Notes for Driving Essay Example

Notes for Driving Essay When you become a driver you are part of the â€Å"system†. This â€Å"system† is the Highway Transportation System (HTS) 3 parts to the HTS: 1- People 2- Vehicles – all types 3- Roadways The goal of the HTS is to move people and cargo from one place to another in a safe, efficient, and economical manner. How is the HTS regulated? By local, state, and federal government agencies. The federal government established the National Highway Safety Act. All agencies enforce the following guidelines set forth in this act. 1- Vehicle code – the laws that have been passed Assure that these laws are obeyed 3- Motor vehicle departments set the rules to assure that driver and vehicle standards are met 4- Rules for the courts to go by for guilty or innocent 5- Engineers plan, build, and maintain roadways The driving task This involves all of the social, physical and mental skills required to drive. You MUST develop habits to perform these tasks with low-risks results. Habits you MUST develop: 1- Using knowledge and visual skills 2- Obey all traffic laws 3- Judging time and space Anticipating how your car will react under normal and emergency situations SOCIAL SKILLS You must be able to drive while interacting with other people Courtesy and cooperation make low-risk driving possible PHYSICAL SKILLS You need to practice and develop the skills needed to drive, until they become a habit. MENTAL SKILLS Decision-making is a mental skill you need to develop in order to be a safe, low-risk driver. Developing the IPDE System into your driving. I – identify important information in the oncoming scene. P – predict when and where possible points of conflict will develop. D – decide when, where, and how to communicate, adjust speed, and/or change position to avoid conflict. E – execute the right action to prevent conflict. There are two other systems that can help you in the IPDE system: 1- The Smith System – helps develop seeing habits 2- The Zone Control System – helps you manage the space around your car. You need to develop the system approach to become a defensive driver. This will help you lower your risks and keep you and others from dangerous situations. Your Driving Responsibilities DRIVING IS A PRIVILEGE – NOT A RIGHT The privilege is based on the assumption that you will be a responsible traffic citizen and obey the traffic laws. ATTITUDE Your attitude toward driving as well as life affects your willingness to develop the habits needed to be a safe driver. ROAD RAGE What is it and what causes it Breakdowns in the HTS. These occur when any part of the HTS does not work well. Collision – occurs when a vehicle has a problem and hits another object. Which is more correct? Collision or Accident? An accident is something that happens by chance†¦ a collision is something that has a predictable cause. The most common cause for a collision is†¦ We will write a custom essay sample on Notes for Driving specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Notes for Driving specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Notes for Driving specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer DRIVER ERROR (P. 9) Causes of deaths: A major cause of vehicle deaths is†¦ LACK OF EXPERENCE Social and Economical Loss Collisions cause social and economical loss by: property damages (p10) time away from work or school medical fees insurance premiums Your financial responsibilities. vehicle related costs: fuel, maintaince, and insurance. Any damage that you cause while driving. Your environmental responsibilities. air and water pollution chemical spills land pollution What you need to do: 1- maintain your vehicle buy fuel efficient vehicles 3- use fuel efficient driving practices 4- recycle materials you can 5- car pool or use public transportation when you can 6- work with the government to encourage use of energy-efficient driving DRIVERS LICENSE Most of the time young drivers simply make mistakes from inexperience. 41% of young people killed in collisions died in single car collisions. GETTING YOUR LICENSE IN SC The Graduated Licensing System 1- Permit can drive with an adult licensed driver must have permit for 6 months (180 days) must log at least 40 hours of driving at night 2- Intermediate (restricted) must have had a permit for 180 days and completed a driver’s education course can drive from dawn ‘til dusk by yourself drive at night with a licensed adult limited number of passengers must not get into a collision or have any violation for 180 days. Violators turn the clock back to zero. Repeated violations could land you in traffic school. 3- Full License unrestricted driving – as related to time of day you can drive alone. Organ Donor Program You may indicate on your license that you wish to be an organ donor. IMPLIED CONSENT PROGRAM (LAW) When you sign your license in SC you give an officer the right to test your blood alcohol content (BAC). If you refuse the test you will lose your driving privilege. WHY DO YOU TAKE A DRIVER’S EDUCATION COURSE Chapter 2 Signs, Signals, and Roadway Markings Traffic Signs There are three types 1- Regulatory – control traffic flow 2- Warning – alerts of a possible hazard or road condition 3- Guide – give direction Stop Signs This is the only red, octagon sign we have. You must come to a COMPLETE(full) stop at this sign. Four-way stops – rules you need to follow 1- The first one stopped gets to go first 2- If 2 cars get there at the same time, the car on the right gets to go first 3- If 2 cars get there together and are across from each other, the car traveling straight goes first 4- If 3 or 4 cars get there together, one needs to enter the intersection to show intent, but with caution 5- ALWAYS CHECK THE INTERSECTION BEFORE ENTERING IT Yield Signs This is the upside down triangle – red and white You must allow others in the intersection or approaching the intersection to go first before you. This is called giving the right of way. Right of way is given, not taken. p. 2 Speed Limit Signs These are white, mostly rectangles, with black writing. They indicate what the safest maximum speed for that roadway in IDEAL conditions. Basic Speed Laws state that when conditions are not IDEAL you must not travel faster than what is safe for the conditions. Advisory Speed Limits are set for certain sections of the roadway. Once you have cleared that section you may resume the posted speed limit. Warning Signs These are yellow signs that warn you of upcoming conditions in the roadway. Most are diamond shaped with black symbols. School Signs indicate where school zones and crossings are. They are shaped like a house (pentagon). No Passing Signs are placed before where the roadway begins to narrow. Construction Signs indicate where construction zones are. They are orange signs with black symbols and letters. Railroad Signs – There are two types of railroad signs; a yellow circle with a black â€Å"X† and two â€Å"R†s also black and a white cross with black railroad crossing letters. The yellow sign indicates you are approaching a railroad crossing and the white â€Å"X† indicates where the railroad tracks begin. p. 3 Guide Signs These signs mark routes, intersections, service areas, and other points of interest. Route signs are local, state, U. S. and interstate markers. US = white shield on a black sign with black #s State = white square with black #s and letters Interstate = red and blue shield with white letters and #s Even #s = east and west Odd #s = north and south 3 numbered route that begins with an odd # goes into a city 3 numbered route that begins with an even # goes round a city (beltway) Other guide signs are: Green = give information on destinations and distances Blue = roadway service information (hospital â€Å"H†) Brown = recreation areas and points of interest TRAFFIC SIGNALS Include traffic lights, arrows, flashing signals, lane signals, and pedestrian signals. Traffic lights are red, green, and yellow. Red = stop Green = proceed through the intersection if it is clear to do so. Yellow = slow and stop if you can do so safely. Right turn on red and left turn on red. When can you do it. p. 4 Flashing signals: Red – treat it as a stop sign Yellow – treat it as a yield sign Arrows tell you the direction in which your lane must travel. Green = proceed if it is clear to do so Yellow = yield and stop if possible Red = Stop only in that direction Lane Signals – these lights will switch the direction of traffic in a certain lane to control the need for traffic flow. Pedestrian