ICC. This collection of data should be anonymised as much as possible to help safeguard players interests. 1. Introduction Cricket is a popular sport played and followed by millions around the globe. It is a relatively non contact sport with a low to moderate risk of injury as compared to sports like hockey or football.1;2 However, in the last decade, the incidence of injury has been shown to be on the rise.3 This is possibly due to increase in workload for the modern cricketer. Intense competition, higher levels of fitness and skills required and increase in the number of matches played throughout the season has resulted in this trend. Furthermore, pressures of international travel and acclimitisation to foreign playing conditions in a matter of days have added to the stress. Although the popularity of cricket is on the rise, worldwide research into injuries has been dismal. The International Cricket Council (ICC), which governs the game, boasts a membership of 104 countries including 10 full, 34 associate and 60 affiliate members. However, most of the statistical data on incidence and prevalence of injuries comes from just four countries, namely, Australia, South Africa, England and the West Indies. Australia was the first country to introduce long term injury surveillance in professional cricket in the summer of 1998-99.2 The Sports Science Medicine Advisory Group (SSMAG) set up by Cricket Australia is responsible for the collection and maintenance of a long term injury database.3 Recently, the English and the South African Boards have set up their own injury surveillance programs. In New Zealand, the Accident Compensation Corporation is responsible for recording all sporting injuries. The rest of the test playing nations, however, along with the associate members of the ICC do not have programs implemented to record cricketing injuries. Although cricket has a vast following in the subcontinent, availability of statistical data regarding injuries is lacking. Similarly, a study of the nature and prevalence of injuries in cricket has never been undertaken in Scotland. In the backdrop of researchers pushing for a ‘world cricket injury report, all test playing and associate member countries should set up injury surveillance programs to identify patterns along with prevalence and incidence of injuries. This would enable comparisons of data across varying sets of playing conditions prevailing in different countries. 2. Injuries in Cricket Although cricket is a non contact sport, injuries are quite common, especially in fast bowlers.4-7 Some instances of death due to cricket have also been documented in literature.8 Importance of Injury Surveillance Long term injury surveillance in sport is the basis for prevention of injuries. Identification of causes with subsequent designing and implementation of interventions forms the ‘sequence of prevention of injuries.9 Surveillance of injuries across nations has however proved to be more difficult than previously thought. Over the years, different studies have sought to define injury in cricket and devise methods for injury surveillance.10-14 However, disparity in the definitions used by different researchers has been a problem in comparing injury rates from across the world. 3;12;15 Orchard et al. defined injury in cricket as â€Å"any injury or medical condition that either (a) prevents a player from being fully available for selection for a major match or (b) during a major match, causes a player to be unable to bat, bowl or keep wickets when required by either the rules or the teams captain† 3;12.whereas,Leary et al. defined injury in cricket as an event which caused a player to seek medical attention.10 Overall Incidence of Injuries Different studies report injury incidence in cricket varying from 2.6 to 333/ 10,000 player hours.1;2;16;17 Of all the Accident and Emergency department presentations in Australia, 8% cases were cricket related injuries, making cricket the 5th commonest injury prone sport in Australia.2 In South Africa, Stretch found that there was an injury incidence per player of 1.6 to 1.91 per season; also 49% of all players get injured sometime throughout a season.13 Leary et. al. in their 10 year study of professional English county cricketers found the acute injury incidence to be 57.4 per 1000 days of cricket.10 Injuries by anatomical site Lower limb injuries are the most common with an incidence of 45% to 49.8% where as trunk (20-32.6%) and upper limb (18.9 to 29 %) were the other sites commonly involved.7;10;13 The tissues mostly involved are muscles and other soft tissues (41.0%), joints (22.2%), tendons (13.2%), and ligaments (6.2%).7 Muscle strains were found to be most common. Of the lower limb injuries, hamstring injuries were reported to be most common by Orchard et al (11% of all injuries).2 Most of these were in the form of muscle strains and tears especially in bowlers and fielders.18 Knee injuries, usually comprise of joint sprains (27.6%), tendonitis (26.5%) and contusions (16.3%).10 Orchard et al reported that knee ligament injuries were uncommon in cricket. An interesting observation was that cricketers were more likely to suffer from knee ligament injuries during the game of football that cricketers play as a form of pre-match warming up or cross training. Groin injuries in bowlers (8% of all injuries in bowlers) and batsmen (9% of all injuries in batsmen) had an overall incidence of 7%. 