In your essay, discuss what you have learned about managing a change Essay

In your , discuss what you have learned about managing a change in an organisation of your choice. Support your argument by drawing on at least 3 key readings from this modules lectures and tutorials - Essay Example As a result of globalization and emerging technologies, the business environment continues to evolve and thus; the need for organizations to adapt to the new changes and change management. In addition, during the change management process, organizations need to engage in a thoughtful planning and a sensitive implementation that involves consulting with persons affected by the new changes (Schein 1993, p.27). In a multinational company such as Coca Cola, managing change should encompass a process that involves consulting with stakeholders concerning the proposed changes to improve the firm’s performance. This is because, the stakeholders form part of the Company and any change affect their interest in the Company. Among the stakeholders that the firm needs to consult in regard to change management include the shareholders, the firm’s personnel, suppliers and customers of Coca-Cola products. Consulting stakeholders during a change management process is important in the sense that it helps to deal with dissenting voices not comfortable with the proposed changes. Consultation in essence helps to raise concerns that need to be resolved before adapting new plans to improve performance. Prior to implementing any change, the Company need to consider various factors that include assessing the proposed change and what the change may achieve in the long run. Further, it is important to determine the persons who might be affected by the proposed changes and their reaction to such change. This assessment will help the organization come up with an implementation plan acceptable to all major stakeholders of the Coca-Cola Company. The change agent in this sense, should come up with strategies to make the people affected by proposed changes understand the reason for change. This is a way of enabling the people affected to play a role in decision making regarding change

Article summarize Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Summarize - Article Example 30 female and 39 male participants completed all the requirements and were included in the data analysis (Tate 2008, p. 19). In assessing self-monitoring, the synder and Gangestad’s version of a self-monitoring scale was used (Tate 2008, p. 19). A measure of authentic leadership was created during the research because no such measures were in existence. The created measure was based on Georges five characteristics of authentic leadership that are; passion for the purpose, leading with heart, demonstrating self-discipline, practicing solid values, and establishing enduring relationships. The responses were using the 5-point Likert-type scale (Tate 2008, p. 19). To test hypotheses 5, 3, and 1 of the research, correlational analysis was used while hypotheses 4 and 2 were tested using Hierarchical Liner Modeling (Tate 2008, p. 20). The results failed to support hypotheses 5, 3, and 1. There was no substantial correlation between perceptions of leadership and self-monitoring. Based on the results, neither authentic leadership nor self-monitoring correlated with self-rated perceptions of leadership. Leadership perceptions over time were, however, positively related to all measurement times (Tate 2008, p. 21). The researcher concluded that the variations on how individuals are seen as leaders by others have effects on leadership practice (Tate 2008, p. 27).

Kmart De Mexico Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Kmart De Mexico - Case Study Example It is observed that while the understanding of Mexican people and their culture is definitely an advantage with the US managers of Mexican descent, they carry the disadvantage that they bring with them an attitude of superiority over fellow countrymen. The feeling of superiority may hinder the working relationship the executives have with the staff subordinate to them. Normally the employees have a tendency to work efficiently under a differently oriented boss than their own class. At the same time the executive who hold the portfolio of buying must have a basic understanding of the tastes, cultures and behavioural pattern of the Mexicans. Considering these, the strategy for hiring executives is: While Kmart US is following the policy of empowerment of executives, encouraging them at all levels to take independent decisions, the same strategy could not be adopted in Mexico due to the following reasons: Because of these negative factors, encouraging decision making at the lower levels can not be attempted in the initial stages. With continuous training programmes and education of staff at all levels independent decision making ability of the staff can be achieved in future. 5.0 Adequacy of Training Programmes for staff: Since the training programmes meant for all operational positions in the store consisting of various courses and films developed in the United States would ideally fit only for those with a formal higher education, Kmart de Mexico cannot adopt the same programmes for training the personnel in Mexico. There is the need for developing a 'basic training course' to prepare the Mexican staff to receive the formal training of Kmart US. Because of the young average age of the staff it is quite possible for the company to provide the same training as of the United States once they are equipped with the basic training modules designed to prepare them for receiving the

