Implementing international accounting standards Essay

Implementing international accounting standards - Essay Example "As markets converge and geographical borders no longer present the same trade barriers increasingly there is a need for globally accepted accounting standards. Business needs them, investors are demanding them and accountants are under an obligation to ensure delivery." Here the need for their implementation in the view of the largest professional body of accountants in the UK is expressed as being primarily for the progression of trade, as recent technological advancements in technology has resulted in a break down of previous trade barriers and we are now expected to compete in a world market. Groom (2001), saw the importance of international standards as being a key part of his 5 legged stool of trust, ensuring that investors in capital markets retain confidence and invest. This confidence has become core to the survival of these markets, especially in the light of recent high profile collapses such as Enron in the US and One.Tel in Australia. Since the 2002 decision of the EU the interest in the implications of IAS's and their implementation, along with their costs and benefits, has risen. The core of this debate and the ultimate benefit of International standards to the UK as a whole will be discussed in the remainder of this text with specific focus upon the benefits and costs to both quoted and non-quoted companies. Currently there is significant concern in the UK that there... It is this lack of awareness which is likely to cause considerable increases to costs required to implement the standards when the ASB does converge, as this is no small task and requires a planned strategy.It is hard to actually assess the cost which has already been incurred by listed companies since the 1st of January implementation date, as a full year of trading has not quite been completed and therefore there has been limited analysis as yet, therefore the bulk of this analysis has to be based upon theories and analyses undertaken before implementation in the EU and is therefore, to some extent theoretical. The costs of implementing these standards have been widely discussed and most of these will affect both quoted and non-quoted companies, however they will differ in their extent. The bulk of these costs will be incurred in the education of the users of these financial statements; any stakeholder of the business for which the financial statements are being prepared, will be effected to some extent, and will need to be educated in order for the company to survive the change. Stakeholders are extremely influential and include banks and lenders, auditors and shareholders, a business needs to educate these people on the change and its impact upon their financial statements, and in this education other costs will be incurred. Gerhardy points out that banks and lenders will require reclassification of debt and equity, leading to dividend payout issues, and the reclassification of debts will lead to renegotiation costs with lenders, this will lead to strategy issues and a need for good communication of the effects IFRS will have on business with the shareholders, all of which will result in significant cost to all

Responsibilities of a team leader Essay Example for Free

Responsibilities of a team leader Essay Four responsibilities of a team leader in our organization: 1. Food alert files (Health and Safety, Food and Safety). First of all, to make sure that all work environment is safe for employees and customers. Second, to check if all departments are providing good Food alert standards set by government at work place. As well, to make sure that all legally required documents would be up to date. 2. Communication. All team leaders constantly need to be in good communicational skills, if you want to run successful business. Everyday you have to communicate with Head office as well as other restaurants, to know what’s happening in all company, using phones or e-mails. And don’t forget to pass important news for team members. Inside the house, usually, Managers team is communicating though the LogBook, and with team members during briefing times before sifts. 3. Motivation is the driving force, which help courses us to achieve goals. Leaders using motivation will satisfy individual needs and team will have inspiration to complete the tasks. It’s very important point in running business. Depending on how motivated teams are, it may further determine the effort they put into their work and therefore increase the standard of the output. 4. Presenting good example and standards or the company. Team Leader always needs to be as example how to act at work, and that other team members would be able to take some experience. If everyone will represent good company standards and will look after the customers well, they will not only think well of the team but also of the company in general. Two examples of the problems you would need to refer to someone with more authority: 1. Racism. It is illegal to discriminate against anyone of the grounds of their race. If it would happen in work place, management team needs to investigate. Just GM or Head office member has authority to take action on  such a complaint. 2. Reconstruction. Every business has yearly budgets, if someone wants to reconstruct the building outside or inside it has to be approved by GM. Feedback on own performance Collected feedback to identify one of my strengths as a team leader and one area for improvement: †¢ Strength – Organized team supporter. Always supporting team and showing organizational skills. †¢ Area for improvement: rudeness, toughness. Sometimes, choosing wrong way of speaking + plus very demanding on the things to be done. Establishing trust One thing to describe what you can do to establish and maintain trust within the team you lead: Respect for others. One of the most important points to work on. If it will be trust and understanding in the team, there will be respect and good atmosphere for work, witch will course business to run smooth. To maintain trust you have to work on couple of following points: †¢ Time- set aside time to be with these people, work with them, talk with them and even play with them. In the end you will gradually start to realize that there personality or point of view arent that hard to get along with after all. †¢ Patience The truth is that the best people, the smartest people and the most successful people take a good long look at other people and express empathy and selflessness towards the people they associate with. †¢ Listening- always to have time to listen for the others, to step aside and to take a look at their opinion. Maybe some examples can be even better then yours. †¢ Laughing- it’s one of the important points, to build the team, not just to be a working robots. With the laugh in the teamwork will run perfectly, plus good relaxed atmosphere. †¢ Honesty- if you will be honest with them, they will be the same with you.

The Passing Down of a Tribes Ancient Legends Essay example -- Tribal

The Passing Down of a Tribe's Ancient Legends Thesis: The Shaman’s job of passing down the tribe’s ancient legends are very important. I Shamans A. definition B. purpose 1. balance 2. success hunting 3. planting 4. cure sickness C. Usually males 1. post menopausal women 2. blood powers II passed down from generation to generation A. usually from memory 1. sand drawings 2. birch bark scrolls 3. paintings on rocks 4. animal hides B. children 1. eight-familiar stories 2. ten- know history III answer basic questions A. where do we come from B. where are we going C. how the world came into being D. how it was transformed E. guidelines of behavior F. tools of survival IV unknown how long been around A. possible nomadic ancestors from old world 1. Siberian land bridge 2. Migrated 3. Regional tales similar B. Environmental contributions 1. northeastern forest dwellers a. arctic hare b. wolf c. cedar tree 2. agricultural southerners a. Corn maidens b. Sacred mountains 3. coastal people a. aquatic animals b. sea birds c. ocean monsters V stories told in different ways A. told by fire B. Chanting 1. Netslik Inuit 2. Special powers VI special rites A. Maidu-lay down B. Cheyenne-smooth dirt C. Other-presents VII Special words A. Seneca- when the world was new B. Pima- they say it happened long ago C. Zuni answers D. Californian- order back to cave VIII Reoccurring themes A. Mother earth B. Humans and animals C. Animal teachers D. Plots 1. complex 2. humor 3. values IX equal with everything A. Share earth like family B. Man another animal X characters A. Animals 1. ravens 2. raccoons 3. foxes 4. beavers 5. blue jays 6. spiders B roles 1. helpers 2. meddlers 3. both C Coyote 1. respected 2. cunning 3. able to survive in all environments a. prairie b. woodlands c. mountains d. desert XI Crow Indians A Old man coyote B. Ducks 1. root 2. mud C. Empty island 1. root- trees plants 2. ducks 3. men 4. women 5. different animals 6. drum 7. songs 8. dancing D. Shirape 1.weapons 2. Different languages 3. war XII One animal A. Plains Indians-muskrat B. Inuit- raven with spear C. Californian –turtles, waterfowl D. Many- turtle XIII Seneca A. chief’s wife falls B. waterfowl catch C. frog gets dirt D. turtle spreads- landmass XIV Nez Perce A. Monster eats all ... ...ld be known as the wolf people, the Skidi Pawnee. The Wolf Star watched all this from the southern sky. The Pawnee call this star Fools the Wolves, because it rises just before the morning star and tricks the wolves into howling before first light. In this way the Wolf Star continues to remind people that when it came time to build the earth, he was forgotten.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After reading and learning about these creation legends I am intrigued. The shaman’s job of keeping and teaching the legends isn’t even their full job, but it’s important enough to be one. They have to remember and keep all of the customs that go with the story also. I think that they their way of teaching history is great. They all memorize the stories when they are very young and share them. These stories aren’t just history, they are also the guidelines for the children’s behavior. Bibliography Flaherty, Thomas H. The Spirit World. Virginia: Time Life Books, 1992. http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Olympus/5484/legend.html http://www.home.swipnet.se/~w-27834/wolf/myth3.html http://www.score.rims.k12.ca.us/activity/wappo/legend.html Leonard, Linda Schierse. Creation’s Heartbeat. New York: Bantam Books, 1995.

United Cereals

In general, every firm is confronted with some basic issues such as. ; – in which markets to operate what products to offer and – how to distribute these products The â€Å"standard way† united Cereal used to enter the European market consisted of three main steps, namely acquisitions of companies in deferent European countries (1), introduction of products from the United Cereal US product line (2) and promoting organic growth through the adoption of these products to local market conditions by a respective country manager In charge (3).The advantages of establishing national subsidiaries by acquiring laid primarily In an effective and fast way of gaining market share in a particular market. Thus, in 2009 the market share of US in Europe amounted to 20%, only 6% below the market share of its main competitor Kellogg. Considerable benefits could also be achieved due to local expertise and reputation of the established companies in respective countries in terms of marketing focus, local tastes, targets, competitors, brand loyalty as well as legal framework.Other advantages were realized from already existing distribution networks, providing access to local logistics companies as well as cooperation with local retailers and wholesalers. However, there also were certain risks concerning the suitability of the distribution partner to the Introduced products as the exploitation of particular sales channels varied considerably across countries (e. G. Germany with 80% vs.. Italy with 17% as mentioned above).Further rolls/dilettantes of this strategy (although not stated in the text explicitly) might be associated with the integration and implementation costs, caused by adoption of the foreign business to the united Cereals business and its values concerning the â€Å"US Way†. The next step of he United Cereals' standard way was the introduction of products from the existing product line, which comprised more than 100 brands. Thus, the compan y profited from the possibility to launch its successful US brands also in the European market.This strategy was enforced especially by high demand for US products which were very much in vogue at that time, especially in ass and ass. Furthermore, as there was no need In developing a completely new product line this fast and cheap access Into local competition enabled united Cereals to achieve a solid organic growth. However, due to differences across European markets there still were costs, associated with customization of products and adjustment of manufacturing processes when US brands did not correspond to the local market tastes.Introduction of US line in each decisions and determining, which products from United Cereals could succeed and make profit in that country. With a broad understanding of the market the country manager was able to adjust products perfectly to local market conditions, while respecting the â€Å"US Way'. Such country level approach coupled with high susc eptibility and flexibility led to a very high motivation of country managers as well as profit minimization in most national markets. However, over time inconsistency in positioning the products, e. . Positioning a product as high-end in Germany, but as a low-end in I-J, became a matter of concern. Redundancies due to individual marketing campaigns in separate countries for different products led to expenses 25% higher than in the U. S. Operations. Especially, in the light of a global recession in 2008-09 and more competitive markets, forcing market participants to provide lower- ricer products cost reductions and cost efficiency, became a major focus of United Cereals.Further risks were associated with country managers, preferring product extensions rather than new product introductions in order to reduce costs and maintain profits in their country. Reasons for this behavior were above all lack of resources and too high costs of launching and developing new products. Thus, the â₠¬Å"US standard way' is not sustainable anymore and new market strategy combined with cost effective and more efficient processes should be considered.