2 Stress fractures of the tibia, fibula and foot, and ankle sprains occurred mostly in fast bowlers and had a combined incidence of 6% in the study conducted by Orchard et al.2 Upper limb injuries make up 19.8% to 34.1% of all injuries in cricket.2;17;18 Most of these are finger injuries due to ball impact occurring during fielding or batting.1;7;18;19 Contusions account for a major share of finger injuries (40%) while fractures/dislocations (28.9%) and joint sprains (23%) are the other finger injuries commonly encountered.10 Although, most of the finger injuries in cricket have a satisfactory treatment outcome, cricketers report a residual component of occasional pain or minor swelling and / or deformity.19 Most of the wicket keepers have been known to carry finger injuries but rarely report them for the fear of being made to miss the match. Shoulder injuries usually occur in fielders and bowlers while batsmen and wicket keepers are characteristically spared.10;18 Shoulder tendon injuries were reported to comprise of 6% of all injuries by Orchard et al. 2, Supraspinatus tendon was seen to be mostly affected. Incidence of shoulder dislocation or subluxation was shown to be low 1%. Upper limb lacerations or fractures were reported to have a low incidence and occurred mostly in batsmen.2 Side strain occurring on the non dominant arm in bowlers is quite notorious to heal.2 Incidence of side or abdominal muscle strain is 9% of all injuries; 1% of all cricket injuries are side strains due to a stress or traumatic fracture of the rib.2 The overall incidence of back and trunk injuries accounted was 18% to 33% of all injuries.7;16-18 Fast bowlers were found to be at particular risk of developing lower back injury.4;20-24 So much so that Foster et al. and Bell have likened the injuries in fast bowlers to en epidemic.4;25 The incidence for head, neck and face injuries vary from 5% to 25 % usually resulting from impact of the cricket ball causing lacerations or contusions and rarely concussions.1;2;13;16-18 Weightman and Brown reported a quarter of cricket injuries to be concussions due to a ball impact on the head.1 This was probably due to the fact that use of helmets in cricket was not in fashion when the study was conducted. Of the cervical spine injuries, 63.6% were in the form of sprains or strains resulting from batting for long periods of time.7 Jones and Tullo reported an incidence of 9% for eye injuries in sports in the UK.26 Although, eye injuries in cricket are rare, some studies have reported a few cases associated with cricket.27;28 These are usually more severe. Seasonal Variation of injuries Injuries in cricket are shown to occur more at the start of the season and then at the end of the season.7;10 The highest incidence number of injuries mostly muscle, tendon and ligament injuries occur at the start of the season (April-27.3%).10 While injuries like fractures or dislocations occur with the same frequency throughout the season. Stretch reported a similar incidence of higher injuries at the start of the season (32.3%) compared to than mid-season (21.7%) or towards the end (12.5%) or offseason (12.5%).18 Role performed in the team Stretch reported an injury incidence according to activity as follows: bowling (41.3%), fielding and wicket keeping (28.6%), and batting (17.1%).18 A study by Orchard et al, however reports that wicketkeepers had the lowest injury incidence (2%) probably because of minimal sprinting, throwing or bowling.2 Bowlers usually sustained lower limb or back injuries while fielders and wicket keepers usually suffered upper limb (42.9%) or lower limb injuries (40.6%). Batsman on the other hand suffered mainly lower limb injuries (54.4%). Delivery and follow through of the fast bowler (25.6%), overuse (18.3%), and fielding (21.4%) were the main mechanisms of injury.18 Age Incidence Young fast bowlers tend to get injured more often.7;13;14;18 Also the incidence of overuse injuries in cricketers in the age group of 19-24 years tends to be higher than their older counterparts.7 An important observation in a study by Stretch is that all 14 stress fractures occurred in young cricketers with 13 of them due to bowling.7 Chronicity of injury Acute injuries account for 64.8% of all injuries while 16.6% are chronic and 25.4% of the injuries are of acute on chronic nature. Majority of injuries are first time injuries (64.5%) while recurrent injuries from the previous season account for 22.8% of injuries.13 Recovery time of injuries In a study by Stretch, 47.8% of injured players were able to return to play within a week while 28.4% took 3 week. However, 23.8% of the players were not able to train or play matches even more than 3 weeks after the incidence.7 3.0 Methodolgy 3.1 Aim of the Study The aim of the study was to audit the prevalence and patterns of injuries occurring in cricket in Scotland over a complete season. A study of this nature has never been undertaken in Scotland. This study will act as pilot study for a long term injury surveillance program in Scottish cricket. Cricket researchers have long been in favour of a ‘world cricket injury surveillance report. This study, we reckon, will contribute to such a report, if and when it is undertaken. 