How can the strategic human resource business partner(SHRBP) add value Essay

How can the strategic human resource business partner(SHRBP) add value to the IT department - Essay Example Current paper aims to present the way in which the Strategic Human Resource Business Partner (SHRBP) can add value to the IT department and under which terms such task would be performed. Appropriate theories and models are used for justifying the role of SHRBP in the increase of value of IT department. The role of strategic human resource business partner (SHRBP) in the increase of value of IT department Strategic HR management can intervene in organizational activities at all levels of organizational hierarchy – reference is made to the organization as a unit, not just to the HR functions and sub-functions (Deb 2006). Of course, the role of HR within the organizations needs to be respected (Raj, 2007). In accordance with Morton (1999) when acting as a business partner, HR is expected to perform a series of roles: ‘strategic partner, change agent, administrative expert and employee champion’ (Morton 1999, in Armstrong, 2000, p.141). Moreover, Robinson et al. (2005) noted that HR can respond to the needs of its traditional role (deciding on the employees’ positions and tasks) as also to the needs of its strategic role (meaning the development of initiatives for the increase of organizational profits through the improvement of employee performance). As for the strategic HR management, this can intervene drastically in all organizational strategies identifying organizational failures and suggesting appropriate measures; in case that SHR manager acts as a business partner, then his ability to intervene in organizational strategies – at all organizational levels – is significantly increased. The involvement of SHRBP in the organization’s IT department would have a series of effects in the department’s structure, activities and performance. More specifically, the role of SHRBP in IT department would refer to the following activities: a) development and improvement of relationships of employees in order to improve communication and cooperation across the department; in this way, the performance of employees of the specific department would be also increased, b) improvement of information sharing; IT department is strongly depended on the management of informati

Undergraduate research program Essay Example for Free

Undergraduate research program Essay University of Delaware is one of the leading undergraduate research universities in the country. Many students are currently enjoying the benefit of these services that the university offers. The Program Aims The university is determined to bring out the best out of their students by given them the chance of being in the forefront in the knowledge and creative works, this they achieved by making the undergraduate and even the new students work as an assistance or a junior member of their faculty research team preparing them for the research future and making them to have the opportunity to review the professional researcher’s works so as to expose them to the act of gathering ,evaluating and sharing results with the scientific, artistic or scholarly community. Participants and Eligibility The research program is open to all interested undergraduate. Student who wants to develop themselves in the area of research sometimes some exceptional students are given salaries or stipend during summer, stipends are given. The only requirement is to have a cumulative grade point index of at least 3. 00 to ascertain the level of seriousness to academics so that it would not affect the academics performance of the students Functions of the program The program provides the students with the general information about the research experiences The way to approach the faculty researcher that the students might want to work with Assistance to undergraduates that are writing their projects for the Honours Degree to make distinction in such projects Means of funding the research work through faculty sponsors and scholarships Provision of research reading room in which have the archives of the past senior research works are placed so as to make references to them Many opportunities for students to presents and show case their research papers. Reference University of Delaware (2007): http://urp. udel. edu/basics/policies. aspx. Retrieval date; 12th May, 2008.

Juliusz Slowacki :: essays research papers

Juliusz Slowacki We all have our favorite writers. Many of them are using their own, original language that we like or don’t. Very often basing on the language they use we can imagine their character and what kind of people they are or were. Their style of writing makes us be more familiar with them and with their books. But sometimes, even writers that are using very unique style of writing make a huge impression on us and I would like to focus on a novelist that presents that kind of writing. His name is Juliusz Slowacki (1809-1849) and he is one of the most famous Polish poets in the history. As you can see he was writing his books very long time ago but they are still very popular in Poland, Europe and probably in other parts of the world. I can say that he is not my favorite writer because his style of writing is not easy to understand and you have to be very focus during the reading. In addition to that, every person that wants to read some of his books should be very familiar with Polish and European history. On the other hand this is advantage because reading a book you are also studying a little bit of history. But it does not mean that I don’t like Slowacki and his books. I chose to write about him because his style is very familiar to me, and his books made a huge impression on me. Some of his books captivate, fascinate, release my imagination, and are taking me to the lands that I always wanted to see and visit. The fight for independence became the main topic of Slowacki's works. In his books like â€Å"Kordian†, â€Å"Bogurodzica† he is calling the nation to fight because in his opinion that is the only way to the freedom. Slowacki was writing about moral and political problems of the generation, which had lost the resurrection. He was a great poet loving his country. He also was writing poems inspired by the nature like â€Å"Rozlaczenie†, about his childhood, literature, but his main subject was always reflections about his nation and the suffering of Poland and Polish people. In my opinion his lyrics reached the artistic perfection. In supreme way he could recreate and portray human feelings. Slowacki is using many elements of language. His style is speaking to our imagination beautifully describing his times and the events.

How strong was Nationalism in the Second Reich?

In 1871, Bismarck unified Germany; however this great achievement did not mean that his job was done. Now, the ultimate threat for him was a revolution, so he needed to make sure that everyone was reasonably happy in the new unified Germany. The constitution of the German Reich was created on 19 April 1871. This aimed to please the upper class, middle class, working class and the German states. The upper class were pleased by the fact that they would be ruled by a German Emperor (William I) who was also the King of Prussia and Supreme Commander. This way, they could maintain an element of autocracy and social hierarchy. The Federal Council could over-rule the Reichstag if it wanted to so this helped to avoid democracy, again, pleasing the upper class. Having a constitution would please the middle class as it enables democracy to a certain extent. They would have been pleased by the fact that the constitution allows the middle class suffrage and in turn, gains them more power. Gaining the vote and power within the constitution also pleased the working class. Twenty-five confederal states made up the Federal Council, meaning that Prussia did not overrule everyone; this pleased the other German states. Prussia was only allowed seventeen representatives; however, the council had the power of veto, if they were supported by 14 votes. This meant that it would take only 14 of the 17 representatives of Prussia to overrule the other states. The careful planning of the constitution helped to encourage nationalism, as everyone in it was kept quite happy. The middle and working class got elements of democracy whilst the upper class had elements of autocracy. However, it was more absolutist than it appeared to be. Bismarck and Prussia still had subtle control over Germany. How did the government encourage the people to be good Germans? Nationalism throughout Germany was encouraged in areas such as education, industry and the monarchy. The writings of Heinrich Von Treitschke were very influential to the German people. He believed that Germans were driven by ideas such as nationalism rather than being practical. The acquisition of power was the key to a successful Germany, â€Å"only the truly great and powerful states ought to exist.† As he was such an influential writer, it was causing nationalism to grow amongst the German people. Treitschke also believed in conformity and wrote that â€Å"the individual has no right to regard the state as a means for attaining his own ambitions in life†, meaning that people should do as they are told by their government, and not revolt (like the French did.) Both the acquisition of power and conformity had created a replacement to absolutism known as authoritarianism. His writing showed that nationalism was becoming more and more conservative. To be a good German, you had to pure blooded and a militarist. Treitschke taught that war was a good thing and it makes you a better person. â€Å"The sacred power of love which a righteous war awakes† is an example of what he wrote about war. Germany was founded through three wars, so to Germans it must seem a very good thing. However, this all changed after WWI. Nationalism was also being encouraged through education. Textbooks would contain phrases such as â€Å"the ideal bearers of civilisation with an innate superiority and pureness of blood.† Introducing to children the ideas of the Aryan race. How serious was opposition to nationalism? The main opposition to nationalism consisted of the Catholic church, workers and women. Problems with the Catholic church arose because Bismarck tried to control the country through education. However, for Catholics, their education lies in the hands of their religion so what they were taught by their religion was very different to what Bismarck wanted to teach them. In 1870, the Vatican Council adopted the doctrine of papal infallibility, meaning that whatever the pope said or did was right, and no one was allowed to question it. This was a problem for Bismarck as he continued to try to gain control over German education. He passed many laws such as the May Laws (1873) which forbade catholic inspections of schools, but by 1887, a bill was passed to give the Church its old independence. The Catholics won the Kulturkampf so they proved to be a threatening opposition to nationalism. Socialism of the working class was the most serious form of opposition to nationalism. The social democrats were similar to communists in the sense that they wanted the abolition of classes and class rule. Bismarck tried to prevent them from growing, by introducing anti-socialist laws, but they continued to grow even faster. By 1912, the SPD were the largest party in the Reichstag with nearly 4million votes!! Bismarck even attempted to encourage working class nationalism by introducing state insurance and pension, however, this was simply mocked by socialists. They called it ‘state socialism.' The social democrats continued to be the largest party in the Reichstag up to the outbreak of WWI in 1914. Another form of opposition to nationalism was women. This was not as serious as the Suffragettes in Britain, although it still posed a threat to nationalism. Women were seen as second class citizens who were oppressed by the ruling classes, generally men. The women's movement achieved very little under Bismarck, however, they managed to get the right to get involved in politics. It was the most low key of the three main threats to nationalism, as it was not as significant as the Socialists or the Catholics. Out of the three, the biggest threat to nationalism seems to be the Social Democratic party, as they managed to become the largest party in the Reichstag, meaning that they would have quite an influence over parliament. However, the Federal Council could just simply dissolve the Reichstag if they felt it was necessary.

