Healthcare Finance Essay

Houston Dialysis Center is a department of Houston General Hospital, a full-service, not-for-profit acute care hospital with 325 beds. The bulk of the hospital’s facilities are devoted to inpatient care and emergency services. However, a 100,000 square-foot section of the hospital complex is devoted to outpatient services. Currently, this space has two primary uses. About 80 percent of the space is used by the Outpatient Clinic, which handles all routine outpatient services offered by the hospital. The remaining 20 percent is used by the Dialysis Center. The Dialysis Center performs hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis, which are alternative processes for removing wastes and excess water from the blood for patients with end-stage renal (kidney) disease. In hemodialysis, blood is pumped from the patient’s arm through a shunt into a dialysis machine, which uses a cleansing solution and an artificial membrane to perform the functions of a healthy kidney. Then, the cleansed blood is pumped back into the patient through a second shunt. In peritoneal dialysis, the cleansing solution is inserted directly into the abdominal cavity through a catheter. The body naturally cleanses the blood through the peritoneum—a thin membrane that lines the abdominal cavity. In general, hemodialysis patients require three dialyses a week, with each treatment lasting about four hours. Patients who use peritoneal dialysis change their own cleansing solutions at home, typically about six times per day. This procedure can be done manually when active or automatically by machine when sleeping. However, the patient’s overall condition, as well as the positioning of the catheter, must be monitored regularly at the Dialysis Center. The hospital allocates facilities costs (which primarily consist of building depreciation and interest on long-term debt) on the basis of square footage. Currently, the facilities cost allocation rate is $15 per square foot, so the facilities cost allocation is 20,000 Ãâ€" $15 = $300,000 for the Dialysis Center and 80,000 Ãâ€" $15 = $1,200,000 for the Outpatient Clinic. All other overhead costs, such as administration, finance, maintenance, and  housekeeping, are lumped together and called â€Å"general overhead.† These costs are allocated on the basis of 10 percent of the revenues of each patient service department. The current allocation of general overhead is $270,000 for the Dialysis Center and $1,600,000 for the Outpatient Clinic, which results in total overhead allocations of $570,000 for the Dialysis Center and $2,800,000 for the Outpatient Clinic. Recent growth in volume of the Outpatient Clinic has created a need for 25 percent more space than currently assigned. Because the Outpatient Clinic is much larger than the Dialysis Center, and because its patients need frequent access to other departments within the hospital, the decision was made to keep the Outpatient Clinic in its current location and to move the Dialysis Center to another location to free up space. Such a move would give the Outpatient Clinic 100,000 square feet, a 25 percent increase. After attempting to find new space for the Dialysis Center within the hospital complex, it was soon determined that a new 20,000 square foot building must be built. This building will be situated two blocks away from the hospital complex, in a location that is much more convenient for dialysis patients (and Center employees) because of ease of parking. The new space, which can be more efficiently utilized than the old space, allows for a substantial increase in patient volume, although it is unclear whether the move will result in additional dialysis patients. The new dialysis facility is expected to cost $3 million. Additionally, furniture and other fixtures, along with relocation expenses of current equipment, would cost $1 million, for a total cost of $4 million. The funds needed for the new facility will be obtained from a 20-year loan at local bank. The loan (including interest) will be paid off over 20 years at a rate of $400,000 per year. Because the specific financing details are known, it is possible to estimate the actual annual facilities costs for the new Dialysis Center, something that is not possible for units located within the hospital complex. Table 1 (see Excel spreadsheet) contains the projected profit and loss (P&L)  statement for the Dialysis Center before adjusting for the move. The hospital’s department heads receive annual bonuses on the basis of each department’s contribution to the bottom line (profit). In the past, only direct costs were considered, but the hospital’s chief executive officer (CEO) has decided that bonuses would now be based on full (total) costs. Obviously, the new approach to awarding bonuses, coupled with the potential for increases in indirect cost allocation, is of great concern to Linda Rider, the director of the Dialysis Center. Under the current allocation of indirect costs, Linda would have a reasonable chance at an end-of-year bonus, as the forecast puts the Dialysis Center in the black. However, any increase in the indirect cost allocation would likely put her â€Å"out of the money.† At the next department heads’ meeting, Linda expressed her concern about the impact of any allocation changes on the Dialysis Center’s profitability, so the hospital’s CEO asked the chief financial officer (CFO), Roger Hedgecock, to look into the matter. In essence, the CEO said that the final allocation is up to Roger but that any allocation changes must be made within outpatient services. In other words, any change in cost allocation to the Dialysis Center must be offset by an equal, but opposite, change in the allocation to the Outpatient Clinic. To get started, Roger created Table 2 (see Excel spreadsheet). In creating the table, Roger assumed that the new Dialysis Center would have the same number of stations as the old one, would serve the same number of patients, and would have the same reimbursement rates. Also, operating expenses would differ only slightly from the current situation because the same personnel and equipment would be used. Thus, for all practical purposes, the revenues and direct costs of the Dialysis Center would be unaffected by the move. The data in Table 2 for the expanded Outpatient Clinic are based on the assumption that the expansion would allow volume to increase by 25 percent and that both revenues and direct costs would increase by a like amount. Furthermore, to keep the analysis manageable, the assumption was made that the overall hospital allocation rates for both facilities costs and general overhead would not materially change because of the expansion. Roger knew that his â€Å"trial balloon† allocation, which is shown in Table 2 in the columns labeled â€Å"Initial Allocation,† would create some controversy. In the past, facilities costs were aggregated, so all departments were charged a cost based on the average embedded (historical) cost regardless of the actual age (or value) of the space occupied. Thus, a basement room with no windows was allocated the same facilities costs (per square foot) as was the fifth floor executive suite. Because many department heads thought this approach to be unfair, Roger wanted to begin allocating facilities overhead on a true cost basis. Thus, in his initial allocation, Roger used actual facilities costs ($400,000 per year) as the basis for the allocation to the Dialysis Center. Needless to say, Linda’s response to the initial allocation was less than enthusiastic, but before Roger was able to address Linda’s concerns, he suddenly left the hospital to take a new position in another city. The task of completing the allocation study was given to you, Houston General’s current administrative resident. You believe that any cost allocation system should be perceived as being â€Å"fair,† but you also realize that in practice cost allocation is very complex and somewhat arbitrary. Some department heads argue that the best approach to overhead allocations is the â€Å"Marxist approach,† by which allocations are based on each patient service department’s ability to cover overhead costs, but this approach has its own disadvantages. Considering all the relevant issues, you must develop and justify a new facilities cost allocation scheme for outpatient services. Be prepared to justify your recommendations at the next department heads’ meeting.

Counseling †an overview of the adlerian theory

Alfred Adler was the founder of Individual Psychology the definition of which is the indivisible of the human personality. The Adlerian theory supposes a single motivating force behind all our behavior, that of striving for perfection. They attempt also to marry the disparities between â€Å"The Self-concept† and â€Å"The Self-ideal†. Along with these come the â€Å"Weltbild† or worldview and our own personal â€Å"right-wrong code† known as â€Å"The Ethical convictions†. Adler argued that humans are born striving to belong are motivated by feelings of inferiority throughout their lives.In order to clearly define what is unhealthy we need to take a look at what is deemed healthy in as far as Adlerian theory has tabled it. The aptitude for a â€Å"Feeling of community† is necessary thereafter becoming ability followed by attitude and motivation. Alfred Adler maintained that individuals were all born with this but that it has to be nurtured t o be of any value as in the ability to make contact with others, relating to them in useful ways and then contributing to the common welfare (Henry T. Stein 1997).The intellectual capabilities include understanding others points of view and needs, accepting common sense over private logic and recognizing the interdependency of people. Appreciating the contributions of others and reasoning with a view to the immediate and future social consequences. The emotional capabilities include empathy for others, feeling connected with others and the ability to feel and express acceptance, liking and love for others. In relation to the environment, or our â€Å"Style of life†, there are both attitudinal and motivational capacities.The attitudinal capacities include feeling at home on earth, a sense of harmony with the universe and a deep identification with others. This also means letting go of the preoccupation of self and along with this comes a profound sense of belonging. The motiva tional capacities include sustaining an active, creative and generous interest in the welfare of others. Contributing significantly to the community and making unconditional, ongoing, spontaneous and positive social effort. The feeling of community is not manifest as mere conformity rather it implies a constant striving for improvement and correction toward an ideal community for all.From an Adlerian point of view, genuine ethics are a result of a high level of the â€Å"Feeling of community† and are a reflection of optimum mental health. Harold Mosak (1995) identified five underlying assumptions to the Adlerian theory. A) The individual is unique, b) the individual is self consistent, c) the individual is responsible, d) the person is creative, an actor, a chooser, and e) people in a soft deterministic way can direct their own destinies (Mosak, 1995, p87). This is basically the identification of what we are born with.The understanding is however that mental ill health occurs when these are not properly nurtured with a view towards enriching the community as a whole. We now can start painting a clearer picture of unhealthy functioning in an individual. A sense of inferiority is an indicator of mental ill health, this of course, only being a symptom of the larger problem, that being â€Å"Self-obsession†. Self-obsession occurs when there is a lack in the feeling of community. Another indicator is when strivings are for the individual’s greater glory and not for the purpose of overcoming life’s difficulties.If the individual is not engaged in striving for self-realization, in contribution to humanity and making the world a better place to live then harmony cannot be present mentally. The role of environment in attaining mental health is paramount. In redirecting the client toward a fulfilling life one is teaching them the importance of a holistic approach. A very simplistic example would be if a client were living in an unhealthy situ ation, perhaps above a club. They need a fair amount of peace in order to study but find it impossible in the current situation.They then stay out all night at libraries in order to find the peace they need but not getting the rest they need to regenerate with all the traveling. This is an extremely simplistic example illustrating a domino effect. The rest of the client’s affairs will start falling apart as they try to keep up with not having had enough sleep. Another little pearl of wisdom here would be â€Å"If you keep doing the things you are doing, you will keep on getting the results that you’re getting†.Now their motivation for moving away might be that they cannot afford to move away. A suggestion would be to share a residence on a communal basis where the necessary structure is present. A small change, as inconsequential as it may seem, has the power of positivity behind it. It spurs on further change in the â€Å"Style of Life†. Adler maintained that human beings were born teleological. His primary example being, that of an infant who as a result of its initial helplessness feels inferior and strives to overcome that by developing to a higher level.Feeling inferior and compensating for that by way of development is the dynamic force behind the motivation, which propels the individual throughout life. This process, as Adler stated, begins in infancy where the child is aware of others who are larger and stronger than they are. In order to survive and attain our goals we must strive forward. Adler described these as minus situations where children compared themselves to older children or adults. The inferiority feelings then become the motivation for striving towards plus situations.Adler said that individuals were not always guided in their actions by reality but also by fictitious goals. Hence the Adlerian concept of the final goal, a fictional creation, an imagined ideal situation that guides a person in the present. The f inal goal is the result of a process that is unique to each individual, a process that Adler calls â€Å"Private Logic†. The process, by which we overcome the obstacles in our way, was coined by Adler as â€Å"Style of Life†. This pattern is generally set by the time we are 6 or 7 years old and is quite difficult to change thereafter.Using Adler’s definition of 3 broad categories of people in terms of neurosis we will illustrate how these two different types encounter and overcome obstacles. Subject A is a Ruling Type (Dr George C. Boeree (2005). They are from early years characterized by their overwhelming need to win. Subject A’s method of overcoming an obstacle will more than likely be confrontational and aggressive. There is no doubt, however, that this obstacle will be overcome but without regard for the consequences. Subject B is categorized as an Avoiding Type (Dr George C.Boeree), perhaps self-explanatory. They only live life through avoidance and as a result never actually grow. As a result of this lack of growth, this type may eventually succumb to psychosis and then retreat within themselves. This was a very simplistic example but serves to highlight the extremes between individual responses. An important skill we have from infancy is the ability to elicit care from others. First and foremost an infant is born physically appealing to its caregiver and has very effective ways of eliciting care.Crying is the most emotive way of eliciting care and is very seldom ignored. If the crying of an infant carries on for an extended period of time then the adult becomes anxious and panicky. This almost certainly ensures that the infant receives the care it needs. Crying is used throughout our lives as a means of manipulation or eliciting care from others. The basic summation here is that manipulation in any form makes up part of our daily interactions with other people. An example would be a teenager seeking a later curfew, citing th eir friend curfews as examples.The Coup de Grace being â€Å"The other parents trust their children† or â€Å"You don’t love me†. Both of these are extremely emotive to parents. Humans by nature are sybaritic and such a sense of community needs to be nurtured and developed throughout their lives. Alfred Adler himself was an early follower of Freud, breaking away later due to the disparities in their particular theories. This perhaps illustrates that there is no holistic method of psychotherapy yet and that perhaps a combination of all the most pertinent types is actually the path one should be following.This is certainly debatable, especially to devotees of either end of the spectrum. The evidence however points to an infinite spectrum of complexity in the human psyche, one which we are perhaps no closer to approaching with any real insight. The Adlerian theory however was a breakthrough in it’s time with aspects such as labeling us individuals which brou ght about a more effective approach to psychotherapy. There is no one set way of treating everyone and the closer to personal the experience of psychotherapy is brought, the closer a solution you get.This is perhaps a simplistic summary of what is essentially a complex theory with many components but the central theme for Alfred Adler was, unlike Freud, he did not believe that our only drives were basic and animalistic. This is a solid argument based on the fact that we are sentient beings with the ability to reason and therefore are able to direct our destinies to a large degree. The study of human behavior is ongoing; call it a â€Å"Work in progress†. All theories and studies will have an impact on psychotherapy as we know it, by its very nature continuing to evolve as we do.

