Limit television watching and computer time Essay

Sedentary lifestyles promote obesity, so it is important to limit hours spent sitting idly in front of the television or computer. When a child is allowed to spend more time in front of the television or playing computer games they are more likely to stay there than engage in physical activities like playing and running. It is also of note that the child who spends time in front of the television or the computer is more likely to consume junk food while watching television and playing computer games, especially if the adult permits such. Set aside specific times to spend outdoors It is also of note that it might be wise to actually plan times to spend outdoors, one weekend or a day to spend outside in the park. Family activities to be spend outside of the house like the park or backyard playing backyard basketball or football or simple activities like playing tag or swimming can be utilized in order to promote outdoor activity. Do not allow television inside the children’s room Research indicates that about 77% of children have television sets in their rooms (Kaiser Family Foundation report, 1999). This promotes laziness in the child, lying in bed while watching television that may also include munching on junk foods and chocolate. Adapt an active lifestyle Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Or if the school is near, walking to school might also be a good idea. It might be of note that parents who are more active enables their children to be more active as well. Forget the no pain, no gain theory Children should be taught to enjoy physical activities not an activity to be afraid of. It is a lifelong theory but one must surmise that a child may not be susceptible to such and they might not be adaptable to any activity that might require them to feel pain so this theory should be junked and that physical activity should be considered as fun and enjoyable to the child rather than hard labor, so it is imperative that physical activity interventions should be aimed at being enjoyable and fun for a child lest risk the child not doing the activity at all. Plan for a variety of Activities This is so to avoid monotony and boredom, especially in children who are more often than not easily distracted and easily bored by repetitive activities. It is important that the child not become bored with the activity so it is imperative that a child has a variety of activities that will help avoid monotony and help increase interest. One may note that a child, even an adult can become easily bored when they are subjected to repetitive activities. Enhancing the intervention program to be varied and fun will help the child stay into the program rather than feel that it is a boring tasked to be endured and not to be enjoyed. One may realize that in order for any program to derive successful outcomes, it is recommended that family members participate in programs patterned for the obese child, it can be noted that parents and sibling that serve as role models for these children often feel loved and therefore can provide better success of the programs (CDC 1997). Riding bicycles, Outdoor walks or swimming activities can be fun activities that also make children feel good and may not be construed as a chore they need to do to lose weight; it can just be construed as a family activity when parents and siblings are involved, rather than a taxing responsibility they must endure in order to please the parent and become more healthy. The Centers for Disease Control recommends schools set up policies that encourage enjoyable, lifelong physical activity among young adults. (CDC, 1997). Their guidelines state, â€Å"Physical education should emphasize skills for lifetime physical activities (e. g. , dance, strength training, and jogging. Swimming, bicycling, cross-country skiing, walking, and hiking) rather than those for competitive sports. † (CDC, 1997) These experts also advocate that activities to enhance fitness and adaptation of a more healthy behavior become an important aspect of the family’s lifestyle. Developing an After school Wellness Program As the child’s school tends to be the second home of most children, with them spending half of their lifetimes in school and good deal of their days there, it can be considered as a good avenue to start a wellness program for children, not necessarily the obese ones, in order to help prevent and cure the worsening case of obesity in children. This increasing occurrence of obesity in children may be attributed in part to increased sedentary behavior, such as watching television, which leads to less energy expended in physical activity. It has been theorized that by middle school, many children lack the physical skills or self-confidence to participate in competitive physical activities and involvement in various activities in school It is believed that an increased physical activity relative to the customary physical activities at home. The aim of the afterschool program should be, information dissemination and education, activities that enhance physical movements like dance exercises and sports activities, and other outdoor activities like games that promote physical activities, gardening and adventure education plus development of good eating habits by healthy cook outs and development of new healthy recipes by the children themselves, this can and will encourage children’s eating habits.

