Psychology and Impact Personality Development

1. Define personality. 2. Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. 3. Discuss social and cultural contributions to personality development. 4. Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. 5. Describe the major process theories of personality. 6. Evaluate the major personality theories. 7. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used personality assessment techniques, validity, reliability. Define personality. Personality Is a unique and relatively stable ways in which people think, feel and behave * Is shaped by biological, situational, and mental processes in a sociocultural and development context * Impacts people’s cognition, motivation and behaviour Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. Biological * A person’s temperament results from 4 humours (ancient theory) * Blood from heart – sanguine cheerful * Choler from liver- choleric angry * Mel ancholer from spleen – melancholy depressed * Phlegm from brain- phlegmatic sluggish Frontal lobes regulates one’s basic disposition * Individual differences in temperament arise from balance of neurotransmitters * Adrenal gland, thyroid gland, pituitary gland and endocrine gland affect personality. * Kagan’s research on inherited basis of shyness on new borns * Excitable and inhibited infants became shy and introverted * Less excitable and bold infants became extraverted * â€Å"push of nature in different directions† Situational * Environment affects us through operant and classical conditioning * (1) Physical Environment It includes the influence of climatic conditions of a particular area or country on man and his living. * (2) Social Environment * The child has his birth in the society. He learns and lives there. Hence, the social environment has an important say in the personality development of the child. * E. g. one would play with an outgoing chi ld more than an inhibited one pushes inhibited child towards shyness * (3) Family Environment * Child comes in contact with his parents and other family member. His likes, dislikes, stereotypes about people, expectancies of security and emotional responses all are shaped in early childhood. The type of training and early childhood experiences play an important role in the development of personality. * Besides this, economic factors i. e. , economic condition of the family and the type of relations between the parents also influence the personality of the child. * (4) Cultural Environment * Individualism in westerners vs collectivism in Africa caused by environment * Striking difference in the universal trait of shyness caused by how each culture dealt with the child’s success and failures. Who gets credit for good grades, gets blamed for not getting them? Childcautious, low risk taker * (5) School Environment * In the school, the teacher substitutes the parents. * The school poses new problems to be solved, new taboos to be accepted into the superego and new models for imitation and identification Mental Processes * 3 kinds of process theories: * Psychodynamic/ psychoanalysis- * motivation, especially unconscious motives and the influence of past experiences on out mental health * Humanistic- consciousness and our present, subjective reality: what we think is ipt now and how we think of ourselves in relation to others * Cognitive- * Influence of learning, perception and social interaction on behaviour Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. Dispositional theories suggest temperaments, traits or types (set of personality characteristics) provide consistency to individual’s personality over time. Temperament * Biologically based personality dispositions * Apparent in early childhood, Establish foundation of personality & individual’s approach to life * Inherited temperament may set the range of your response to some life si tuation but it does not fully determine your life experiences * Affected also by family position, experiences, and sense of self * Usually refers to dominant long standing themes eg shyness/moodiness * Role of frontal lobes in regulating one’s basic disposition * Individual differences in temperament arise from balance of neurotransmitters * Influenced by learning * Heredity and environment interact with initially inherited characteristics becoming amplified * E. . one would play with an outgoing child more than an inhibited one pushes inhibited child towards shyness * E. g. observational learning Traits * Emerge from temperaments and influenced by experiences * Guides thoughts and actions under various conditions * Relatively stable * BIG 5 Traits * Openness to experience, Conscientious, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism * Has validity across cultures (but most of these studies utilized university students as respondents who are more influenced by European-American vi ews * Quite accurate Labels a person but gives no explanation on why Evaluation of Trait Theories XPortrayed personality as fixed and static rather than a process that can undergo development changes depending on experiences Xoversimplified our complex nature XDo not tell much about their source or how traits interacts X SELF-FULFILLING prophecy where ppl become influenced by the labels and it became hard for them to change the undesirable behaviour. E. g. a child labelled shy will have to struggle w both the label and the traits * Gives us ability to predict behaviour Assessing traits * Using: * MMPI-2 for clinical traits base on mental problems * Not possible to fake due to lie scales * Must be used w care in non-Western countries/ minorities cos not well represented in the samples used in developing the test * NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI) base on big 5 * Both have excellent reliability (consistent and stable scores) * Both have good validity (measure what they were designed to measure eg signs of mental disturbance) * Barnum effects: tendency for people to accept very general or vague characterizations of themselves and take them to be accurate * descriptions can well apply to others * reliability and validity are important attributes of good psychological tests * Finding personality type * Category that represents a common cluster of personality characteristics * MBTI – Myers-Briggs Type Indicator * Not reliable, not valid * Ppl don’t fall into different types but more along the introversion-extraversion continuum Describe the major process theories of personality.While each of the process theories sees different forces at work in personality, all portray personality as a result of internal mental processes and social interactions. Psychodynamic theories 1. Sigmund Freud psychodynamic approach * focus is on influence of unconscious forces (psychic determinism) difficult to prove * Personality is a function of 3 main themes: unconscious forces, childhood experiences, sex * Not scientific, hindsight bias ( overemphasis on childhood ), unconscious mind is not that malign and turbulent * Structure of personality Id * Unconscious reservoir * contains basic motives, drives and instinctive desires * pushes for immediate gratification * Ego * Governed by reality principle * Decision making component * Mediator btw Id and reality * Superego * Governed by morality and social standards (conscience) * An individual’s view of the kind of person he or she should strive to become * Psychosexual stages * Ego defence mechanism- largely unconscious mental strategy employed to reduce the experience of conflict or anxiety * Denial – I don’t have a problem Rationalization- I cheat because everyone does it – give socially accepted reasons for actions one think is socially unacceptable * Reaction formulation – goodie goodie act in opposite of their desire- act exactly in opposition to their unconscious desires * Displacement- kick the dog- shifting your reaction from real source of distress to a safer individual or object * Regression- cry, throw things to reduce stress- regress to earlier developmental stage * Sublimation- channel negative to positive eg sexual desires to creativity on art * Projection- attribute own unconscious desires/fears to others * Led to projective testing 2. Adler Struggle with sexual and hostile impulses not primary factor in personality development * Primary struggle: overcome inferiority feelings, develop superiority feelings in social relationships (later seen as unhealthy due to overcompensation) * Outgrow childhood inferiority, become competent adult * All born with positive motive, social interest * People’s lives governed by their goals 3. Karen Horney * Freud overemphasized sexual conflicts, penis envy, and criticized his views of women * When basic anxiety gets out of control, people become neurotic (basic desires taken to extreme eg nee d for a partner) * Ways people deal with basic anxiety: * Move towards others, against others, away from others 4. Other Neo-Freudian Theorists: * Accepted notions of psychic determinism and unconscious motivation * Did not agree on sex and death instinct or the indelible nature of early life experiences. Put greater emphasis on ego functions (ego defence,dev of self instead of on unconsciousness) * Gave social variables an impt role (culture, family instead of instinctive urges, unconscious conflicts) * Extended personality development to include lifespan (instead of only childhood) Projective testing: Diagnosis via a defense mechanism * Ambiguous pictures to probe people’s innermost feelings, motive, conflicts, and desires * E. g. Rorschach Inkblot Technique- not objective * E. g. Thematic Apperception Test(TAT)- ambiguous picture n tell story * Theme: aggression, sexual needs, rs Humanistic Perspective Main Theoretical tenants: 1) Humans have an innate drive for personal g rowth ) Humans have free will; not controlled by the environment 3) Humans are conscious and rational; not controlled by unconscious forces 4) One’s subjective view is more important than objective reality * Abraham Maslow ‘s needs hierarchy * Interested in healthy human psychology * Criticisms: Not testable, Unrealistic, Method, Culture-specific * Carl Rogers’ Person-Centred Theory * Believed that humans have one basic motive, that is the tendency to self-actualize * To achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of congruence. * Difference may exist between a person’s ideal self and actual experience. This is called incongruence. Where a person’s ideal self and actual experience are consistent or very similar, a state of congruence exists. * The larger the discrepancies between the two, the more psychological problems one experiences * Development of congruence is dependent on unconditional positive regard. * As we prefer to see ourselves i n ways that are consistent with our self-image, we may use defence mechanisms like denial or repression in order to feel less threatened by some of what we consider to be our undesirable feelings. * Evaluation: * Self centered picture of personality, looking through the lens of individualistic culture * But even in collectivism, self exists * Self-esteem, a cause or effect? Bullies and drug users actually have high self esteem * Emphasis on positive achievements and pro-social behaviours * Fails to recognize its function in a world filled with evil of all kinds Social Cognitive theories: Social Learning * Cognitive learning which new responses are acquired after watching others’ behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour * Expectation of gaining reward drives us to acquire that response * We reject or accept the role model base on consequences of their actions * Reciprocal determinism is the process which cognitions, behaviour and the environment mutually influence each other * Jane likes vb (cognition), spends more time playing on campus (env) and interacting w teammates (social behaviour) rewardingthis activity will reciprocally strengthen your interest in vb. Locus of control Rotter’s theory: our behaviour depends on our locus of control * Changes from situation to situation * Internal locus of control * Good student, smart and have good grades internal in academic settings * External locus of control * Overweight and come from a family w obesity external in restaurants. Evaluation * Overemphasize rational information processing and overlook both emotion and unconscious processes * Strength lies in foundation of solid psychological research able to come up with treatments for mental disorders that often seem to involve observational learning esp anxiety- based disorders (phobias and behaviour disorders in children) Behavioural Operant and Classical conditioning ) In classical, the organism learns an association between two stimuli (the N S and UCS); in operant, the organism learns an association between the behaviour and its consequences 2) In classical, the behaviour is elicited by the stimulus (not voluntary, like a reflex); in operant, the behaviour is emitted (under the control of the organism) * Pavlov’s classical conditioning * Chrissy’s sleepover case * B. F Skinner’s Operant conditioning * Positive reinforcement & Negative reinforcement (remove negative stimuli) strengthens response, * Punishment (give unpleasant stimuli) weakens response * Behaviour is determined by situations one is in (situationism) * People behave in ways to suit their situations Behaviours cannot be consistent enough to be traits because situations change * Solution: behaviours influenced by both person and situation (person X situation interactionism) * One situation influences people in different ways Theories to understand ourselves 1. Implicit personality theories a. Assumptions about personality used to simplif y the task of understanding others, eg. Blondes are not smart b. May give bad predictions when one project his feelings onto others and assume he’s feeling the same way c. Mindset 2. Self-narratives d. Help ppl sense a thread of consistency through their personalities over time e. Redemptive self: where one overcome obstacles to help others 3. Both theories are influenced by culture Psychology and Impact Personality Development 1. Define personality. 2. Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. 3. Discuss social and cultural contributions to personality development. 4. Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. 5. Describe the major process theories of personality. 6. Evaluate the major personality theories. 7. Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used personality assessment techniques, validity, reliability. Define personality. Personality Is a unique and relatively stable ways in which people think, feel and behave * Is shaped by biological, situational, and mental processes in a sociocultural and development context * Impacts people’s cognition, motivation and behaviour Analyze how biological, situational and mental processes impact personality development. Biological * A person’s temperament results from 4 humours (ancient theory) * Blood from heart – sanguine cheerful * Choler from liver- choleric angry * Mel ancholer from spleen – melancholy depressed * Phlegm from brain- phlegmatic sluggish Frontal lobes regulates one’s basic disposition * Individual differences in temperament arise from balance of neurotransmitters * Adrenal gland, thyroid gland, pituitary gland and endocrine gland affect personality. * Kagan’s research on inherited basis of shyness on new borns * Excitable and inhibited infants became shy and introverted * Less excitable and bold infants became extraverted * â€Å"push of nature in different directions† Situational * Environment affects us through operant and classical conditioning * (1) Physical Environment It includes the influence of climatic conditions of a particular area or country on man and his living. * (2) Social Environment * The child has his birth in the society. He learns and lives there. Hence, the social environment has an important say in the personality development of the child. * E. g. one would play with an outgoing chi ld more than an inhibited one pushes inhibited child towards shyness * (3) Family Environment * Child comes in contact with his parents and other family member. His likes, dislikes, stereotypes about people, expectancies of security and emotional responses all are shaped in early childhood. The type of training and early childhood experiences play an important role in the development of personality. * Besides this, economic factors i. e. , economic condition of the family and the type of relations between the parents also influence the personality of the child. * (4) Cultural Environment * Individualism in westerners vs collectivism in Africa caused by environment * Striking difference in the universal trait of shyness caused by how each culture dealt with the child’s success and failures. Who gets credit for good grades, gets blamed for not getting them? Childcautious, low risk taker * (5) School Environment * In the school, the teacher substitutes the parents. * The school poses new problems to be solved, new taboos to be accepted into the superego and new models for imitation and identification Mental Processes * 3 kinds of process theories: * Psychodynamic/ psychoanalysis- * motivation, especially unconscious motives and the influence of past experiences on out mental health * Humanistic- consciousness and our present, subjective reality: what we think is ipt now and how we think of ourselves in relation to others * Cognitive- * Influence of learning, perception and social interaction on behaviour Describe the major dispositional theories of personality. Dispositional theories suggest temperaments, traits or types (set of personality characteristics) provide consistency to individual’s personality over time. Temperament * Biologically based personality dispositions * Apparent in early childhood, Establish foundation of personality & individual’s approach to life * Inherited temperament may set the range of your response to some life si tuation but it does not fully determine your life experiences * Affected also by family position, experiences, and sense of self * Usually refers to dominant long standing themes eg shyness/moodiness * Role of frontal lobes in regulating one’s basic disposition * Individual differences in temperament arise from balance of neurotransmitters * Influenced by learning * Heredity and environment interact with initially inherited characteristics becoming amplified * E. . one would play with an outgoing child more than an inhibited one pushes inhibited child towards shyness * E. g. observational learning Traits * Emerge from temperaments and influenced by experiences * Guides thoughts and actions under various conditions * Relatively stable * BIG 5 Traits * Openness to experience, Conscientious, Extraversion, Agreeableness, Neuroticism * Has validity across cultures (but most of these studies utilized university students as respondents who are more influenced by European-American vi ews * Quite accurate Labels a person but gives no explanation on why Evaluation of Trait Theories XPortrayed personality as fixed and static rather than a process that can undergo development changes depending on experiences Xoversimplified our complex nature XDo not tell much about their source or how traits interacts X SELF-FULFILLING prophecy where ppl become influenced by the labels and it became hard for them to change the undesirable behaviour. E. g. a child labelled shy will have to struggle w both the label and the traits * Gives us ability to predict behaviour Assessing traits * Using: * MMPI-2 for clinical traits base on mental problems * Not possible to fake due to lie scales * Must be used w care in non-Western countries/ minorities cos not well represented in the samples used in developing the test * NEO personality inventory (NEO-PI) base on big 5 * Both have excellent reliability (consistent and stable scores) * Both have good validity (measure what they were designed to measure eg signs of mental disturbance) * Barnum effects: tendency for people to accept very general or vague characterizations of themselves and take them to be accurate * descriptions can well apply to others * reliability and validity are important attributes of good psychological tests * Finding personality type * Category that represents a common cluster of personality characteristics * MBTI – Myers-Briggs Type Indicator * Not reliable, not valid * Ppl don’t fall into different types but more along the introversion-extraversion continuum Describe the major process theories of personality.While each of the process theories sees different forces at work in personality, all portray personality as a result of internal mental processes and social interactions. Psychodynamic theories 1. Sigmund Freud psychodynamic approach * focus is on influence of unconscious forces (psychic determinism) difficult to prove * Personality is a function of 3 main themes: unconscious forces, childhood experiences, sex * Not scientific, hindsight bias ( overemphasis on childhood ), unconscious mind is not that malign and turbulent * Structure of personality Id * Unconscious reservoir * contains basic motives, drives and instinctive desires * pushes for immediate gratification * Ego * Governed by reality principle * Decision making component * Mediator btw Id and reality * Superego * Governed by morality and social standards (conscience) * An individual’s view of the kind of person he or she should strive to become * Psychosexual stages * Ego defence mechanism- largely unconscious mental strategy employed to reduce the experience of conflict or anxiety * Denial – I don’t have a problem Rationalization- I cheat because everyone does it – give socially accepted reasons for actions one think is socially unacceptable * Reaction formulation – goodie goodie act in opposite of their desire- act exactly in opposition to their unconscious desires * Displacement- kick the dog- shifting your reaction from real source of distress to a safer individual or object * Regression- cry, throw things to reduce stress- regress to earlier developmental stage * Sublimation- channel negative to positive eg sexual desires to creativity on art * Projection- attribute own unconscious desires/fears to others * Led to projective testing 2. Adler Struggle with sexual and hostile impulses not primary factor in personality development * Primary struggle: overcome inferiority feelings, develop superiority feelings in social relationships (later seen as unhealthy due to overcompensation) * Outgrow childhood inferiority, become competent adult * All born with positive motive, social interest * People’s lives governed by their goals 3. Karen Horney * Freud overemphasized sexual conflicts, penis envy, and criticized his views of women * When basic anxiety gets out of control, people become neurotic (basic desires taken to extreme eg nee d for a partner) * Ways people deal with basic anxiety: * Move towards others, against others, away from others 4. Other Neo-Freudian Theorists: * Accepted notions of psychic determinism and unconscious motivation * Did not agree on sex and death instinct or the indelible nature of early life experiences. Put greater emphasis on ego functions (ego defence,dev of self instead of on unconsciousness) * Gave social variables an impt role (culture, family instead of instinctive urges, unconscious conflicts) * Extended personality development to include lifespan (instead of only childhood) Projective testing: Diagnosis via a defense mechanism * Ambiguous pictures to probe people’s innermost feelings, motive, conflicts, and desires * E. g. Rorschach Inkblot Technique- not objective * E. g. Thematic Apperception Test(TAT)- ambiguous picture n tell story * Theme: aggression, sexual needs, rs Humanistic Perspective Main Theoretical tenants: 1) Humans have an innate drive for personal g rowth ) Humans have free will; not controlled by the environment 3) Humans are conscious and rational; not controlled by unconscious forces 4) One’s subjective view is more important than objective reality * Abraham Maslow ‘s needs hierarchy * Interested in healthy human psychology * Criticisms: Not testable, Unrealistic, Method, Culture-specific * Carl Rogers’ Person-Centred Theory * Believed that humans have one basic motive, that is the tendency to self-actualize * To achieve self-actualization they must be in a state of congruence. * Difference may exist between a person’s ideal self and actual experience. This is called incongruence. Where a person’s ideal self and actual experience are consistent or very similar, a state of congruence exists. * The larger the discrepancies between the two, the more psychological problems one experiences * Development of congruence is dependent on unconditional positive regard. * As we prefer to see ourselves i n ways that are consistent with our self-image, we may use defence mechanisms like denial or repression in order to feel less threatened by some of what we consider to be our undesirable feelings. * Evaluation: * Self centered picture of personality, looking through the lens of individualistic culture * But even in collectivism, self exists * Self-esteem, a cause or effect? Bullies and drug users actually have high self esteem * Emphasis on positive achievements and pro-social behaviours * Fails to recognize its function in a world filled with evil of all kinds Social Cognitive theories: Social Learning * Cognitive learning which new responses are acquired after watching others’ behaviour and the consequences of that behaviour * Expectation of gaining reward drives us to acquire that response * We reject or accept the role model base on consequences of their actions * Reciprocal determinism is the process which cognitions, behaviour and the environment mutually influence each other * Jane likes vb (cognition), spends more time playing on campus (env) and interacting w teammates (social behaviour) rewardingthis activity will reciprocally strengthen your interest in vb. Locus of control Rotter’s theory: our behaviour depends on our locus of control * Changes from situation to situation * Internal locus of control * Good student, smart and have good grades internal in academic settings * External locus of control * Overweight and come from a family w obesity external in restaurants. Evaluation * Overemphasize rational information processing and overlook both emotion and unconscious processes * Strength lies in foundation of solid psychological research able to come up with treatments for mental disorders that often seem to involve observational learning esp anxiety- based disorders (phobias and behaviour disorders in children) Behavioural Operant and Classical conditioning ) In classical, the organism learns an association between two stimuli (the N S and UCS); in operant, the organism learns an association between the behaviour and its consequences 2) In classical, the behaviour is elicited by the stimulus (not voluntary, like a reflex); in operant, the behaviour is emitted (under the control of the organism) * Pavlov’s classical conditioning * Chrissy’s sleepover case * B. F Skinner’s Operant conditioning * Positive reinforcement & Negative reinforcement (remove negative stimuli) strengthens response, * Punishment (give unpleasant stimuli) weakens response * Behaviour is determined by situations one is in (situationism) * People behave in ways to suit their situations Behaviours cannot be consistent enough to be traits because situations change * Solution: behaviours influenced by both person and situation (person X situation interactionism) * One situation influences people in different ways Theories to understand ourselves 1. Implicit personality theories a. Assumptions about personality used to simplif y the task of understanding others, eg. Blondes are not smart b. May give bad predictions when one project his feelings onto others and assume he’s feeling the same way c. Mindset 2. Self-narratives d. Help ppl sense a thread of consistency through their personalities over time e. Redemptive self: where one overcome obstacles to help others 3. Both theories are influenced by culture