Signals – allow walkers to cross at an intersection safely. â€Å"walk† â€Å"don’t walk† When a police officer is standing in the intersection, their directions overrule any signal. Roadway markings These are yellow or white lines as well as arrows, stop lines and crossings. Broken Yellow Line = separates two-way traffic and you may pass when it is clear to do so. Solid Yellow Lines = separate two-way traffic and you are not allowed to pass. Shared Turn Lanes = you may enter and wait until it is clear before you turn left across traffic. Broken White Line = separates traffic traveling the same direction. You may pass if it is clear to do so. Solid White Line = indicates the right side of the road and should not be crossed. White Arrows = indicate which direction you are allowed to travel in that particular lane. Rumble Strips Lane Reflectors – Yellow Curb Markings Chapter 3 Basic Vehicle Controls INSTRUMENT PANEL Speedometer – tells you how fast you are going Tachometer – tells you how many revolutions your engine makes in one minute Odometer – tells you how far your car has traveled in its lifetime Fuel Gauge – tells you how much gas is in your gas tank Temperature gauge or light – warns you when the coolant in your engine is too hot Oil pressure warning light or gauge – warns you when the oil is not circulating at the proper pressure Alternator warning light or gauge – tells you there is a problem with your electrical system, the alternator is not generating enough electricity to keep the engine running Brake system warning light – tells you 1st that your parking brake is engaged and 2nd that there is a problem in your braking system Antilock braking system light – tells you that your ABS is working properly Safety belt light – reminds you to fasten your safety belt Air bag warning light – tells you that your air bags are working properly Turn signal indicators – tells you which direction that you have indicated you are going to turn. Most are small green arrows. High beam indicator – tells you that your high beam head lights are on, blue light. VEHICLE CONTROLS Steering wheel – controls the direction of the front wheels. Turn right to go right and turn left to go left. Steering wheel adjustment lever – can tilt the wheel up and down Selector lever – lets you put the car in a gear. Either on the steering column or in the center console. Gear shift lever – lets you put a manual transmission car into a gear. Ignition Starter switch – you start the engine by putting the key into the ignition switch. Page 42 – picture or positions Cruise control – lets you set and maintain a certain speed. Parking brake – keeps the car in place when it is parked. Locations? Clutch pedal – is in a manual transmission car, is located to the left of the foot brake and s pushed down (in) to change gears. Foot brake pedal – push the pedal down to slow and stop the car. Also makes the brake light on the back of your car light up. Accelerator pedal – Located to the right of the brake pedal, push it down to get the car to go faster, release the pedal to get the car to slow down. SAFETY, COMMUNICATION COMFORT DEVICES Safety belts – always wear you seat belt when your car is in motion. It will help protect you from injury in a collision. Head restraints – padded devices that help prevent head injuries in collisions. Inside and outside rearview mirrors – these mirrors help you see what is behind your car ithout turning around and looking. Blind spots are the areas that your mirrors do not show you. Horn – located on the steering wheel. Hazard flasher control – located on the steering wheel or control panel. Turns on both sets of turn signals when engaged. Windshield wipers and washers – one switch for both usually, it turns on your wipers and squirts water onto your windshield to clean off the dirt. Light switch – controls the headlights, taillights, side marker lights, instrument panel, license plate and dome light. Hood release lever – located on the left side under the instrument pa nel, pull to release he hood, then go out and open by releasing the front latch. Heater, air conditioner, and defroster – heating and air conditioner warm and cool the car passenger area and the defroster keeps the windows clear of moisture. Sun visors – located above the windshield, pull down to block the sun. Seat adjustment lever – usually at eh lower front or left side of the seat. GETTING READY TO DRIVE Outside Checks 1- Walk around the car looking for obstructions and spills. 2- Glance at the tires. 3- Where are the front wheels pointed. 4- Make sure that the windows are clean and clear. Lights also. Check back window ledge for sight obstructions. 6- Look inside for any unwanted passengers. Getting into the car 1- Have your keys ready, especially if you enter from the road side. 2- Walk around the front of your car and back to the door facing traffic. 3- Get in quickly, lock the doors and put the key in the ignation. Inside Checks 1- Lock the doors 2- Adj ust your seat and steering wheel so that you are about 10 inches from the wheel 3- Your hands should be able to reach the steering wheel with your elbows slightly bent and you should be able to reach the pedals with your knees slightly bent. Your head restraint should be adjusted to hit the middle of your head. 5- Adjust your rear view mirror and side mirrors 6- Fasten seat belts. DRIVING AN AUTOMATIC VEHICLE Gear selector lever positions: P = park – transmission is locked in this position. R = reverse – used for backing up (backup lights) N = neutral – allows the wheels to roll without engine power D = drive – moves your car forward (overdrive) Low (L1, L2 or 1,2) = allow you to put more power to the wheels at lower speeds Starting the Engine 1- make sure that the parking brake is set 2- gear selector is in park don’t press the accelerator (fuel injection) 4- Turn the key to ON and then START. Release the key when the engine starts 5- Check your gauges, lights and fuel level CHAPTER 4 Managing Risks with the IPDE Process The IPDE Process Every driver uses some kind of process to help them drive. Those who don’t, have a higher risk of collisions. The IPDE process helps reduce these risks. Risk can cause collisions. Factors that contribute to this risk are the driver, the vehicle, the roadway and the environment. Driver-contributed factors: adjusting the radio being angry or upset blurred vision grooming driving while drinking cell phones If you are doing one or more of these and the driver you meet is doing one or more of these then you are increasing your risk. You can control what you do but you can’t be sure about what the other driver is doing. Vehicle-contributed factors: bald tires bad brakes dirty windshield broken or burnt out headlights worn out wiper blades Roadway and environment-contributed factors: bright sun construction dark shadows snow or ice sharp curves Good drivers make an effort to lower these risks if at all possible. Taking care of your vehicle and practicing a process, such as the IPDE, you can lessen your risks while you drive. The IPDE process Safe driving depends of your ability to see and analyze traffic situations correctly. The driving task is mostly a thinking task. When you are not thinking about your task of driving you increase your risk of a collision. By using the IPDE process you can develop the habits that allow you to drive more effectively while thinking of other things. The four parts of the IPDE, identify, predict, decide and execute. The IPDE process can be enhanced with the aid of The Smith System: Aim High Get the big picture Keep your eyes moving Leave yourself a way out Make sure they can see you As well as the Zone Control System: See a zone change Check other zones Create time and space by getting the best speed control, lane position, and communication Identify – you must know when to look, where to look, how to look and what to look for. The sooner you can learn to identify the correct things the more time you will have to react. The Zone Control System aids you in this. You have six zones around your car, each zone is about the width of a lane and extend as far as the driver can see. (pic. 65) An open zone is a space you can drive without a restriction to your line of sight or your intended path of travel. Your target area is the section of the road that is the center of your intended path. Far out there, up the road. A closed zone would be an area that your car can not go into without conflict. Book example is a red traffic light. You have to react to the light. The sooner you