Real EstateFinance and Investment Research summary and market report Paper

Real EstateFinance and Investment summary and market report - Research Paper Example This model is quantified using plausible assumptions about rational appraisal behaviour in additional to knowledge of how the appraisal-based indices are constructed. This model can be inverted and applied to reported index returns to recover implied market returns. This alternative Geltner (1993) suggests is useful because the unsecuritized property markets may not be able to produce information on a timely basis and may have returns that can be predicted based on the information gathered from a review of previous research in the area. In accounting for the nature of the appraised-based indices Geltner (1993) indicates that RNI and EAI share a few similarities. However, there are also some differences in their base year; how they carry out their valuation; and the type and geographic location of the properties they value. Geltner (1993) then looks at appraisal smoothing at the disaggregate level. In order to obtain an optimal appraise current market values Geltner (1993) uses what h e describes as a simple Bayesian rule to estimate the property value at each point in time and outlines a â€Å"rational appraisal† model that can be used for that purpose. The model indicates the relationship between property-appraised values and market value. Geltner (1993) also presents a model to define the relationship between the reported index annual return to the underlying market annual return. This Geltner (1993) points out allows for the observation of index returns caused by the three behavioral events previously mentioned. In recovering the underlying market returns from the reported index returns that the closeness of the model the models used in observing behavioral phenomenon was taken as an indication of whether unsecuritized market returns are predictable. Geltner’s (1993) findings are not statistically significant to draw any conclusions. However, the overall impression from the graphs and other statistical data indicates that it may be possible to p redict unsecuritized market returns. Summary Article: Strategies of Focus Opportunity: Trends in Public-Market Commercial Real Estate Penetration from 1998 to 2003 Hess and Liang in their article entitled: â€Å"Strategies of Focus and Opportunity†, which was published in the Pramerica Real Estate Investors Research Report dated August 2004 indicated that during 2003 public real estate investment companies reduced their holdings in apartments and hotel properties in order to benefit from an increase in the demand for those properties. In the mean time they took advantage of the falling values of retail properties while maintaining their holdings in warehouses. This enabled them to strategically position themselves to gain from future increases in the market values for retail properties. Their strategies involved looking at the market for short term gains by buying when prices are at their lowest and selling when prices are approaching their highest point, at a time when inves tors were able to access loans to purchase such properties. These public real estate investment companies, consists of Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs) and Real Estate Operating Companies (REOCs) which must be publicly held and traded on one of the major stock exchanges in the US and Canada. Hess and Liang (2004) points out that in 2002 REITs took advantage of

Analyzing Success in the Stories of Martin Dressler and Robert Irwin Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Success in the Stories of Martin Dressler and Robert Irwin Essay When I first read Martin Dressler: The Tale of An American Dreamer, I thought it was a very inspiring book. It talked about the life of an individual whose hardwok and perseverance took him to the top of his dreams. Well, it can be inspiring in some way. Holding to your dreams and trying your best is one of the main themes of the story. However, after I finished the book, I realized that it was not as inspiring as I thought it is. For me, it is now a book that tells something about the bitter side of life and success. It exposes one of the painful things this world is trying to conceal—that success is the golden crown of an empty heart. From the story of Martin Dressler, I realized that success is not as great as what most of us think and dream of. Success is a traitor that kidnaps the people’s opportunities to be happy with the one they love. Once success has kidnapped you, it will ask for your most precious possession—your family—as its ransom. As Martin Dressler moves to the top of his ladder of success, he also moves down to the pit of his decaying family. Following his dreams was indeed an achievement for him, but it was also the same thing that leads him to a miserable family life. In my opinion, most of us share the same situation with Martin Dressler. I, myself, have also experienced to be kidnapped by success. When I started college, which I consider as one of my greatest achievements because not everyone could have the access to good education, I noticed that I was becoming too busy with my studies that I almost forgot to spend some quality time with my family. I got too blinded with the achievement that I was holding with my hand. During that time, I feared that I might lose the chance to be in college if I would not get serious with my schooling. As a result, I spent most of my time inside my room and in the library studying. Until one day, my mother asked me to have a conversation with her. From that, I learned how fast my relationship with them has changed since I went to college. I realized my mistake and from then on, I incorporated good time management to my everyday life. For me, success can never bring danger if one knows how to manage his time well. Success can never betray you if you know how to deal with it. Another thing that I noticed with the character of Martin Dressler is his great ability to make things happen. If examined, he started barely from anything. His perseverance was very admirable, especially during in his time when only the rich people could afford to put up a business like what he had. On my own opinion, though, hardwork and perseverance is not enough. One’s character is not the only thing that matters when following a dream. A person should not think that he can achieve success by relying solely on his own. He should also consider the people around him. Through building good relationships with people, one can have a better reach of his dreams. Everyone of us is a dreamer. Most of our dreams are actually an American dream. To be successful is not bad. To be on top of our achievements is not selfishness. However, I realized that if we let our dreams to be our masters, the more it is hard for us to achieve them. Our dreams are our navigator to the place where we want to be in the future. But they should never be the center of our life for we might miss the real treasure—our family. Meanwhile, another book shares almost the same things of Martin Dressler’s story—Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees, presenting the life of the American installation artist Robert Irwin. Although both characters have opposing personalities and were born in two different time frames, Martin Dressler and Robert Irwin still share the same experiences and philosophy in life. Both of their stories are a representation of a fulfilled dream—Dressler in achieving his dream of becoming a successful businessman, and Irwin in achieving his dream of finding the best field where he excels at. The two biographical writers namely Steven Millhauser and Lawrence Weschler, however, used two different approaches in portraying Dressler and Irwin. Millhauser, in his book The Tale of an American Dreamer, has included not only the beautiful and inspiring aspect of Dressler’s life but also the downside effect of the success he achieved. This was not incorporated by Weschler in presenting the life of Irwin. For me, his book simply narrates how Irwin started to have interest in the field of arts, how he became a painter, how he became inquisitive with his artistic limitations, and how he finally got his way to the field of installation art. Reading the first few pages of the book Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees, I easily got hooked into it. The first part was describing Irwin’s childhood and the people and the kind of environment that mainly influenced him. However, as I continue reading, I felt alienated in the way Weschler describing things on Irwin’s craft. Sometimes, I found myself clueless of what he was narrating. Probably it is because I have no idea at all with some of the jargons in painting and installation art. There were some words that I did not understand and required me to research about them. The book, for me, seems a little bit technical if compared to the book The Tale of an American Dreamer. Analyzing the main character’s life, though, leads me to conclude that his story is nevertheless the same as ours. In some point in our lives, we get confused on which path it is that we really will be taking. Everday, we are confronted with many choices, from the time we awake up to the time we take rest. It then makes me wonder how people make choices, specifically the right ones. What could be their criteria? In my own point of view, people make their choices by selecting the option where they would feel greater happiness or fulfillment. But depending on what kind of person you are, happiness and fulfillment is very subjective. Everyone has his own story when asked about what it is that makes him happy and fulfilled. Eventhough it is hard to agree on such an issue, I think the important thing to remember is that we fully identify and know ourselves. By knowing ourselves means knowing our needs, including our need for happiness. When we recognize this need, then I think it is easier for us to know where we can find happiness. This for me is what the book about Irwin’s life represents. He looked for his happiness by addressing his need to express his thoughts and his self. For me, the works that he did can make him feel that a portion of his self is being fulfilled. Talking about dreams, Dressler and Irwin, for me, are both portrayers of it. However, they represent dreams in two different faces: one is a dream in exchange for something, and two is a dream in search for something. It seems to me that Dressler’s American dream is crueler than Irwin’s dream. Although self- fulfilling, Dressler’s idea of success yields more on the financial aspect as compared to the psychological one that Irwin has. For me, that of Irwin’s is a degree higher than that of Dressler. As a result, both of them gained successes that are in two different aspects, too. What Dressler achieved is a financial success while Irwin attained a more personal one. Works Cited Millhauser, Steven. The Tale of an American Dreamer. New York: Vintage Books, 1997 Weschler, Lawrence. Seeing is Forgetting the Name of the Thing One Sees. USA: University of the California Press, 1982