The Way You Speak

Yelling, making snarly comments, talking in what as well be a different language to most people are just parts of the way you speak. Depending on the situation you are going to speak differently. If you are at Work, with your friends, or with your family more than likely you talk almost as a different person. At work you should be acting professional and speaking in a more proper way. Using more of a â€Å"Yes sir† way of speaking is the way to talk.However different jobs would call for a certain way to talk. My job for example isn’t very formal or even professional. I work with people I’ve known for years, so I really don’t change the way I talk unless customers are around; then I become a completely different person. I become a cheerful, nice, and talkative person which isn’t really me at all. Loud, offensive, funny, rude, or downright wrong more than likely you’re talking with your friends.The things you say around your friends might seem mean to other people but to you and your friends it’s normal to you. For example, with my friends we say things that seem stupid and out of context to most people but to us it makes perfect sense. Every group of friends is going to speak differently, completely informal for the most part. If your family is anything like mine, nothing is off limits. I talk almost the exact same to my family as I do with my friends.Maybe less swearing, but virtually the same language. Unless I’m around my grandparents then I turn into a kid again and don’t say anything they wouldn’t approve of. Obviously every situation calls for different language, whether it be talking to someone new, your friends and family, or your boss. Every way is going to be different from the last. Friends and family usually don’t care how you talk, but your boss is a completely different story.

Areva Est Un Groupe French Essay

Areva Est Un Groupe French Essay Areva est un groupe franà §ais qui figure parmi les leaders mondiaux de l’à ©nergie nuclà ©aire. Il rà ©sulte de la fusion, en septembre 2001, de CEA Industrie, Framatome et Cogema. Cotà © sur le marchà © de l’Euronext Paris, Areva est composà © de quatre principaux domaines d’actività ©s qui sont: le pà ´le amont (extraction et enrichissement d’uranium), le pà ´le aval (recyclage des combustibles nuclà ©aires), le pà ´le rà ©acteur et services (construction de rà ©acteur nuclà ©aire et services au combustible) et jusqu’à   rà ©cemment, le pà ´le T&D (transmission et distribution d’à ©lectricità ©) sur lequel porte notre à ©tude. En analysant les relations entre la stratà ©gie globale du groupe et la dà ©cision de cà ©der le pà ´le T&D, puis en à ©tudiant le contexte (performance de l’entreprise†¦) nous aurons alors une meilleure comprà ©hension de la dà ©cision prise. Areva dispose de compà ©tences e t d’un savoir faire de trà ¨s haut niveau dans son secteur, rà ©sultat de plus de 60 ans d’histoire de l’à ©lectronuclà ©aire franà §ais. Le groupe a pour ambition d’à ªtre à   la fois le fournisseur mondial d’infrastructures nuclà ©aires mais à ©galement du combustible nà ©cessaire à   l’exploitation de ces infrastructures, ainsi que des services attachà ©s à   ce combustible. Anne Lauvergeon, Prà ©sidente du groupe, compare d’ailleurs volontiers parfois sa stratà ©gie avec celle de Nespresso, sous-entendant que les bà ©nà ©fices viennent en grande partie de l’actività © combustible. La structure intà ©grà ©e des actività ©s d’Areva, de la mine au retraitement en passant par la construction de rà ©acteurs est un avantage indà ©niable par rapport à   ses concurrents. Implantà © dans plus de cent pays, les actività ©s à   l’international d’Areva ont une place importante dans la str atà ©gie de croissance du groupe, en s’appuyant principalement sur la renaissance du nuclà ©aire qui a lieu actuellement, et, jusqu’à   la cession, sur les actività ©s de T&D. L’analyse du capital d’Areva permet de mieux mesurer les enjeux: L’Etat franà §ais dà ©tient environ 86% des fonds propres. Cette structure de capital peut apparaà ®tre comme contraignante pour le dà ©veloppement du groupe, l’Etat n’à ©tant pas autorisà ©, par exemple, et ce en raison de la là ©gislation europà ©enne, à   financer les investissements et l’accroissement en capital. La sortie â€Å"inattendue† de Siemens du capital, les retards sur le chantier de construction du rà ©acteur Finlandais, la nà ©cessità © de dà ©velopper le groupe et de conquà ©rir de nouveaux marchà ©s, amà ¨nent, d’aprà ¨s les experts, à   des besoins estimà ©s à   environ 12 milliards d’Euros d’ici 2015. Ces besoins sont un e des raisons qui ont incità © l’à ©tat à   cà ©der le pà ´le T&D à   Alstom pour 4 milliards d’Euros et à   rà ©flà ©chir à   une ouverture et augmentation du capital. Certains analystes ont affichà © un doute quant à   la pertinence de cette cession, l’actività © T&D reprà ©sentant environ 45% du rà ©sultat d’Areva et s’appuyant sur un rà ©seau international dense. La Prà ©sidente, elle-mà ªme, ne souhaitait pas cette session. L’Etat, quant à   lui, actionnaire principal, a avancà © la nà ©cessità © de fonds propres et de recentrage des actività ©s autour du nuclà ©aire.

Accounting for Corporate Accountability Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Accounting for Corporate Accountability - Essay Example Accounting for Corporate Accountability Many organisations in many countries have begun voluntary disclosure of the social environmental impacts of their activities in their annual reports. (Deecan and Unerman, 2006) These practices which have now become widespread began in many countries in the early 1990s, following considerable advances by a number of large companies to report environmental aspects of their business activities. Later-on from the mid-1990s, the reporting of social and environmental impact of organisations’ activities has become an increasingly popular practice. (Deecan and Unerman, 2006). The disclosures have often been made in the annual reports which include the financial statements comprising the balance sheet, profit and loss account and cash flow statement as well as a statement of shareholders’ equity. (Deecan and Unerman, 2006) The content of the social and environmental impact usually comprise of policies, practices and or impact of the reporting organisation on its environment. (De ecan and Unerman, 2006). The new practice today by some organisations is to separate the environmental social disclosures from the annual report as the disclosures have become widespread and extensive. (Deecan and Unerman, 2006). These organisations while publishing a summary of disclosures of social environmental impacts in their annual report publish alongside a more detailed social and environmental report in a separate document. (Deecan and Unerman, 2006).

Radical Islam Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Radical Islam - Research Paper Example The application of Sharia law c. The termination of non-Muslim influence in the Muslim world d. The development of Muslim identity in politics e. The fundamentals of radical Islam have a lot of bearing on the application of the doctrine IV. Manifestations a. Political violence or terrorism i. September 11 (2001) ii. Attacks on US bases in East Africa (1998) b. Mass revolutions i. Iran revolution (1979) ii. Arab spring (2011) c. Political aggression i. Anti-US foreign policy ii. Refusal to recognize the statehood of Israel d. Isolation from the global order i. Iran (nuclear program) ii. Iraq (biological weapons) V. Implications a. Terrorism b. Political aggression c. Isolation from the global order VI. Future a. The future of radical Islam is unpredictable b. It is yet to be seen whether Muslim countries will embrace radical Islam in future c. Though Muslim countries are likely to be moderate in the future VII. Conclusion a. Radical Islam is a political ideology based on the basics of Islam; Quran and the Sunna b. It manifests in various forms like terrorism and revolutions c. It originated from the need to apply Islamic principles in politics d. It calls for the elimination of western control over Muslim region e. Countries that embrace the ideology risk isolation from the global order f. In future Muslim countries will not embrace the ideology g. Radical Islam is a recipe for political isolation VIII. ... Several other terms have been used to imply the same thing and they include Islamism, extremism and Islamic fundamentalism. Radical Islam has both positive and negative connotations in the sense that at a positive level it is perceived as a mechanism towards unity in the Muslim world as well as a guarantor of purity and morality in the political sphere. However, radical Islam is a dangerous concept that segregates the Muslim world from the mainstream on the grounds of religious doctrine. As a result, many opponents of the concept often describe it as a misapplication of extreme doctrines of Islam on political sphere which could have catastrophic results. Radical Islam has been in existence for a lengthy period of time and it has a long history of application. In essence, radical Islam originates from the misinterpretation and misplaced application of Islamic religious doctrine on political and social order. There are several implications of radical Islam most of which include isolati on, violence and terrorism. Moreover, radical Islam manifests in numerous ways that range from destructive tendencies like acts of terror and democratic revolutions like the Arab spring. The future of radical Islam is quite unpredictable owing to the fact that it is not easily known whether Muslim countries will embrace the doctrine in future. Origin of Radical Islam As a term radical Islam was coined by scholars and thinkers who have studied foreign policy, international relations and the particulars of Muslim countries. Originally, the term was meant to imply ideologies that seek to emphasize that Islam ought to direct the personal, political as well as

Media Communication and Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Media Communication and Culture - Essay Example The industry has had its fair share of troubles and triumphs. Being cyclical in nature, there is no primary framework for success because demand and strategies alter through Economic conditions. Industry analysts contend that the most favorable barometer for the industry is Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The basis of the argument is that downturns within the industry coincide with economic recessions. As technology advances and as the price of technology seems to keep escalating, communication media find ways to create game changing, revolutionary and cost-effective techniques. Media in turn look for ways to satisfy customer demands and to create competitive pricing options for commercial purposes. In other words, it is the demand of media and their strategies that create the competitive structure in which they develop their products. Needless to say, media still conduct their own market research through consolidating with their customers to find the best products to develop for the best solution. According to marketing and advertising rules and guidelines, consumers always impress upon the advertisements they see.