Value Management

Q. 1 Using your emerging knowledge of Value Management (VM), critically appraise the report and make suggestions as to how the VM study might have been run differently / more effectively. A Value Management report is the basis to a well-constructed project in the sense that all parties involved or potentially affected will be content with the final outcome. It is vital to understand and elaborate on the key aspects that determine a value management study in order to gain an agreeable conclusion. Often these guidelines are met, yet comparatively and with no due culpability, some guidelines are overseen. The causes of these significant errors are often mistakes and rarely intentional however they greatly skew the findings and lead to inevitable issues raised in the future. The Value Management Workshop Report, dated 26 November 2009, is focused on the Road and Traffic Authority’ (RTA) Mount Victoria to Lithgow Project. It incorporates many of the procedures and strategies that are set out in a report titled Total Asset Management, September 2004, which has been developed by New South Wales Government Treasury’s Office. This particular documents basis is value management guideline. In order to construct an argument as to how the Mount Victoria to Lithgow Project workshop could have been run differently and more effectively I will juxtapose these two documents. There are two main criteria that will be focused on; the stages of a Value Management and when such stages should be initiated and pre workshop planning and what it should comprise of. For a major project/program, several Value Management studies may be needed, for example at the service planning stage, the concept development stage, at the construction stage, at the operation and maintenance stage and, ultimately, at disposal’. (Value Management guideline, 2004) There is no question that the 6 major stages of a project listed above require a Value Management Plan. In this particular instance the concept development stage is the main focus of the RTA report. Concept development should include the scope of the project, what the project a ims to achieve and the general reasoning behind such a development. The general concept of this proposed project can be described as ‘light’ meaning that the reason for undertaking a public infrastructure project, estimated in excess of $275 million excluding the three phases included in the Mount Victoria section, is a little unclear. It is stated that ‘The highway upgrade work that has already been completed [on The Great Western Highway] has led to improved travel times for motorists and a safer road environment for all motorists, pedestrians and cyclists’. RTA: Mount Victoria to Lithgow Project, 26 November 2009) The New South Wales Governments plan to upgrade state roads, is therefore a green light to develop and upgrade new roads as the RTA deems fit. There is no thought or mention of rejuvenating existing infrastructure, which would be presumably economically healthier and time efficient. Although such a consideration may have become immediately redundant once ousted, there should have been ample opportunity for consi deration by all members of the workshop, which in fact there wasn’t. It is effective to conduct pre workshops programmes in a smaller group to develop issues that can be readily raised in the major Value Management workshop. Identifying issues early rather than over the two days of the workshop will give organisers and sub sequentially the members of the workshop the ability to address and answer problems with relevant facts, current data and more importantly directly. This would be a substitute of ‘ball park’ figures and broad/ assumed answers that would have been put forward if pre workshop programmes were not conducted.

Blood Promise Chapter Twenty-Eight

Lissa didn't have to say anything to express her shock. The feelings of utter astonishment pouring into me said more than any words could have. I, however, had one important word for her: Duck! I think it was her surprise that made her respond so quickly. She dropped to the floor. The movement was clumsy, but it removed her body from Reed's direct attack and put her (mostly) out of range of the window. He still collided with her shoulder and the side of her head, but it only bumped her and caused a little pain. Of course, â€Å"a little pain† meant totally different things to us. Lissa had been tortured a couple of times, but most of her battles were mental. She'd never been in a one-on-one physical confrontation. Getting thrown against walls was an average occurrence for me, but for her, a small swipe to the head was monumental. Crawl away, I ordered. Get away from him and the window. Head for the door if possible. Lissa started moving on her hands and feet, but she was too slow. Reed caught hold of her hair. I kind of felt like we were playing a game of telephone. With the delay in me giving direction and her figuring out how to respond, I might as well