3.2 Study design The study was a retrospective, questionnaire based study carried out online with the support of Cricket Scotland. The involvement of Cricket Scotland, the national governing body for the sport in Scotland, we hoped, would increase the response rate for the questionnaires and thus the reliability of the audit. We feared that compliance would be an issue. However, we were hopeful that involvement of the club coaches via the governing body for cricket in Scotland would maximise the return rate. The first class structure for cricket in Scotland, Scottish National Cricket League (SNCL) is divided into three levels, the SNCL Premiere League, the SNCL division I and the SNCL division II. Each of these levels consists of 10 teams, playing each other home and away. In addition, there is an under 19s Scottish cricket team. Each of the first class teams plays an extra game with the under 19s, making a total of 19 matches over the season for each team. Cricket Scotland distributed the questionnaire to 150 elite cricketers from the international team as well as those in the three divisions of the SNCL. The audit assessed areas such as nature of injury, body part affected, mechanism of injury, recovery time, etc as well as the provision of medical support at the club (see attached questionnaire). Data was recorded from the feedback received from the questionnaire. Data analysis was done on a prevalence percentage basis and comparisons made with the limited existing studies. 3.3 Ethical Approval Ethical approval for undertaking this study was sought from and granted by the Faculty of Medicine Ethics Committee for Non Clinical Research involving Human Subjects, University of Glasgow, Scotland. 3.4 Subjects The subjects involved in the study were 150 elite cricket players from the Scottish national team and clubs in the top 3 divisions of the Scottish National Cricket league (SNCL). 3.5 Data Analysis Minitab 15.1 was used to carry out statistical analysis whereas Microsoft Excel 2007 was used to provide graphical analysis of the data. Also, for comparison with the existing data, literature searches were carried out using Reference Manager Professional Network Edition 12.0. The databases used were Pubmed and ISI Web of Knowledge for the period of 1970 to 2009 with key words for search being cricket, injury, surveillance, patterns, incidence, and prevalence. The review considered all papers up to May 2009 relevant to definition, incidence, prevalence, causes and prevention of injuries in cricket. 4.0 Results During the study, Cricket Scotland distributed the questionnaires to 150 cricket players from the international team and the three divisions of the SNCL. To improve the response rate, the coaches were instructed get the players to fill in the questionnaires. We received feedback from 26 of the 150 players that we approached. Of these, almost 77% were of current international status with 85% having represented Scotland at some point in their careers. In the SNCL, 73.08% of all players represent the premier division, 19.23% division 1 while only one player each featured in division 2 and domestic matches outside the SNCL. 73% of the players that responded were in the age group of 19-25 while 15.38% were in the under 19 age group of and 12% in the over 24 age group. Batsmen comprised of 35% of players while bowlers and all-rounders formed a major share of 64%. Only one wicketkeeper featured in the study. The percentage of players who appeared in more than 30 matches over the season was 46% while 23% played between 11-30 matches. The numbers of injuries reported throughout the season were 18. An increased prevalence of injuries was apparent at the start of the season with 27% of all injuries occurring in April. This then leveled off as the season progressed. Of all the players, 42% suffered injuries at some point of time during the season. Most of the injuries (66%) occurred in match situations. Acute injuries accounted for 60% of the injuries while acute or gradual recurrence of a previous injury was responsible for 35% of the cases. As expected, bowling was responsible for 36.84% of injuries while fielding (along with catching and throwing) caused 52.36% of injuries with throwing alone was responsible for 10% of all injuries. Regional Distribution of injuries Upper limb injuries contributed to 57.89% of the injuries, with shoulder tendon injury accounting for 27.27% of all upper limb and 15.79% of all injuries. Injuries to the fingers in the form of fractures or contusions had a prevalence rate of 15.29% for all injuries and 27.27% of all upper limb injuries. Lower limb injuries accounted for 31.58% of all injuries with knee and shin stress fracture being more common. Hamstring injuries having prevalence rate 16.67%. During the entire season, there was not a single case of head, neck or face injury. Midsection injuries accounted for 10.53 % of injuries with 5.26% prevalence rate for side or abdominal muscle strain. 