Reflection Childbirth and Vital Signs Essay - 2089 Words

This essay aims to reflect upon a particular episode of care during the postnatal period, using a reflective cycle as a guide. The author will firstly discuss reflection and its implications in midwifery practice. Teekman (2000) states reflecting on one’s professional practice as self-empowering as it provides us with a look into personal understanding and control. It is believed that if us as midwives are given the opportunity to reflect upon our professional practice, that this will aid us in enhancing our professional practice and enable us to become better practitioners (Schon, 1983). Reflection is an important process for midwives to be able to, not only deal with particular situations well, but to help us as professionals grow and†¦show more content†¦The senior midwife communicated to the husband throughout. He remained present in the room caring for the baby. Two wide bore cannula, were inserted and a full set of bloods was taken including blood cultures. 15 litres O2 via a rebreather mask was applied. Intravenous fluids were commenced and rapidly infused. An ECG was done by the intern. She was checked and rechecked for any signs of bleeding and an internal examine was done by the consultant to check for any retained products. Intravenous antibiotics were also started and given. All drugs such as anaesthetic drugs or analgesia that Susan had been given that day were also checked to see if it had been an adverse reaction. Over the next 40 minutes she began to improve and was transferred to the labour ward for closer observation. Feelings: I felt frustrated at times. Due to my past nursing experience I was used to dealing with emergency situations on a regular basis and I found it hard to sit back and let the other midwives decide what to do next. Even though my job of recording vital signs was important I sometimes felt that I could have done more to assist my colleagues. I also felt sad for Susan’s husband even though he was kept well informed throughout, it was a terrifying experience for him. Evaluation: The worst and most frightening aspect of this experience was watching how quickly Susan became so unwell. This emphasised to me the importance of every aspect of the IMEWS and that basic skills suchShow MoreRelatedA Spiritual Carer From The Perspective Of A Student Nurse Essay1612 Words   |  7 PagesThis paper will reflect my personal thoughts and professional reflection on the role I have been given as a spiritual carer from the perspective of a student nurse. I have now reached the second semester of my first year in the Nursing course; at this point I, along with my fellow students, have been granted the opportunity to put all that we have learned into practice within the hospital and aged care setting. 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Film Analysis La Sortie Des Usines Lumiere A Lyon

To begin with, the 19th century is the time when the history of film started existing. It began in the 1890s, with the invention of the first motion-picture cameras and the establishment of the first cinemas and film production companies. The films of the 1890s were very simple, they were seen mostly via temporary storefront spaces or traveling exhibitors. Most of the films were under a minute long that presented a single scene, a public event of everyday life, a sporting event or something similar. The cinematic techniques were not well developed yet, so there were usually no camera movements at all with just a few people in the scene.  «Workers Leaving The Lumià ¨re Factory in Lyon » (Original: La Sortie des usines Lumià ¨re à   Lyon), is one of such films that was created in 1895 directed and produced by Lumià ¨re brothers. This is a French short black-and-white silent documentary film, which is often referred to as the first real motion picture ever made. In the history of film  «Workers leaving the Factory » is considered as the first film that was shown in public. This film was shown on 28 December 1895 at the Grand Cafà © on the Boulevard des Capucines in Paris, along with nine other short movies. Then this day became referred to as the day of cinema birth. The production of films is a very important aspect of creating it, especially when we are talking about old black-and-whit films. Till 1985 most films were shot with a help of Edison s Kinetoscope, however, Luiere brothers

Broken Window Theory free essay sample

When comparing the two most common methods of contemporary police department strategies, community policing and the broken windows theory, it is easier to show their differences rather than their similarities. The most obvious difference being that broken windows deals with conditions not people, whereas community policing depends strongly on the citizens to be an effective tool. The broken windows theory states that it is easier to solve a small problem before it becomes a big problem. Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (George L. Kelling). The second part of the theory is that by repairing the broken window, further petty crime will be deterred thus as a result a major crime will be prevented. The claim that this theory actually prevents major crimes is what has been criticized the most harshly. University of Chicago law professor Bernard Harcourt is among those and states â€Å"There’s no good evidence that disorder causes crime [or] that broken windows policing reduces serious crime in a neighborhood† (Boston Globe 2/19/06). Harcourt feels it was the crack epidemic of the 80’s and 90’s that influenced the rise and fall of crime rates. Because of the tremendous amount of money being made in the beginning of the crack surge, it was worth the fight for turf resulting in higher crime, but as it became more available dealers thought twice about the risk for less profit. Other criticisms of the theory involve everything from the legalization of abortion in the 70’s (the feeling being with less unwanted males in society there were fewer potential criminals in the 80’s and 90’s) to simply stating â€Å"Newton’s Law of Crime: what goes up must come down† (Boston Globe 2/19/06). Community policing on the other hand, focuses on crime and social disorder by implementing police services that include traditional law enforcement, mixed with community engagement, problem solving, and partnerships within the community. Community policing requires police and citizens to join together as partners in the course of recognizing, reporting, and effectively solving these issues. Along with community policing is the concept of community court, which can take on several forms but all strive to create relationships between the justice system and the citizens, merchants, schools, and church groups within that community. These are ways to address local problems on a smaller scale. Started in New York City with ne such court in 1993, there are now over 30 in operation across the country. Deputy Inspector Michael Kemper is the commanding officer of the NYPD’s 76th precinct which was recently ranked #1 in crime reduction over the last two years. The community in which the 76th is housed is one of three precincts served by the Red Hook Community Justice Center, a so called â€Å"community court†. According to him, the community court and better community policing are the main reasons for the reductio n of crime. â€Å"I break it down into three factors. First and foremost, the police officers and the supervisors assigned to this precinct are working harder and smarter than ever before. Technological advances have led to computerized systems being placed in precincts throughout the city, and now police officers can track crimes being committed almost immediately. As a result of this, resources can be moved and shifted in order to address any crime trends observed. The precinct is also assisted by outside units such as Patrol Borough Brooklyn South, the Narcotics Bureau, and the Vice Enforcement Unit. Second, I believe in building a good solid working relationship with community members, the people who reside or work here. It’s very important that the community we serve trusts us and that we work together as a team. And we often rely on community members to supply us with information and point us in the right directions to improve their communities, whether their issues are more serious criminal problems or â€Å"quality-of-life† complaints. Third, I believe that the Red Hook Community Justice Center has contributed significantly to our success. The relationship we have with them is instrumental and I look forward to working with them in the future† (courtinnovation. com). Similarities are seen in that both methods include the citizens and a desire to clean up that community. If a petty crime, to be addressed by a broken windows type police department, is reported by a community member, then it takes on a community policing feel when the officers respond and it is to the satisfaction of the citizens. They are both pro-active and crime prevention oriented methods, it’s just one hears more of a voice from the people they are protecting. It makes sense that the two methods are frequently conflated within a department. As stated above both act as a vehicle to clean up the streets of a community. Broken windows does so before the community is affected, community policing takes place as the community is already being affected. It would seem appropriate that the wo mesh and all concerns involving the community are addressed. The major factors in maintaining these safe communities are obviously the police, the citizens, and the politicians. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was a huge proponent of the broken windows theory and changed the entire landscape of Manhattan by ridding the streets of homeless and â€Å"squeegee men† with the understanding that by eliminating these individuals it eliminates petty crime, therefore deterring major crime. Another one of Mayor Giuliani’s initiatives was the implementation of CompStat , a strategic control system designed for the collection and feedback of information on crime and related quality of life issues. This program is easily defined as a means to collect, analyze, and map crime data and other essential police performance measures on a regular basis, and hold police managers accountable for their performance as measured by these data (The CompStat Process, 2003). In this 2003 interview with the Academy of Achievement in Washington D. C. Giuliani explains how these programs effectively reduced crime in New York City: â€Å"The drastic cut in crime in New York City which continued after crime started going up in other cities has to do with two principal things and then a lot of other things. One is the Broken Windows theory. Youve got to pay attention to everything, and you cant give criminals a sense of immunity. The second is the COMSTAT program, the computer program that measures crime every single day in every single part of the city, pin-maps it, plots it, and gives you real hard data on which you can make decisions about your law enforcement strategies. So every day, you can look at where crime is going up, where crime is going down, and assign your police not based on some kind of a hunch or guess, but based on the fact that crime is going up in this part of the city, and this is where we have to put our police officers, and these are the kinds of police officers that we need to do it, because you need different kinds of police officers based on different kinds of crimes. In one part of the city, you can have auto theft going up. You need a certain kind of policing and a certain kind of police officer to reduce that. In another part of the city, you could have thefts of office buildings. You need a different kind of police officer, you need a different kind of policing, and you need the help of the security people in the buildings. But by having these accurate statistics and keeping after them very intensely, you get to see these trends right away, and then you can take action to stop it before it gets out of control. † However, it remains to be seen if these improvements will have lasting affect. In her 6/29/08 article in the New York Post, Julia Vitullo-Martin claims NYC is on a trend that appears to be reverting back to the crime ridden era of the early 1980’s. Some of her evidence gathered shows there has been an 81. % increase of complaints regarding graffiti from 2006 to 2007. In that same period graffiti related arrests spiked 28%. There have been double digit increases in the homeless count this year alone. Violent crimes and murders are on the rise as well with a murder rate up 8% from this time last year, a 6. 2% increase in rapes, and a 4. 4% increase in robberies. However, overall crime is down 3% with declines in assault, grand larceny, burglary and other categories. Another major factor in these percentage increases is the fact that the number of NYPD officers is down to the lowest amount since 1992. The current number (as of May) of 35,700 officers is down from 40,800 in just 2001. In 1991 there were a miniscule 31,000 police officers on the streets. Jeremy Travis, the president of John Jay College of Criminal Justice says â€Å"You can’t cut the police force by 5,000 officers and expect to have the same level of public safety as you had before. We came to recognize that as a city in 1990, and we’ve been the beneficiaries ever since† (NY Post 6/29/08). The appearance of lawlessness, graffiti, homeless, abandoned vehicles and buildings, etc, is also something the community must want to have eradicated for any policing to be effective. If no one that lives there cares then why would the police? Police culture varies from city to city and state to state, but the common theme is to protect and serve. When a community reaches out and wants to take a stand against criminal behavior, the police are more inclined to make every effort and resource available to do so. Maybe it’s actually a point for broken windows that the neighborhoods that are taken care of tend to be policed better than the neighborhoods where it appears too late. As far as why a police officer would gravitate towards broken windows is more a testament to the times than anything else. There are less, if any at all, real communities left, therefore, the community policeman, or beat cop, is long gone. It wasn’t long ago that neighborhoods were clearly defined, generally by class but specifically by ethnicity. The officers patrolling these areas knew the idiosyncrasies within the culturally diverse communities. An officer could become specialized in how to deal with people in the community even if they are from completely different backgrounds, religions, etc. There was a connection in these neighborhoods, not only with the police and the public, but the neighbors themselves. People knew each other, people looked out for one another, people would be invested in other’s well being if not only because they were friends, but for the greater good of the community. A good point was made in class where we don’t even know our neighbors anymore, how can we expect a police officer to know the people in the area he or she patrols? Very rarely are officers even out of their patrol car anymore, so the idea of â€Å"community policing† is probably not very appealing to them. More prevalent now without the strict housing restrictions placed on officers to live where they work from decades ago. The consequence of this becomes the detachment of that relationship between police and the citizens. An â€Å"us vs. them† mentality is formed and a deterioration of the communication needed between those two entities can ultimately lead to the surging crime rates of the past and eventual devastation of the community from the inside out. It is here that a strong argument can made that a meshing of the two methods is needed in order to protect the quality of life all citizens are entitled and maintain a strict sense of order, even among the so called â€Å"petty crimes†, so that larger offenses are avoided.