have been passing the message through five people before it got to her. I wished I could control her body like a puppeteer, but I was no spirit user. It's going to hurt, but turn around as best you can and hit him. Oh, it did hurt. Trying to turn her body meant his hold on her hair tugged that much more painfully. She managed it reasonably well, though, and flailed out at Reed. Her hits weren't that coordinated, but they surprised him enough that he let go of her hair and tried to fend her off. That's when I noticed he wasn't overly coordinated either. He was stronger than her, true, but he obviously had no combat training short of basic hits and throwing his weight around. He hadn't come here for a true fight; he'd come to just push her out the window and be done with it. Get away if you can; get away if you can. She scrambled across the floor, but unfortunately her escape path didn't give her access to the door. Instead, she backed further into the room until her back hit a rolling desk chair. Grab it. Hit him with it. Easier said than done. He was right there, still trying to grab her and jerk her to her feet. She caught hold of the chair and tried to roll it into him. I'd wanted her to pick it up and hit him with it, but that wasn't quite so easy for her. She did, however, manage to get to her feet and get the chair between them. I directed her to keep hitting him with it in an effort to get him to retreat. It worked a little, but she didn't quite have the force to truly damage him. Meanwhile, I half expected Avery to join in the fight. It wouldn't have taken much effort to assist Reed in subduing Lissa. Instead, out of the corner of Lissa's eye, I saw Avery sitting perfectly still, her eyes unfocused and slightly glazed over. Okay. That was weird, but I had no complaints about her being out of the conflict. As it was, Lissa and Reed were in a stalemate, one I had to get her out of. You're on the defensive, I said. You need to take the attack to him. I finally got a direct answer back. What? I can't do anything like that! I have no clue how! I'll show you. Kick him-preferably between the legs. That'll take down most guys. Without words, I tried to send the feelings into her, teaching her the right way to tense muscles and strike out. Steeling herself, she pushed the chair away so that there was nothing between her and Reed. It caught him by surprise, giving her a brief opening. Her leg struck out. It missed the golden spot, but it did hit his knee. That was almost as good. He stumbled back as his leg collapsed underneath him and just managed to grab the chair for support. It tried to roll, which didn't help him any. Lissa didn't need any urging to sprint for the door at that point-except it was blocked. Simon had just entered. For a moment, both Lissa and I felt relief. A guardian! Guardians were safe. Guardians protected us. The thing was, this guardian worked for Avery, and it soon became clear his services went beyond merely keeping Strigoi away from her. He strode in, and with no hesitation grabbed Lissa and dragged her harshly back to the window. My direction faltered at that moment. I'd been an okay coach at showing her how to fend off a surly teenage boy. But a guardian? And that surly teenage boy had recovered himself and joined Simon to finish the job. Compel him! It was my last desperate bid. That was Lissa's strength. Unfortunately, while her earlier drinking had metabolized enough to improve her coordination, it was still affecting her control of spirit. She could touch the power-but not very much of it. Her control was clumsy too. Nonetheless, her resolve was strong. She drew as much of the spirit as she could, channeling it into compulsion. Nothing happened. Then, I felt that weird tickling in my head. At first I thought Avery was back on the scene, only rather than someone reaching into me, it was like they reached through me. The power in Lissa surged, and I realized what had happened. Oksana was still there, somewhere in the background, and she was lending her strength again, channeling it through me and into Lissa. Simon froze, and it was almost amusing. He twitched slightly, rocking back and forth as he tried to advance on her and finish the lethal task. It was like he was suspended in Jell-O. Lissa was hesitant to move, for fear of breaking her control. There was also the issue that Reed was not being compelled, but for the moment, he seemed too confused about what was happening to Simon to react. â€Å"You can't just kill me!† Lissa blurted out. â€Å"Don't you think people are going to ask questions when they find my body shoved out a window? â€Å"They won't notice,† said Simon stiffly. Even the words required effort. â€Å"Not when you're resurrected. And if you can't be, then it was just a tragic accident that befell a troubled girl.