35.29% of injuries took more than 6 weeks to heal enough for the player to participate in a match again, while almost half of the injured players took more than 4 weeks to recover from injury. Injury Advice and Surveillance In our analysis we found that only 8.33% of international cricketers had any access to a medical support team in the form of a physiotherapist while 75% of players at did not have injury advice at all. Also, of all the players, only 7.69% had some sort of injury prevention advice at their club. At the domestic level, provision of sports injury advice as well as medical support was lacking for 100% of players. Likewise, none of the clubs have implemented injury data collection or monitoring program. Table I. Type of injuries in the 2008 season Type of Injury International SNCL (domestic) Head / Face Fractures Eyes Other Neck Sprains Other Shoulder Tendon / muscle Dislocation / subluxation Arm / Elbow / Forearm Fracture Other Wrist / Palm Dislocation/Fracture Split webbing Other Fingers Fractures Other Trunk Abd/Side strain Other Back Lumbar stress fracture Other Groin/Hip Ham / Quad Knee Ligament Other Shin /Ankle / Foot Stress fracture Sprains Other 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 0 0 0 3 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 Total 13 5 5.0 Discussion The prevalence of injuries in Scottish cricket players both international and domestic over a season was ascertained in this study. Players in Scotland do not feature in as many matches over a season as players from places like Australia or India. As such, injury rates have not reached alarming proportions but the injury patterns and prevalence rates do show some similarities. The distribution of injuries according to anatomical site is similar to other studies, especially prevalence rate for lower limb fingers injuries. Bowling and fielding were recognised as major contributors for injury. Seasonal variations are also similar to a previous English study.10 The time lost due to injury as shown in the study is a concern. Proper injury prevention advice can help in avoiding injuries (most notable being those due to bowling). It is interesting to note that none of the domestic players had access to medical back up in the form of a doctor or a physiotherapist. Even at the international level only one player had a sports doctor to attend to his injuries. In summary, we identified a need for the provision of medical support to players for helping them to realise their full potential. An injury free player is more likely to perform to the best of his ability ensuring good performance of the team. A successful team in turn can attract sponsors thereby further enhancing the injury aspect of the game. A national database for cricket injuries within the confines of the Scottish government similar to the ACC or the SMAGG should be implemented. The ICC should look to help full as well as associate members in setting up injury prevention programs. The ICC should allocate funds and provide expertise in the form trained personnel for the same. Appointment of injury statisticians for recording of injury data in every first class, one day or twenty 20 match should be looked at. At the end of every match an injury report should be sent to the team management, the SNCL which in turn will pass it on to the ICC. This collection of data should be anonymised as much as possible to help safeguard players interests. 6.0 Methodological Limitations 6.1 Subjects The response we got for the questionnaire was not as good as expected. Unforeseen logistics and strategic problems due to prior commitment of the Scottish international team due to the World twenty 20 Cup and the domestic teams in the being busy in the final stages of the season hampered the feedback from the players. The selection of players from the elite level did serve the purpose of determining injury prevalence at the highest level. However, patterns of injury at the school and junior level need to be identified as well. 6.2 Procedural Since it was a retrospective study, the authenticity of injuries reported form memory by the players can be questioned. Injuries should ideally have been diagnosed and recorded by professional medical personnel like a physiotherapist or a sports doctor. Furthermore, this study looked into injuries over just one season. Having said so, this study can prove to be a pilot project on which future research can be based. 6.3 Statistical and Analytical We calculated prevalence of the different types of injuries. However, the study did not look into the incidence rates of different injuries. The incidence rates along with prevalence rates as done by some previous studies would have been a better reflection of injuries affecting professional cricketers in Scotland. 