Why am I here Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why am I here - Essay Example Having come from a humble and financially straining background, I have often felt the need to be the light of my family and the community as well. On the other hand, I take the matters of religion seriously and often take time to nourish my soul with religious values. However, I find it important to read widely the different religions particularly Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, and Judaism. Whereas religion provides a moral compass, I find it important to have a wide encompassing understanding and not just get fixated on one religion. Having taken a ISFJ Personality a while back, I came to understand that most of the challenges impeding my success could actually be lying within me. My altruistic personality has made it difficult to balance between helping others and managing my personal life. At the moment, I am required to put more focus on my studies to secure a bright future. However, I am intrinsically altruistic and like helping other people. For instance, I spend a significant amount of time helping my friends who are behind me in class. Additionally, I share the little financial assistance I get from my parents with the less privileged at the expense of my comfort at school. Another impeding challenge is financial constraints. Presently, I need adequate resources to study and further my studies after college at a time when I am not earning any money. I may not be able to utilize any emerging opportunities because of lack of funds. Possible future challenges include overwhelming responsibilities, as I become a global citizen. As I seek to become a person of influence, it is worth considering that more responsibilities will come along the way. For instance, I expect to undertake a Masters and a Ph.D. later on perhaps in pursuit of my perfectionism nature. This will arguably put a scholarly responsibility on my

Skills and Perspectives Needed for Working with Families from Diverse Research Paper

Skills and Perspectives Needed for Working with Families from Diverse Backgrounds - Research Paper Example The current research paper is aimed at identifying the skills needed for working with families from diverse backgrounds. Moreover, perspectives are critical in understanding intercultural problems in the modern industrial world. In the paper, perspectives helpful to comprehend family related issues have also been discussed in detail. Introduction In this paper, the main skills and perspectives needed for working with families from diverse backgrounds will be reviewed and analyzed. The principal focus of the research is on the situation in the western countries such as USA and other developed countries such as Australia where issues of intercultural relationships, migration, assimilation, etc. have drawn considerable public attention and debate at various levels of family and consumer studies. In writing this paper, academic literature including scholarly articles and practitioner’s resources have been used from reputable journals and university databases and libraries. The pap er is divided into sections dedicated to introduction, background research, problem, thesis statement, objectives, discussion, and conclusion. Background Family is the unit of society and nation that provides the most critical needs such as physical security and emotional support to its members. Family system brings coherence among individuals, begets mutual trust, legitimizes sex and synthesizes the civilization (Samovar, Porter, & McDaniel, 2009). Given the importance of family in any civilized society, immigrants have to be assimilated keeping in mind the need of fostering social coherence. Particularly in the developed countries where social constructs are highly complex and mechanistic industrialization booms, advent of immigrants is a major trend. For example, USA receives thousands of immigrants from different parts of the world every year. The institution of family becomes critical in such circumstances, where immigrants are being received either in groups, in families, or s imply as isolated individuals and/or asylum seekers (Gold & Nawyn, 2013). Furthermore, the issue of social justice for the relatively more marginalized populations also remains a significant question. For example, aboriginal population in Australia needs more social care and empathetic treatment because of their poor economic conditions. In America, the American Indians and African Americans also have similar problems. Problem In working with the families with diverse backgrounds, there are different issues in different countries. For example, in the countries such as Australia and New Zealand where immigration is still rather limited, issues of the families from aboriginal cultures must be addressed. These issues are absent in UK, yet the problem of assimilating the immigrant population in the country is very serious. And in the countries such as USA, ethnically and culturally varied families are highly common. Historically, USA has faced numerous hurdles in assimilating the variou s minority ethnic groups, immigrants, American Indians, different religious groups, etc. The practical aspects of the overall problem relate to three important issues: (1) handling the difficulties faced by children; (2) handling the difficulties faced by female family members; and (3) creating a holistic coverage of intercultural