The Law of Attraction

THE LAW OF ATTRACTION The study on the Law of Attraction surrounds the issue concerning the concept that humans have the ability to draw wanted and unwanted objects into their lives through what is created by one’s thoughts and energy. To change a way of life, one must change his/her way of thought. The Law of Attraction proves to be the most powerful law in the universe, as is shown through the study of quantum physics and the relationship between the flow of energy into and out of the body.If humans learn to manifest the energies of the universe and one’s own being in a proper manner, we will be able to accomplish everything our hearts desire, according to the Law of Attraction. The study on the Law of Attraction proves the Law to be an active contributor towards improving quality of life, both in person and professional aspects. The Law of Attraction is the most powerful universal law. In theory, people are able to create their own reality through their thoughts (Hic ks 9). This underlying concept leads to the misconception that the Law of Attraction doesn’t exist since it is human nature to be denied of certain wants.Many people believe that if we are really able to â€Å"create our own identity,† the human species would not fail in any aspect of life. However, the Law of Attraction claims that we attract both the things we want and don’t want through the force of our thoughts and the energy we give off into the universe (Losier 26). In order to properly explain the credibility of the Law of Attraction, famous scientists Einstein and Hawking convey the study of Quantum Physics, along with the M Theory and String Theory, as the scientific principle that suggests the concept in which thoughts become matter.The thoughts we create in our minds through electrical impulses are produced with the same source of energy that creates â€Å"everything from nothing† in the universe. Science researchers have studied brain waves an d found a direct correlation between the frequency of waves and the way people view life. Lower frequencies are related to those with pessimistic lifestyles in contrast to higher frequencies for those with active intellects (Baska).These brain frequencies are then transmitted through energy into the Universe and become reality through theory of Quantum Physics, which states that thoughts equal energy, energy equals matter, and thus thoughts equal matter (Pillay 98). Such scientific principles attempt to explain the existence of the Law of Attraction, and though much logic is involved within these principles, many of the science-related claims regarding the existence of the Law of Attraction are based too much on hype and too little on science research.The Law of Attraction is a growing phenomenon that may very well have diluted truth, but is presented to the public with goals of strategic marketing in order to achieve the instant gratification that â€Å"The Secret† has sold. In order to prove its validity, there must be further studies regarding the gateway concept that is the Law of Attraction. As for the book, movie and audio clips, these were all tools used to revitalize what was a weakened motivational industry.Despite my belief in its existence, there is little to no scientific evidence to support the theory, and no carried out controlled experiment to suggest the â€Å"so-called† law actually works (Sloan). Those who do not believe in the principles of the Law of Attraction claim that The Law of Attraction, in its simplest form, is no more than a pawn scheme serving as substitution for self-help concepts that actually work. Positive thinking, self-belief, visualization and goal setting are all motivational scripts proposed by authors like Rhonda Byrne through their best-selling books (Sloan).Non-believers claim that the Law of Attraction misleads people into believing that imagery alone will work without action. This is a common misunderst anding about the Law of Attraction surrounding the belief that the Law of Attraction is simply about wishing. However, according to Jung’s scientific concept of Synchronicity, people are able to make things happen due to the relationship between one’s mind and the universe as human thoughts are aligned in a particular way towards a common end, which suggests a pattern in regards to the way reality is created (Pillay 142).Though the major premise of the Law of Attraction involves imagery through the process of thinking to attract desires, the theory behind the Law of Attraction delves deeper into the law of allowance, which is the final process in the Law of Attraction, and is what truly allows the law to come about (Losier 78). The Law of Attraction, in a sense, may be related to concepts like karma, luck, and other wonders that cannot be explained through science alone and oftentimes require a little bit of faith.There may very well be great truth in some of the theor y’s claims, but to say its validity is explained by science is both illogical and false. The hype surrounding the Law of Attraction arose out of clever marketing skills, and consequently science was merely used as an attempt to give validity to the obscure concept that is the Law of Attraction. It is up to the individual to determine whether or not they will follow the steps required by the Law of Attraction in order to change their life.It is up to the individual to determine whether or not they will act kindly towards others to receive positive karma in turn. As for me, I will remain to follow the advice proposed by motivational writers out there that encourage me to project a positive attitude in order for people to react positively to me. In essence, this is the true definition of the Law of Attraction. WORKS CITED Peter. â€Å"Can Thoughts Make Things Happen? † Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Huffington Post, 10 June 2011. Web. 29 Apr. 2012. .Byr ne, Rhonda. The Secret. New York: Atria, 2006. Print. Hicks, Esther, and Jerry Hicks. The Law of Attraction. Carlsbad, CA: Hay House, 2006. Print. Losier, Michael J. Law of Attraction: The Science of Attracting More of What You Want and Less of What You Don't. New York, NY: Wellness Central, 2006. Print. Pillay, Srinivasan. The Science Behind the Law of Attraction. Cambridge, MA: NeuroBusiness Group, 2010. Print. Sloan, Paul. â€Å"The Law of Attraction is a Dangerous Delusion. † LifeHack. StepCase Limited, 31 03 2012. Web. 6 May 2012. .

6 Resume Tips for Recent Graduates

6 Resume Tips for Recent Graduates School can feel like an intense bubble while you’re in it. Classes, papers, grades, and activities take up so much of your time and energy. But then graduation comes, and it’s time and put those skills and that knowledge to use for cash money and a satisfying career. That can be a tough transition, so if you’re high on potential and low on experience, don’t despair. To get yourself ready for the post-graduation job hunt, here are 6 great resume tips for recent graduates. If you already have some experiences from internship or part time jobs, you can also check out our guide on resume best practices 2016.1. Don’t stress about lack of experience.You’re a new grad- no one expects you to have experience beyond an entry level. What you do have already are skills. Your resume should be heavy on the skills you’ve been developing through your academic career: for example, software training and use, presentation skills, and problem solving skil ls. You also likely have part-time work, student employment, or volunteer experience as well. Definitely don’t forget those, even if they’re not obviously related to your future career.2. Think about what you need.It can also be stressful if you feel like your education hasn’t really prepared you for the job market. I’ve been there: I was an English major at a large state university. The school focused on academics and teaching as postgrad options- both of which I’d already ruled out as careers for myself. So I sat down researching what I could do with my English degree, and what my interests were. That led to publishing, and I came up with a plan to get extra training in editing and writing while working general office jobs to get experience and pay my postgrad bills.Thinking about what you really want, and having an action plan to get it can really help you refine your resume.3. Don’t forget the extracurriculars.If you have activities that have helped build skills (student government, Spanish Club, Future Accountants of America), you should take stock of those skills as well. As you get further into your career, you won’t need to lean as heavily on your school activities, but when you’re getting started those skills you picked up can help fill in for concrete experience. If you decide to use your extracurriculars in your resume, be sure to use examples of how they helped build your skills.4. You don’t need to write a novel.Again, no one expects recent grads to come up with a several-pages-long list of accomplishments. A clear, concise one-pager is fine.5. Be prepared to edit.Similar to #3, you don’t need to have one sacred resume doc that fits all. This means you should plan to do several stages of editing. The first round is to go through and figure out what’s necessary to include (skills, training, education, recent honors/awards, work experience) and what’s probably not cr ucial (specific classes you took, the spelling award you got in third grade, or the six months you thought you wanted to be a puppeteer- false alarm).The second round of edits should be specific to each job you’re applying for. Include related honors and awards, any experience you have in that area, and applicable skills. Be creative†¦if your thankless summer job included dealing with customers of (ahem) varying degrees of politeness, emphasize in your resume that you have strong communication and public service skills.6. Play with the format.If you’re following the traditional resume template of education/coursework, jobs, accomplishments, and then general skills, consider switching it up. Quality is more important than format, and you want the reader to be presented with your best side up front. If you feel more comfortable leaning on your skills over your experience, frontload those.For example, your resume could be: skills/training, education, awards, then job s and experience. As long as your resume is a coherent snapshot of you and is written well, you’re not stuck with any particular format.The best thing you can do for your postgrad rà ©sumà © is to put in the time and effort to figure out what you already have working for you, and how to spin it. â€Å"New grad† doesn’t have to mean â€Å"blank slate.† You can totally make it mean â€Å"building a new career on a great foundation.†

The Nervous System Essays

The Nervous System Essays The Nervous System Essay The Nervous System Essay The Nervous System is a complex System that has been broken into two major sections. One is the Central Nervous System also known as the CNS. This system consists of the brain and the Spinal cord. The second system is the Peripheral Nervous System which is known as the PNS. The PNS consist of all the other neural elements. The CNS and PNS work together to play a major role in the control of behavior. They receive and respond to the elements in the external and internal environment that’ll cause a nervous response. The CNS represents the largest part of the nervous system. The complete CNS is in the dorsal cavity the brain sits in the cranial sub cavity which is protected by the skull and the spinal cord is in the spinal cavity that is protected by the vertebrae. The nerves in the spinal cord carry messages to and from the brain. This system is for information processing where the motor output is computed to the response of the sensory input. The brain receives messages through the CNS and the PNS through special neurons. Each message travels to the brain or the spinal cord. Messages received through the spinal cord causes a response to the stimuli (elements in the external and internal environment strong enough to cause a nervous reaction) that does not cause any interpretation. The stimuli that are then received in the brain causes the response. The response is generated through the sense organs that interact with the 5 senses (hearing, seeing, smelling, tasting and touching). There are also general senses that are associated with the 5 senses, they are: pressure sense (sensed by the pressure receptors beneath the skin), Temperature senses (for the hot and the cold. This sends messages through the nerves to the brain), touch senses (receptors called tactile corpuscles), and the sense of pain (this is a protectant against something being wrong) these receptors for the general senses are found in the skin, muscles, joints and the internal and external organs. The PNS is subdivided into the sensory Somatic nervous system and the autonomic nervous system. The sensory somatic system consists of 12 pairs of cranial nerves and 31 pairs of spinal nerves. The cranial nerves all send and respond to the different nerves in the system. The olfactory (sensory) nerve is for smell, the optic nerve (sensory) is for vision, oculomotor (motor) nerve controls the eye lid and the eyeball muscles. Thetrochlear (motor) nerve is strictly for the eyeball muscles. The trigeminal nerve (mixed) is for facial and mouth sensations also for chewing. Abducens nerve (motor) is for eyeball movement. Facial nerve (mixed) is for taste and facial muscles and salivary glands. Aditory (sensory) controls the hearing and balance. Glossopharyngeal (mixed) for taste and swallowing functions. Vagus (mixed)is the main nerve of the parasmpathetic nervous system this motor is for swallowing and movement of the head and shoulders. The tongue muscles are controlled by the Hypoglossal nerves (motor). The Spinal nerves are mixed with both sensory and motor neurons. When exposed to the environment all conscious and motor activity deals with and operates through the Sensory somatic division. The Autonomic Nervous System consists of both sensory and motor neurons the travel between the CNS. The internal organs that are associated with the nervous system are the heart, the lungs, the viscera and the glands. This system is responsible for the monitoring conditions of the internal environment. The autonomic nervous system has two subdivisions the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system. With the release of adrenaline into the blood ensures that all the cells of the body will be exposed to the sympathetic stimulation even if no postganglionic neurons reach them directly. The sympathetic nervous system prepares the body for violent activity and the parasympathetic system reverses these changes when the danger is over. The PNS is not protected by bone so that leaves it exposed to mechanical injuries. There are many disorders associated with nervous system such as vascular (stroke and hematoma’s), infections (meningitis and polio), structural (brain and spinal injury), functional (headache’s and epilepsy), degeneration (Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s). The signs and symptoms to look for are head aches, loss of feeling, sudden loss of sight, memory loss, tremors, seizers and back pain that radiates to the feet, toes and other body parts. As you can see the nervous system play’s a large part in your day to day life. It keeps you moving, functioning and sending messages trying to protect you from the day to day incidents by using your sensory and you motor abilities. This part of the body should definitely be taken care of and kept out of harms way.