Global Burden of E-Waste: Health and Environmental Impacts

Global Burden of E-Waste: Health and Environmental Impacts Introduction E-waste or Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) is the term used to describe old, end-of-life or discarded appliances using electricity which includes computers, consumer electronics, fridges etc. that have been disposed of by their original users (Lundgren 2012). unfortunately, this definition is one of many because there is no standard definition of e-waste. Electrical and electronic waste (e-waste) is currently the largest growing waste stream in the glob due to rapid technology innovation, ever-shortening product lifespans and increase of electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) consumption (Lundgren 2012). This growing has major health, environmental and economic impacts especially in developing countries. According to the United Nation Environment (UN environment), computers lifespan has decreased from six years in 1997 to two years in 2005 in developed countries (un environment 2017). Widmer et al., 2005 estimated that e-waste constitutes 8% of the total municipal solid waste. In 2014, the total e-waste generated worldwide was estimated to be about 41.8 million tons (t) with about 3-5% annual growth rate (Baldà © et al. 2014). Out of this, only (15%) 6.5 million tons has been reported to be formally treated (Baldà © et al. 2014; Heacock et al. 2016). Up to 80% of the e-waste that sent for recycling in developed countries are illegally transported to developing countries mainly in Africa, and Asia (Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) 2009). Countries such as US, Japan, China, India, and countries from the European Union are the main sources of e-waste (Baldà © et al. 2014). Unfortunately, most of developing countries receiving e-waste are not technologically equipped and usually use simple hazardous methods for recycling (Lundgren 2012). Accordingly, peoples health and environment in these developing countries are jeopardized (Smith et al. 2006; SAICM 2009). Recycling E-waste contains up to 60 different valuable metals that have been estimated to be equal to à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬48 billion (Baldà © et al. 2014; Namias 2013). BullionStreet (2012) stated that electronic industry consumes about 320 t of gold and 7500 t of silver every year and mining of e-waste could generate $21 billion each year. About 40% of this profits comes from in the printed circuit board that have a potential revenue of 21,200/t, while it is only form 3-6% of the total e-waste generated worldwide every year (Golev et al. 2016). At the same time, e-waste can generate more amount of metals comparing to the conventional mining operations using the same amount of power in both ways (Namias 2013). Also, Studies have revealed that the global ore grade are decreasing and mines are forced to excavate more complex and fine-grained ore deposits to meet the global metal need (Là ¨bre and Corder 2015). According to the electronics takeback coalition (2014), recycling 1 million cell phones can recover about 24 kg (50 lb) of gold, 250 kg (550 lb) of silver, 9 kg (20 lb) of palladium, and more than 9,000 kg (20,000 lb) of copper. Nonetheless, the run of mine ore needed to produce the same amount of metal is 10-160 times more than that of the waste mobile phones. Beside saving money, recycling can provide the same amount of metal with substantial less power intake compared to mine ore (Cui and Forssberg 2003). Consequently, it will lead significant reduction in the volume of gas emission due to new metal production. Economic Outcome Form economic standpoint, plays an important employment role in the recycling sectors of some low and middle-income countries such as China, India, Pakistan, Thailand, Ghana, and Nigeria (Lundgren 2012; Programme des Nations Unies pour lenvironnement 2011). For example, In Guiyu, China, the largest informal e-waste recycling location in the world, e-waste recycling provides jobs to almost 100,000 people as e-waste recyclers (Heacock et al. 2016; Lundgren 2012). With the similar throughput, 300-600 new treatment facilities will have to be developed in China to deal with the total generated e-waste from 2020 to 2030 that can potentially provide jobs to 30,000 people (Zeng et al. 2016). Health and Environmental Impacts Despite the economic benefits from recycling, e-waste processing has raised alarming environmental and health issues specially in developing countries. Where e-waste recycling sector is unregulated and unaccountable collecting, processing, and redistributing tends to be performed by workers at temporary sites, residences, crude workshops, and open public spaces. Informal recycling areas usually inhabited by poor people with scarce job possibilities and their main concern is feed themselves and their families; this primary concern predominates that for personal health and safety (The Lancet 2013). Recycling without protection exposes workers to many hazardous chemicals such as arsenic, cadmium, chromium, mercury, nickel, and lead (Lundgren 2012). The incineration of these chemicals release compounds such as polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), poly-brominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins and furans (PCDD/ Fs) gases that effect soil, atmosphere, and water (Hossain et al. 2015).The hazard from e-waste processing not only threatens operator health, but also, puts the health of people living nearby and next generations living in the surrounding areas in jeopardy (Liu et al. 2009). Toxins absorption and effects vary based on type and quantity of e-waste, length of exposure, methods processing, and physiological vulnerability, especially in pregnant women and children (Grant et al. 2013). People exposed to hazardous substances in e-waste through multiple routes, including food, water, air, and soil (Norman et al. 2013). There is high accumulative in the area where informal recycling locations have functioned for more than a decade (Chen et al. 2011). The impact of the hazardous substances from e-waste can spread beyond processing sites and into ecosystems (Sepà ºlveda et al. 2010; Zhang et al. 2010). For example, rice and dust samples collected from homes close to e-waste settings had almost double the maximum permissible concentrations of lead, cadmium, and copper (Zheng et al. 2013). An exposure of contaminated food such as rice plus inhaling lead through house dust situates children to high risk of neurotoxicity and adverse developmental effects (Zheng et al. 2013). Studies have linked exposure to such toxins with increases in spontaneous abortions, stillbirths, premature births, reduced birthweights, and birth lengths events (Liu et al. 2009; Wu et al. 2011; Wu et al. 2012). Also, physical growth indicators, such as weight, height, and body-mass index, were significantly lower in children living in the e-waste recycling town of Guiyu than in those living in the control area Liangying (Zheng et al. 2013). Environmentally, as mentioned earler, disposal of these chemicals/metals in landfills or by incinerating them can produce harmful effects to the environment (Heacock et al. 2016). The amount of cadmium exists in a cell phone battery have a potential to pollute 600m3 of water (Garlapati 2016). For example, the concentration of metals such as lead, copper and nickel that found in the discharge channel near Guiyu to Nanyang road and Chendiandian to Guiyu road in China were 400-600 times higher than that is expected from uncontaminated river sediments (Brigden et al. 2005). Similar results were obtained from formal recycling sites with elevated content of nickel, copper, lead, zinc and cadmium in Philippines (Yoshida et al. 2016). To conclude, the elevated level of hazard of e-waste show the importance of proper recycling techniques and safer recycling facilities that can reduce the risks related to the environmental and public health and safety issues. Also, future studies needed to assess the direct and indirect health cost of informal e-waste recycling, health and environmental impacts of the formal e-waste treatment. References Baldà © C, Wang F, Kuehr R, Huisman J. 2014. The global e-waste monitor. UNU-IAS: Bonn, Germany. Brigden K, Labunska I, Santillo D, Allsopp M. 2005. Recycling of electronic wastes in china and india: Workplace and environmental contamination. Greenpeace International, Amsterdam. Chen A, Dietrich KN, Huo X, Ho S. 2011. Developmental neurotoxicants in e-waste: An emerging health concern. Environ Health Perspect 119(4):431. Cui J, Forssberg E. 2003. Mechanical recycling of waste electric and electronic equipment: A review. J Hazard Mater 99(3):243-263. Garlapati VK. 2016. E-waste in india and developed countries: Management, recycling, business and biotechnological initiatives. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews 54:874-881. Golev A, Schmeda-Lopez DR, Smart SK, Corder GD, McFarland EW. 2016. Where next on e-waste in australia? Waste Manage 58:348-358. Grant K, Goldizen FC, Sly PD, Brune M, Neira M, van den Berg M et al. 2013. Health consequences of exposure to e-waste: A systematic review. The Lancet Global Health 1(6):e350-e361. Heacock M, Kelly CB, Asante KA, Birnbaum LS, Bergman AL, Brune MN et al. 2016. E-waste and harm to vulnerable populations: A growing global problem. Environ Health Perspect 124(5):550-555; doi: 10.1289/ehp.1509699 [doi]. Hossain MS, Al-Hamadani SM, Rahman MT. 2015. E-waste: A challenge for sustainable development. Journal of Health and Pollution 5(9):3-11. Là ¨bre É, Corder G. 2015. Integrating industrial ecology thinking into the management of mining waste. Resources 4(4):765-786. Liu Q, Cao J, Li KQ, Miao XH, Li G, Fan FY et al. 2009. Chromosomal aberrations and DNA damage in human populations exposed to the processing of electronics waste. Environmental Science and Pollution Research 16(3):329-338. Lundgren K. 2012. The global impact of e-waste: Addressing the challenge. . Namias J. 2013. The future of electronic waste recycling in the United States: obstacles and domestic solutions. Norman RE, Carpenter DO, Scott J, Brune MN, Sly PD. 2013. Environmental exposures: An underrecognized contribution to noncommunicable diseases. Rev Environ Health 28(1):59-65. Programme des Nations Unies pour lenvironnement. 2011. Towards a Green Economy: Pathways to Sustainable Development and Poverty Eradication. :United Nations Environment Programme. Sepà ºlveda A, Schluep M, Renaud FG, Streicher M, Kuehr R, Hagelà ¼ken C et al. 2010. A review of the environmental fate and effects of hazardous substances released from electrical and electronic equipments during recycling: Examples from china and india. Environ Impact Assess Rev 30(1):28-41. Smith T, Sonnenfeld DA, Pellow DN. 2006. Challenging the Chip: Labor Rights and Environmental Justice in the Global Electronics Industry. :Temple University Press. Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). 2009. Background information in relation to the emerging policy issue of electronic waste. , Geneva. The Lancet. 2013. Electronic waste-time to take stock. The Lancet 381(9885):2223; doi: http://dx.doi.org.library1.unmc.edu:2048/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61465-8. Web.unep.org. March, 2017. E-Waste Management | Global Partnership on Waste Management. http://web.unep.org/gpwm/what-we-do/e-waste-management ed. . Wu K, Xu X, Liu J, Guo Y, Huo X. 2011. In utero exposure to polychlorinated biphenyls and reduced neonatal physiological development from guiyu, china. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 74(8):2141-2147. Wu K, Xu X, Peng L, Liu J, Guo Y, Huo X. 2012. Association between maternal exposure to perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) from electronic waste recycling and neonatal health outcomes. Environ Int 48:1-8. Yoshida A, Terazono A, Ballesteros FC, Nguyen D, Sukandar S, Kojima M et al. 2016. E-waste recycling processes in indonesia, the philippines, and vietnam: A case study of cathode ray tube TVs and monitors. Resour Conserv Recycling 106:48-58. Zeng X, Gong R, Chen W, Li J. 2016. Uncovering the recycling potential of New WEEE in china. Environ Sci Technol 50(3):1347-1358. Zhang X, Luo X, Liu H, Yu L, Chen S, Mai B. 2010. Bioaccumulation of several brominated flame retardants and dechlorane plus in waterbirds from an e-waste recycling region in south china: Associated with trophic level and diet sources. Environ Sci Technol 45(2):400-405. Zheng J, Chen K, Yan X, Chen S, Hu G, Peng X et al. 2013. Heavy metals in food, house dust, and water from an e-waste recycling area in south china and the potential risk to human health. Ecotoxicol Environ Saf 96:205-212.