Judiciary Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Judiciary - Essay Example Judicial restraint is the antonym of judicial activism (Ringhand & Collins, 2010). The discussion between judiciary restraint and judicial activism started in the early days of the United States of America and has proceeded to the present. A number of renowned Supreme Court justices such as John Marshall have supported the judicial activism view, the belief that it’s the role of the judges to chart new constitutional grounds as well as make bold policy decisions. Supporters of legal activists are to judicial restraint that supports that the judiciary should leave the policy formulation and decisions making process to the executive and legislative branches (Ringhand & Collins, 2010). For decades, Republican Party leaders have decried judicial activism and championed for judicial restraint. Republican politicians have associated judicial restraint with a commitment to judicial deference, stating that judges who support judicial activism disrespect the will of many people. The debate has continued to warrant close inspection as a result of the deployment of judicial activism by Republic politicians during the Supreme Court confirmation of Judge Sonia Sotomayor as well as in the 2008 presidential elections. The senators were utterly aghast that Sonia’s experience and background might affect her decisions and that she may be an activist. The Sotomayors emphasized that justices make no laws and policies but merely apply those laws that are in existence (Davis, 2009). It is uncontroversial to indicate that only chief Justice Scalia and Justice Roberts Alito and Thomas belong to the number of judges who are in the political circles of Republican. Justice Alito a nd Roberts were nominated by Bush and were considered Republican favorites. The two were however not democrat’s favorites, and President Obama was not ready to vote

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Essay Example for Free

Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe Essay Johann Wolfgang von Goethe was a German writer and polymath back in the 1800s. Goethe is considered the supreme genius of modern German literature. Although he was alive so long ago, the ideas he put out there are still pertinent to the modern world: such as my personal life, recent movies, and current events. Goethe came up with this viewpoint on life: Until one is committed there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help that would never have otherwise occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision rising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen, incidents and meeting and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, proven and magic in it. Begin it now! Goethe’s quote is a universal truth. His philosophy is even proven in my life. A project was given to me that I grew abhorrence for. Procrastinating until a couple days before the due date, I became upset and overwhelmed. I started convincing myself I could not do it. My mother said, â€Å"you’re making it harder than what it is. Do your research. Let the ideas come to you. It will all come together once you start. Stop putting it off and just do it. â€Å" With that in mind, I centered my concentration to my project and nothing but my project. Ideas kept coming to me as I let my mind and words flow. I became the person I needed to pretend to be for the project. I completed it to my best ability. I even made the appearance of my project outstanding. My teacher was so impressed with my work that she presented it to the class, and it was passed around the room. It all happened because I focused my mind on that specific goal. The movie Forrest Gump is an all-time favorite. The main character was committed to every task he was given. One day he decided to run, and he ran across the United States. It took him 3 years, 2 months, 14 days and 16 hours until he felt he was finished. Furthermore, while he was at camp in the army, all he did was play ping-pong. All he thought about was ping-pong. He even played ping-pong in his sleep. He was so good a whole crowd would come to watch him play. Even when he was in the army and went to save his â€Å"best good friend† Bubba, he didn’t stop until he found him. He saved his whole platoon that day while searching for Bubba. Every time he was on a mission or had a goal, he would direct all his focus to that particular objective. He had the ability to focus on anything and do it to his full potential. In the world today, we are in an economic crisis. Companies lay off workers; therefore, there are loads of unemployed people. Since they have no jobs, they are not receiving money. Companies aren’t selling much because people have no money to buy things that are not necessities. There is no flow of money. Everyone is afraid to put their cash out there because they are frightened by the fact that they might not be successful and wouldn’t have enough to buy necessities anymore. There is ineffectiveness and hesitancy in the world. No one wants to take a risk and be committed to one thing. Once people devote themselves to fixing the economy, it will happen. However, everyone is waiting on someone else to do it. Just like in the great depression, everyone was afraid to do something about the problem, until everyone said enough is enough and were devoted to fixing the problem; and look what happened because of that. We solved the crisis. In my final analysis, many people are not focused and are worried about too much. Focus on one thing and commit yourself to it. Everything a person does should be there center of attention. By doing this, one will achieve their goal and maybe even more than expected. Goethe’s philosophy shows how to reach a goal: Focus, commit, and do it. Just like Nike, a successful shoe company, says, â€Å"Just do it† and whatever you want to happen, will happen.