Thirty of the Worlds Busiest Airports

Thirty of the Worlds Busiest Airports This is a list of the thirty busiest airports for passenger traffic, based on finalized 2008 data from the Airports Council International. A more recent list of the busiest airports in the world is also available here on my site. Since 1998, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport in the United States has been the worlds busiest passenger airport. Numbers represent the number of passengers enplaned and deplaned with passengers in transit counted only once. 1. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport - 90,039,280 2. OHare International Airport (Chicago) - 69,353,654 3. Heathrow Airport (London) - 67,056,228 4. Haneda Airport (Tokyo) - 65,810,672 5. Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport - 60,851,998 6. Los Angeles International Airport - 59,542,151 7. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport - 57,069,331 8. Beijing Capital International Airport - 55,662,256* 9. Frankfurt Airport - 53,467,450 10. Denver International Airport - 51,435,575 11. Madrid Barajas Airport - 50,823,105 12. Hong Kong International Airport - 47,898,000 13. John F. Kennedy International Airport (New York City) - 47,790,485 14. Amsterdam Airport Schiphol - 47,429,741 15. McCarran International Airport (Las Vegas) - 44,074,707 16. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (Houston) - 41,698,832 17. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport - 39,890,896 18. Bangkok International Airport - 38,604,009 19. Singapore Changi Airport - 37,694,824 20. Dubai International Airport - 37,441,440 (New to the list) 21. San Francisco International Airport - 37,405,467 22. Orlando International Airport - 35,622,252 23. Newark Liberty International Airport (New Jersey) - 35,299,719 24. Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport - 35,144,841 25. Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport (Rome) - 35,132,879 (New to the list) 26. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (North Carolina) - 34,732,584 (New to the list) 27. Munich Airport - 34,530,593 28. London Gatwick Airport - 34,214,474 29. Miami International Airport - 34,063,531 30. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport - 34,032,710 * Beijing Capital International Airport saw a seven million passenger increase from 2006 to 2008, likely due to the 2008 Summer Games held in Beijing. Airports that previously made the top thirty ranking list for busiest airports but are not on this years ranking of the busiest airports include: Narita International Airport (Tokyo), and Philadelphia International Airport, Toronto Pearson International Airport (Canada).

Investigation Tourism Marketing Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Investigation Tourism Marketing Report - Essay Example In 1976, the Tourism Society of England defined it as "Tourism is the temporary, short-term movement of people to destination outside the places where they normally live and work and their activities during the stay at each destination. It includes movements for all purposes."2 some components such as hotel room or accommodation for their visitors, coach and the variety of meals, even sometimes banking services also provided to the customer from this industry. The main aim of this report is to conduct an audit of the business environment (based on P.E.S.T & Porter's five forces model analysis) on Royal Bengal Airlines and conduct an Opportunity & Threat analysis on the basis of environmental audit and defining its service provided to its consumer and its marketing (partially) area from the country (Bangladesh) perspective. "A collaboration of a group of professionals who shared the same vision decided to be proactive and form RBA in early 2006. The team has evolved quickly and continues to grow from strength to strength. The founding members are UK based and come from a wide range of backgrounds and bring with them vast experiences from the business, academic and aviation world. The visionaries and the founders of RBA have been working towards this project since 1991. Due to various restrictions and limitations in the early nineties it was not possible to move the project forward"3. The growth in the Asian economy, in particular the travel sector within Southeast Asia, has created an opportunity in the market for a new airline. RBA was born as a direct result of this, with the aim of utilizing the potential development of the Asian market and turning this into a profitable and successful airline venture. To analyze the environment of RBA, it's needed to conduct an audit (based on PEST analysis and Fiv e force model analysis). "The simple acronym PEST (stand for political, economical, social and technological) serves well as an aide-memoire when considering the array of environmental forces influencing business activity. Pest analysis assembles a logical and comprehensive picture of the environment"4. By conducting an analysis (PEST) on RBA's environment, it has seen that the organization is in an excellent situation such as the political allaince between both country UK and Bangladesh is good enough to do business. Economic and Technological relation between these countries is higher such as Bangladesh export garments products to UK and Uk export technological product such as machineries, computers and other engineering technologies. As a result company takes economical (in the side of currency sharing) and technological advantage here. The social bond between two countries is higher as there is a cultural sharing and accepting tendency and RBA performing their Corporate Social Responsibility program in B angladesh. Afterbevluation it can be said that the PEST analysis goes in faovor of RBA. The another analysis is "Five Force Model analysis". "The Porter's 5 Forces tool is a simple but powerful tool for understanding where power lies in a business situation. This is useful, because it helps to understand both the strength of your current competitive position, and the strength of a position." Five Forces Analysis assumes that there are five important forces that determine competitive power in a situation. These are thoroughly given below: Supplier Power: It assesses how easy it is for suppliers to drive up prices. This is driven by the number of suppliers of each key input, the

Love & Friendship text analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Love & Friendship text analysis - Essay Example To her, Robbie is a sex-crazed maniac who is out to hurt her sister. Her accusation lands Robbie a jail-term. However, with age she comes to terms with her mistake and leads her life wishing for atonement, and this makes her writes to the end. All the events in the novel can be attributed to the failure of the older generation. Therefore, this paper shall seek to explain the extent to which the older generation’s failure contributed to the events of the story. The novel centers on the youth and adolescents facing challenges as a result of their parents’ failures. For instance, Briony’s cousins’ Lola, Pierrot, and Jackson visit the Tallis’s home for summer since their parents, Cecil Quincey and Hermoine are having problems in their marriage. They are giving their parents time to work out their differences and probably revert back their idea of having a divorce. It is during this visit that Lola gets raped and Robbie is accused of the crime. Chances are high that if Lola’s parents were in a healthy relationship, then they could have not visited the Tallis’s home during summer since they could be spending time together as a family. On the other hand, if they had not visited Tallis’s home, then Lola could have not been raped and Robbie could not have been sent to prison. The Talli’s family members are not happy as a family since their parents are not always there for them. Jack Tallis, the head of the family is always in London working and does not get time to visit or spend quality time with his family. McEwan asserts, â€Å"†¦and the old man is staying in town. He might come later† (48). The whole household misses his presence, and everything that goes wrong is attributed to the fact that he is not around. Briony explains that her father’s presence always changed the family’s atmosphere. She asserts, â€Å"Whenever he was around, the house settled on a fixed point† (McEwan 122). In as much as he spent his time at home in the library

Management (Bounded rationality) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Management (Bounded rationality) - Essay Example Emotions act on a wide range of situations causing biases and errors (Rabin 1998). In short this means that in certain circumstances the complex, human logical apparatus ceases to process rationality, which establishes grounds for the emergence of bounded rationality. "The other is that in interactive situations of complication, agents cannot rely upon other agents they are dealing with to behave under perfect rationality, and so they are forced to guess their behavior. This lands them in a world of subjective beliefs, and subjective beliefs Bounded rationality plays on suggestion. Bounded rationality could affect managers, because there is not enough information for the manager to make the rational decision. In such occasions, he has to rely on suggestive guesses and interpretations. This may create errors and mistakes in the strategic course that the organization is taking. Beach (1996) describes the implicit favorite model of decision making. First, the need for taking a decision is determined. Then, alternatives are identified and a selection for the implicit favorite alternative is chosen. Afterwards, criteria must be established to match the implicit favorite and alternatives a compared with the implicit favorite criteria. At the end the implicit favorite is confirmed and finally selected. ... The selection can be influenced by the salary, proximity of the office, extra working hours, business trips and job position. How could you utilize the intuition in making your decision And when The business world is a dynamic one and recently is has become less structured too. Thus, managers are forced to use their intuition in essential situations especially when there is lack of information. Intuition is often mistaken for emotions, though. Although intuition is formed in subconscious level, the intuitive decision making is a combination of quick qualitative and quantitative analyses (Quinn 1980). Intuition can help decision making, because it is based on past experiences and knowledge deeply rooted in your subconscious rational thinking. Thus, relying on our intuition can aid us in situations when there is little information available. Intuition can be used in situations when the circumstances are rapidly changing and there is no time for analyses. Intuition is needed also in expedient decision making when the problem is poorly defined and structured. If the deal is not structured, incomplete, there are conflicting points or ambiguity, intuition is required. Perceptual blinder is one of four reasons that increase the escalation of commitment, list the other three and elaborate on the Perceptual blinder We can define escalation of commitment as the tendency to invest additional financial resources in seemingly losing non beneficial projects, because they cost already lots of efforts, money and time. The perceptual blinder can influence the escalation of commitment on the bases of emotions - fears or anger. Staw and Ross (1987) summarized several reasons for the formation of

Enjoying horror movies Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Enjoying horror movies - Article Example Furthermore a person does not literally experience the brutality but is more of enjoying the pain that another person in undergoing. Torture porn is fairly a new concept that has emerged in recent times. It claims that, it is human nature to enjoy the suffering of another. When we see another person suffer it helps us arouse psychological feelings such as curiosity and anxiety which causes comfort to see someone else in pain. Furthermore these movies are merely exaggeration and mostly do not have any practicality linked to them. The only thing that attracts people is the persona that it tends to creates in other words it craves the scare or merely develops feelings which excite a person. Aesthetically horror movies tend to polish the feelings of fear in a person. Pleasure is sought by watching something scary. At times horror movies become more than an obsession than source of pleasure. It has been observed that the young generation is mostly fond of watching horror movies the reason remains very obvious that young individuals are undergoing a constant process of developing physically and psychologically. When they watch such movies it helps them to transform the hormones which are in excess. Apart from this horror movies are a way of expressing emotions. Those who prefer watching horror movies enjoy the most frightening scenes as it enhances their overall experience. Another reason why people love to watch horror movies is that when individuals watch such movies they engage in some sort of pleasure that arouses their psychological state developing anxiety and curiosity which I mentioned earlier. But these movies do not have any reality and thus no risk of life or anything else. Although there are many negatives such as long lasting impact on the mind of individuals or developing phobias but usually those who enjoy such movies tend to ignore the adverse effects. It is also said that individuals tends to engage in watching such movies because when people watch t hese horror movies eventually they engross in terror for the sake of acquiring euphoric sort of relief in the end.(University of Chicago Journals) Through such movies a viewer tends to experience two emotional states at the same time that is being happy and unhappy. This weird combination enthralls the human mind and does the work of a sedate which relaxes the human mind. Some also believe that love for horror and stab is inborn as the darker side of an individual encourages them to enjoy filth and pain. Some individuals also believe that gender and gender bending also contributes in the enjoyment of horror movies. Masochistic tendency is also very common amongst people these days. The sexual gratification one acquires which watching physical and mental abuse tends to encourage and attract individuals to watch such movies. One of the most common reasons why people enjoy watching horror movies is that it allows them to escape from reality, their everyday lives to a world full of exci tement and anticipation causing a change in emotions and state. The rushes of adrenaline that occurs in the body makes people enjoy the far and treachery. These movies can act as a positive reinforcement to release tension and pressure without the fear of any practical damage what so ever.