Civil war position paper :: essays research papers

To many people this Civil war meant many things. To one it may mean we are fighting for a good cause, the cause of freedom for all people of every race and ethnic back ground. To some it may mean we are fighting to keep things in order, the way we intend for them to be. But to me it was a War that meant we are fighting for a great cause freedom. Something that everyone should have and will have for the rest of our human existence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Picture of the Civil War was†¦a discussion about something higher: about humanity, about human dignity, about human freedom.† Barbara fields said that. Most people would agree with her. The civil war was and still is about the freedom for all people to be free. Thousands of men fought for years of their lives for this freedom, which is still not quite achieved. But by them fighting for this we are a step closer to where we want to be. To this very day we are still fighting for our freedom. Weather it’s the freedom to express our selves or the freedom to be who we chose to be with out having someone telling us we can not do so. As long as man is here on this Earth we will always be fighting for some kind of freedom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Currently America is helping another country fight for their freedom. Although it is not quite the same as it was during the Civil War. But in many ways it is the same. There are countless young men in Iraq fighting on a daily basis to help a poor country take back their voice against a cruel man and his fellow followers. Slowly, with time, their freedom will be achieved. But just as the Civil war it will take a long time and possibly many years. It is hard to gain freedom, especially when a country has been under control of a ruthless man for many years. There are a lot of obstacles that have to be overcame but with help and determination this will be achieved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have a friend who believes that every man and woman should be allowed their freedom and rights no matter what color skin, eyes or hair they may have. One should no be judged by their appearance but by what one believes in and does. For instance years ago you could have been thought of as a great person because you are white and not black. Civil war position paper :: essays research papers To many people this Civil war meant many things. To one it may mean we are fighting for a good cause, the cause of freedom for all people of every race and ethnic back ground. To some it may mean we are fighting to keep things in order, the way we intend for them to be. But to me it was a War that meant we are fighting for a great cause freedom. Something that everyone should have and will have for the rest of our human existence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"The Picture of the Civil War was†¦a discussion about something higher: about humanity, about human dignity, about human freedom.† Barbara fields said that. Most people would agree with her. The civil war was and still is about the freedom for all people to be free. Thousands of men fought for years of their lives for this freedom, which is still not quite achieved. But by them fighting for this we are a step closer to where we want to be. To this very day we are still fighting for our freedom. Weather it’s the freedom to express our selves or the freedom to be who we chose to be with out having someone telling us we can not do so. As long as man is here on this Earth we will always be fighting for some kind of freedom.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Currently America is helping another country fight for their freedom. Although it is not quite the same as it was during the Civil War. But in many ways it is the same. There are countless young men in Iraq fighting on a daily basis to help a poor country take back their voice against a cruel man and his fellow followers. Slowly, with time, their freedom will be achieved. But just as the Civil war it will take a long time and possibly many years. It is hard to gain freedom, especially when a country has been under control of a ruthless man for many years. There are a lot of obstacles that have to be overcame but with help and determination this will be achieved.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I have a friend who believes that every man and woman should be allowed their freedom and rights no matter what color skin, eyes or hair they may have. One should no be judged by their appearance but by what one believes in and does. For instance years ago you could have been thought of as a great person because you are white and not black.

Will Moller Analysis

A Rhetorical Analysis of Will Moller’s â€Å"Those Who Live in Glass Houses† Cheating, in all forms, is considered deceitful and wrong. However, people still do it hoping the end result is an A on an exam or a better performance, in an athlete’s case. Cheating in itself is like an addiction and follows a domino effect. Once one athlete decides to use steroids, others follow in their footsteps hoping to perform at a higher level. There have always been several athletes who choose to cheat for their own benefit and personal glory.As a result, those athletes are looked down upon for cheating the game and the fans. Nonetheless, people fail to understand the outside factors that influence great athletes such as Barry Bonds and Ben Johnson to use performance enhancing drugs. In his May 5, 2009 article â€Å"Those Who Live in Glass Houses† Will Moller, blog writer for The Yankees $, argues that that performance-enhancing drugs should be permissible because the ma jority of good professional baseball players are forced to take steroids and such, as a result of baseball fans placing players on a pedestal to perform beyond their capacity.Moller makes a good point that fans have some responsibility for athletes cheating because of the pressure fans place on them to perform at an enormously high level; however, there are other responsible parties as well, including coaches, players, and the NCAA drug policy system as a whole. One of the primary reasons for athletes using performance-enhancing drugs is because of the fans animalistic desire for great entertainment. This actually causes athletes to want to perform at the highest level possible and stand out as great icons to the fans.To support his implication, Moller uses the pathos appeal, as he presents an analogy, of his personal experience as a student who was forced to use Ritalin because he struggled with the rigorous and competitive academic work assigned to him. Moller’s reaction to his choice was that he â€Å"did what [he] felt [he] needed to do, to accomplish the goal that was demanded† from him, despite understanding the â€Å"serious side effects, magnifying [his] senses in a very negative way. Nonetheless, academic success outweighed the bad side effects.Similarly, college and professional athletes are placed on a pedestal that urges them to accomplish success, win championships, and set unbreakable records. He also appeals to reasoning by recognizing that athletes should not be severely misjudged as cheaters for using performance enhancing drug use because they wish to perform better for their fans. There are other outside factors that also pressure players to cheat. Coaches’ extreme pressure towards their players to perform at a high level indirectly encourages athletes to use steroids and develop more strength.Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz was believed to be a primary cause for his players using anabolic steroids during the late 1980â€⠄¢s and early 1990’s. Steve Huffman, a former linebacker, claimed coach Holtz â€Å"put [him] in this situation† because he once criticized the injured star during a team speech by stating that Huffman â€Å"let everybody in this room down if [he] quit. † In addition, Holtz threatened to rescind Huffman’s scholarship and showed no remorse or care for Huffman and the rest of the players during the losing season. Coaches who exert a strong mental toughness are perceived as good leaders who may lead their team to overall success.However, fans and the media do not recognize that tough love can have a burden on players, physically and emotionally. A coach, who constantly scolds players instead of guiding them, is tortuously leading players to use performance-enhancing drugs in hope of easing the burden and accomplishing what everyone around them selfishly wants. Coach Holtz practiced such coaching methods and as a result, school officials admitted that during the 1986 season five players tested positive for anabolic steroid use. Aside from coaches, the weak NCAA drug policy system also influences players to cheat.The use of performance-enhancing drugs is undeniably much more prevalent than it is generally acknowledged to be because of the weak policy regulations. Welch Suggs, an American collegiate sportswriter for The Chronicle of Higher Education, claims steroid use is rampant among college-level players. A senate panel spoke to a former college football athlete, who choose to remain anonymous, claimed that despite gaining twenty pounds and dropping his 40-yard dash time to 4. 5 seconds, his coaches urged him and many other players to gain even more weight and become stronger.People may be asking themselves how players are able to avoid the NCAA random drug policy tests. The former college football star argues that â€Å"the policy is weak, however, and fairly predictable, with the drug tests falling in roughly the same period of time every year† (Suggs). The weak enforcement gives athletes a greater motivation to begin using performance-enhancing drugs. Don Catlin, a professor of molecular and medical pharmacology at UCLA, oversees and examines drug testing for the NCAA and believes it is not â€Å"aggressive enough, but that’s society and the mind-set. The dollars just aren’t there† (Suggs).Fans, coaches, the NCAA, and society as a whole are responsible for encouraging cheating and drug use. People are not taking the matter seriously and as a result, steroids and other drugs are easily available for athletes to purchase online, in the streets, or maybe even from their coaches. In fact, Charles Grassley, the former Iowa Republican chairman of the caucus, showed the NCAA senate panel online auctions on eBay for Winstrol and Dianabol, which are commonly prescribed steroids. Ultimately, the fact that drug testing policies are so weak is practically asking players to use performance-enhan cing drugs and cheat the game.Fans, coaches, and the weak NCAA drug policy may influence players to use steroids, but the ultimate decision is left to the athlete. Just as everyone is responsible for their choices, players must decide whether they wish to cheat, just as Moller had. The option to cheat in academics or sports is easily available, despite most people not realizing it. In a March 1st, 2010 blog in Sports Illustrated, â€Å"Cheating and CHEATING† writer Joe Posnanski argues that the beautiful game of baseball and other sports has always existed, despite people claiming that it has not or that baseball has become corrupt due to steroid and amphetamine use.He begins by introducing author Pete Hamill, a novelist, who believes that the game of baseball was at its finest, prior to performance enhancing drug use. To develop his argument, Posnanski concedes to the opposition first by praising Pete Hamill’s romantic novels and later criticizes Hamill’s willf ul self-deception by naively believing that drug use is not common in America and American baseball, as a means of cheating. Posnanski understand that baseball like all other sports â€Å"was never innocent, that America was never innocent, that innocence itself was never innocent† (Posnanski).Posnanski concedes first to show his respect by demonstrating his own character. In doing this, he is able to highlight the significant accomplishments in baseball history that have occurred due to amphetamine usage. In addition, Posnanski claims that steroids are much more readily available today than in the past. But cheating has always existed, in all forms. The fans, the coaches, and the NCAA itself are all responsible for willful self-deception as well, for having influenced players to begin using performance-enhancing drugs but believing steroid use is not rampant in college-level and professional sports.Fans are not entirely responsible for athletes cheating in college-level and professional sports. However they are one of many factors that contribute to players using performance-enhancing drugs. Athletes, fans, coaches, and the weak NCAA dug policy and enforcement may all determine an athlete’s choice to cheat; however, the players themselves must be accountable for their choices. Illicit drug use has negative side effects that can be harmful to athletes. But the desire to perform at a high level, break scoring records, win games, and championships is an always tempting just as it is to get an A on an exam.Works Cited Huffman, Steve. â€Å"I Deserve My Turn. † Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. , 27 Aug. 1990. Web. 14 Nov. 2012 Moller, Will. â€Å"Those Who Live in Glass Houses. † The Yankees $. N. p. , 5 May, 2009. Web. 14 Nov. 2012 Posnanski, Joe. â€Å"Cheating and CHEATING. † Sports Illustrated. Time Inc. , 1 Mar. 2010. Web. 14 Nov. 2012 Suggs, Welch. â€Å"Steroids Are Rampant Among College Athletes, a Senate Panel Is Told. â⠂¬  The Chronicle of Higher Education. 50. 46 (2004): A33. ProQuest. Web. 14 Nov. 2012