Enthalpy Lab

LAB OF ENTHALPY CHANGE IN COMBUSTION Objective: Determine the Enthalpy change of combustion ? Hc of three different alcohols. Methanol, Ethanol and Isopropilic acid. Procedure: 1. Fill the spirit micro burner with Ethanol and weight it 2. Pour 100 cm3 of water into the aluminum cup 3. Arrange the cup a short distance over the micro burner 4. Measure the temperature of water 5. When the temperature of the water has risen by 10 °C, record the temperature. 6. Reweight the microburner. Record 7. Repeat steps 1 to 6 but now with Methanol 8.Repeat step 1 to 6 with Isopropilic acid. Data and Processing Alcohols | Initial mass of microburner fill with alcohol (g) ± 0. 01| Final mass of microburner fill with alcohol (g) ± 0. 01| Initial temperature of water( °C) ± 0. 1| Final temperature of water( °C) ± 0. 1| Volume of water in metallic calorimeter (cm3)  ±0. 5| Ethanol | 5. 38| 5. 08| 23. 0| 33. 0| 100. 0| Methanol | 5. 33| 4. 94| 24. 0| 34. 0| 100. 0| Isopropolic acid | 5. 4 5| 5. 20| 24. 0| 34. 0| 100. 0| Find the mass of water ?=mv ? (density) H2O = 1. 0 g /cm3 Calculate % Uncertainty in mass of waterAs the mass of water is the same in the 3 alcohols the %uncertainty is the same for all the alcohols Absolute uncertainty of the measuring cylindermass of water ? 100 Calculating ? mass change (alcohol’s burned mass) (initial mass  ± 0. 01 g)-(final mass  ± 0. 01 g) Calculating percentage uncertainty in alcohol burned mass Absolute uncertainty of alcohol's burned massalcohol's burned mass ? 100 Calculate the percentage uncertainty of alcohol burned moles percentage uncertainty of alcohol burned mass+percentage uncertainty of alcohol`s molar mass Calculating ?H (enthalpy change) ?H=-mass of water x specific heat of water x ? T of water mol of alcohol * The specific heat for water is 4. 18 =100Ãâ€"4. 184x 10=4,184 J or 4,184 KJ exothermic Methanol= * H2O = 100 ml * mH2O= 100 mg * t1 H2O= 23 °C Mass (i) methanol= 5. 38g * tf= H2O=33 °C Mass ( f) methanol= 5. 08 g ?T= TF-TI= ?T= 10 °C Calculating mass change ?m=mi-mf= 5. 38-5. 30=0. 30g ?m=? mMr=0. 3032. 04=0. 009 mol ?H=-4. 1840. 009=-464888. 9jmol % uncertainity(balance)= ±0. 020. 30x 100=6. 67 % % uncertainity(thermometer )= ±110x 100=10 % %error=-726000-(-464888. )-726000x 100=36% Qualitative Observations We could see from the burn of methanol that the flame owas of color orange red, moreover therewere not dirt in the bottle. Ethanol * H2O = 100 ml * mH2O= 100 mg * t1 H2O= 24 °C Mass (i) ethanol= 5. 33 g * tf= H2O=34 °C Mass (f) ethanol= 4. 94 g ?T= TF-TI= ?T= 10 °C Calculating mass change ?m=mi-mf= 0. 39 g 5. 33-4. 94= 0. 39 g ethanol 0. 3946. 07 g/mol=0,008 mol ?H=-4. 1840. 008=-523,000jmol % uncertainity(balance)= ±0. 020. 39x 100=13 % % uncertainity(thermometer )= ±110x 100=10 % %error=-1360000-(-523000. 0)-1368000x 100=61. % Qualitative Observations We can observe a lost of weight during the experiment, moreover the flame was orange blue but with a big strong orange , it didn’t burn complete therefore show dirt in the cup. Isopropolic acid * H2O = 100 ml * mH2O= 100 mg * t1 H2O= 24 °C Mass (i) = 5. 45 g * tf= H2O=34 °C Mass (f) ethanol= 5. 20g ?T= TF-TI=10 c ?m=mi-mf= 0. 25 g Isopropolic acid 0. 25 60,1g/mol=0,004 mol ?H=-4. 1840. 04=-1,046,000jmol % uncertainitybalance= ±0. 020. 25x 100=8% % uncertainity(thermometer )= ±110x 100=10 % %error=-2006. 9-(-1046. 0)-2006. 9x 100=47. 9% At last, the alcohol used was Isopropilic acid. The flame with this alcohol was the strongest flame, it was very strong, was very yellow at the top and blue at the bottom. * We could also notice that all the 3 alcohols produced Soot. (is a general term that refers to impure carbon particles resulting from the incomplete combustion) Conclusion = As we know the finality of the lab was to find the enthalpy change in the three alcohol; methanol, ethanol and isopropyl alcohol.. Enthalply change is to see or measure up the toal energy of t hermodynamic system.Focusing in the result we got the actual enthalpy change with a smaller value in the theoretical this is because during the experiment there was a lot of energy lost mostly in the heat . the percentage of uncertainty could be also emphasize that the heat was lost due to we didn’t aggregate in precise way the distance between the flame and the micro burner, and percentage error was high because the heat was transfereedto the materials in the system not only to the water . Moreover from the qualitative observations we could conclude out it there was a complete or incomplete combustions.Methanol got a complete combustion since there was no soot under the cup,therefore carbol dioxide was realeased. 2CH4O (1) + 3O2 (G) = 2CO2(g) + 4H2O (I) Ethanol case was different we see that some sootappeared in the cup, therefore carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide . C2H6O (I)+ 3O2(G)= 2CO2 (g)+3H2O (I) C2H6O (I)+ 3O2(G)= 2CO(g)+3H2O (I) Isopropilic Acid ,there was soot prod uced in the experiment, there was a incomplete combustion there was more carbon moxide produced than carbpn dioxide Errors Complete combustion was not completed because of the lack of oxygen available.The micro burner had a little wick which affects the intensity of the flame The distance between the micro burner and the metallic calorimeter varies. So its no a fair experiment Heat was lost to the surrounding and the aluminum cup absorbed some of it. Improvements Use aluminum foil for a next trial to keep the flame and the base of the cup insulated from the surroundings. Measure an exact distance and keep it constant for all trials. For a next trial uses a longer wick that will provide a more intense flame that wont run out Try to provide an adequate oxygen supply that would be suitable for lab conditions.

Beauty When the Other Dancer Is Thy Selfby Alice Walker Essays

Beauty When the Other Dancer Is Thy Selfby Alice Walker Essays Beauty When the Other Dancer Is Thy Selfby Alice Walker Paper Beauty When the Other Dancer Is Thy Selfby Alice Walker Paper The essay,† Beauty: When the Other Dancer is the Self† by Alice Walker is about self-realization, and that world is about the choices we make, as well as what we make it to be. The essay takes us from the external world where looks are everything, to the internal world, where looks are only a part of her real self. At the age of two and a half, Alice Walker shows that she is very confident in her beauty, when she wants to go to the fair with her father, and she says to him, â€Å"Take me daddy. I’m the prettiest†. She also shows that she is not only completely aware of her looks, but that she is very confident of her abilities, Easter Sunday,1950. On that particular morning, she felt that â€Å"everyone was admiring her beautiful dress†, Alice also states â€Å"that it is not her dress they admire ,but it is her spirit they adored†. At the age of eight years old, she is shot in the eye, by her brother, with a B. B. , gun while they were playing cowboys and Indian. The incident leaves a cute and very bright and outgoing girl, with a destroyed sense of self beauty. She no longer sees that she’s bright, or that she has a charming personality, all she now sees is the disfigurement to her eye. Where she was doing well in school, she is now doing poorly. Her peers make her feel ashamed when they ask â€Å"what is wrong with your eye†. She then becomes â€Å"the girl who does not raise her head. She does not pray for sight, instead she prays for beauty. As a teen she goes to her brother Bills house in Boston. He and his wife understand that her disfigurement causes her to feel shame and loneliness, and they take her to the local hospital. There the white glob is removed by a surgeon. The disfigurement is partly gone, but still all of her anger isn’t resolved. Though she now â€Å"raises her head once more† and all other things fall into place for her. At the age of 27, Alice Walker is now a wife, mother and author. Even as a successful adult, she struggles with the true meaning of beauty. Her fear subsided when her child was not as cruel in her honesty as children are apt to be. When her daughter said to her â€Å"Mommy Theres a world in your eye† Alice Walker’s feelings of beauty changed. Her daughters acceptance makes her feel â€Å"joyous† and â€Å"happier than she’s ever been in her live’. This moment becomes her epiphany. Her moment of sudden realization and her feeling accepted finally. She is whole again, finally in touch with the dancer with in herself. She has moved from external to internal in realizing that beauty was not just a physical thing. She has moved from immaturity to maturity, and from being mere bits and pieces of herself, or a fragmented self to being a whole self. She became complete with the realization and acceptance of who she was. She now loves her eye as she realizes that it has taught her of shame, anger and inner vision. Her happy ending is that with the realizations she has fallen in love with herself again. The bright faced dancer. Beautiful, whole and free. Stanza from â€Å"As† by Stevie Wonder (Verse 1) As around the sun the Earth knows she’s revolving And the rosebuds know to bloom in early May Just as hate knows loves the cure You can rest your mind assure That I’ll be loving you always As now can’t reveal the mystery of tomorrow But in passing will grow older everyday Just as all is born new Do I know what I say is true That I’ll be loving you always

Cholera Map of Dr. John Snow

Cholera Map of Dr. John Snow In the mid-1850s, doctors and scientists knew there was a deadly disease called the cholera poison rampaging through London, but they werent sure how it was being transmitted. Dr. John Snow used mapping and other techniques that would later be known as medical geography to confirm that the transmission of the disease occurred by swallowing contaminated water or food. Dr. Snows mapping of the 1854 cholera epidemic has saved countless lives. The Mysterious Disease While we now know that this cholera poison is spread by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae, scientists in the early 19th century thought it was spread by miasma (bad air).  Without knowing how an epidemic spreads, there is no way to stop it. When a cholera epidemic occurred, it was deadly. Since cholera is an infection of the small intestine, it results in extreme diarrhea. This often leads to massive dehydration, which can create sunken eyes and blue skin. Death can occur within hours. If treatment is given quickly enough, the disease can be overcome by giving the victim a lot of fluids, either by mouth or intravenously. In the 19th century, there were no cars or telephones and so getting quick treatment was often difficult. What London needed was someone to figure out how this deadly disease spread. The 1849 London Outbreak While Cholera has existed in Northern India for centuries (and it is from this region that regular outbreaks are spread) it was the London outbreaks that brought cholera to the attention of British physician Dr. John Snow. In an 1849 cholera outbreak in London, a large proportion of the victims received their water from two water companies. Both of these water companies had the source of their water on the Thames River, just downstream from a sewer outlet. Despite this coincidence, the prevailing belief of the time was that it was bad air that was causing the deaths. Dr. Snow felt differently, believing that the disease was caused by something ingested. He wrote down his theory in the essay, On the Mode of Communication of Cholera, but neither the public nor his peers were convinced. The 1854 London Outbreak When another cholera outbreak hit the Soho area of London in 1854, Dr. Snow found a way to test his ingestion theory. Dr. Snow plotted the distribution of deaths in London on a map. He determined that an unusually high number of deaths were taking place near a water pump on Broad Street (now Broadwick Street). Snows findings led him to petition the local authorities to remove the pumps handle. This was done and the number of cholera deaths was dramatically reduced. The pump had been contaminated by a dirty baby diaper that had leaked the cholera bacteria into the water supply. Cholera Is Still Deadly Although we now know how cholera is spread and have found a way to treat patients who have it, cholera is still a very deadly disease. Striking quickly, many people with cholera dont realize how serious their situation is until it is too late. Also, new inventions such as airplanes have aided the spread of cholera, letting it surface in parts of the world where cholera has otherwise been eradicated. According to the World Health Organization, there are up to 4.3 million cases of cholera each year, with approximately 142,000 deaths. Medical Geography The work of Dr. Snow stands out as one of the most famous and earliest cases of medical geography, where geography and maps are utilized to understand the spread of disease. Today, specially trained medical geographers and medical practitioners routinely use mapping and advanced technology to understand the diffusion and spread of diseases such as AIDS and cancer. A map is not just an effective tool for finding the right place, it can also save a life.

Third Ventricle Function and Anatomy

Third Ventricle Function and Anatomy The third ventricle is a narrow cavity located between the two hemispheres of the diencephalon of the forebrain. The third ventricle is part of a network of linked cavities (cerebral ventricles) in the brain that extend to form the central canal of the spinal cord. The cerebral ventricles consist of the lateral ventricles, third ventricle, and fourth ventricle. Key Takeaways The third ventricle is one of four brain ventricles. It is a cavity filled with cerebrospinal fluid located between the two hemispheres of the diencephalon of the forebrain.The third ventricle helps to protect the brain from trauma and injury.The third ventricle is also involved in the transport of both nutrients and waste from the bodys central nervous system.It is also involved in the circulation of the cerebrospinal fluid. The ventricles contain cerebrospinal fluid, which is produced by specialized epithelium located within the ventricles called the choroid plexus. The third ventricle is connected to the fourth ventricle via the cerebral aqueduct, which extends through the midbrain. Third Ventricle Function The third ventricle is involved in several functions of the body including: Protection of the Brain From TraumaPathway for the Circulation of Cerebrospinal FluidTransportation of  Nutrients to and Waste from the Central Nervous System Third Ventricle Location Directionally, the third ventricle is situated in the middle of the cerebral hemispheres, between the right and left lateral ventricles. The third ventricle is inferior to the fornix and corpus callosum. Third Ventricle Structure The third ventricle is surrounded by a number of structures of the diencephalon. The diencephalon is a division of the forebrain that relays sensory information between brain regions and controls many autonomic functions. It links endocrine system, nervous system, and limbic system structures. The third ventricle  can be described as having six components: a roof, a floor, and four walls. The roof of the third ventricle is formed by a part of the  choroid plexus known as the tela chorioidea. The tela chorioidea is a dense network of capillaries that is surrounded by ependymal cells. These cells produce cerebrospinal fluid. The floor of the third ventricle is formed by a number of structures including the hypothalamus, subthalamus,  mammilary bodies,  infundibulum (pituitary stalk), and the tectum of the midbrain. The lateral walls of the third ventricle are formed by the walls of the left and right thalamus. The anterior wall is formed by the anterior commissure (white matter nerve fibers), lamina terminalis, and optic chiasma. The posterior wall is formed by the pineal gland and habenular commissures. Attached to the external walls of the third ventricle are  interthalamic adhesions (bands of gray matter) that cross the third ventricle cavity and connect the two thalami. The third ventricle is connected to the lateral ventricles by channels called interventricular foramina or foramina of Monro. These channels allow cerebrospinal fluid to flow from the lateral ventricles to the third ventricle. The cerebral aqueduct connects the third ventricle to the fourth ventricle. The third ventricle also has small indentations known as recesses. Recesses of the third ventricle include the preoptic recess (near the optic chiasma), infundibular recess (funnel shaped recess that extends downward into the pituitary stalk), mammillary recess (formed by protrusions of the mammilary bodies into the third ventricle), and pineal recess (extends into the pineal gland). Third Ventricle Abnormalities CT scan of a brain of a patient with intracerebral hemorrhage from stroke with bleeding into the third ventricle. Sopone Nawoot/iStock/Getty Images Plus Third ventricle issues and abnormalities can occur in a variety of conditions like stroke, meningitis and hydrocephalus. A relatively common cause of an abnormality of the third ventricle occurs with congenital hydrocephalus (abnormal contour with a dilated third ventricle). Ventricular System of the Brain The ventricular system consists of two lateral ventricles, the third ventricle, and the fourth ventricle. More Information For additional information on the third ventricle, see: The Third Ventricle Anatomy of the Brain The brain is the bodys control center. It receives, interprets, and directs sensory information in the body. Find out more about the brains anatomy. Divisions of the Brain Forebrain - encompasses the cerebral cortex and brain lobes.Midbrain - connects the forebrain to the hindbrain.Hindbrain - regulates autonomic functions and coordinates movement. Sources Glastonbury, Christine M., et al. â€Å"Masses and Malformations of the Third Ventricle: Normal Anatomic Relationships and Differential Diagnoses.† RadioGraphics, pubs.rsna.org/doi/full/10.1148/rg.317115083.