About His Person Analysis Essay

â€Å"About his person†, suggests that this poem is about what is found about the person of a dead corpse. It also follows the theme of identity because we as the reader are attempting to analyse the poem to find out the corpse’s characteristics and why he died. â€Å"About he person†, can also be linked to us because we are made to think about what makes up our own personal image. My first observation about the poem is the fact that it is spilt into two line couplets. This could be linked to the content because the lines are short which could represent his short life, but they also give the impression of a list, which ties into the fact that the poem is basically a catalogue of what was found on the body. Stanza one says that the corpse had exactly five pounds fifty in change. This in itself is strange because it isn’t normal to carry around that exact amount of money. The comma on line one helps to exaggerate the fact that this isn’t normal and we are mad to think of possible reasons for him having this money. The next line shows that a library card was found on the corpse and that it was on its date of expiry. This could symbolise that his life has ended or that his life, like the card, is no longer any good. The next stanza is about a post card that was found. The card has been stamped and franked which means it is basically ready to send, but nothing has been written on it. This could definitely be a metaphor for his life, it has finished but he hasn’t done anything with it. The commas in this section make us read the words slower and help us to realise something wrong with the post card. Stanza three is all about this person’s diary. It has been slashed from March 24th to the 1st April. This could have been his last week alive and the person could have died on April fools day, which could suggest a poor practical joke. It may also show that this person life was a joke and was meaningless. Stanza four is a very interesting part of the poem. It says that the corpse is found with a brace of keys for a mortise lock. The word brace is symbolic  for his death because when you kill foul you would normally end up with a brace of birds. The mortise lock suggests that his life was very complicated because mortise locks are complicated lock mechanisms. The next line describes that the man was carrying a stopped analogue watch. This is very symbolic of his death because time has stopped for the watch and for this person. The line is also written with commas between the words. This makes us read the words like the ticking of a clock, which is slowly dieing and eventually stops. Stanza five contains the line, â€Å"A final demand.† This is normally a letter you get when you owe bank money. This would suggest that this man was so badly in debt that he killed himself. The next line could also prove this meaning because he was holding the final demand in his own hand and died because of the letter, but there is a different meaning to this stanza. â€Å"In his own hand,† could mean that the final demand was written in his handwriting. This would mean that he has written his final demand to the world that may mean the letter was some kind or suicide note. Stanzas six and seven, link in with stanza five and helps to prove my last idea. The final demand is an explanation of why he committed suicide and has been put in his hand like a flower that has been beheaded. This flower could also be a metaphor for his death because the flower is dead but it could also reflect the reason for his death. I presume that this person has killed himself because of a relationship, this means that he would have probably lost something beautiful form his life, like his wife. This is the same with the flower because it has lost its beautiful head. The next line a shopping list, links in with the fact that he has exactly five pounds fifty in change. He could have the exact money needed for what is on this list. This ties in with stanza four and the mortise lock because this person has a complicated life and this is shown by counting out the exact money needed for what is on his list. Most people would take excess money to the shops but this person has to complicate things. Stanza eight shows that a giveaway photo was found inside this person’s wallet and that it was a very precious and treasured thing to the owner. The  fact that this is a giveaway photo may mean that it meant nothing to the person in the picture but the fact that this is now banked in the heart of a locket shows it was very important to the dead man. It may be of his partner who is now dead which would make it even more treasured. The photo is described as being stashed and banked which shows how important it was to this person and how he tried to keep it safe. The last two stanzas are very much liked together. The first is saying that there is no gold or silver wedding ring on his finger but instead crowing one finger is a weathered spot where a ring used to be. The fact that the word crowing is used means that this was extremely important to the wearer and has a royal quality to it. The last line has two possible meanings that I can see. The first being,† that was everything,† as being the end of list and that was all that was found on the dead body. The other could mean that the ring of unweathered skin was everything. The ring less finger could be the reason for the suicide. This person could have lost his wife and so killed himself. While reading the poem I also get the feeling that this man didn’t commit suicide because of the death of his wife. I think that someone could have murdered this person and then his ring was stolen. I get this feeling for a number of different reasons. The first being that his analogue self-winding watch has stopped, it should continue to work because it is self-winding but instead it has been brought to an end. This is how I see this person’s death, he wasn’t supposed to die, but still his life has come to an end. I think that the watch was probably damaged during a fight of some sort and then gradually died. I also think that this person could have been murdered because his note of explanation has been planted in his hand. This could mean that the note was planted because this links with the spray carnation, which is a flower, or it could have been planted on the body, in his hand, by the murderer. The final piece of evidence I see for the murder is that there was giveaway photo in his wallet. This could be a giveaway photo as I have already said or it could be a photo that gives away the identity of the killer or some information on the crime. Overall I think that this poem shows a lonely guy who due to desperation has killed himself because of the death or divorce of his greatly loved partner. That’s why I would agree that the ring of white unweathered skin, â€Å"That was everything.†

Governments Position Towards Legalization of Marijuana Research Paper

Governments Position Towards Legalization of Marijuana - Research Paper Example These positive attributes include medical value and recreational use. Most of the Americans who use marijuana do so because they have made deliberate and conscious decisions to use it. Facts show that most of these American prefer using marijuana as a way of relaxing (Morgan 27). They say that it serves them better than when they use alcohol. There are many others who use it as a way of relieving pain and spasticity. These are individuals who have tried the conventional medicines, but the modern medicines have not served them. Most of the users of marijuana say that they have made an observation that it has a low dependence liability and that it has got minimal side effects which are easy to manage (Kenworthy 29); therefore, it makes sense to make that drug legal (Varney 4). Those who use marijuana for a significant amount of time develop a tolerance for its side effects. In case some of these people fail to develop this tolerance, they opt to stop using the drug. Most of the America ns who use marijuana have a truly informed consent before making a decision to use the drug. This is because they consider that using marijuana has more benefits compared to the risks of using the same drug. Marijuana can support many vital government programs if it is taxed (Kenworthy 29). This is because the drug is extremely expensive, at the moment, for the American justice system. When the law enforcing agents arrest about 800,000 Americans per year because of either using or possessing the drug, they forego there are beneficial programs in order to do this (Turnlund 19). All these individuals are then taken to court, and it takes a lot of time before all these cases can be disposed. This is what it means to say that the use of marijuana is too expensive to the American justice system (Morgan 27). All these people cause the American jail to be clogged, and jail space is wasted.

4Ps of Gap 360 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

4Ps of Gap 360 - Essay Example any not only provides service by providing tour plans but also does provides many other services to make the trip of the customers very pleasant and also to satisfy the customer’s needs and wishes (Hoffmann, 2008, pp.87-96). The various other services that the company offers to the customers are like providing good accommodations, good transport facilities etc. which are comfortable and also affordable for the customers. It also provides complementary meals to its customer’s on the trip like on Monday it provides a welcome dinner and a drink, on Tuesday it provides the Lunch in the same way different other meals on different days of the weak on the trip to Australia (Leader and Kyritsis, 1994, pp. 94-103). The company’s biggest competitive advantage over other companies is that it provides tour packages in a varied forms and it has the flexibility to change its plans as per the customers’ demands as a result of which the customers get lots of advantage in planning their trips based on their budget and also preference of location. Price plays a big role in this competitive market environment, with huge number of competitors existing in every industry customers have lots of options to choose among the various companies and products available in the market. The price set by the Gap 360 for various trips are basically customised one’s apart from that some of the cost for various trips are been listed below. Looking at the price ranges with the plans given by the company to the customers they are really very reasonable and affordable for the customers. This price of the plans encourages customers to come and take the services from Gap 360. The customer also gets profit by customising their tour plans as per their budget as a result of which it allows the customer to get their wish fulfilled and also this helps the company to achieve full customer satisfaction and also a good brand name in the market (Gap 360, 2014). The location at which the company is

Art history Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Art history - Essay Example Very little is known about the work or life of the painter. However, it is known that, during this time, the paintings were instrumental in both the Roman Catholic and the Orthodox churches. The painting was almost at the same time as the Madonna on the rocks by Leonardo Da Vinci and Titian Madonna of the house by Pesaro. These three paintings have the same composition of the virgin and the child (p. 204). The painting has several characters from the bible, the primary figures being the virgin and the child as the centerpiece. In this painting, the child (Christ) is borne on a litter that is decorated with rose petals which are red and white in color. This signifies a marriage between the church and Mary Ecclesia, the church and Christ himself. The litter on which the child sits is held up by two angels. This is an act in the painting is meant to create the hierarchy of the painting. Behind the image, there is a parapet which is white in color. Behind the parapet, John the Baptist and Jerome are reading a book. In the background, there is a rock which is surrounded by a river. This gives the painting a feeling of some movement. The background image also consists of several people praying. The background also shows a beautiful landscape with a lot of activities in the background (P, 216). In Madonna on the rocks, the painting shows a photo of the Virgin Mary, the child (Christ) and John the Baptist as an infant. In this piece, they are arranged in a triangular manner. The background has rocks but, has a distant landscape of water and mountains. In this painting, the Virgin Mary is the apex of the figure which forms the shape of a pyramid. The composition of this painting is almost similar to that of Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels. However, there are slight differences. This includes the Madonna and Child with Saints and Angels where the background is an open space while in the Madonna on the rocks the background is