† Slowly, slowly, he began breaking out of her compulsion. Her power, while still there, was weakening a little-there was a leak somewhere, and it was dripping out. I suspected it might be Avery's influence or simply Lissa's mental fatigue. Maybe both. A supreme look of satisfaction crossed Simon's features as he lunged forward, and then. He froze again. A blazing gold aura lit up in Lissa's periphery. She glanced over just enough to see Adrian in the doorway. The look on his face was comical, but shocked or not, he'd picked up enough to target Simon. It was Adrian's compulsion holding the guardian in place now. Lissa squirmed away, yet again trying to keep out of that damned window's opening. â€Å"Hold him!† Lissa cried. Adrian grimaced. â€Å"I†¦ can't. What the hell? It's like there's someone else there†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"Avery,† said Lissa, sparing a brief glance at the other girl. Avery's face had gone pale even for a Moroi. Her breathing was heavy, and her sweating had increased. She was fighting Adrian's compulsion. A few seconds later, Simon broke free yet again. He advanced on Lissa and Adrian, though his movements seemed sluggish. Son of a bitch, I thought. Now what? demanded Lissa. Reed. Go for Reed. Get him out of the picture. Reed had been frozen during the struggle with Simon, watching with fascination. And like those of the guardian, Reed's actions seemed a little sluggish. Still, he was moving toward Lissa again. Simon had apparently decided Adrian was the immediate threat and was heading that way. Time to see if dividing and conquering would work. What about Adrian? Lissa asked. We're going to have to leave him on his own for a minute. Get to Reed. Knock him out. What But she advanced on him anyway, moving with a determination that warmed me with pride. His face curled into a snarl. He was frantic and overconfident, though-not thinking clearly and still moving in an ungainly way. Once more, I attempted to teach Lissa without words. I couldn't make her do anything, but I tried to make her feel what it was like to punch someone. How to draw back her arm, curl her fingers in the proper way, build up the strength. After what I'd seen her do earlier, the best I could hope for was a decent approximation of a punch, enough to keep him off her and create further delay. And that's when something truly beautiful happened. Lissa socked him in the nose. And I mean, socked. We both heard the impact, heard the nose break. Blood came out. He flew backward, both he and Lissa staring wide-eyed. Never, never would I have thought Lissa capable of something like that. Not sweet, delicate, beautiful Lissa. I wanted to whoop and dance with joy. But this wasn't over yet. Don't stop! Hit him again. You've got to knock him out! I did! she cried, horrified at what she'd done. Her fist was also in agonizing pain. I hadn't really mentioned that part during my coaching. No, you've got to incapacitate him, I told her. I think he and Avery are bonded, and I think she's taking her strength from him. It made sense now, why he'd frozen when Avery drew power to use compulsion, why he'd known to show up when he had. She'd used their bond to summon him. And so Lissa went after Reed again. She got in two more punches, one of which knocked his head against the wall. His lips parted and his features went slack. He dropped to the floor, eyes staring vacantly. I wasn't sure if he was entirely unconscious, but he was out of this for the moment. Off to the side, I heard a small cry from Avery. Lissa turned to Adrian and Simon. Adrian had ceased any attempts at compulsion, because Simon was engaged in a full-on attack. Adrian's face showed he'd taken a few hits of his own, and I figured that, like Lissa, he'd never engaged in this kind of physical combat. Without any need for direction from me, Lissa strode over and turned on her compulsion. Simon jerked in surprise, not stopping his attack, but caught off guard. Lissa was still weak, but the walls around him had dropped a little, just as I'd suspected they would. â€Å"Help me!† cried Lissa. With the momentary lapse on Simon's part, Adrian tried to wield his spirit too. Lissa felt and saw the change in his aura as the magic flowed through him. She felt him join her in their psychic attack on Simon, and a moment later, I sensed Oksana joining the fray. I wanted to play general and shout orders, but this wasn't my battle anymore. Simon's eyes went wide, and he fell to his knees. Lissa could sense the other two spirit users-and was a bit surprised by Oksana's presence-and had the vague impression that they were all doing slightly different things to Simon. Lissa was trying to compel him to stop his attack, to simply sit still. Her brief brush with Adrian's magic told her he was trying to make the guardian sleep, and Oksana was attempting to get Simon to run out of the room. The conflicting messages and all that power were too much. The last of Simon's defenses fell as all those mixed messages blasted into him, creating a tidal wave of spirit. He collapsed to the floor. With all of their magic combined, the spirit users had knocked him unconscious. Lissa and Adrian turned to Avery, bracing themselves, but there was no need. As soon as all that spirit had blasted into Simon, Avery had begun screaming. And screaming and screaming. She gripped the sides of her head, the sound of her voice horrible and grating. Lissa and Adrian exchanged glances, unsure how to handle this new development. â€Å"For God's sake,† gasped Adrian, exhausted. â€Å"How do we shut her up?