identify the closed zones the more time you have to respond. You should develop searching habits in three ranges: 1- your target area range – as far as you can see 2- 12-15 second range – 12 to 15 sec. in front of you 3- 4-6 second range – where your car will be in 4-6 seconds How to develop an Orderly Visual Search Pattern: steps on page 67 Your Field of Vision affects how you search. Most people have a field of vision which covers about 90 degrees to each side or 180 degrees total. Central Vision is what you are focusing on, it’s about 10 degrees. Peripheral Vision is the rest of your field of vision that is not in focus. When you are scanning the scene you need to Aim High in Steering. This means to look down the road, into your target area, and not just in front of your car. You also need to keep your eyes moving, this helps you scan the scene. If you put all of these scanning methods together you will Get the Big Picture. What do you need to look for? Look for open zones – you want to look for things that could cause the open zone to close. Look for other users – look for anyone who could affect your path of travel. Ground viewing – look at the vehicle approaching for clues that they will come into your path. Look for roadway features and conditions – intersections, hills, curves, width of the road (multilane to single lane, change in width of lane, surface hazards) Look for traffic controls – know where controls are located at different times and places. Predict – once you have identified, you need to predict how the hazard might affect your path of travel. How you go through the predicting process will help determine how the hazard may affect you. Learning how to look at a situation is important. You must identify all possible hazards to determine what each one may do. Knowledge of driving laws and this class will help you predict. You know what the driver is supposed to do and how they are supposed to react to certain traffic situations. You must however make yourself prepare ahead of time for situations that could occur. Play the head games at times. The main thing that makes you a better predictor is EXPERENCE. You can’t get it if you don’t experience it. The two things that you must be able to predict are the actions of other vehicle users and the way your car is going to react in situations. When predicting the actions of others you need to look at their path of travel, the actions they may make, do I have an open zone? , and where might the point of conflict be? Predicting the reactions of your vehicle is the easiest of this process. You should know what condition your car is in, how are the tires, how soon can I stop, etc. Decide – Once you have identified and predicted what may happen, you now need to decide what you need to do. Maintain, swerve, brake, speed up, or just communicate with my lights or horn. You may decide to change your speed. You can avoid conflicts by maintaining, slowing down, or speeding up. To make a change in direction you need to look at your zones. Try to leave yourself a way out or cushion so you are able to move into that area without conflict. You may also avoid conflict by changing you position in your lane. You may need to be centered, slightly left or slightly right in your lane. If you decide that all you need to do is communicate with the other driver you may do this by your lights, horn, car position or eye contact. You want to try to minimize your number of hazards by separating the hazards. Sometimes you are going to have to pick the hazard that will possibly do the least amount of damage. This is compromising space. Give way to the big truck swerving into your lane. Execute- Once you make your decision you need to execute it. Remember, DON†T second guess yourself. The three areas that you have execution control over are speed control, steering, and communication. The hardest thing when driving is how so I handle multiple conflicts that occur? Being able to use the IPDE process effectively takes practice and time. You are not as good at using it today as you will be next week. You will learn how to use the IPDE process selectively. This means that you start one process and something else will come up that makes you begin the process all over again. Remember this: You used the IPDE Process getting to this class today and you will use it again going to every class you take today. Chapter 5 Natural Laws and Car Control In this chapter you will learn about gravity and energy of motion, friction and traction, stopping distance and controlling the force of impact. Gravity – Gravity is the force that pulls you to the earth. Going up and down hills in a car you can feel the pull of gravity. You need to be able to adjust your driving to accommodate for this pull. The point at which your car’s weight is evenly distributed is called the center of gravity. The lower the center of gravity, the better the handling of the car. Energy of Motion – Energy of motion is called kinetic energy. What you must understand about this energy is the way it will affect your driving. The faster your vehicle is moving, the more energy you have, the heavier it weighs, the more energy of motion it has. Two important facts to know† 1- Your energy of motion doubles when the weight doubles 2- Your energy of motion increases by the square when your speed increases by a certain amount. ( speed doubles – energy quadruples) If your energy of motion increases your stopping distance will also go up that amount. Friction and Traction Friction is the force that keeps your tires from sliding on the road. Traction makes it possible for your vehicle to grip the road for you to change speed and direction. The grooved surface of the tire is called the tread. This tread cuts through the water on the road allowing your tire to grip the road. As the amount of tread decreases, the amount of traction also decreases. If the tire tread gets worn almost completely off (bald tire) the possibility of a blowout becomes great. A blowout is when the tire loses all pressure at once. The way your tire is inflated also determines how much of the tire tread is touching the road. An under inflated tire causes the tread to gap in the middle. An over inflated tire causes the tire tread to only touch in the middle (like a balloon) Things that could reduce the traction you have are: 1- bad tires 2- bad shocks 3- faulty steering system 4- road surfaces Checking for traction while you are driving can be done but must be done carefully. check rear zone – brake gently for response – if you don’t slow down reduce speed Driving on curves can be very tricky. The energy of motion tries to keep your car in a straight line but the traction from the tires pulls you around the curve. Driving around curves: Speed – reduce your speed to avoid skids 2- Sharpness – the sharper the curve the more traction you will need to go around it. 3- Banked – most curves are banked, this helps prevent your car from wanting to stay in a straight line. 4- Load – The heaver the load or weight of your vehicle the more friction it is going to take to get through the curve. Stopping Distance Total Stopping D istance – the distance your car travels while you are making a stop. Total stopping distance is made up of three parts: 1- perception distance 2- reaction distance 3- braking distance Look at the chart on page 98. To estimate the distance you need to stop you can use the four second rule. pick a spot in the road, a sign or driveway When the car in front of you reaches that point begin counting, one-thousand one, one-thousand two†¦ If your car gets to that same point after you reach one-thousand four you have enough space to stop if you need to. Factors that affect you’re stopping distance: Speed – the higher the speed the longer the distance Car condition – worn out tires, etc need more distance Surface – rain, snow, ice, dirt, leaves gravel increase the distance Driver ability – if distracted or impaired you increase the distance ABS – helps when stopping while turning Hills – up or down hills shortens or lengthens the distance Loads – the weight of your vehicle, heavier takes longer. Force of Impact The force at which a moving object hits another object is force of impact. Force of impact is determined by: 1- Speed 2- Wei ght 3- Distance between impact and stopping Safety Belts When you are in a collision, three collisions actually take place. First the car hits an object and stops. Second, you hit the inside of the car or a restraining device (seat belt) Third, your body organs slam