Illegal Downloading Of Movies Media Essay

Illegal Downloading Of Movies Media Essay Looking at the story of Jerome Bixbys The Man from Earth movie piracy might not be a threat to the movie industry, but a chance to promote and finance small-budget independent films. The producers of this movie approached internet piracy in a different way, as they embraced internet piracy and thanked illegal downloaders for helping to spread the buzz about the movie (Morozov, 2007). When Eric Wilkinson, the producer of the movie, found out that their movie was posted on a popular piracy blog called Releaselog, he did not do the most common thing, meaning to sue the downloaders, but thanked the Releaselog community for piracy because they were actually helping sales. (Morozov, 2007). Living in a world full of user-generated content, the downloaders gave the movie great ratings on IMDb (The Internet Movie Database) that resulted in ranking increase from 11.235th to 5th and furthermore ranked 1st in the categories independent and science fiction film (Morozov, 2007). Consequently sales increased as the movie got a great promotion. In addition to that, the producer posted a comment on Releaselog asking for voluntary donations for The Man from Earth resulting in additional generated money. Using The Man from Earth as an example, it becomes obvious that movie piracy actually inherits benefits for the movie industry as Jeanne Rose says in her article Movie Piracy: What Seems Evil is Actually Beneficial to the Entertainment Business. By gaining more web attention, people get informed about a movie they under most circumstances would have never heard of. People might use illegal copies of movies to check if the first minutes are interesting for them, to see the movie later in the cinema or on DVD (Rose, 2011). Additionally to that, parents might have a look at the content of the movie to see if it is appropriate for their children to see. Looking at the fact that a trip to the cinema with the whole family is expensive, it is a great thing for parents the check the movie beforehand. (Rose, 2011). One might say that instead of illegal downloading movies to check them for content you could simply watch the movie trailer, but facing the reality, trailers do often represent t he movie in a more positive way then the actual movie is or hide specific scenes to keep the tension in the movie itself. A new study about piracy created by a coalition of academic researches called Social Science Research Counsel shows a different perspective on the situation than industry-sponsored studies usually do. In general piracy studies tell their readers that the movie industry is suffering because of decreasing sales, as many people simply download a movie instead of going to the cinema or buying/renting the DVD. Looking at the fact that these studies are financed from movie companies, it becomes pretty obvious that they will not tell about other reasons than piracy. The new and independent study gives a different perspective on the whole situation: Given the fact that people in general suffer from a bad economy, but also low prices on digital technology and high prices on media goods are the reason for decreased sales in the movie industry (Ernesto, 2011). Visiting the cinema with your family involves spending a lot of money. Imagine living in a low-economy country like South Africa, the pr ice for a DVD in relation to the price in the US or Europe is five to ten times higher (Ernesto, 2011). Even though the movie industry spent huge amounts of money in anti-piracy education, the authors of the study could not find no significant stigma attached to piracy in any of the countries examined (Ernesto, 2011). International movie fans often have a problem to supply themselves with the latest movies or TV shows in a legal way. Being a movie fan in some countries like Germany is very hard, as you have to wait a long time before you can actually see a movie in original tone in a legal way. Using Germany as an example, every movie shown in the cinema is translated and synchronized in the German language. This consequently leads to three different ways to see a movie in the original tone: Going in a different country to see the movie, wait for the DVD release which is often 1 year after the initial release in the United States or download the movie illegal. Facing these three ways it becomes obvious which way is the most common. Looking at legal online stores like iTunes it is illegal to create an US account as a European citizen to purchase your favorite TV show episodes legally. Looking at the situation from a different point of view shows that movie piracy may have benefits for the movie industry. Movie piracy in terms of small budget independent films is able to promote them due to user generated content websites like IMDb, which actually results in more sales. It is also helpful for people to have a better first-look on a movie to decide whether they want to spend their hard earned money on a movie or not. In addition to that people in many countries are excluded from seeing movies when they are originally released which results in unhappy cineastes. Combining these different ideas with the fact that most studies are movie

Fertilizers :: essays research papers

Fertilizers are substances added to the soil sprayed on leaves of plants to help them grow better or in some cases faster. Plants need twenty essentail elements to help them grow. Plants make carbohydrates. A plant needs nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, sulfur, and magnesium the most to grow healthy. Most soils naturally contain enough trace elements for field crops, but such elements must be added when certain fruits and vegetable plants are grown. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the top three elements needed in plant growth. Legumes are plants which absorb nitrogen gas from the air and bring the gas to the ground. Legumes are planted over with other crops and those plants get the required amount of nitrogen and grow healthy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are two kinds of fertilizers. There is organic and inorganic. Organic fertilizers are bonemeal, fishmeal, blood, and farmyard manuer. Inorganic manuer is Nitrogen, potassium or any other element necessary in the aid of plant growth. If one accidently digests inorganic fertilizer, he or she must see a doctor as soon as possible. One can get red eyes, itchiness, and or stomach problems.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  During World War 2, the government built many factories to absorb nitrogen gas from the air and to use them in explosives. Soon after the war, these factories were used to absorb nitrogen gas and to be used as a fertilizer. This method was inexpensive and farmers were now actually making a profit. By 1985, farmers used approximately eleven million tons of nitrogen a year. This is eight times more than what farmers used in 1950.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The most widely used fertilizer is pure ammonia. It is kept in liquid form under pressure in steel tanks. Three solid nitrogen fertilizers are ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium phosphate. Two common phosphorus fertilizers are superphosphate and triple superphosphate. Phosphorous fertilizer is made by treating phosphate rock with sulfuric acid. Potassium sulfate and potassium nitrate are used on crops that are harmed by chlorides.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The term straight fertilizer stands for any material that supplies one of the three principal macronutrients. The three macronutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Mixed fertilizers are fertilizers that supply more than one macronutrient. This information is neccesary to one who is intrested in purchasing fertilizer. The fertilizer companies or manufacturers basically list every package or container with three numbers. For example a package that says 4-16-18, contains 4 percent nitrogen, 16 percent phosphoric oxide, and 18 percent potassium oxide.