Reflective Practice in Nursing Professional Portfolio Essay

Reflective Practice in Nursing Professional Portfolio - Essay Example While Redman (1994) indicates that a portfolio is a tangible record of what someone has done. In the case of your Nursing Professional Portfolio (NPP) it is a record of what you have done both clinically and in terms of links to your academic achievements over the course of study. Much of the information it contains will be private and confidential and you do not have to share it with anyone unless you choose to do so or as part of the evidence you offer in relation to the MHC417 unit or during discussions with your preceptor or tutors. However, your Nursing Professional Portfolio must be handed up at the conclusion of this unit (on the due date) for assessment. Completing a portfolio may seem like a daunting experience at first, principally because you will have so much information to include. It is suggested that you begin by completing the factual sections first and then move on to areas which require you to evaluate more. It may be helpful to prepare a rough draft when reviewing your study so that an accurate record of your experience and learning is recorded. It is more than a straightforward recording device. It is also a way for you to develop skills of critical and reflective practice; to consider experiences in your professional and personal life and to evaluate the contribution those experiences make to your development and to improvements in patient care. Provides care to persons with disorders of the eyes including blindness or visual impairment; functions range from patient teaching to assistance in surgery; knowledgeable about the effect of ophthalmic disorders on the body as well as the emotions of patients who often must adapt to blindness or visual impairment; may make pre- and post-operative home visits I am writing to express my interest in serving as an RN at King Fahad Central Hospital. I will be graduating in July with my B.S.N. from the Curtin University of

How Can Civic Education Enhances Civil Society Essay Example for Free

How Can Civic Education Enhances Civil Society Essay Civic education is very essential to each and every citizen in a civil society. Therefore it must be noticeable. Civic education contributes to the well-being of society. This presentation is aimed at discussing how civic education can enhance civil society. The key concepts in this presentation are civic education and civil society. Therefore it is important to know the meaning of these two terms. Civic education is the field of study dealing with rights and responsibilities of citizenship as well as the responsibilities of the government. It deals with the commitment, assumptions, values and challenges of the national and civil society at large (Mwaipaya 1980). A Civil society is a public place between the states the market and the ordinary household, in which people debate and tackles action. Civic education enhances civil society in many ways, as one of the components is civic knowledge which it imparts in the citizen of the civil society. If the civil society are aware of their rights and if they know what to do it is very easy for them to participate in various activities of the civil society. Civic education imparts knowledge on democracy among the citizen of the civil society; democracy simply means a dialogue, a discussion, and a deliberative process in which citizen engage themselves in question about civic knowledge like what are the foundation of that particular civil society, and if the civil society will have knowledge on democracy issues it will improve. Hence this knowledge about democracy can only be imparted to the civil society through civic education and by doing so it is enhancing the needs of a civil society (Brookers etal 1980). Civic education also enhances civil society in terms of democracy because it is through civic education that we know and explain to others on how democracy acts and depends on certain basic values like respect for individual, the right to participate in the implementation of politics and development programmes, therefore if people in a civil society have knowledge about these rights and responsibilities, the civil society will be improved. Civic education can enhance the civil society because of its civic skills, if citizens are able to exercise their rights and discharge their responsibilities as members of self-governing communities, they are only need to acquire relevant intellectual and participatory skills, when