against your skeleton or each other. There are two types of restraining devices: 1- restraining devices – seat belts 2- passive restraining devices – air bags (automatic) Air Bags Air bags deploy automatically. They are there to protect your life. When an air bag deploys it comes out at a speed over 200 mph. Air bags are designed to work with the seat belts. Just relying on the air bag will not save your life. To avoid the air bag injuring your arms or shoulders you need to keep your hands about 9 and 3 or a little below. You don’t want to sit too close to the air bag, @ 10 away is good. Tilt your steering wheel to deploy the bag at your chest and not your face. Of course, child seats need to be in the rear seat or facing away from the air bags. Some air bags now have a feature that senses the weight of the person in the seat and will deploy in two stages. Some vehicles have switches for you to turn the passenger air bag off. Other protective devices in vehicles today: n Automatic seat belts n Front and rear crush areas n Energy absorbing bumpers n Side door beams n Reinforced windshields Energy absorbing steering wheel and column n Padded dash n Child seats built in n Head restraints Chapter 6 Performing Basic Vehicle Maneuvers STEERING Straight forward: hands should be at a comfortable spot, look ahead and avoid looking at your feet and hands. You need to pay attention to what is approaching you. Try to avoid over or under-steering: over-steering is when you make too sharp of a turn and you w eave from side to side; under-steering is when you don’t turn the wheel enough to keep it on its intended path. When you are trying to back a straight line (driving test skill) you need to: keep the brake pressed and put the car in reverse 2- turn your body to the right, put your right arm over the back of the passenger seat and look out of the back window. 3- Place your left hand at 12 o’clock on the steering wheel 4- Release your pressure on the brake enough to get moving 5- Adjust your position by turning the wheel in the direction that you wish to go 6- Keep you foot over the brake (covering) and take quick glances to the front and sides checking for traffic. When you wish to stop keep looking out of the back window until you have come to a complete stop. SIGNALING Make it a habit to signal your intent every time you plan to turn or stop. You must use your turn signals when you are making a left or right turn, changing lanes, pulling over to the side of the road. Make sure that you know the hand signals for when you are driving. Left arm out and angled up = right turn Left arm out and pointing straight out = left turn Left arm out and angled down = braking You need to remember to signal early but not too early. CHANGING LANES You must be able to make the lane change smoothly and safely each and every time. Try to get the steering down. You don’t want to over or understeer. Steps for a lane change: Check traffic in front and to the side in which you are going to move into 2- Signal your intent and check your blind spot 3- Increase your speed slightly as you steer into the next lane; if it is clear to do so 4- Cancel your signal, if it did not do so automatically, and adjust your speed and steering. MAKING TURNS AND TURNABOUTS Two method s for steering your car: 1- Hand over hand 2- Push – pull Left and Right Hand Turns You should make a turn only after you have checked traffic. 1- Look for pedestrians and oncoming vehicles; check your rear zone for cars getting ready to pass you. Plan well in advance. Put yourself in the correct lane well before the turn. 3- Obey all traffic signals and controls plus roadway markings. When turning left you MUST yield to oncoming traffic. Procedures for turning: (page 114) 1- Get in the proper lane 2- Brake early and get to the proper speed 3- Do a visual search 4- Before the crosswalk you should be at about 10 mph 5- Turning right you need to check left then right and begin your turn when your front bumper reaches the curve of the curb line. 6- For a left turn check left then right and then left again. Begin your turn when your front bumper gets to the center of the intersection. 7- As you begin your turn check your blind spot and turn into the first lane you come to. When you are backing to your left you want to look more over your left shoulder to where you are trying to back. If backing right you want to look over your right shoulder. You will use hand over hand steering and do the visual search before you begin the maneuver. Turnabouts Precautions when you are planning to do a turnabout: †¢Be sure that local laws permit it †¢Need at least 500 feet of visibility Don’t do on hills or curves or within 200 feet of an intersection †¢Should not be done where high-speed traffic or any traffic would be †¢Check all zones while doing the turnabout U-Turn Select your spot and signal right to move over and stop. When the way is clear, turn on your left signal and move into the lane Check your front and left rear zones and your blind spot. Turn the wheel hard left and move through the turn until you have completely turned around. Driveway turnabouts Backing into on the right Pull in on the left Pull in on the right Which of these is the safest? Three point turnabout (driving test skill) Check your zones, signal right and pull to the curb (or side of road) and stop Signal left, turn the wheel hard left and pull across the road as far as you can Signal right, put the car in reverse, turn the wheel hard right and back as far as you need to back Signal left, put the car in Drive, turn the wheel hard right and pull forward finishing the turnabout. Parking When you are trying to park you need to have speed control, steering control and accurate judgment. Before parking you need to find a space big enough for your car to get into. Avoid end spaces or beside large trucks or poorly parked vehicles. You need to learn some reference points for

The Lottery Essays - Dystopian Literature, Films, Human Sacrifice

The Lottery Essays - Dystopian Literature, Films, Human Sacrifice The Lottery The Lottery: Symbolism Essay submitted by In The Lottery, Shirley Jackson uses symbolism to make us aware of the pointless nature of humanity regarding tradition and violence. The story starts off on a beautiful summer day in a small town. The author describes the day as very euphoric but strikes a contrast between the atmosphere of the town and the atmosphere of the people gathered in the square. The atmosphere is subdued, where the children are gathered around quietly. The black box is the central theme or idea in the story. It symbolizes at first some type of mystery, but as we read the ending we realize that it is synonymous with doom. Someone's fate lies in an inanimate object, the black box. We do not always enjoy change, even if it might prove beneficial to us. The box is symbolic of our loathing of change; it is old and splintered showing that we cling to what is familiar rather than change and it also symbolizes the traditions of the community. No one in the little town questions the origin of the black box, but accept it as an intrical part of their lives. The lottery itself is symbolic of the paradox of the human psyche between compassion on one hand and the thirst for violence and cruelty on the other. An example of this is when the children are enjoying a break from school, playing and being children, and suddenly they are being joined by rational adults in stoning a mother to death. It appears that tradition has blinded these people in an irrational way, making them unable to think of a reason why this possibly should not be happening. When forced with the possibility of death, human nature in all its complexity, comes down to one instinctive urge, that of survival. When Tessie was in no danger she was gossiping with the other ladies and even encouraged her husband to go and pick a piece of paper. When Tessie wins the lottery; she pleads for another chance and screams for mercy. She demands that her daughters take their chances as well, which is indicative of regression toward our basic instinct of survival. The pieces of paper that are lifted away by the breeze is not only symbolic of the ease with which life can be taken but is also symbolic of vast civilizations that were doomed to eventual failure for believing in and acting on tradition and not living according to the word of God. We see that even as Tessie is being stoned to death does she not question the reasoning behind the lottery, but why it should be her that has to die.