Handbook Of Human Resource Management Practice - Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss about the Handbook Of Human Resource Management Practice. Answer: Introduction Human resource management is one of the most important factors necessary for the effective functioning of any organization. In this course, we learnt various aspects of human resource management and its importance in our professional lives. The HR department of every business is weighed with a lot of responsibilities relating to the companys employees (Hendry, 2012). This reflective journal consists of my learning experience in the HRM unit of my Bachelors in business course. The lessons covered through this course have deepened my understanding about the various functions of the human resource management. The teachers have put sufficient efforts in explaining us the subject by relating it to real time experiences. This is largely expected to help us in our careers ahead. Human resource management in Australia The unemployment rate in Australia has recently declined from 5.6% to 5.5% last quarter which is the lowest in the last four years (Trading Economics, 2018). Organizations in the country are actively seeking competent human resources. In order to satiate that need, both public as well as private sector firms need effective human resource managers which would assist in seeking the right candidate for the right job. This unit helped me understand the importance of HR managers in the industry today. In the course of these lessons I came to understand that the functions of HR are not limited to simply recruiting people for an organization, but they rather expand to ensuring that the employees are satisfied, their personal goals are aligned with those of the business and their performance is regularly evaluated. I learnt that initially HR was simply an administrative function but now HR is a strategic and influential part of the business. In the class, we discussed how the human resource management function across different Australian companies is growing and expanding its horizons towards various HR perspectives. The efficiency of the HR management is also evident from the increasing job satisfaction and retention among employees in Australia. In Australian firms, Human resource department fulfills many roles and have a vast span of functions. These begin with recruiting and selection of the right employee, aligning organizational goals and personal goals of employees, designing all the jobs in the business, ensuring effective performance, evaluating performance of employees at regular intervals, resolve conflicts within the firm, let go of non-competent resources, adhere to the legality of the business, ensure fair and timely compensation along with managing work life balance for employees. Strategic human resource management Strategic human resource management is different from human resource management as being more planned and tactical in nature (Armstrong Taylor, 2014). The aim of the SHRM is to ensure that organizational goals are met through effective HR strategies in place. In this course I learnt that rather the importance of appropriate hiring policies. SHRM involves evaluating how many vacancies are required to accomplish targets and how many of those positions are currently fulfilled. Then the manager of SHR department identifies whether the business needs more employees or the business has an overflow of employees (Storey, 2014). Aligning employees personal goals with the goals of the organization are also functions of strategic human resource department. This course made me realize the importance of finding the right candidate for the right job is a two way process. Firstly the employee must be competent enough to perform the job and secondly the job must be challenging and rewarding enough to motivate employee and help in their growth and development. This class made me aware of certain policies that have been adopted by the Australian government in order to ensure fairness in recruitment. These form the legal aspects of the HR department of all Australian organizations. I learnt that in the country, every citizen has the right to an equal employment opportunity and that all the organizations are bound by various laws which protect employees from being bullied or harassed and their occupational safety is ensured. Recruitment and selection Recruitment and selection are definitely the core functions of every HR department in Australia. This function forms the base of the business as it ensures that the organization has competent human resources which will work together to achieve organizational goals. Through this course, I learnt how HR managers find candidates for a particular position in the company. Job interviews are something that everyone has experience at some point of other in their lifetimes. However, in this course, the recruiters perspective was highlighted in the process of an interview which was an entirely new learning experience for me. It made me aware of the various qualities upon which interviewers judge applying candidates and this information is sure to help me in my future interviews. Dressing appropriately, maintaining a good body language and assertiveness are all important aspects in a job interview. I also learnt that in the selection process, companys often contact previous employers and take a feedback from them about the candidates performance. Therefore, it is important to always leave any organization in a highly ethical and truly professional manner (Dandaro, Silva Carvalho, 2017). Absconding of any kind will lead to problems in future job opportunities as well. During the class discussion, we were also told the importance of having a well-designed and neat CV while applying for a job. Our teacher informed us that a CV should be impressive and it should neither be too short nor too long. One very important thing that our teacher told us during this course is how people often over promise during an interview because they need a job and upon recruitment they are unable to fulfil those requirements. This leads to wastage of time and other resources of the organization as well as the candidate applying. On the other hand, often organizations over promise in order to attract a competent candidate but then neglect of those high expectations leads to employees being dissatisfied. Therefore the transparency and openness of communication during an interview is very crucial. Managing diversity and work-life balance In the era of globalization and digitization, it has become much easier for employees in any part of the world to be working with an organization located in a different part of the world. Therefore Australia experiences a high number of very diverse workforces that has gathered from different parts of the globe. This has largely impacted the learning growth and development of employees. The flow of information has been much easier and the knowledge about different cultures in consistently on a rise. Moreover, anytime a group of people comes to work together, it is only natural for them to differ in opinions, viewpoints, working styles, decision making abilities as well as personal goals. This may often lead to unnecessary conflict (Morris, 2016). Hence, it is the responsibility of the human resource management of the company to make sure that they are able to effectively manage this diversity without hampering the organizational goals. It helped me realize the importance of understanding and knowing different cultural diversities. The course made me realize that rather than taking offense about someones behavior I should put efforts in identifying and understanding the cultural diversity they belong to. Work life balance plays a very crucial role in every individuals life. I have seen many people working over 12 hours a day that they do not have time for their families or friends. This causes stress and also eventually diminishes their efficiency at work (Kirby, 2017). I learnt that an important role played by the human resource management department is to ensure a work life balance. In the era of increasing competition everyone is focusing on work but hardly finding the time to enjoy it. Our teacher told us that it is important to focus on other aspects of your life as well like your family, friends and other social gatherings. It is important to balance this with work only then can it lead to effective productivity in an individual. On the other hand, excessive focus of family and social gatherings and contributing less to work and fulfillment of organizational goals will eventually lead to reduced productivity, hampered discipline and slow professional growth. Conclusion This course has been an enlightening journey. I have learnt various aspects of human resource management through this course and worked at understanding the many roles played by human resource management department of Australian firms. The course structure has helped me improve upon my skills as a future employer of any organization. I have also learnt various laws that are drawn to protect employees. The most important lesson was that was managing diversity. Hence I will make sure that I put my efforts in understanding different cultures and lifestyles of people to ensure a conflict free workplace. References Armstrong, M. and Taylor, S., 2014.Armstrong's handbook of human resource management practice. Kogan Page Publishers. Kirby, E.L., 2017. WorkLife Balance.The International Encyclopedia of Organizational Communication. Hendry, C., 2012.Human resource management. India: Routledge. Morris, B., 2016.Human Resources Role in Avoiding Conflict in the Workplace(Doctoral dissertation). Dandaro, F., Silva, A.C. and Carvalho, D.O.D., 2017. Human Resources: The Process of Recruitment and Selection in Small Businesses.Weber Business Management. Storey, J., 2014.New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals). Routledge. Trading Economics, 2018. Australia unemployment rate. https://tradingeconomics.com/australia/unemployment-rate, retrieved on 13 January, 2018.