we say intellectual skills these are essential for informed, effective and inseparable citizen from content, to be able to think critically about contemporary relevance as well as command of a set of an intellectual tools or considerations useful in dealing with such an issue. Hence if the society will have civic skills it will automatically be enhanced and there will be quick development in that particular civil society (Z.C.E.A, 2004). Another intellectual skill which good civic education fosters is that of describing. The ability to describe functions and processes such as legislative checks and balances or judicial review is indicative of understanding, describing trends like participation in civil lif e, immigration or employment helps the citizens fit current events into longer term pattern (Patterson, 2001). Civic education seeks to develop competence in explaining and analyzing issues, if citizen can explain how something should work, they will be able to analyze things as the components and consequences of ideals, social, political or economic processes and institutions. The ability to analyze enables one to distinguish between facts and opinion or between means and ends. It also helps the citizen to clarify responsibilities such as those between personal and public responsibilities or those between elected or appointed officials and citizens, therefore this can only happens if people in a civil society have civil skills and by having these skills in a civil society means that civic education is doing its job of enhancing the civil society (African Development Bank Achieving Millennium Development Goals in Global poverty, 2002). Furthermore, civic education enhances civil society through the component of civic skills, in such a way that education for citizenship in a democratic society focuses on civic skills that are required for informed, effective and responsible participation in the political process and in civil society, those skills can be categorized as interacting, monitoring and influencing. Interacting pertains to the skills citizen need to communicate and to work cooperatively with others. To interact is to be responsive to one’s fellow citizens, to interact is to question, to answer and to deliberate with civility, therefore if people be able to interact and question others toward certain common good the civil society will be enhanced. Monitoring politics and government simply refers to the skills citizens need to track the handling of issues by the political process and by the government. Monitoring also means the exercising of over sight functions on the part of citizens. Finally the participatory skill of influencing refers to the capacity to affect the process of politics and governance, both the formal processes of governance in the community (Mwaipaya, 1986). Civic education can improve and enhance our civil society through the component of civic dispositions essential traits of private and public character. This is important to the maintenance and improvement of constitutional democracy. Civic dispositions, like civic skills, develop slowly overtime and as a result of what one learns and experience in the home, school and organizations of civil society. These experiences should engender understanding that democracy requires the responsible self -governance of each individual worth and their dignity. One cannot exist without the other. Traits of private character such as moral responsibility, self -discipline and respect for the worth and human dignity of every individuals are no less consequential. Such traits as public spiritedness, civility, and respect for the rule of law, critical mindedness to listen, negotiate and compromise are indispensible to democracy success (Patterson, 2001). Civic education can enhance civil society due to civic dispositions that contribute to the political efficiency of the individual, the healthy functioning of the political system, a sense of dignity and worthy as well as the common good were identified in national standards for civics and government. In the interest of brevity, these dispositions are private and public character might be described as becoming an independent member of the society, assuming the personal, political and economic responsibilities of a citizen, respecting individual worth and human dignity (respecting others and listen to their opinions). Also participating in civil affairs in a thoughtful and effective manner as well as promoting the healthy functioning of constitutional democracy (Todaro etal 2009) Therefore, it can be noted that civic dispositions as a component or the habits of the heart , the traits of the public and private character that under-greed democracy are in the long run, probably of more consequence than the knowledge or skills a citizen may command (Z.C.E.A, 2004). In conclusion, civil society can be enhanced by civic education through its components (civic knowledge, civic skills and civic dispositions). Civic education is therefore very important to the lives of citizens in a civil society and it must be noticeable.