Individual Assessment (Part 2) Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Individual Assessment (Part 2) - Assignment Example Programming is the act of original formulation of processes and steps within the tendering process. The definition is applicable to both the private and public sector when it comes to tender submission. Programming is a process involved with identifying the mission, objective, procedures, rules, and the manipulation of human capital of an organization in the process of seeking success (Fischer-Hübner 2006, p. 10). In order for an organization to be effective, regardless of the situation, there must be effective channels of communication within all tiers. There should be enough human motivation and responsibility of actions. As such, the tender submission requirements do not subject management, being one of the tender aspects, into the manipulation of a mechanism (Fischer-Hübner 2006, p. 10). Tender management does not have to be viewed in an enterprise point of view alone. The main reason is that programming is an essential function that improves the existence of firms and ev en individuals. There are several factors that influence programming as an aspect of the tender submission. Per se, programming assists the two sectors when it comes to procurement requirements. As observed in the public and private sector, the process of submitting tenders is a process that does not occur in isolation. The process is related to the general flow of market awareness and the awarding process of the different organizations. There are several activities that are involved (Fischer-Hübner 2006, p. 11).

International Strategic Management Read and analyse the case study Essay

International Strategic Management Read and analyse the case study - Essay Example With such a zeal and expansion, ALDI is now employing thousands of Australians and with the constant growth planned for the future; this figure is increasing by the day. ALDI started its operation as a small food store and the range of the products kept on increasing from frozen canned food items to bakery stuff, including household, health and beauty products along with vegetables and fruits. Mostly, ALDI store contained its own brand in different ranges and varieties; however later on it also started to store brand like Nestle, Milo, Kellogg, Vegemite cereals etc. For any brand or a company, it is very important to keep in mind that the market in which that company is prevailing should be properly analyzed and surveyed so that it may provide assistance while strategy formulation. For analyzing the environment, there are two basic parameters. These parameters are defined on the basis of internal and external forces and thus are called external environment scanning and internal environment scanning. External environment refers to the scanning of the environment outside the company. It is related to the industry and the competitors prevailing in the market. Moreover, other external factors which may have an impact on the sales of the company. When we study the environment on macro level, we need to do PEST analysis. PEST stands for polit... Let's analyze the external environment of ALDI through PEST. Political Factors. The political arena has a huge influence upon the regulation of businesses, and the spending power of consumers and other businesses. For ALDI the political environment is suitable as government of Australia is democratic and has a labor part rule. Thus, there are certain taxes which are applicable at the federal, state/territorial and local level. A new Tax system (goods and services tax) Act 1999 is introduced which is applicable on ALDI which is not very nominal. As far as government's role in marketing is concerned, ALDI has an advantage as it does not spend any penny on marketing so it does not have any influence of that portion. Economic Factors. Marketers need to consider the state of a trading economy in the short and long-terms but when it comes to ALDI the biggest advantage of economic factor for the company is that they do not use their marketing budget. The marketing budget which if 0.3% of the total revenue is added in the revenue so if there is any economic pressure even, ALDI will not have to be worried about. ALDI also saves cost by not giving shopping bags for free and thus it also saves money. Along with these savings, ALDI can also benefit from the investing policies of Australia on both short and long term basis. GDP of Australia is slightly higher than the market of UK with respect to the purchasing power. Since past, Australia has grown with an average annual rate of 3.6% which is a positive sign for the business of ALDI. Sociocultural Factors. The social and cultural influences on business vary from country to country. In Australia, we would find Christians in majority and thus the social and

Virtual learning environments Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Virtual learning environments - Essay Example However, the long run is equally important, because the students are being prepared for it. This is where losses are experienced. To the administrator, the environment may shorten the processes. However, to some others, pressure is experienced in this kind of an environment. While at it, the way forward is to improve the environment so that there is efficiency in the learning environment. Table of Contents Understanding the Virtual Learning Environment 5 The Virtual Learning Environment as a Walled Garden 7 Conclusion 12 Introduction Technology has in many ways changed everyone’s lifestyle. According to Brown & Adler, (2008, p.16-32) the approach people have to life and the means in which given tasks are accomplished has completely changed. The education system has experienced this change, by the introduction of the concept of virtual learning environment. Virtual Learning Environment is a learning experience where students use the web to access academic resources for example class work, various tests, homework among others (Friedman 2005, p.123-125). It is also referred to as Learning Management System When Virtual Learning Environment was first introduced in the learning institution in 1990’s, a wave of pessimism met the concept (Bush & Mott 2009, p.3-20). Lecturers doubted their ability to use the environment. Students on the other hand were limited on the resources necessary to facilitate the environment (Friedman 2005, p.123-125). The concept looked as though it was something that would enable the teachers to evade administration processes. It looked like something in the mirage, probably to be conceived in the minds of many generations to come. However, Sener (1996, p.19-23) explains that technology has a way of making anything attainable, due to its dynamic nature. There are two forms in which virtual learning environment can take place (Gillmor 2006, p. 1-5). Firstly, it can take the form of synchronous learning. In this case, the teacher gives classes live from the web through tools such as power point videos or chatting. Both the teachers and the students are able to interact as they share their views on a given topic. The second aspect of virtual learning environment is that of asynchronous learning. This is also referred to as self spaced method of learning (Holden 1994, p.70-71). The students here are given a chance to act independently, and do the normal class-work. They are also expected to meet certain deadlines, which require commitment to the given tasks. New and better concepts are introduced everyday into the virtual learning environments to attain efficiency and effectiveness in the targeted areas (Friedman 2005, p.123-125). The idea is not limited to a certain location, or done in a specific way. Rather, the idea is flexible, allowing many students to access the information they need in their studies. There is also a shift from the centralization of the concept from the professional teacher. Today, the concept allows for interaction between students and their teachers, and amongst the fellow students. Several tools are used by teachers and students in the web learning. These include: social networks, blogs, wikis, and media sharing among others. Virtual learning environment was first fully embraced in the universities. The concept today has evolved to include all learning

Interpret an Article Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Interpret an Article - Essay Example Scientists have found out that Cave Denisova in the Altai Mountains of Siberia has been the home of Neanderthals, Denisovans and modern humans. Therefore this site holds great importance from an anthropological point of view. Denisovans and Neanderthals lived in Asia and Europe. Their genes had immunity to certain diseases and since modern humans carry a certain percentage of their DNA, it can be safely said that modern human’s ancestors mated with Denisovans and Neanderthals. This article gives birth to a lot of questions such as: How did this union take place? Did it bring any cultural exchange with it? How did the Neanderthals become extinct? And was this mating process romantic or aggressive in nature? Scientists have yet to answer most of these questions but they have certainly concluded the answers of many of such questions. Modern human ancestors and Neanderthals came across each other during their territorial expansion in Asia and Europe. This expansion was the result of environmental and cultural changes. It has been believed that the modern human ancestors eradicated the Neanderthals. This however, has not been proven otherwise either. ... Studies have shown that the ancient humans engaged in social networking just like the modern humans do. Amidst the fierce competition to ensure the survival of their progenies, ancient humans have shown the tendency to act altruistically and perform acts such as sharing food. This result was produced by Coren Apicella from Harvard medical school. She conducted her study on Hadza that is one of the last surviving ethnic groups of the hunter gathers in Tanzania. Researchers have traced the movements on land of Neanderthals due to cultural and socio-ecological changes. Human beings just like any other specie migrate to areas that have the best conditions for survival and they adapt to their new environment through culture. That is why the culture of a particular group of people can unveil a lot of hidden information about them. Moreover, the stone artifacts and tools, used by ancient people, give researchers an insight to the lives of the people who used them. This is how researchers ha ve been able to model the movements of Neanderthals on computers. Their results have shown that the movement of Neanderthals changed during the last ice age but the contradiction here is that Neanderthals have been known to avoid long distances from their homes. The general conclusion that can be drawn from this article is of immense importance; There may be many other groups of humans whose existence may have ceased but their genes and cultural knowledge may have been passed on to the modern human and the modern human may not even be aware of it. Works Cited Arizona State University (2012, February 7). Neanderthal demise due to many influences, including cultural changes.  ScienceDaily. Retrieved

By the Time I Get to Cucaracha Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

By the Time I Get to Cucaracha - Essay Example Immediately after this she says that her mom was a housekeeper when she first came to the United States of America. By doing this she makes a personal connection with the reader. She expresses how she felt about the episode, how it was wrong, and why it was wrong. In her eyes it was a racist remark that should not be overlooked. She felt as though Latinas were being mocked. After stating the problem she mentions the great things that Latinas have accomplished in America like the ALMA awards in paragraph 4. Afterwards, she mentions a more popular advertisement with the Taco Bell Chihuahua in reference to an argument made how it was demeaning to use a dog in place of Mexican people. By doing this she shows that people have been making fun of Hispanics for a while. When she included another minority group in her writing, she chose African-Americans. While comparing how Americans won't allow any tolerance for racism towards African-Americans but will for Hispanics, she gives more support to her argument. Perez-Zeeb also acknowledges that fact that blacks were treated terribly by Americans. However, she doesn't believe that gives Americans the right to make fun of certain groups more than others, specifically Hispanics. She was really mad about the fact that TV constantly shows episodes with female immigrants marrying a U.S citizen for a