The narrative section of a companys annual report provides users with Essay

The narrative section of a companys annual report provides users with useful information on the companys performance and prospects - Essay Example Thus, a quality narrative report about a company is extremely essential for sound assessments and evaluation; it creates a platform for the organization to be evaluated when on matters that deal with corporate governance and company performance. Corporate governance is always deemed to improve the organization’s long tern outcomes. Narrative reporting has a number of significances to the firm, shareholders, potential customers, lenders and investors. To start with, a narrative report is deemed as a document for the potential investors and lenders. An accurately prepared narrative report provides the organization with a document that can be presented to the lenders and investors who have expressed their interest in the company’s business or even potential stakeholders that can be approached for funding. Thus, preparing an objective and clear narrative report for the purposes other than evaluation of the firm’s general progress is useful as it can be presented to other parties outside the organization. Secondly, a narrative report is useful since it enables the company to reflect on the direction a business has taken in both previous and present years. A number of questions and comparisons must be drawn so as the report can cover or rather answer many of the questions being asked by the organization or the public. The way this information is presented, it must be easily understood by both the members of the organization and the public in order to communicate its intentions (Yeoh, 2010). In addition, a narrative report that has a snapshot of the organization’s capabilities trend that traces all the transactions or activities in previous years. Thus, this document will provide useful information that can act as proof whether the company has always been operating within the affordable or sustainable margins that earn it reasonable profits (Anderson, 1981). Furthermore, a narration report that includes

Aladdin (1992) ANIMATED FILM Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Aladdin (1992) ANIMATED FILM - Essay Example The success of the movie can also be attributed to the animation, mainly done by the supervising animator Eric Goldberg. From an interview with Goldberg, he states that the animation for â€Å"Aladdin† mainly dealt with finding the perfect animation for every character, for example, walking styles, patterns of speech and movements (Kallay, 2012). The designs of the â€Å"Aladdin† animation are based on the works of caricaturist Al Hirschfield, and computers were both helpful in creating and coloring some pictures (Hischak, 2011). However, Goldberg states that the hardest part to animate was the genie, since the genie changed form in nearly every scene. The supervising animator states that sometimes, the genie was required to be an air hostess, imitate Schwarzenegger and act as a host of other characters. The animation done by Goldberg and his team proved crucial in ensuring the continued success of Aladdin in the box office and from DVD

The mystical body of Christ in Catherine de Hueck Doherty's Vision for Thesis Proposal

The mystical body of Christ in Catherine de Hueck Doherty's Vision for Lay Apostolate - Thesis Proposal Example Third, Doherty had been a prolific writer and her works continue to influence many people, lay and religious. The lay apostolates she founded, the Madonna House and the Friendship House, continue to publish her writings, articulate her views, venerate her life, and propagate her writings. Finally or fourth, a number of non-famous and famous lay workers—like Dorothy Day—have expressed that they have been inspired by Doherty. Through the identification of the key perspectives espoused by Doherty, it is possible to explore central theological themes or theme through which the lay apostolates of the pre-Vatican II Catholic Action era were built and how the laity implemented the papal encyclicals of pre-Vatican II. Doherty has been known as a refugee from the Russian Revolution who had possessed nothing more than the clothes she was wearing and the deep religious faith she embraced since childhood. She had lived as a Russian Baroness and as a beggar. She avoided death during her escape from the Bolsheviks and walked in the shoes of both the rich and the poor.1 During the 1920s, her first years in the United States and Canada, she made her living in temporary jobs. While working at a department store, she was overheard talking about her experiences as a member of the Russian nobility, and was offered an opportunity to travel and deliver speeches on the subject. Later, after having lived in poverty for many years, she earned back the wealth she held in Russia. However, following her successful years in the Chautauqua circuit,2 she eventually abandoned material possessions and committed herself to a simple life and lay apostolate. Inspired by Rerum novarum, 3Quadragesimo anno,4 and Pope Pius XI’s letters on the subject of Catholic Action,5 she established Friendship House in the slums of Toronto with the goal of forming a non-segregated residential home for the city’s poor. Beginning her initial apostolate, Doherty lived in community with th e poor of Canada. In 1936, she set up two more houses in Ottawa and Hamilton, Ontario. By 1938, priests in New York City asked her to open a fourth in Harlem. Eventually, Doherty—through support of the Catholic Interracial Council6—was able to open a Friendship House in Chicago, Illinois (1942).7 Three years after marrying journalist Eddie Doherty,8 she moved to Combermere, Ontario, and together the Dohertys founded in 1947 a second apostolate—the Madonna House. According to Julie Leininger Pycior, Doherty’s Friendship House â€Å"†¦championed living out the Gospels through opposition to racial injustice and solidarity with the poor; at the height of its influence in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Harlem Friendship House served as a pioneering center of Catholic lay activism for social justice.†9 In her early years as a lay founder, she sought to remedy social problems by reaching out to the most impoverished individuals and providing educati on on Catholic Social Teaching. Her goal was to address both the spiritual and immediate physical needs of those she served, and to encourage others to recognize the dignity of every human being made in the image of God. During the late 1940s and into her Madonna House period, Doherty’s vision of the lay apostolate broadened considerably as she began to view Catholic Action as multidimensional, extending far beyond protests of social injustices: she viewed the lay apostolate as the fruit of an intimate relationship with Christ in the sacraments, particularly the

Student Success Courses Essay Example for Free

Student Success Courses Essay College failure has been more common than not in recent years, many students just go off to school unprepared and unaware of what to even expect. Often in High School the teacher say they are preparing you for college, but in many cases it is nowhere near what college is really like. In High School you were forced to attend, your teacher held your hand along the way and you were required to take classes you may have not wanted to take or interested in. In the article, â€Å"Do Student Success Courses Actually Help Community College Students Succeed?† written by authors from the community college research center (CCRC), they explain that studies have shown college success classes to highly improve the success rates of college students. Many community colleges offer success courses, and some even require them. These courses help prepare students what to expect in the near upcoming years. They teach students about different resources around campus to utilize for success, studying habits, time management, how to set clear goals and even how to navigate the many different websites and online class programs. This article describes that these courses have been very affective, which is proved by lots of research. Some research was done in Schools of Florida, where students taking â€Å"student life skills† or â€Å"SLS† were more likely to earn a community college credential, transfer to a state university, or remain in college after five years. The study shows that students not taking the SLS course were usually rated with higher failure rates. Many college success courses have specialized textbooks for their school, like we do here at TCC for example and they help the students specifically here at TCC and helping us be successful. The books can teach you about resources on campus, support groups, and how to succeed at your college. This article concludes that many students come to community colleges with very limited understanding of the opportunities and demands of college life and lack the skills and orientation needed to thrive in college. Student Success coursed more often than not contribute to positive outcomes by helping students early in college by developing goals, becoming aware of resources, and have an overall clear idea of what it takes to succeed in college. Works Cited Zeidenberg, Mark; Jenkins, Davis; Calcagno, Juan Carlos. â€Å"Do Student Success Courses Actually Help Community Colleges Succeed?† Community College Research Center: CCRC BRIEF. (June 2007): Volume 36. Web. 10 October 2013.