ArelorMittal's policy in relation to dealing with cultural and social Essay

ArelorMittal's policy in relation to dealing with cultural and social environments - Essay Example Last year the company shipped more than quarter of million tons to the region. Renault has announced to set up a factory in Morocco to serve the customers of Europe and North Africa. The company has mills in Spain and France and supplies steel to Casablanca. ArcelorMittal has extended their footprints in Morocco which was identified as the potential country of the Maghreb region. In order to meet the requirements of Renaults, ArcelorMittal made serial deliveries to Melloussa from December, 2011. The company entered into agreements with leading appliance producing corporations and ensured supply of steel for the production process. To offer steel to the oil and gas industry the company is refining the products as well as identifying the existing steels which are suited for the energy sector. New markets are opening up for the company on the edges of Europe. Turkey is one such country. France and Canada are some of the countries where ArcelorMittal has entered. The company also has ope rations in Brazil and Mexico. Altogether the presence of the company is in 60 countries worldwide. Problems in integrating business The company needs to shift beyond the good intensions on social issues and turn the words into deeds. Although the company plays its part in corporate social responsibility it continues to pollute the environment. According to the new report of Global Action on ArcelorMittal the company risks the lives and displaces local communities. The resettlement plans for the local people were unclear while the company started iron ore mining operations in Nimba County, Liberia (ArcelorMittal Group-a, 2012, pp. 21-24). The people were deprived from permanent employment in the mine and posed a threat o the Mount Nimba Nature Reserve. According to the authorities of the Friends of the Earth Liberia the lack of transparency in the management is a concern when one studies the track records of the company on other countries. The residents of Eastern Europe and South Af rica complain that the company has done little in reducing the high levels of air pollution. The approach of the company towards reduction of air pollution has not been effective although several meetings were conducted with the local communities (ArcelorMittal Group, 2010, pp. 14-15). The European steel plants of ArcelorMittal benefited from huge amount of loans directed to them from the International Finance Corporation but the area of reducing pollution still remains ignored. The safety investments of ArcelorMittal have remained unchanged for Kazakhstan for quite a long time. In spite of the health and safety projects 35 miners lost their lives in the mines of the company in 2008 in two separate incidents. The city of Temirtau is chocked with pollution even now. Questions can be raised regarding the ethics of the company. The company established a mechanism for the employees with which they can raise their concerns against an issue in the working environment (ArcelorMittal-a, 201 2). The procedures are confidential and whistle blowing. The trade unions also work for the purpose of upgrading the safety requirements. The company grievance mechanisms were developed to be in line with the principles of human rights and business of United States. Exit from the market In order to cut down the debt problems, ArcelorMittal took the initiative in scaling down the investments

Business Strategy High School Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Business Strategy High School - Essay Example Their size has left them vulnerable to more flexible competition that can produce at a lower cost. Opportunities: They have an ideal opportunity to substantially expand their market share in the cordless market. Though the distributor network is currently a weak spot, Smith and White has an opportunity to restructure their distribution to their benefit. Their large size and brand recognition would give them the opportunity to form channel partnerships or enter direct marketing outlets such as through a web site. Threats: Their largest competitor, Makatume, can compete on price. Makatume has older battery technology, but has the cost structure to develop new technology, enter that market, and pre-empt Smith and White. Smith and White would be forced into a follower position on technology and price. Also, Able is on the horizon with a strong cordless product. They have been seeking a buyout or merger, which could reinvigorate them as a major threat. There are also several smaller companies that have no barriers to expanding and innovating. Smith and White needs to take 3 aggressive actions: Reduce costs, enter the battery market, and differentiate the professional line. This would be accomplished by making the professional and consumer lines separate business units. Relocate the manufacturing of the professional line to a lower cost environment. Develop a superior cordless line for the professional products to compete directly with Makatume and re-brand it with a similar but more robust image. The rebranding would have the required fundamental changes to the product to create a positive market acceptance (DeYoung 2006). The brand recognition and battery technology would differentiate the product. This would hold off the need to compete on price (Day & Reibstein 1997 p.36). Smith and White would be in a superior position with newer technology and higher voltages. Smith and White should then use the battery technology and transfer it to their consumer brands and take market share from Able Co. These products could be sold through distributor partners. Resources would need to be dedicated to rebuilding the distributor relationship, but this will be vital. The long-range plans would include renovation or relocation of the consumer business to a lower cost area. SWOT Analysis: Strategic Planning Makatume Strengths: Makatume's dominant place in Japan's market gives them a great force for entry into the US market. They can easily increase their revenue by capturing shares of the US market. They would not be in a position to need to spend resources protecting an existing position. They also have the advantage of their new plants and their low cost structure. Their dedication to the professional market has simplified development and marketing. Weaknesses: Though their dedication to the professional line can be a strength, it is also a limitation. It limits the market and restricts the outlets. Their current battery design is old and needs redeveloped. This will drain resources in the near term. They also suffer from low brand recognition in the US. Threats: The most immediate threat is the exchange rate fluctuation. It may make it difficult to borrow or finance any expansion. They are also threatened by the several competitors that have a small market share. Makatume has no particular advantage over them.

The four agreements by don miguel ruiz Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

The four agreements by don miguel ruiz - Essay Example Dreams signify freedom. But our dreams are hardly unfettered, they are bound by the collective dreams of the family, country and religion and in the end most of us are domesticated like the animals we know, doing a lot of activities, without quite knowing why we are doing it. The general Theme of the Book is that most of the Truths in life are self evident and simple. We are unable to get to them because we create chaos and muddy the picture. Most of the solutions to various problems are within us. Also most of the problems are created by us too. The simple underlying fact of the book is that if we can make some simple but very substantive agreements with ourselves, we most certainly be more enlightened and bring happiness to ourselves and others. In this first of agreements, the focus is on one thing. It is one's word. Miguel Ruiz shows us that it is something which is very powerful and cannot be trifled with. The word is more than just an utterance. Indeed Bible has put the Word before everything1. Of course there it meant the eternal word of God. But even our words though at a lot lower level , still have a tremendous amount of power. It is who you are and what you feel. It is how you impact this world. Words have the power to create great good as it can create great evil. Miguel uses Hitler's rise as an example of how somebody's words caused not only to his country but to the World. Miguel likens the spoken word to a spell. And indeed words have the innate power to become self fulfilling prophecies. What one says, many times one believes, but it is more than that. The people who listen to us and respect us believe us when we say something. A word said in anger or frustration can have a life long impact on a child. But wha t does impeccability mean. Though it literally translates as being without sin, what Miguel means by it is word said without judgment and without anger. And the judgment has to be said aside not just for others but for oneself too. Miguel does say that even if caustic words are said about others by you, you are only reflecting on yourself. Though you cause damage to others by use of such words, you cause similar if not more damage to yourself. By doing that. Words are never spoken in vacuum. Indeed if you say a word in anger, they most likely will respond back with a word of anger. But a word of love and kindness will get back the same response. Miguel uses a phrase over here called "emotional poison". It is difficult not to notice, how drained we are after an argument or after loosing our temper, and there is an opposite feeling after pleasant words full of love and kindness have been uttered. By an extension of this gossiping is the vilest form of poison. It obviously hurts its in tended target, but if you are a part of it, it can cause intense damage to you, even if it is totally un true. Poison once mixed in water will mix through and everybody who drinks it will suffer from it. Miguel likens gossip to a computer virus, a small entity but with a potential of very large damage. What words you speak create a fertile environment for similar thoughts in your mind. A person constantly using impeccable words will always have a mind free of emotional poison. The Second Agreement Don't Take Anything Personally The second agreement presents a very interesting argument. Do not take anything personally. Indeed, even if somebody puts

The Road Taken Essay Example for Free

The Road Taken Essay Literature is the expression of thoughts, ideas, or feelings someone may have and can either be written or spoken. Often times we become part of the literature in a way to try to understand what the message is that the author is trying to provide to us. The literary work that I have chosen was a poem written by Robert Frost in 1916 titled, The Road Not Taken. There were a few reasons why this piece of literary work captured by interest and the first was that in High School we spent a week provided our analysis on this piece. It caught my interest based on the genre. Poetry is a type of literature that is open to interpretation and there is truly no right and wrong answer so it gives me the opportunity to analyze it without there truly being a right or wrong answer, I would have to back up my opinion with facts. What also caught my attention was the use of tone, symbolism, and imagination. My feelings on the tone over time have changed and I feel that the tone is more depressive. I can apply what I feel the meaning of the poem which to me means the journey we take in life and the choices we make and how we look back at them. Secondly the use of symbolism can be seen throughout the entire poem and can be applied to everyones life. Imagination can be tied with the symbolism, Robert Frost use of imagination gives the poem meaning and allows us to engage in identify with his meaning is and is trying to portray to us. One of the analytical approaches in Journey into Literature written by Clungston (2010), is a reader-response approach. It is a way to find a personal link with the poem but there is more to this approach, there are a few questions that we need to ask in order to develop a critical analysis of the work. What captured your imagination? Was it a feeling, an emotion, a  curiosity, or an aspiration? Did it involve a desire to escape a past or present association? What motivation or change did my connection with this piece of literature create in my thinking? In my relationships? What connections can I make between this piece of literature and others that I’ve read? Did my â€Å"connection† reinforce things I knew or add new insights? These are the questions that need to be answered prior to proceeding with a critical analysis essay of a particular piece of literature. The poem The Road Not Taken, written by Robert Frost is a poem which consist of four stanzas that each contain fives lines. What first drew me in was the symbolism and imagination which caused me to develop a personal and emotional connection to the poem. I developed a personal connection with the poem from the first stanza. Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And sorry I could not travel both And be one traveler (Frost, 1916). His use of symbolism can be seen in this verse meaning the decisions people make in life or the unique path we all travel in life. He then proceeds to tell us how he is thinking about his decisions prior to making it and trying to weigh the options and try to determine the outcomes. long I stood And looked down one as far as I could To where it bent in the undergrowth (Frost, 1916). In the poem Frost describes how he looks down both paths and how one looked better than the other but both are about the same. What I believe Frost is saying that both choices look good and that one may be better than the other but both have been followed. I shall be telling this with a sigh Somewhere ages and ages hence: Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference (Frost, 1916). In this his last stanza he tells us that in the future he knows that we would look back and with a sigh that he took the road less traveled meaning that he made a choice that many do not make but this made all the difference. Now when I read the line I took the one less traveled by, (Frost, 1916) and I look at the title I begin to wonder why the title is not The Road Less Traveled. The poem does leave a lingering sense of melancholy mystery in my mind and I think both the sigh and title express this. I believe that Frost regrets the decision he has made this is why he would refer back to the road he did take. Also with the title The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost se ems fixated on what is down that path that he did not  take. Robert Frost has left this poem open to many different interpretations. I believe that everyone can find their own meaning to this poem based on their life experiences. Based on his use of metaphors, symbols, and imagination, he leaves the meaning open to the reader. References Clugston, R. W. (2010). Journey into literature. San Diego, California: Bridgepoint Education, Inc. Frost, R. (1993). The road not taken, and other poems. New York: Dover Publications.