Preschool Observation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Preschool Observation - Essay Example Since, this is the age when the kids are away from the parents probably for the first time especially from their mothers, it required more attention of the teacher than any other class. The interest of the kids also varies some may like a particular activity while the others do not, it becomes imperative to identify the interests of the kids of this level by the teacher. The teacher was intended to create trust in the children so that they confide on her and feel free to grasp from her teaching. The teacher was friendlier and involved herself with the kids to perform activities and at the same time she was explaining these activities with the help of stories and rhymes. Some of the kids could follow the teachers' instructions while others were not able to understand anything and were crying all the time asking for the mother. The teacher was forced to take more care of such kids and helped them with chocolates or any toys of their interest. Some kids felt hungry and they asked for fo od and teacher had to open their lunch boxes for them to provide them their favorite stuff to eat while others were not intending to eat. This was creating a bit of chaos in the classroom and was becoming difficult for the teacher to manage out well with the kids of this age group. The teacher was intentional to keep the children engaged but was not able to differentiate the instructions and therefore could not keep the children engaged as otherwise she could have with a planned work. Teaching/Instructional Process A proper planning is vital to teach and handle these young budding minds. It is the formative years of their lives and therefore it is imperative to make them learn under discipline. The prime responsibility of the teacher is to create interest and also at the same time understand the psychology of the child, his/her likings and disliking and also the interest of each and every child. If this is done then half of the job is done for the teacher. In order to minimize the chaos there has to be a proper training to differentiate between eating and playing/ activities timings. When the child is not taking much interest the teacher should have involved the child making him/her sit near her and do the work or if the child needs help the teacher should provide help to the child in making the blocks arranging the pictures in a particular order and solving the puzzles and the teacher should be a constant source of encouragement to the child if he/she does even the minor things, this was lacking in the class and therefore there was so much chaos and the teacher was not able to handle them well. Kids need to eat and drink water quite often so after the accomplishment of a particular task they should be appreciated and when all have finished their task then they should be allowed to eat. This practice will make them be disciplined and will eat only at the time of eating rather than creating the chaos as some are eating while others are not. This will help the teacher also to manage the kids well and also to keep the kids engaged in one particular directed activity. When the teacher was playing with the kids, e.g. moving in a circle then at that time the teacher was saying "round and round kids" rather she could have taught them rhyme "ring-a-ring roses.." this rhyme is enjoyed by the kids and will help them learning during fun. The teacher was simply telling story to the kids rather she could

By the Time I Get to Cucaracha Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

By the Time I Get to Cucaracha - Essay Example Immediately after this she says that her mom was a housekeeper when she first came to the United States of America. By doing this she makes a personal connection with the reader. She expresses how she felt about the episode, how it was wrong, and why it was wrong. In her eyes it was a racist remark that should not be overlooked. She felt as though Latinas were being mocked. After stating the problem she mentions the great things that Latinas have accomplished in America like the ALMA awards in paragraph 4. Afterwards, she mentions a more popular advertisement with the Taco Bell Chihuahua in reference to an argument made how it was demeaning to use a dog in place of Mexican people. By doing this she shows that people have been making fun of Hispanics for a while. When she included another minority group in her writing, she chose African-Americans. While comparing how Americans won't allow any tolerance for racism towards African-Americans but will for Hispanics, she gives more support to her argument. Perez-Zeeb also acknowledges that fact that blacks were treated terribly by Americans. However, she doesn't believe that gives Americans the right to make fun of certain groups more than others, specifically Hispanics. She was really mad about the fact that TV constantly shows episodes with female immigrants marrying a U.S citizen for a

Analytical Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Analytical - Essay Example Is media, too, entitled to change its view from ethical to business oriented? While, we cannot take the huge task of judging the media across the world, we will be focusing on the Australian media scenario, learning form the facts, analyzing a few media channels and coming to a conclusion – Is the contemporary Australian media following in the wheels of entertainment more than education? While the question, indeed, is big, the discovery towards the conclusion will prove to be startling nevertheless. One of the presets of any education in media explains its students that the first and foremost task and responsibility of media towards the viewers is to â€Å"inform.† However, are these precepts only a part of the necessary and age old course material, or do these young students really do follow these in real lives becomes of question. Several nations have seen a change in their media trends. Australia, too, cannot ignore the changes that have come about in the media scenario. Be it broadcast or the print media, the changes that have come about are inevitable. However, are these changes absolutely necessary, is the big question. Several researches have been conducted and several journals and news stations monitored. The results of all have come to the same thing – the Australian media is, indeed, giving in to the pressure of the monies and becoming increasing more business oriented than any other time earlier. While we have explained that media is changing the scenario, how is it that we reached the conclusion? The same is cited here. The Australian media is enjoying what is called as the complete â€Å"editorial freedom and freedom of speech and expression† like no other media in any democracy across the world. Despite the freedom that the journalists and media exercise, the journalists are often blamed by the citizens and masses in general that they abuse the power that they have been asserted with. Even when the Princess Diana

The Drug Problem Essay Example for Free

The Drug Problem Essay Drugs have been a consistent problem of the society. For a long time, the drug problem has been regarded as a criminal problem. Treating it as a criminal problem has only resulted in criminalization and I believe that accepting the drug problem as a social problem could prove more beneficial to the society primarily because there is nothing wrong with merely using or possessing these drugs. The laws of man are based on ethical standards and there is nothing unethical with the possession and the use of the drug. Drugs have only gained its negative image because of negative propaganda. Also, legalizing drugs would come with a load of benefits. According to Benson Roe, professor emeritus and chair of the Cardiothoracic Surgery at the University of California, illegal drugs have not been proven to have any long-term negative effects on the health of people. He narrated an incident when he was removing heart valves from some infected intravenous drug users and getting curious about the effects of the drugs on the users, he went to consult the San Francisco coroner only to discover that the only deaths caused by drugs is through infection contracted through unsafe intravenous injections and very rare cases of overdose (Roe). Roe indicated that no reliable and objective evidence points to drugs as more harmful than any of the substances that are not outlawed. It is often understood that society should keep its citizens away from drugs but the reason for this is unclear (Roe). If no evidence points to drugs being harmful, I strongly believe that there is no reason for drugs to be banned from the society. Also, drugs have never been proven to cause violent behavior. This aspect of the drugs may be blamed on the media since media entities often include the phrase â€Å"drug-related† to a crime even as no direct evidence points to the as the motivating factor for the crime. Merely the presence of drugs in a crime scenario is enough for irresponsible media practitioners to blame it (Jackson, 1998) since sensationalism sells. Often, the crime is motivated by another external factor. The media is unknowingly contributing to the negative drug propaganda (Jackson, 1998). Many politicians also play as advocates of the drug laws just for the sake of forwarding their political campaigns (Jackson, 1998). Anti-drug campaigns always make use of vague and emotive statements to get the support it needs from the public (Russel, 1999). One book entitled Hugs not Drugs: A Drug Abuse Prevention Manual published in the Philippines starts off with a story of how a bright and studious teenage girl got hooked with drugs. The girl later dropped out from school and had relationships with men that took advantage of her. Many anti-drug campaigners make use of such stories to say that drugs are bad. I however believe that these stories are not proof of drugs being bad. In the case of this girl, her actions might have been motivated by something else. She may have problems with her family or may have been sexually abused which is why she resorted to using drugs at a very young age. The book also indicates that crime experts have already established a link between drug use and juvenile and violent crimes. The source of the information was however not cited making it questionable. The book also does not have a clear reference page. This kind of practice is never accepted in the academic world and is evidence of a black propaganda. Drug laws have not been helpful to the society; rather, it is the best ally of the drug pushers (Jackson, 1998). Drugs prices would not be so high if drugs were legal. Legalizing drugs would come with price and quality regulations. The price of drugs would be cheaper when regulated and the already minimal cases of death caused by infected injections and rare cases of overdose would also more likely be eliminated if drugs are to be regulated since the purity of the drugs would be assured. Also, information on proper dosage levels would be made available to the public. Additionally, the government would get additional revenue from the taxed drug trade (Roe). One country has tried legalizing drugs to regulate it. This country is Holland. They treat drugs as a social problem rather than as a criminal problem. Great Britain which implements stricter drug laws have higher crime rates of robbery, burglary, shoplifting and theft from cars compared to Holland. Having drugs legalized in Holland has generally brought crime rate down (Rose, 2002). Drugs are not evil. There is nothing wrong with possessing or using drugs. It is also not a harmful substance unlike what many people and so-called intellectuals call it. Legalizing drugs would work wonders and Holland is a living proof of it. The already minimal number of deaths caused by drugs would be reduced even more. Crime will also decrease as drugs become more affordable. Clearly, there is nothing unethical about the use and possession of drugs. Even as some people under the influence of drugs show violent behaviour, it is not a direct result of the drug. Other factors affect the behavior of a person. Ethical concepts are not used as the basis of drug laws and a law which is not based on ethical principles is not a good law. References Roe, Benson MD. Why We Should Legalize Drugs. Retrieved August 24, 2008, from http://www. druglibrary.org/schaffer/Misc/roe1. htm Osorio, Susan. (1997). Hugs Not Drugs: A Drug Abuse Prevention Manual. Manila Mail Publication Philippines. Jackson, Ted. 3 December 1998. Why are drugs illegal. Retrieved August 24, 2008, from http://www. a1b2c3. com/drugs/law01. htm Rose, David. 24 February 2002. Two Countries Took the Drug Test. Who Passed?. The Guardian. Retrieved August 24, 2008, from http://www. guardian. co. uk/uk/2002/feb/24/drugsandalcohol. Davidrose Russel, Ken. 1999 July-August. Propaganda The War On Drugs. New Dawn Magazine. Retrieved August 24, 2008, from ttp://www. mapinc. org/drugnews/v99/n711/a10. html