Evaluation of Human Development Theories

Evaluation of Human Development Theories This essay is going to give a critical reflection of human development theories. It will compare and contrast human development theories, linking the theories to the events observed of a child aged three and a half years in a nursery setting, over six weeks. It will also evaluate the recording method used and what I have learnt relevant to the social work practice. For the purpose of maintaining confidentiality in accordance with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), (2012), Guidance on Conduct and Ethics for Students, the child has been named under the pseudonym of Eva. Eva is a three and a half year old girl of black African origin and lives with her parents. She is the youngest in a family of three and has a sister and a brother. Both her parents work full time and she attends nursery full time. The nursery offers a wide range of activities and encourages free play. Observation Log 1 Cognitive Development I conducted six observations on Eva, over a period of six week in a nursery setting and one of the theories I was able to link to the observations, is the cognitive development theory. This theory is associated with the work of Jean Piaget (1896-1980) and his work focused on understanding how children view the world. Piaget believed that from infancy, we have the basic mental structure on which all subsequent knowledge and learning are based and due to biological maturation and environmental experience, the mental processes will have a progressive reorganization. Piagets assumption was that children are active participates in the development of knowledge and they adapt to the environment through actively seeking to understand their environment. He suggested that cognitive development happens in four stages, 0 to 2 years being the sensori motor, 2 years to 7 years the preoperational, 7 to 12 years the concrete operations, and 12 years and above the formal operations. (Beckett and Tayl or 2010) According to Crawford and Walker (2008), Piaget assumed that in the preoperational stages, (the stage Eva is) children have not yet mastered the ability to apprehend, offer judgment, inference or think actions through. He believed that children in this stage are considered to be egocentric by showing difficulty in seeing things from a point of view other that their own. They also engage in monologues, in which they will be talking, but not interacting with each other. During my observation, this was really evident and I noticed it on several occasions on Eva and the other children during free play. (Appendix ..) They also focus their attention on one aspect of the situation and have difficulty seeing that a situation may have a number of dimensions. Piaget called this centration and this was also shown in Appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. They also lack reversibility by failing to understand that working backwards can restore whatever existed before. Piaget also believed that children build their understanding of the world through activities for example dramatic play. This was evident when the nursery class was rehearsing for the Christmas concert. She showed an understanding that a baby needs feeding and also talking to. At the preoperational stage they also learn skills like drawing, language and sort objects in groups. This was demonstrated in Appendix .. and à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. . This showed that she understand the concept of shapes, objects and drawing skills. However, Lev Vygotsky (1896-1934), also did a study on cognitive growth and did not see children as individual explorers of knowledge, but as learners from social interactions. He emphasised the role of language and the importance of relationships and interactions between children and adults. He believed that the members of the culture, for example teacher, parents or siblings, construct the childs learning. While Piaget believed that children should not be presented with problems and materials beyond their developmental ability, Vygotsky believed that a knowledgeable adult can help them achieve the skills through what he termed as scaffolding. He referred this period of scaffolding as the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD). For example during my observation Eva was playing with wooden blocks and was supposed to fit them through holes. (Appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) The teacher helped her to fit in one of the blocks and later she managed to fit in the rest. Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that children build their knowledge through experiences. However, Piaget believed this happened through exploration with hands on activities. In contrast, Vygotsky believed that learning was not limited by stage or maturation. He believed that children move forward in their cognitive development with the right social interaction and guided learning. He argued that they learn through interactions, social and cultural experiences and interactions with adults. Vygotsky saw the adult as vital to the process of scaffolding the childs learning. Piagets concept have been criticised of denying other aspects of thinking such as intuition and creativity and also not examining and explaining individual differences in children. Vygotskys theory draws attention to the role of social and culture interaction and identifies the principle of scaffolding in the childrens learning. Nevertheless, Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that the children actively participant in their intellectual development. Observation Log 2 Play and Learning As I was doing my observations, I noticed that Eva was engaging in play when I was observing her for other developmental theories. According to Szarkowicz (), this is because play can be used in many different ways by children and it is an authentic way for them to demonstrate their competence in a range of developmental areas. Szarkowicz () states that, children engage in play either from a social perspective or from a cognitive perspective. When