Starbucks Micro and Macro Environment

Starbucks Micro and Macro Environment For any organisation survival depends on its surrounding environment located. It means the trends in political, economical, social, technological, environmental and legal environment, which can influence business. Below the environmental factors are described (P)olitical Issues: Taxation policy If government imposed high tax on farmers in countries producing coffee bean from where Starbucks buy their coffee, than Starbucks needs to pay higher price for their coffee they purchase. This effect will ultimately pass to the customer, because they need to higher price. Government stability Starbucks should carefully investigate the political stability of any country before they want to plan for expand to. It can affect in taxation and legislation when the government change. International stability The global economy must be carried into attention as it can affect Starbucks sales and markets. Employment law A decrease in licensing and permit costs in those countries producing the coffee bean for Starbucks will lower the production costs for farmers. (E)conomic Issues: Interest rates An increase in interest rates means investment and expansion. And also mortgage repayments rate will rise so customers have less money to spend on luxury products such as coffee. Low interest rates have the reverse effect. Economic Growth If economic growth is low in the country of location of Starbucks then sales will fall down. Customer incomes tend to go down in periods of negative growth leaving less money to spend. Inflation rates Inflation is a term for increasing prices. It is measure by using Retail Price Index (RPI) in the UK. Competitors pricing Aggressive pricing and sales from competitors creates a price war for Starbucks, which can drive down. (S)ocial Issues: Population demographics They need to identify and target their customers to aim their products on them. Attitude to work They have to find area where local population have high attitude to work. So their recruitment will be easy, training will be effective and staff turnover will be low. Standard of education/skills Creating new premises Starbucks needs to look for standards of education and skills locally. They must be up to date in order to make any business operation successful. Working conditions/health and safety They must accomplished high standard of friendly environment and follows health and safety. Location this is a major factor it should be in a easy access for both customers and staffs. (T)echnological Issus: IT development Starbucks is well aware to extend and improve its Internet facilities and also tools to target customers, analyse data, and deliver new features to the market in the shortest time. New equipments and processes The technology like as coffee making machines and the computers system development that Starbucks use to operate their till registers will enable their staff to work more quickly and efficiently. Research and Development activity Starbucks has huge budget and have allocated the resources to have accurate Research and Development data. (L)egal: Trade and product restrictions Starbucks have to ensure they dont violate laws e.g., religious laws. Also they have to be attentive on the tariffs have to paid for import / export goods. Employment law Each country has some restrictions on employment laws. Like student work law in UK, the public holidays etc. Starbucks have to account these factors. (E)nvironmental Issues: Pollution problems Customers increase a lot of rubbish that they leave the shop with their cup of coffee and then also leave it in the street. So the packaging for the cup should be carefully accounted to make it environmental friendly. Work disposal Starbucks have to carefully consider the process to dispose rubbish as there are strict laws in most countries. Micro analysis or Michael Porters five forces analysis Michael Porters has developed a famous model of the five competitive forces in his book. The competitive strategy that techniques he analysed for organizations and competitors. It tends to high light on single, stand along and business or strategic business unit rather than a single product or product range in the market. Porter has specified these five competitive forces that form every company and every market. These are: Threat of new entrance Bargaining power of suppliers The threat of substitute products Bargaining power of customers Competitive rivalry Threat of new entrance Economics of scale, high or low entry cost, ease access to the distribution channel; other cost advantages are not associated to the size of the company, whether other competitors will react. There will always be a continuous pressure for Starbucks to respond and regulate these new competitors. The easier it is for new competitor to enter the market the more competition there is within the market. Although this should not be a problem for Starbucks as they have a large number of market share. Literally, it will be a threat for the new entrants. As a companys volume increases, so does its experience and knowledge, which tends to increase the potential risk for the new competitors. Bargaining power of suppliers If little large number of suppliers control the market more than large number of fragment sources, bargaining power of supplier is expected to be high. Even suppliers got certain quantities of power that is limited. But for Starbucks being the most famous specialty coffee shop chain in the world reaching sales of $9.8 billion in 2009 and still increasing they still should be demanding coffee beans for some time. It is legal to say that the Suppliers need Starbucks, just as much, if not more so than Starbucks need their supplies. The suppliers of Arabica beans were mostly owned by medium-size farm and typically sold their production to process by local markets. (Lee, 2007) Particularly, these farms had been placed in the Pacific Rim, Latin America and East Africa. (Lee, 2007) These farms were various and not related with one another, with separation, providing them small bargaining power. Even there was no straight alternative for the Arabica beans which had been use in special coffee production. Huge group of farms which had been supply the crop processed it easy for buyers to escape burdens to any specific farmer, which was difficult for suppliers. The farmers sold the Arabica beans to specialty coffee retailers who were reliant upon their constant business. Luckily for Starbucks they buy their coffee beans directly from producing countries: Latin America (50%), Pacific Rim (35%) and East Africa (15%). Threat of substitute of products It occurs when there is a product-for-product replacement or substitution of need. For example bald head reduces the need for hair gel, where there is common substitution and finally the attitude we could always do without . An example for Starbucks would be if an alternative to coffee was offered e.g. a customer switching from coffee to tea, coffee to chill drinks or coffee to juice. Competitive rivalry: contribute to strong rivalry between existing competitors in an industry. Bargain power of buyers Buyer power is likely to be high if a number of circumstances are in place. There is an awareness of buyers, additionally if the volumes of purchases of the buyers are high, the supplying industry includes a large number of small operators, there are substitute sources of supply, the component or material cost is a high percentage of total cost, the cost of switching a supplier is low or engages little risk, there is always a risk of backward integration by the buyer. Competitive rivalry Every day competitions are growing gradually against the Starbucks as the business growth. Competitors taking chance to reduce the price, introducing a rival product, insistent growth of production to enhance the market share. Starbucks significant innovation their products which also competitors start to keep up. It is very hard for Starbucks as a competitor to keep the fixed cost against the variable cost. Starbucks dont have any other competitive rivals that are of parallel size to them. So there are not any competitors in the market that would be measured in balance with them. However, they must retain their outstanding standards and always be on the watch out for new advances in order to survive as the market leader. SWOT analysis Aim of SWOT analysis is to identify the main internal and external factors that are very significant to achieve the objective. It is essential to be realistic about the strengths and weaknesses to help differentiate the companys situation are today, and where it could be in the future. The strengths and weaknesses are named internal factors and external factors are opportunity and threats. (S)trengths It is a global coffee brand with a high reputation for excellent products and services It has around 17,000 stores in 49 countries.ÂÂ   It has strong ethical values, commitment towards the environment and community activists. It is one of the most Top 100 companies which is work for in 2005 Starbucks Gift Cards, Starbucks Card and rewards. Well-value, well train and well-motivated employees, best working place Established logo, developed brand image, copyrights, own trademarks, website and patents. (W)eaknesses It has majority market share in the USA with more than three quarters of its stores located in the domestic market. In order to reduce business risk, expansion is needed. It has a reputation for trying new products development and creativity. But, they always remain vulnerable to the possibility that their innovation can go wrong. (O)pportunity It has a chance to expand its global operations. Co-branding with other manufacturers of food and drink and brand franchising to other manufacturers of other products and services both has high potentiality of success rate. Technological advantage Emerging multinational markets New distribution channels Supply agreements (T)hreats Its success has lead many competitors and copycat brands pose potential threats for market entry. Starbucks is exposed to increases the cost of coffee and dairy products. Farmers are poorly treated by false publicity in supplying countries. Fragile state of worldwide production for specialty coffees. Isolation of younger, domestic market segments. Cultural and Political factors in foreign countries. Marketing objective and strategy Now we can identify external and internal factors of the company. Starbucks marketing objectives are being consistent with their business objectives. Significantly their marketing objectives should direct to sale. The marketing objectives should follow SMART objectives. SMART objectives are: Specific: organizations objective need to be identify what they want to achieve. Measurable: organization has to measure whether they are meeting the objectives or losing to do so. Achievable: objectives should be set, achievable and realistic. Realistic: The firm is expected to attain the objectives with the resources available. Timed: A timescale require being place for achieving the objectives. The 7th of September in 2010, the company has announced that they expand distribution of Starbucks about 13,000 stores are available at more than 55,000 locations around all over the world. Starbucks is increasing its share of the $23 billion international coffee market. (VIAÂÂ ® Ready Brew through international grocery channels in Japan, Canada and the U.K.) Starbucks has stores in forty nine different countries as well as Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Thailand, and Singapore (Starbucks 2010). And in the U.K. total 80% coffee are selling every day, the product will be available in 2,300 grocery retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury and Waitrose, raising the total figure of distribution locations to more than 2,900 retail locations. At present, Starbucks has expended stores in forty nine different countries as well as Canada, United Kingdom, Australia, Thailand, and Singapore (Starbucks 2010). Starbucks consider which is important to have a good relationship with their customers wherever they are situated. Thats why; the company maintain the high quality products and services. This company would not be as successful as they are now. Because they are being considered without diversity as they pride it. They are identified to be recognising of various groups of people because they convey in notes for new growth prospect. Jim Donald, President and CEO of the Starbucks Corporation states, When we embrace diversity, we succeed (www.starbucks.com). Starbucks consider that without change, their company would not have matured into the highly successful global company that it has matured into today.