Single Fathers Raising Daughters Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Single Fathers Raising Daughters - Term Paper Example The problem arises on how to balance housework with, to name one, office or field work. Fathers may opt for child care. However, child care poses a redefinition of the father concept. This paper explores the issues and concerns confronted by single fathers in raising their children. Sanders (1998) wondered when women from college accused him and the male sex of having owned all the pleasures of this world. Such finger pointing, however, is in conflict with what he knows about men. Sanders (1998) perceived men either as warriors or toilers. He even contrasted men against women by saying that men â€Å"wore out sooner.† On the other hand, Sanders (1998) stated that women lived longer. The reason for this sharp contrast is that the nature of men’s work or profession is stiff and life-threatening. Sanders (1998) described this sex as men who labor â€Å"with their bodies.† On the other side of the scale, Brownmiller (1998) said that men are seen, by and large, to have the â€Å"tough mental fiber, the intellectual muscle, to stay in control.† Here, Kriegel (1998) was able to quickly see the paradox. He analyzed that if to be a man is to be tough, smart, and â€Å"capable,† then men must always strive and struggle to prove their manhood. In his autobiographical essay, Kriegel (1998) showed how hard it is for men to fulfill the pressures of gender expectations. Furthermore, to escape in these social pressures is colossal. Sanders and Kriegel are few of the men (and fathers) who encounter gender stereotyping. Kite (2001) defined stereotype, generally, as an oversimplified opinion, perception, and image, serving as a component of prejudice. Specifically, Kite (2001) classified gender stereotype as a systematic or consensual opinions about the nature of men and women and the supposed qualities of masculinity and femininity. There has been a significant increase, for several decades past, of families headed by single

SCHOLARLY VS POP MEDIA FOCUS ON SEXUALITY PAPER Assignment

SCHOLARLY VS POP MEDIA FOCUS ON SEXUALITY PAPER - Assignment Example Scholarly article on sexuality Goicolea, I., Torres, M., Edin, K. & Ohman, A. (2012). When Sex is Hardly About Mutual Pleasure: Dominant and Resistant Discourses on Sexuality and its Consequences for Young People's Sexual Health. International Journal of Sexual Health, 24(4): 303-317. The scholarly article visualizes sexuality as a gendered discourse. The authors indicate that the fact that sexuality takes a gendered perspective, both the men and women are affected differently in the long run (Goicolea et al., 2012). The study involved an inclusion of various groups in the society such young women, service providers, common and activist young men in Ecuador (Goicolea et al., 2012). These groups had varying responses touching on their sexuality especially in terms of satisfaction after the act. The authors used interviews to collect information as well as focus group discussions with the members involved (Goicolea et al., 2012). After collecting the relevant information, women argued that they were out to remain respectable individuals; the service providers were keen to assess the women’s sexuality, while the women felt threatened and less protected from the men (Goicolea et al., 2012). ... Women therefore develop a negative conception not only about sex, but also sexuality in general. The study allowed the researcher come up with conclusions between the independent and dependent variables. The researcher also used correlation research to examine the relationship between variables to explain their sexual relationship to the research participants to test the hypothesis. Additionally, the researcher attempted to provide in-depth information concerning the relationship between the variables. This was mainly used to reduce biasness in research conducted, and to enable generalization of the findings. Human sexuality can then be described as one that is multi-dimensional, and its understanding entails deliberating on different perspectives and ideas concerning sexuality. Popular media articles on human sexuality –a magazine Narins, E. (2013, September). The First Thing a Guy Notices About You. Women’s Health Magazine 1. Retrieved September 29, 2013. Sexuality in popular media is presented in different forms like the magazines, videos, films, and internet web sites. Mass media exposes children and adolescences to sexuality, which makes them likely to be exposed to sexuality. The magazine by Narins (2013) targets the women group in the society. The author is keen to quote that the women need to do a lot to get a man’s attention at first glance. With the use of a portrait, the magazine is quick to advise the women to keep their skin clear, have a nice smile, do their hair properly as well as check their weight (Narins, 2013). Additionally, the breasts of a woman matter, their height, sense of style, their butt and legs (Narins, 2013). This ensures that the women

Single Fathers Raising Daughters Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Single Fathers Raising Daughters - Term Paper Example The problem arises on how to balance housework with, to name one, office or field work. Fathers may opt for child care. However, child care poses a redefinition of the father concept. This paper explores the issues and concerns confronted by single fathers in raising their children. Sanders (1998) wondered when women from college accused him and the male sex of having owned all the pleasures of this world. Such finger pointing, however, is in conflict with what he knows about men. Sanders (1998) perceived men either as warriors or toilers. He even contrasted men against women by saying that men â€Å"wore out sooner.† On the other hand, Sanders (1998) stated that women lived longer. The reason for this sharp contrast is that the nature of men’s work or profession is stiff and life-threatening. Sanders (1998) described this sex as men who labor â€Å"with their bodies.† On the other side of the scale, Brownmiller (1998) said that men are seen, by and large, to have the â€Å"tough mental fiber, the intellectual muscle, to stay in control.† Here, Kriegel (1998) was able to quickly see the paradox. He analyzed that if to be a man is to be tough, smart, and â€Å"capable,† then men must always strive and struggle to prove their manhood. In his autobiographical essay, Kriegel (1998) showed how hard it is for men to fulfill the pressures of gender expectations. Furthermore, to escape in these social pressures is colossal. Sanders and Kriegel are few of the men (and fathers) who encounter gender stereotyping. Kite (2001) defined stereotype, generally, as an oversimplified opinion, perception, and image, serving as a component of prejudice. Specifically, Kite (2001) classified gender stereotype as a systematic or consensual opinions about the nature of men and women and the supposed qualities of masculinity and femininity. There has been a significant increase, for several decades past, of families headed by single

The history of American technology Research Paper

The history of American technology - Research Paper Example It began to traffic on July 1, 1940, and radically crumpled into Puget Sound on November 7 of the same year. At the time of its erection (and its destruction), the bridge was the third lengthiest suspension bridge in the world in footings of main span length, following the Golden Gate Bridge and the George Washington Bridge. Erection of the bridge initiated in September 1938. From the time the deck was built, it started to move perpendicularly in windy situations, which made the construction workers to give the bridge the nickname Galloping Gertie. Collapse of the bridge There were no causalities in the failure of the bridge. Tubby, a black male cocker spaniel was the only mortality of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge catastrophe; he was missing along with Coatsworth's car. Professor Farquharson and a news photojournalist tried to save Tubby during a lull, but the dog was overly frightened to leave the car and bit one of the saviours (â€Å"Bridges†, 2001). Tubby deceased when the br idge tumbled, and neither his body nor the car were ever retrieved (Peters, 1987). Coatsworth had been driving Tubby back to his daughter, who possessed the dog. Coatsworth received US$450.00 for his car and US$364.40 in compensation for the contents of his car, counting Tubby. Why did it collapse? The chief clarification of Galloping Gertie's catastrophe is termed as "torsional flutter." It will help to break this complex series of occurrences into some stages. Here is a summary of the key points in the explanation. 1. In general, the 1940 Narrows Bridge had comparatively small resistance to torsional (twisting) forces. That was since; it had such a huge length-to-breadth ratio, 1 to 72. Gertie's long, narrow, and thin strengthening beams made the construction enormously flexible. 2. On the morning of November 7, 1940 just after 10 a.m., a serious event befell. The cable band at mid-span on the north, slithered. This permitted the cable to detach into two uneven parts. That contrib uted to the transformation from perpendicular (up-and-down) to torsional (twisting) driving of the bridge deck. 3. Also backing up to the torsional movement of the bridge deck was "vortex shedding." In short, vortex shedding arose in the Narrows Bridge as follows: (1) Wind disjointed as it hit the side of Galloping Gertie's deck, the 8-foot compact plate support. A minor amount of torsioning happened in the bridge deck, since even steel is elastic and varies from under high strain. (2) The turning bridge deck triggered the wind flow parting to surge. This fashioned a vortex, or spinning wind force, which additionally lifted and twisted the deck. (3) The deck construction repelled this lifting and twisting. It had an expected affinity to return to its earlier position. As it returned, its hastiness and direction corresponded with the lifting energy. In other words, it moved â€Å"in phase" with the vortex. Then, the wind fortified that movement. This shaped into a "lock-on" occurren ce. 4. But, the outside force of the wind only, was not adequate to instigate the severe twisting that caused the Narrows Bridge to fail. 5. Now the deck movement went into "torsional flutter." When the bridge’s motion altered from vertical to torsional oscillation, the construction absorbed extra wind energy. The bridge deck's

Erikson’s Time Line Essay Example for Free

Erikson’s Time Line Essay The aspect of psychology mainly studies the behavioral characteristics and personality of each individual in relation to their motivation, actual manifestations in terms of their actions, traits, perception, reasoning and others. In this concern, the science of psychology uses numerous approaches and concepts in its exploration of the human field in disseminating and explaining the significant and influential factors to the development of individuality and personality complex. Relative to the actual concern, the field of psychology also take the backward approach wherein it explains the background of each action and decision of each individual influential to their arrival to that certain point including the relationship of previous experiences, childhood factors, and other relevant issues. However, influential in the general pursuit of the study of psychology is the approach of gradually exploring the human development through disseminating the person’s life into progressive stages. In this concern, the concept of Erikson’s time line becomes a significant concept offering understanding towards a person’s personality and behavior. According to Erikson’s time line, each individual passes through each life-stage virtues as he or she age in life wherein the person’s behavior and personality develop as he or she contemplates over specific stage contrast. In each stage, a person must assess two different virtues relative to the age and level of his or her life determining how the person mature towards reaching the next level and proceed through life development. On assessing the personal journey of the author of this paper based on this time line, it likely appears that this author is within the fidelity stage wherein he is dominantly contemplating with the concept of identity and role confusion. In this particular stage, the person is still determining the path of which to pursue in life relative to the determination of his or her dominant identity on social and career matters. This is largely true in the author of this paper of which, he is still experimenting and deciding on the path of his passion, motivation, and determination. Mostly, the pressure of determining the person’s life conclusion gives the most hindrance in this stage of which is likewise true for the author of this paper. In addition, the challenge of finding the suitable and effective model from which to relate ones decision in this stage is also a crucial matter towards conquering this stage. Indeed, the author of this paper is within this stage of choosing the best position and the proper direction for his life which will likely determine his career and maturity development into becoming a successful adult in the future. Bibliography Dr. Boeree, C. George (2006). Erik Erikson. Personality Theories. http://webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/erikson.html. May 3, 2008

Essay on Jealousy in Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, and Winters Tale