Fashion as a Culture and Identity Expression Tool Essay

Fashion as a Culture and Identity Expression Tool - Essay Example The essay "Fashion as a Culture and Identity Expression Tool" discovers the culture and identity expression tool of fashion. Travelling and interacting with the outside world exposes individuals to the multicultural nature of the world and the way different people in the globe dress. Through fashion, a Vietnamese is presented with an opportunity to represent his culture through construct and expressive identities in bigger cities across the world where they mingle with strangers. Through fashion, expressive statement about one’s individual culture and identities is enhanced as the accessories and nature of the clothing can only be directly associated with their clothing type. In this essay, the impacts of traditional and cultural wear in representing the identity and culture of a given group of people will be discussed. One example of a traditional wear that has been used to represent identities and make expressive statements about identities is the Indian women swear. Indian women have specific traditional wears such as the sari that is known and associated with the Indian women across the globe. This fashion has enabled the Indian women to make expressive statements about their individual identities and personality. The development of the world fashion can be described as a contemporary and cosmopolitan fashion that is exposed to the dynamics of changes blended by the different cultures. As a result, different new dresses and fashions are created daily and these include the use of the trench coats.

Concept of coping Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Concept of coping - Essay Example This paper aims at providing an exploration of the concept of coping and the way it impacts the lives of persons with chronic illness. The attributes of this concept and nursing intervention are discussed with relevance to the book, At the Will of the Body written by Arthur Frank (2002). Furthermore, the paper discusses how the connotations in the book influence nursing practices, in particular to the concept of coping. Frank (2002) details the health challenges he faced, reflecting on his journey of pain, endurance and illness experiences that transformed him to cope with the traumatic situation. One of the concepts of coping strategies that he stresses is the process of coping with grief as it is essential for patients with chronic illness to move to the stage of renewal and recovery from their emotional burdens. Frank clearly expresses how patients are disturbed and affected, when their mourning is limited, and what this restriction does to their emotions when disregarded by the external factors. His distinction between disease and illness sheds light on the fact that treatment of the disease of the body is not the same as the care for the illness experience of the patients living in the collapsed state. â€Å"Illness is the experience of living through the disease† (Frank, 2002, p. 13). Frank’s illness expresses the importance of sharing and emotional support, and what happens whe n it is delivered efficiently for the patients by their caregivers and medical professionals. Coping can be defined as the â€Å"constantly changing cognitive and behavioral efforts to manage specific external and internal demands that are appraised as taxing or exceeding the resources of the person† (Contrada & Baum, 2010, p. 197). Coping is a holistic phenomenon which involves physical, psychological, emotional and social perspectives that possibly impacts individual behaviors. Moreover, coping

PPDP provides skills level mapping tool

PPDP provides skills level mapping tool OUT Come 14; Demonstrate responsibility for ones own learning through the development of a portfolioof practice and recognise when further learning is required. Evidence Doc; P1S3R32(Reflection on placement 1) One of the important learning from my 1st placement is the development of personal and professional development portfolio (PPDP). PPDP provides skills level mapping tool and planning for further skills (Wenzel et al 1998).PPDP is developed by nurses and other health care professionals in their professional career (Oermann 2002). When I started my placement, I have no idea; Why I need to develop PPDP? What is the importance of PPDP and how PPDP helps in building up personal and professional development (Trossman 1999)? Soon, I could understand the fact that PPDP are reflection of nurses skill level and provides a tool for development of professional skills (Kelly 1995). My PPDP consists of three main components; Assessment of skills including self, peers and mentors assessments, preparation of action plans for further development and reviews of achieved skills at various intervals. In developing the first part of my PPDP, I looked at essential skill clusters recommended by NMC for nurses (Semple et al 2003) and then I evaluated my current skill levels before developing my PPDP. A nurse should evaluate personal and professional skills throughout his/her professional career (Meeks et al 1995). Actually, it is a time of competition and perfection. In the environment of constant competition and improvement, the knowledge and skills required to enter nursing practice are never sufficient (Cary et al 2005). Therefore, it is recommended for nurses to improve their essential skills through development of PPDP (Cayne 1995). In the first part of my PPDP, I took assessment of my current skills through self evaluation, assessment by my mentor and by taking views of my peers and even clients views on my essential skills to become a good professional nurse. PPDP is an assessment tool for ones skills level (Lettus et al 2001). PPDP are used for continued personal and professional development of nurses (Meister et al 2002). Similarly, I could know that I was deficient in some skills like communication, addressing client, keeping confidentiality etc. By developing PPDP, I also identified that I need to develop some new skills to reach nursing professional standard. First, I thought that only my self assessment is sufficient to evaluate my current skills level. However, there was a question in my mind; Can we rely on self assessment only? The answer comes in No in a study conducted on physician whom self assessment were different than assessment done by external agencies (Davis et al 2006). Then I thought why only self assessment is not sufficient to evaluate ones own skill level. Actually, the assessment of PPDP depends upon assessors individuality (McMullin et al 2004). The angle, way of thinking and thinking approach of myself may be different than others. Secondly other observers like my peers and mentor would be more experienced than me and can reflect more perfectly on my deficiencies and weaknesses in my skills. An external assessor looks at the competencies or the extent of learning in comparison of individuals capacity of self evaluation ( Davis et al 2006). Self assessment could be wrong or weak (Forker et al 1996). Therefore self asse ssment should be counter checked by feedback from experienced people. In performing the evaluation of my skills level, I therefore used not only my self assessment but also feedback from my mentor and peers. Development of PPDP is used to enhance learning skills and abilities by keeping records of current essential skills and planning for development of future skills (Hoban 2003). In developing my PPDP, I recorded my trainings, qualifications and achievements in one compartment. Portfolios are individualised, organised, selective, ongoing and reflective (Hall et al 1996). Similarly, my portfolio would be different from others in arrangement and collection of myself information. I have started developing my PPDP in my first placement but it will continue throughout my training and later on in my professional career. The second compartment of