† Lissa didn't know. She considered approaching Avery and trying to help her, in spite of all that had happened. But a few seconds later, Avery grew quiet. She didn't pass out like her companions had. She just sat there, staring. Her expression no longer resembled the dazed look she'd had while wielding spirit. It was just†¦ blank. Like there was nothing in her at all. â€Å"Wh-what happened?† asked Lissa. I had the answer. The spirit flooded from Simon into her. It fried her. Lissa was startled. How could it go from Simon to her? Because they're bonded. You said she was bonded to Reed! She is. She's bonded to both of them. Lissa had been too distracted while fighting for her life, but I'd been able to notice everyone's auras through her eyes. Avery-no longer masking hers-had possessed a gold one, just like Adrian and Lissa. Simon and Reed had had nearly identical ones, with ordinary colors-ringed in black. They were shadow-kissed, both having been brought back from the dead by Avery. Lissa asked no more questions and simply collapsed into Adrian's arms. There was nothing romantic about it, just a desperate need on both their parts to be close to a friend. â€Å"Why did you come?† she asked him. â€Å"Are you kidding? How could I not? You guys were like a bonfire with all the spirit you were wielding. I felt it all the way across campus.† He glanced around. â€Å"Man, I have a lot of questions.† â€Å"You and me both,† she muttered. I have to go, I told Lissa. I felt a little wistful at having to leave them. I miss you. When will you be back? Soon. Thank you. Thank you for being there for me. Always. I suspected I was smiling back in my own body. Oh, and Lissa? Tell Adrian I'm proud of him. The Academy room faded. I was once more sitting on a bed halfway around the world. Abe was looking at me with concern. Mark also was concerned, but he had eyes only for Oksana, who lay down beside me. She looked a little like Avery, pale and sweating. Mark clasped her hand frantically, fear all over him. â€Å"Are you okay?† She smiled. â€Å"Just tired. I'll be all right.† I wanted to hug her. â€Å"Thank you,† I breathed. â€Å"Thank you so much.† â€Å"I'm glad to have helped,† she said. â€Å"But I hope I don't have to do it again. It was†¦ strange. I'm not sure what role I played there.† â€Å"Me either.† It had been weird. Sometimes it was like Oksana had actually been there, fighting right along with Lissa and the rest. Other times, I'd felt as though Oksana had merged with me. I shuddered. Too many minds linked together. â€Å"Next time, you have to be by her side,† Oksana said. â€Å"In the real world.† I looked down at my hands, confused and unsure what to think. The silver ring gleamed up at me. I took it off and handed it to her. â€Å"This ring saved me. Can it heal you even though you made it?† She held it in her hand for a moment and then gave it back. â€Å"No, but like I said, I'll recover. I heal quickly on my own.† It was true. I'd seen Lissa heal remarkably fast in the past. It was part of always having spirit in you. I stared at the ring, and something troubling came to mind. It was a thought that had struck me while riding with the old couple to Novosibirsk, when I'd moved in and out of consciousness. â€Å"Oksana†¦ a Strigoi touched this ring. And for a few moments-while he did-it was like†¦ well, he was still Strigoi, no question. But while he held it, he was almost like his old self too.† Oksana didn't answer right away. She looked up at Mark, and they held each other's gazes for a long time. He bit his lip and shook his head. â€Å"Don't,† he said. â€Å"It's a fairy tale.† â€Å"What?† I exclaimed. I looked back and forth between him. â€Å"If you know something about this-about Strigoi-you have to tell me!† Mark spoke sharply in Russian, a warning in his voice. Oksana looked equally determined. â€Å"It's not our place to withhold information,† she replied. She turned to me, face grave. â€Å"Mark told you about the Moroi we met long ago†¦ the other spirit user?† I nodded. â€Å"Yeah.† â€Å"He used to tell a lot of stories-most of which I don't think were true. But one of them†¦ well, he claimed he restored a Strigoi to life.† Abe, silent thus far, scoffed. â€Å"That is a fairy tale.† â€Å"What?† My whole world reeled. â€Å"How?† â€Å"I don't know. He never elaborated much, and the details often changed. His mind was going, and I think half of what he said was imaginary,† she explained. â€Å"He's crazy,† said Mark. â€Å"It wasn't true. Don't get caught up in an insane man's fantasy. Don't fixate on this. Don't let it become your next vigilante quest. You need to go back to your bondmate.