Jealousy in Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, and Winter's Tale    The common thread of jealousy ties together the main plots in Much Ado About Nothing, Othello, and The Winter's Tale. In each of these plays, the main conflict is centered around some form of jealousy. While jealousy is the mutual, most prominent cause for turmoil in these plays, its effects on the characters, and ultimately the plots, is different in each case. This difference has much to do with the way in which the concept of jealousy is woven into each play, and what it is intended to accomplish. In Othello, the jealousy factor is deliberately introduced by Iago, with the precise intention of destroying those whom he feels have wronged him. Since it is intentionally used with malicious intent, it has catastrophic results. Iago himself is jealous of Cassio; he feels that he should have been appointed to Cassio's position by Othello, and since he wasn't he hates both Othello and Cassio. Iago channels the jealousy that Othello and Cassio have made him feel, and uses it against them in a hateful plan. Iago starts the process by planting the seeds of jealousy in Othello's mind, telling him Desdemona has been unfaithful. He then proceeds to cultivate the growing jealousy by feeding it with more lies, and twisting innocent events into situations which would serve his needs (his telling Othello that Cassio and Desdemona met in secret, and convincing him that Desdemona vied for Cassio's reinstatement as lieutenant because she loved him, for example). When the seeds had flourished, and Iago had succeeded in driving Othello mad with jealousy, Iago harvested his crop and convinced Othello to kill Desdemona. Othello's killing Desdemona would both rid Iago of Desde... ...l effects, and when the mistake of jealousy was revealed the problem was solved and every one could be happy. In each of these plays, jealousy is used as a means of producing a conflict and creating trouble in the lives of the characters. The jealousy in each play, although it is introduced in a different way, always involves a man being jealous of his wife (or fiancà ©e, in Hero's case) being unfaithful with another man. Whether he misinterpret something he sees, or believe slanderous lies, the man's jealousy builds until it forces him to do something to punish his unfaithful woman. At the end of each play, the man is made to realize his mistake, but sometimes the damage can not be undone. Jealousy is the main crisis in each type of play - tragedy, trage-comedy, and comedy - but its results lie strictly in the way it is introduced, and the intended severity.   

Overview Of Intellectual Property Essay -- IP Copyright

Intellectual Property Table of Contents Overview of Intellectual Property 3 Types of Intellectual Property Rights 3 Industrial property 4 Copyright 5 Controversy of Intellectual Property 5 Intellectual Property in the Digital Age 7 No Electronic Theft Act 9 Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 9 Case Study Involving Intellectual Property – Domain Names 9 Conclusion 11 Overview of Intellectual Property The term intellectual property refers to the innovations of the human mind. Intellectual property rights protect the interests of these innovators by giving them property rights attached to those ideas. The term "intellectual property rights" stands for these legal rights that authors, inventors, and other creators have. Intellectual property laws relate to a particular way in which ideas or information is expressed or displayed, but not the actual ideas or exact concept itself. The first use of the expression "intellectual property" appears to be October 1845, in Davoll vs. Brown, a patent case in Massachusetts. Justice Charles Woodbury said that "only in this way can we protect intellectual property, the labors of the mind, productions and interests as much a man's own...as the wheat he cultivates, or the flocks he rears." Though coined many years prior, the term has only become popular very recently. It was uncommon to hear the expression until the establishment of the World Intellectual Property Organization in 1967, which then actively promoted the term. Types of Intellectual Property Rights There are currently many different ways to protect intellectual property. Intellectual property is divided into two main categories: industrial property, which includes patents, trademarks, industrial desi... ...he domain name to the owner of the mark†. The court can also award statutory damages between $1,000 and $100,000 per domain name. In this case, Gallo would most likely receive the transfer of the domain name to his ownership. He will also probably receive damages, perhaps his court costs and whatever the court deemed fair to compensate him for the damage done by the defendant using the site to negatively impact his name and business. Conclusion Intellectual property can be a confusing term, but it is an important concept. The ramifications of strengthening or relaxing its grip on the way we interact and use information today will affect future generations in ways that may be unclear, but undeniably powerful. It is important to balance the rights of individuals on either side of the law, so information can be applied to what we need it for the most, growth.

Cardiovascular Disease in Firefighters

Informational Research Essay Research & Writing Health Sciences ENG 1121 Cardiovascular Disease in Firefighters Firefighting uses techniques and equipment to extinguish fires, protect and limit damages to valuables, assist in other emergencies and ultimately save lives. The main basis in firefighting is to extinguish the fire by removing one or more of the three components that causes combustion, which are: heat, oxygen or fuel. The modernization of industrialized life has required firefighters to become more trained and physically fit to operate existing technologies and protection against prominent health hazards.In this essay, I will be discussing the three long term health risks of Firefighters: high-stress, cardiovascular risks, and cardiovascular disease associated with firefighting. There are many factors that contribute to the risk of cardiovascular disease in firefighters. â€Å"The trend over the last 20 years for percent of deaths due to some form of cardiovascular diseas e has ranged from approximately 35% to 53% of all deaths†, (Pendergast, 2004, p. 6) in firefighter fatalities. CVD affects the cardiovascular system; hindering the normal functions of the heart, brain and other vital organs.In most instances, ischemia and hypoxemia are the main causes of CVD. Ischemia is the insufficient blood flow in providing adequate oxygenation to vital organs, thus, in turn, causes hypoxemia (low blood oxygen) and tissue hypoxia. When tissue hypoxia occurs in the heart, arrhythmia (fibrillation of the heart) is likely to occur, followed by a myocardial infraction. In some cases, ischemia does not need to be a contributing factor for CVD, for example, anemia (lack of healthy red blood cells) may be more prevalent than ischemia.Due to the amount of risk factors researched, risk factors were categorized into three parts; Personal (advancing age, gender, underlying health conditions, hypertension, smoking, sleep disorders, obesity and lack of exercise), workp lace factors (exposure to toxic emissions, heat stress, physical exertion and noise exposure), and Physical & Psychological stressors (work environment factors, environmental hazards and psychological stress). Out of all the personal factors listed, smoking, obesity and lack of exercise seem to be the more prevalent factors to increase firefighter’s susceptibility to CVD.Smoking in general has always been used by the public as a way to cope with stress. Being that firefighting is one of the most stressful jobs in North America, smoking is likely to be a coping mechanism for firefighters, thus, adding the CVD risk by twofold. â€Å"Smokers have been shown to have elevated carbon monoxide levels in their blood and this is known to lead to chronic artery obstruction. † (Pendergast, 2004, p. 23) Additional factors are, obesity and a lack of exercise. â€Å"The prevalence of obesity and high total cholesterol levels were higher in firefighters, relative to the general popu lation. (Byczek, 2004, p. 67) The physical and hazardous demands for firefighting requires a high level of physical fitness, as well as physical strength and agility. Furthermore, they must wear heavy personal protective equipment and carry tools through intense heat. At any scene, there’s always a level of danger that the firefighters keep in mind. Dangers include the possibility of exposure to toxic materials and gases. â€Å"Self-contained breathing apparatus use has reduced, but not eliminated chemical exposures including carbon monoxide, particulates and other toxicants. (Kales, 2004, p 68) Exposure to high levels of carbon monoxide reduces oxygen delivery to the heart. When attacking a fire, heat stress and physical exertion are two of the most common factors that contribute to CVD risk. â€Å"Heat stress and fluid losses can result in decrease in the cardiac output despite sustained tachycardia. † (Kales, 2003) Blood flow decreases as the body attempts to cool down by expanding the capillaries, allowing more blood to surface to the dermis. This action cause low pressure, while the heart struggles to compensate by beating rapidly. Firefighters are stressed by their own station environment, their protective gear, their officers and leaders, current management style, coworkers, and the stress of leaving their family and loved ones during natural and manmade disasters. † (Shantz, 2002 p3) Stress plays a crucial CVD risk factor, yet, there are two distinct types of stress that affects firefighters. Work environment factors affect firefighters psychologically; whereas environmental hazards cause physical stress. Traumatic events of critical incidents are experienced by everyone at least one time in their lives.After an incident, people may experience strong emotional and physical reactions. These reactions are quite common and may take weeks or months to recover. But with firefighters, traumatic events are more common, and emotional after shocks tend to build up overtime without given time to â€Å"rest up†. When left untreated, it cause post-traumatic disorder, which can play a significant role in the risk of CVD. Environmental hazards are the hazards that affect firefighters physically by situations on the fire ground.Hazards include heat stress and intense physical exertion. A combination of heat stress amd excessive physical strain causes an inadequate oxygenation of the blood, the body releases erythropoietin to create more red blood cells, in turn, counteracts the inadequacy of oxygen in the blood. This homeostasis reaction cause polycythemia when the firefighter is at rest. Polycythemia is a blood disorder that causes blood flow to decrease due to an increase of red cell production. Symptoms include weakness, fatigue, headache, itching, joint pain and dizziness.The prevalence of high stress in firefighters has been found to be directly co-related to the cardiovascular risks that are prominent in firefig hting activities. Men and woman in firehouses across North America; paid, on-call and career, endure many different forms of occupational stress. Yet, the lack of physical fitness among firefighters is the leading cause of cardiovascular disease. References Byczek, L. , Walton, S. , Conrad, K. , Reichelt, P. , & Samo, D. (2004). Cardiovascular risks in firefighters: implications for occupational health nurse practice. AAOHN Journal, 52(2), 66-76. Kale, S. N. Soteriades, E. S. , Christoudias, S. G. , & Christiani, D. C. (2003, September). Firefighters and on-duty deaths from coronary heart disease: a case control study. Boston, MA: The Cambridge Health Alliance. Retrived, March 28, 2013 from http://www. ehjournal. net/content/2/1/14 Pendergast, D. A. (2004). The leading cause of death of American firefighters in the 21st century: a study of the impact of occupational stress on cardiovascular disease. East Derry Fire Department. Shantz, M. C. (2002). Effect of work related stress on f irefighter/paramedic. Eastern Michigan University School of Fire Staff and Command.Retrived, March 28, 2013 from http:// http://www. emich. edu/cerns/downloads/papers/FireStaff/Stress,%20Fitness,%20Wellness/Effect%20of%20Work%20Related%20Stress%20on%20the%20Firefighter%20Paramedic. pdf Staley, J. A. , Weiner, B. , & Linnan, L. (2011). Firefighter fitness, coronary heart disease, and sudden cardiac death risk. American Journal Of Health Behavior, 35(5), 603-617. Sweeney, P. (2012). Firefighters at risk ~ The negative effects of stress and trauma on the human spirit. The Sweeney Alliance, 19. Retrived from http://sweeneyalliance. org/grievingbhindthebadge/firefighters-at-risk/

What Does College Mean to Me?

What does college mean to me? Going to college to me means a lifetime full of knowledge. College is an accomplishment that would give me success for the rest of my life. When I’m older I hope college will build on to my knowledge level and put me at the top! I want to be an anesthesiologist when I get older so that means I have to go to at least four years at a regular college hopefully USC, and then go to a doctoring school for at least 8 years. In order to achieve this goal I have to do well in school now to get the job in about 15-25 years.College is a tool that I would have to have to get that job and I’m determined on getting it. I hope I’ll be more successful and think more about my future then. College would be a great thing for me since almost none of my family went, well my mom did and then she dropped out. If I made it to college I would love to finish what my mom started and finish college and do what she wanted to do become an actual something and not just a receptionist/nurse at a doctor’s office.College would mean the world to me and my family and all my relatives support me in my work and think I would do very well in college if I focused more on my school work now so I hope to become better at paying attention and giving my all in all my classes especially my AVID class because that is the class that is making my dream come true. AVID is a program that gives kids a way to get to college by giving scholarships which is the only way I’d be able to go to college because my parents say that they can’t afford for three kids to go to college.My parents tell me that I have to work my hardest in this class and stay smart so maybe just maybe I won’t have to pay but a small amount out of my pocket or even my parent’s pockets. College would be a blessing to me and help my dream career become a reality! I hope that doing my work and working hard in my AVID class will get me there. My AVID teacher is al so a big part of my college dream and she inspires me to want to go to college and I’m very thankful that she has helped me get my life straight and I’m set on what I want to do and what job I want to pursue and I’m ready for college and I’ll do anything I can to get there.