my PPDP consists on action plans for development of my deficient skills and need for new skills. Development of action plans seemed to be not much important to me at the beginning of my placement. But later on, I could understand the value of action plans, without those, I could not be able to look at my deficient skills and could not take necessary steps to learn new skills. PPDP are also used as past reference of learning weaknesses and thus lead to avoid further errors in future (Karlowicz 2000). Similarly, I could find out where I have made mistakes in my first placement. For example, I was using real name of client in my reflection but my mentor asked me to used fictitious names for DATA protection act. Thus I could know the importance of confidentiality and decided not to disclose clients information without his/her consent. Again the development of action plans were a difficult job and only my understanding was not sufficient. Therefore, action plans were developed and agreed with my mentor in my supervisions. The third part of my PPDP consists on assessment reviews. It is the stage where achievement of new skills and improvement of current skills are evaluated and further developmental needs are identified (Tiwari et al 2003). I took my skill assessment reviews with my mentor. My mentor looked at last action plans and identified my achieved skills since my last action plan. Assessment reviews are also focused on needs to develop further skills in a PPDP (Weinstein 2002). Assessment reviews identify issues in PPDP where student fails to achieve required skill level (Moses 2000). Similarly, my mentor found out few skills which I could not achieve due to non-opportunity at the placement site. I have decided to use assessment reviews in my PPDP to enhance my existing skills to the professional level of nursing standard recommended by NMC (UKCC 1992). SUMMARY I learnt from development of PPDP that I can make assessment of my skills not only by self assessment but with the help of feedback from other staff and experienced people like my mentor. I can use action plans for development of my further development in the light of feedback received by my peers, mentor, myself assessment and clients view. I can use assessment reviews to identify achievement of new skills, improvement of current skills and planning for further developmental needs. OUT Come 12; Demonstrate an understanding of the role of others by participating in inter-professional working practice. . Evidence Doc; P1S3R25(Reflection on community team meeting) I started my first placement at community mental health services. I had no idea about community mental health teams (CMHT) when I started my placement. How CMHT works? Who co-ordinate CMHT activities? Who take first intervention and at what level? How clients are referred to CMHT or how client find help from CMHT? These were all question in my mind at the beginning of my placement. I could not have chance to understand the working pattern of CMHT if I had not got a chance of getting an experienced and skilled mentor with central role in CMHT. My mentor works as care- coordinator in CMHT. Therefore, I have an advantage to learn inter-professional practice of my mentor among multidisciplinary team (MDT). I found that community mental health services run through MDT (Caldwell et al 2003). MDT consists on healthcare professionals, medics, social workers, care and support workers and consultants (OConnor et al 2006). A mental health nurse participates in MDT (Van 2004). In the beginning I was confused with an idea that why a single team could not be able to provide mental health services in community. Actually MDT work together to provide care to mental health clients (Clarke 2004). Diversity of knowledge, experience and skills in MDT members provide advantage to treat various mental health issues at multidisciplinary levels (Ellefsen 2002). However, there should always be an individual with central role to coordinate and collate the activities of MDT into a successful pattern to provide mental health services to client. Such a role of inter-professional working practice was my mentors job role. The MDT at my placement site consists on continuing care team, early intervention team and crisis intervention team. In addition to these teams at placement sites, other community mental health teams like transcultural team, community day services, home treatment team and various volunteer and trust organizations like MIND, RETHINK, SPACE, Fitzwilliam center participate in MDT. Each community care team consists on individuals of various behaviour, knowledge, skills and experience. My team was continuing care team consisting on three members from various professions, experience and knowledge. My team interacts with other teams and health professionals during meetings and in providing support to client. I have got chance to look at interaction of my mentor with members of other MDT members. For example, in community meetings, my mentor took feedback from other team members and provided updating on care issues of mental health clients. Each case is discussed individually and any progress or deterioration is discussed and evaluated (Elkan et al 2000). My mentor plays a vital role in co-coordinating, monitoring and supervising inter-professional activities while caring for mental health clients. For example, a clients family was much worried about the client as they were going away for two day. The client was on Methadone and has taken detox treatment from Fitzwilliam center in last few months. However he has been taking over dose of a medicine named Zopliclone tab in last few weeks. There was risk of leaving him alone at home. The family has not taken an opportunity of recreation for long time. On this weekend family decided to go on beach for two days. Family was much worried about the client. There were multiple aspects in the care of client. On one hand clients safety was issue and on the other hand family worry needs to be considered. Furthermore, methadone dosage need reviewing, clients habit to take over dosage of Zopliclone tablet need to be considered. Many members of MDT seemed to be involved in one clients needs. Therefore, my mentor organized inters professional practice. He explained in meeting that he has arranged support worker to keep close contact with client. My mentor also contacted to home treatment team to visit client every day. In addition to that my mentor will be visiting to client as well. He requested to social worker to ensure family that the client will be safe. My mentor also mentioned that he has contacted Fitzwilliam center to review methadone dosage as client seemed to be fit on less dosage. In addition to that my mentor has contacted to GP t o review clients medication under recent changes. Actually, my mentor act to inter connects various healthcare professionals activities while providing care to the client. Thus I learnt that a care-coordinator carry out inter professional practice to combine individual efforts of care in the form of a united care plan for clients care, management. SUMMARY The role of my mentor as care co-coordinator in his inters professional working practice was enough observation for me to understand his role in organizing various professional activities. Inter- Professional practice co-ordinate activities between various health professionals. Inter- Professional practice combine efforts of various healthcare professionals to result in a united and single agreed care plan. Each member of MDT receives multiple feedbacks from various members of MDT and feedback may oscillate forward and backward creating a sense of care and treatment. For example if my mentor has not organized inter professional practice, home treatment team could not care the client at home, social worker could not know about the risk involved in leaving client alone and GP would not get feedback regarding reviewing Tab