interpreting how Eva engaged in play, I can use Partens (1932) social stages of play. Partens theory looked at the social aspects of play, particularly the way play develops from being an individual solitary activity into a cooperative social experience. Parten (1932), categorised childrens play into six stages, unoccupied play, solitary play where a child plays alone and onlooker play (Appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) where the child watches others play and this is to about 2 years. The other stages that can be seen from the age of 4 are parallel play (Appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦), where the child plays with similar toys next to another child or children, associative play where the child plays near others and share the same toys and cooperative play where the children who play together with the same toys (Appendix..). Bee and Boyd () states that, the ability to join groups of other children, and the desire to do so begins, at an early age and progresses through a developmental sequence. Parten discovered that children of different ages actually played together differently. They engage in different levels or categories of social play. However the stages of play are not in sequence and children may often engage in different stages of social pla y depending on factors such as the childs familiarity with the situation, temperament, or playmates. This was evident in Evas play and what surprised me was that she actually played in all the stages.( Appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) According to Piaget (1972) play promotes mental and social abilities and helps children learn how to express and manage their feelings. Piaget argued that for children to think things through they need to play and by doing so, play facilitates and transforms the childrens thought processes. He categorised play into sensory motor, symbolic and games with rules. He proposed that when in infancy up to about to 2 years, a child is in the sensory motor stage and uses motor skill and senses to explore objects and their environment. During the preoperational stage, children engage in imaginary games and fantasy role play which he called symbolic play. (Appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦) And finally in the concrete operations stage, children are capable to play games following rules of games. Piaget saw play as assimilation of new materials into existing cognitive structures and in his analysis he saw play as relaxed practice time rather than time for learning and grasping in new information. (Casper and Theilheimer 2009) I also looked at other theories and Smilansky (1968) proposed three stages of play based her work with Piagets but expanded to include functional play which takes place in the first two years. Smilansky (1968) identified four types of play thus, functional play, constructive play, dramatic play, and games with rules. However, his work emphasised the importance of considering the childs cognitive development when exploring the childs levels of play. (Casper and Theilheimer 2009) According to Sheridan (), children discover the world through play and they use their senses and movements. Play is a way of constructing knowledge, developing intellectual abilities and building social skills. Piaget believed that a child could use play to mirror obnoxious experiences or experiences where he or she had no power. He believed that children often imitate and role play an adult who has power for example a teacher who is ferocious because they can imagine themselves in the position of power and this facilitates them to deal with being powerless. This is also common with children witnessing or involved in violent households. Observation Log 2 Language Development The next theory I considered in my observation is the language developmental theory and I looked at the theories Chomsky, Piaget and Vygotsky. I believe language is an important part in human development because it a major medium of social interaction. According to Beckett and Taylor (), the vocabulary of children between the ages of 3 to 6 expands from 2 word sentence to more complex sentences. They believe that as the childrens vocabulary increase, they learn the rules of grammar and they become able to use different forms of words. Whilst I was observing Eva, I noticed that most of her conversation and responses were two or three word sentences and it made me more interested on language development. Chomsky (1957) believed that sentences are routinely created practically every time. He believed that we have internal rules that enable us to decide which sentences are grammatical correct and convey our intended meanings. Chomsky believed that children have innate abilities, a genetic program to learn language and once they begin to hear language around them, they automatically understand the structure of that language. He argued that this is because of the biological dispositions, brain development and cognitive readiness. His theory emphasises the need for language in the environment to stimulate childrens innate abilities. (Crain 2005) According to Piagets theory, children are born with basic action schemas and during the sensory-motor period (birth to 2 years) they use these action schemas to assimilate information about the world. Piagets theory suggested that during the preoperational stage childrens language rapidly progress due to the development of their mental schemas, which allow them to accommodate new words and build simple sentences. (Appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) Piagets theory describes childrens language as symbolic, allowing them to venture beyond what is termed as here and now. During this stage children engage in small talks about things as the past, the future, people, feelings and events. They begin to build sentences of three or more words and their grammar becomes complex. They start to use Where, What, Why, for example, What is that? (Appendix à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.) Piaget proposed that, during the sensory-motor