The Types Of Threats, The Impact And Four Steps The Process

BackgroundDisasters, may it be natural or man-made, are occurrences that are inevitable to businesses and companies. They may take the form of an earthquake or informational theft that is equally tragic to the affected company. Romano emphasizes that â€Å"companies are starting to realize that they need to protect their assets both informational and physical.† (1995,P.43). And so, companies and corporations have developed ‘Disaster Management’; as the name implies, it is a process of dealing, if not preventing, disasters done to companies. According to Rike, â€Å"disaster management is divided into three kinds: natural threats, technical difficulty and human activities.† (2003,P.26). Rike stresses that disaster management isn’t only concerned about natural disasters but also technical and man-made disasters that are relatively abundant in most companies which returns a loss of income.DefinitionDisaster management, according to Clark, is â€Å"the process of preparing for mitigating, responding to, and recovering from a disaster.† (1995, P. 41). Clark’s statement shows that disaster management is not only about what companies should do before or during or after a disaster, but what companies should do from before a disaster arises up to the time that the company needs to recover from the damage that the particular disaster brings to the company.OutlineThis report aims to discuss the types of threat, the impact and four-step process of disaster management and why companies should prepare themselves even before a disaster occurs.The Types of ThreatRike identifies that disaster management has three sub categories namely: â€Å"Natural or Environmental threats, technical hazard and human activities† (2003, P.26).The Natural or Environmental threats that Rike was referring to are the natural calamities that we are accustomed to such as earthquakes, floods, fire, storms, etc. that can cause physical or psycholog ical damage to the companies. Rike states that â€Å"human life is always the first consideration in any emergency or disaster.† (2003, P.26) and there are no other greater threats to human safety than natural calamities because of its destructive power.Technical Hazards can be grouped in seven namely: â€Å"power outage, gas leak, software failure, biological contamination, train derailment, toxic spill and electrical shortage† (Rike, 2003, P.26). And human activities are the threat that is concerned about human errors, miscalculation and faults due to lack of skill or ignorance. There is a saying that â€Å"No man (or woman) is perfect.† And so, it is necessary for companies to prepare themselves for these kinds of disasters to avoid any loss of valuable income.Impact of DisasterOne type of the impact of disaster is the development of companies (Rike, 2003, P.27). Companies should be aware of its competition because its survival depends on how well a certain c ompany performs against these competitors and should surpass the development of other companies to be able to maintain a competitive edge over the others.The second type is the Economy which dictates whether a certain company should act. If a certain disaster hits a particular state, city or country, its economy may well be affected and soon it affects the production/income of the company. The third is the people’s lives; a company cannot profit on its own, it depends on its workers to do the little things that bring the huge amount of money into the companies. So, companies should protect and maintain the well-being of its employees and make sure that they are in the same page to be able to assure them a great outcome.Four Steps of the ProcessIn the first step is that management have ability to support (Rike, 2003, P.27).   The company should be able to have a disaster management that can support its business. The second step is about the analysis risk (Rike, 2003, P.27). The Disaster Management should do an analysis risk that, as the name implies, analyses the risks involved in a particular disaster and its recovery. The third step is that the company needs to spend much time on data collection and preparing the written plan (Rike, 2003, P.30).The company should do an actual planning of the disaster management to make things organized to minimize undone tasks especially when it comes to recovery because time is of the essence for most companies. The last step is that test the plan (Rike, 2003, P.31).   A plan will not be complete without testing it. The company should test it under the most hazardous situations to maximize its productivity and to be able to identify its flaws.ConclusionThe report has discussed in detail what disasters are and how and why companies should prepare themselves/recover from the said disasters and how they can affect the company’s profits. The report will be very useful for companies to identify the activities th at should be done in order to protect what is most important to them, which is the income, because a disaster creates a thin line between bankruptcies and an incredible comeback from a disaster.

Health Risks and Benefits of Circumcision Research Paper

Health Risks and Benefits of Circumcision - Research Paper Example The main risk associated with circumcision is primarily credited to the surgical procedure itself. In a study conducted in the University of Washington, the authors were able to establish that out of 130,000 boys who had circumcisions at the Washington state hospital, 287 of them developed complications in relation to the procedure. The most common complications seen were intraoperative bleeding (230 cases) and damage to the penis (52 cases). The authors comment however that these are preventable risks which would still be outweighed by the benefits of circumcision. Most of the complications associated with circumcision are minor and are very much localized. Meatal stenosis is seen in circumcised males and is said to follow intraoperative vascular injury to the frenular vessels. Due to meatal stenosis, there may be a deflection of the urine system or in some cases; dysuria and occult hematuria may also be seen in the circumcised male. Reports of skin bridges forming when separated fo reskin come in contact with each other are sometimes also manifest in circumcised males, and this can cause pain and penile curvature during erection. Before the advent of improved anesthesia options, the neonatal pain experience has been emphasized as one of the main objections against circumcision. The pain experience is known to cause physiological responses, such as increased heart rate, respiratory rate, and serum cortisol level, lower serum oxygen saturation and lower vagal tone.

Political Kuwait before & after oil Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Political Kuwait before & after oil - Essay Example A look into the performance of the country in the eighteenth and nineteenth century shows that Kuwait was a key link between trading partners of the Mediterranean region and India. The location of the country in the Middle East allowed effective access to seaports and desert land, where merchants engaged in successful trade activities. With trade taking place all around Kuwait, mercantilism best defines Kuwait in the period prior to oil discovery and subsequent exploration. The economic condition of this city-state was subject to the influence of massive trade activities both within and outside Kuwaiti borders. Following trade developments and increase in the number of merchants in Kuwait, social and political practices became evident in the country. This realization would eventually set developmental pace for an oil rich nation. In the social context, merchants were influential people in Kuwait until after oil was commercialized. The primary social organizations in Kuwait comprised of Mariners and Bedouin. These groups closely related with the merchants and rulers of the nation. Politically, Kuwait was ruled under traditional practices until the post oil period, which saw the promulgation of the state’s constitution. Politically, Sheikhs worked closely with merchants in governing Kuwait before the oil era. Following oil discovery and subsequent exploration, Kuwait joined the richest producers of oil in the world. The commercialization of oil meant economic transformation through oil revenues and social organization in terms of the positive impacts of oil wealth. In the post oil era, Kuwait significantly shifted from trade to oil exploration in the 1950s. Government revenues, under the Sheikh-based rule, increased significantly. Political activities further heightened, thereby depicting reduced leadership collaboration between rulers and merchants/trade partners. Most importantly, mariners became organized

Economy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Economy - Essay Example Even the full restoration in the standard of gold was not able to restore the monetary policy and financial crisis occurred in every single decade, which was in 1825, 1836, 1847, 1857 and in the year 1866. This disturbance in the financial system was due to the adoption of new rule which was motivated by the idea that monetary disturbance are due to the failure of the fluctuation of mixed currency (gold and paper) at the rate it would have. It was observed that the new rule implemented seemed to be misguiding. It evoked fear that maintaining the gold standards and converting the gold into bank note alone cannot establish monetary stability unless there is a limitation imposed in the creation of notes by the banks (Rules v. Discretion, 2011). Answer 2 Inflation targeting is the policy of the central bank in which the inflation rate is estimated by the bank and then this projected rate is made public by the bank. The actual inflation is then directed towards this targeted one by using the interest rates and other monetary tools. The inflation rate and the interest rate are inversely proportional to one another.Therefore the attempt of the central bank to change the interest rate is transparent because of inflation targeting. Taylor rule on the other hand refers to monetary rules which are followed by some of the central banks, such as the US Federal bank.It forecasts how much the nominal rate must be changed by the central in order to divert from the targeted inflation rate, the actual GDP and also from the potential GDP(HETZEL, 2000). This rule has more attraction than the â€Å"Inflation targeting† because it takes into account the deviation from the actual equilibrium level such as from full employment and the inflation rate which has an overall better effect on the economy. The Taylor rule also allows the interest rate to react with the variation in the output gap. Therefore the reaction in the output gap is the reaction in the nominal interest rate. T his allows the central bank to observe the output gap for targeting the inflation policies(Inflation Targeting vs Taylor Rule, 2013). Suggestion: Taylor rule has influenced the debate on monetary policies for the last two decades. Various suggestions are made by the Federal on the basis of the Taylor rule. Federal Open Market committee in suggested that by increasing the basis points to 150, the funds rate of the Federal may be increased up to 70 percent (ILBAS, 2013). MICROECONOMICS Answer1 The statement seemed reasonable; however the idea presented in the statement is vague. The statement can be considered true if the firm is defined in term of its owner. The shareholder of any firm would be pleased with increased dividend, they are aware of the fact that the increased dividend is directly related to the increased profitability of the firm. Shareholders sometimes prefer to sacrifice the short-term profit of the firm, so that the firm may work for the acquisition of the long-term p rofit. They may let go the short term dividend of the firm, so that they may earn the long term benefits. While defining the firm in terms of the manager (decision maker), the

Overview and Industry Trends & Prospects of General Dynamics Essay

Overview and Industry Trends & Prospects of General Dynamics - Essay Example The company offers a range of solutions and services that are mainly related to the security systems for important national infrastructure, Marine Systems, Armoured Fighting Vehicle (AFV) technology and other defence and security related services. It can be identified that the company generates the most revenues from Information Systems and technology, followed by Aerospace. The company earned a total of $9.15 million from this Information Systems and technology segment with operating earnings of $785 thousands. Moreover, the revenues from this segment have decreased by 10.8% in the year 2014. On the other hand, Aerospace had reported an increase in the revenues as the revenues increased to $8.6 million showing an increase of 6.5%. However, the major aspect of this business segment is that it has the highest ratio of operating earnings to the revenues which is 18.6% in comparison to the other business segments of the company (General Dynamics, 2014). General Dynamics has been operating in a number of countries. However, the group generates the most revenues from United States. Europe is the second most important market for General Dynamics as presented in the figure below: In General Dynamics, there are around 700 employees in different facilities and locations in UK (General Dynamics, 2015b). The company has been working on number of governmental projects in different parts of the world including United States and United Kingdom. For instance, General Dynamics signed a deal with the UK government for armoured vehicles worth $5.8 billion in the year 2014 (Reuters , 2014). Moreover, there are more than 100 SMEs for which the company has worked in UK (General Dynamics, 2015b) The defence industry in which General Dynamics operates is highly dynamic and the industry itself offers many challenges to the company. With the increasing terrorism activities across the globe, it has been highly critical for General