Analysing Mearsheimers Critique Of Structural Realism Politics Essay

Analysing Mearsheimers Critique Of Structural Realism Politics Essay As discussed in the last section the Waltzian model of realism has had profound effects on international relations theory. However, even fellow realists have found problems and inconsistencies with Waltzs structural realism. John Mearsheimer is one of these theorists. He uses and adapts on Waltzs theory to paint a much more pessimistic and altogether darker picture of International relations theory. He expands on Waltzs idea of structure causing behaviour, but he rejects the status quo bias in Waltzs theory. (Mearsheimer, 2001, p. 20) Instead he favours a more aggressive form of state interaction forced by anarchic systems which lead states to become hegemonies. Mearsheimer still refers to himself as a structural realist because his assumptions are based on states acting in an anarchic system. While he uses Waltzs theory of structure he does have serious reservations about defensive realisms theoretical usefulness: Realist theories are invariably simple or parsimonious, which has an upside and a downside. Any simple theory, as we all know, can only explain so much about the world, because by definition it omits a variety of factors from its explanatory apparatus, and sometimes those factors matter a lot. (Mearsheimer, Booth, Wheeler, Williams, 2006, p. 107) He goes further to explain why this is a problem for Waltzs theory: My main problem with defensive realism is that it does not do a good job of explaining how the world actually works. It may be a good normative theory but it is not a good descriptive theory. (ibid., p. 111) Mearsheimer has attempted to rectify this problem by creating a new theory, or more accurately, amending the pre-existing theory. To do this he state the five key assumptions realism is based upon. The bulk of this section will attempt to critique his amendments to Waltzs structural realism and will attempt to show how they are also logically dubious. As stated in the previous section Waltz erred on the side of parsimony rather than providing a descriptive theory. (SÃ ¸rensen, 2011, p. 112) Mearsheimer starts his book with his five key assumptions, which he restates throughout his work. While he never explicitly ranks them, it is fair to say, based on his theory, that the following order is most important to least important. States are the key actors in World Politics and they operate in an anarchic system. Great powers invariably have some offensive military capability. States can never be certain whether other states have hostile intentions towards them. Great powers place a high premium on survival. States are rational actors who are reasonably effective at designing strategies that maximise their chances of survival. (ibid., pp. 362-363) Mearsheimer seems to add an addendum to his own work, that maximising chances for survival necessarily dictates that states are power-hungry. That they will attempt to gain power and try to achieve regional and perhaps global hegemony. He creates a set of mutually exclusive conditions tries to make them operate in concert to explain state behaviour. He claims in his book The Tragedy of Great Power Politics that the structure of the international system, not the particular characteristics of individual powers, causes them to think and act offensively and to seek hegemony. (ibid., p. 53) He argues that Waltzs self-help behaviour, created by security dilemmas within the international system, was not taken far enough. In anarchy the desire to survive encourages states to behave aggressively. (ibid., p. 54) He assumes that such behaviour does not accurately explain states primary motivation and that when given the opportunity that states will act to create superiority or hegemony. He make s very little effort to explain why an anarchic system forces these actions. He assumes that through a series of, arguably flawed, case studies that his reader will accept his assumption as an epistemological fact. This is counterintuitive when his first assumption of world politics tells that states act in anarchy. Mearsheimer explains that anarchy means that states have no higher authority above them. (2005, p. 2005) Hegemony is defined by Mearsheimer as a state that is so powerful that it dominates all the other states in the system. (2001, p. 40) This would then prioritize the hegemon and it would act as a higher authority in the international system. This could conceivably create a hierarchic international system. Mearsheimer rejects this, and contradicts the logical extension of his theoretical assumptions in the process, when describing the present international system; we are not moving towards a hierarchic international system, which would effectively mean some kind of world government. In fact, anarchy looks like it will be with us for a long time. (2001, p. 365) Mearsheimer seems to be suggesting throughout his work that the hegemon would not be an authority above the states but more of a primus inter pares. His reasoning for hegemonic growth is based in the security dilemma international relations presents. The ultimate goal being survival states will attempt to gain enough relative power that they cannot be threatened. (Wang, 2004, pp. 176-177) Nevertheless, there is still no compelling argument given to show how anarchy relates to hegemonic stability theory. This apparent contradiction between theoretical assumptions warrants further consideration. To provide a critique that is both succinct and effective it is reasonable to use a few fundamental shortcuts in the following examination. The first of these is that this critique will assume that Mearsheimers underlying theoretical assumptions are correct (within the reaches of his own theory). In particular his first assumption that the structure of world politics is anarchical and the underlying premise of his work that states seek power to enhance security and that hegemony is the ultimate goal are the two theoretical assumptions that will be focused on. The second is to assume that he is correct when he labels America as a regional hegemony. It is important to note that neither of these conditions are as clear cut or simple as Mearsheimer would seem to believe, indeed the first will be challenged throughout this section. The critique will be examining the relationship between the Europea n Union and America. It will question whether the primus inter pares relationship described above is real or if hegemonic stability theory is anathema to anarchic structures. To begin it should be noted that it is very hard to make the case that Europe is one homogenous entity subject to the same rules and responsibilities of a state. This argument is largely born as a hypothetical situation. The following situation is being used to demonstrate a logical inconsistency and contradiction within Mearsheimers theory. I intend to question Mearsheimers conception of state actions and anarchy. Without considering other influencing factors (given that almost all realists assume that states are the main actors) the main actor that will be discussed is Germany. The situation will use Mearsheimers own arguments regarding potential hegemonies and the actions existing hegemonies take to prevent their rise. Mearsheimer argues that economic and political interdependence would not be enough to secure the rise of Germany within Europe. (1994-1995, pp. 6-8) America is the deciding factor when it comes to preventing war in Europe. (ibid. 6-8, 47-49) This is the action of a hegemonic entity he argues. States that achieve regional Hegemony seek to prevent great powers in other regions from duplicating their feat. Thus the United States, for example, played a key role in preventing imperial Japan, Wilhelmine Germany, Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union from gaining regional supremacy. (Mearsheimer J. J., 2001, p. 41) He goes on to explain how this is relevant to the example: If a potential hegemon emerges among them, the other great powers in that region might be able to contain it by themselves, allowing the distant hegemon to remain safely on the sidelines. Of course, if the local great powers were unable to do the job, the distant hegemon would take the appropriate measures. (ibid., p. 41) Mearsheimer states that this form of state (it is worthwhile to point out that a hegemon is substantially different to a state this point will be expanded upon later in the section) behaviour is more about balancing power and preventing a potential threat becoming an actual threat. This is broadly in keeping with realist assumptions of state action. However, if the term balancing is replaced with policing, which is equally applicable, the action becomes problematic if the system is meant to remain anarchic. He does in fact explicitly state that the peace in Europe today, is the result of the American pacifier, not the establishment of a security community. (Mearsheimer, Booth, Wheeler, Williams, 2006, p. 116) This is not the role of a hegemonic balancing act. It is the imposition of order by the hegemon on other states. There is an argument to be made that it does balance a perceived future threat, that argument is, however, unconvincing. The security dilemma does not stipulate that a state respond to an implied threat, the only response warranted is when there is a de facto threat. The degree of economic integration and interdependence in Europe necessarily precludes Germany from seeking power as it would lead to negative gain. Mearsheimer oddly goes further than this when discussing this problem I think you have peace in western Europe because there is a higher authority that maintains order. There is a 911 to call: the United States. (2006, p. 121) The contradiction becomes apparent; anarchy is the absence of a higher authority, hegemony is the imposition of it. There is little doubt that Mearsheimer would disagree with this interpretation of hegemony as he would regard America acting as a global policeman (absent the need to balance an aggressively growing potential hegemon) as ill advised and contrary to the underlying assumptions of his theory. (2001, pp. 50-51) The reason this example is so confused is also born out of a contradiction implicit within Mearsheimers work. Germany could never be a potential hegemon, irrespective of historical imperatives. The reasons for this are apparent in Mearsheimers own work the rational actor assumption would seem to stop a state from taking an action where the costs outweigh the potential gains. (ibid. p.37) This means, largely due to the level of economic interdependence that Germany is not likely to become an expansionistic power. The contradiction that comes out is that while the buffer that America provides (which Mearsheimer disagrees with profoundly (2006, pp. 118-121)) is not a response to a potential hegemon it is the imposition of hegemonic strength. However, this contradiction does not detract from the problem of hegemonic dominance necessarily translating the anarchic system into a hierarchical one. Quite aside from that particular theoretical inconsistency, there is a problem with Mearsheimers power lust vs. balancing theory. He has three conditions that control this form of state action: Great powers try to expand only when opportunities arise. They do so when the benefits clearly exceed the risks and costs. They will desist from expansion when blocked and wait for a more propitious moment (Snyder, 2002, p. 153) The causal root of this competitive balancing is deeply rooted in the structure (or so we are lead to believe) anarchy forces each state to assume a security dilemma. This is argument is never truly pursued in his work, it is assumed that the self-help nature that Ken Waltz puts forward and this security problem is the driver for the state action. When examined this explanation of state action is completely unsatisfactory. Richard Rosecrance explains the problem of this form of state action. At the turn of the century, the United States passed Great Britain without war. In economic terms, Japan moved ahead of the Soviet Union in 1983 but neither country was tempted to fight over the transition. The German rise vis-a-vis Britain at the end of the nineteenth century would not have been a problem had it not been that the Kaiser decided to build a great navy and challenge Britain both at home and overseas. If Germany had remained a land power as it opted to do under Bismarck it would not have caused British opposition or provoked an arms race. (2006, p. 32) Britain, from the mid 19th century to the start of the First World War was the regional hegemony. It had almost complete control of the sea and a huge empire to support itself. Both America and Wilhelmine Germany were potential regional hegemonies. Britain did not in any way try to challenge their growth. Similarly the Soviet Union did not balance the growing hegemony of Japan. This seems to ignore both the rational actor model and hegemonic stability theory, both of which are key parts Mearsheimers theory. Mearsheimers work on offensive realism is riddled with mutual exclusions and contradictions. It does still remain an interesting theory; it attempts to add broader explanatory assumptions to a set of normative principles. The problem is that the theory attempts to do too much. It tries to explain state motivations and actions as well as the outcomes produced. It, however, uses very narrow ontological assumptions to provide explanation. We are presented with the idea that states have a will to power driven by a security threat which is in turn driven by the anarchical system. Mearsheimer does not explain coherently why an anarchic structure forces states into such an aggressive competition, he serves it up as an epistemological fact and an eternal truth. With these problems in mind, it is also important to remember that Mearsheimer theory does cover some aspects of international relations. The addition of the rational actor model is likely a positive change in realist perspective, wit h the caveat that states can act irrationally at times. This section has provided a critique of Mearsheimers work using his own theories and examples. I have tried to remain as constant to Mearsheimers own theoretical assumptions as possible. While by no means conclusive it does serve to illustrate some severe problems with the theory that need to be rectified. The validity of his core assumptions are not what I have questioned, it is the underlying addition to these assumptions of hegemonic stability theory that I strongly disagree with. While Mearsheimer does give empirical evidence to support his claims, the validity of this evidence is up for debate.