The role of the Catholic Church in the unification of Italy Essay Example

The role of the Catholic Church in the unification of Italy Essay Example The role of the Catholic Church in the unification of Italy Paper The role of the Catholic Church in the unification of Italy Paper The Catholic Church had a positive and a negative role depending on the situation also who is the Pope at the time. Puis VIII abolished Napoleonic legal codes as well as cancelling uniform weights, measures, laws some were seen as unreasonable such as abandoning street lightening, and vaccinations. Nevertheless it is through mutual feelings that people unite whether it is positive or negative. The Italians wanted to get rid of Austrian rule over their state; this was the main reason for unification. The church did play appositive role which was mostly influenced by Pope Puis IX who allowed thousands of political prisoners to be released. The fact that he was liberal was very promising as his views comprehended with those who wanted change and by having an authority figure like the Pope was very beneficial to the cause of unifying Italy. He was in power when the Vienna settlement was issued. Through it the Pope received the Papal States. He then abolished the Napoleonic legal code, therefore it was no longer fair and also downgraded women s it was not based on rank. Another result of it was the increase of power in government he had. His new rules also include only ecclesiastical being allowed in government. This therefore meant any changes that occurred had to be approved by the church first. It also means liberal ideas were never presented so therefore never approved. Having control over government allowed the church to have control over the whole country, this was evident by the laws he abolished. Consequently Italy as progressing backwards as they were getting rid of advances that had been made under Napoleonic rule. Possibly because of the fact that they may have felt threatened by the advances made leaving the Italians feeling more secure and better off which they didnt want for them. Also this way the Italians would have come to clear terms with the church had taken over as well as the Austrians. Since they both supported each other as well as hating the French who imposed a big threat to them because they were a super power and preferred by the rest of Italy, compared to them. The Napoleonic times were mostly hated by the church and the Pope as their power was seriously reduced as there was a new representative government and standardised laws were introduced. It was these times when Italy was grouped as three States that there was a sense of nationalism that had been divided by the Vienna settlement and the Pope. They made sure all the Napoleonic advances were destroyed when Italy became once again totally divided. This therefore had a negative effect on unification. Nevertheless Italians werent prepared to live under such circumstances. Which lead to secret societies being set up like the carbonari promoting unification in Italy. Although the church had a negative effect it was through this that Italians felt that unification was a possible solution, in allowing the negativity of the Pope to promote unity. Since the church had control over Italy more Italians wanted unity rather than being under the control of the church and Austria. Press censorship was introduced by the church and they had power over education in piedmont also courts. In education the subject modern history wasnt taught as they felt it was to dangerous allowing the young generation to gain revolutionary ideas. The law courts were unfair and bias in their verdicts. It was this hatred the church caused that unity was considered. Another negative effect was caused by Pope Gregory XVI who was considered to be anti-reformist. Mainly due to the fact of him requesting help from Austria when the there revolts in the Papal States. This therefore meant his anti reform were also imposed on others greatly as he had so much power over Catholics. This was common for him to have so much power and influence the view of others who believed and supported his view which is why in 1846, Pope VXI came into power many Italians were pleased. The new pope was promoting unity. Firstly hew was liberal and he began realising the need for reform. Which is why thousands of political prisoners were released from prison and hundreds returned from exile. There was also fair representation in government with laymen not just church people. Plans for street lighting and railways were being put in place. An electrical constructive assemble was set up and freedom of the press was reintroduced. All of this promoted unification as Italians felt that the Pope would be a suitable candidate for the leader of the new state. The Pope was said to be a follower of Gioberti, who believed Italy should become a confederation headed by the Pope and as writher such as Gioberti and Balbo had influences this meant their ideas were considered. As the Pope was supporting liberalism he had gone against the Austrians very much as compared to Pope Puis VIII. When Charles Alberts arm declared war on Austria, the pope became reluctant to this idea as he believed that he could not declare war on another catholic country. This resulted in a negative effect toward unity as he was considered to be the leader of it all. It also meant that support was lost for the unification process especially by those who considered religion more important than political freedom. When the Popes chief minister was assonated it resulted in the pope fleeing which allowed a government to be set up in his presences. A constitution was called and Rome was declared a republic, so it was the end of temporal power as the Pope no longer in charge. However it did not last long as the Pope gained outside help from France and Spain who went an army of 20,000. Garibaldi and Mazzini both tried to defend Rome but it was taken over by the French and the power was handed back to the Pope. Cavour felt to achieve unity the Pope had to be eliminated and the idea of him leading a confederation. He did this by suppressing the church as he knew they may increase in their power i. . take over or stop piedmont from taking over as they were against a unified Italy. This lead to 152 monasteries and 1700 benefices removed also the influence of the church was restricted. This allowed piedmonts control to be increased and therefore allowing piedmont to take over as the head of Italian unification. Once piedmont had gained control of Rome and Venetia it meant their constituencies were adapted. This was largely hated by the Pope as he believed it was not the efficient way to run a catholic country. Catholics were forbidden to have any political links with the kingdom and many religions a s it would mean you could go to hell. The pope also became more hostile to the Italians state in 1864 he published syllables of error in which he condemned everything which was modern. By 1870 the pope was still against the new state and also remained in the Vatican. He also published the doctrine of Papal Infallibility in which the freedom of religion was apposed. Consequently the church had a great influence in Italys role of unification, it can be said that their role was mostly negative. Especially from the start when all Napoleonic laws were abolished and the church was mostly pleased with its new found power. This meant that unification was very much not promoted as it would mean a decrease in their power. They had a negative role till the very end when the Pope was ready to lead a unified Italy in 1846 was against the unified State in 1861 and he also excommunicated the rules. Even though they had a negative role this added the hatred allowing Italians to consider other opinions. However this is not as strong as having a possible role for promoting unification. A role that did not occur or was not present as much.

Essay on QuestionsEssay Writing Service

Essay on QuestionsEssay Writing Service Essay on Questions Essay on QuestionsSituation A: You have been asked to facilitate a meeting in which you have an opinion about the subject. You are considering whether or not you can facilitate the meeting and remain neutral. What kinds of things do you need to consider and reflect upon in order to possibly approach the task without bias? Include in your discussion your beliefs and attitudes about perception and what kinds of things you might have to say or do to help some people find common ground on this polarizing topic.The meeting involving a polarizing topic should be bias-free to avoid the subjective approach to the particular subject. To stay on the objective ground and avoid biases, I should conduct the detailed study of the subject from different standpoints. For example, I can take a stance concerning the subject and prove its righteousness. After that I should try to disapprove my stance and take the contrary position. The strongest position is likely to be the right one. At the same time , to facilitate the meeting, I would suggest participants to present clearly their positions on the subject and discuss pros and contras of each position in the context of organizational goals. In the course of the discussion, participants of the meeting will come up to the plausible decision that will meet interests of all parties.SITUATION C: You have a mixture of older and younger members of your team from a variety of ethnic backgrounds and ages. What differences might you make for the group in the way of providing visuals, using questions and techniques that emphasize the reason why, etc.?The diverse group requires the application of universal visuals that do not evoke any contradictions or multiple interpretations. They should be straight forward, clear, succinct and have no other implications but the specific meaning they are supposed to convey to the audience. In this regard, it is possible to recommend using simple but not simplistic visuals that may use clear messages and symbols, which may simplify complex concepts. In addition, it is important to avoid too up-to-date issues or too old ones along with very specific issues, which are comprehensible for the specific cultural group only. The diverse group may fail to understand a very specific cultural context.