Star Image of Helen Mirren Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Star Image of Helen Mirren - Essay Example This analysis will concentrate on two specific points in Helen Mirren's career. First, her arrival on the scene at the height of the sexual revolution and how sexuality became a major part of her star image, and second, her recent renaissance as a sexual object near the end of her career. It is thus only partly ironic that Helen Mirren was recently voted the world's sexiest OAP; she is surely the oldest woman to pose naked on the front of the normally staid Radio Times. From youthful, bohemian sexuality in her early films and theatre roles onto a more mature, developed and confident seductiveness in films such as The Long Good Friday, Mirren has succeeded in being "sexual" without seeming to lose her identity as an autonomous female. Helen Mirren came to prominence at the height of the sexual revolution in the mid 1960's She auditioned for the National Youth Theatre at the eight of eighteen (in 1963) and at the age of twenty was already starring at the Old Vic Theatre. Her early roles reflected a sexuality that was perhaps beyond what most might expect of a young woman of her age. Thus she played Cleopatra in Antony and Cleopatra in 1965 for the National Youth Theatre and then Cressida in Trolius and Cressida for the Royal Shakespeare Company, followed by Lady Macbeth for the same company in a famous production directed by Trevor Nunn. Two early film roles exemplified the mixture of a fire-like and yet vulnerable sexuality. The left still below is from Age of Consent (1969), while the right one is from O Lucky Man, along side Malcolm McDowell : - While it is perhaps very difficult to extrapolate from a film still to the actual experience of watching a film, and thus considering the screen presence which makes a "star", these stills hint at the fact that Mirren has never been a traditional "sex object" along the lines of Marilyn Monroe, Bridget Bardot or Sophia Loren. She looks, to be frank, simply too intelligent to be pigeon-holed into such a one-dimensional identity. A popular entertainment website describes her as "perhaps the ultimate thinking man's sex symbol. . . " (starpulse, 2007). On its surface this might appear to be a rather superficial interpretation of the actress, but on closer inspection it brings us to the heart of Mirren's unique star quality. Even when she was gaining a reputation as a something of a sex-pot through regularly removing her clothes both on stage and in films during the 1970's, it seems clear that Mirren was careful never to be associated merely with eroticism and thus to be exposed in a gratu itous manner for the voyeuristic pleasure of the audience. The sexuality in her films is nearly always an integral part of the plot rather than merely a chance for the director to show off Mirren's rather obvious sex-appeal. For example, in The Long Good Friday she turns from the classic, almost clichd figure of the subservient gangster wife into a fearless avenger who uses sexual encounters as a source of revenge. Mirren is the controlling subject of her sex scenes rather than the controlled object. She is thus the opposite of the kind of

Implementing EMS Recommendations Essay Example for Free

Implementing EMS Recommendations Essay Introduction After an audit had been performed for Riordan Manufacturing, faults were found in current procedures and solutions created to make them more sustainable. Listed below are some barriers that may occur when implementing Riordan’s new strategies and the necessary steps needed to overcome those barriers. Identified as well are methods currently in place to ensure systematic monitoring of the new sustainable practices that have or will be put in place. Identify Barriers Riordan Manufacturing has to identify the barriers they must overcome to become a sustainable organization. The barriers must be broken into two parts, external and internal barriers (Ruark, 2013). External barriers are those that Riordan must follow because of federal laws, state laws, and local policies. Another external barrier is the suppliers the organization contracts to do additional work whether in the United States or another country. The organization is responsible for those non-sustainable issues that the contractor creates. Internal barriers are the ones that the company creates, but can control. The organization will have to hire Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) that understand the issues, create a plan to overcome those issues, and maintain the progress. The SMEs must have the funding in place to start doing their work. They must communicate their findings and provide solutions to Riordan Manufacturing management. Communication is the largest barrier to overcome. The SMEs must establish a target and conduct a plan. Another internal barrier is change, and people don’t like change. The leadership must work hard to get the employees on board to help with the changes. Creating an  additional department supervised by the SMEs that handles these barriers will make Riordan manufacturing a success. How or why they might occur Barriers occur for many reasons, and some of the reasons they occur is the lack of communication from the management down to the lowest level. Communication must flow up and down to understand the organizations target and intents. The communication flow will allow the employees to understand the policies and procedures that Riordan Manufacturing has put in place. Another reason barriers occur are due to the lack of training that the employees do not receive. Having properly trained employees will assist with the proper flow of communication as well as the process and procedures that Riordan will implement. The cost to Riordan Manufacturing to implement any new sustainable plan will be a short term profit lost for the organization. The last important reason barriers occur is because resources are not in place as well as the SMEs to provide the guidance to become sustainable and maintain sustainability. Consider financial, social, ethical, technical, and practical aspects of business Financial cost, social concerns, and the environment are important aspects to the approach in becoming compliant with any legal requirements. The practical aspects barrier Riordan Manufacturing will encounter will be trying to improve their facilities with new pipes, air vents, and drainage systems. Implementing the new measures will have an impact on the technical barrier in the operations of the facilities to produce a product that can cause delays in production. Ethical and social issues are important to any organization that is trying to create and maintain their Environment Management System (EMS). The organization cannot allow anyone to use products or change manufacturing processes as that will be unethical. Describe methods currently in place or necessary to ensure systematic monitoring of new sustainable practices.   Riordan Manufacturing will implement some of the new processes recommended to deal with the oil, ink and the solvent issue. They will make sure to measure the air quality in the factory, recycle the oil keeping track of how  much oil is been used, and how much solvent is been separated from the water. They have several measures of monitoring the three areas in the different facilities, but will need to improve in reporting and making changes when needed. How are they measured or monitored? Updating the existing reporting process for all the areas and conduct meetings with the leadership, employees and stakeholders to see what the best approach to any situation is. Adding additional measures to analyze any situation will allow Riordan Manufacturing to understand what is working and what is failing. Monitoring the air pollution and pounds of waste in all the Riordan Manufacturing facilities will allow them to keep track in monthly bases to improve sustainability. What happens if a recommended practice is not working as it was intended? Different courses of action (COA) must be completed for any one task. This COA allows the organization to decide on the best approach when dealing with any issue. The COA will outline the process, produces, and cost to the project. This different COA also provides the leadership with the different solutions to one issue. If the COA selected is not working they have other COA for the same situation they can quickly implement to solve any problem. Conclusion Riordan manufacturing will implement new solutions to help make them more sustainable. Of course, Riordan will need to identify their internal and external barriers to overcome, and once found putting strategies in place to overcome and avoid them. One of the biggest barriers is communication. Having a barrier of communication prevents the flow of understanding of policies and procedures as well as the targets and intents put in place by Riordan. Updating the reporting system as well as adding an additional measure to analyze situations, will allow Riordan to see which processes are successful and which ones failed. Failed processes will be dealt with by putting together multiple courses of action so that solutions can easily be switched if one is not working as well as anticipated. Business organizations have an obligation to help sustain and preserve the environment for future generations. Riordan has taken the initiative in  developing strategies that will incorporate sustainable business practices to ensure that the company and the employees leave less of a carbon footprint for future generations. Reference Ruark, C. A. (2013, August 9). Eliminating Barriers to Small Business Sustainability. Retrieved from Triple Pundit: http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/08/eliminating-barriers-small- business-sustainability/