Analysis of Businesses Effort to Respond To Achieve Sustainability by Being Carbon Neutral in Their Operation

Introduction Background to t he study Over the recent past, there has been an increment in the degree of sensitivity with regard to corporate social responsibility amongst the large and small enterprise operating in various economic sectors. According to Epstein (2008, p.288), management teams of firms in different economic sectors are becoming more concerned with the stakeholders and other social issues.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Analysis of Businesses Effort to Respond To Achieve Sustainability by Being Carbon Neutral in Their Operation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More As a result, they are committed towards ensuring that they improve the publicity of their business enterprises thus becoming good corporate citizens. The shift has resulted from an increment in pressure by either the stakeholders or due to an increment in government regulation. In addition, the shift has also been occasioned by the high ra te of globalization. Fisher (2009, p. 1) is of the opinion that the high rate of globalization is culminating into an increment in the rate at which the world economy is becoming integrated. This presents numerous opportunities for firms to exploit. However, a new set of dynamics have also resulted. Some of these challenges are relate to climate change. There has been increased criticism towards business as being one of the major contributors towards various environmental issues being experienced currently. One of these issues relate to global warming. This is evident in that businesses have a significant contribution in the amount of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases emitted to the environment. These gases are a major factor in the rise rate of global warming which is a major reason for the current climate change. In an effort to minimize environmental degradation, various governments have formulated climate change strategies and regulations aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions to a particular baseline within a given period. In addition, other policy packages which firms are required to implement include adoption of cleaner technologies and emission trading. Some countries such as the United Kingdom have established energy tax which is charged on firms depending on the amount of carbon they emit (OECD, 2002, p.81). The objective of these policies is to ensure that firms become carbon neutral in their operation. The major driving factor why firms are emphasizing on becoming carbon neutral is to be â€Å"clean† in their operation.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The resultant effect is that firms will be able to attain their profit maximization objective via reduction in the cost operation and improvement in their publicity. As a result, firms in different economic sectors have adopted the concept of carbon neutrality in their oper ation via incorporation of various strategies. Given the level of awareness with regard to the impact of greenhouse gases on the environment, various firms have implemented strategies aimed at attaining carbon neutrality in an effort to comply with the environmental regulations. The strategies being implemented play a significant role in reducing the amount of carbon they emit into the environment. Businesses are making adjustments either to the inputs used or their quantity so as to reduce the amount of waste generated. For example, firms are adopting cleaner technologies in their operation. Some of these technologies utilize green energy in their operation. The resultant effect is that there is significant reduction in the treatment of the resulting waste. In a quest to become carbon neutral, various firms are making changes to their corporate strategy. The core objective of these changes is to minimize carbon emission. According to Howe and Gerrad (2010, p.306), increased incorpo ration of these strategies has led into firms claiming to be carbon neutral. Not only is the credibility of claims by firms being carbon neutral evident in their operational strategies but also in the product they supply to the consumers. For example, Dell Company which deals with technology products supplies cost saving and environmental friendly products. In addition, the firm has also invested in renewable energy such as solar energy. These claims are credible considering the significance of the strategies in enabling a firm to attain carbon neutrality. Aim The report is aimed at analyzing businesses’ effort to become carbon neutral and whether the claims made by businesses indicating that they are carbon neutral are credible. Scope The report is organized into a number of sections. A discussion illustrating the importance of sustainability in business operation is outlined. The various ways through which the environmental regulations implemented are influencing business a ctions are discussed. In addition, the concept of carbon neutrality and its benefits to businesses is analyzed.Advertising We will write a custom report sample on Analysis of Businesses Effort to Respond To Achieve Sustainability by Being Carbon Neutral in Their Operation specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The role of intermediaries which can help organizations attain carbon neutrality is evaluated. The report also discusses the concept of offsetting. Finally, conclusion and a set of recommendations are outlined. Sustainability In order to cope with changes in the environment, it has become necessary for firm’s management teams to formulate a new set of operational strategies which would enable the firms to survive in the long term. The resultant effect is that firms would be able to attain the concept of corporate sustainability. The term sustainability is used differently according to the phenomenon being described. For ex ample, environmentalists use term ecological sustainability while business individuals use the term economic sustainability. On the other hand, sociologists use the term social sustainability. Considering the dynamic nature of business environment, it has become vital for management teams to consider integrating the concept of corporate sustainability planning. Fisher (2009, p.2) defines corporate sustainability planning as the process of ensuring that there is a balance between a firm’s economic growth, its commitment towards environmental protection and ensuring social equity. Attaining carbon neutrality is one of the ways through which a firm can consider to be committed towards environmental sustainability. Corporate sustainability is currently being considered as a new management philosophy. In the 21st century, the concept of corporate sustainability planning is being appreciated by businesses of all walks. According to Fisher, one of the reasons why the concept of sust ainability is gaining so much attention is associated with firm’s effort to operate cost effectively (2009, p.1). By being carbon neutral, a firm can be able to be cost effective in its operation. This arises from the various strategies being implemented such as utilization of renewable energy. In addition, via incorporation of corporate sustainability, it is possible for firms to address key aspects of its existence as outlined below.Advertising Looking for report on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Organizational growth Profitability Social justice Environmental protection Equality in terms of environmental, social and economic issues Fisher asserts that by being conscious of the environment in which the firm is operating, every firm will be committed towards reducing their waste disposal. The resultant effect is that the firm is able to save money while at the same time protect the environment. In addition, the concept of sustainability enables the firm’s management team to align its organizational goals such as its profit maximization objective with environmental principles. This means that sustainability presents a classic opportunity for firms to maximize profit and minimize cost while at the same time improving the planet and the livelihood of its people (2009, p.2). Increased attention on sustainability amongst business enterprises is highly warranted. This is mainly so with regard to the environment. Currently, the world is experiencing numerous challenges. A r eport by the World Bank (2008, p.11) asserts that environmental issues are one of the major concerns in the world. All countries around the world have increased their environmental concern especially with regard to carbon emission. However, it is the less developed countries which are hardest hit by changes in the environment and climate change. The World Bank has been a major advocate in ensuring that firms incorporate the concept of environmental sustainability. The current environmental damage is a cause for concern amongst business enterprises. As result, it is right for environmental sustainability to be of priority amongst business enterprises. According to Wilhelm (2009, p.12), business leaders are considering for more comprehensive ways through which they can gain a better understanding on the impact of climate change on their businesses. This would enable them to develop effective strategies to deal with environmental changes. This arises from the fact that environmental da mages and challenges arising from climate change present a threat to a countries economic growth. Wilhelm (2009, p.3) is of the opinion that both businesses and individuals have started to feel the effects of climate change. For example, the resultant effect of a decline in a countries economic growth is that the consumer’s disposable income would be significantly reduced. As a result, individual’s consumption behavior would be negatively affected. The businesses economic sustainability would be hampered via a reduction in businesses profitability. Therefore, it is important for business enterprises to consider ways through which they can increases their profitability while at the same time address issues related to climate change. According to Dunphy, Griffitths and Ben (2005, p. 3), some of the challenges being experienced due to climate change and environmental degradation are as a result of business enterprises. Dunphy et al (2005, p.3) asserts that business enterp rises are an important part of the society. The current success being witnessed in business enterprises over the past decade have had a phenomenon impact on the world through exploitation of resources. In their operation, businesses continue to impact the world. It is therefore imperative for businesses to be concerned with the environment. According to a report by the World Bank on climate change, both firms operating in the private and public sector must collaborate to in order to ensure effective mitigation of various environmental issues. This would be of significant benefit to business enterprises. According to Willard (2005, p.10), sustainability presents numerous opportunities for businesses. For example, via sustainability, business enterprises are presented with new avenues with regard to product innovation and development and maintenance of stakeholders’ relationship. Ways in which environmental regulation is influencing the action being taken Various regulations ai med at controlling business operation with regard to the amount of carbon they emit into the environment have been formulated. This arises from the fact that there is a strong correlation between environmental sustainability and carbon neutrality. According to Jenkins, Barton and Hesselberg (2007, p.21), increased environmental regulation presents a challenge to businesses with regard to loss of competitiveness. To cope with these challenges, businesses can implement various strategies in an effort to maintain their competitiveness. For example, businesses may exaggerate the impact of such regulations to prevent it from being implemented. For example, a study conducted by the Canadian government with regard to carbon emissions by firms in the pulp and paper industry indicated that the firm’s incurred a compliance cost of $4 to $5 for every ton. However, firms in this industry were complaining that the cost was four times higher. In another case regarding regulation of sulphur -dioxide emission in the United States, the cost was found to be half what was estimated. The main reason for such overestimation with regard to compliance cost is to ensure that firms conduct their operations as usual. Increased environmental regulation has stimulated firms to take various actions. Some of these strategies relate to their corporate strategy. For example, one of the strategies being integrated by firms in their operation entails inclusion of carbon foot-printing strategy in their operation. This refers to a form of control mechanism which helps business enterprises to baseline the amount of greenhouse gas that they emit. The framework below gives an illustration of carbon footprinting process. Carbon foot-printing requirement have made firms to adjust their corporate strategies. Through carbon foot-printing, firms’ management teams are able to gain a comprehensive understanding of their operations which are considered to be carbon contributors. This strategy is an essential component in a company’s effort to reduce the amount of carbon emission. As an environmental regulation strategy, carbon foot printing has a significant influence on the action being taken. Through carbon foot printing, it has become possible for management teams to identify other areas of inefficiency in their organizations systems. This means that this form of environmental regulation does not only enable a firm to reduce its carbon emission but also to operate cost effectively (Wilhelm, 2009, p. 12). This means that businesses can be able to make the necessary changes to their systems thus attaining their environmental sustainability objective. Ensuring effective implementation of carbon foot-printing as a form of environmental regulation is paramount. To achieve this, business organizations are required to formulate and implement a carbon foot-printing process. Implementation of this process is having significant influence on the actions being taken. Three main steps are involved. These include; Planning, Developing Managing A number of activities are undertaken with regard to planning. These include setting the boundary, determination of the operations to be measured and setting the baseline year. With regard to setting the boundary for the process, the firms’ management teams have to make a decision which aspects of its operations will be included. For example, the firms’ management teams have to make a decision whether its leased assets will be included in the process. The firm is at discretion to include such assets even if it is the actual owner. Decision to include these assets in the carbon foot-printing process lies in the fact that it is the firm’s which is responsible for the resulting carbon emissions as a result of its operation. In addition, the management team has to set a boundary whether to include other components of its supply chain such as the suppler and