First Anglo-Afghan War, 1839-1842

First Anglo-Afghan War, 1839-1842 During the nineteenth century, two large European empires vied for dominance in Central Asia. In what was called the Great Game, the Russian Empire moved south while the British Empire moved north from its so-called crown jewel, colonial India. Their interests collided in Afghanistan, resulting in the First Anglo-Afghan War of 1839 to 1842. Background to the First Anglo-Afghan War In the years leading up to this conflict, both the British and Russians approached Afghanistans Emir Dost Mohammad Khan, hoping to form an alliance with him. Britains Governor-General of India, George Eden (Lord Auckland), grew extremely concerned with he heard that a Russian envoy had arrived in Kabul in 1838; his agitation increased when talks broke down between the Afghan ruler and the Russians, signaling the possibility of a Russian invasion. Lord Auckland decided to strike first in order to forestall a Russian attack. He justified this approach in a document known as the Simla Manifesto of October 1839. The manifesto states that in order to secure a trustworthy ally to the west of British India, British troops would enter Afghanistan to support Shah Shuja in his attempts to retake the throne from Dost Mohammad. The British werent invading Afghanistan, according to Auckland- just helping out a deposed friend and preventing foreign interference (from Russia). The British Invade Afghanistan In December of 1838, a British East India Company force of 21,000 mainly Indian troops began to march northwest from Punjab. They crossed the mountains in the dead of winter, arriving at Quetta, Afghanistan in March of 1839. The British easily captured Quetta and Qandahar and then routed Dost Mohammads army in July. The emir fled to Bukhara via Bamyan, and the British reinstalled Shah Shuja on the throne thirty years after he had lost it to Dost Mohammad. Well satisfied with this easy victory, the British withdrew, leaving 6,000 troops to prop up Shujas regime. Dost Mohammad, however, was not ready to give up so easily, and in 1840 he mounted a counter-attack from Bukhara, in what is now Uzbekistan. The British had to rush reinforcements back into Afghanistan; they managed to capture Dost Mohammad and brought him to India as a prisoner. Dost Mohammads son, Mohammad Akbar, began to rally Afghan fighters to his side in the summer and autumn of 1841 from his base in Bamyan. Afghan discontent with the continued presence of foreign troops mounted, leading to the assassination of Captain Alexander Burnes and his aides in Kabul on November 2, 1841; the British did not retaliate against the mob that killed Captain Burnes, encouraging further anti-British action. Meanwhile, in an effort to soothe his angry subjects, Shah Shuja made the fateful decision that he no longer needed British support. General William Elphinstone and the 16,500 British and Indian troops on Afghan soil agreed to begin their withdrawal from Kabul on January 1, 1842. As they made their way through the winter-bound mountains toward Jalalabad, on January 5th a contingent of Ghilzai (Pashtun) warriors attacked the ill-prepared British lines. The British East India troops were strung out along the mountain path, struggling through two feet of snow. In the melee that followed, the Afghans killed almost all of the British and Indian soldiers and camp followers. A small handful was taken, prisoner. The British doctor William Brydon famously managed to ride his injured horse through the mountains and report the disaster to British authorities in Jalalabad. He and eight captured prisoners were the only ethnic British survivors out of about 700 who set out from Kabul. Just a few months after the massacre of Elphinstones army by Mohammad Akbars forces, the new leaders agents assassinated the unpopular and now defenseless Shah Shuja. Furious about the massacre of their Kabul garrison, the British East India Company troops in Peshawar and Qandahar marched on Kabul, rescuing several British prisoners and burning down the Great Bazaar in retaliation. This further enraged the Afghans, who set aside ethnolinguistic differences and united to drive the British out of their capital city. Lord Auckland, whose brain-child the original invasion had been, next concocted a plan to storm Kabul with a much larger force and establish permanent British rule there. However, he had a stroke in 1842 and was replaced as Governor-General of India by Edward Law, Lord Ellenborough, who had a mandate to restore peace to Asia. Lord Ellenborough released Dost Mohammad from prison in Calcutta without fanfare, and the Afghan emir retook his throne in Kabul. Consequences of the First Anglo-Afghan War Following this great victory over the British, Afghanistan maintained its independence and continued to play the two European powers off of each other for three more decades. In the meantime, the Russians conquered much of Central Asia up to the Afghan border, seizing what is now Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan. The people of what is now Turkmenistan were the last vanquished by the Russians, at the Battle of Geoktepe in 1881. Alarmed by the tsars expansionism, Britain kept a wary eye on Indias northern borders. In 1878, they would invade Afghanistan once again, sparking the Second Anglo-Afghan War. As for the people of Afghanistan, the first war with the British reconfirmed their distrust of foreign powers and their intense dislike of foreign troops on Afghan soil. British army chaplain Reverand G.R. Gleig wrote in 1843 that the First Anglo-Afghan War was begun for no wise purpose, carried on with a strange mixture of rashness and timidity, [and] brought to a close after suffering and disaster, without much glory attached either to the government which directed, or the great body of troops which waged it. It seems safe to assume that Dost Mohammad, Mohammad Akbar, and the majority of Afghan people were much better pleased by the outcome.

Batman Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Batman - Essay Example These comics were based on the moods of the people at the time as the talk of war and recruitment into the army was a part of public discourse (Brooker 34). Robert Kahn, who later changed his name to Bob Kane was born on 24 October 1915 in New York and is the imaginative creator of Batman, a publication of Detective Comics. Kane notes who is an artist notes that writer Bill Finger played a contributing role in the creation of the super human icon. As an artist, Kane had prior to creation of Batman taken part in the humorous drawings like Jest Laffs and Peter Pupp for the Eiser/Iger studio and later on created Side Streets of New York and Van Bragger for Circus Comics. It is this drawing prowess especially in adventure strips that he depended on to create Batman (Duncan and Smith 383). Vin Sullivan who was the editor of Detective Comics at the time when Kane was just starting his artistic career, was impressed with the popularity superman has achieved in a short period since it debute d in 1938. To increase the audience for his magazine, the editor wanted to include a new super human character that would further capture the imagination of children in America, just as Superman had. The publishing boom at the time meant that the editor’s seasoned artists were busy in their different projects. Sullivan approached the eager and much younger Kane, with the proposal to design a new comical character that would capitalize on the success of costumed heroes that superman had achieved since it was released a year before. It is the suggestion that motivated Kane develop the idea of a costumed hero he named Batman. To have his ideas become a reality, Kane consulted a friend, Bill Finger, who was a writer with whom Kane had in 1938 and early 1939 collaborated on several comic series. The two spend the following days piecing together what they perceive the personality and appearance of Batman should be (Reinhart 1). In making their character unique, the Kane and Finger relied on different sources they could find. For Batman’s, scalloped cape, the creators chose the ornithopter, which is an adaptation of Leonardo da Vinci’s drawing of a glider, fitted with bat-like wings. The idea of a super hero but dressed in a dark and sinister-looking costume like suitable for villain came from characters in magazine such as Johnston McCulley’s Zorro and Walter Gibson’s The shadow. It was also the character of Zorro, which contributed to the concept of the super hero idle socialite in daytime but a masked vigilante at night. According to Kane, Zorro played a big influence on his ideas drawing inspiration from the first film adaptation of The Mark of Zorro, which had Douglas Fairbanks in the leading role. The Bat Whisperers was also important in Kane’s creation as it contributed to the bat motif for his super hero character. The director of The Bat Whisperers based his film on the 1920 play The Bat where the character wore a bl ack cloak and mask then stalked his victims. Kane further borrowed the concept of bat shadows present in the bat film. Since the majority of comic fans were children, Kane decided to pick on a character that will resonate with this young audience. For this reason, Kane and his collaborators chose to pair their dark, lone crime fighter

Lesson 8 discussion & Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Lesson 8 discussion & - Assignment Example I prefer Jimi Hendrixs version of the Bob Dylan tune "All Along the Watchtower". Bob Dylan’s Version is keeping the folk genre and has incorporated harmonica. Moreover, Dylan’s version possesses the rawness within his singing, and I enjoy the simple, undistorted instrumentation. Moreover, Bob Dylans tune does not display the similar angst and emotion that the Jimi Hendrix tune hosts. The groove and instrumentation of Hendrixs cover develops a visual of what the tune represents. The guitar leads a stronger sound and beefs up the song. Moreover, Dylans version is a little more ancient, but I cannot quite understand the lyrics. Side by side, I think that each contain raw emotions that appeal to their audience. With Bob Dylans country esque vocals on top of bluegrass ish music, and Jimi Hendrix electrified energy filled sound, both provide very different approaches while achieving their goal. Hendrix’s version also involves listener more and possesses more surprise e lements in it that is it is full of energy, dynamics, and contrasting sections. Bob Dylan’s recording of the "All Along the Watchtower" is about the lyrics since Dylan maintains the rhythm section simple with a steady groove on mostly acoustic instruments. He focuses on the words and the message the song send to the listener at the expense of the musicality and instrumentation of it. Moreover, he keeps the melody in a small range when singing and the harmonica in between verses adds some variety and response to the vocals. Moreover, Dylan keeps it simple folk sound accompanied by a light arrangement and simplicity. Conversely, Hendrix takes the song away from the existing folk genre through the introduction of the mechanism that use relatively heavier instrument with louder drums and electric guitar. Jimi Hendrix’s version is completely different since he rocks the tune out. Nevertheless, he adds heavy guitar, which is extremely appealing

How to implement a new strategy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

How to implement a new strategy - Essay Example In order to prove their point in their article, the authors present the analysis of two different companies, DuPont Engineering Polymers and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. These companies â€Å"used the tools of balanced scorecard strategy management to guide the decentralized units in their search for local gain even as they identified ways for them to contribute to corporate wide objectives† (Kaplan and Norton). Quite a few things need to be taken into consideration when a company picks a management system. The authors feel that developing a management system with a balanced scorecard framework is the best way to start with a successful system. Three things should be considered when doing this; the customer perspective, the financial perspective, and the learning and growth perspective. Prioritizing is also important. Several companies have successfully benefited from this approach by picking three to five strategic themes in order to prioritize the different enterprises of the company. Collecting these strategic themes and ideas can help to give the company focus on what it needs to both work on and focus on when developing its strategy. Some important themes can focus around customers; for example, the need to lower cost for customers, the need to attract other customers that may be beneficial to the business, and ways to make relationships with customers even more important by cross-sell ing or providing them with other services that they may need. Executive teams will need to identify strategic initiatives that support each theme and make sure that the resources, mainly the money and the manpower, are there to support each initiative. Scorecard based systems can be very effective for companies. They can help to measure performance and link together goals within the company. These themes help the corporation focus on its goals and priorities. In order to demonstrate this, the article moves into giving

Social networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social networking - Essay Example According to Gabler, the fact that Facebook exists, and that people make friends on this social networking site, does not mean that they make real friends. Indeed, because of the development of virtual friendships between individuals who are not in any way related has created a situation where there is no interpersonal relationships that have traditionally defined friendship. In arguing his case, Gabler goes as far as stating that Facebook offers what he terms as ‘friendship lite’ where individuals who claim to be friends do not have any personal relationships or any shared history that they can look back upon. There has developed a tendency among many individuals to want to become famous through social networking. This has been through their having more friends on these social networking sites than others, making having these friends a sort of popularity contest. The need to be popular within social networks has come to be termed as being pathetic because of the belief that individuals have ceased living a real life and have instead gone virtual. The fact that these individuals have chosen to live a virtual life has been detrimental not only for their own social development, but for individuals who have their own families, it has had an adverse effect on their children as well (Daly 480).