Zopliclone and changing it with less adaptive sleeping tablet. OUT Come 10; Recognose situation in which agreed plans of nursing careno longer appear appropriate and refer these to an accountable practitioner. Evidence Doc; P1S3R21(Reflection onfollow up of client LD) When I started placement, it looked impossible for me to review a care plan and to feel need to review a care plan. I was not sure, why a care plan change? How a care plan change? What are the circumstances which may change clients care plan? My initial understanding was review of a care plan at regular and fixed intervals. But my understanding about review of care plan changed when I made visits to client Ld in the supervision of my mentor. Care plans are agreed plans for providing nursing care to clients (Baker 2003). Care plans are prepared after risk assessments and client involvement. (Olofsson et al 2000). Care plans are reviewed after regular intervals but may change immediately followed by some major changes in risk assessments associated to a client. This happened when Client Lds risk assessment change followed by changes in circumstance and therefore care plane was reviewed. I made visits to client Ld with my mentor. History of Ld goes back to the time when her immigration status was changed. Ld belongs to an area where army revolution has caused many sad incidences. Rape of young girls was common and Ld was one of these victims. Ld could escape to UK and applied for asylum but could not prove evidence. Resultantly her asylum was refused. As a result of stress, Ld started getting obsessions of rape and got fits as well due to fear and anxiety of going back to same environment. The changes in Lds circumstance were negative as her mental health and socio-economical status was deteriorated. I got information by looking at Client Lds history that a care plan was revised first time when Client Ld started getting fits. Ambulance services were called and Ld was hospitalized. Then Crisis team revised care plan at first time. According to care plan, Ld was treated for mental illness called schizophrenia (Lysaker et al 2010). She was also provided free legal aid to appeal for her immigration status. Lds anxiety and insomnia was also considered as risk factor for Lds mental health. At the time, Lds immigration status was refused; she was living in shared accommodation. Financial resources were not very good as she was provided very little money in addition to shared accommodation. Then she started obsession and fits. It was the first time when Lds care plan was changed in response to quick changes. As anxiety and stress was considered as a cause of fits, a supported accommodation was planned. Medication for obsession (Tab Clozapine) and insomnia and anxiety (Tab Lorazepam) was prescribed by GP and was a part of care plan. A social worker and interpreter were also allocated to Ld for assistance in living and reducing anxiety and stress. This was the first time; I observed change in Lds care plan following by an abrupt change in Lds circumstances. The cause or change in Lds circumstances was negative as Lds mental issue and vulnerability was deteriorated. Therefore, a close observation with more precise care was recommended in care plan. When I looked at Lds mental health history and crisis teams intervention, I could understand that crisis team reviewd care plan after evaluating potential risk factors. My direct observation (when Lds care plan was changed at second time followed by change in her circumstances) was the time when Lds circumstance has positively improved. It was the second occasion when Lds care plan was changed following a steep change in her circumstance. It was the time when Lds asylum has been accepted and Ld started getting improved in her mental illness. She has not got fits for a long time. She has started living in supported accommodation. She has started going out in community to make friends and having coffee at coffee evening. Ld is due to Start College in September. I observed that it was positive change in circumstance as compared to negative changes when Lds mental health deteriorated in first intervention. I could conclude that why my mentor was suggesting review of Lds care plan. Actually risk assessment has changed as risk factors for Lds mental health are reduced. Need for medication has changed. Therefore, my mentor felt a review of medication and r eferred client to consultant for medication review. The same dose of Tab Lorazepam was causing more sleep than required for calmness when clients anxiety was high. Client Lds improvement in mental health status has identified her needs for social interaction and therefore an independent accommodation was recommended in reviewed care plan. As Client Lds social interaction will increase soon, she will need more financial help. As a result of success in asylum, Ld deserves more financial aid now. Therefore it was recommended in care plan to help Ld to apply for her benefits. As Ld would be getting more financial help, it was felt that Ld should be provided help in managing her budget as she will be living independently. Therefore, social worker was requested to help Ld making her monthly budget. It was also a part of reviewed care plan. Clients participation and consultation from experts are final steps in care plan review (Hunt et al 1994). Client Ld was involved in care plan review at all stages. My mentor asked her at each step of review if she was happy with changes in care plan. A final opinion was taken from consultant before finally reviewing Lds care plan. Client Ld case has provided me understanding that a care plan goes out of date when personal, mental health, financial and social issues change. The change in circumstance may be positive in case of improvement or negative in case of deterioration of mental health issues or socio-economical issues. Lds case is a perfect example of care plan review followed by positive and negative changes in circumstances. (Word limit 2750) SUMMARY Learning from client Lds case Is practical experience of stress vulnerability model (Zubin et al 1977). Was needed to change in care plan followed by an immediate change in circumstances of a client. For example, client Lds circumstance change twice times. Once negatively when crisis team drafted first care plan and secondly as positively when my mentor reviewed her care plan. I can understand that care plans are reviewed followed by any change in clients mental health issues and other circumstances resulting in changes in risk assessment. CONCLUSION The placement has provided me clear idea and good understanding of the skills required to be a professional mental health nurse. I learnt about development of PPDP, care plans review followed by immediately changes associated to a client environment, the role of a care coordinator to work in inter-professional practice and many other essential skills to become a professional mental health nurse. In developing a PPDP, I learnt making initial assessment of skills required to reach nursing standards, preparation of action plans to identify past mistakes, future planning for skills and review of skills at the end of each action plan duration. I learnt the inter professional practice of a health care professional (my mentor at my placement) to organize and unite efforts of various healthcare professionals in creating a single united care plan for client. I also learnt to review care plan if there is change in risk assessment for client. REFERENCE Caldwell K, Atwal A, 2003,The problems of interprofessional healthcare practice in hospitals. Brf Nurs,12:1212-18. Cayne,J.V.,1995.Portfolio: a developmental influence. Journal of Advanced Nursing,21,395-405. Cary AH, Smolenski MC.2005, Overview of competency and the methods for evaluating continued competence. American Nurses Association 1-10 Clarke, J.2004.Public health nursing in Ireland. A critical overview. Public health