Surgical Pain Relief: Multimodal Analgesia And Paracetamol

Surgical Pain Relief: Multimodal Analgesia And Paracetamol INTRODUCTION As a nurse on a surgical ward dealing with a diversity of operating procedures it is important to understand the effects of surgical pain, as pain intensity and control is an integral part of the nursing duties. Layzell (2008) argues that pain management for postoperative patients should be a priority for all healthcare professionals. Furthermore having a say in how medications are administered but not prescribing drugs also means that it is essential to have an understanding of pharmacology. This ensures that informed discussions can talk place with the medical officer when it is felt that pain relief for a patient requires review. Additionally this enables the right balance of pain relief to be administered to minimise distress for the patient throughout their surgical journey. According to Lucas (2008) the benefits and adverse effects of the different types of analgesia also need to be considered when treating postoperative pain. Pain is a complex phenomenon that is difficult to define. The most general definition used was published by the International Association For The Study Of Pain (IASP) in 1979 and refers to pain as an unpleasant, sensory and emotional experience arising from actual or potential tissue damage or described in terms of such damage (IASP  2010). Pain is also subjective and the intensity can only be experienced by the sufferer (Mann and Carr 2006). Neurophysiology there are three types of pain receptors communicating pain signals through nociceptors or pain fibres (Mann and Carr 2006). These receptors can be found in the skin, surfaces of the joints, periosteum (the specialised lining around the bone), arterial walls and certain structures in the skull, although the brain itself does not have any of these receptors (Mann and Carr 2006, p3). Each receptor reacts to a different stimulus. The mechanical receptor to touch, thermal to heat or cold and chemical to products present in the body that are released after trauma causing inflammation and increased sensitivity at the wound site (Mann and Carr 2006). The chemical receptors also react to chemicals introduced into the body (Mann and Carr 2006). The nociceptors are the sensory instruments that transmit pain signals through sensory nerve fibres to the dorsal horn of the spinal cord and into the brain (Mann and Carr 2006). There are three types of nerve fibres: A-delta responds to mechanical or thermal sensations, C fibres also known as polymodal because they respond to mechanical, thermal and chemical influences and Aà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœbeta fibres which occur in the skin, reacts to touch but does not transmit pain sensations (Mann and Carr 2006). Psychologically pain can induce fear, anxiety, anger, frustration and also a sense of helplessness may be experience from being unable to physically control the intensity of the pain being felt (Rothrock et. al. 2007). Physiologically pain can reduce the functions of the immune system whilst increasing the potential for wound and chest infections as well as impairing the wound healing processes (Middleton 2003, Pudner and Ramsden 2010). Pain also induces vomiting, increases the workload of the cardiovascular and gastrointestinal systems, decreases lung capacity and can also reduce physical mobility (Middleton 2003, Rothrock et. al. 2007). Traditionally following surgery, a single opioid drug such as morphine is used, depending on the type of surgery performed, for moderate to severe or acute pain (Shorten et. al. 2006). It is argued that patients who receive this monoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœtherapy would prefer to be treated with non ­Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœopioid remedies (Shorten et. al. 2006). According to Mann and Carr (2006) using the monoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœtherapy method only targets one pain pathway and although morphine is considered the gold standard it tends to have many adverse effects. These include a 0.2% risk of respiratory depression, sedation, urinary retention, nausea and vomiting which affects around 30% of patients, itching or pruritus, hypotension or low blood pressure plus confusion and hallucinations in the elderly (Mann and Carr 2006, Rothrock et. al. 2007, Manley and Bellman 1999). Some of these side effects are controlled with antià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœemetics for sickness and antià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhistamines for pruritus (Rothrock et. al. 2007). Combinational drug therapy began in the 1950s (Michielsen 2007). Since then there has been increasing developments in establishing opiate sparing analgesic regimes with fewer side effects for surgical pain (Shorten et. al. 2006). Painkillers such as paracetamol (acetaminophen) can be combined with drugs from the codeine group, tramadol and non-steroidal antià ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) as part of a multimodal regime (Manley and Bellman 1999). This allows for lower doses of individual drugs to be given, reducing the severity of adverse events and targeting more than one pain pathway as each drug has a different mechanism of action (Shorten et. al. 2006). Paracetamol is a universal drug that is generally well tolerated but its mechanisms are not fully understood (Mann and Carr 2006). There are only mild to rare reported occurrences of side effects such as skin rashes and other allergic reactions (Manley and Bellman 1999). Paracetamol, a member of the non-opioid group is one of oldest known synthetic analgesic and antipyretic drugs (Manley and Bellman 1999, p470). Being also an antipyretic paracetamol has the ability to reduce fever temperature (Pudner and Ramsden 2010). It can be administered orally, rectally or intravenously in the form of a prodrug known as perfalgan or propacetamol (Manley and Bellman 1999, Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain 2007). Prodrugs are treatments that need to be broken down in the body before they become active (MedicineNet 2010). It is suggested that paracetamol should be used as part of a multimodal regime for surgical patients experiencing mild to moderate pain (Pudner and Ramsden 2010). Multimodal treatments involve combining drugs to form a compound in order to increase pain relief and reduce opioid adverse effect (Shorten et. al 2006, Manley and Bellman 1999, Pudner and Ramsden 2010). These combinational drugs are regulated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and European Medicines Evaluation Agency (EMEA) and only a limited number has been approved (Shorten et. al 2006, Department of Health 2010). Pharmaceutical companies have also introduced several fixedà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœdoseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcombinations such as coà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœcodamol a combination of codeine phosphate, a weak opioid and paracetamol as well as coà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœdydramol a compound of dihydrocodeine and paracetamol (Shorten et. al 2006, p185). The main side effect of these codeine products is constipation, which can be remedied with a mild laxative (Manley and Bellman 1999). Tramadol, another weak opioid can also be combined with paracetamol (Manley and Bellman 1999). The side effects of tramadol include minimal respiratory depression, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, headache and sweating (Manley and Bellman 1999). Using this drug appears to defeat the object of reducing opiate contraindications but the combination is generally well tolerated and effective for moderate to severe pain (Shorten et. al. 2006). Rothrock et. al (2007) argues that combining NSAIDs with opioid drugs effectively reduces opioid usage by 20-40%. However increased postoperative bleeding and the chances of developing gastrointestinal ulcers cause NSAIDs to be used sparingly for surgical patients ((Rothrock et. al. 2007). The Human Rights Act 1998 states that ethically it is the duty of all healthcare staff to ensure that patients are protected from any form of torture, inhuman and degrading treatment and punishment (Office of Public Sector Information 1998, Article  3). Nurses are also responsible for their actions and as such must be able to justify decisions made or omissions which affect the wellà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœbeing of a patient (Nursing and Midwifery Council 2008). From a surgical nursing perspective this means it is imperative to ensure patients receive good pain management following their operation. However according to a recent study by Dolin, Cashman and Bland (2002) one in five patients still report severe postoperative pain. Manley and Bellman (1999) suggest patients commonly believe that pain is acceptable following surgery. While Pudner and Ramsden (2010) argue that postoperative pain should be controlled and patients should not expect or see pain as inevitable. This literature review aims to firstly evaluate current research and evidence in relation to the use of paracetamol as one part of a multimodal analgesia regime for surgical pain relief. Secondly to use the results to make recommendations for standardising multimodal pain control for postoperative patients and re-educate staff on the importance of effective pain management. METHODOLOGY Search Criteria For this literature review an advanced search was carried out over the internet. The health and medical sciences specific databases of Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medical Literature Online (MEDLINE), Cochrane Library and Internurse.com were explored (Thomas 2000). CINAHL includes full text and is the most relevant source of information for nursing while MEDLINE focuses on life sciences and is produced by the National Library of Medicine (LoBiondo-Wood 2010, p68). The Cochrane Library holds a collection of systematic reviews and Internurse.com has journal articles written by nurses (LoBiondo-Wood 2010, p68). The Cochrane Library was used to determine if any critical reviews had previously been carried out on the subject of paracetamol being used as part of a multimodal regime for postoperative patients. Only 4 papers were found. Internurse.com was exploited for articles containing current knowledge on the use of multimodal therapy for surgical pa tients. These editorials were utilised within the introduction. The keywords or inclusion criteria for the literature search included paracetamol in the title while the words surgical and post operative were left optional to increase the depth of the search. Truncation or wildcards were employed to make the search more sensitive and specific to the topic being researched as follows: surgical surg* and post operative post op* (Gerrish, and Lacey 2006). The search mode was set to Boolean which defines the relationships between words or groups of words in a literature search (LoBiondo-Wood 2010). This process involved using the word AND before the truncated words surg* and post op*. The date time frame was also limited from 2000 to 2010 to ensure that the studies were up to date and relevant to present day policies and procedures for pain control (LoBiondo-Wood 2010). Restrictions were also placed to only include papers that were based on humans, research papers and in the English language. Humans were selected as experiments on animals due to their biological makeup was not considered to be relevant to controlling postoperative pain in human beings. As this is a literature review it was appropriate to only select research papers for analysis. Language was also deemed to be significant as finances and the time schedule to complete the review did not allow for interpretation of the papers from other Dialects. Expanders were included to find papers that had related words and for the search to be carried out within the full text of the articles. Review 8 papers resulted from the above search criteria. These were then screened using inclusion criteria, the titles and abstracts to determine their relevance to relieving surgical pain with multimodal analgesia therapy. The inclusion criteria was trials that included patients who had received paracetamol (acetaminophen) postoperatively, trials that included multimodal therapy, papers that were published within the last 10 years, subjects who were adults as my surgical setting only treats patients over the age of 18 and within a hospital environment. Exclusion criteria were trials that involved animals or children as discussed earlier. The types of interventions could include any routes for drug administration as paracetamol can be administered via intravenous, oral or rectal modes. One paper was excluded from the review at this point as it was a monoà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬Ëœtherapy trial for paracetamol. The remaining 7 papers met with the inclusion criteria and were scored for methodological quality using a critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) containing 10 questions {{488 Public Health Resource Unit (PHRU) 2007}}. The questions were answered yes, no or cant tell for each paper. Using a tool provides a way of systematically appraising what is published and filtering through papers to determine their relevance and accuracy {{427 Crookes, P. and Davies, S. 2004}}.

daves American Civil War :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was a long tiring winter after the Union army pushed the Confederate army further south. The Union captured Forts Henry and Donelson on the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers. This is where I had to take over reporting the war for my brother Mike Bloom who was killed in the line of duty. It was his job that's is now mine John Bloom to report for the Union Observer.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After these courageous Union victories the Confederate army General Sidney Johnston was forced to abandon much of west and middle Tennessee as well as Kentucky. Johnston felt that it was necessary to protect the only all weather access between Richmond and Memphis. Which was the Charleston and Memphis railroad. There he set up a new defensive line.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While this was going on I was stationed at Fort Shiloh with some 40,000 soldiers who were busy drilling yet mostly hanging around grasping the little leisure and rest time they ever saw. I asked one solider who just got out of the creek after a refreshing swim â€Å"Why he was swimming and not training†. His response was â€Å"Didn’t you know that Shiloh is the Hebrew word for place of peace† we both got a good chuckle out of that and he gave me some moon shine.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After talking with the troops I decided it was time to ask the commanding officer who was General Ulysses S. Grant what the plan of action was.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I asked the General if he had any orders his response was â€Å"My superior General H.W. Halleck has ordered me to sit tight at Shiloh and wait for the reinforcement of General Don Carlos Buell and his army from Ohio to arrive.† I then asked him hat did he feel was the catalyst of this war? â€Å" Well in my opinion I fell that if the South just could have thought about their morals and how immoral slavery was which is why the North made it illegal and wanted it abolished from the South.† Are there any other reasons you think the war started? â€Å"Yes I also feel that when the South succeeded from the Union was also a large factor.† Thank you sir for all of that information the people up north will be enveloped with your opinion.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Little did I know that when I was sleeping that the Confederate troops were mounting an attack this night of April 5, 1862.

Silent Features of the British Constitution

The English Constitution has made a great circuit of the globe & has become a common possession of civilized man. (G. B Adams) A Constitution means certain principles on which the Government of the State is organized & which determines the relations between the people & the Government the Constitution of British is unique in nature & has provided inspiration for a number of other constitutions in the world.Following are the salient features of the British Constitution.Unwritten:The British Constitution is unwritten in nature but it does not imply that all of its parts are unwritten. It means that it has not been reduced to writing in a single document. Some of the components are found in written from. Such as the Reform Act, 1832, the Parliament Act of 1911 etc.Evolution Growth:British Constitution is a result of an evolutionary growth. Constitution efforts as well as needs of time shaped its spontaneous growth.Flexible Constitution:British Constitution is a flexible Constitution & p arliament can amend it like alterations in the statutory laws by a simple majority.Unitary:British have unitary constitution. All powers of the state are concentrated in the hands of a single government for the whole country. There are no units or states in British.Bicameralism:The Parliament consists of two chambers House of Lords & House of Commons. The House of commons is a popular chamber whose member directly elected by the people while the House of Lords is basically a hereditary chamber & its member are nominated by the Queen.Supremacy of the Parliament:In U.K, Parliament has complete Supremacy or sovereignty. No law enacted by the parliament can be challenged in the court on the plea that is against the constitution.According To De Loeme:â€Å"British Parliament can do everything except to make a man into a woman†.Constitution Monarchy:From Constitution point of view, the crown is the repository of the entire Government of authority in British.Contrast In Theory & Pra ctice:There is sharp contrast between theory & practice in British As of points out that â€Å"theoretically, British Government is absolute monarchy, its government from signifies constitution monarchy while in practice, the Government structure is closer to republican from.Collective Responsibility:of Commons & the crown.Limited Separation Of Power:In British, there is limited Separation of power. There is concentration of political powers in the parliament while the cabinet which exercises executive power is just a committee of the parliament. Nevertheless many safeguards have been provided especially under Act of Settlement of 1701 to secure the independence of judiciary from under influence on the part of other two branches on the Government.Independence of Judiciary:Necessary safeguards have been provided against all sorts of interference in judicial process. Judges are paid liberal salaries & ensured security of service.Rule of Law:U.K Constitution provides rule of law. The principle of rule of law may be defined as that none of the person in above or below the law. All the persons are equal in the eyes of law. F any person violates the law, he should face the trial of the case in the Government & no person is given imprisonment until his offence is proved in the court.Fundamental Rights:Fundamental rights of the citizens have not been incorporated in the form of a list in the English Constitution. Constitution law is not the creator but a product of fundamental rights, which have been recognized from time to time by the Courts.ConventionsConventions play a vital role in the British political system. A government is formed & removed on the basis of convention. As Prof. Smith says that the conventions are main living source behind the Constitution.Two Party System:Two party system is flourished in British right from the beginning of the parliamentary period. Before the emergence of the present labor party in the second decay of the present century, the fight was between the conservatives & the Liberal party, but now the liberal party has lost its political significance.XVI: Universal Adult Suffrage:Every individual of the age of 18 has the right to vote.Mixed Constitution:The British Constitution is a mixture of the monarchical, aristocratic & democratic principal.Conservativeness:The British Constitution is a symbol of Conservativeness. The trend of the people of U.K is absolutely n favor of old institutions & this concept is existence of conservatism.Establishment of Local Government Institutions:The existence of local Government in U.K. Constitution is another comprehensive feature of the Constitution. Local Government institution is symbols of the civil liberties & freedom of the people.Unreality:Another characteristic of the English Constitution is its unreality. It has righty been pointed out that nothing in it is what seems or seems what it.Conclusion:  To conclude, I can say, that British Constitution in neither absolute ly unwritten nor absolutely written. It is a combination of both & has made a circuit for the globe & has become the common possession of civilized man.