customers. According to Wilhelm (2009 , p.14), most business enterprises are starting small with regard to carbon foot-printing. However, it is important for firms to include as many aspects as possible in the initial phase. This will enable the firm to identify other areas of carbon emission resulting from its operation thus reducing the cost. Setting the boundary will also involve the firm determining the various sources of its carbon which result from its operation. Some of the sources include from transportation and freight methods such as via air, train, ship and trucks, solid waste such as garbage, office disposals such as office papers. A baseline with which the firm will track its carbon emission has to be established. The baseline may be backdated to a particular event such as when the firm undertook a merger or setting in of the century. According to Wilhelm (2009, p.17), this decision is left for the company to decide on itself. Collecting the required data is challenging since the firm may not have sufficien t mechanism to track all carbon related information. After completing the carbon calculation, the firm has to set clear reduction goals and formulate a strategy to attain them. In order to achieve this, the management team has to ensure that a timeframe is well established. In most cases, the reduction target selected is dependent on the firm’s goals, size and its maturity (Wilhelm, 2009, p.18). Upon completion of the process, the management team has to communicate the results obtained to the employees. This has to be done in such a way that the employees and other stakeholders will understand. Carbon neutrality Improving their publicity In their operation, businesses are charged with the mandate of ensuring that they operation in responsible manner. In order to attain this, firms have integrated the concept of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). This means that firms’ operations should not have a negative impact on the environment. Effective implementation of the C SR results into a firm improving its publicity. This means that the probability of the firm surviving in the society as a going concern entity is improved. The need to improve their publicity is one of the reasons why firms are incorporating the concept of carbon neutrality. This arises from the fact that business enterprises are a major contributor towards the change environmental change which is currently being experienced. Via improving their publicity, businesses can be able to continue with their operation due to reduction in the intensity of criticism. The resultant effect is that the firms will be able to attain their profit maximization objective. As a result of the financial crisis which occurred in 2008, there has been a shift in individuals’ consumption behavior. Most of the consumers are developing preference of products which they consider to be more sustainable. In addition, consumers are becoming more conscious of their health. In order to attract and retain cu stomers, it is paramount for firms to be conscious of their impact on the environment (Wilhelm, 2009, p.147). In the 21st century, the concept of carbon neutrality has been integrated within the firm’s CSR profile. Carbon neutrality refers to the concept whereby the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) and other greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere is equivalent to the amount removed from the atmosphere. According to Tolhurst, Pohl, Matten and Visser (2010, p. 57), carbon neutrality is attained via offsetting the amount of emissions via a number of ways. Some of these include investing in technologies which have minimal carbon emissions such as renewable energy projects and planting trees. For example, HSBC which is a public limited company operating in the banking and financial services industry in United States invested $ 4 million towards implementation of a programme aimed at minimizing its energy consumption and also to reduce its carbon emission via utilization of green energy for all its energy needs. In addition, the programme would also enable the firm to plant trees. Despite the increased incorporation of the concept of carbon neutrality by financial institution, most individuals perceive this as a publicity stunt. This arises from the fact that activities of these institutions contribute significantly to environmental degradation. However, the effort of firms to adopt carbon neutrality in their operation should be applauded rather than be criticized. Intermediaries which help firms to become carbon neutral Becoming carbon neutral may be a challenge to both large and small business enterprises. This arises from the fact that these firms may not have the sufficient mechanisms to become carbon neutral. In a quest to become carbon neutral, there are a number of intermediary organizations which assist firms to become carbon neutral as discussed below. The CarbonNeutral Company The firm was established in 1997 and has managed to become a global lea der with regard to provision of services aimed at reducing carbon. Since its inception, the firm has helped approximately 300 large business enterprises and thousands of SMEs (Small and Medium Enterprises) (The CarbonNeutral Company, 2010). In its operation, the firm is committed at ensuring that its customers attain value from its services. In order to attain this, the firm has formulated comprehensive carbon management strategies. The firm provides tools to enable firms’ management teams to develop an effective carbon reduction programme. In addition, Carbon Neutral Company helps its clients to set their reduction targets. In pursuit of carbon neutrality goal, it is crucial for firms to communicate the results of the programme to all the relevant stakeholders. In order to attain this, there has to be a well developed communication mechanism. The management team has to ensure that all the parties understand. As an intermediary, The Carbon Neutral Company provides management team with the most effective communication mechanism. Beyond Neutral This is a firm which was established in 2007 in Australia and operates on an international scale. The core objective of the firm’s establishment is to provide businesses with meaningful ways through which they can deal with the challenges of sustainability and climate change. Beyond Neutral helps other organizations to improve their sustainability credentials while at the same time reduce its greenhouse emissions. With regard to carbon neutrality, the firm helps its clients in the identification, tracking, verifying, validating and auditing its carbon emissions. As a result, businesses are able to take advantage of market opportunities and avoid the negative impacts of greenhouse emission. In an effort to ensure that firms attain carbon neutrality, the firm provides its clients with a carbon offset portfolio. The portfolio entails a variety of offsets which are obtained from different projects (Beyond Neutra l, 2009). Commitment to the environment in pursuit of carbon neutrality, necessary changes and investment To achieve the concept of carbon neutrality, businesses must be totally committed towards attaining environmental sustainability. In order to attain this, firms should analyze the impact of their operation on the environment with regard to carbon emission. According to Kollmuss, Lazarus, Lee and Polycarp (2010, p.1), it is a must that emission of greenhouse gases be reduced by 80% by mid of the 21st century in order to abate the risks of climate change. This means that it is vital for firms to undertake drastic changes in some of their practices. In addition, these changes will require a significant investment of resources for them to be effective. For example, some carbon emission resulting from the firms’ operation cannot be avoided. However, pursuing the concept of carbon neutrality requires that there should be zero carbon emission coming from the firm’s operat ion. Carbon neutrality relies on ‘offsetting’ There is a strong correlation between carbon neutrality and offsetting. To attain carbon neutrality in their operation, firms will be required to purchase carbon offsets. These are financial tools specifically designed for projects aimed at preventing carbon being released from various activities from entering the earth’s atmosphere. In their commitment to attain carbon neutrality, firms will be required to incorporate a portfolio of offsets. In addition, a considerable amount of investment will be required in the implementation of technologies which are carbon-saving in nature. In addition, firms will be required to change some of their practices. For example, with regard to the firm’s energy needs, it is paramount for firms to incorporate green energy and other types of renewable energy. This will play a significant role in the firm’s effort to become carbon neutral and hence its commitment to the envi ronment. Kollmuss et al (2010, p.1) assert that carbon offsetting is gaining attention amongst individuals and organizational policy makers as one of the most effective ways through which firms can address the challenges associated with climate change. Incorporation of carbon offsets is paramount in a firms effort to attain carbon neutrality and hence its environmental targets. This arises from the effectiveness with which carbon offsets avert carbon emission. According to Taiyab (2006, p.3), carbon offsets neutralizes the carbon dioxide equivalent (one ton) which is emitted at one place. This is achieved either by absorbing another tone of carbon dioxide equivalent released elsewhere or preventing its release. The offsets are developed via various projects. Some of these include; Renewable energy Destruction of industrial gases Energy efficiency For example, if a particular business enterprise emits approximately 20,000 tones of carbon dioxide every year, it can offset its emissi on by planting trees which will absorbs an equivalent amount within the same time period. Alternatively, the firm can invest in a renewable energy project or energy efficient stoves which would be supplied to the poor. Through such projects, a firm is able to offset the amount of its carbon emissions thus becoming carbon neutral (Taiyab, 2006, p.4). In addition to that, carbon offset projects have the capacity of absorbing other greenhouse gases from the environment. This makes it to be an effective strategy for firms in their effort to achieve their environmental target. Conclusion The concept of sustainability has proved to be very important amongst businesses in the 21st century. This is due to the fact that it is one of the ways thorough which businesses can maintain their competitive advantage amidst numerous challenges. There are various aspects of sustainability applicable to businesses. One of them includes environmental sustainability. In their effort to achieve environment al sustainability, business enterprises are increasingly incorporating the concept of carbon neutrality. This arises from the fact that businesses are a major contributor of the carbon emissions which is one of the key causes of climate change via global warming. Therefore, the priority being given to sustainability as an environmental issue is warranted. Incorporation of carbon neutrality will play a significant role in businesses effort to attain sustainable development hence surviving into the future as going concern entity. In addition, attainment of carbon neutrality will also enable businesses to attain their profit maximization objective. This arises from the fact that business organizations will be able to improve their publicity. This arises from the fact that the society will develop a positive attitude towards the firms hence considering the firm to be a part of the society. As a result, there is a high probability of businesses attaining customer loyalty. As a result of being carbon neutral, firms will be able to operate cost efficiently. In order to for firms to be regarded as being carbon neutral, there are a number of changes that the firms’ management team will be required to undertake. Despite the cost involved during the change process, the firm will benefit from being carbon neutral in the long run. Recommendations In order to be carbon neutral in their operation, it is paramount for the firm’s management team to consider implementing the following recommendations. Firms should ensure that they incorporate the concept of carbon footprinting in order to determine the amount of carbon they emit into the atmosphere as a result of their operation. If the firms do not have all the necessary mechanisms to undertake carbon footprinting, they should outsource these services from other intermediary organizations. This will enable the firm to be effective in measuring the amount of carbon it emits into the environment. In an effort to a chieve carbon neutrality, it is paramount for firm’s management team to consider integrating the concept of carbon offsetting. This will enable the firms to prevent carbon emissions and at the same time operate social responsibility. The concept of carbon offsetting will require a substantial amount of investment. It is therefore important for the firm to rely on its own reserves other than sourcing the required finance externally. Reference List Beyond Neutral. (2009). Company profile. Retrieved from http://beyondneutral.com/what-we-do/ Dunphy, D.C., Griffiths, A. Benn, S. (2005). Organizational change for corporate sustainability: a guide for leaders and change agents of the future. London: Routledge. Epstein, M. (2008). Making sustainability work: best practices in managing and measuring corporate social, environmental and economic impacts. Greenleaf: Sheffield. Howe, J.C. Gerrad, M. (2010). The law of green building: regulatory and legal issues in design, construction, operation and financing. Massachusetts: American Bar Association. Fisher, D.C. (2009). Corporate sustainability planning assessment guide. New York: American Society for Qualit. Jenkins, R., Barton, J. Hesselberg, J. (2007). Environmental regulation in the new global economy: the impact on industry and competitiveness. Camberley, UK: Edward Elgar Publishing. Kollmuss, A., Lazarus, M., Lee, C., Lefranc, M., Polycarp, C. (2010). Handbook of carbon offset programs: trading systems, funds, protocols and standards. London: Earthscan. OECD. (2002). Implementing domestic tradeable permits: recent development and future challenges. London: OECD Publishing. Taiyab, N. (2006). Exploring the market for voluntary carbon offsets. New York: IIED. The CarbonNeutral Company. (2010). The CarbonNeutral network of companies. Web. Tolhurst, N., Pohl, M., Matten, D. Visser, W. (2010). The A to Z of corporate social responsibility . New Jersey: John Wiley and Sons. Wilhelm, K. (2009). Return on sustai nability. New Jersey: Dog Ear Publishing. Willard, B. (2005). The sustainability advantage: seven business case benefits of a triple bottom line. Canada: New Society Publishers. World Bank. (2008). Environmental sustainability: an evaluation of World Bank group support. New York: World Bank Publication. 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Cool Things to Do With Dry Ice - Chemistry