7.0 Future Research In the future, researchers should ideally look to conduct a prospective study over a number of years to identify the consistent injury patterns. Also, diagnosis and recording of injuries by professional medical staff with maintainence of an nationwide epidemiological injury database should be aimed at. Also, impact of provision medical support staff on improved performance of the players and the team as a whole needs to be looked into. 8.0 Reference List (1) Weightman D, Browne RC. Injuries in Eleven Selected Sports. Br J Sports Med 1975; 9(3):136-141. (2) Orchard J, James T, Alcott E, Carter S, Farhart P. Injuries in Australian cricket at first class level 1995/1996 to 2000/2001. Br J Sports Med 2002; 36(4):270-274. (3) Orchard JW, James T, Portus MR. Injuries to elite male cricketers in Australia over a 10-year period. J Sci Med Sport 2006; 9(6):459-467. (4) Foster D, John D, Elliott B, Ackland T, Fitch K. Back injuries to fast bowlers in cricket: a prospective study. Br J Sports Med 1989; 23(3):150-154. (5) Hardcastle P, Annear P, Foster DH, Chakera TM, McCormick C, Khangure M et al. Spinal abnormalities in young fast bowlers. J Bone Joint Surg Br 1992; 74(3):421-425. (6) Hardcastle PH. Repair of spondylolysis in young fast bowlers. J Bone Joint Surg Br 1993; 75(3):398-402. (7) Stretch RA. Cricket injuries: a longitudinal study of the nature of injuries to South African cricketers. Br J Sports Med 2003; 37(3):250-253. (8) Brasch R. How did sports begin? Sydney: Camberwell: Longman; 1971. (9) Van MW, Hlobil H, Kemper HCG. Incidence Severity Aetiology and Prevention of Sports Injuries A Review of Concepts. Sports Medicine 1992; 14(2):82-99. (10) Leary T, White JA. Acute injury incidence in professional county club cricket players (1985-1995). Br J Sports Med 2000; 34(2):145-147. (11) Mitchell R, Hayen A. Defining a cricket injury. J Sci Med Sport 2005; 8(3):357-358. (12) Orchard J, Newman D, Stretch R, Frost W, Mansingh A, Leipus A. Methods for injury surveillance in international cricket. J Sci Med Sport 2005; 8(1):1-14. (13) Stretch RA. The incidence and nature of injuries in first-league and provincial cricketers. S Afr Med J 1993; 83(5):339-342. (14) Stretch RA. The seasonal incidence and nature of injuries in schoolboy cricketers. S Afr Med J 1995; 85(11):1182-1184. (15) Finch CF, Elliott BC, McGrath AC. Measures to prevent cricket injuries: an overview. Sports Med 1999; 28(4):263-272. (16) Corrigan AB. Cricket injuries. Aust Fam Physician 1984; 13(8):558-9, 562. (17) Crisp T. Cricket: fast bowlers back and throwers shoulder. Practitioner 1989; 233(1469):790-792. (18) Stretch RA. Incidence and nature of epidemiological injuries to elite South African cricket players. S Afr Med J 2001; 91(4):336-339. (19) Belliappa PP, Barton NJ. Hand injuries in cricketers. J Hand Surg Br 1991; 16(2):212-214. (20) Bartlett RM, Stockill NP, Elliott BC, Burnett AF. The biomechanics of fast bowling in mens cricket: a review. J Sports Sci 1996; 14(5):403-424. (21) Bell PA. Spondylolysis in fast bowlers: principles of prevention and a survey of awareness among cricket coaches. Br J Sports Med 1992; 26(4):273-275. (22) Dennis R, Farhart P, Goumas C, Orchard J. Bowling workload and the risk of injury in elite cricket fast bowlers. J Sci Med Sport 2003; 6(3):359-367. (23) Dennis R, Farhart P, Clements M, Ledwidge H. The relationship between fast bowling workload and injury in first-class cricketers: a pilot study. J Sci Med Sport 2004; 7(2):232-236. (24) Engstrom CM, Walker DG. Pars interarticularis stress lesions in the lumbar spine of cricket fast bowlers. Med Sci Sports Exerc 2007; 39(1):28-33. (25) Bell P. Cricket: injury in long trousers. Br J Sports Med 1999; 33(3):151-152. (26) Jones NP, Tullo AB. Severe eye injuries in cricket. Br J Sports Med 1986; 20(4):178-179. (27) Abedin A, Chen HC. An uncommonly serious case of an uncommon sport injury. Br J Sports Med 2005; 39(8):e33. (28) Aburn N. Eye injuries in indoor cricket at Wellington Hospital: a survey January 1987 to June 1989. N Z Med J 1990; 103(898):454-456. Cover Letter for the Questionnaire An Audit of Injuries in Cricket in Scotland in the 2008 Season. With increased participation in cricket in Scotland, sports doctors and physiotherapists have become aware of a corresponding increase in cricket related injuries. Also, researchers worldwide have felt the need for a global injury incidence report to identify risk factors for subsequent designing and implementation of interventions for prevention of injuries. Some data regarding injuries in cricket is available from Australia, South Africa, England and the West Indies. However, epidemiological collection of data of injuries from the rest of the world is dismal, to say the least. In Scotland as well, there has never been any audit of injuries in cricket, time lost due to injuries, implementation of injury prevention program and provision of medical support to players. This audit aims to look at the type and prevalence of injuries that occurred over the 2008 season in cricket in Scotland, allowing an insight into the mechanisms of injury in cricket. We hope that this will assist the development of medical support and injury prevention programmes. This study would also contribute to a ‘World Injury Incidence Report to be undertaken in the near future. This audit is being conducted by the Department of Sport Exercise Medicine, University of Glasgow with the support of Cricket Scotland. We are grateful for your valuable time spent in answering the questionnaire. If you have any questions regarding the study or the questionnaire please do not hesitate to contact either: Questionnaire Do you play international cricket? Yes, Currently Previously No Please indicate the level of domestic cricket that you play in. SNCL Premier SNCL Div 1 SNCL Div 2 Other Does your club provide access to sports injury advice and treatment? Yes No