† I swallowed, every emotion in the world churning in my stomach. Was it true? Had a spirit user restored a Strigoi to life? Theoretically†¦ well, if spirit users could heal and bring back the dead, why not the undead? And Dimitri†¦ Dimitri had definitely seemed altered while holding the ring. Had spirit affected him and touched some piece of his old self? At the time, I'd just assumed it was fond memories of his family affecting him†¦ â€Å"I need to talk to this guy,† I murmured. Not that I knew why. Fairy tale or not, it was too late. I'd done it. I'd killed Dimitri. Nothing would bring him back now, no miracle of spirit. My heart rate increased, and I could hardly breathe. In my mind's eye, I saw him falling, falling†¦ falling forever with the stake in his chest. Would he have said he loved me? I would ask myself that for the rest of my life. Agony and grief flooded me, though at the same time, relief was there too. I had freed Dimitri from a state of evil. I had brought him peace, sending him on to happiness. Maybe he and Mason were together in heaven somewhere, practicing some guardian moves. I had done the right thing. There should be no regret here. Oblivious to my emotions, Oksana addressed my last statement. â€Å"Mark wasn't kidding. This man is crazy-if he's even still alive. The last time we saw him, he could barely hold up a conversation or even use his magic. He ran off into hiding. No one knows where he is-except maybe his brother.† â€Å"Enough,† warned Mark. Abe's attention was piqued, however. He leaned forward, shrewd as ever. â€Å"What's this man's name?† â€Å"Robert Doru,† said Mark after a few hesitant moments. It was no one I knew, and I realized how pointless this all was. This guy was a lost cause and had likely imagined the whole idea of saving a Strigoi in a fit of insanity. Dimitri was gone. This part of my life was over. I needed to get back to Lissa. Then I noticed that Abe had gone very still. â€Å"Do you know him?† I asked. â€Å"No. Do you?† â€Å"No.† I scrutinized Abe's face. â€Å"You sure look like you know something, Zmey.† â€Å"I know of him,† Abe clarified. â€Å"He's an illegitimate royal. His father had an affair, and Robert was the result. His father actually included him as part of the family. Robert and his half-brother grew quite close, though few knew about it.† Of course Abe would know about it, though. â€Å"Doru is Robert's mother's last name.† No surprise. Doru wasn't a royal name. â€Å"What's his father's last name?† â€Å"Dashkov. Trenton Dashkov.† â€Å"That,† I told him, â€Å"is a name I know.† I had met Trenton Dashkov years ago while accompanying Lissa and her family to a royal holiday party. Trenton had been an old, stooped man then, kind but on the brink of death. Moroi often lived to be over a hundred, but he'd been pushing a hundred and twenty-which was ancient even by their standards. There had been no sign or whisper of him having an illegitimate son, but Trenton's legitimate son had been there. That son had even danced with me, showing a great courtesy to a lowly dhampir girl. â€Å"Trenton is Victor Dashkov's father,† I said. â€Å"You're saying Robert Doru is Victor Dashkov's half-brother.† Abe nodded, still watching me closely. Abe, as I'd noted, knew everything. He likely knew my history with Victor. Oksana frowned. â€Å"Victor Dashkov is someone important, isn't he?† Out in their Siberian cottage, she was removed from the turmoil of Moroi politics, unaware that the man who would have been king had been locked away in prison. I started laughing-but not because I found any humor in the situation. This whole thing was unbelievable, and my hysteria was the only way to let out all the crazy feelings within me. Exasperation. Resignation. Irony. â€Å"What's so funny?† asked Mark, startled. â€Å"Nothing,† I said, knowing if I didn't stop laughing, I'd probably start crying. â€Å"That's the thing. It's not funny at all.† What a wonderful twist to my life. The only person alive who might know something about saving Strigoi was the half-brother of my greatest living enemy, Victor Dashkov. And the only person who might know where Robert was was Victor himself. Victor had known a lot about spirit, and now I had a good idea where he'd first learned about it. Not that it mattered. None of this mattered anymore. Victor himself could have been able to convert Strigoi for all the good it would have done me. Dimitri was dead by my hand. He was gone, saved in the only way I knew how. I'd had to choose between him and Lissa once before, and I'd chosen him. Now there could be no question. I'd chosen her. She was real. She was alive. Dimitri was the past. I'd been staring absentmindedly at the wall, and now I looked up and met Abe squarely in the eyes. â€Å"All right, old man,† I said. â€Å"Pack me up and send me home.†

Two key models in services marketing are the service gaps model and Essay