Breach of Employment Contract Essay

The case involves a claim that Baril, the appellant, was dismissed by Aiken Regional Medical Centers, the Hospital where she previously worked, and such dismissal constitutes a breach of the employment contract between Baril and the Hospital. The contract the parties were referring to was the â€Å"Associate Handbook† she received from the Hospital, which contained the personnel polices of the Hospital that governed her employment. Baril was terminated for making a call through the Hospital’s toll-free number, as a result of which he was deemed to have committed a violation of the Hospital’s rules and policies, which merited her immediate termination. Baril argues that the Hospital itself breached the employment contract by unjustly terminating her employment. The Court of Appeals of South Carolina began its discussion by stating that the general rule on employment contracts is that contracts of employment are â€Å"at-will† contracts. This means that the contract is terminable at the pleasure of either party, at any time, regardless of the existence or non-existence of a justifiable ground for the termination. However, the existence of an employee handbook is recognized as an exemption to the general rule. Such a handbook may create an employment contract, depending on the terms stated therein. Where the handbook contains ambiguous clauses such as disclaimers, the issue of whether it could constitute an employment contract has to be determined by a jury, and not by summary judgment. The court noted that while the handbook explicitly states that it does not change the nature of the employment contract as an at-will contract, it does provide strict procedures to be followed in disciplinary cases such as the one where Baril is concerned. Thus, the Hospital’s procedures and practices give rise to more than one reasonable inference concerning the creation of an employment contract. Concomitantly, we find the trial court erred in granting summary judgment on the issue of whether Hospital’s policies found in its employee handbook, amendments, and actual practices created an employment contract between Baril and Hospital. The court also determined that the employment contract established by the Hospital’s practices and procedures requires that there be an existing just cause for termination. The criterion for determining justness in the termination of Baril’s employment rests on the existence of a â€Å"reasonable good faith belief that sufficient cause existed for termination. † Weighing the arguments of both Baril and the Hospital, the court concluded that reasonable minds could differ as to the whether there was good or bad faith in the Hospital’s termination of Baril’s employment. Therefore, the case could not have been settled using the rules on summary judgment. Attached: Case: http://www. sccourts. org/opinions/HTMLfiles/COA/3561. htm THE STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA In The Court of Appeals Marolyn L. Baril, Appellant, v. Aiken Regional Medical Centers, Respondent. Appeal From Aiken County Rodney A. Peeples, Circuit Court Judge Opinion No. 3561 Heard October 8, 2002 – Filed October 28, 2002 REVERSED and REMANDED Herbert W. Louthian, Sr. , and Deborah R. J. Shupe, both of Columbia, for Appellant. Richard J. Morgan and Reginald W. Belcher, both of Columbia, for Respondent. ANDERSON, J. : Marolyn L. Baril appeals the Circuit Court’s order granting summary judgment to Aiken Regional Medical Centers (Hospital) on Baril’s action for breach of employment contract. We reverse and remand. FACTS/PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND Baril joined Hospital’s nursing staff in 1986. She earned a master’s degree in nursing administration from the University of South Carolina in 1990. The following year, Baril was named director of Hospital’s emergency department. Baril resigned from that position for personal reasons in 1992, but continued as a staff nurse in the emergency department. Holly Martinez de Andino eventually succeeded Baril as director of Hospital’s emergency department. John Arnold [1] and Martinez de Andino indirectly supervised Baril. In early 1993, Baril began teaching nursing classes on a part-time basis at the University of South Carolina’s Aiken campus (USC-Aiken). She joined the faculty on a full-time basis later that year. Baril received an â€Å"Associate Handbook† from Hospital in May of 1997. She signed an acknowledgment form provided by Hospital, indicating she would familiarize herself with the handbook and that she understood the handbook â€Å"constitute[d] the personnel policies of [Hospital] and that [she was] governed by them. † The handbook and acknowledgment form contained disclaimer language: Please Read! Important Employment Information The information contained in this booklet is designed to serve only as a reference to Aiken Regional Medical Centers policies and procedures. Aiken Regional Medical Centers reserves the right to amend this guide as necessary at any time, with or without prior notice. Current hospital policies and procedures will apply in all cases. Please remember that this booklet does not constitute a contract between you and Aiken Regional Medical Centers. Employment at Aiken Regional Medical Centers is on a voluntary basis and either you or the Facility may terminate this employment relationship at any time with or without reason or prior notice. No associate of Aiken Regional Medical Centers has the right to make verbal promises or commitments which may create a contract and thereby alter the â€Å"employment at will† relationship. (Emphasis added). Additionally, the handbook’s â€Å"Recruiting and Hiring† section included similar