Enron: the smartest guys in the room Essay

Enron Corporation was an energy, commodities, and service company out of Houston, Texas founded by Kenneth Lay in 1985. Lay built natural gas power energy in East Texas which helped Enron’s stock rise. Louis Borget, Andrew Fastow, and Jeffery Skilling were the top management executives from 1985 until 2001. Each helped to bring about the demise of the company in multiple ways. One of the first scandals in Enron involved President Louis Borget and two traders were discovered betting on Enron Stocks. The company books were altered to inflate profits so that the company appeared to be more profitable that it actually was. Borget was diverting company money into personal offshore accounts. Auditors tried to uncover the problem, but Borget and the traders had a separate set of books that they kept from the auditors. Kenneth Lay, who was aware of this unethical practice, and encouraged Borget to continue â€Å"making us millions†, two months later the separate set of books we re brought to the investigators and Enron fired the two traders and Borget had to serve one year in jail. After his biggest money maker was put behind bars Lay needed to find him a new money maker. So Lay hired Jeffrey Skilling to be the CEO. Jeffrey Skilling would only accept job if Enron adopted a mark-to-market accounting strategy. Mark-to-market accounting allowed the company to book potential profits on certain projects immediately after contracts were signed, regardless of the actual profits that the deal would eventually make. This gave Enron the ability to look like they were a profitable company. Skilling put together a performance review committee that graded employees and fired the bottom fifteen percent each year which made the employees very competitive and created a very tough working environment. Traders were very aggressive and they made it to where if you wanted to be in the market you didn’t have a choice to deal with Enron. Trading became the main reported profit for Enron. Skilling hired two guys that became his top lieutenants Lou Pai and Cliff Baxter. They were known as the â€Å"Guy with Spikes†. Baxter was a very smart guy and was Enron’s Chief deal maker. He was manic-depressive and best friends with Skilling. Pai was the CEO of Enron Energy Services. He was  very mysterious guy who employees say was never in the office. Pai only seemed to care about two things, money and strippers. He would bring strippers into the office and would put everything he spent in the strip clubs onto an expense reports to be reimbursed by Enron. All of Pai’s time in the strip clubs caught up to him and caused him to get a divorce. Once he got a divorce he sold all of his stock and resigned from Enron. He came out of Enron better than anyone cashing in his stock and receiving approximately two hundred and fifty million dollars. The division of Enron that Pai ran lost a total of around one billion dollars which was covered up by Enron. Enron had success in the bull market brought on by the dot-com bubble. Enron’s stock prices increased to record prices. The games was called â€Å"pump and dump† top executives would pump up the stock prices and then sell their million dollar options. Everyone at Enron was consumed with the stock price. Stock prices were even posted in the elevators for everyone to see. Enron launched a PR campaign to make itself look profitable even with all aspects of the company operating poorly. Skilling’s philosophy was to take high risks because these deals would make more money. One of these high risk deals was building a power plant in India, which nobody wanted to do because India could not afford the high prices. The company lost a billion dollars on this project but that fact was covered up by Skilling. The company paid out multi-million dollar bonus to executive on non-existent profits. Enron bought out Portland General Energy which gave them access to the deregulated market of California. All of the employees in PGE had bought their stock so when Enron took over all of the stock PGE stock became Enron. The Portland General Energy workers had always invested their 401k into stock which converted to Enron. These employees continued to purchase stock because of their trust in Enron. Enron’s main motivation for buying the company was to operate in California since they held the highest demand for energy in the United States. Enron’s traders would trick California’s electricity supply and export the energy to another state causing California to have blackouts. By California having these black outs they raised the energy rate in the state. Although Enron’s stock prices were steadily rising, the company was losing a lot of money. Skilling turned the company  into cyber space. They attempted to use broadband technology to deliver movies on demand and â€Å"trade weather† like a commodity. Both of the marketing strategies failed miserably. By using mark-to-market accounting they booked 53 million dollar in earnings on a deal that didn’t make a penny. Once they figured out they could not hide the company’s losses, the top executives started selling their stock. Enron was named the â€Å"most admired† corporation by Fortune magazine for the six years in a row. Jim Chanos, an Enron investor, and Bethany McLean, a Fortune reporter, both questioned the company’s financial statements and stock value. McLean tried to talk to Skilling about the irregularities but Skilling went on the defensive calling McLean unethical. Skilling sent three executives to meet with her and Fortune’s editor including CFO Andy Fastow. Andy Fastow was the main one keeping Enron running. He was cooking the books making it look like Enron was making a profit even though the company was more than 30 billion dollars in debt. Fastow created two limited partnerships, LJM1 and LJM2, for the purpose of buying Enron’s poorly performing stocks to improve its financial statements. Fastow had to go before the board of directors to get an exemption to run these two companies as well as Enron. This was a definite conflict of interest. He also had personal financial stake in these company’s either directly or through a partner. He made millions of dollars defrauding Enron. He pressured the investment banks such as Merrill Lynch, Citibank to invest by threatening them with loss of Enron’s bus iness if they did not. He had analysts fired who threatened to report Enron for wrong doings. A good sound ethics policy was established when Enron was formed. The problems occurred when the policy was not followed. By not following the ethics policy put in place, employees and management were encouraged to take risks thereby encouraging unethical behavior which ultimately brought down the company. Enron went bankrupt in 2001 due in large part to widespread fraud in company operating policies. The top executives were the main ones practicing unethical behavior in the company. By the top executives behaving unethically lower level employees followed their example. As long as Enron was making money no one cared how they went about doing it. In 2001, these unethical actions over the past decade and half caught up with Enron’s top executives and employees. Twenty thousand employees lost their job, medical insurance and employees also lost1.2 billion in retirement funds. Enron’s top executives were paid bonuses totaling 55 million and cashed in their stock at approximately 116 million dollars. Even though some of the executives mad e money in the deal they had to face criminal charges which placed some in prison and some still have pending cases. If Enron has survived their collapse in 2001 and I were to be a consultant for Enron, I would make sure that the code of ethics booklet that all employees read and signed before taking the job at Enron were followed. Employees and executives would have to take part in ethics training to be sure that they understand the book completely. Enron would have to have commitment from all of the executive positions to follow these rules and also enforce them even if the unethical actions were making the company more money. There would have to be a zero tolerance rule in place that everyone understood. All employees acting inappropriately would be reprimanded as established in the code of ethics booklet. Work cited Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room. Dir. Alex Gibney. By Alex Gibney, Peter Elkind, Bethany McLean, and Peter Coyote. Magnolia Pictures, 2005

Give a comparative, cross-national account of social policy in the field of gender equality and family policies.