Cool Things to Do With Dry Ice - Chemistry Dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide. It is called dry ice because its frozen, yet never melts into a liquid. Dry ice sublimates or makes the transition directly from frozen solid into carbon dioxide gas. If you are lucky enough to get some dry ice, there are lot of projects you can try. Here are some of my favorite cool things to do with dry ice. Homemade Dry Ice - First you need dry ice, so if you dont have any, make it! Dry Ice Fog - The classic project is to put a chunk of dry ice in hot water, causing it to produce clouds of vapor or fog. Dry Ice Crystal Ball - Place a piece of dry ice in a bowl or cup containing bubble solution. Wet a towel with bubble solution and pull it across the lip of the bowl, trapping the carbon dioxide into a giant bubble that resembles a crystal ball. Frozen Bubble - Freeze a soap bubble over a piece of dry ice. The bubble will appear to float in the air over the dry ice. Fizzy Fruit - Freeze strawberries or other fruit using dry ice. Carbon dioxide bubbles become trapped in the fruit, making it fizzy and carbonated. Singing or Screaming Spoon - Press any metal object against a piece of dry ice and it will appear to sing or scream as it vibrates. Dry Ice Ice Cream - You can use dry ice to make instant ice cream. Because carbon dioxide gas is released, the resulting ice cream is bubbly and carb onated, sort of like an ice cream float. Dry Ice Bubbles - Place a piece of dry ice in bubble solution. Fog-filled bubbles will form. Popping them releases dry ice fog, which is a cool effect. Simulate a Comet - Simulate a comet using dry ice and a few other simple materials. It will even produce a tail like a real comet. Dry Ice Jack-o-Lantern - Make a cool Halloween jack-o-lantern that spews dry ice fog. Dry Ice Erupting Volcano Cake - While you cant eat dry ice, you can use it as a decoration for food. In this project, dry ice produces a volcanic eruption for a volcano cake. Dry Ice Bomb - Sealing dry ice into a container will cause it to burst. The safest version of this is to place a small piece of dry ice into a plastic film canister or potato chip can with a pop lid.Inflate a Balloon - Seal a small piece of dry ice inside a balloon. As the dry ice sublimates, the balloon will blow up. If you use too big a piece of dry ice, the balloon will pop!Inflate a Glove - Similarly, you can put a piece of dry ice into a latex or other plastic glove and tie it closed. The dry ice will inflate the glove. Dry ice is a lot of fun to play with, but it is very cold, plus there are other hazards associated with it. Before attempting a project involving dry ice, be sure you are aware of dry ice risks. Have fun and be safe! Dry Ice Facts | Dry Ice Science Fair Projects