Og Mandino (For the Rest of My Life) :: essays research papers

For the Rest of My Life . . .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the rest of my life there are two days that will never again trouble me. The first day is yesterday with all its blunders and tears, its follies and defeats. Yesterday has passed forever bye my control. The other day is tomorrow with its pitfalls and threats, its dangers and mystery. Until the sun rises again, I have no stake in tomorrow, for it is still unborn. With God’s help and only one day to concentrate all my effort and energy on, this day, I can win! Only when I add the burden of those two frightening eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, am I in danger of faltering under the load. Never again! This is my day! This is my only day! Today is all there is! Today is the rest of my life and I resolve to conduct myself through every waking hour in the following manner. . . . For the rest of my life, this very special day, God help me . . . to heed the wise advice of Jesus and Confucius and Zoroaster and treat me. To maintain a rein on my tongue and my t emper, guarding against foolish moments of faultfinding and insults. To greet all those I encounter with a smile instead of a frown, and a soft word of encouragement instead of disdain or even worse, silence. To be sympathetic and attentive to the sorrows and struggles of others, realizing that there are hidden woes in every life no matter how exalted or lowly. To make haste to be kind to all others, understanding that life is too short to be vengeful or malicious, too soon ended to be petty or unkind. For the rest of my life, this very special day, God help me. To keep reminding myself that in order to harvest more ears of corn in the fall, I must plant more kernels in the spring. To understand that life always rewards me on the terms that I establish, and if I never perform or deliver more than that for which I am paid, never will I have reason to demand or expect and additional gold. To always deliver more than is expected of me, whether at work, at play, or at home. To labor wit h enthusiasm and l9ove, no matter what the task at hand may be, realizing that if I cannot secure happiness out of my work I will never know what real happiness is. Og Mandino (For the Rest of My Life) :: essays research papers For the Rest of My Life . . .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  For the rest of my life there are two days that will never again trouble me. The first day is yesterday with all its blunders and tears, its follies and defeats. Yesterday has passed forever bye my control. The other day is tomorrow with its pitfalls and threats, its dangers and mystery. Until the sun rises again, I have no stake in tomorrow, for it is still unborn. With God’s help and only one day to concentrate all my effort and energy on, this day, I can win! Only when I add the burden of those two frightening eternities, yesterday and tomorrow, am I in danger of faltering under the load. Never again! This is my day! This is my only day! Today is all there is! Today is the rest of my life and I resolve to conduct myself through every waking hour in the following manner. . . . For the rest of my life, this very special day, God help me . . . to heed the wise advice of Jesus and Confucius and Zoroaster and treat me. To maintain a rein on my tongue and my t emper, guarding against foolish moments of faultfinding and insults. To greet all those I encounter with a smile instead of a frown, and a soft word of encouragement instead of disdain or even worse, silence. To be sympathetic and attentive to the sorrows and struggles of others, realizing that there are hidden woes in every life no matter how exalted or lowly. To make haste to be kind to all others, understanding that life is too short to be vengeful or malicious, too soon ended to be petty or unkind. For the rest of my life, this very special day, God help me. To keep reminding myself that in order to harvest more ears of corn in the fall, I must plant more kernels in the spring. To understand that life always rewards me on the terms that I establish, and if I never perform or deliver more than that for which I am paid, never will I have reason to demand or expect and additional gold. To always deliver more than is expected of me, whether at work, at play, or at home. To labor wit h enthusiasm and l9ove, no matter what the task at hand may be, realizing that if I cannot secure happiness out of my work I will never know what real happiness is.