The High Cost of Obesity :: Health

Today, as values of living continue to boost, weight increase and obesity are posing a rising threat to certain well-beings in countries all over the world. Obesity, now confirmed as a nationwide endemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is likely to get worse and amplify over time. â€Å"The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world by 2015 and more than 700 million of them will be obese† (Obesity: in Statistics, 2008, 2nd Statement). It is definite that most kids are inclined to eat junk food, and it is certain that most kids will become overweight as adults. About 15% of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years are overweight, which is an increase of 4% from the 1988-1994 NHANES study† (Chatterjee, Blakely, & Barton, 2005, p. 24). Statistics of obese persons in the United States alone are also greater in certain cultural and ethnic minority groups, especially African American and His panics. â€Å"Between 1986 and 1998, incidences of being overweight increased significantly among African American children by 21.5% and for Hispanic children by 21.8%. That is nearly almost  ¼ of the population! Among all low-income children, the prevalence of being overweight was found to be highest among Latino children by (12%) followed by Asian-Pacific Islander (9.6%), African American (7.8%) and Whites (7.1%)† (Chatterjee, Blakely, &Barton, 2005, p. 24,) â€Å"The total cost of obesity by some estimates is $100 billion annually. Others estimated the cost of health care for obesity alone is $70 billion† (Wellman, Friedberg, S705, 2002). Obesity and its economic costs stand on three levels. First, obesity can hurt a person financially, with doctor visits, and such. Secondly, obesity can cut into the costs of businesses (presuming the overweight are working, but they may not be, due to their state), due to lost efficiency. There is about 40 million workdays of productivity lost among overweight individuals. Other issues include non-attendance, underachievement, and raised insurance payments. (Wellman, Friedberg, 2002, p.705) Furthermore, being overweight has an effect on expenses by neighboring, state, and nationwide governments. Obesity is my topic of interest because as a future elementary teacher, I want to raise awareness of the consequences that obesity may have among children. I hope to teach all children the importance o f eating healthy so that they can become happy, healthy adults. Obesity is a huge problem that is strongly influenced by the sociological factors such media and the American culture. The High Cost of Obesity :: Health Today, as values of living continue to boost, weight increase and obesity are posing a rising threat to certain well-beings in countries all over the world. Obesity, now confirmed as a nationwide endemic by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is likely to get worse and amplify over time. â€Å"The World Health Organization (WHO) predicts there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world by 2015 and more than 700 million of them will be obese† (Obesity: in Statistics, 2008, 2nd Statement). It is definite that most kids are inclined to eat junk food, and it is certain that most kids will become overweight as adults. About 15% of children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years are overweight, which is an increase of 4% from the 1988-1994 NHANES study† (Chatterjee, Blakely, & Barton, 2005, p. 24). Statistics of obese persons in the United States alone are also greater in certain cultural and ethnic minority groups, especially African American and His panics. â€Å"Between 1986 and 1998, incidences of being overweight increased significantly among African American children by 21.5% and for Hispanic children by 21.8%. That is nearly almost  ¼ of the population! Among all low-income children, the prevalence of being overweight was found to be highest among Latino children by (12%) followed by Asian-Pacific Islander (9.6%), African American (7.8%) and Whites (7.1%)† (Chatterjee, Blakely, &Barton, 2005, p. 24,) â€Å"The total cost of obesity by some estimates is $100 billion annually. Others estimated the cost of health care for obesity alone is $70 billion† (Wellman, Friedberg, S705, 2002). Obesity and its economic costs stand on three levels. First, obesity can hurt a person financially, with doctor visits, and such. Secondly, obesity can cut into the costs of businesses (presuming the overweight are working, but they may not be, due to their state), due to lost efficiency. There is about 40 million workdays of productivity lost among overweight individuals. Other issues include non-attendance, underachievement, and raised insurance payments. (Wellman, Friedberg, 2002, p.705) Furthermore, being overweight has an effect on expenses by neighboring, state, and nationwide governments. Obesity is my topic of interest because as a future elementary teacher, I want to raise awareness of the consequences that obesity may have among children. I hope to teach all children the importance o f eating healthy so that they can become happy, healthy adults. Obesity is a huge problem that is strongly influenced by the sociological factors such media and the American culture.

Mission of God Essay -- The Bible, Genesis

Mission of God When one comes across the question â€Å"Who is God for them?† they could present a lot of definitions on what they think God is. To some, they would revere God as the Supreme Being that has created the whole universe in seven days. Some would note that He is the Loving, Caring, Sympathetic and Ever-Forgiving God that watches over us and guides us away from the darkness of our hearts. Many would state that He is the only Divine Being that everyone must obey and worship. This answer many vary if one comes from another religion, but all would agree that this God is a very special being that connects each and every one of us. But if one is asked the question â€Å"What do you think is God’s Personal Mission to us and to the world?† the answers may be unclear and even not be answered at all. This paper would try to answer this particular question by identifying and discussing the Mission of God through the passages in the Old and New Testament and the themes corresp onding to this Mission. This paper would also discuss the implications of the Mission of God to the contemporary Australian Church as an example of discussing the effects it has on the teachings of the Church. According to Jennings (2003), the mission of God can be traced from the first book of the Old Testament; the Book of Genesis. In summary, the first book tells readers how God began to create the world and the lives of the first humans He has watched, tested and protected. But looking closely in the first few chapters of the book, God presented his plans and mission for the world he has created in the first eleven chapters of this particular book. Jennings cited that God’s love is concentrated to His creations, especially in man; specifying his mission that He... ...rst travels after the time of Christ and how he came across the will of God and His mission. Most leaders in Jerusalem question the Gentiles and why they are accepted in the Church. But James, another disciple of Christ, remembered Jesus’s teachings from the books of Law, Prophets and Psalms from the Old Testament and prevented a massive argument from brewing between the Jews and Gentiles. Both authors speculate on how James got to remember this particular teaching of Christ but they both agree that James noted that the Word of God in form of the Gospel is not meant just for Jews but also for the Gentiles and other races that flock God’s church. (Wills, 1979) ; (Peters, 1972) Now that the mission of God is properly outlined in both the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, what are its implications upon the different churches that studied and valued its teachings?

Long-Term Effects of Global Tourism on Economy

Long-term effects of global tourism on economy Tourism is the travel tour activities which provides travelers leisure facilities and service industry. And it is also a kind of leisure entertainment that has complex social phenomenon, involves the politics, economy, culture, history, geography, law, and other social fields. Generally speaking, tourism has a profound impact for the country. Tourism gradually has become a prevalent activity all over the world. Compared to 2009, there were 1002 million international tourists in 2010, which increased 6. 6% over the last year. UNWTO, 2011) And then, according to the the United Nations World Tourism Organization’s (UNWTO) report, in the first two months of 2011, the number of International tourists arrivals rose by 5 per cent from 2010. (ibid) Furthermore, the benefits brought by the whole International tourist arrivals reached 442 million in 2010, which the annual average growth is 5. 6% from start of this century. (ibid) Overall, t ourism has shown the rapid growth and development in the past 10 years, which become one of the main sources of the world economy. There are several reasons led to the development of tourism.So this article will discuss the reason that cause the rise of worldwide tourism and the impact on the emerging economies. In fact, the tourism industry is developing rapidly in the 20th century. There are several reasons for this increase. First of all, is the improvement of the travel transportation technology. There are many ways to travel and these methods are widely used, it is possible to drive a car, take a ship or even ride on a bicycle. In addition, many cities have been connected up by the highway, which means that travel is more convenient, at the same time the ticket for air also decreases.Secondly, now people have more income for their own use, this is because part of the rising wages and part of the fall in goods’ prices. Meanwhile, there are a lot of families have a car and Dink family which has no children, it also saves a lot of money for them. Long-term effects of global tourism on economy These factors significantly increased possibility of them to be the tourists. Then, the increase of the holiday makes a great number of tourists choose mass tourism or join the tours, and the ecological tourism also became prevalent.Last but not least, the media, which have two types of media to attract visitors. On one hand, there are a lot of travel information is published in the newspapers, magazines and television programs. The ‘Island of Contrasts’ which is the largest island in the Canaries published a new web page on Facebook in January last year. After 4 weeks, the pages had more than 10,000 fans. Subsequently, the Tenerife Tourism Corporation has launched a Twitter and YouTube channel in order to attract more visitors’ attention. I Want Sun, 2011) With the development of the media and technology, the tourism company can takes full ad vantage of the convenience of the network to achieve the purpose to attract people’s attentions and allow the island became one of the hottest tourist destinations. In addition, the science and technology also can be used during a tour. According to Jaiswal’s white-paper, there are 5 technologies that are improving the quality of the tourism, which are â€Å"Mobile devices, Social Media, Location Based Services, Personalized Marketing (Behavioral Marketing) and Near Field Communications. (Jaiswal, 2012) These techniques provide a convenience to the passengers who are on their journey, some of them might achieve through the smart phones. Mobile communication technology has almost become an indispensable part of the tourism industry. The new mobile devices, smart phones like Blackberry, iphone, HTC or Samsung and tablet PCs like ipad are the most appropriate facilities to interact with tourists. (Jaiswal, 2012) For instance, people can use the mobile phones or computers to check-in or buy some duty-free goods when they at the airport.Then, tourists can plan their trip, entertain or explore on the plane with the Wi-Fi connection which a few airlines provide. Moreover, surfing the Internet or connect the Facebook share some news on the road, getting Wi-Fi and wired networks in the hotel. Nowadays, many tourists have spent their entire adult life in the digital Long-term effects of global tourism on economy products, they want their travel be information-based and personalized, in order to realize â€Å"any time, anywhere† travel.In recent years the tourism industry has become a prosperous industry all over the world, the economic benefit it brought greatly help those developing countries, and also made a great contribution to the emerging economies. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council’s (WTTC) latest Economic Impact Research shows that World Travel and Tourism continues to grow, despite the sustained economic challenges(W TTC(2), 2012). There are several main aspects. The first main benefit is the contribution to the Gross Domestic Product(GDP) by the Travel and Tourism.According to the â€Å"Economic Impact of Travel & Tourism 2012 Summary† by WTTC, the direct GDP in 2011 reached US $1,972. 8 billion by the tourism industry, which account 2. 8% of the whole GDP. In addition, WTTC estimated that GDP would rise and reach US $2082. 2billion in 2012(WTTC(1), 2012). This shows that the money came from the tourism activities like hotels, restaurants, transportation and so on. At the same time, this also showed the improvement of people's living standard and the money can be used to develop the infrastructures as well.Another benefit is increased employment, there is no doubt that the main point is to provide jobs to local people in the area of the tourist attractions. The report said that there were 98 million people were employed directly in 2011 because of the tourism industry all around the worl d(WTTC(2), 2012). This might be the biggest benefit for the tourism industry and the local citizens. Furthermore, being employed means there will have the opportunity to make money, not only for the industry but also for the people.In consequence, this will be a win-win situation, tourism helps local establish the foundation of the economy, and the local government helps the tourism industry to win interest and prestige. Long-term effects of global tourism on economy However, there are some negative points of tourism. One of them is the seasonal employment in some places, and this will lead to the many people facing the problem of unemployment outside of the peak tourist season. For example, this will occur in tourist attractions and resort towns, if an attraction opens to the visitors, like skiing in Swiss in the winter.The skiing coaches will teach people how to go skiing, but once the snow melted, they will lose their jobs and the staff as well. Furthermore, the impact of tourism on the environment is a significant issue as the climate change is most troublesome problem. Over the years, the environmental pollution caused by tourism was almost out of control, such as deforestation and CO2 emissions from increased air travel, has already caused the green house effect. It could lead to the loss of the destinations that depends on their natural environment.For example, the case of emissions of greenhouse gases in China. the case of emissions of greenhouse gases in china. â€Å"China is the world's largest aggregate emitter of greenhouse gases contributing to global warming, though the U. S. is the largest per capita emitter. â€Å"(World Savvy 2008) China should be responsible for a large proportion of the emission of dangerous gases, including sulfur dioxide (the main ingredient of smoke) and mercury (the main cause stunting and birth defects of children).All of these phenomena will continue, it is impossible to save the environment completely, human beings only have to try to protect it, reduce the damage to the ecosystem. Although there has the negative points, the WTTC still make the prediction for the worldwide tourism industry in the next 10 years. Experts estimate that the world GDP will continuing increase 4. 2% pre year. (WTTC(2), 2012) This means that there are going to have a plenty of work for tourism services in the next few years, including direct and indirect employment.Obviously, this will help to ease the unemployment rate all over the world to reduce poverty in the low economic area. Without a doubt, China is one of the fastest developing countries now, which occupied the third position in world international arrivals top ten in 2010. Long-term effects of global tourism on economy (UNWTO, 2011) For Europe, current forecast shows that economic growth will be back on track in 2014, the travel and tourism directly GDP of 2. 6% pre year until 2022 for the long-term growth. (WTTC(2), 2012)In conclusion, despite the negative factors, the long-term prospects of the tourism industry is still a positive side, it will continue to promoting the strong growth in emerging markets and prosperity. Now there is a way to deal with the harm caused by the tourism industry in the environment, that is eco-tourism which is defined as the â€Å"protection of tourism† and â€Å"sustainable development of tourism. †. At present, the demand for ecological tourism help to open the tourism markets and also can play a role in the protecting of the natural environment.Overall, the tourism industry is a double-edged sword, if not handled it properly not only will affect human, but the more will have a huge impact on the world. Long-term effects of global tourism on economy Bibliography 1? I Want Sun 3 March 2011 â€Å"Use of social media to attract visitors to Tenerife† http://www. iwantsun. co. uk/beach-holidays/2011/03/03/use-ofsocial-media-to-attract-visitors-to-tenerife 2? Jaiswal S. â€Å"Advances in Travel Technology† February 2012 3? UNWTO Tourism Highlights June 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2012. UNWTO World Tourism Highlights (UNWTO). http://mkt. nwto. org/ sites/all/files/docpdf/unwtohighlights11enlr. pdf 4? World Savvy 2008 â€Å"The Natural Environment† http://worldsavvy. org/ monitor/index. php? option=com_content=article=120=183 5? World Travel & Tourism Council (1) â€Å"Travel & Tourism Economic impact 2012† 2012 http://www. wttc. org/site_media/uploads/downloads/ world2012. pdf 6? World Travel & Tourism Council (2) â€Å"Economic Impact of Travel & Tourism 2012 Summary† 2012 http://www. wttc. org/site_media/uploads/ downloads/Economic_impact_reports_Summary_v3. pdf Long-term effects of global tourism on economy