Why are the words of the blues so important Essay

Why are the words of the blues so important - Essay Example Blues are normally characteristic of songs that convey the deep struggles of the black people in several aspects of life, particularly the ones that occur to reflect the bitter past on account of their historical and racial conflicts during the times of the Civil War and the War on Independence prior. Through world history, it has become widely known that blacks had a significant number of excruciating encounters of slavery, social injustice, sex and labor abuse, as well as other forms of oppression, being treated as an inferior race and all these, apparently, constitute the lyrical blues quite specific to them. On this ground, the words of the blues acquire profound essence as they collectively embody the nature and identity of the blacks in association to their ordeals, sufferings, adventures, and indifference to the superior race through times. As a concrete instance, when Bill Lucas sings â€Å"I’m just a poor boy; people, I can’t even write my name / Every letter in the alphabet to me they look the same †¦ I just been a poor boy; ain’t caught nothing but hell†, he sings to the true beat of black rhythm that speaks of poverty and lack of academic opportunity due to color discrimination, affecting many black communities including his family whose main wage source comes from farming. 2. Why were work songs important to the slaves and later to African Americans who worked in the fields? Look at the lyrics of Rosie. What do these lyrics say about the African American culture of the time? (6 points) Based on J.T. Titon’s findings, â€Å"the song ‘Rosie’ was used to regulate the axe blows when the workers were felling large trees .. Without work songs, the white and Latino inmates chopped two to a tree – With work songs, the black inmates chopped four, six, eight, or ten to a tree.† This scenario illustrates how the prison workers derive inspiration to do heavy work or duty efficiently through wor k songs. In the song ‘Rosie’, the lines â€Å"Be my woman, gal, I’ll be your man †¦ When she walks she reels and rocks behind† indicate the fondness of African American culture on love and romance, especially the manner in which men express intense devotion to the women they love so that romantic themes in work songs enhance the motivating effect of rhythms. Similarly, in the past, black slaves and African Americans of the later age had sung work songs for the positive influence these songs create on their attitude, becoming disposed to higher level of productivity at work and gaining more sense of solidarity and fulfilment as music brought workmates together toward warm companionship in order to drive away anxieties and accomplish larger amount of tasks. 3. What roles does music play in the religious service described in the first part of the chapter in your text? What is the Deacon’s Devotional? What is whooping? How is this type of religious service connected to African rituals we’ve looked at? (8 points) In the religious service music, as music of worship, functions as a powerful element of devotion and a means to grow further in spiritual faith and loyalty to the church as such music guides and moves the people of the church to solemn thoughts and positive energy levels by which to expel the daily troubles of life. Black churches normally possess the most compelling music of worship out of â€Å"modern gospel quartets, powerful massed choirs, and soloists† whose enthusiastic and emotional singing performance may be observed as highly

Regulatory and Economic environment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Regulatory and Economic environment - Essay Example Based on the current exchange rate of RMB 8.28 yuan to one U.S. dollar, China is now the sixth largest economy in the world. Based on purchasing-power parity, it is the third largest economy after the United States and Japan. All this has taken place during a relatively short time. In fact, one can argue that true economic reform in China only started in the early 1980s.' - [M.W. LUKE CHAN, WENDY ROTENBERG] The Chinese economic environment had shown rapid progress during 1991-1997, it could be said that China experienced double digit GDP growth. However, from 1997 and so on there were economic crisis, yet, the Chinese GDP continued to grow at a rapid rate of 7.8%. Transparency and good supremacy have been the foundation issues observed in the post-crisis years, both in the circumstance of the 1997 monetary difficulties and the recent series of commercial scandals. This suits the accounting and audit profession where efforts have largely focused on "harmonizing standards" within APEC and ASEAN as well as for greater transparency and disclosure. The Chinese financial catastrophe showed that insufficient accounting practices and lack of transparency in financial information still prevail in the region. Usual accounting may no longer adequately reflect the necessary information from the position of regulatory and internal corporate control. Strengthening of accounting and auditing function to properly manage risks is one major task to make the private sector and government agencies competitive and free from corruption. In an internationalized economy, up-to-date accounting and auditing knowledge and skills are the basic institutional infrastructure for private enterprises as well as government agencies to promote good corporate governance and sound public management. The need for transparent information has been heightened, particularly in the situation of managing risks involved. Main challenges for the DMCs are to develop transparent and sound accounting practices to properly manage and regulate the private sector including banks. An overview of the economic framework in China: The economic system of China is based on the Interbank Lending Market, the negotiable instruments market and the Treasury bond repurchase market. Interbank Lending: A nationwide unified interbank lending computer network was put into operation on a trial basis on January 3, 1996. The interbank lending market was not integrated preceding this date. The establishment of unified interbank market helped in connecting all interbank markets through out the nation. Negotiable Instruments: A negotiable instruments market consists of commercial papers as their main instrument. Commercial paper activity started in China in 1981. Since 1981, commercial paper market developed gradually. The acceptance, rediscount and discount process of commercial paper has become standardized. Commercial bills are also another instrument used in China. It has increased drastically in the past few years. Also, the discount and rediscount maturities have increased rapidly providing the funding needs of the national industry development policies and credit policies to flow. Repurchase Transactions - Open Market Operations: The central bank got involved into the

U08a1 Project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

U08a1 Project - Essay Example However, there is a major concern regarding the performance of Tufts Medical Center in the matters relating to comprehensive record keeping for employee injuries while on duty. Also, there have been allegations from nursing bodies that this hospital lacks concern for health and safety of its employees. These are indeed serious charges since employees bulwark services and for most part form the backbone of this institution and perceived detriment to their health and safety. This could have a negative impact on the quality of the medical service which they provide to care-needy patients. In a recent case, it is believed that â€Å"Following complaints filed to OSHA by the Massachusetts Nurses Association, Tufts Medical Center has agreed to pay $5,000 to settle issues in record-keeping. OSHA cited the hospital for failing to properly record employee injuries that occurred on the job, including back strains, broken thumbs, needle-stick injuries, and cuts from sharp objects.† (Altman, 2010, para.1). Perhaps, it is necessary to take a good look at the present system of archiving and recording proceedings relating to injuries of employees while on duty at the Tufts Medical Center. It is necessary to isolate those interventions or health care activities that could jeopardize the health of caregivers like lifting crippled heavy patients on to wheel chairs , exposure to chemicals, fear of contracting serious infections and the emotional stress involved in dealing with patients having psychological and mental illnesses. In this context, it is also necessary to understand and appreciate that the entire skyline of modern medical services has undergone severe paradigm shifts. There has been increased need for state-of-the art specialized novel, expensive medical possibilities and a whole new array of medical interventions that need to be put to effective and productive use by health care professionals and care takers. With