Organizational Ethics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Organizational Ethics - Essay Example External social pressures have both positive as well as negative impact on the ethics of an organization. The social expectations are meant to be given more importance by the company as this leads to better performance or downfall of the company. These social pressures are such that it bounds a company to give special consideration to the expectations of the society in terms of involvement in general community or performing responsibility towards the environment. The positive impact of this social pressure is that it enables a firm to work for a cause and deliver the best of services to its customers. As in the case of 21st Century Insurance where the main focus of the management is to meet the demands of their customers so that they work for the well being of their customers. On the other hand the negative impact of such external social pressures is that it greatly affects the decision making process and enforces the management to take decisions or take certain factors into account which currently was not being planned by the organization. This negative impact has been observed in the case of 21st Century Insurance where it had to implement strategies so as to meet the social expectations. ` The concept of ethical approach is essential in organizational or personal context as it helps to resolve many issues. The major factor of its importance is that it helps to design a framework within which an organization can operate. It even facilitates decision making process through its proper guidance in terms of analyzing what is wrong and what is right. The external social pressures help an organization to understand the expectations of the society and the responsibilities that they have towards the society so as to enhance the overall societal improvement. The decision making process gets simpler through these issues as it enables an individual to understand the

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Essay Example However, in the film Hunchback of Notre Dame, there occurs classism, dictatorship, classism, discrimination due to physical appearance. Classism is common in our modern society. Our society comprises of different groups leading to the formation of classes. There occurs the middle class, high class and the low class (Cudd, 105). People in the high class have some privileges and accorded respect in the society. They are treated in a special way unlike the rest of the classes. Middle class group enjoy few privileges unlike those offered to the high-class group. The worst affected comprises the low class group. People in the low class experience various forms of discrimination and enjoy few privileges compared to the other class groups. For instance, they live in slums; have little access to social services such as proper health care, poor sanitation, often manipulated politically by people from the high-class group (Cudd, 106). Just like in the film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the king is referred as His most Christian Majesty, Louis XI. This indicates that he is highly regarded in the society and thus had massive pow er and privileges bestowed upon him (Wallace). Therefore, he belongs to the high class. Moreover, the archbishop belongs to the middle class while the kings’ subjects comprise the low class group. This group does not enjoy some of the privileges enjoyed by the king and the archbishop. Dictatorship forms another form of oppression in the society. In most societies, kings and rulers have some autonomous powers bestowed upon them. Such powers and privileges do not exist with the subjects and thus contribute to oppression. In most instances, some actions and conducts by the rulers go unquestionable since the subjects may fear victimization. Just like in the film, king Louis XI is regarded as His Most Christian Majesty thus, making him the ruler and preside over all religious functions with the

Social networking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Social networking - Essay Example According to Gabler, the fact that Facebook exists, and that people make friends on this social networking site, does not mean that they make real friends. Indeed, because of the development of virtual friendships between individuals who are not in any way related has created a situation where there is no interpersonal relationships that have traditionally defined friendship. In arguing his case, Gabler goes as far as stating that Facebook offers what he terms as ‘friendship lite’ where individuals who claim to be friends do not have any personal relationships or any shared history that they can look back upon. There has developed a tendency among many individuals to want to become famous through social networking. This has been through their having more friends on these social networking sites than others, making having these friends a sort of popularity contest. The need to be popular within social networks has come to be termed as being pathetic because of the belief that individuals have ceased living a real life and have instead gone virtual. The fact that these individuals have chosen to live a virtual life has been detrimental not only for their own social development, but for individuals who have their own families, it has had an adverse effect on their children as well (Daly 480).

The Hunchback of Notre Dame Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

The Hunchback of Notre Dame - Essay Example However, in the film Hunchback of Notre Dame, there occurs classism, dictatorship, classism, discrimination due to physical appearance. Classism is common in our modern society. Our society comprises of different groups leading to the formation of classes. There occurs the middle class, high class and the low class (Cudd, 105). People in the high class have some privileges and accorded respect in the society. They are treated in a special way unlike the rest of the classes. Middle class group enjoy few privileges unlike those offered to the high-class group. The worst affected comprises the low class group. People in the low class experience various forms of discrimination and enjoy few privileges compared to the other class groups. For instance, they live in slums; have little access to social services such as proper health care, poor sanitation, often manipulated politically by people from the high-class group (Cudd, 106). Just like in the film The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the king is referred as His most Christian Majesty, Louis XI. This indicates that he is highly regarded in the society and thus had massive pow er and privileges bestowed upon him (Wallace). Therefore, he belongs to the high class. Moreover, the archbishop belongs to the middle class while the kings’ subjects comprise the low class group. This group does not enjoy some of the privileges enjoyed by the king and the archbishop. Dictatorship forms another form of oppression in the society. In most societies, kings and rulers have some autonomous powers bestowed upon them. Such powers and privileges do not exist with the subjects and thus contribute to oppression. In most instances, some actions and conducts by the rulers go unquestionable since the subjects may fear victimization. Just like in the film, king Louis XI is regarded as His Most Christian Majesty thus, making him the ruler and preside over all religious functions with the