BTEC National 90 Credits/ Diploma in Health and Social Care Essay

Overview of the unit This unit highlights the different psychological perspectives and encourages learners to apply these approaches to the study of health and social care. The value of psychological studies to the understanding of health and social care will also be examined. Learners will initially consider the meaning of the term ‘theories’ in the context of psychology, and will begin to appreciate the diversity of psychological theories as they progress through the unit. Learners will examine the principal psychological perspectives and then apply them to the health and social care sectors to gain understanding of the potential value of psychology in these sectors. On completion of this unit learners will have considered the psychological approach to studying health and social care. The unit encourages reflection, and will be valuable to those learners intending to work with people in a caring capacity. Look more:  sleep deprivation solution essay Learning outcomes On completion of this unit a learner should: 1 Understand psychological perspectives 2 Understand psychological approaches to health and social care. Grading criteria for the unit: To achieve a pass grade the evidence must show that the learner is able to: P1 explain the principal psychological perspectives P2 explain different psychological approaches to health practice P3 explain different psychological approaches to social care practice. M1 assess different psychological approaches to study M2 compare two psychological approaches to health and social care service provision D1 evaluate two psychological approaches to health and social care service provision. P1: Explain key points of the following principal psychological perspectives In this assignment there will be an explanation on the key pinots of the following principal psychological perspectives. Behaviourist perspective: Behaviorist psychologists explain all human behavior as resulting from experience. Two key thinkers associated with this perspective are Pavlov (classical conditioning) and skinner (operant conditioning). Although these two theories believed that different processes were involved, they both explained all types of behavior as being the result of learning-everything from shyness to aggression, from happiness to depression. This is quite different from, say the psychodynamic or biological approaches. The first theory of learning is called classical conditioning. This theory was developed by a Russian physiologist called Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936). He was working with dogs to investigate their digestive system. The dogs were attached to a harness, as shown opposite, and Pavlov attached monitors to their stomach and mouths so he could measure the rate of salivation  (production of saliva). One day he noticed that a dog began to salivate when the laboratory assistant entered the room with a bowl of food, but before it had actually tasted the food. Since salivation is a reflex response (which until then was thought to be produced only as a result of food touching the tongue), this seemed unusual. Pavlov speculated that the dog was salivating because it had learned to associate the laboratory assistant with food. He then developed his theory in the following way. This type of learning is associated with the theories of Burrhus Frederic Skinner (1904-1990). Skinner was an American psychologist who worked mostly with rats and pigeons, to discover some of the key principles of learning new behaviors. He used a very famous device, called a Skinner box, illustrated below. The box contains a level which, when pressed, releases a food pellet into the box, thus reinforcing lever-pressing behavior. When the rat is first placed the box it will run around, sniff the various items and at some point it will press the lever, releasing a food pellet. After a while, when the rat has repeatedly performed this action, it will learn that this behavior (pressing the lever) is automatically followed by the release of a food pellet (the consequences). Because the pellet is experienced as reinforcing (something the rat would like to have more of), this consequence increases the probability of the behavior being repeated. There are two types of reinforcing: positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. Skinner investigated negative reinforcement by running a very low electrical current on the floor of the Skinner box. Psychodynamic Perspective: This approach is associated with the Austrian psychologists Sigmund Frued (1856-1939), who developed the theory of psychoanalysis. A key follower of Freud was Erik Erikson (1902-1994), who adapted aspects of Freud’s approach. Freud described the occasion when a Member of Parliament was referring to the MP for Hull, with whom he disagreed about some policy. Instead of saying  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœthe honourable member from Hull’ he stated to say, ‘the honourable member from Hell’. Freud was one of the earliest thinkers to bring to public attention the idea that we are not always aware of all aspects of ourselves. He suggested that what we are aware of is represented in our conscious mind but that many of our memories, feelings and past experiences are locked up in part of our mind he called the ‘unconscious’. We cannot access the content of our conscious, but they often ‘leak out’ in dreams and slips of the tongue. Freud believed that the conscious mind was like the tip of an iceberg- only a small part being available to awareness. Part of the unconscious that we can easily access he called the pre-conscious. This contains information not yet in consciousness but that can easily be retrieved (e.g. the name of Aunt Edie’s cat). The rest, well under the surface consisted of the unconscious. The importance of early experience in determining later behaviours is clearly illustrated by Freud’s development theory of psychosexual stages. He believed that we all go through several stages of psychosexual development. At each stage, the individual’s libido (energy) is focused on a part of the body that is particularly relevant at that stage. If the needs of the developing child are met at each stage, it moves on to the next development stage. If, however, there is struggle or conflict or some unsatisfactory experience, the individuals becomes ‘fixated’ (stuck) at this stage. This result in certain ways of being, or personality traits, which are carried through into adulthood and which can explain behaviour later in life. The earliest stage is the ‘oral stage’. This focus here is on the mouth and activities such as sucking, biting and licking. Freud believes that there could be two reasons for fixation. If the infant was weaned too early, it would feel forever under-gratified and unsatisfied and would develop into a pessimistic, sarcastic person. If, on the other hand, it was over-gratified (weaned too late) the individual would develop a gullible personality, naively trusting in others and with a tendency to ‘swallow anything’. This stage lasts from birth to approximately 18 months. If the infant successful passes through the oral stage without becoming  fixated, the next stage is the ‘anal stage’, which last fro, approximately one to three years. Here there libido is focussed on aspects to do with potty training, with child feeling forced to use the potty before they are ready, or feeling over-controlled in various area, they may rebel; by retaining their faces: the child refuses to ‘go’, thus holding on to control and withholding satisfaction from the parent. During the stage of four to five the child passes through the ‘phallic stage’. Fixation at this stage is associated with anxiety and guilty feeling about sex and fear of castration for males. If this stage is not resolved, the theory suggests that a boy may become homosexual and a girl may become lesbian. Freud thought these were abnormal fixation: however most people today would not view them this way. Between that age of five to seven and the onset of puberty, the child enters the ‘latency stage’, which is not strictly speaking a developmental phase but a time when the focus is on social pursuit such as sport, academic excellence and the development of friendships. The final psychosexual stage is the ‘genital stage’, which begins at puberty. Freud believed that the less fixated the individual has become during earlier stages, the more easily this stage will be negotiated, resulting in the ability to form strong heterosexual relationship with an ability to be warm and loving as well as to receive love in a new, mature fashion. A second important feature early experience is the development of ego defence mechanisms. The use of a defence mechanism allows us to block out events that threaten to overwhelm us. A final influence is that of the mind. Freud suggested that the in which he called the psych is divided into three dynamic parts. The lid is a part of the much which totally unconscious and which exist at birth. The superego is a formed as a result of socialisation and consists of all instructions, morals and values that are repeatedly enforced as we are growing up. The main role of superego is to try to subdue the activity of the lid. The ego tries to balance the demands of the lid and the superego This table will suggest examples: Name of defence mechanise Explanation Example Repression The person forgets the event Forgetting a traumatic event in childhood (e.g. a car crash) Regression Reverting to an earlier stage of development Wetting the bed when a sibling us born, having been dry before Denial Pushing an event or emotion out of consciousness Denying that a loved one has died Displacement Redirecting desires onto a safe object Kicking the cat at home because your boss gave you hard time at work Erik Erikson was psychologist who agrees with much of Freud’s theory in so far as he thought that we developed through a series of stages. However, the thought that these continued throughout our lifetime and were essentially social nature. He also believed that Freud put too much emphasis on our desire for individual’s gratification and not enough on our needs to be accepted by society and lead a meaningful life. Erikson suggested that we move through a series of psychosocial cries with different social factors at each stage. For example between birth and the age of one, the life crisis concern developing trust or mistrust in self and other. The social focus this stage is the mother. Psychosocial stages Stage Key focus of stage Positive outcome Negative outcome Stage one (0-1years) How the infant is parented Dependable, responsive caring parenting lead to a sense of trust Parenting that lacks warmth and affection or is inconsistent leads to mistrust Stage 2 (1-3years) Being enabled to do things by yourself Being supported in growing independent lead to a sense of autonomy Being criticised and over-controlled lead to a felling of doubt about your own competence Stage 3 (3-6 years) Interaction with the world Being encouraged to try out new skills and explore the world lead to sense of imitative Being hampered in the desire to find things out (e.g. criticised, told not to be silly) lead tp a sense of guilt and a lack of confidence Stage 4 (6-12 years) Understanding how things are made and how they work The ability to succeed at realistic tasks lead to a sense of industry Being pushed to take on tasks they are not ready for leads to a sense of inferiority Stage 5 12-18 years) Developing a consistent sense of identifying by experimentation Experimentation leads to a secure sense of identity The inability to experiment and develop a sense of indentify leads to role confusion and negative identity Social learning: Culture refers to the shared values, norms and language, customer and practise of a group. Although we tend to think of culture as being specific to different countries, it also refers to different sub-groups within society. For example, people from different socioeconomic groups within the UK will share different aspects of culture, such as the value placed on eating at a table rather than on your lap in front of the television: the way in which money is spent and how to talk to your elders. It is important to understand how culture affects our behaviour in order to gain full understanding of the people we encounter and those we work with. There are many influences in our behaviour- from peers, siblings, parents, television, sports personalities and other celebrities. According to the  social learning theory, role models are very important. While we may learn new behaviours fro, anyone the likelihood of imitating such behaviours is strongly influenced by the way we perceive the person performing the behaviour (the model). If we observe someone we admire behaving in particular way, we are more likely you imitate such behaviour. This diagram below illustrates factors associate with a model that influences whatever we will imitate him or her. Our behaviour is dramatically influenced by the presence of other, however much we may believe ourselves to be truly individual in out beliefs and behaviour. Nowhere is this more clearly demonstrated than in the experiments conducted in the 1950s by social psychologist Solomon Asch. He was interested in a concept called major influence. This is when the presence of other people causes us to change our public behaviour or opinions because we do not want to stand out from the crowd. This is an important concept in psychology that has a big impact in the way we behave toward others and expect them to behave toward us. If we believe ourselves to be worthwhile, pleasant, and likeable them we will almost certainly be polite and cheerful toward those we meet, thus creating a favourable impression. In response, those who come into contract with us perceive us favourable and behave in an s positive way towards us, with the result that out positive self-belief are confirmed. If on the other hand, we are angry full of resentment, believe the world is against us and so on, then we are likely to behave in s more aggressive, confrontational or argumentative way, in which will confirm our views of ourselves and the worlds. There is a similarity between role theory and the self-fulfilling prophecy, in that role theory suggests that because we live within particular culture, society