language: In no event shall a hiring of an associate be considered as creating a contractual [re]lationship between the associate and the Facility; and, unless otherwise provided in writing, such relationship shall be defined as â€Å"employment at will,† where either party may dissolve the relationship. (Emphasis added). However, the acknowledgment form states that â€Å"the information in [the] handbook is subject to change/revision† and â€Å"any change will be communicated through the usual channels. † The handbook incorporated a detailed, progressive disciplinary procedure. Two categories of offenses were specifically identified. The categories were bifurcated: (1) actions meriting immediate termination; and (2) actions warranting termination for continuous violations. In July of 1998, Martinez de Andino disciplined Baril for allegedly slamming a door in Arnold’s face and disagreeing with Hospital’s management regarding a management issue. [2] Baril was first suspended and later given a â€Å"final† written warning. Yet, the handbook’s procedure mandated use of a â€Å"final† written warning only after two previous warnings. Baril had not previously been warned or disciplined. Baril asked Hospital to change her work status from full-time to part-time in November 1998. She continued to teach full-time at USC-Aiken. Baril initiated a grievance pursuant to Hospital policy. Hospital’s chief executive officer, Richard H. Satcher, investigated Baril’s complaint and found sufficient cause to purge the disciplinary action from Baril’s employment file. As a condition to purging her employment file, Satcher required Baril and Martinez de Andino to meet with Hospital’s director of human resources, Richard Lowe, and director of nursing, Mary Ann Angle. The purpose of the meeting was to â€Å"clarify understandings and expectations† regarding Baril and Martinez de Andino’s working relationship. In January of 1999, Baril met with Martinez de Andino, Lowe, and Angle to discuss problems between Baril and Martinez de Andino. During the meeting, Baril expressed concern that Martinez de Andino had targeted Baril for termination which Martinez de Andino intended to accomplish using the disciplinary procedure. Lowe responded that Hospital had updated pertinent portions of its employee handbook to prevent the disciplinary procedure from being abused to eliminate employees and to ensure that it would only be used to positively impact its employees. Lowe delivered a copy of the new policy to Baril. Regarding its purpose, the policy stated: To set standard operating procedures in order to ensure that all associates are fully aware of the conduct expected of them. This policy will also ensure fair and consistent treatment to associates if violations of these standards of conduct occur. This policy is based on the concept of increased severity in disciplining associates who repeatedly violate hospital rules while performing work for the hospital or while on hospital premises. Written counselings are given for initial, minor infractions of rules; if the infractions continue harsher discipline is enforced. However, situations which are so serious that they require immediate stern disciplinary action will not follow a progressive concept. [Hospital] reserves the right to administer disciplinary action as it deems appropriate for the circumstances involved. (Emphasis added). The new policy provided: â€Å"Discipline is an instrument for changing unacceptable performance or behavior, and for providing motivation and encouragement for disciplined associates. † The new policy described four general categories of disciplinary offenses, ranging in degree of seriousness from greatest (critical offenses) to least (minor offenses). The category of â€Å"critical offenses† included actions that constituted â€Å"serious violations of rules or associate misconduct which justify immediate termination without regard to the associate’s length of service or prior conduct. † The new policy contained various examples of critical offenses. It specified in section 2. 2. 2 of HR116 that actions of â€Å"[d]ishonesty, fraud, theft (regardless of the amount), [or] unauthorized removal of hospital property† were examples of critical offenses. At the end of the meeting, Baril and Martinez de Andino signed a document identifying â€Å"expectations† concerning Baril’s and Hospital’s obligations to each other. The details of the document consisted of expectations related to performance and communications. On July 6, 1999, Baril suffered injuries when a cabinet fell on her while at work. She immediately sought treatment for injuries involving muscle strain, subperiosteal hematoma, and an impinged nerve. Baril filed an accident report and claim for Workers’ Compensation benefits at the time of the accident. Four days after her accident, on July 10, 1999, Baril traveled to Tacoma, Washington, for a vacation. When Baril arrived, she received a telephone message indicating Hospital called her sister in an effort to contact Baril. In response, Baril called Hospital on its toll-free number and asked to speak to someone in her department. After a brief conversation with a coworker, Baril asked the coworker to transfer her call to her sister’s home in Aiken. Baril informed her sister that she had arrived in Washington safely, and asked why Hospital wanted to talk to her. Baril’s sister offered to call Hospital to ask why it had contacted her to try to reach Baril. However, Baril declined her sister’s offer. According to telephone company records, the call lasted thirty-two seconds. No evidence exists in the record concerning the cost of the call or whether Hospital sustained any economic loss as a result of the call. Baril returned from vacation on July 17, 1999. When she reported to work the following day, Baril was told to meet with Arnold and Martinez de Andino. At the meeting, Baril learned that by using Hospital’s toll-free number for personal use, she violated section 2. 