period, childrens language is egocentric and they talk either for themselves or for amusement. During this period, their language often shows instances of what Piaget termed animism and egocentrism. Animism refers to childrens tendency to consider everything to be alive, including non-living objects. Since they see things entirely from their own perspective, their language suggests their egocentrism. Vygotskys theory of language development suggests that children begin by realising that words are symbols for objects and they develop curiosity to what objects are called. It is then followed by the egocentric or private speech stage from 4 to 7 years, where they often talk aloud to themselves as they perform tasks or solve problems. Finally the private speech wanes and speech becomes more internalised. Piaget and Chomsky both agreed that children are not moulded by the external environment but they create mental structures on their own accord. Chomsky proposed that children automatically create grammatical forms according to the genetic design and in contrast, Piaget proposed that cognitive structures emerge from the childs own effort. Chomsky also believed that language is a highly specialised mental faculty that progresses independently and children learn entirely on their own. However, Piaget viewed language as more closely related to general cognitive development. Piaget and Vygotsky agreed that children are active learners and they contribute to their own development. They both believed that children build ways of understanding and knowledge of the world through their activities. However, Piaget believes it happens primarily through physical manipulation of objects around them and Vygotsky that it is socially mediated. Language development deals with how a child develops his/her language skills during their growth period. Nativists (Chomsky) believe that language is innate and unique to humans. Cognitive theorists (Piaget) believe language is not innate but a product of cognitive development. Finally, social interactionists (Vygotsky) believe that language acquisition is a result of both biological and environmental factors. Evaluation of the observation process (how I managed the process and as an observer how may have affected the process) Evaluation of recording method Reflection (feelings, attitudes, beliefs and professional values, anti oppressive) Ruch (2009) states that, reflective practice enables the practitioners to acknowledge the actual or potential emotional impact of the observation and be able to transfer the awareness to practice. What I learnt McKinnon (2009), states that child observation is a process which enable the worker to be responsive rather than intrusive through watching and listening in an alert and informed way that raises awareness and sharpens understanding. It involves learning how to monitor feelings and reactions and how they can provide information. The observation process provided me with an opportunity to focus on the vulnerability, resilience and the relative powerless of children in a nursery setting. It also provides me with knowledge and skills on how to conduct an observation and according to McKinnon (2009), well developed observational skills can act as a safeguard. It also provided me with an opportunity to discover and have a deeper understanding of how children communicate, play, engage with adults and most importantly about their development. IMPLICATION FOR PRACTICE As a social worker student I need to have knowledge on human life course development in order to understand their use in practice as the practice requires me to take a holistic approach and understanding of an individuals circumstances. Social work practice involves interactions between people, which are influenced by each persons life course and their experience and perceptions about their own life. As a social worker student I need to have and understanding of how people develop and place peoples life situations in the context of the expectations of normal life course development. This will enable me to appreciate that a persons experience, their growth and life experiences have a direct impact on who they are and how they see their world. The social work profession is based on the supposition that people can be helped and supported to change and grow as a result of their experiences. Therefore, in order for me to be sensitive and appropriate in my communications with people and in the services I offer and provide, I need to appreciate and understand their life course and what makes them who they are. Understanding how people grow and develop is central to the role and task of a professional social worker. Crawfor d and Walker (2007) Evaluation As you examine different theories of development, you will find that some (such as Erikson and Piaget) are criticised for being too committed to identifying stages, ignoring the diversity which is found in psychosocial experience and behaviour -while others are criticised for failing to take account of the sequence in which changes occur, not being clear enough about which changes become possible at which stage, and which changes are ruled out until a certain level of maturity is reached. According to Moffatt (1996) argued that some models of human development are cultural biased and they did not include some aspect for example persons experience, race, class, gender and sexual orientation. All of these theories have their own way of interpreting language development, and to some extent, they all seem to be highly convincing. However, out of the four theories, the social interactionist view appeals to me the most; so my theory of language development is definitely the social interactionist view. Unlike Piaget, Vygotski considered language to be key to development. Although Piaget acknowledged language with development with terms such as egocentric speech, he did not believe it predominant, saying it was due to the childs inability to think from another perspective. Vygotski however, believed talking out loud gives the child a way to organize their thoughts and guide their actions.