Group Concepts Essay Example for Free

Group Concepts Essay Elements of an effective group. An effective group has several essential elements: positive interdependence (group members are linked with each other and are aware of this connectedness, they feel that their personal success depends on group success and group success depends on their personal success); two-way communication (exists when communication channels work in both directions and feedback is appreciated); distributed leadership (having more than one source of leadership, seeing every member of a group as an expert who is capable of making a difference); power based on expertise (those in power are those who hold the expertise; expertise becomes a source of power and an expert can influence others). Comprising all these elements, a group is â€Å"more than the sum of its parts† (Johnson Johnson, 2009, p. 20). These characteristics foster creativity and open-mindedness, for everyone can freely express his or her thoughts feeling that the feedback is appreciated. Such an environment allows challenging one another’s views, which helps seeing problems from different points of view and finding the optimal decision. 2) Team versus Group. Positive synergy is what distinguishes teams from groups. A group is a collective of individuals who share information and make decisions but who do not have a need for joint work. A group’s performance is the sum of its members’ performance. At the same time, a team is a collective of individuals united by a common goal and the need for joint efforts. A team’s performance is more than the sum of its members’ performance. Team members depend on each other and are interconnected, whereas each of group members primarily works on their own. Different tasks require different types of groups – for some, joint effort is not necessarily needed and the summation of individual performances of experts will bring the desired results; in other cases, working together is absolutely necessary for achieving the goal. It primarily concerns creative tasks that require innovation and more than one perspective. In such cases, teams can produce a better result than groups. To work in teams, not merely expertise is needed but also the desire and the ability to collaborate (Lecture 1. 1). 3) Team Effectiveness. Effective teams have the following characteristics: the goals are clear and coordinated with the individuals’ goals so that each team member is committed to achieving the team goals; conflicts are not suppressed but managed as the sources of creativity and innovation; there is two-way communication instead of one-way communication, open relationships rather than closed relationships, and feedback is asked and provided openly; all team members participate in group work, nobody is left behind; leadership is shared among team members; decision-making and problem solving involves all team members and participation is encouraged at all levels; risk taking is encouraged and mistakes are treated as the sources of learning rather than failures that deserve punishment (Lecture 1. 3). This is a rather long list but meeting all these criteria is not that complex as it seems to be, for most of these characteristics are interconnected and acquiring one entails another. For me, open relationships and two-way communication are the crucial skills; they involve opportunities for providing feedback, open discussion of goals, of conflict situations, participation in decision-making, etc. These require open mindedness and results in group’s being â€Å"more than the sum of its parts†, which is an essential characteristic of a work team that distinguishes it from a work group (Johnson Johnson, 2009, p. 20). 4) Sources and Value of Diversity. There are three major sources of diversity: demographic characteristics (ethnicity, race, religion, sex, language, age, social class, regional differences); personality characteristics (educational level, different attitudes, lifestyles, etc. ); abilities and skills (expertise in different areas, different technical or social skills, etc. ). Diversity can be a source of conflicts, misunderstandings, and hostility. However, if there is tolerance and respect to others, diversity is a powerful source of learning and creativity. If the mind is open, diversity brings in many new ideas and perspectives. People of different cultures and/or backgrounds often see the same things very differently, and acknowledging their different perspectives allows adopting a new creative and innovative approach. 5) Avoidance of Controversy. Controversy is often avoided in groups and perceived as a negative and stressful phenomenon. Thus, fear and ignorance stops group members from engaging in controversy. Yet, it should be valued and even stimulated. Controversy is an important part of any decision-making process. It means that more than one view on the problem is presented. Controversy helps weigh all possible views and find the optimal decision. In most situations, there is more than one view on the problem, and controversy helps find out the advantages and disadvantages of each view. Without an opportunity for controversy, the drawbacks of the chosen position may remain unnoticed and lead to tragic consequences. 6) Groupthink (how does leadership identify and prevent? ). Groupthink is one of the factors hindering group decision-making. It takes place when a group adopts an uncritical view of its own judgments. Usually it comes out when the group is homogeneous, values consensus, and has little time for producing a decision. It can be identified by its symptoms which include: belief that their judgments are right; illusion of invulnerability; collective rationalizing of poor decisions; sharing stereotypes concerning out-groups; self-censorship; maintaining illusion of unanimity; exercising pressure on those who disagree; protecting authority (PowerPoint Lecture 2. 2). Some of the strategies to prevent negative effects of groupthink include: resort to the help of outside experts; one of group members should be assigned a role of a critical evaluator who will question all decisions; the leaders should avoid making their own preferences explicit; allow time for discussion and elaborating alternative decisions. 7) Group Norms and how they are created. Group norms are implicit or explicit modes of conduct within the group that guide group members’ behavior without the direct application of power. Norms establish the rules and define what can be regarded as acceptable and unacceptable behavior. Group members should conform to group norms if they want to be a part of the group. Those who disobey usually experience pressure from the other group members up to the exclusion from the group. Group norms are created as a result of interaction between individuals and agreement on what can be considered right. They experience influence from the dominant culture in which the group operates. It is a kind of synergy of cultural norms, adopted organizational practices, and individual norms of every group member. Group norms regulate things from how much one can talk at a group meeting to how many times a day one can drink tea without being suspected to be lazy. 8) Experiential Learning (Lewin’s 12 principles). Experiential learning is, in short, learning through experience. It helps change learner’s attitudes, behavioral patterns, and action theories. Lewin defined 12 principles of experiential learning which describe the process of experiential learning and its effects. This kind of learning is more effective than simply acquiring new information. One of Lewin’s principles states that people tend to believe more in knowledge they discovered themselves than in knowledge taught by others. Experience is a form of active learning that is more effective than a passive process and that is able to change one’s attitudes and action theories. If action theories and attitudes do not change, the effect of learning will be only temporary. For changes in attitudes to occur, perception of oneself and one’s social environment must change. This kind of change can be easier achieved in a group context than in an individual context, and this context has to be a friendly and supportive one in order to facilitate the person’s ability to experiment with new attitudes. In fact, these 12 principles are the elaboration of the simple truth that we all learn from mistakes and experience. Like a child gets to know that fire hurts from firsthand experience rather than from the precautions of adults, we all tend to acquire new knowledge and change our behavioral patterns according to our own experience rather than taking somebody’s theories on trust. 9) Epistemic Curiosity. Epistemic curiosity is a state of mind that forces the person to search actively for more information in an attempt to relieve tension from conceptual conflict. Conceptual conflict or discrepancies in the existent practices and conditions point out that there is an information gap, which results in uncertainty and dissatisfaction. To eliminate dissatisfaction, the person strives to get more information and fill the information gap thus explaining to himself the discrepancies and acquiring certainty. Thus, epistemic curiosity is a powerful drive for knowledge. It is one of the ways by which controversies can be resolved. Stimulating data gathering and learning, it helps find optimal ways and grounds for adopted decisions. 10) Group Dynamics (what does this mean? ). The term group dynamics refers to the study of group development and of interactions within the group. Understanding group dynamics, one can diagnose how well the group is functioning, what can be done to improve performance, and intervene to make the required changes. It requires understanding of group processes and stages of group development. The essential point here is that the group is viewed not as a collection of individuals but as a real unit bound by positive interdependence. Simply put, group dynamics means the development of group over time, the processes that take place within the group, the relationships and interactions, changing attitudes, etc. B. A. R. T. analysis is a useful tool for studying group dynamics as it reveals major dimensions: boundaries (in terms of time, territory, tasks), authority (both formal and informal), roles (multiple formal and informal roles), and tasks (visions, missions, different understandings of the task, practical challenges, etc. ). 11) Stages of Group Development. Different authors describe different stages of group development. Tuckman elaborated a 5-stage model that comprises forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Johnson and Johnson (2009) list 7 stages of group development: (1) defining and structuring procedures, (2) conforming to procedures, (3) recognizing mutuality and building trust, (4) rebelling and differentiating, (5) committing to and taking ownership for the goals, procedures, and other members, (6) functioning maturely and productively, and (7) terminating (p. 28). Both models describe group development from its formation to its dismissal, but Johnson and Johnson’s model is a more elaborated and detailed one. In fact, it breaks the initial stage of forming to three stages that include defining procedures, conforming to procedures, and building trust. Thus, it underlines the normative element at the initial stages of group development. It is interesting also that according to both models rebelling, or storming, should take place before the group begins to function maturely. It once again proves the value of conflict. 12) Leadership Styles. There are three major leadership styles: autocratic, when the leader dictates his will and makes decision by himself without consulting group members; these decisions are enforced then; democratic, when the leader encourages involvement of group members into decision-making process, values opinions of others, and takes into account different views; laissez-faire, when the leader’s participation in decision making is minimal and group members are allowed maximum freedom. It cannot be concluded that one of these styles is better than the other, for the choice of style usually depends on the situation, on the leader’s personal abilities, and on company values. Some situations require autocratic leadership (for example, when there is no time for discussion and the decision, either good or bad, has to be made and implemented quickly), whereas in other cases democratic or laissez-faire leadership will work better. Giving freedom to employees make them feel valued and trusted which stimulates them. 13) Sources of Power. There are five major sources of power: legitimate power, having its source in the person’s position (group members believe that the person has a right to influence others in virtue of his or her position in the organization); reward power, having its source in the person’s ability to reward certain types of behavior; coercive power, having its source in the threat of punishment; expert power, having its source in the skills and knowledge of a person (group members believe that the person has a right to influence others in virtue of his or her expertise); referent power, having its source in person’s being liked and respected by others (group members comply out of respect). Legitimate, reward, and coercive power are usually associated with a formal position of the person, whereas expert power and referent power have its sources in the person’s abilities. Coercive power is very likely to produce resistance, and referent power results in commitment to the person. For leaders and managers, it is better to combine more than one source of power and have expert and/or referent power in addition to power based on formal position. In this case the followers will comply more willingly. 14) Organizational Culture. Organizational culture is a set of basic assumptions, norms, values, and behavioral patterns that regulate how people interact within an organization and with outsiders. It comprises rules, customs, symbols, visions, organizational environment and structures, etc. It is formed under the influence of the national culture, the management beliefs and values, and the sum of individual beliefs. None of these factors can form organizational culture on itself, but each of them can influence the formation and development of organizational culture. In fact, organizational culture is what distinguishes one organization from another. It is strong when it can stimulate a sense of belonging in the employees. Changing organizational culture is a very complex task that requires much time and care. The attempts to impose new values at once are likely to rouse a good deal of resistance. 15) Social Interdependence. Social interdependence among group members is the essence of a group. It means that one’s outcomes depend on the others, and vice versa. Social interdependence theory states that the type of interdependence existing in a group defines the type of interaction among members and, therefore, the results. Positive interdependence facilitates promotive interaction, when group members promote each other’s efforts to achieve the goal. Negative interdependence facilitates oppositional interaction when group members oppose and obstruct each other’s efforts to achieve the goal. When there is no interdependence, no interaction occurs, and group members focus on their individualistic efforts. Social interdependence makes a group a whole, because when a group member cannot achieve a goal on his own he has no choice but to interact with others. Positive interaction results in higher level of performance, because it creates supportive and collaborative working environment that stimulates each member’s efforts. 16) Gaining and loosing trust. Trust is a complex notion that is difficult to define, but without trust normal functioning of a group is impossible. Distrust increases competition and often results in conflict leading to destructive consequences. To gain trust, risk and confirmation are necessary. Risk and disconfirmation lead to losing trust. Thus, in both cases risk is an essential factor. A person should risk by disclosing his personal thoughts and feelings to another person, and in case his openness is accepted trust is built, whereas when the person’s openness is betrayed trust is destroyed. Trust is easier destroyed than built. It is enough to betray one’s feelings only once to lose trust, but it takes much time and efforts to restore it. Therefore, one needs to behave very carefully in order not to destroy trust and not abuse the other’s vulnerability. 17) Superordinate Identity (4-steps). Developing a superordinate identity is one of the four steps of the process of recognizing and valuing diversity in groups. This process includes: (1) appreciating one’s own identity (culture, religion, gender, etc. ), (2) appreciating the others’ identities; (3) developing a superordinate identity, and (4) learning a pluralistic set of values. The superordinate identity is the summation of all personal identities existent in the group; it unites and comprises diverse values in a single group identity. It is based on a pluralistic set of values and does not exclude any of the personal identities of group members. It helps overcome otherness and value differences. 18) Language Sensitivity. Being language sensitive means understanding which words and expressions are appropriate and which are inappropriate for communication with diverse groups and people of different backgrounds. It is clear that we communicate differently with our friends than with our boss. Similarly, what is good for people of one background may be inappropriate in communication with people of a different background? To avoid misunderstandings and miscommunication, individuals should heighten their language sensitivity and avoid using language that can be abusing for others. In some cases, the difference between communication patterns is obvious (like in the example with friends and boss); in other situations, we may not even be aware of differences (for example, when communicating with people from different cultures who can be used to absolutely different communication patterns). Therefore, language sensitivity often requires not merely â€Å"sensitivity† as it is but sensitivity supported by knowledge about different cultures. 19) Egocentrism. Egocentrism is the opposite of perspective-taking, or adhering to one’s own point of view so that other viewpoints are ignored. Egocentric person may even not be aware of the other points of view and of possible limitations of his or her own perspective. One’s own views are accepted uncritically whereas others’ views are criticized, and valued only if they agree with one’s own (Johnson Johnson, 2009, p. 297). Egocentrism limits the ability to see things objectively and therefore hinders decision-making process. When each member is uncritical about his personal views, a competition develops that aims not at producing the optimal decision but at proving that â€Å"my† view is the best one and making others comply. It often results in low-quality decisions. 20) Team Ethics. Team ethics is a set of moral principles adopted in a team that govern members’ behavior and define what is right. In this respect, it is related to organizational culture and group norms, for it also relies on common values. Team members are expected to comply with these moral principles, for unethical behavior is never praised. Team ethics develops alongside with team culture and experiences the influence of ethical systems adopted in the national culture and of the ethical beliefs of management and team members. However, it is usually more than a sum or a compromise of many ethical considerations. Team ethics should not level off individual ethical systems; it should rather provide a more elevated and demanding understanding of what is right. For team ethics to create a collaborative and supportive environment, it has to comprise such values as respect for others, acknowledging each member’s rights and needs, valuing liberty and diversity, respect for human rights, etc. 21) 5 steps to effective problem solving. Five steps to effective problem solving include: 1) identify the problem (formulating a single question the answer to which is likely to resolve the problem; that is why this tactics is also called Single Question Format); 2) create a collaborative setting (an agreement on principle for discussion should be reached and any assumptions and biases brought to surface); 3) identify and analyze the issues (to fully understand the nature of the problem, some minor issues, or sub-questions, should be identified and discussed); 4) identify possible solutions (several possible courses of action as well as their respective advantages and disadvantages should be defined); 5) resolve the single question (choose the optimal solution among those proposed that answers the single question). (Lecture 2. 4. ) This approach has a benefit of focusing attention on the most important issue without dispersing it to minor issues. Defining a problem correctly is a half of success in problem-solving. When the single question is defined correctly, it gets to the root of the problem, and answering it is likely to resolve all minor problems associated with the greater one. 22) Reflections on Virtual Groups and Teams. During this course, we participated in virtual groups. This experience is very different from participating in face-to-face communication. Many limitations impede group development. First of all, virtual team members communicate directly with each other only rarely, which gives only few opportunities for knowing each other better and developing trust and confidence. Then, technical issues (like the problems some of us had with microphones) may interrupt communication from time to time. Finally, I think that the lack of nonverbal communication is also an obstacle, for we often perceive the other’s feelings and intentions from facial expressions, eye gaze, etc. In this case, we only had to rely on words. I believe that all these obstacles result in the need for more time for a group to become a team and for trust and confidence to develop compared to face-to-face communication. However, the need for joint work and effort united us, and by the end of the course we were feeling quite confident. Therefore, to unite virtual groups, there is a need for regular and frequent communication and tasks that require joint efforts. References Johnson, D. W. , Johnson, F. P. (2009). Joining together: Group theory and group skills. 10th ed. Boston, MA: Allyn Bacon.