2. 2 of Hospital Policy HR116, which cites â€Å"[d]ishonesty, fraud, theft (regardless of amount), unauthorized removal of hospital property,† as â€Å"critical offenses† justifying immediate termination. Baril offered to pay for the telephone call, but Arnold refused to accept payment and informed her she was being terminated. Baril exited the premises a short time thereafter. Baril filed this cause of action averring (1) Hospital created a contract of employment between Baril and itself through its written employee handbook, its amendments to the handbook, and its conduct regarding the handbook’s policies, particularly the mandatory language of the disciplinary procedure in HR116 and verbal assurances provided by Lowe during the January 1999 meeting; (2) Hospital breached the contract between Baril and itself by wrongfully terminating her; and (3) Hospital violated S. C. Code Ann.  § 41-1-80 (Supp. 2001) by terminating Baril in retaliation for filing a Workers’ Compensation claim. Baril sought $403,508 in actual damages, plus costs and other just and proper relief. Hospital answered, generally denying Baril’s allegations and claiming it â€Å"acted in good faith† when dealing with Baril’s discipline and termination. Hospital specifically asserted that Baril was an at-will employee throughout her employment with Hospital, and denied the existence of an employment contract. Hospital further claimed that, even if any employment contract existed, Hospital never breached it and that Baril’s discharge was not wrongful. Hospital cited Baril’s own conduct as the source of â€Å"any and all of the employment actions that [Hospital] took against [Baril]. † Additionally, Hospital maintained that Baril â€Å"failed to meet [Hospital’s] established work standards, stole [Hospital’s] time and possibly money when making an impermissible telephone call, and violated at least one of [Hospital’s] specific written Company policies for which [Hospital’s] action was a stated remedy of the violation. † Finally, Hospital contended Baril failed to mitigate any damages she might have sustained. Hospital moved for summary judgment, arguing no material issues of fact existed and Hospital was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The Circuit Court conducted a hearing on the motion and issued an order finding: (1) Hospital’s policies did not constitute an implied employment contract as a matter of law, even when viewed in the light most favorable to Baril; (2) even if Hospital’s policies constituted an implied employment contract, Hospital’s actions did not breach the contract because it acted pursuant to the express terms of the alleged contract and because Baril’s interpretation of the alleged contract was â€Å"strained and unreasonable and would have led to absurd consequences†; (3) Hospital did not breach any alleged contract because on the date Hospital terminated Baril it had a â€Å"reasonable, good faith belief that, pursuant to the language of HR 116, it had sufficient and just cause to terminate [Baril’s] employment†; (4) Baril failed to establish a retaliation claim because she â€Å"based this cause of action merely upon her own self-serving, unsup ported opinions and the temporal proximity between the filing of her workers’ compensation claim and her termination of employment†; and (5) Baril failed to mitigate her damages because she â€Å"did nothing to seek employment or mitigate damages in any way. † The Circuit Court dismissed all of Baril’s claims with prejudice. STANDARD OF REVIEW When reviewing the grant of a summary judgment motion, the appellate court applies the same standard which governs the trial court under Rule 56(c), SCRCP: summary judgment is proper when there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Fleming v. Rose, 350 S. C. 488, 567 S. E. 2d 857 (2002); Ferguson v. Charleston Lincoln Mercury, Inc. , 349 S. C. 558, 564 S. E. 2d 94 (2002). In determining whether any triable issue of fact exists, the evidence and all inferences which can reasonably be drawn therefrom must be viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Faile v. South Carolina Dep’t of Juvenile Justice, 350 S. C. 315, 566 S. E. 2d 536 (2002); McNair v. Rainsford, 330 S. C. 332, 499 S. E. 2d 488 (Ct. App. 1998). If triable issues exist, those issues must go to the jury. Young v. South Carolina Dep’t of Corrections, 333 S. C. 714, 511 S. E. 2d 413 (Ct. App. 1999). Summary judgment is not appropriate where further inquiry into the facts of the case is desirable to clarify the application of the law. Vermeer Carolina’s, Inc. v. Wood/Chuck Chipper Corp. , 336 S. C. 53, 518 S. E. 2d 301 (Ct. App. 1999). All ambiguities, conclusions, and inferences arising from the evidence must be construed most strongly against the moving party. Bayle v. South Carolina Dep’t of Transp. , 344 S. C. 115, 542 S. E. 2d 736 (Ct. App. 2001). Even when there is no dispute as to evidentiary facts, but only as to the conclusions or inferences to be drawn from them, summary judgment should be denied. Hall v. Fedor, 349 S. C. 169, 561 S. E. 2d 654 (Ct. App. 2002). Moreover, summary judgment is a drastic remedy which should be cautiously invoked so no person will be improperly deprived of a trial of the disputed factual issues. Lanham v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield, 349 S. C. 356, 563 S. E. 2d 331 (2002); Trivelas v. South Carolina Dep’t of Transp. , 348 S. C. 125, 558 S. E. 2d 271 (Ct. App. 2001). ISSUES