Offender profiling

Offender profiling Separating Fact From Fiction: Where Do Peoples Beliefs About Offender Profiling Come From? Chapter I: Introduction to the Study Historically offender profiling has often been seen as more of an art than a science (Muller, 2000; Ressler Shachtman 1992) leaving it prone to rejection within academic journals (Dowden 2007). However within recent years there has been a sharp increase in the publics interest due to the media spotlight offender profiling has received in the way of films and television shows. This in turn has led to more research being done within the field and can clearly be seen by the significant rise of articles published since 2001 (Dowden 2007). This explosion of interest now makes it the ideal time for research to be conducted. Well known journals are now more frequently accepting articles on offender profiling and in 2004 David Canter launched the Journal of investigative psychology and offender profiling. In spite of this the content of the majority of research published still remain discussion pieces regarding what offender profiling is and its usefulness etc with hardly any containing statistics or formal analysis. For these reason this research will focus more so on the publics beliefs of offender profiling and how it is they acquire them. The recent development and interest in offender profiling has lead to people developing false beliefs. Kocsis (1999) stated that the medias portrayal has produced a situation in which â€Å"a gross disparity has developed between profilings reputation and its actual capabilities†. This research proposes five possibilities of how people acquire their false beliefs (media, experts, reasoning error, social contagion and confirmation bias) with the objective of finding which one has the biggest influence upon forming beliefs. Chapter II: Review of the Literature 2.1 History of Offender Profiling Although many definitions have been given for offender profiling it is generally agreed that it is â€Å"a technique for identifying the major personality and behavioral characteristics of an individual based upon an analysis of the crimes he or she has committed† (Douglas et al 1986). It is not meant as a tool to identify the offender implicitly, but rather serve as an indication as to the type of person they are by focusing on their behavioral traits and personality characteristics. It is particularly useful in seemingly motiveless crimes whereby it allows the analysis of similarities and differences to take place. This in turn uncovers information on the perpetrators personality and behavior, which is essential due to the fact that the â€Å"random† crime and victim may not at all be random to the offender. The victim may have been chosen symbolically due to the fantasy occurring within the offenders mind (Ressler et al 1985). Offender profiling is used within a variety of settings and not just a tool used solely for homicides. These techniques have been used in hostage taking situations (Reiser 1982), serial rapists (Hazelwood, 1983), identifying anonymous letter writers (Casey-Owens 1984) as well as those who make written or verbal threats (Miron Douglas 1979). Due to this ability to transfer profiling techniques into a variety of situations, its methods have been used throughout the world (e.g., Asgard 1998; Collins et al 1998; Jackson et al 1993). However Holmes and Holmes (1996) stated that offender profiling is only called upon when all other leads have been exhausted. This in turn questions its popularity, is offender profiling being used throughout the world due to its effectiveness, or as a last resort? Many feel that the latter is the case and criticise offender profiling on the grounds of scientific reliability. Much of the literature published is often plagued by low levels of validity making the results found questionable. Furthermore is the difficulty in obtaining reliable and accurate data. Very few researchers rely on primary data such as interviews with serial offenders and even when they do the offenders testament should be treated as suspicious due to the known fact that offenders often lie about there behavior (Porter and Woodworth, 2007). This leads to a limitation in the literature, with very few authors publishing three or more articles and only 34% of these articles being written by psychologists (Dowden et al 2007). As well as criticism regarding literature methodology, offender profiling as a whole has also raised much disapproval. Pinizzotto and Finkel (1990) argue that many profilers do not specify the behavioural, correlational or psychological principles they rely on and it is therefore difficult to distinguish if specific profiling techniques are being adhered to, or if simple intuition and opinion are being used. However, regardless of the criticism offender profiling has received; it has still continued to grow in popularity throughout the years (Dowden 2007) resulting in an upsurge of interest and media attention. 2.2 The Rise to Popularity Offender profiling is by no means a new technique with one of the first recorded practice being in 1888 in the notorious Jack the ripper case. Dr Thomas Bond, a British physician is regarded by many to be the first offender profiler (Newburn,2007; Petherick 2005; Kotake 2001) linking together five of the Whitechapel murders and giving an eleven point profile on the personality and behavioral traits of Jack the ripper. Although this is sometimes classed the beginning of offender profiling, it wasnt until 1957 that profiling took a leap forward and grabbed the publics attention. New York Citys Mad Bomber terrorized the city for a period of sixteen years, planting a total of thirty-three bombs in public buildings. With public hysteria being high and police reaching a dead-end, Dr James Brussel (a criminologist and psychiatrist) was called in to help on the case. After reading the letters sent to the press and examining the case files, Brussel created his profile of what kind of person the police should look for: â€Å"Look for a heavy man. Middle-aged. Foreign born. Roman-catholic. Single. Living with brother or sister. When you find him, chances are hell be wearing a double-breasted suit. Buttoned† (Brussel, 1968). This profile was then submitted to the newspaper and days later the offender, George Meteky was arrested matching Brusselss description. In fact the only variation to the profile was that he lived with his two sisters. This apparent accurate profile ignited the publics interest in offender profiling. However due to the media frenzy surrounding the case, facts were often missed out and an inaccurate account was given. For example, Metesky was known to follow media reports (Berger, 1957) and so his behaviors may have been consciously or subconsciously affected. Furthermore the profile itself did not solve the case as often implied; in fact it was background checks on disgruntled employees that led to the arrest (Kocsis, 2004). And despite the popular myth that Metesky was ca ught in a double breasted suit, he was actually arrested wearing faded pajamas (Brussel, 1968). This popular and often cited case is an excellent example of how offender profiling is often misrepresented and how that in turn leads to people developing false beliefs regarding it. Nonetheless, the Mad Bomber case is often thought of as a turning point in offender profiling history and that it was at this point that both the public and law enforcement developed an interest. In the 1960s Howard Teten started to develop his approach to offender profiling, and as a special agent in the FBI during 1970 he started teaching his approach to fellow agents. In 1972 Jack Kirsch started the Behavioral Science Unit (BSU) and gave Tenten the freedom he needed to create profiles and continue his research. The word spread and soon police departments were making daily requests for profiles (Turvey 2001). The BSU underwent several changes throughout the 1990s and is now known as the National Centre for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC). However it is not just America whos interest in offender profiling was sparked. Much like Brussel it was one particular case that seemed to ignite the publics fascination with profiling within the UK. In 1985 David Canter was asked to help with the investigation into two murders and over thirty rapes, which the media dubbed as the Railway Rapist (cited in Egger 1999). Canters profile was remarkably accurate and proved a useful tool in the investigation. However yet again, the profile alone wasnt what led police to John Duffy, it was his refusal to supply a blood sample. Similar to America, the British Press reported Canters involvement in an exaggerated fashion which in turn gave Canter much publicity and recognition. Interestingly, although offender profiling gained publicity within America and UK in a similar fashion, they have completely different profiling techniques. The American FBI approach, created by the BSU, relies heavily on crime scene analysis (CSA) (Wilson, Lincon Kocsis, 1997) and is the approach that has been popularized within the media. The approach places offenders into categories according to the crime scene, either organized or disorganized. This approach has been heavily criticized by the likes of Ressler (1992) who states that the simplicity of the system was to enable police without a psychological background to understand it. The UK approach relies more on statistical analysis, obtaining facts and characteristics from solved cases to provide a general framework for each crime (Aitken et al 1996). However in more recent times Canter has developed an investigative psychology approach to profiling. This approach suggests that psychology can directly be transferred to crime, and that an interpersonal transaction is occurring between the offender and the victim. Canter created five approaches which can be used to profile criminals directly using psychology (Canter 1994). The approach that Canter has received the most attention about is that of space and time which has been empirically tested and found to be useful (Wilson et al, 1997). Although Godwin and Canter (1997) demonstrate that investigative psychology can help the police, results have to be looked at carefully since it is unlikely that Canter will contradict his previous work. Regardless of the different approaches offender profiling has, it has nevertheless reached a height of popularity. However, as widespread as profiling has now become, the public still seem to misunderstand it and hold false beliefs regarding it (Snook et al 2008 Kocsis 1999). For this reason, this research will examine the different possible reasons why the public have developed these false beliefs. 2.3 The Mass Media This brief outline of offender profiling shows that the rise in public interest has correlated with major cases, which in turn causes sensationalism within the media. With the public buying into the medias exaggerations on the role of offender profilers, a perfect springboard was provided for many television shows and films to base their premises around these â€Å"incredible† profilers. Major films such as The Silence of the Lambs and television shows such as Cracker, Wire in the Blood and Criminal Minds have promoted the myth that profilers posses some sort of superhuman skill (Egger, 1999; Grubin, 1995; Alison Canter, 1999). Fiction blurs with fantasy for the general public and they are left with false beliefs. Grubin (1995) comments that offender profiling has always had a role within fiction and has always appealed to the imagination due to its ability to invoke the image of â€Å"the cerebral sleuth relying solely on his acute powers of observation and deductive reasoning to identify an elusive and much feared serial rapist†. Many researchers (Balu, 1994; Campbell, 1976; Canter 2000; McCan, 1992; Muller, 2000) would in fact argue that this fictional image of a â€Å"super sleuth† such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyles Sherlock Holmes or Edgar Allan Poes C. Auguste Dupin is what inspired offender profiling to begin with. Sagan (1996) agrees with Grubin, suggesting that people are often attracted to fantasy, more so than any other genre, because they often contain characters that have powers, which normal people lack but desire. Green, Brock and Kaufman (2004) concur, asserting that people seek out fiction rather than non-fiction for the simple fact that they want to be entertained. However, unless people adopt a critical approach to the material they are viewing, their judgments regarding offender profiling will be based on the inaccurate and biased information they are being given, resulting in false beliefs (Stanovich, 1992). Second hand knowledge, such as that required from the media, rarely reflects the truth (Sprott 1996) and so this critical approach is essential. The mass media doesnt just refer to television and films, the role stories play are equally important. Those who have experience in profiling often write books about there experiences (eg Paul Britton and David Canter) which creates to the reader, a personal story. These types of literature can be very convincing as they are often vivid and memorable (Borgida Nisbett, 1977; Stanovich 1992) and assumed true in entirety by the reader. People are not trained to critically evaluate or to seek out objective facts and reliable evidence (Carroll, 2003; Gilovich, 1991; Sagan, 1996; Shermer, 2003) and take these anecdotes presented to them as truthful accounts allowing them to form the foundation of their beliefs. Even published accounts of offender profiling rely on these anecdotal evidence to convey the message that they are trying to put across and illustrate the usefulness of profiling (e.g Canter, 1994; Cook Hinman, 1999). Snook, Eastwood, et al (2007) found that out of 130 articles on offender profiling, 60% of them used at least one anecdote as a source of knowledge, such as the New York Mad Bombers case. Another problem faced is that all the portrayals regarding offender profiling convey the same message, the profiler catches the criminal and the case is solved. Although this is unrealistic, empirical evidence shows that the likelihood of people agreeing with a message correlates with how often the same message is repeated (Cacioppo Petty, 1979). So if most of the media (eg, films, television shows and books) are all conveying the same message and no critical approach is taken, then individuals will be left with false beliefs. However, are people that passive that they will believe everything they encounter in the media? This theory of a hypodermic-syringe model (Briggs Cobley, 2002) whereby viewers are â€Å"injected† with opinions and beliefs has been proven to be conceptually flawed in that it tends to ignore matters such as personal influence and interpretation (Katz Lazersfeld, 1955). Individuals are not passive creatures that are unable to form their own intelligent opinion. The media does not dictate a persons belief; in fact it can be argued that individuals use the media for their own gratification (Katz, 1959). Therefore is it unfair and illogical to blame the media solely, for the misconceptions people have about offender profiling? 2.4 Expertise Experts are individuals who after an extensive period of practical and theoretical training have developed a professional capability within a specific area (Kurz-Milcke Gigerenzer, 2004). Due to this definition, many people believe and accept the words of experts without question (Bochner Insko, 1966; Milgram, 1964) and many believe that offender profilers are indeed experts. In spite of this belief there is very little evidence to support this idea. If offender profilers are experts then they should be able to perform their job to a high standard, therefore creating accurate profiles. Snook et al (2008) conclude that any police professional could achieve the same level of success that profilers achieve, by relying on their basic criminological information. However, if this is the case why is it police still request profilers and add to the belief that they are accurate experts? One reason could be because they actually believe that offender profiling works (e.g. Copson, 1995; Jackson et al 1993; Pinizzotto, 1984) but for those police officers who disagree, calling profilers in may simply be a way of doing their job. As a police officer it is their duty to make sure that they use all the available investigation techniques and some may think they have nothing to loose by calling in an offender profiler. However the public may view the fact police use profilers as a confirmation that offender profilers are experts and this in turn will affect their judgment. An example of how the belief that experts are correct affects peoples judgments can be seen in a study conducted by Kocsis Hayes (2004). The study found that police officers, who were told that the profile they read was created by an expert, rated them significantly more accurate than officers who were told that their profile came from a non-expert. These results appear to confirm that people believe and trust the information obtained from labeled experts more so than anyone else. However this result that Kocsis Hayes found may be due to the police officers loyalty. They may believe that professional profilers are an important group that they identify with and feel loyalty towards, due to a belief that they are in the same line of work. Many studies have found that many police officers tend to develop an occupational subculture (DeMaria, 1999; Dempster, 1997; Wilson Chappell, 1996; Wilson Western, 1972) with intense loyalty shown to all those that belong to it (Chan, 1996, Finna ne, 1995; Fitzgerald, 1989; Lusher, 1981; Wood 1997). For this reason, the discrepancy shown between the measures may be down to loyalty rather than expertise heuristic. However this loyalty should only be shown by those who identify with that subculture, therefore excluding the general public. So is expertise heuristic to blame for individuals false beliefs? 2.5 Reasoning Errors People have the tendency to believe things that arent true and a lot of time and effort has been put in by researchers to try and discover why it is people believe in unproven things (Gilovich, 1991; Hines, 1988; Vyse, 1997). One of the main outcomes found is that human beings evolved to be able to identify patterns among environmental occurrences, which as a result can lead to the identification of meaningless patterns (Shermer, 2002). It is this ability to identify meaningless patterns that can be argued contributes to people thinking in things such as psychic abilities as well as their belief that offender profilers predictions are valid. People like to find order in a chaotic world and then form beliefs that can guide future behaviors (Gigerenzer, 2002; Shermer, 2003). However, beliefs are just a cognitive process that picks up on information from the environment and if the information is wrong, so is the formed belief. One form of this cognitive process is reasoning errors.