Abstract Attempts to rebalance the gender inequality that exists in society have been made for many years, yet the extent to which these have worked is unclear. Various social policies have been implemented by welfare state to protect women against inequality, though different ideas generally exist as to what is acceptable within society. Such ideas have changed considerably over time and women are no longer being discriminated against as they once were, yet gender bias is still prevalent. It remains to be seen whether this will ever be completely eradicated as different countries will continue to perceive gender inequality in a different manner. The social policies, relating to gender equality, of two countries will be examined in this study to in order to consider the extent to which these have proven effective in combating discrimination. Introduction An ideology is a set of ideas as to how society should behave and generally forms the basis of economic and political theory. Ideologies have usually been created by those who dominant society and are usually formed as a result of common interests. It cannot be said that ideology is reflective of the whole of society and instead there exists differing views and opinions as to what an ‘ideal’ world is (Eagleton, 1991: 3). However, as expressed by Kania (1988: 1) a large amount of the existing literature in this area that is devoted to Marxist thought highlights the â€Å"diversity of opinion, values and policy advocated by persons associated with that label†. Despite these differences, ideology has been considered discriminatory in nature as those who dominate it are often biased. This was recognised by Curra who pointed out that ideology only â€Å"serves the interests of one segment of a society more than all other segments† (2000: 6). It therefore seems likely in light of this assertion that one segment of society will benefit from ideology, whilst other segments will not. This is largely reflected in gender equality and family policies as many still consider the so-called nuclear family to be the norm in contemporary society (Sudha, 2000: 184). However, it cannot be said that the nuclear family does actually reflect the majority in society and so the associated ideology could be seen as outmoded (Saggers and Sims, 2009: 173). This study will compare the social policies of France and Germany in the field of gender equality and family policies in order to demonstrate the extent to which gender equality is being attained. The applicability gender equality and family policy has in France and Germany to functionalism and path dependency will also be considered. Gender Equality and Family Policy Gender inequality was first brought to the public’s attention in 1970 when the feminist movement highlighted the struggles women were being subjected to as a natural part of their everyday life (Meer 2013: 4). This was followed by the suffrage movements in the 19th and 20th centuries, whereby suffragettes pioneered for the right for women to vote (Foghlam Alba, 2012: 1). During this period, certain groups of society viewed males as being the breadwinners, whilst women were considered the homemakers. Because of this conception, a lack of financial support was provided to women by the welfare state as it was believed that women could rely on the income of their husbands (Herring: 2007; p. 262). Women were far less likely to leave their husbands as a result of this, which could be one of the main reasons why there has been a huge increase in the divorce in recent years (Benson, 2013: 1). It was apparent by many that social policy changes were needed to rectify this imbalance and thus provide women with better protection against inequality (United Nations, 2013: 1). Some feminists believed that ideology was the cause of such inequality and that unless all nation states adopt effective gender equality social policies, women will continue to be treated unfavourably in society (George and Wilding: 1985; p. 122). Some feminists argue that unless equality within family structures is addressed, women will never be completely free regardless as to what social policies’ have been implemented by the welfare state (Craven, 2005: 3). This was recognised by Fraser who was of the view that the policies of existing welfare states are based on assumptions about gender that are â€Å"increasingly out of phase with many people’s lives and self-understandings† (1994: 591). It cannot be said that women are being provided with sufficient protection within society, yet gender inequality is still one of the most important principles that is contained in the human rights law of the European Union (EU). The EU continues to make progress in the tackling of gender discrimination, as exemplified by Article 14 of the European Convention of Human Rights, though it cannot be said that all nation states adopt the same approach as the EU. Consequently, unless gender equality is being instilled into the frameworks of all welfare states, gender discrimination will be likely to remain. Regardless of the EU’s gender equality policies, nonetheless, women continue to be treated less favourably than men and as it has been recognised by Radacic; that despite the pronouncements of gender discrimination, inequality of still persists (2008: 841). It cannot be said that EU policy has had much of an effect in establishing complete equality between the genders, though it is questionable whether it ever will (Mill and Okin, 1988: 1). Hence, it has been pointed out that although the EU has paved the way for more equal gender rights in areas such as marriage and employment, inequality persists when it comes to domestic violence, pay and the division of labour (Pascall, 2000: 240). It seems as though the EU has made great attempts towards the attainment of gender equality, yet these have not proven sufficient. Further changes therefore need to be made to ensure that women are not being treated unfavourably to men. Gender Equality and family policies in West Germany Social policy in Germany appears largely to reflect ideological principles, in that males are considered breadwinners, whilst females are considered homemakers. The German people are generally of the view that women should not go out to work and that they should instead stay at home to look after the childrenHence, as illustrated by Peters; â€Å"Men’s stereotypical role in Germany is one of the income – earning breadwinner, who leaves the house for work in the morning and comes back in the evening† (2001: 93). Although this may be a common belief throughout Germany, it does not provide a true reflection of the gender roles. Women are frequently choosing to work as opposed to staying at home, yet the gender pay gap is also increasing. Germany’s pay gap has thus been widely criticised for being one of the largest in the EU and the EU Commission suggest that this is getting worse (European Commission, 2012: 1). Davis and Robinson believe that much of this g ender bias is caused by the policies that are being held by families and societal ideals. does seem to have some validity, and social policies still need to be reformed in Germany so that gender equality is being addressed appropriately. Arguably, if effective policies are implemented in Germany, it is likely that this will cause the policies held by families to also change (Seeleib-Kaiser, 2007: 2). This alone will not be sufficient to bring about gender equality, and attitudes will also need to change. It has been suggested by Davis and Robinson that women with employed husbands are less likely to be supported than women with unemployed husbands. This is because, husbands in employment are unlikely to be supportive of efforts to reduce gender inequality (1991: 72). This suggests that women are less likely to advance in society if they receive a lack of support from their husbands. This shows how men can impact the achievement of gender equality. The social policies that exist in Germany should therefore be amended so that gender equality can be improved. At present, women do not receive adequate support from the government (Gelb and Palley, 2009: 368), though as noted by the OECD some are of the view that if greater support is provided to women, they will be less likely to have children which will have an overall impact upon the German population (OECD, 2008: 15). Conversely, it was in fact found by the OECD that countries with policies that facilitate female employment are those with the highest fertility rates† (2008: 15). Instead of reducing the population, further support would in fact increase it which is considered integral to economic growth (OECD, 2007: 7). Arguably, the limited support for working mothers in Germany has resulted in women postponing childbearing so that they can instead enter the workforce in order to financially support themselves. This has an effect upon economic growth (WILPF International, 2013: 1), though it has been said that social policy in Germany is a work in progress and that attempts to reinforce childcare is being made (Spiegel, 2012: 1). Gender Equality and family policies in France In comparison with Germany, social policy in France does actually appear to reflect the ideas of contemporary society, and is thus more favourable to women. This was identified by Rodgers when it was noted that; â€Å"France has a more conscious, clearly defined concept of family policy, which finds expression in statutory and voluntary institutions whose primary or even sole purpose is to promote the welfare of the family† (2009: 113). Statutory benefits in France are also provided, as of right, to both parents. This demonstrates how gender equality is more adequate in France than it is in Germany (Rogers, 2009: 113). This is due to the support women receive in France by the French government and the favourable family policies that exist. Significant support for childcare is also being provided by France and their allowance system is particularly generous (European Union, 2014: 1). The support that is provided to women is thus intended to allow a work-life balance to be achie ved. This approach does appear to be working given the high fertility and employments rates of women with children (European Commission, 2014: 1). Hence, it has been argued that the high fertility rates in France is due to France’s consistent family policy and the excellent employment prospects women are said to have (Del Boca, 2008: 2). Monetary benefits are a key feature of France’s family policy (Cleiss, 2013: 1). This generosity has been considered necessary in supporting women and removing gender inequality in France. Yet not all agree with this approach and it has instead been argued that whilst women in France receive a number of different benefits such as; paid, four-month maternity leaves; tax breaks for having more children; and other family-friendly government subsidies, â€Å"their country lags behind many other nations in gender equality† (MNT, 2010: 1). This suggests that although a number of social policies have been established in France that intend to provide greater support to women, not all believe that gender inequality is eradicated and instead argued that outdated societal attitudes regarding women are still prevalent (Girling, 2002: 126). Nevertheless, France’s benefit system does appear to be a lot more generous than Germany’s, which might be suggested leads to grea ter equality between the sexes. However, it seems as though complete equality is still not being attained. There still appears to be a gender pay gap between men and women in France, and women continue to be treated differently in general (European Commission, 2013: 10). Arguably, it is clear from these findings that social policies may not actually remove the gender inequalities that persist within society and that the attitudes of individuals also need to be changed. Functionalist and path dependency to gender equality and family policies Functionalism has been described as a philosophy of mind in that a particular mental state will be dependent on the role it plays on the cognitive system in which it is a part of. In effect, functionalists view the identity of mental states as being determined by its casual relations to sensory stimulations, behaviour and other mental states (Stanford, 2004: 1). Functionalism is clearly prevalent within the approaches that are being employed in both Germany and France since functionalists view gender inequality as a product of traditional ideology within society (Isajiw, 2013: 129). Given that gender inequality is still prevalent within both Germany and France it might be though that social policies cannot change traditional ideology. Pre-existing notions of the ideal family will be likely to remain and individuals will thus conform to the roles that have been provided to them by society. Whilst gender roles have changed substantially in contemporary societies, functionalists believ e that traditional arrangements remain in force (Giddens and Griffiths, 2006: 467). This is what appears to be happening in France because although social policy has been advanced, gender inequality still exists as a result of traditional arrangements. Furthermore, whilst social policy in Germany is not as supportive of women as it is in France, the same applies here and traditional arrangements continue to prevail. Path dependency is a term that is used to describe the idea that history matters and that we are today a product of what has happened in the past (Margolis, 1996: 1). Path dependency is also reflective of gender equality in Germany and France in that past decisions influence future decisions. This is so regardless of whether the circumstances are still relevant (Arthur, 1994: 33). Historical viewpoints are therefore being maintained despite the fact that this no longer provides a true reflection of reality and as put by Skocpol; â€Å"the development trends of social modernization may face legacies of path dependent cultural and institutional organisation† (1992: 8). Gender equality is affected by this and improvements to the lives and wellbeing of women is stifled. Alexander and Welzel argue that; â€Å"path dependent processes with respect to women’s suffrage policy may affect the potential to increase gender equality in particular societies† (2014: 9). Again, this demonstrates why women continue to be paid less than men in both Germany and France. This results from the historical gender inequality practices because as stated by Bjornskov et al; â€Å"because of the path dependence of the unfolding human life, gender inequality in the early eighties might equally affect today’s opportunities, choices and aspiration levels† (2007: 2). This will continue to affect the way women are treated in the future and it is arguable whether discrimination against women will ever be eradicated. Conclusion Overall, it has been argued that ideological beliefs will continue to influence the ways women are treated in society, and regardless of the social policies that are implemented by welfare states, gender inequality will continue to persist. This is because the traditional roles of males and females will continue to be prevalent within all aspects of life as women will continue to take on the role of a homemaker, whilst men will continue to take on the role of a breadwinner in certain groups of society. Ideology is largely responsible for these inequalities and women will continue to be treated differently to men as a result. This is evidenced in both Germany and France regardless of the fact that their social policy strategies are different and demonstrates how ideology will continue to dominate contemporary society. Thus, women in Germany are treated far less favourably than the women in France, yet both countries are similar when it comes to gender inequality. An example of this ca n be seen in relation to the gender pay gaps which are widespread amongst both nation states. 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(2013) ‘Struggles for Gender Equality: Reflections on the place of men and men’s organisations’, Open Debate, Online] Available: http://www.osisa.org/sites/default/files/sup_files/open_debate_2_-_reflections_on_the_place_of_men_and_mens_organisations_in_the_struggle_for_gender_equality.pdf [02 April 2014]. Mill, J. S. and Okin, S. M. (1988) The Subjection of Women, Hackett Publishing Co. MNT. (2010) ‘Gender Inequality Persists in France Despite Family-Focused Benefits’ [Online] Available: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/204545.php [03 April 2014]. OECD. (2007) ‘Babies and Bosses – Reconciling Work and Family Life’ A Synthesis of Findings for OECD Countries. OECD. (2008) ‘Gender and Sustainable Development’ Maximising the Economic, Social and Environmental Role of Women. Pascall, G. (2000) Gender and Social Policy: Comparing Welfare States in Central and Eastern Europe and the former Societ Union’ Journal of European Social Policy, Volume 10, Number 3. Peters, D. (2001) ‘Breadwinners, Homemakers and Beasts of Burden: A Gender Perspective on Transport and Mobility’ Institute for City and Regional Planning, Sustainable Development International, 93-100. Radacic, I. (2008) ‘Critical Review of Jurisprudence: An Occasional Series: Gender Equality Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights’, European Journal of International Law, Issue 4, EJIL 2008 19 (841). Rodgers, B. N. (2009) ‘Family Policy in France’ Journal of Social Policy, Volume 4, Issue 2. Saggers, S. Dodd, J. and Wildy, H. (2009) ‘Constructing the ‘ideal’ family for family-centred practice: challenges for delivery’ Disability and Society, Volume 24, Issue 2. Seeleib, M. K. (2007) ‘Innovative ways of coping with old and new challenges: Enterprises as actors of family policy’, Family Policies in Britain and Germany, [Online] Available: http://www.socialpolicy.ed.