UK NHS Framework for Coronary Heart Disease | Analysis

UK NHS Framework for Coronary Heart Disease | Analysis A Critical Analysis of the Impact of a Current Healthcare Policy on a Group of Clients/Users Introduction In considering the impact of a current healthcare policy on a group of clients/users, the United Kingdom’s National Service Framework (NSF) for Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), offers a classical example for examination of the foregoing. In particular women as a subject group provides an interesting basis by which to analyze user experience, quality of service as well as fairness/justice. Globally, 10 million of the 27 million deaths of women are as a result of Coronary Heart Disease with one third of the foregoing total, 10 million, occurring in developed countries (Bonita, 2000). And while Coronary Heart Disease is known to be a leading cause of death among men, it is also ‘the’ leading cause of death for European women (Mcguire, 2000). In the United Kingdom Coronary Heart Disease is the number one cause of premature death among both men and women and shows a marked skew with regard to social classification. The death rate attributed to Coronary Heart Disease among males from manual worker classifications is forty percent (40%) higher than for those from non-manual segments (National Health Service, 2005). And while coronary heart disease is four to five times more prevalent in males than females for the age groups under 65, the gap narrows considerably after this age. And this particular age occurrence discrepancy is one of the critical sources of misunderstanding, focus, appropriation, resources and service as the medical profession, insurance industry, and public in general tend to view coronary heart disease as primarily affecting males. And while the preceding is true, in terms of the age groups under 65 (Mcguire, 2000), the fact is that women live longer than men thus as the incidence of coronary heart disease and the associated care is spread out over a longer period as well as at a more advanced age. The circumstantial inequities that the preceding give or gave rise to shall be the examination points addressed herein in terms of considerations with respect to the impact of current health care policy in terms of analyzing user experience, quality of service as well as fairness/justice, with particular emphasis on women. In order to accomplish this broad and sweeping analysis, an understanding of the disease, and allied points will need to be established to provide the foundation from which to reach a determination as to the three subject areas indicated. Coronary Heart Disease A distressing fact that has been uncovered as a result of a study by the World Health Organization (1997) is that coronary heart disease is rising in developed countries. The World Health Organization (1997) attributed the foregoing to the increased overall age of relative populations as well as the onset of increasingly poor health behavioral patterns. Dr. Abby King (2000) indicated that of the forty plus studies that have been undertaken on a global basis concerning various aspects of coronary heart disease it was found that there was a correlation between physical activity and premature mortality. Dr. King (2000) stated that said study consisted of a field that was comprised thirty-three percent (33%) of woman. Said studies have shown that inactivity in women revealed on average a two-fold risk or the development of cardiovascular problems as compared to their peers who were or are more active. It was also uncovered through these studies that the economic costs in terms of not onl y the direct treatment but also, those associated with the relative inactivity of patients amounted to substantial outlays. The increase in coronary heart disease has also been attributed to the elevated cholesterol levels that are prevalent in Western countries. Dr. Anita Schmeiser-Rieder (2000) has found that approximately forty percent (40%) of women above the age of fifty-five (55) have serum cholesterol levels that are elevated. Dr. Schmeiser-Rieder (2000) indicated that the preceding condition peaked in women between the ages of sixty-five (65) and seventy-four (74) and that fully sixty-one percent (61%) of those researched had hypercholesterlomia. The disturbing finding that was uncovered in studies by the World Health Organization (1997) is that coronary heart disease and stroke will continue to be the leading cause of death among both men and women over the next twenty years, increasing to the second and third causes of death from its present ranking of fifth and sixth by 2020. The World Health Organization (1997) cites that the major causes of both stroke and coronary heart disease are: smoking high blood pressure cholesterol body mass index And while studies conducted by the WHO (World Health Organization) MONICA (2000) Project shows a decline in smoking trends, a rise in smoking among young woman as well as adult women has been noted in: Russia (Novosirbirsk) Germany (Augsberg) Belgium Spain (Catalonia), and Poland, where the recorded increase has been as much as ten percent (10%). As the number one cause of stroke and coronary heart disease, the rise in female smoking is alarming, made even more dramatic by the fact that females historically smoke less than their male counterparts across all age groups. The findings of varied studies has conclusively indicated that the incidence of stroke and coronary heart disease increases with respect to those individuals whose lifestyles expose them to the additional risks that are associated with the two conditions. The World Health Organization (1997) has determined that changes in lifestyle as well as personal habits effectively reduce the risk associated with contracting these diseases. The foregoing is of particular significance to women, as the emphasis on efforts to change lifestyles and habits has been primarily focused upon the male segment of the population whose rate of incidence with respect to stroke and coronary heart disease has been higher. The corresponding increase in poor lifestyle and smoking habits among females in the countries indicated reveals that such an approach has not only been short sighted, by failed to take into account the longer life cycle of females thus increasing the onset of coronary heart disease and stroke in later years as a result of higher age where female incidents almost match those of males. The foregoing factors are important base line informational points to develop an understanding of the varied inputs and considerations that comprise the complex variables inherent in equating the range of aspects to be addressed in analyzing user experience, quality of service as well as fairness/justice. The preceding points out the need to utilize what is termed as a ‘high reach’ strategy (Bonita, 2000) that reaches both the male and female segments of the population in terms of alerting them to the relative risks, preventive measures, lifestyle augmentation, and allied aspects known to have demonstrated a decrease in stroke and coronary heart disease when utilized in a proper manner. Such an initiative when conducted on a population-wide (high reach) basis helps to alert individuals to the relative dangers and causes of high blood pressure, negative connotations associated with smoking and lack of physical activity, the three highest contributors to the condition. Alerting populations to reduce the intake of salt, alcohol, saturated fat as well as the benefits of increased physical activity would reduce the relative levels of blood pressure and thus the corresponding reduction in medical costs assumed not only by individuals, but society at large. By combining the aforementioned with what is termed a high-risk strategy (Bonita, 2000), in efforts that are directed at the identification of women in this category, along with offering treatment to the women within this group whose risk factor(s) are above the norm in terms of the potential for a coronary disease event can generate significant improvements in long term results. The utilization of educational media efforts in combination with treatment availability is a preventive measure that recognizes the need to head off the high costs of medical facilities, and allied costs to the government via preventive measures. As the subject country being utilized for this examination is the United Kingdom, the foregoing is applicable. The same holds true for countries where insurance coverage’s are used to supplement individual treatment costs, along with the calculated losses to society with respect to the associated costs that accompany coronary heart disease events. In the case of the United Kingdom, with the taxpayers bearing the cost of medical care under the country’s socialized medical program, the realities of the treatment and after care costs of coronary heart disease are a real expenditure concern. In particular the recognition of the heretofore hidden costs in this area as a result of the scant attention paid to the real costs associated with women, the foregoing represents an opportunity to make an significant impact in cost controls, and more importantly the health of an entire segment of the population. And while women as a group have an overall lower absolute risk factor than men, in terms of the potential for women to have a coronary heart disease event, this differs depending upon the age group category. As indicated by Dr. Anita Schmeiser-Rieder (2000), forty percent (40%) of females who are above the age of fifty-five (55) years of age have elevated cholesterol levels and this condition actually peaked for the age group between sixty-five (65) through seventy-four (74) where sixty-one percent (61%) if the research group had this condition. The aforementioned supports the view that strategies aimed at high-reach in conjunction with high-risk represent a necessary approach to bring the incident of the risk of conditions that contribute to increased onset of coronary heart disease under preventive type control program measures. The preceding analysis takes on additional importance when one considers that estimates regarding the probability factors concerning woman above the age of fifty, as well as the increased incidence of smoking in young women and the need for education regarding lifestyle and health preventive measures to reduce probabilities later in life represent contributory factors that can be somewhat controlled. Prevention approaches to call attention to the risks of smoking, high cholesterol diets, and the lack of proper exercise represent measures that have shown to produce a reduction in coronary heart disease numbers over specified periods. Classified as lifestyle and personal habit changes, the reduction or elimination of known contributors that increase the potential of CHD (Coronary Heart Disease) has yielded positive results. It is important to note that in the instance of women, the absolute risk of coronary heart disease remains at relatively low levels until they reach their seventies and eighties, however, the reduction in conditions attributable to said condition in earlier years has been shown as a positive preventive measure (Bonita, 2000). As pointed out by Dr. Bonita (2000) the primary contributors to the coronary heart disease epidemic are: the onset of population aging, rapid urbanization, changes in nutrition, and smoking patterns, along with reduced physical activity Any program that purports to achieve relative success will need to incorporate the preceding along with post CHD treatment and follow up measures as well. Cardiac Rehabilitation Services The United Kingdom’s National Service Framework for coronary heart disease is under a revision program which the Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn, states the primary focus is the â€Å"saving of lives† by the reduction of â€Å"†¦the death rate from heart disease and †¦ stroke †¦Ã¢â‚¬  by â€Å"†¦ two fifths†¦Ã¢â‚¬  for individuals under the age of seventy-five (75) by the year 2010 (National Health Service, 2005). The preceding will be accomplished through the following measures (National Health Service, 2005): the development of a new vision concerning coronary heart disease, the establishment of a government-wide agenda, further development and improvement of the National Service Framework for CHD providing effective services to all individuals in the United Kingdom that can benefit The preceding directly address the three points user experience, quality of service as well as fairness/justice, along with other concerns. Through the modernization of the National Health Service’s treatment, care and public awareness approaches the objective is to improve the foregoing across age, gender, cultural, race, disability, locale, and religious lines, as well as being â€Å"†¦ responsive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  to the needs of individuals (National Health Service, 2005). Some examples of the need to revise and modernize the system is evidenced by the following facts (National Health Service, 2005): The wives of workers in the manual class are at twice the risk factor in developing coronary heart disease and stroke than the wives of workers whose jobs are of a non-manual classification. The morbidity rate among the manual class group is also higher than in the non-manual group designation, and this group also reflects increased incidences of angina, heart attack and stroke. The disparity in come between poor and rich has widened over the previous twenty years creating a further gap in health survivability as the more affluent segment of society has been able to afford private medical care as well as increased nutritional guidance and lifestyles that promote as well as can afford more physical activity. Historical records have shown that death rates are higher in the northern locales of the United Kingdom, representing almost three times the rate for individuals over the age of sixty-five (65) in cities such as Manchester than for Richmond or Kingston. The preceding further illustrates the inequities in terms of user experience, quality of service as well as fairness/justice. The new National Health Service program sets forth that it seeks significant improvement in the following areas, all of which will enhance the indicated three examination points (National Health Service, 2005): Standards The National Health Service is aiming to establish a ‘standard of care’ that includes an invitation for individuals whom have been admitted to a hospital for coronary heart disease to participate in programs consisting of cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention. The preceding is aimed at reducing future risk of cardiac problems and to help them to return to a normal life. Rationale Admission to a hospital represents individuals whose condition is severe. This signals that their lifestyles to this point have consisted of various high-risk exposures, such as smoking, high cholesterol diets, and other conditions that if changed can lead to significant improvements in rehabilitation. To accomplish the preceding said patients must be analyzed and then coached concerning the lifestyle changes and modifications needed to aid them in returning to a healthier manner of living to reduce future incidents and effect recovery. The World Health Organization (1997) defines cardiac rehabilitation as consisting of a â€Å"†¦ sum of activities†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ that are necessary to effectively influence and identify the underlying causes of the disease to individuals through their own actions can help to effect their recovery. Through increasing the quality of service that offers comprehensive assistance that is custom tailored to their individual circumstances. The aforementioned provides the foundation to enable counseling and aiding individuals in understanding ways in which to change their lifestyle habits, as well as better understand their illness and effect the transition back to as normal and full a life as possible. The aim is to make rehabilitation â€Å"†¦ an integral†¦Ã¢â‚¬  aspect of the active as well as secondary preventive care regime. By establishing rehabilitative procedures immediately after discharge and the establishment of a long term formal program that focuses on returnin g the individual to the best health possible the government estimates a net gain of approximately  £15,700 per instance over a three year period. In the case of women, they represent one third of the individuals with coronary heart