Criticisms of Disability Legislation in the UK

Criticisms of Disability Legislation in the UK Do you agree that mentally ill and disabled people are the poor relatives of anti-discriminatory thought and practice? Introduction Disablism and disability The introduction of new legislation against discrimination of disabled people in 2005 marks a temporary milestone in the heated debate on appropriate legislative measures.[1] The last two decades have seen an enormous transformation of anti-discriminatory policy, theoretical and conceptual approach and attempts to solidify these changes in the practices of public life. Arguably the changes have been long overdue, given that antidiscrimination law was hopelessly outdated (1944) and did not reflect the shift in attitudes towards the notions of social justice and inclusion as it affected the relationship between disabled and able-bodied people in society. Whether the most recent proposals for legislative review (2005) redefine the disability agenda in a sufficiently radical manner is debatable. Yet, it seems a shared view in the literature that huge strides have been made towards achieving more equality for disable persons and that the urgency and validity of constant legislative review is recognised by the government. This essay explores the extent to which the changes in law, practice and general attitudes of the public reflect sufficiently the needs of disabled people for adequate recognition of their social, economic and domestic needs in modern society. It will focus mainly on the debate that has taken place in the UK following the first significant changes introduced by parliament in 1995 (under the Major government) and leading up to the last round of public consultation under the Blair government. It will look at three distinct but interrelated fields that seem relevant for a comprehensive answer to the question: first, what are the legislative changes and how did they affect the status and societal position of disabled people in Britain. Second, what policies are currently favoured by the government and local authority effectively addressing the problems that originate in widespread discrimination against disabled persons. And third, what are the conceptual difficulties that underlie the l egal and practical problems with framing the disability agenda in the UK. The aspects one and three will be discussed in the section below, aspect three will be explored in more detail in the last section of this essay. Prior to sketching all three fields of inquiry, however, we need to introduce a concept that has informed more recent critical discussion of discrimination and disability. Disablism is supposed to denote a particular constellation of cultural values, forms of personal prejudice and social constraints that result in severe but often unnoticed types of discriminating behaviour. Outlining the structure and content of discrimination therefore would allow us to identify hidden components of the problem that may escape critical consideration. Disablism attempts to redefine the nature of the various barriers that are discriminatory in character but unrecognised since they are part of habitual human conduct. A sociological critique of disablism would enhance out understanding of the underlying patterns of discrimination. Sociologists speak of PCS which stands for the three elements that make up disablist attitudes in public.[2] Personal prejudice, cultural values and social stratification th at originates in disability and the exclusion of disabled people from mainstream public life. Theorists also highlight the complex interaction between concepts of disability and the capitalist economy which emphasises wage labour and the pursuit of profit.[3] All these various factors act as building blocs for disablism which in turn diminishes the chances of public participation by disabled persons. It fosters an attitude which frames disability as a personal tragedy and de-publicises its impact. Seen as an individual misfortune disablism tends to ignore the social dimension of disability and hence underplays the social and political leverage in alleviating some of the effects of discrimination. It echoes therefore the predominant medical model of disability and rejects any social involvement in rectifying the various instances of discrimination by disabled people. Law and the concept of disability Ever since parliament passed the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995, the criticism by academics and practitioners has focused to a large degree on the legal foundations and the conceptual basis of the legislation. Although the literature is fundamentally critical to the implementation of the Act (henceforth DDA) the bulk of the literature deals with the profound conceptual flaws of the law. Since conceptual and legalistic facets go together and combine to detrimental effects, this section of the essay will explore both aspects together rather than separately. With the ostensible failure of the previous legislation to tackle the problems of discrimination in any consistent fashion, the Major government brought in the new law in 1995 to base anti-discriminatory policies on a updated and more coherent conceptual framework. The shortcomings of this new legislation in the face of numerous challenges for disabled people in modern society however contributed to an almost universal understanding that another consultation process on new legislation was needed and the Blair government anticipates to pass the new DDA this year. The DDA in 1995 marks a significant shift from the original quota requirement to a more regulatory approach which basically emphasises the individual responsibilities of disabled persons in achieving similar status and positions in society. The state acts only as a regulatory body, placing constraints on players in the economic and social domain. This concurs with the broadly liberal theory of society where similar life chanc es are stressed and any bias against irrelevant aspects of individuals are being removed in considering their abilities to function as social agents. In general, the idea is to minimise subjectivity and standardise any decision-making process. Although the various strategies for intervention take place at different stages in the discriminatory process[4], legislation focuses on providing the broader framework within which discriminatory behaviour is identified and possibly prosecuted. Such a liberal notion of individuals and society can accommodate special treatment under certain circumstances for example when equality of opportunity is compromised by the lack of a level playing field. In fact, most of the anti-discrimination legislation of the 1990s has favoured a similar approach and it will be argued later in this essay that such a convergence of approach when dealing with different origins of discrimination is gravely mistaken and enshrines complex conceptual problems into the DDA. (SDA and RRA were drawn up under the Major government and subsequently superseded by more advanced legislation. New legislation on ‘Incitement of racial hatred’ is being debated currently in both houses of parliament. As such the legislative is pretty much in flux). Let us now look at the problems that the DDA has created for disabled persons in the UK. Practitioners and theorists often locate the main dilemma in what they call the medical model of disability which informs the DDA in its current form. They contrast this medical model with a social model which recognises the social dimension of disability and hence widens the fields of societal responsibilities in combating discrimination considerably. Roulstone remarks: ‘The social construction of when harm occurs is entirely central to discussions about the workings and effectiveness of anti-discrimination legislation.’[5] But why is this so? How exactly do the two models differ? Woodhams and Corby outline the problematic nature of the definition of disability in the DDA. The statutory definition identifies somebody as disabled who has ‘a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term edverse effect on his [sic] ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’[6] The core problem with this definition extends to three areas. First, it attributes disability to a form of impairment, second, it contrasts disability against a norm of human behaviour which asserts a complete and paradigmatic functioning of body and brain, and third, it articulates a benchmark for validating disability by introducing the notion of substantiality and long-term affliction.[7] The medical model thus contributes to a certain bias in evaluating the severity of the disability by (a) assuming that disability supposes a lack of ability which spills over into a lack of functioning ‘normally’. It thus presupposes normality as a criterion while failing to define it accurately. The definition enshrines a picture of difference between people who suffer from a disability and those who do not. Impairment becomes tantamount to ‘abnormality’ which is thought to derive from a personal tragedy not to be able to perform certain activities .[8] Consequently this medical model asserts (b) the need to assist and help the disabled person and therefore often exacerbates the tendencies for patronising or as Woodhams puts it, ‘the impaired individual remains subservient to the teams of ‘disability experts’ charged with ‘helping’, ‘rectifying’ (pitying and patronising) them.’[9] In contrast the social model which some theorists advocate as reflecting more accurately the social dimension of any disability, suggests that the origin of any disability lies in the perception of difference that is prompted by notions of normality. Hence, any anti-discrimination strategy must take into account the cultural values and social construction of normality upon which discriminatory behaviour is built. Woodhams writes: ‘As a result, the territory of ‘correction’ becomes society and the environment, rather than the person with the impairment.’[10] Recognising the role of socialisation and perception are central for any serious programme for change. Some theorists even go further and argue that although the social model widens the field of anti-discriminatory policies and correctly acknowledges the responsibility of social attitudes in discrimination against disabled people, it still lacks recognition of another vital element in debasing or derogatory practice. Even the social model, they note, excludes that group of people who may be subject to discriminatory conduct simply because they are being associated with a disabled person or because they are perceived to be disabled.[11] Additionally, there is a lack to have appreciation for discrimination that ‘may be based on other people’s fears of contracting illness’[12] such as HIV. In general the DDA fails to acknowledge the varied and complex nature of disabilities and therefore also falls short in grasping the multifaceted character of discriminatory behavi our. Woodhams concludes: ‘Disability†¦is frequently invisible, indecipherable and unstable.’[13] With respect to the way in which the legislator has framed the notion of disability various problems arise. The essay will summarily point to some but will not be able to explore them comprehensively and in detail. The current practice in employment tribunals (henceforth: ET) illustrates some of the crucial shortcomings of the DDA. ET very often lack the expertise to deal with the complex issues that are involved in disability litigation. The small number of cases (only 2% of ET cases deal with infringement of rights by disabled persons) means that there will be no radical change in this situation and ET personnel will for a long time coming still work under conditions of insufficient medical proficiency. Since the DDA clearly locates the burden of proof with the disabled person, claimants often have to procure (frequently heavily contested) medical evidence, a process which is costly and often prohibitive given the divergence of medical assessment and the vagueness of thresholds of ‘impairments’ in defining disability. In effect, it is noted in the literature that a remarkable gap between the legal stipulation and the practical application of the DDA by human resources has already opened up. Human resources personnel often apply the DDA intuitively and therefore come closer to recognition of impairment than medical experts, consequently undermining the strict and rigorous application of the law.[14] In practice, it seems also customary to ignore the impact of environmental factors which often contribute to the development and persistence of a disability, while hidden aspects of disabilities are failed to be recognised routinely. Sociologists also point out that the DDA places the claimant in a position where decision-making power is firmly located in the hands of defendants. Successful claims are therefore extremely rare, even when taking into account the number of out of court settlements. The DDA works with an underdeveloped notion of judicial harm as well as constructs formidable hurdles when it comes to defining the nature and origins of harm. This often diminishes the confidence of claimants to articulate grievances and contributes to the fact that many unseen or contested impairments are underrepresented in claims. Effectively the success rate of disability litigation is very low, ‘not because treatment less favourable is not established, but because specific legal tests are not met.’[15] The absence of legal aid in many cases exacerbates the problem for disabled persons who feel their rights have been infringed upon and, consequently many practitioners and theorists propose to introduce a set of prima facie criteria which would make it easier for claimants to get a particular impairment acknowledged. Such a set of criteria would also ensure that an unambiguous acknowledgment of rights and their possible infringement would be easier to obtain in particular cases. The small amount of compensation and the small number of successful cases for such compensation in ET indicates that the DDA still failed to define a clear benchmark for discriminatory behaviour.[16] Some sociologists have gone as far as characterising the DDA as being grounded ‘on profoundly social meanings masquerading as pure realms of law.’[17] We do not need to share this slightly Marxist criticism of the DDA to recognise that the current law is heavily biased against disabled victims of discrimination and rests on incoherent conceptual framework. Policy and Discrimination Most policies initiated by the government after the introduction of the DDA in 1995 focuses on the barriers disabled people face in public life and employment. The inbuilt bias of the DDA against disabled persons is exemplified neatly by the underlying motivation for incorporating disabled persons into the competitive labour market. Although participation in the first labour market is as such a desirable intention, it is widely suspected that the government’s motivation to push this agenda forward has more to do with decreasing expenditure than improving the quality of life for disabled people.[18] It is equally regrettable that for comparative purposes there is still no reliable data on the various groups of disabled people across Europe. The reason why this may be important in the future is that the European Union has, after an initial period of hesitation, become a main driver in anti-discriminatory legislation which has full application in the UK. As the EU becomes a more proactive player in the field and begins to formulate policies that are implemented on a European scale, the conflicts between national and European legislation creates problems. Hvinden uses the concepts of crowded and vacant policy fields to distinguish between those policy areas that are likely to creatively absorb new legislation from the EU and those that are not. He argues that, in addition to various disability legislation, anti-discrimination policies often have to take into account that victims are subject not simply to singular dimensions of discrimination but that attempts to discriminate against others are often motivated by concepts of normality which rests on multiple aspects of human existence. For example, discrimination against disabled people can carry significant elements of gendered behaviour, which anti-discriminatory practice must recognise to be effective.[19] The policy instruments available to European governments differ widely amongst the member states, but there seems to be a sort of convergence emerging when it comes to what Hvinden calls the rights and opportunity discourse.[20] Although this is something that the DDA failed to appreciate in all its complexity, practitioners have gradually come to understand this dimension as the inevitable core of anti-discriminatory strategy in the field of disability. As the European Commission redefines its role in the fight against discrimination, national governments are gently pushed towards a notion that equal opportunities for disabled people should occupy the heart of any future legislation. While the DDA was still far removed from stipulating full active citizenship and participation in public life as the main objective and following this up with effective policy implementation, the increasing involvement of European lawmakers in this field may exert considerable weight to such an agenda.[ 21] Much depends on the future decisions of the European Court of Justice and the articulation of legal competence by this body.[22] Conclusion The DDA was clearly based on a flawed definition of disability, resting it on the medical model which made it difficult for disabled persons to articulate the social dimension of any disability. Policies that were supposed to combat discrimination against disabled people were thus misdirected and neglected the cultural and social component in discriminatory behaviour. Although since 1995, the need for further and more sophisticated legislation is almost universally recognised, the current proposals for consultation must place the social construction of disability at the heart of the debate if it wants to avoid similarly misguided policies and ineffective strategies to combat discrimination. Bibliography Bjoern Hvinden. The Uncertain Convergence of Disability Policies in Western Europe, in Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 37, No.6, December 2003, pp.609-624. Carol Woodhams and Susan Corby. Defining Disability in Theory and Practice: A Critique of the British Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Journal for Social Policy. Vol. 32, No.2, pp.159-178. Alan Roulstone. The Legal Road to Rights? Disabling Premises, Obiter Dicta and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Disability and Society, Vol. 18, No.2, 2003, pp.117-131. Liz Sayce. Beyond Good Intentions. Making Anti-Discrimination Strategies Work, in Disability and Society. Vol.18, No.5, August 2003, pp.625-642. Neil Thompson. Anti-Discriminatory Practice. Second Edition. Basingstoke: MacMillan 1997. Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Access to Education and Employment. Monitoring Report United Kingdom. Budapest: Open Society Institute 2005. 1 Footnotes [1] For an overview of legislation cf. Rights of People with Intellectual Disabilities. Access to Education and Employment. Monitoring Report United Kingdom. Budapest: Open Society Institute 2005, pp.51-58. [2] Neil Thompson. Anti-Discriminatory Practice. Second Edition. Basingstoke: MacMillan 1997, p.107-109. [3] Thompson, Practice, p.108. [4] Liz Sayce. Beyond Good Intentions. Making Anti-Discrimination Strategies Work, in Disability and Society. Vol.18, No.5, August 2003, p.633. [5] Alan Roulstone. The Legal Road to Rights? Disabling Premises, Obiter Dicta and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Disability and Society, Vol. 18, No.2, 2003, p.122. [6] quoted in Carol Woodhams and Susan Corby. Defining Disability in Theory and Practice: A Critique of the British Disability Discrimination Act 1995, in Journal for Social Policy. Vol. 32, No.2, p.163. [7] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.163. [8] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p. 164 [9] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.164. [10] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.164. [11] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.164. [12] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.165. [13] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.165. [14] Woodhams, Defining Disability, p.168. [15] Roulstone, Legal Road, p.124. [16] Roulstone, Legal Road, p.126. [17] Roulstone, Legal Road, p.129. [18] Bjoern Hvinden. The Uncertain Convergence of Disability Policies in Western Europe, in Social Policy and Administration, Vol. 37, No.6, December 2003, p.616. [19] Hvinden, Convergence, p. 612. [20] Hvinden, Convergence, pp.617-618. [21] Hvinden, Convergence, p.620. [22] Hvinden, Convergence, p.624.