I. Did the Circuit Court err in granting summary judgment on the issue of whether Hospital’s written policies and actual practices created an employment contract between the parties? II. Did the Circuit Court err in granting summary judgment on the issue of whether Hospital’s actions in terminating Baril’s employment breached a contract between the parties? III. Did the Circuit Court err in granting summary judgment on the issue of whether Baril acted reasonably in attempting to mitigate her damages? LAW/ANALYSIS I. Existence of Employment Contract Baril maintains the Circuit Court erred in granting summary judgment because, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Baril as the nonmoving party, material issues of fact exist concerning whether Hospital’s written policies and actual practices created an employment contract between Baril and Hospital. We agree. South Carolina recognizes the doctrine of employment at-will. Prescott v. Farmers Tel. Coop. , Inc. , 335 S. C. 330, 516 S. E. 2d 923 (1999). This doctrine provides that a contract for permanent employment is terminable at the pleasure of either party when unsupported by any consideration other than the employer’s duty to provide compensation in exchange for the employee’s duty to perform a service or obligation. Id. â€Å"At-will employment is generally terminable by either party at any time, for any reason or no reason at all. † Prescott, 335 S. C. at 334, 516 S. E. 2d at 925. However, an employer and employee may contractually alter the general rule of employment at-will, thereby restricting the freedom of either party to terminate the employment relationship without incurring liability. See Small v. Springs Indus. , Inc. , 292 S. C. 481, 357 S. E. 2d 452 (1987). For example, an employee handbook may create a contract altering an at-will arrangement. Id. Because an employee handbook may create an employment contract, the question of whether a contract exists is for a jury when its existence is questioned and the evidence is either conflicting or admits of more than one inference. Conner v. City of Forest Acres, 348 S. C. 454, 560 S. E. 2d 606 (2002) (stating summary judgment is inappropriate in most instances when handbook contains both a disclaimer and promises). The presence of promissory language and a disclaimer in the handbook make it ambiguous and subject to more than one interpretation. [3] See Fleming v. Borden, 316 S. C. 452, 450 S. E. 2d 589 (1994) (stating that a handbook containing both a disclaimer and promissory language should be viewed as inherently ambiguous). Here, the handbook states that it does not operate to change the at-will nature of employment to a contractual relationship. However, the handbook’s procedures concerning progressive discipline, discharge, and grievance are couched in mandatory terms, including assurances that the procedures will be followed. As to Lowe’s statements regarding the new disciplinary policy, Baril testified: Richard Lowe told me, guaranteed me that the new disciplinary policy was put into effect for exactly that reason because I told Richard, I said, you know, I have been a manager, and you can use a disciplinary procedure to try to eliminate people or try to help people grow and have positive behaviors and goals and grow. And Richard Lowe said that is what that policy is for, is to help you, and that is what is going to be happening from this point forward, and I felt that that was a guarantee, was a contract, a verbal contract that I would be treated equitably, that I would be—that I would not be targeted any further, that the grievance was over, and we were to go forward. And so I felt at that time that that was a contract that was made . . . . Thus, the court concluded that the procedures and practices established by the Hospital was more than sufficient for it to arrive at the conclusion that an employment contract was created between the parties. II. Hospital’s Actions in Terminating Baril’s Employment Baril claims the Circuit Court erred in granting summary judgment because, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Baril as the nonmoving party, material issues of fact exist regarding whether Hospital’s actions in terminating her employment breached an employment contract between Hospital and Baril. We agree. When an employment contract only permits termination for cause, the appropriate test on the issue of breach focuses on whether the employer had a â€Å"reasonable good faith belief that sufficient cause existed for termination. † Conner v. City of Forest Acres, 348 S. C. 454, 464, 560 S. E. 2d 606, 611 (2002) (emphasis added). â€Å"[T]he fact finder must not focus on whether the employee actually committed misconduct; instead, the focus must be on whether the employer reasonably determined it had cause to terminate. † Id. at 464-65, 560 S. E. 2d at 611. a. Reasonable Good Faith In the January 1999 meeting, Baril expressed concern that Martinez de Andino disliked her and would use Hospital’s disciplinary process to terminate her. Lowe responded that Hospital had updated pertinent portions of its employee handbook to prevent the disciplinary procedure from being abused to eliminate employees and to ensure that it would only be used to positively impact its employees. Nevertheless, reasonable minds could disagree as to whether Hospital proceeded to act in reasonable good faith by using the disciplinary policy to immediately terminate Baril for using the toll-free line to transfer one possibly business-related telephone call to Baril’s sister for thirty-two seconds. Additionally, our Supreme Court has held that summary judgment should not ordinarily be used to resolve the question of whether an employer acted under a reasonable good faith belief that sufficient cause existed for termination. Conner, 348 S. C. at 465, 560 S. E. 2d at 611-612. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Baril, we find that reasonable minds could differ as to whether Hospital acted with good faith in terminating Baril. b. Sufficient Cause Hospital alleges it followed its disciplinary policies in terminating Baril. Hospital contends Baril’s request that her call on Hospital’s toll-free line be transferred to her sister’s private residence constituted an act of â€Å"dishonesty, fraud, theft (regardless of amount), unauthorized removal of hospital property. † Thus, Hospital avers Baril demonstrated violation of a â€Å"critical offense† meriting immediate termination. However, Hospital never announced a policy against use of its toll-free telephone line by employees for personal or private business, although the written materials of Hospital purported to communicate policies and changes to Hospital employees. Furthermore, Baril declared that other Hospital employees had engaged in similar behavior without Hospital’s objection, thereby raising the possibility that Hospital tacitly condoned the practice. Assuming, arguendo, that Hospital rightfully concluded such employee use of its toll-free telephone lines for private purposes constituted dishonesty, fraud, or theft sufficient to merit immediate termination under its policy, evidence exists that Baril’s telephone call to her sister originated in matters related to her employment at Hospital. Moreover, Hospital failed to produce any evidence that it suffered a loss related to the telephone call. In addition, Hospital rejected Baril’s good-faith efforts to compensate Hospital for any loss it may have sustained for the thirty-two second call, although Hospital’s undisputed practice was to permit employees to reimburse it for private long-distance telephone calls. The Circuit Court determined â€Å"no evidence showed or even suggested that [Baril] ever reimbursed or attempted to reimburse Hospital for any of these calls. † A cursory reading of the record contradicts this finding. First, the phrase â€Å"any of these calls† wrongly implies that Baril made more than one call, contrary to undisputed evidence that she only made one call at issue. Next, the record is replete with testimony from Baril and Lowe that Baril immediately offered to reimburse Hospital for any expenses related to the telephone call. Hospital maintains Baril abused her authority by ordering a subordinate to transfer the telephone call outside the Hospital. Yet, the record contains no evidence that Baril had any subordinates at the Hospital at the time she placed the call. In fact, the employee whom Baril asked to transfer the call was only considered a subordinate by the trial court because she had previously been one of Baril’s nursing students. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Baril, we conclude her actions constituted a mere peccadillo at worst and that reasonable minds could differ concerning whether Hospital terminated Baril with just cause. III. Mitigation of Damages Baril claims the Circuit Court erred in granting summary judgment because, viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to Baril as the nonmoving party, material issues of fact exist concerning whether she made reasonable efforts to mitigate her damages. We agree. A party injured by the acts of another is required to do those things a person of ordinary prudence would do under the circumstances, but the law does not require him to exert himself unreasonably or incur substantial expense to avoid damages. McClary v. Massey Ferguson, Inc. , 291 S. C. 506, 354 S. E. 2d 405 (Ct. App. 1987). Whether the party acted reasonably to mitigate damages is ordinarily a question for the jury. Id. Baril did not seek other employment throughout this litigation. However, she attempted to justify her behavior. First, she testified she did not want to reveal to potential employers that she had been fired. Second, she testified that there were no other hospitals with emergency rooms in or near Aiken, where she resided. Thus, she would have been forced to either commute or relocate in order to perform similar work. Baril did not want to relocate because she had a home and family in Aiken, where she taught college classes on a full-time basis. Baril speculated that a lengthy commute would interfere with her teaching career. Considering the evidence in the light most favorable to Baril, reasonable minds could disagree over whether she made reasonable efforts to mitigate her damages. The trial court should have allowed this question to be resolved by a jury. CONCLUSION Accordingly, the trial court’s decision is REVERSED and REMANDED. CONNOR and STILWELL, JJ. , concur. [1] John Arnold’s specific job title is unclear in the record, which indicates he operated in a supervisory capacity similar to that of Martinez de Andino. [2] Shortly before Martinez de Andino initiated the July 1998 disciplinary action against Baril, a dispute arose between them concerning Martinez de Andino’s decision to hire paramedics to perform nursing functions in the emergency room. Baril learned from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control that South Carolina law prohibited paramedics from performing some of the functions that Martinez de Andino intended for them to perform. Baril conveyed this information to Martinez de Andino, who told Baril to â€Å"deal with it. † Baril contends Martinez de Andino resented Baril’s input, leading to a souring of their relationship that motivated her to seek Baril’s termination. [3] Baril and Hospital clearly disagree about the existence of a contract.