disease, yet just fifteen percent (15%) of their total utilize rehabilitative services (Green, 2000). The attention to improving the quality of service the initiative also aims at removing the disproportionate care provided that does not adequately cover rural parts of the country. Effective Interventions Participation barriers can be a result of varied causes, such as the lack of proper motivation to difficulties in attending rehabilitative sessions. In the case of women it was discovered that there was a lack of appropriate provisions, which the current modernization program seeks to correct to provide fairness as well as justice throughout the system. The foregoing also includes minority groups as well. In terms of improving the quality of service the new program consists of Four Phases (National Health Service, 2005): Phase 1 This Phase comes into effect before the discharge of an individual from the hospital, and is to be offered as a part of the acute care plan. It includes the following elements: review and assessment of psychological, physical and social needs for rehabilitation development of a written plan to meet identified needs counseling and advice on detrimental lifestyle aspects such as smoking, cholesterol, exercise, alcohol, etc. prescribing of medication and education on its proper use information concerning cardiac support groups Phase 2 As part of the early post discharge period individuals will receive the following: a comprehensive assessment of their cardiac risk which will include their psychological, social and physical needs for rehabilitation and the plan to achieve these ends lifestyle advice from trained therapists resuscitation training for members of the affected individual’s family Phase 3 This segment of the four phase plan comes into utilization four weeks after the cardiac events initial phase and consists of a series of structured exercise sessions along with ongoing access to support and advice from people trained to provide them with psychological interventions, promotion of health, exercise and associated advice. Phase 4 The final aspect of the four-tiered program that consists of: long term primary care follow up local cardiac support group involvement referrals to identified support services as initiated in Phase 1 The modernized and revised National Service Framework is a highly structured series of interlocking programs that are designed to alleviate as well as eliminate the missing components of the prior coronary heart disease plan which evolved over decades, into a comprehensive system that has been revised based upon today’s understandings. It aims to achieve coverage of all groups and categories of individuals through education, assessment, contact and a cardiac event that provides qualified, balanced and comprehensive coverage and care whose major components are as follows (National Health Service, 2005): The identification of individuals that are likely to benefit from a structured cardiac rehabilitation program before discharge from a hospital, the assessment of individual risks as well as needs, along with the development of a structured plan to achieve successful cardiac rehabilitation, the documentation and provision to deliver the proper treatment as well as advice the integration of required and agreed upon care that is weaved into the patients local network of primary and secondary treatment, preventive and related care, The experiences gained under the prior system, as well as all of the inequities have been addressed under the National Health Service’s new modernization plan that provides and sets relevant standards with effective interventions under structured service models that define and addresses the immediate priorities of each individual patient. Conclusion The scope and complexity that comprises the field of coronary heart disease makes this a subject whereby the factors inherent in its causes as well as manifestations entail equating aspects of human behavior across the entire spectrum of demographic, cultural, social and psychological realms to codify commonalities and possible associative elements that tend to explain the reasons and causes for the world’s most pervasive killer. As the field of examination represents healthcare, the core of understanding evolves an evolutionary process based upon decades of exposure, analysis and experience gained within the United Kingdom as well as on the world stage. The National Health Service has recognized the significance of the preceding and has crafted a program that seeks to build upon the known(s) within the subject field in a program that is flexible enough to improve upon itself to incorporate those aspects, considerations and new understandings that will inevitably will occur wi th new discoveries and as a result of the comprehensive data based system that will permit further modification and evolution. Thus, user experience, along with quality of service, and fairness/justice with respect to the new National Service Framework has been addressed to exclude the existing inequities and shortcomings, yet understands that it is an evolutionary process that will continue to modify and improve upon itself using past experiences along with the new framework as the foundation from which to accomplish this. The Secretary of State for Health, Alan Milburn (2000) firmly establishes the preceding in referring to the â€Å"†¦ National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease†¦Ã¢â‚¬  as the nation’s â€Å"†¦ blueprint for tackling heart disease†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mr. Milburn’s statement goes on to add that the new ‘Framework† is based upon the understanding and recognition of past inequities and shortcomings which this new initiative addresses, along with the understanding of â€Å"†¦ the importance of modern prevention and primary care as well as the contribution of the more specialized services.† The fact that the National Health Service has undertaken this modernization program clearly indicates that it understood and recognized the prior user experience, service quality and fairness/justice components needed considerable improvement. Regardless of how deeply one would delve into the inequities of the past, there could be an argument made for areas and points that were not covered, as the list is extensive. And no matter how comprehensive the present system is, it is an evolutionary framework that will have its own initial and ongoing issues and inequities to face as well as resolve. The difference between the two systems is that the present one was developed with the understanding that it will continue to improve upon itself as it learns from its base of past expertise. In the complex and ever changing world of medical care, the preceding is all that can be asked from its healthcare agency, with the understanding that no matter how comprehensive the plan, modern changes and developments can and will render segments as obsolete, thus the need for a built in foundation that incorporates this as its framework. The very fact that past user experience, service quality and fairness/justice had shortcomings, along with other points is the reason behind the new Framework initiative, and this in itself is a progressive view that is responsive to the needs of the populace, which is the rationale for the government’s existence. Bibliography Bonita, Ruth, M.D. 2000. Woman, Heart Disease, and Stroke: A Global Perspective. Article at The First National Conference on Woman, Heart Disease and Stroke: Science and Policy in Action. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Green, D.G., Casper, L. 2000. Delay, Denial and Dilution. IEA Health and Welfare Unit, London, the United Kingdom King, Abby, M.D. 2000. Physical Activity as a Contributor to Heart Disease in Woman. Article at The First National Conference on Woman, Heart Disease and Stroke: Science and Policy in Action. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada Maguire, Peg. 2000. Coronary Heart Disease, Not for Men Only. Article at The First National Conference on Woman, Heart Disease and Stroke: Science and Policy in Action. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada National Health Service. 2005. Coronary Heart Disease. National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease: Modern Standards Service Models, The United Kingdom Schmeiser-Rieder, Anita, MD. 2000. Cholesterol Levels in Woman in the Western World. Article at The First National Conference on Woman, Heart Disease and Stroke: Science and Policy in Action. Victoria, British Columbia, Canada WHO MONICA Project. 2000. WHO Mortality Data Base. World Health Organization, Geneva , Switzerland World Health Organization. 1997. Annual Report. World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland What is Liposuction? What is Liposuction? Liposuction – a way of getting rid of that extra fat on the body! In the busy world of today, managing time in our daily routine has become the most difficult thing to do! Because of which, people barely get time to exercise and keep themselves fit. And to add on to it, canned food exists in opulence! In a world which is ideal, Liposuction (Fat removal) would not be needed. Everyone would eat moderately, in the appropriate quantities and would exercise. But the world is far from ideal! And hence, with each passing year, Plastic Surgery for unwanted fat removal or Liposuction is becoming more and more favourite among the people! Everybody wants to look fit and healthy. Being overweight can be a factor of embarrassment and may be a social stigma. Obese (overweight) people when stigmatized, may even feel a bit low on confidence! Hence, to get rid of this embarrassment and in order to look presentable, such people seek for Liposuction/ Fat Removal treatment. Let’s find out more about this ‘Liposuction’ treatment: What exactly is Liposuction? The literary meaning of the term â€Å"Liposuction† is removal of fat from the body with help of suction. At the time of this procedure, thin, small, blunt-tipped tubes (cannula) are inserted through small incisions (cuts) in the skin. The doctor moves the tubes around under the skin to direct at specific fat deposits. The fat is thus suctioned out through these tubes. Non-surgical Liposuction: A substitute to surgical liposuction wherein different technologies are used to liquefy fat using non-invasive methods like lasers, ultrasonics and injections of chemical agents. With the advent of newer modern and improved techniques/ methods, Liposuction has become much easier, safer and less painful. These modern techniques are as following: Tumescent Liposuction: The area where the tube is to be inserted, a local anesthetic is used for numbing that particular area from where the fat is to be suctioned out. After that, a large amount of an anesthetic solution consisting of epinephrine and lidocaine is injected into the fatty tissue before suctioning out the fat. General anesthesia may not be required in this kind of procedure. Ultrasound-assisted Liposuction: In this method, ultrasound is used for liquefying the fat, thus making the fat removal easier. This kind of technique may prove beneficial in case of removing fat from the sides, upper abdomen and back. Laser-assisted Liposuction: In this method, low-energy waves are utilized for liquification of the fat, which is then removed with the help of a small cannula. The procedure is generally carried out as an outpatient procedure in a properly equipped Doctor’s office, surgical center or a hospital. Only when a large amount of fat is required to be removed from the body, an overnight hospital stay would be needed. In such a case, a deep sedation or general anesthesia with a local anesthetic may be administered. Why is it done? The chief motive behind Liposuction is to re-shape one or more regions in your body and NOT to reduce body weight. The â€Å"problem† areas which do not react to diet and exercise, are tackled by carrying out Liposuction. These areas are namely – the outer thighs and hips in case of female and the waist and the back in case of men. Also, the areas that are generally treated using Liposuction are – the face, neck, back, abdomen, upper arms, legs and buttocks. Liposuction may at times be carried out along with certain other Cosmetic Surgery procedures viz. â€Å"Tummy tuck† (Abdominoplasty), Face-Lift or Breast Reduction. A few clinical conditions may be treated with the help of Liposuction, which include the following: Abnormal enlargement of the male breasts (Gynecomastia or Pseudogynecomastia) Benign fatty tumours (Lipomas) Excessive sweating in the armpits (Axillary hyperhidrosis) Problems with fat metabolism in the body (Lipodystrophy) Liposuction is not used to get rid of Obesity. It will NOT help to clear out cellulite or stretch marks. What to anticipate after the treatment? After the procedure has been carried out, the treated area is tightly wrapped in order to diminish swelling, pain and bruising. Elastic bandages and tape, a special girdle or some type of fitting garment may be used, based on the area that has been treated. The patient may need to wear the compression garment for about 3-4 weeks. At least for the first 7-10 days, a lot of bruising and swelling is expected to occur. The fluid may evacuate from the site of incision for a few days. The patient may be prescribed antibiotics to reduce the risk of infection. After the procedure has finished, and the effect of anesthesia and sedation has been subsided, most of the patients may resume their daily activities as and when they feel comfortable. In case of larger areas undergoing liposuction, recovery may take a bit longer. Outcomes of the Surgery: When carried out in small regions on the body, Liposuction may give out the best desired results. But in case where a person regains weight after undergoing the procedure, the fatty bulges that were removed earlier are most likely to reappear or appear in another place. There may be quite notable changes observed in the body contour immediately after the surgery. It may take several months to a year for the full effects of the surgery to show up. Liposuction does not necessarily tighten the skin around the treated region. After the fat removal has been done, the skin around that region may become a bit loose. For the skin to tighten, it may take up to 6 months. In case of young people, skin retraction is faster. Every surgical procedure has its own advantages and disadvantages. And when it comes to Cosmetic Surgery, it’s no different! There are some risks that are involved with the procedure of Liposuction. Let’s have a look as to what complications may arise after the Fat Removal Surgery: If Liposuction is carried out by an experienced Cosmetic Surgeon in a well equipped surgical setup, it is usually safe. In cases, where a larger amount of area or more than one area have undergone the surgery, the chances of complications arising are more. Bruising, swelling (which is temporary), numbness and soreness in and around the region treated Minor scarring and irritation at the site of insertion of cannula Rippling or baggy skin Certain less common risks include: Uneven skin surface over the region treated Permanent change in colour of the skin Damage to the skin and the nerves, particularly in case of Ultrasound-assisted Liposuction It is very important for people to be careful and not gain extra weight after the surgery. As it may result in fat deposition in certain other parts which are deep inside the body, such as the internal organs like heart, liver etc. Such type of fat deposition can be more fatal. Dangerous risks include: Blood clots or fat clots, which may travel to the lungs (Pulmonary embolism) Excessive blood or fluid loss which may result in Shock Pulmonary edema – fluid accumulation in the lungs Toxic reaction to injected solution, particularly in cases when larger areas are treated. People who have severe heart problems, or blood clotting disorders or pregnant females should NOT undergo Liposuction procedure. Things to note: Liposuction is NOT a mean for reducing weight and it is never an alternative to exercise and a balanced diet. As a matter of fact, most of the Cosmetic Surgeons are of the opinion that the best candidates to undergo Liposuction would be healthy people who are at or very close to a healthy weight but who have stubborn fat deposit which does not respond well to exercise. Liposuction should be carried out only by an experienced Cosmetic Surgeon who is well-trained in Liposuction and knows well how to tackle the complications during surgery.