and social group we are influenced by other people. This influence helps lead us to adopt certain roles and tries to live up to the expectations that go with this role. Social learning theory explains behaviour as the result of learning form  people we are exposed to in our environment. We can also learn new behaviours from people we observe, either in real life or in the media. This is knows as observational learning and this theory was developed by the American psychologist Albert Bandura. The person we learn from is known as the role model and the process of imitating is called modelling. However we do not imitate all behaviour we observe and remember. Whether or not it is our interest to imitate particular behaviour is influenced by characteristics of the model. If we see a model being punished for a certain behaviour we are likely you imitate it than if we see him or he being positively reinforced. Humanistic Humanistic psychology looks at human experience from the viewpoint of the individual. It focuses on the idea of free will and the belief that we are all capable of making choices. Two psychologist associated with this approach are Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers. Mallow (1903-1970) was an American psychologist who believed that we are all seeking becomes the best that we can possibly be-spirally, physically, emotionally and intellectually. He called this self- actualisation. He constructed a theory known as the hierarchy of needs, in which he explained that every human being requires certain basic needs to be met before they can approach the next level. As the diagram shown, Maslow believed they until our basic physiological needs ate meet we will focus all our energies on getting them met and not begin or progress further. When we are well-housed well-fed and comfortable physically, we begin to focus on our emotional needs, such as the need to belong and be loved and to feel self-esteem. When our lived are such that these needs are also met, we strive to self-actualise. Rogers (1902-1987) was partially interested in the concept of sel. There are many aspects of the self but two are especially important here. Self-concept refers to the way we view ourselves. This includes physical and biological  attributes such as male or female, blond or brunette, tall or short, as well as personality traits such as being kind, humble, assertive, and hard-working. The self-concept is formed from nearly age and young children internalise other people’s judgments of them, which them become part of their self-concept. Roger believed that we also hold a concept of self called the idea self. This represents a view of us as we felt we should be and as we would like to be. Self-esteem: how valuable we fell, literally the amount of esteem we give to ourselves. Someone with high self-esteem will believe they are loved and lovable and that they are important and valued. An individual with low self-esteem, may feel unwanted and worthless, or no value to anyone else, unloved and unlovable. Self-concept: the way we see ourselves. In early life this comes from what we are told about ourselves. Cognitive/information processing This psychological perspective has gained enormous ground since the 2960s, when the influence of behaviourism began to wane. With the development of computer came the idea that brain activity was like the operation of a computer. A great deal of research has been devoted to understanding cognitive processes such as attention, memory, perception information processing, problem solving, through, language and other aspect of cognition. Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was a Swiss psychologist who initially worked on measuring intelligence. During his research he noticed that children of the same age made the same mistake in logic, however bright they were. He came to the conclusion that cognition develops through a series of stages, each new stage building on the previous one. Stage Age Key features Stage 1: sensori-motor 0-2 years The world is experienced through motor activity and the senses Stage 2: pre-operational 2-7 years Language develops along with memory. The child is egocentric and unable to conserve Stage 3: concrete operational 7-11 years The child can now understand conservation but cannot yet solve problems mentally Stage 4:formal operational 11+ The child cannot use abstract thoughts and represent problems mentally George Kelly (1905-1966) developed a unique psychological theory known as the psychology of personal constructs. He saw the individual as a scientist, making predictions about the future, testing them and, if necessary, revising them according to new evidence. A construct is a way of constructing (interpreting and making sense of) reality and the environment. Kelly believed that we do not have to be constrained by our past history but can seek out new, alternative, more positive meanings. Biological perspective The theory of maturation holds that the effects of the environment are minimal. The child is born with a self of genetic instructions passed down from its parents, and it’s cognitive, physical and other developmental processes merely unfold over time, rather than being depended upon the environment to mature. It is in effect a theory which stated that development is due to nature not nurture. This is quite a contact to learning theory or humanistic theory, where the effects of nurture are paramount. Arnold Gesell (1880-1961) believed that development occurred according to a sequence of maturational processes. For example, development in the womb follows a fixed set of stages: the heart begins to form first, along with a rudimentary nervous system. Bones and muscles develop next and over time the organism develops into a fully functioning human being, ready  to be born. As the child develops from birth onwards, its genes allow it to flower gradually into the person he or she is meant to be. The environment should provide support for this unfolding of talents, skills personality and interests but the main thing driving this development is the maturational process. The autonomic nervous system produces its effects through activation of nerve fibre throughout the nervous system, brain and body or by stimulating the release of hormones from endocrine glands (such as the adrenal and pineal glands). Hormones are biochemical substances that are released into the bloodstream and have a profound effect on target organs and on behaviour. They are present in very small quantities and individual molecules have a very short life, so their effects quickly disappear if they are not secreted continuously. There are a large number of hormones including: Melatonin, which is released by the pineal gland and acts on the brainstem sleep mechanism to help synchronise the phases of sleep and activity Testosterone, which is released in the testicle and may influence aggressiveness Oxytocin, which is released by the pituitary gland and stimulates milk production and females orgasms Some hormones are released as response to external stimuli. Central nervous system Autonomic nervous system Consists of the brain and spinal cord Regulates organs of the body and processes such as heart rate and blood pressure: only one branch is activated at any time Sympathetic branch Parasympathetic branch Associated with arousal and the fight or flight response Associated with rest and relaxation Genes affect behaviour in many ways. Some discords, such as Huntington’s disease, are caused by a single dominate gene, which either parent can pass on to their children. Other, such as caustic fibrosis and sickle cell anaemia, are caused when both parents pass on the gene for the disorder. Some of the changes in behaviour are listed below, through this list is not comprehensive: Hallucinations and delusions Severe confusion Progressive memory loss Inappropriate speech: use of jargon or wrongs words Personality changes including anxiety and depression, withdrawal from social interaction. Decreased ability to care for oneself and inability to maintain employment. P2: Explain different psychological approaches to health practice. In this task there will be an explanation on the different psychological approaches to health practice. Psychodynamic perspective: Understanding challenging behaviour The basic tenet of this perspective I that much of our behaviour is driven by unconscious forces. It is therefore important to recognise that we may not be able to understand behaviours using question and answer techniques, as the individual may not be aware of what is troubling them. It is necessary to delve a little deeper and try to interpret behaviour, on the assumption that the behaviour is in some way a symptom of what is going on in the unconscious. Understanding and managing anxiety When we are anxious we often have fears about even that have happened or might happen, about things we have done or might do, and about whether the world is safe or unsafe place. We often try to control anxiety using a variety of strategies. Sometime we use denial- the ostrich approach where we bury our heads in the sand and pretend the object of our anxiety doesn’t  exist. Sadly, for mot of us, the anxiety still seeps through, and may present itself in the form of physical symptom. Cognitive perspective: Supporting individuals with learning difficulties Individuals with earning difficulties can experience enormous frustration in their daily live as they seek to make sense of what can be bewildering experiences. The cognitive approach can be used to help people who misread situation. By identifying irrational thoughts, an individual can be guided to change them, with consequent benefits for their emotional and behaviour. Cognitive work of this type can improve self-esteem and reduce outburst, which may be triggered by lack of understanding of the requirements of a given situation (for example, having to wait in turn for a meal.) Supporting individuals with emotional problems: The cognitive perspective is widely used with individuals with a wide variety of emotional problems. This perspective begins by examining how distorted and irrational negative thoughts influence feelings, which hen lead to change in behaviour. Support individuals with depression: The psychologist Aaron Beck has formed a helpful approach to understanding depression, known as cognitive behaviour therapy. The pattern of behaviour common to these suffering from depression is described by Beck as a cognitive triad. To begin with, the individual thinks he is worthless and inadequate. This self-appraisal then lead to the beliefs that this lack of worth means that the future will be just as bad as the present. This then generalises to a conviction that the world contains problems and difficulties that he individual us powerless to overcome. The goal of cognitive therapy is to challenge these negative thoughts and to encourage the patient to develop alternative, more positive, ways of seeing the world. Identifying negative-irrational/distorted thinking This can be done by keeping a diary and recording every instance of negative thinking and the feelings that follow. Initially this can be difficult, as  these patterns are so automatic it can be difficult to notice them. However it will get easier over time. For example: asking yourself: What is the evidence for such negative thinking? Are there alternative explanations? It can be helpful to think how others would response or ask them How does it affect me to think so negatively What type if thinking errors am I making (for example, magnifying or catastrophizing) Supporting individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder This disorder consists of a set of symptoms as outlined below: Re-experiencing the traumatic event (intrusion) Nightmares Flashbacks Frequent recall of the event Intense emotional upset produced by stimuli that symbolise the event (e.g. fireworks may symbolise a battlefields) Avoiding of stimuli associated with the event (or numbering of responsiveness) The person tries to avoid thinking about the trauma or encountering stimuli that will bring it to mind The person may be unable to remember the event Decreased interest in other A sense of estrangement An inability to feel positive emotions Increased arousal Difficulties falling or staying asleep Difficulties contracting Hyper- Vigilance An exaggerate startle response The above are some, or all of the symptoms experienced by individuals with a diagnosis of pat-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Biological perspective: Arnold Gesell developed an assessment scale to enable judgement to be, made about whether a child’s behaviour and understanding matches that their chronological age (how old the child is). This scale enables the child’s scores to be compared against their scores at an earliest age to determine whether development is proceeding satisfactorily. It also enables a skilled and trained assessor to indentify developmental problems that may emerge for an individual, thus allowing for early and appropriate intervention. There are three overlapping stages at which development can be measured: Between two and a half years to age six Between four and six years old Between six and nine years old At each age there are various tests to assess different aspects of development. One test administered at around the age of four consists of comprehension questions. It measures the child’s ability to use perceptual; accuracy and skills involved in regulating its own behaviour and emotions by asking him to plan solutions to hypothetical social situations. This allows for a judgment to be made on the child’s ability to deal with actual social situations as it reaches the age of about five years old. The cubes test, which is used primarily with children aged two to six, assess the ability to follow directions and perform a structured task. Visual perception and fine motor co-ordination skills involves in colouring, cutting and handwriting are assed against developmental norms. The child’s attention span, together with the ability to perceive different shapes accurately, is also measured and together these give information about reading comprehension, spelling and mathematical skills. M1: Asses different psychological approached to study In this assignment their will be an assessment of different psychological approaches to study.