Nursing,21(2),191-198. Davis DA, Mazmanian PE, Fordis M, Harrison RV, Thorpe KE, Perrier L.2006, Accuracy of physician self assessment compared with observed measures of competence. J Am Med Assoc; 296-9;1094-1102. Elkan, R., Blair,M., robinson, J, 2000. Evidance based practice and health visiting;The need for theoretical underpinnings of evaluation. Journal of Advanced Nursing,31(6),1316-1323. Ellefesen, B,2002. The experience of collaboration; A comparison of health visiting in Scotland and Norway. International Nursing Review, 49(3),144-153. Forker,J.E, McDonald,M.E, 1996. Methodological trends in healthcare professions; portfolio assessment. Nurse Educator,21(5),9-10. Hoban,V.,2003.Careers-How to get the most from your portfolio? Nursing Times 99(17),58-59. Karlowicz, K.A,2000. The valueof student portfolio to evaluate undergraduate nursing programme. Nurse Educator(25) Kelly, J,1995. The really useful guide to portfolio and profiles. Nursing Standards, 9(32), 4-8 Lysaker, Paul H, Jamie, Christina, alan, Tina,2010. Personal narratives and recovery from Schizophrenia. Schizophrenia research, 121 (1-3). P.271-276. Lettus, M.K, Moessner, P.H., Dooly, L., 2001. The clinical portfolio as an assessment tool. Nursing Administration, Quarterly(25),74-80. McMullan M, Endacott R, Gray MA, Jasper M, Miller CML, Scholes J, Webb C.2003, Portfolio and assessment of competence; A review of the literature. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 41-3;283-294. Meeks, A., Hayes,T.,Stahlhammer,S., Zeaply,M, 1995. Evaluation by portfolio. Nursing Mnangement. 26(8),72-74. Meister,L.,Heath, J., Andrews,J., Tingen, M.s.,2002. Professional nursing portfolio; a global perpective. Medsurg, Nursing (11), 177-183. Moses, V., 2000. Record in nursing. The Nurse in Israel (161),12-14. Oermam, M.H., 2002. Developing a professional portfolio in nursing. Orthopaedic Nursing. 21(2),73-78. Olofsson, B., Norberg, A.2000. Experiences of coercion in psychiatric care as narrated by patients, nurses and physicians. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 33(1),89-97 OConnor M, Fisher C, Guilfoyle A 2006. Interdisciplinary teams in pallayive care ;a critical reflection. International Journal of Palliative Nursing.12(3)[132-137 Seguin TJ. 2005. The concept of the portfolio. American Nurses Association and International society of Nurses in Genetics;11-24. Semple M, Cable S, 2003, The new code of professional conduct. Nurs Stand. 19-25;17(23);40-8. Tiwari, A., Tang, C, 2003. From process to outcome; the effect of portfolio assessment on student learning. Nurse Education Today; 23(4), 269-277. Trossman, S., 1999. The professional portfolio; documenting who you are, what you do? American Nurse. 31(2), 1-3. Van Offenbeek M.A.2004, The organizational and performance effects of nurse practitioner roles, Journal of Advanced Nursing, 47, 672-681. Wittenberg-Lyles Em, 2005, Information sharing in interdisciplinary team meetings; An evaluation of hospice goals. Qualitative Health Research, 15;13, 77-1391. Weinstein, S.M, 2002. A nursing portfolio; documenting your professional journey. Journal of Infusion Nursing, 25(6),357-364. Wenzel, I.S., Briggs, K.L., Puryear, B.L., 1998. Portfolio; authentic assessment in the age of the curriculum revolution. Journal of Nursing Education. 37(5),208-212. Zubin.J, Spring.B. 1977, Vulnerability; A new view on Schizophrenia. Journal of abnormal Psychology; 86, 103-126. BIBLIOGRAPHY Barker, p. 2003. Psychiatric and mental health nursing; The craft of caring. London; Arnold. Hall, C., Redfern, L., 1996. Profiles and portfolios; a Guide for Nurses and Midwives. MacMilliam by J.Press (Padstow) Ltd. London. Hunt G, Wainwright P (1994).Expanding the role of the Nurse. Blackwell Scientific, Oxford. UKCC, 1992, The Scope of professional practice. UKCC, Code of professional conduct. NMC, London.

Parents :: Relationships Parenting Essays

Parents Pushy parents are a very touchy subject to talk about. When it comes to the well fare of children, people are always ready to jump and point fingers at others without gathering the facts. The parents of theatre, gifted, and talented children get these nasty fingers pointed at them and most are due to the generalization that the media has made portraying these parents as mean, self righteous, and abusive. The honest truth is that parents care for their children and are not pushy, but instead they direct their children in becoming good adults by protecting them, encouraging them, and being dedicated to them. In his review of The Trouble With Perfect/The Successful Child/Positive Pushing (Book), Douglas C. Lord talks about the role of the parent. The role of the parent is to protect their children and provide for them all they can to insure that they have the proper tools in order to be successful in life. These tools include such things as having good morals, strong work ethics, phenomenal character, etc. Providing their kids with the mentioned tools, parents protect their kids from becoming failures in life and give them the option to make something of themselves, which far exceeds the expectations of their parents. Parents have to do these things in order to direct their kids. This is believed to be an â€Å"absolute moral imperative† (Lord). If your parents did not provide you with these tools, where would you be? â€Å"Pageant moms are the worst,† is something that I heard once. This I have to say is false. The moms and dads of the performing art children have to be the most dedicated parents I personally have ever seen. These parents spend all of their time and energy helping their kids exceed and they always remind their kids of how much they love them. These are almost the craziest and most fanatic parents of them all. They follow their children from competition to competition, from performance to performance, from dance class to rehearsals. These parents are always there and are always willing to help.

Leadership Incident Essay

Companies differ markedly in their ability to produce future leaders, as several recent analyses of the 1,187 largest publicly-traded U.S. companies revealed. Among the CEOs in one study, a remarkable total of 26 once worked at General Electric (GE). But as the table below shows, on a per-employee basis that earns GE only tenth place in terms of the likelihood of a current or former employee’s becoming CEO of a large company. Top on the list is management consulting firm McKinsey & Company. Amazingly, if we extrapolate into the future from the current stock of McKinsey alums who are CEOs, of every 690 McKinsey employees, one will become CEO of a Fortune 1000 company. Some companies did not fare nearly as well, such as Citigroup (odds: 30,180:1), AT&T (odds: 23,220:1), and Johnson & Johnson (odds: 15,275:1). While some might dismiss the results, not surprisingly, the companies at the top of the list do not. â€Å"We are a leadership engine and a talent machine,† said retiring P&G CEO A. G. Lafley. Questions 1. Management consulting firms did very well on a per-employee basis, partly because they are mostly comprised of managers (as opposed to blue-collar or entry-level workers). How big a factor do you think composition of the workforce is in likelihood of producing a CEO? 2. Do you think so-called leadership factories are also better places for non-leaders to work? Why or why not? 3. Assume you had job offers from two companies that differed only in how often they produced CEOs. Would this difference affect your decision? 4. Do these data give any credence to the value of leader selection and leader development? Why or why not? Based on D. McCarthy, â€Å"The 2008 Best Companies for Leaders,† Great Leadership (February 17, 2009), http://www.greatleadershipbydan.com/2009/; F. Hansen, â€Å"Building Better Leaders†¦Faster,† Workforce Management (June 9, 2008), pp. 25-28; D. Jones, â€Å"Some Firms’ Fertile Soil Grows Crop of Future CEOs,† USA Today (January 9, 2008), pp. 1B, 2B.