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/10108/Family_Policy_in_Britain_and_Germany_Midpoint_Conference171107.pdf [02 April 2014]. Skocpol, T. (1992) Protecting Soldiers and Mothers: The Political Origins in Social Policy in the United States, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Stanford. (2004) ‘Functionalism’ [Online] Available: http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/functionalism/ [07 April 2014]. Sudha, D. K. (2000) Gender Roles, New Delhi: APH Publishing. WILPF International. (2014) ‘Racism and Gender Inequality in Germany’ Peace & Freedom, [Online] Available: http://www.wilpfinternational.org/racism-and-gender-inequality-in-germany/ [02 April 2014]. Give a comparative, cross-national account of social policy in the field of gender equality and family policies. Introduction Social policy is the term that is used to describe the various principles, guidelines, legislative provisions and activities that impact human welfare. Social policy has thus been defined as an analysis of societies responses to social need (Lewis, 2013: 1) and has been said to focus on certain aspects of the economy that are concerned with basic human needs. Nevertheless, different societies have developed different ways to meet social policy needs. Whilst some rely primarily upon ideological beliefs within family institutions, others rely on the actions of individuals and governmental activities (Lewis, 2013: 1). Ideology plays an important part in social policy as it is the belief that individuals should behave in a way that is consistent with the goals and expectations of the most dominant in society. There are many different views and opinions that exist in respect of ideology (Kania, 1988: 1), yet it has been considered extremely discriminatory as it only â€Å"serves the inte rests of one segment of a society more than all other segments† (Curra, 2000: 6). One particular group of people therefore benefit more than other groups, which is the case when it comes to gender equality and family policies. (Brown et al; 2010: 9). The nuclear family, which is the traditional family structure that consists of two parents and children, is still being considered the ideal in many cultural, family and social settings. This is so despite the fact that â€Å"contemporary families now comprise a diverse range of different family and so-called non family types† (Saggers and Sims, 2009: 173). Although ideals are necessary in helping people to identify right from wrong, too much reliance should not be placed on ideology as this will otherwise result in inequality. A significant amount of the gender bias that currently exists has stemmed from ideology (Bjornskov et al, 2007). This is extremely dangerous and demonstrates how important gender regimes (as policy l ogics) in welfare states are in integral to equality. For example, in domestic violence cases, women are treated unfavourably on the basis that it was previously deemed acceptable for a man to beat his wife (Brown et al, 2010). This has produced many problems over the years and is still an on-going concern for many countries, which will be identified in this study (Cleiss, 2013). Thus, a comparative, cross-national account of social policy in the field of gender equality and family policies will be considered. This will be done by comparing social policy in Germany and France and demonstrating whether gender equality is attainable. Gender Equality and Family Policy in Germany and France The 1970’s new social feminist movement was the first time gender inequality was brought to the public’s attention as domestic violence was previously considered â€Å"part of the rough and tumble of marital life† (Herring: 2007; p. 262). This gender bias not only happened in the context of domestic violence but it was also becoming a natural part of everyday life. Males were considered to be breadwinners, whilst females were the homemakers. Because females were considered totally dependent on the male breadwinner, a lack of financial and support existed for women and there was a dire need for social policy changes to be implemented in order to reduce the gender inequality women were being subjected to (Curra, 2000). Feminists believed that this gender inequality was the result of ideology and that gender equality should become a vital part of social policy across all nation states (George and Wilding: 1985; p. 122). Feminism is prevalent within different jurisdi ctions and has been considered a â€Å"diverse collection of social theories, political movements, and moral philosophies and aims to understand the nature of gender inequality and focuses on gender politics, power relations and sexuality† (EKU, 2012: 1). Feminists’ believe that individuals cannot achieve complete freedom so long as inequality continues to persist and that humanity is therefore unattainable. Regardless of this, the gender inequality that exists within family structures is still being recognised as a global issue and is prevalent both in Germany and France. This is partly due to the cultural practices of these societies as cultural relativism is still being used to condone such inequality (Craven, 2005: 3). In addition, as put by Fraser; â€Å"existing welfare states are premised on assumptions about gender that increasingly out of phase with many people’s lives and self-understandings† (1994: 591). It seems as though inadequate social protection is being provided to women in both countries, although France’s social policy regime does appear more favourable to women than Germany’s. This is evidenced by the fact that Germany holds a strong preference for the typical nuclear family ideal and continues to view males as breadwinners and females as homemakers. It is a common belief throughout Germany that women should not work and that they should instead be stay at home mums. This was identified by Peters when he pointed out that; â€Å"Men’s stereotypical role in Germany is one of the income – earning breadwinner, who leaves the house for work in the morning and comes back in the evening† (2001: 93). Because of the stereotypical role that is still being employed in Germany, women end up performing two roles. This is because contemporary women no longer stay at home to look after children and instead choose to become income earners. Furthermore, th e pay gap between men and women in Germany continues to widen and has been criticised for being much wider than other EU states, including France. The European Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding presented the results from the Eurobarometer on Gender Equality in 2010 and concluded that Germany’s figures were getting much worse: â€Å"In 2007, the gap was 23 percent; in 2006, 22.7 percent† (European Commission, 2012: 1). In a study conducted by Davis and Robinson, however, it was evidenced that much of the gender bias stems from family policies and the ideals that have been created by society. Hence, it was demonstrated that well-educated males are less supportive of reducing gender inequality: â€Å"women with employed husbands are less supportive of efforts to reduce gender inequality than women without a male wage earner† (1991: 72). This prevents women from advancing within society and demonstrates how men are capable of stifling the attainment of gender equa lity in Germany. In contrast to the male dominated ideologies that exist Germany, social policies in France do actually appear to be more akin to contemporary society. This has been illustrated by Rodgers who noted that; â€Å"France has a more conscious, clearly defined concept of family policy, which finds expression in statutory and voluntary institutions whose primary or even sole purpose is to promote the welfare of the family† (2009: 113). Both parents of the nuclear family are also entitled to various statutory benefits as of right, which signifies how gender equality is better attained in France than it is in Germany (Rogers, 2009: 113). France has a significant amount of support for women and has had an extensive policy in favour of families for a very long time. A wide range of childcare services are provided in France as well as an allowance system that is deemed extremely generous (European Union, 2014: 1). Such support is intended to encourage and assist parents in finding a work life balance and is clearly working given that France has higher fertility and employments rates of women with children compared to the rest of the EU’s member states (European Commission, 2014: 1). It has been said that the high fertility rates in France largely result from the consistent family policy in France as well as the good employment prospects provided to women (Del Boca, 2008: 2). One of the key characteristics of France’s family policy is the monetary benefits, also known as family allowance. The monetary benefits that are provided to families under this system include child benefit, flat-rate allowance, family income supplement, family support allowance, birth/adoption grant, basic allowance, supplement for free choice of working time and free choice of childcare, education allowance, back-to-school allowance, daily parental attendance allowance, family housing allowance and moving allowance (Cleiss, 2013: 1). In view of the support women are provided with in France, it seems as though Germany’s social policies on gender equality should be strengthened. This is especially so in the labour market where this appears to be amongst the worst of all EU member states. Therefore, not only do women in Germany receive significantly lower pay packets to men but they also receive a lack of support from the government (Curra, 2000). There a widespread misconception in Germany that if family friendly policies are implemented to assist working women, this will lead to them having fewer children, which will decrease the population overall (Giddins and Griffiths, 2006). However, it has been evidenced that â€Å"countries with policies that facilitate female employment are those with the highest fertility rates† (OECD, 2008: 15). This resultantly increases the future supply of workers, which inevitably leads to sustained growth (OECD, 2007: 7). Furthermore, the practices being employed in Fra nce appear to discredit the view that the population will be decreased if further support is provided to women, as this has not happened here and the fertility rates in Germany are low as a result of the lack of support for working mothers. This is due to the fact that women in Germany are more likely to postpone childbearing in order to enter the workforce, which stifles economic growth in the long term (Hering, 2007). Women are thus said to be â€Å"facing difficulties to reconcile family, domestic workload and paid work† (WILPF International, 2013: 1). It has been said that the German government is working on this issue at present and has made great attempts to reinforce child daily care (Fraser, 1994), yet it is arguable whether this is proving effective given the cultural relativism that Germany is submersed with. The generosity of France is illustrative of the support that is given to contemporary families and demonstrates how France’s social family policies are workable in attaining gender equality. Not all agree with this, however, and it has instead been argued that; â€Å"although French women receive paid, four-month maternity leaves; tax breaks for having more children; and other family-friendly government subsidies, their country lags behind many other nations in gender equality† (MNT, 2010: 1). This, it has been said, is largely because of outmoded attitudes about the role of women in society (Girling, 2002: 126). Women continue to earn less than men; they are still being viewed as homemakers and also hold few positions of power European Commission, 2013: 10). This is also the case for those women that remain childless (Milj and Okin, 1988), which suggests that although France provides better support to women, gender inequality still persists. Accordingly, women continue to be treated differently to men regardless of what policies are put into practice. It is questionable whether gender equality can ever be fully attained giv en the attempts that have been made to do so over the years. EU law has made significant attempts to ensure men and women receive equal pay for equal work, though it has been difficult for this to be accomplished. Article 141 of the Treaty of Amsterdam (which amended Article 119 of the Treaty of Rome), obliges member states to ensure that men and women always receive equal pay for equal work, yet it is often difficult to demonstrate that this is not being achieved. This is because the burden of proof is on the applicant to show that, on the balance of probabilities, their comparator is doing work of equal value to theirs or like work, which is considerably difficult (Equality and Human Rights Commission, 2010, p. 1). It is therefore clear from these findings that whilst France does provide greater support to women than Germany does, gender inequalities still exist. France’s social policies thereby need to be rectified so that better equality is being attained. The first step would be to close the gender pay gap, yet it remains to be seen whether this would achieve complete equality as the traditional family model will remain prevalent. Functionalism and path dependency to gender equality and family policies Functionalist’s are of the view that an individuals’ mental state is determined by the role in which they have been provided with in society. Functionalist’s therefore view gender inequality as being a product of traditional societal ideologies (Saggers et al, 2009). This is reflected by the inequality that currently exists within Germany and France. Hence, the traditional nuclear family is still being given due consideration despite the fact that modern family structures are widely diverse. Because individuals have always been taught what the traditional roles of men and women are, individuals tend to conform to such requirements. This is still happening today, whether consciously or not, and is one of the main reasons why gender equality is difficult to attain. Consequently, whilst women are provided with better support in France than they are in Germany, many of the underlying inequalities women are subjected to remain. This is because societal attitudes towar ds men and women have remained the same, regardless as to what social policies have been implemented, as is also the case in Germany. Hence, it is apparent that whilst gender roles in both societies have changed substantially, traditional arrangement remains in force (Giddens and Griffiths, 2006: 467). Social policy in France has advanced significantly over the years and is very supportive of women, yet gender inequality is still prevalent because of the traditional arrangement that remains in force. This is also the case in Germany despite the fact that less support is provided to women as some attempts to close the pay gap have been made, yet it seems impossible for gender equality to be obtained. Path dependency theoretically explains how past decisions influence future ones, regardless as to whether the circumstances are still relevant. It is therefore clear from this theory that history is an important part of the future and shapes the way individuals behave. This theory is reflective of the gender equality and family policy approach that is being adopted in Germany and France. This is because historical viewpoints are being maintained regardless of the fact that the nuclear family is no longer considered the ‘norm’ in contemporary society. As identified by Skocpol; â€Å"the development trends of social modernization may face legacies of path dependent cultural and institutional organisation† (1992: 8). This affects the advancement of gender equality and restricts the ability to improve the lives of women. Because the emergence of social policy is determined by past influences, the typical family ideal is likely to remain instilled in society. This prev ents the modernisation of social policy, which explains why the traditional family model continues to subsist within social and family policy. Furthermore, as noted by Alexander and Welzel; â€Å"path dependent processes with respect to women’s suffrage policy may affect the potential to increase gender equality in particular societies† (2014: 9). This is why women continue to be paid lower than men in Germany and France regardless of the current changes that are being made to achieve equality. This occurs because of the historical gender inequality practices that were being employed because as was pointed out; â€Å"because of the path dependence of the unfolding human life, gender inequality in the early eighties might equally affect today’s opportunities, choices and aspiration levels† (Bjornskov et al; 2007: 2). Past discrimination thereby affects the way women are viewed in society today and will continue to have an impact in the future. Gender equality is still one of the main fundamental principles the EU continually strives for (Article 14 of the European Union’s Convention on Human Rights), yet despite the various policies that have been adopted women are still being treated unfavourably to men. This was recognised by Radacic who argued that; â€Å"notwithstanding these pronouncements, inequality of women in the member states of the Council of Europe persists† (Radacic, 2008: 841). The EU has therefore been largely impotent in challenging gender discrimination and achieving gender equality and although women and men are becoming more equal over the years, â€Å"a principle of perfect equality† (Mill and Okin, 1988: 1) is still not being established in countries such as Germany and France. Adequate family and childcare policies that allow for gender equality therefore need to be implemented, which could be achieved by employing strategies that; encourage female labour market participation, rem ove the gender bias ideologies, provide adequate childcare, promote children’s education and well being and allow for flexible labour. It is unlikely that much of the gender bias that is currently in place will be removed, though there will certainly be some improvements. Germany should be more supportive of women and France should make further attempts to close the pay gap. Conclusion Overall, traditional ideological practices continue to be adopted in Germany and France when it comes to gender equality and family policy. Because of this, women continue to be treated differently to men. It is questionable whether this can ever be rectified given that gender inequality is viewed as a product of traditional societal ideologies. In Germany, women are given less support than they are in France whose social policies appear to be more akin to contemporary society. In spite of this, however, gender inequality is still prevalent throughout France. This is evidenced by the large gender pay gap and the fact that traditional ideologies are still prevalent across all social policy methods. This illustrates that regardless of what social policies welfare states implement, gender inequality will still persist. Improvements to social policy would still benefit the economy, nonetheless, and would develop gender equality further. In Germany, there is a pressing need for greater su pport to be provided to women as well as reducing the gender pay gap, whereas in France the main focus is on the latter. It is doubtful that complete equality would be achieved in light of the fact that the traditional family model remains intact, yet vast improvements could certainly be made. 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