Exploration of Bondage in Middle Passage Essay -- essays research pape

Bondage can be defined as a state of subjection to a force, power, or influence or the state of being under the control of another person. Throughout the novel Middle Passage, written by Charles Johnson, bondage is a reoccurring theme. The characters in the novel are bonded physically, emotionally, or psychologically. Some characters are bonded and can not escape their bondage. Others choose to place themselves in the situations. Throughout the course of the novel, some of the characters gain their freedom and move forward with their lives. Other characters are never able to gain their freedom because their lives end in death.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Within the first page of the book we are introduced to Rutherford Calhoun, an ex-slave. He has been recently freed and has chosen to settle down in New Orleans. According to Rutherford, â€Å"New Orleans wasn’t just home. It was heaven†(2). Rutherford is in search of living the life of what he envisions as a free man: happy and self-directed. However, Rutherford finds himself bonded to new things. As scholar Barbara Z. Thaden asserts, â€Å"Rutherford discovers that his freedom is only a different type of slavery† (254). Thaden also notes, Rutherford leads â€Å"a life of petty crime, drinking, womanizing, and running from commitment of any kind† (254). He becomes bonded to gambling, stealing, and debt. As scholar Ashraf H.A. Rushdy argues, â€Å"gaining his freedom has only trapped him further into the futile struggle to preserve and promote his individuality† (375).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In New Orleans, Rutherford becomes a petty thief. He says that he â€Å"looked for honest work† but â€Å"found nothing† so he stole (3). Rutherford also says that stealing was â€Å"a way to shake off stress and occupy his hands† (103). As scholar Ashraf H.A. Rushdy notes, â€Å"stealing, for Rutherford, is more than an occupation: it is a philosophy†(376). As a child, Reverend Peleg Chandler â€Å"[noticed] the stickiness of his fingers†(3). In order to gain access aboard the Republic, Rutherford steals Josiah Squibb’s paper and continues his habit of stealing throughout the voyage.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Rutherford also becomes bonded to gambling and as a result, ends up in debt. Rutherford would play card games â€Å"that lasted three days and nights†(7). Because he lost most of the card games he played and used what money he had to play card games, ... ...i were bonded to slavery. They had to give up their freedom to become bonded to the Republic as slaves. They were treated harshly and their only choice to escape their enslavement was mutiny. The Allmuseri were also bonded to their beliefs. Thaden illustrates that Johnson had â€Å"inscribed into the Allmuseri mindset many classical Buddhist beliefs†(255). The Allmuseri believed that the ship was condemned to death because they had allowed themselves to kill so many of the whites.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As scholar Barbara Z. Thaden expresses, â€Å"Rutherford learns on his voyage that the more people escape the bonds of others, the more trapped they become in bondage to their own egos†(257). Johnson shows throughout the novel that no man is truly free of bonds and that freedom doesn’t exist without bondage. Rutherford gains a new idea of freedom as a result of his experience aboard the Republic while Falcon, bonded to his ego, never gains freedom because he takes his own life. As scholar Ashraf H.A. Rushdy suggests, â€Å"Rutherford learns that bonds and connections are a matter of surrender to another order of being, and are not simply determined by racial or biological destiny† (377).