The Chappaquiddick Incident

The Chappaquiddick Incident The Chappaquiddick incident was a car accident on Chappaquiddick Island in Massachusetts on July 18, 1969. There was a lot of subsequent investigations pertaining to the case and It started to raise questions on his honesty and courage along with him being viewed differently by all. It happened after the party that Ted Kennedy hosted for a group of six women, including Mary Jo Kopechne, known as one of the boiler-room girls who was serving on Robert F. Kennedys 1968 presidential campaign. Ted was a U.S. senator, a spokesman for liberal causes, including civil rights, health care and immigration for 47 years from 1962 to 2009, and was a leader of the Democratic Party, he was known for his ability to work with those on both sides of the political aisle. He was the youngest of one of the wealthiest families in the nation, one of nine children of Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy. He attended Harvard in college and shortly after being expelled he enlisted into the army, but m istakenly signed up for four years instead of two. After somehow fixing his years back to two instead of four, he attended law school at the University of Virginia, and was cited for reckless driving four times yet his Virginia drivers license was never revoked. After the assassination of his brother he became the acknowledged leader of Senate liberals and served as assistant majority leader in 1969-1971. Ted was devastated by his brothers death more than anything, as he was closest to Robert Kennedy among those in the Kennedy family. Ted at Roberts funeral eulogized: My brother need not be idealized, or enlarged in death beyond what he was in life; to be remembered simply as a good and decent man, who saw wrong and tried to right it, saw suffering and tried to heal it, saw war and tried to stop it In 1964, he was immensely injured in a plane crash, and hospitalized for several months. The test results done by the hospital at the time he was admitted had shown he was legally intoxic ated. He was legally married to Joann Bennett in 1958 and was identified to be interested in plenty of other women as well. The married couple had more than enough miscarriages before they had three beautiful children( which In 1973, Kennedys son Edward Kennedy, Jr., was discovered to have chondrosarcoma his leg was amputated and he underwent a long, difficult, experimental two-year drug treatment.) The situation put pressure on Joan, who has went to facilities for alcoholism and emotional strain several times and was arrested for drunk driving after a traffic accident. During the time frame of the incident Kennedys wife had high expectations for another pregnancy that she ended up miscarrying and blaming Ted saying that his personal scandal caused it, they then divorced and she received $4 million dollar settlement when the divorce went through in 1982. Kennedy and His 28-year-old(6 days shy of becoming 29) companion Mary Jo Kopechne were the only ones present during the scandal. T he surrounding circumstance was that Kopechne told him that she was very eager to leave, and if he would be kind enough to drop her back off to her hotel. Kennedy had his own testimony on the incident saying he accidentally drove his car off a one-lane bridge, losing control, and plunging into the water of Poucha Pond and into a dike, killing/suffocating/drowning Mary due to him not remembering any of the turns and not remembering the road or details in general, Kennedy said he repeatedly went back to the scene of the crash and dove into the water to try to save her but complained he wasnt successful and ended up surviving without any significant injuries, returning back to the party he came from afterwards. Ralph Chiumenti, an engineer who spends most his summers on Chappaquiddick island pointed out how someone driving very fast would not have noticed that the bridge is at a slight angle to the road. They would also have to be driving fast to land in the channel. The receptionist a t his motel also claimed that the senator appeared unbothered or severely natural when he came to her to borrow a dime to make a phone call two and half hours before he actually reported the tragedy to the police, leaving more unanswered questions and actions to linger over the events of the fatal evening. Kennedys reputation recovered somehow and he became one of the legislatures most effective members. His actions following the misfortune were not only disturbing but unhuman. He did not immediately report what had happened, in fact he reported it 11 hours after he had made a majority of 17 phone calls and texts. A young boy and some scuba divers noticed the sunken car and lifeless woman before Kennedy reported it. Due to such harm and procrastination he pleaded guilty to a charge of leaving the scene, clouding his political future. Seeing that sex, alcohol, and tragedy have often been features of senator Kennedys personal life, it has been a feature