Upton Sinclairs The Jungle - Socialism :: Upton Sinclair The Jungle

The Jungle  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Socialism      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   During the late 1800's and early 1900's hundreds of thousands of European immigrants migrated to the United States of America. They had aspirations of success, prosperity and their own conception of the American Dream.   The majority of the immigrants believed that their lives would completely change for the better and the new world would bring nothing but happiness.   Advertisements that appeared in Europe offered a bright future and economic stability to these naive and hopeful people.   Jobs with excellent wages and working conditions, prime safety, and other benefits seemed like a chance in a lifetime to these struggling foreigners.   Little did these people know that what they would confront would be the complete antithesis of what they dreamed of.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The enormous rush of European immigrants encountered a lack of jobs. Those who were lucky enough to find employment wound up in factories, steel mills, or in the meat packing industry.   Jurgis Rudkus was one of these disappointed immigrants. A sweeper in slaughter house, he experienced the horrendous conditions which laborers encountered. Along with these nightmarish working conditions, they worked for nominal wages, inflexible and long hours, in an atmosphere where worker safety had no persuasion.   Early on, there was no one for these immigrants to turn to, so many suffered immensely.   Jurgis would later learn of worker unions and other groups to support the labor force, but the early years of his Americanized life were filled, with sliced fingers, unemployment and overall a depressing and painful   "new start."   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sinclair, has shown in a dramatic style the hardships and obstacles which Jurgis and fellow workers had to endure.   He made the workers sound so helpless and the conditions so gruesome, that the reader almost wants a way out for Jurgis.   Sinclair's The Jungle is a "subliminal" form of propaganda for   Socialism.   At a time in our nations history where the rich were very wealthy, and the poor were penniless, Sinclair's portrayal of socialism in regards to the laborer is very appealing to a jobless, hungry, indigent man.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Sinclair's vision of socialism, wasn't as flawless and beneficial as it seemed.

Lewis Carrolls Alice In Wonderland Essay -- Lewis Carroll Alice In Wo

Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland â€Å"So she sat on, with closed eyes, and half believed herself in Wonderland, though she knew she had but to open them again, and all would change to dull reality . . .† (Carroll 119). Wonderland: a place where everything is different and the imagination is free to roam wild. A place where it does not matter how big a person is, but the intellect that is in a person. Existing in the dreams of children everywhere, wonderland is a place of escape, causing a person to think in new, different ways: a place like no other. Through his novel, Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll captures and writes about a little girl’s adventures through her own dreamland. Upon waking up and telling her sister about her dream, her sister contemplates on wonderland, feeling as if she can throw her troubles away and escape to its enchantment. However, being older and having more responsibilities than Alice, she is forced to return to reality. But will the wonder land leave Alice forever? Wonderland is a place of the imagination that makes a person question all that is around him but gradually minimizes with age. Wonderland is a place of enchantment. Nothing is as it should be. Everything that a person has come to expect in reality becomes questioned until he begins doubting who he really is. When Alice first embarks on her journey through wonderland, she too wonders if she has changed instead of her surroundings: â€Å"Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual, I wonder if I’ve changed in the night? Let me think: was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I’m not the same, the next question i... ...composed of a fifty-two deck of playing cards, taking on daily roles as painters and royalty, nothing is how it seems in reality. Wonderland is a place far from the life Alice is used to living. Wonderland is a place of imagination for children of all ages. When Alice’s sister awakens from her mini-dream about Alice’s wonderland, she hopes that Alice will be able to keep this imagination with her as she grows up. She wishes Alice to be able to make other children’s â€Å"eyes bright and eager with many a strange tale† (Carroll 120). Although the novel she reads in the park with Alice no longer has the pictures that Alice enjoys reading, her sister still carries a part of wonderland with her hidden waiting to expose itself. Works Cited Carroll, Lewis. Alice’s Adventure’s in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1999.

Les Miserables - Reconciliation between a Man and Himself Essay

Les Miserables - Reconciliation between a Man and Himself The ending of the Victor Hugo novel, Les Miserables, contains a reconciliation between a man and himself, and his family. This is, in many ways, the entire purpose of the book. Goodness or saintliness can be achieved,   despite difficult or unwholesome beginnings. This theme is an enduring one, because of both its truth and its presentation. Fay Weldon may as well have been   describing Les Miserables when she said "The writer, I do believe, who get the best and most lasting response from readers are the writers who offer happy endings   through moral development .... some kind of spiritual reassessment or moral   reconciliation, even with the self, even at death."   The hero Jean Valjean undergoes quite the transformation throughout the   course of his story. He begins as a criminal and convict with absolutely no scruples. A kindly prelate forgives him after a theft, and simply turns the other cheek. This act of unexpected generosity inspires Valjean...

1- Explain the Differences Between Pangloss’s Philosophy of Life and Martin’s. How Do Each of These Characters Influence Candide

Pangloss’s philosophy of life is that all is for the best in the â€Å"best of all possible worlds. † This optimistic philosophy actually is the key element of Voltaire’s satire. Pangloss’s philosophy is against the ideas of the Enlightenment period. Pangloss believes that a powerful God had created the world and that, therefore, the world must be perfect. When creatures of the world, see something as wrong or evil, it is because they do not understand the ultimate good that will come out of it. Voltaire satirically shows the reader that Pangloss is not a believable character. Voltaire illustrates this by showing us that he keeps his optimistic thought even when he is imprisoned. Pangloss ignores any evidence that contradicts his initial opinion. He also uses illogical arguments to support his beliefs. Pangloss’s philosophy tries to impose a passive attitude toward all that is wrong in the world. If the world is the best one possible, then there is no reason to make any effort to change things. Martin is more believable than Pangloss, not because he is more sophisticated, but because he is smarter and more likely to draw conclusions with which we can identify. Martin had been robbed by his wife and beaten by his son and deserted by his daughter and also lived financial setbacks, and therefore he’s a pessimist whereas Pangloss is an optimist. He uses his experiences to judge the world whereas Pangloss was merely using a theory. As a result, Martin is more insightful than Pangloss to foresee events that will happen. Even though Martin’s philosophy is more believable than Pangloss’s, he’s still not good at predicting how some people will behave because his philosophy is coming from extreme pessimism. Therefore it might not be wrong to say that Voltaire is trying to prove that we need flexible thought in our lives based on real evidence. Both philosophers will ultimately fail because there’s no room for exceptions in their beliefs. Candide starts his journey with the influence of Pangloss’s belief of â€Å"best of all possible worlds†. Pangloss and Candide, suffer and witness a wide variety of horrors and tragedies together. During these tragedies, Pangloss’s s philosophy proves to be useless and even destructive at the end, because it prevents them from making realistic judgments. For example while Jacques was drowning, Pangloss doesn’t let Candide save him by saying that the bay of Lisbon had been formed for this Anabaptist to drown in. Also when Candide was buried under the rubble of the Lisbon earthquake, he asked for oil and wine because he was dying, but Pangloss ignored him and still tried to reason with the causes of the earthquake. At the end Candide rejects his philosophy of optimism and as he and his servant Cacambo travel and go through more horrors, Candide starts believing a pessimistic view of life. When Candide meets Martin, they set sail together and Martin is just the opposite of Pangloss. He does not believe that everything is for the best in this world. Even though Candide tries to oppose Martin by talking about free will but it does not solve the problem of presence of evil in the world. In general, Martin’s arguments seem more reasonable than Pangloss’s ideas. But, like Pangloss, Martin believes so firmly in his own view of the world that he is not flexible and usually dismisses real evidence that contradicts his philosophy. When Candide cannot find Cunegonde, Martin shows the bad influence of his pessimism. Instead of attempting to comfort his friend, Martin uses Candide’s distress to further confirm his own world-view. Just like Pangloss’s optimism, Martin’s pessimism also keeps him from taking initiative to improve the world.

What Have Been the Main Developments in Strike Activity in Britain over the Last 35 Years?