E-Books and Traditional Books

Throughout history of people, writing is the most significant way of communication and knowledge sharing. Human written on the walls and stones in the beginning. After that papers took the place of walls and stones. At the present time, thanks to technological advancement, lettering can write on electronic devices that called as e-books. This situation causes argument between e-book and paper book. It is argued that e-books will take the place of paper books in the future; in spite of benefits of e-books people should paper books, since it causes negative results such as physical sickness on human body, being less interactive and being easily copied. It is claimed that e-books can be read anywhere such as on the bus, in a cafe, subway, airplanes thanks to computer and smart phones; however this advantages result in physical sickness on human body. Computers and smart phones can have hundred of e-books in their memories. For this reason their using areas increasing day to day. Nevertheless this situation is not suitable in terms of human health. Because of making heavy weather of electronic devices for instance looking at screen for a long time, some disorders observable such as eye strain and headaches. Furthermore, due to screen resolution lower than paper, reading on e-books is more difficult. It is clear that e-books devices are harmful for human body. Another frequently heard arguments in favour of e-books is based on thanks to e-books nature is protected, however electronic books without paper less interactive. It stated that forests are destroyed for paper. Therefore e-books are appearing like eco-friend. Nonetheless only old and broken trees are cut to produce paper. In addition, electronic books are lower interaction between reader and writer. As Stokes states e-books are make it difficult to easily mark them up via underlining, highlighting and marginal notes (n. d). In briefly, paper books should be preferred in terms of interaction. Although it is argued that e- books are more available in global world and they are more economic, they are make it difficult to duplicate. It is often maintained that when you have a laptop and wireless internet connection, you can download all of books. Besides cost of e-books are lower than printed versions due to no printing expenses. However, e-books can be downloaded and shared via internet. Thanks to computer and smart phones, e-books are copied without difficult. Besides e-books can be easily hacked,stolen,lost on the internet without approval from the author or publisher. It is indicated in Wikipedia, duplicating of paper books in an amateur printing press is more difficult. To sum up, traditional books should be prefer by readers because they are more interactive, more reliable for preventing to copy and they do not have physical sickness on human body. Even if electronic devices are improved rapidly, none of them can not give friendliness and paper smell of traditional books to readers. They might be our closed friend whatever our age.

The Ball and Chain: Why The NCAA

Be The term, â€Å"student athlete† is a polarizing one. In todays America, college sports particularly football and basketball, are as much a part of the sports enthusiast's landscape as is any professional sport. In any case, with enthusiasm comes money. In this case, billions of dollars are generated by television viewership, merchandise sales and university boosters. College athletes are the driving force behind an industry where television executives, university presidents, athletic directors and coaches are compensated in a manner which makes them among the most wealthy eople in the world.The athletes receive in return an education from a well respected university, along with name and sometimes facial recognition in their fields of interest. However, the student on a physics scholarship receives the same opportunity for education and name recognition in his field that the athlete does. The difference is, the physics student isn't selling millions of dollars worth of Jers eys. The physics student is also allowed to pursue compensation for applying his craft as he sees fit while enrolled at the university while the athlete is not allowed to work or ven accept perks brought about by his celebrity.The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) serves as the oppressive monopoly which seeks to capitalize on the dreams of young athletes by requiring their servitude, likeness and name in exchange for the slimmest of opportunities to attract employment in their field of interest. Like any other oppressor or monopoly that came before it, the NCAA should be abolished and replaced with a model that is mindful of equality, as well as human and civil rights.The NCAA has blocked every road that an athlete may have to apitalize on his hard work during his time at his respective university. Only recently has the legality of such roadblocks been challenged. Due to its litany of regulations designed to stifle player movement or compensation, many, such as Pulitze r prize winning author and historian Taylor Branch, have argued that the current structure of the NCAA rivals that of a slave plantation or drug cartel.Branch scoffs at the correlation between the terms â€Å"student athlete† and â€Å"amateur,† stating in an article in The Atlantic, â€Å"No legal definition of amateur exists, and any attempt to create one in nforceable law would expose its repulsive and unconstitutional nature a bill of attainder, stripping from college athletes the rights of American citizenship. † (Branch 2). At the heart of that argument is the question, what constitutes an employee? Blacks Law dictionary defines â€Å"employee† as â€Å"a person in the service of another under any contract of hire, expressed or implied, oral or written, where the employer has the power or right to control or direct the employee in the material details of how the work is to be performed† (Muhl 2). An athletic scholarship is clear example of a ritten contract which both overtly and implicitly stipulates that the school is willing to exchange an education for the athlete's services on the school's sports team.