in most parts of the family including his nephew, William Smith. There was an incident under investigation occurring on March 30th at the Kennedys seaside mansion in Florida where a 29-year old woman insisted that William, kennedys nephew raped her subsequently charging him with sexual battery. While running investigations on this conflict, Kennedy supposedly purposely dodged detectives, who were in fact looking to interview him. Making it look more suspicious that he was somewhat involved including the evidence of him asking his nephew, William how was she? Did you wear protection?. The alleged rape further damages the unforgettable familys reputation. Many rumors were never proven during this time of questioning of senator Kennedy regarding that he was a bloated drunk and he typically used his standing in the Kennedy clan to chase after vulnerable women, and that the CIA framed him due to them not wanting to assassinate Senator Kennedy. The government was immensely impacted due to Kennedy pleading guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and receiving a two month suspended sentence (perform a period of probation), and his license was suspended for a year along with his presidential dream dying on chappaquiddick and causing him to rethink other elements throughout his life. Although the evidence collected that Ted could not be held fully responsible for Marys death only because her alcohol level when found was .09% (equivalent to 5 drinks.) The investigations given werent as serious as they should have been, the police failed to do the most common things including failing to interrogate Kennedy and not questioning any of the party participants. The aftermath of this catastrophe ended up with Kennedy second guessing to continue his political career and declined his presidential hopes although he still served as a U.S. senator of Massachusetts into the 21st century. Due to such catastrophe, Kennedy worked harder than ever afterwards. Not only politicians but Mary Jo Kopechne suffered because of its far reaching effects of sorely damaged hopes. There is no forgiving the incident that took the life of Mary Jo Kopechne. Her family and friends were emotionally unstable after the fact of the incident and in terms of a settlement, Mary Jo Kopechnes family eventually received $140,904.00 from Kennedy and $50,000.00 from his insurance coverage. It was said by mostly everyone that senator Kennedy was a monster who left a permanent stain on US political culture after the tragedy happened. There is no way to understand how Ted Kennedy managed any of it. Many people even question it today, but clearly he has had a lot of backup behind his ideas and opinions and has been a brilliant senator overall and always kept his personal life and political life completely separate even though hes had a lot of complications. When it was time for Marys funeral, Kennedy, for once, rose above his own character to show up and bring along his wife at the time. Once the gossip and talk died down, Ted carefully choreographed a televised speech where he admitted his behavior had been indefensible but denied it had anything to do with alcohol. Shortly after, there were not only books being made about this accident but movies as well. He later referred to his actions as inexcusable and said that Kopechnes death haunts me every day of my life, and continued to admit his mistakes. Ted was not very fond of everyone making it out to be a joke and he mentioned, for a few months everyone had to put on this show, and then I just didnt care anymore, I just saw no future, and thats when I truly became an alcoholic.(Columbia University Press) Like his father, he had every gift in the world except the length of years. He ended up passing away at age 77, in August 2009 after battling a brain tumor and was buried at Arlington National Cemetery. He was diagnosed with a malignant glioma (any tumor formed in the glial, or supportive, brain cells, which are different from the better-known neurons.) Its the most malignant, the most aggressive, the tumor of the brain associated with the shortest survival, said Marc Chamberlain, a professor of neurology and director of the Brain Tumor Program at University of Washington. Kennedys personal life came to dominate his image although his political career was mostly outstanding. Ted Kennedy has went through so many tragedies in his c omplicated life and all his actions and reactions to all of them were slightly normal but also shady at the same time. Not all of the things that were reported and said by reporters and authors added up. There were more rumors and stories than anything on Teds legacy. Although hes had too much drama and complications in his life he is a person and human being like the rest of us and not everyone is perfect. The chappaquiddick incident had become a secondary part of his life and even years (anniversaries) after it is still commonly thought of and brought up in newspapers and books around the country.