Health Needs Of A Child Case Study Social Work Essay

Health Needs Of A Child Case Study Social Work Essay For the purpose of this essay I will write a critical analysis of a case study assessing the health needs of a child within a family. The case study is of a two parent family of a two year old girl. The family had transferred from another area. Their daughter was born prematurely at thirty one weeks. She didnt offer eye contact and had no voluntary speech. Full permission has been obtained to use the information in the case study. I used firstly Orems nursing model to assess the familys needs. Then a more appropriate framework Family Health Needs Assessment. The model is a behavioural model. Behavioural models are based on the hierarchy of human needs by Maslow (1993). The hierarchy starts at the bottom of a pyramid with essential needs, when these are met the person progresses up the pyramid until full potential is achieved (Maslow, 1993). Orems model is based on societies need for the client to be self caring (Henderson, 1990). Orems (2001) model has a continuum of self care abilities, the aim being to move along this continuum to self care or adapt to a diminishing self care in terminal or chronic ill cases. Orem (2001) states that the family and significant others in a persons life must be involved in their self care. It is a model which values individual responsibility, prevention and health education as key aspects of nursing intervention (Aggleton and Chalmers 2000). Orem lists the following key factors that influence health; 1. Adequate intake of air water and food. 2, Adequate excretion of waste. 3. A balance between activity and rest both mentally and physically. 4. Social interaction and solitude should be optimised. 5. The prevention or avoidance of hazards and danger. 6. The feeling of being and behaving normally leading to stress reduction. By being able to carry out self care in these areas the person fulfils what Orem (2001) calls their Universal Self Care Demands. If there is illness injury or disease the individual has self care demands in three extra areas (Orem, 2001). These are known as the Health Deviation Self Care Demands. i Structure. ii. Functioning. iii. Behaviour. Orem uses the Nursing Process starting with assessment of the family in order to discover their individual problems which are defined in terms of self care deficits (Orem, 2001). The first stage of Orems model identifies both the demands for and the ability to achieve, self care in an individual (Aggleton and Chalmers, 2000). I assessed the family the parents both worked dad is a chef and mum is a carer in a nursing home they are both supported by grandparents who lived across the street. Both were fit and well. The two year old daughter was causing her mother concern in that she was not speaking it was difficult to get her attention with very little eye contact. Using Orems list I asked questions about each of the six activities. The problems identified were related to the two year olds behaviour of pacing around the room not speaking no eye contact and slapping her hands one on top of the other. After gathering information I had to decide why there was a self care deficit. This was difficult using Orems which states the self care deficit should be linked to a lack of knowledge or of skills to a lack of motivation to achieve self care (Aggleton and Chalmers, 2000). These dont seem to apply to a two year old cared for by her parents. But clearly her behaviour was a cause for concern. I had now completed a good deal of paperwork a fault recognised by Fawcett et al (2004) in many instances it has led to nursing models being a bureaucratic chore (Fawcett et al,2004). A checklist method and standard care plans would have allowed for a quick assessment of the Universal self care demands (Kitson, 2001). The next stage is to plan and set goals (Salvage and Kershaw, 1990). The long term goal for each client would be the restoration of a balance between self care ability and self care needs (Salvage and Kershaw, 1990). The implementation of the care plan may involve activities to meet self care demands (Pearson et al, 2004). In addition members of the family, or significant others, may provide some care. Orem (2001) has identified six broad ways in which assistance can be given to implement a care plan. 1.Doing for or acting for another 2.Guiding and directing another. 3.Providing physical support. 4.Providing psychological support. 5.Providing an environment which supports development. 6.Teaching another. However each of these methods of helping requires compliance (Pearson et al 2004). Orems model demands that clients and their families are willing and able to adopt certain roles achieve self care (Aggleton and Chalmers 2000). 3) Evaluation Orem (2001) has suggested that the evaluation of care given should be measured in terms of the clients or families performance of self care. Using Orem we should set out goals in terms of what the family will achieve (Pearson et al, 2004). It was difficult to set goals babies who are born prematurely can suffer from learning difficulties and to investigate the two year olds behaviour was the goal. Orems model didnt seem to fit well with this families care. The major problem with nursing models concerns the relationship with the clients of the service. These are of two kinds. The employer for most nurses in the UK, the employer is the Government. The Government has aims and objectives for its health care system which is to use evidence based practice which may conflict with a particular nursing model or philosophy (Mckenna et al, 2008). Orems model is over fifty years old and is not evidence based. The problems mainly being centered on the daughters behavior the following framework was more appropriate for this family. An evidence based framework The Family Health Needs Assessment was introduced into the health visiting service in 2003 and is based on the Framework for the Assessment of children in need and their families (Department of Health et al, 2000). The Assessment Framework was intended to help practitioners to become child-centered (Horwath, 2010). The aim being to do an assessment of the familys health and parenting needs. A triangle is used as an illustration of the Framework the child being in the centre (Rose, 2009). The three sides of the triangle represent the key factors that influence the Childs health; child developmental needs, parenting capacity and family health and environmental factors. Each one has sub headings specific to the main heading. Childs Development Needs Health Education Emotional Behavioral Development Identity Family Social Relationships Social Presentation Self Care Skills Parenting Capacity Basic Care Ensuring Safety Emotional Warmth Stimulation Guidance Boundaries Stability Family health Family history functioning Wider family Housing Employment Income Familys Social Integration Community Resources The aim of the initial Family Health Needs Assessment (FHNA) is to undertake a full assessment of the familys health and parenting needs. The impact of parenting capacity, family health and environmental factors on the childs health and well-being is assessed to identify children and families who may require additional support to achieve the 5 outcomes identified in Every Child Matters (2004). Being healthy Staying Safe Enjoying and achieving Making a positive Contribution Achieving Economic well-being There is research evidence to suggest that low birth weight and prematurity indicates a greater risk of not achieving the 5 outcomes identified in Every Child Matters (2004). Then a family health plan can be developed to include the familys needs as agreed in partnership with the parent/carer. How the family wishes to address these needs An action plan which identifies specific interventions/support and who this will be provided by as well as the date for review and a review of progress made against the action plan. The assessment took some time I had to reword some of the questions for fear of giving offence. The assessment forms were lengthy and there was some duplication. Emotional warmth under parenting Capacity and Emotional and behavioral development under the heading Childs developmental Needs. I found it difficult to know what to include under some of the headings. In Calders study (2003) the practitioners found the heading for the childs developmental needs the most challenging of the three headings. A number got confused between social presentation and self-care skills and the majority struggled with assessing identity. The task for practitioners is to specify what, in relation to health and development, the child is at risk of and how significant they consider this risk to be (Horwath, 2010). The original Framework for the assessment of children in need and their Families has guidance and support materials which explain the risk of harm, reducing the Framework to the Triangle and a set of descriptions separates the needs from the risk of harm. Which could lead to a loss of focus on the child and their needs (Platt, 2006). Both parents in this case were happy to carry out the assessment some parents can be unco-operative or even hostile Brandon et al, (2009). This could also cause a lack of focus on the needs of children. Brandon et al, (2009) found that good parental engagement can also disguise risk of harm to a child. It is important hear what children have to say (Archard and Skivenes, 2009). I did engage the two year old with my identity badge which she recognized the picture but in this case I wasnt able to interview the child because of her understanding and limited speech. I was able to observe her though and record my observations. Brandon et al. (2009) describe the various ways in which professionals dont include children in the assessment. These include young people and siblings and a failure to address the needs of children who chose not to or are unable to speak because of disability, trauma and fear (Brandon et al 2009). Groups of children in need that are hard to assess included: disabled children; adolescents; children of different cultures and faiths; and children in asylum-seeking and refugee families (Brandon et al, 2009). Another group of children that also has been found to be difficult to assess are children in need from higher socioeconomic groups. These cases were found challenging by social workers because: the parents were more aware of their rights (Brandon et al, 2009). Care must be given to recording accurately what the child says and managing that information, especially if it is negative about the parents so not to expose the child to any more risk Practitioners are responsible for gathering information and they also have to share the findings of the assessment with family members. From the assessment I identified a problem under the heading Child Developmental Needs Health the two year old daughter was growing physically but was not developing speech and had limited eye contact. The family had just moved from another area. Their daughter had been born premature at 31 weeks and she had had follow up appointments at hospital now that they had moved the hospital was too far away. The follow up at hospital was important for her developmental reviews. So the first identified need was to register at the Doctors and explain that she needs a referral to the hospital for a full pediatric review. Speech was a problem in that she was making the occasional sound and not forming her words properly. I made the speech therapy referral and gained assurances that her parents would take her. We discussed taking her to a nursery to mix with other children. After talking it was decided so that mum could go too to join a mother and toddler group. So things moved swiftly we put a time scale on these three major things of three weeks. I arranged to visit again in two weeks.