Experimentation in Literature in the 1920s Essay -- essays papers

Experimentation in Literature in the 1920s The year 1920 opened a decade that proved to be like none other before it, a decade that was to shake the world. The 1920's changed the way the world worked, for it was a time of discovery and achievement through improvisation and experimentation, when in the past everything had been carefully labored over, and thought out thoroughly. A few of these discoveries and achievements, and the men who accomplished them, stand out from the rest. With James Joyce and the publication of his massive masterpiece Ulysses, T.S. Eliot, and the publication of his brilliant and stunning poem The Waste Land, and F. Scott Fitzgerald and the publication of his complex and tragic The Great Gatsby, the 1920's were indeed a time of amazing discovery and achievement through experimentation and improvisation. T.S. Eliot published The Waste Land in 1922, and the world of poetry changed forever. Yet his experiments in form and style began long before The Waste Land was ever published. Eliot was developing his unique style, as demonstrated in several of his early poems. Noticeable among these poems is the powerful work The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which received much critical acclaim after being published in America. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, or just Prufrock, as many critics called it demonstrated his combination of blatant pessimism and withering hopes and desires with the sterility of modern life. Another shocking feature in the poem was the juxtaposition of the brilliantly original verse with the cliched, something that made his style very unique; never before had anyone so daringly put the common language and the esoteric together in such a fashion. Prufrock effectively presen... ...ng Company, 1996 Anderson, Chester, James Joyce. New York, Thames/ Hudson, 1967. Brownstone, David and Irene Frank, Timeline of the Twentieth Century. Canada, Little-Brown and Company, 1996. Daniel, Clifton, editor, Chronicle of the Twentieth Century. United States, Harper and Row, 1990. Daniels, Jonathan, The Time Between the Wars. United States, Doubleday, 1966. Day, Martin, A Handbook of American Literature. New York, Crane, Russak, and Company, Inc., 1975. Ellman, Richard, James Joyce. United States, Oxford Press, 1959. "F. Scott Fitzgerald", Gale's Discovering Authors, 1995. "James Joyce", Gale's Discovering Authors, 1995. Severn, William, The End of the Roaring Twenties. United States, Simon and Shuster, 1969. Tate, Allen, editor, T.S. Eliot and His Work. United States, University of the South, 1966. "T.S. Eliot", Gale's Discovering Authors, 1995. Experimentation in Literature in the 1920s Essay -- essays papers Experimentation in Literature in the 1920s The year 1920 opened a decade that proved to be like none other before it, a decade that was to shake the world. The 1920's changed the way the world worked, for it was a time of discovery and achievement through improvisation and experimentation, when in the past everything had been carefully labored over, and thought out thoroughly. A few of these discoveries and achievements, and the men who accomplished them, stand out from the rest. With James Joyce and the publication of his massive masterpiece Ulysses, T.S. Eliot, and the publication of his brilliant and stunning poem The Waste Land, and F. Scott Fitzgerald and the publication of his complex and tragic The Great Gatsby, the 1920's were indeed a time of amazing discovery and achievement through experimentation and improvisation. T.S. Eliot published The Waste Land in 1922, and the world of poetry changed forever. Yet his experiments in form and style began long before The Waste Land was ever published. Eliot was developing his unique style, as demonstrated in several of his early poems. Noticeable among these poems is the powerful work The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, which received much critical acclaim after being published in America. The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, or just Prufrock, as many critics called it demonstrated his combination of blatant pessimism and withering hopes and desires with the sterility of modern life. Another shocking feature in the poem was the juxtaposition of the brilliantly original verse with the cliched, something that made his style very unique; never before had anyone so daringly put the common language and the esoteric together in such a fashion. Prufrock effectively presen... ...ng Company, 1996 Anderson, Chester, James Joyce. New York, Thames/ Hudson, 1967. Brownstone, David and Irene Frank, Timeline of the Twentieth Century. Canada, Little-Brown and Company, 1996. Daniel, Clifton, editor, Chronicle of the Twentieth Century. United States, Harper and Row, 1990. Daniels, Jonathan, The Time Between the Wars. United States, Doubleday, 1966. Day, Martin, A Handbook of American Literature. New York, Crane, Russak, and Company, Inc., 1975. Ellman, Richard, James Joyce. United States, Oxford Press, 1959. "F. Scott Fitzgerald", Gale's Discovering Authors, 1995. "James Joyce", Gale's Discovering Authors, 1995. Severn, William, The End of the Roaring Twenties. United States, Simon and Shuster, 1969. Tate, Allen, editor, T.S. Eliot and His Work. United States, University of the South, 1966. "T.S. Eliot", Gale's Discovering Authors, 1995.