What have been the main developments in strike activity in Britain over the last 35 years? Strike activity is a form of industrial action that can occur in the workplace once conflict has risen. It is a complete stoppage of work by a group of employees and its aim is to express a grievance or to enforce a demand. (Dundon, Rowlinson, 2011) Employees will usually use a strike as a last resort to deal with issues in the workplace; workers are not able to perform a strike without a stringent process being adhered too with the help of their respective trade union. Employees can voluntarily become a member of a trade union in which they pay for a representative to aid in times of need. Trade unions are used to regulate pay and working conditions between the employer and employee therefore employees will have the support of their trade union during times of proposed strike activity. There have been numerous strikes within the private and public sector workforce since 1978 and this assignment is going to discuss the main developments in strike activity in Britain over the past 35 years. It goes without saying that pre 1978, strikes have occurred (Sapsford, 1982) and played a significant part into more current affairs that can have relevance to post 1978 therefore numerous references maybe made to pre 1978 due to the impact it has had on the present day. Thatcher The process by which strikes have to follow is currently regulated under the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 (Legislation. Gov, 2013) This law outlines the rights of Trade Unions amongst other things. Notably, this law enforces that trade unions must use a process to perform a strike and this process entails the use of a postal vote called a ballot. Gov. UK,2013) Before this particular law was implemented the leader of the conservative party, Margaret Thatcher, had initiated the idea of making strike action harder to participate in. Margaret Thatcher was the prime minister from 1979 through until 1990 (Blundell,2008) and it was at this stage in history when trade unions were being reined in by seve ral of Thatcher's proposals. Thatcher seen the unions and their occurrence of strike activity to be disruptive and believed that the behaviour of the unions could be repressed by introducing a ballot system (Phillips,1979). This meant that employees would have to participate in a secret ballot to decide on whether to involve themselves in strike action. The introduction of this process was ruled by the Trade Union Act 1984 and meant that unions wouldn't be able to lawfully strike unless they had a majority vote (Carby-Hall,1984) therefore prolonging and hindering the prospect of employees and unions participating in strike activity. Winter of Discontent Thatcher's introduction of such law appeared not long after one of the most momentous episodes of strike activity in history. The winter of discontent' occurred between 1978 to 1979 and was recognised as the largest stoppage of labour since the 1926 General Strike (Winter of Discontent,2007). This period of work stoppages appeared as a result of high unemployment and impolitic incomes policy, therefore workers felt the desire to fight the labour government and with the increasing size and militancy of public sector unions, the ‘winter of discontent ' achieved a record status of days lost through strikes(Reitan,2003). Numerous amounts of unions and employees participated in strikes throughout the period of the ‘winter of discontent'; Britain journeyed through power cuts, rubbish pilled in the streets and school closures along with a reduction to a three day working week (Elliott, 2008) all in the representation of workers welfare. A total of 39 million days were lost throughout the period between 1978 and 1979 (Gall, 2011) Coal Miners Strike The most significant affair of strike activity after Thatcher's regulatory implementation to tackle trade union power was the coal miners' strike in 1984. This work stoppage arose after the recession in the early 1980's which cut the demand for coal exposing the less productive parts of the industry. The strike lasted a whole year and included the involvement of several thousand workers and was the most important defeat for trade union movement since the General Strike in 1926 according to Lyddon. (Lyddon, 2013) This particular strike was catastrophic in regards to the potential effects not just on the coal mining industry, but also other industries that could have been affected by the decisions that lay within Mrs Thatcher's power. Nick McGahey, the vice president on the NUM told a news conference that the strikers are not just fighting for their own jobs, but for the jobs other people from different industries (Miners Strike,2013). The steel, engineering and electrical industry will also experience knock on effects of numerous pit closures. As one can imagine being placed in Margaret Thatcher's position as this moment in time may have been pressured to say the least, due to the scale of the strike. In 1984 there were 187,000 people in total who were miners and over half of them were participating in strike activity (Miners Strike, 2013). Along with the implications of the political decisions being made, unemployment rates were at an all time high of over 3 million people unemployed. This figure was the highest since the period of the General strike in 1926 (ONS, 2013). For Mrs Thatcher, a strike of this measure must have been enough to have to tame, never mind having to battle with such high unemployment figures. This situation alone could have been enough for the general public to view Mrs Thatcher in a negative light but she was re-elected as prime minister for the third time in 1987 (Margaret Thatcher, 2013).

Blood Brothers Essay

Blood Brothers’ is the story of two twins from a poor family in Liverpool. One of them is given away and they are forced to live apart, but somehow fate always brings them back together. The play is built upon the theme of the superstition that if twins are separated at birth then they will die on the day that they discover that they are twins. This theme is reinforced throughout the play by the words of the narrator to keep the audience thinking about what will happen. The first time we see the theme of superstition is when the narrator first begins to speak and he says: â€Å"So did you hear the story of the Johnstone twins? †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. How one was kept and one Given away†¦.. Never knowing that they shared one name till the day they died†¦ † Willy Russell thought that the working class people were more superstitious in contrast with the middle and upper classes. I think this is because they were usually more religious than the upper classes. An example of there superstition is when Mrs Lyons places a pair of new shoes on the table and Mrs Johnstone says: â€Å"New shoes on the table’ take them off†¦. Never put new shoes on the table†¦.. You never know what’ll happen. † During the play Willy Russell explores class difference in great detail, showing how it can determine your chances further on in life. He also explores this theme in his other plays such as ‘Our day out’. In ‘Blood Brothers’ he does this by contrasting the backgrounds that the two boys are brought up in. Mickey, the twin who was kept, was brought up in a working class background with little money and spoke with a broad scouse accent and used slang terms. Whereas Edward was brought up in a family who had a car, a nice house and plenty of money. This meant that he would be able to get a good education and had many opportunities available to him in life. Throughout the play both women attempt to keep the twin apart, but somehow they always end up back together and ironically they make a pact to become ‘Blood Brothers’. Mickey and Edward are always trying to be like each other; Mickey wants to have a nice house, lots of money and a good education where as Edward wants to be able to do what he wants and not be spoilt like he is now. The playwright’s use of dramatic irony builds up drama and tension as the audience know that Mickey and Edward are really brothers and not just ‘Blood Brothers’. This makes the audience feel like they are part of the secret and helps them create a bond with the characters. This keeps the audience interested because they want to find out what is going to happen to them. The difference in class became more apparent during Edward and Mickey’s adulthood, when Eddie goes to university while Mickey is has to struggle to provide a living for his family. The playwright was quick to emphasise the high unemployment rate at the time the play was set and concerns that people faced. Because he was brought up by a single working class parent and had always struggled for money, Mickey lacked a father figure and this may have influenced his decision to help his brother, Sammy, during the robbery. Mickey’s role in the robbery triggers a huge change in his behaviour and also during his time I prison he becomes depressed and gets addicted to the anti-depressants he is prescribed, because of this Mickey’s wife, Linda, talks to Eddie and asks him for advice, and Mrs Lyons tells Mickey of this relationship because she wants them to argue and fall out so that they never find out that they are brothers. I think that at this point the audience would sympathise with Mickey because he has always had a bad life and know he has been told that his wife is seeing Edward. This event spurs Mickey on to seek revenge against Edward because he fells betrayed by him and Linda. An example if this is when Mrs Johnstone says to Linda:- â€Å"Mickey†¦ Mickey’s got a gun†¦ † Linda then realise where Mickey is going and she says:- â€Å"Mickey?†¦ Eddie?†¦ The Town Hall† One of the techniques that Russell uses to create drama in the play is by adding a narrator who intervenes several times during the events of the play. The role of the narrator is to emphasise the superstition of the twins and to keep the audience interested. An example of this is when the narrator sings: â€Å"Yes, the devil he’s still got your number†¦ he wants to speak to you†¦ seen him leanin’ on your door. † This builds up the drama because of Mickey’s unstable nature it will prepare the audience for events to come at the end of the play. Another example of this is when the narrator sings the song ‘madman’. As he repeats the lyrics over and over the suspense would build and also the theme of superstition is also repeated and reinforced. Also by using pulsating music the drama and tension is heightened. â€Å"There’s a man gone mad in the town tonight, He’s gonna shoot somebody down†¦.. Devil’s got your number†¦.. he’s callin’ you up today† This would remind the audience that there is a price to pay for separating twins; it will also reinforce the superstition of twins. I also think that it tells the audience that something important is going to happen. The final scene in the play is set in a very public place, the town hall, and there are councillors and other people there as well as Edward. This shows that Mickey’s mind is unstable and that he doesn’t care about the consequences of his actions because he fighting a private battle in public. This would also be used to heighten the drama in the final moments of the play. When Mickey enters onto the stage he has a gun held two handed because his hands are shaking so much. Then somebody stood next to Edward realise the reality of the situation and screams. This would add drama and tension to the scene and it would also show the audience that Mickey is a very real threat. For this final scene the use of stage directions is very important. Willy Russell has added pauses in areas of high tension so that the audience would be eager for the rest of the scene and the tension would grow, he also added pauses, along side the language and actions used by the characters in the play. By adding ellipsis into Mickey’s speech it would show the audience that he can’t even control what he is saying. He also uses the theme of guns throughout the play and I think this may have been a hint as to how the play ends. Mickey’s past encounters with guns and violence may be the reason he went so far over the edge that he threatened to shoot Edward. When Mickey and Edward were children they used to play shooting games, but know this is no longer a game. When Mickey tells Edward that he has stopped taking the pills I think that it is significant because it would tell Edward and the audience that Mickey is not thinking straight and that he is not in control of his action. It also shows that the only way Mickey can react is with violence. The use of dramatic irony throughout the play is one of the main themes but it is probably this scene where it is most important. The fact the audience know that Mickey and Edward are brothers is ironic because they don’t know themselves. It is also ironic that Mickey thought they were ‘Blood Brothers’ and has made the connection that they are both the sons of Mrs Johnstone. When Mickey says:- â€Å"Friends! I could kill you†¦ We were friends weren’t we? Blood Brothers, wasn’t it? Remember? † It would tell Edward and the audience that Mickey’s idea of a friend is built around a childish pact. The language Mickey uses is very basic and he talks in short sharp sentences. When Mrs Johnstone makes a dramatic entrance on to the stage she rushes to Mickey and Edward, who are stood just yards apart, and she tells them the truth about who they are, this is followed by the shooting of Mickey and Edward. The fact that Mickey and Edward are just yards apart would create drama because Mickey is out of control and has a gun and Edward is defenceless. When Mrs Johnstone had told her sons that they were brothers Mickey realises what sort of life he could have had and who he could have been. This made him feel uncontrollable rage towards his mother and this would have made the audience think that he may shoot Mrs Johnstone. By telling her two sons they were brothers Mrs Johnstone has caused both her sons deaths when she actually thought she was helping the situation. The final song and music would create a deep sadness in the audience and make them feel sorry for Linda and Mrs Johnstone’s loss. They would also be sad for Mickey who hasn’t had a very good life, they would feel sad for Edward because he hasn’t done anything to harm anyone and yet he gets shot. This would confirm in the audiences mind the superstition that if twins are separated they will die on the day they find out the truth. I think that will was successful in creating drama and suspense throughout the play but I think he could have increased the tension at the end of the play by introducing Mickey and Edwards real father into the scene and perhaps Linda getting killed by Mickey as well as Edward. By adding another character it may make the audience think that Mickey will become even more confused and this may lead to the death of other characters.