Two key models in services marketing are the service gaps model and the service profit chain. Discuss the ethos and elements of - Essay Example t, majority of research scholars including Parasuraman et al (1985 and 1988) have devoted their time in order to develop a replicable but reliable instrument with witch service quality gap can be measured. Fortunately, Parasuraman et al (1991, 1994) were successful in developing â€Å"SERVQUAL† scale which is one of the most commonly used scales for measuring the gap in the service quality. In the proposed SERVQUAL scale by Parasuraman et al (1985 and 1988), twenty two items have been incorporated in order to measure service gap in five service settings such as maintenance and repair of electrical appliances, telephone services (long distance), brokerage services, credit card services and retail banking services. However, modern marketers apply the SERVQUAL model to measure service quality gap in almost every service sector. Although the concept of service quality gap is widely accepted but there are research scholars such as Jabnoun and Khalifa (2005) and Landrum et al (2007) who have raised question over the validity service quality gap in service sectors which are categorized by involvement of high degree of psychometric properties. Managerial Implication In modern world, marketing managers of a service firm repeatedly use marketing jargons like customer driven service offering, continuous performance improvement and others, but interesting fact is that only few of them understand the practical implication of service quality gap Landrum et al (2007). Challenge for the marketing managers is to identify the gap in the service delivery and then allocate both financial & non-financial resources to reduce the gap. Any gap in the service delivery should be identified in terms of customer’s perspective by the managers. It is critical for marketing managers of a service...Challenge for the marketing managers is to identify the gap in the service delivery and then allocate both financial & non-financial resources to reduce the gap. Any gap in the servic e delivery should be identified in terms of customer’s perspective by the managers. It is critical for marketing managers of a service firm to identify the most cost effective way to close the service quality gaps.Service Quality. Discussion on service quality gap will be incomplete without shedding light on concepts like service quality. Wisniewski (2001) has pointed out that service quality is a relative term in context to industrial and organizational dimensions, for example, service quality indicators for a hospital cannot be equivalent with service quality indicators for a bank; hence one universally accepted definition of service quality is not possible. In such context, it can be said that although it is difficult to define service quality but the problem can be solved by identifying the gap in the service quality. According to Parasuraman et al (1985), service quality is the ability of the service firm to provide service according to expectation of customers; service quality gap is the difference between expected service quality by customers and perceived service. If perceived service quality is lower than the expected service quality, then customers get dissatisfied.

Men and Masculinities - What critiques have been offered of Connell's Research Paper

Men and Masculinities - What critiques have been offered of Connell's notion of 'hegemonic masculinity' Do you agree wi - Research Paper Example 253). Connell and colleagues (1985, p. 552) were the first to break the ice by introducing the idea that men and masculinity were all produced by the relationship that the women enabled them to, which in turn gave rise to the patriarchal system of society, politics, and family organisation. While their idea was met with either insightful or defensive criticisms, the work was very influential in the sense that many other authors were also able to create input in the study of masculinity and gender studies. The revolutionary idea that in order for the feminist movement to become truly successful, there must also be changes for the men’s part as well is now even more relevant than ever, and by bringing in the focus on how to tame the prevailing patriarchal culture, the proper changes in the societal definition of masculinity can possibly be challenged and renovated along with the change in the gender roles of modern society. The main questions that challenge the idea that hegemon ic masculinity is normal are: how the collective actions and ideas of most men were able to make dominance over women and other men seem normal and enjoyable; why these same men and women allow such dominance to exist; and how can gender equality be achieved by initiating resistance to the prevailing norm of hegemonic masculinity (Levy, 2007, p. 253). A possible idea for this is that hegemonic masculinity was a concept, created as a culturally idealised subject on how a man should think or act in the society (Donaldson, 1993, p. 645). Over a period of several generations, this kind of thinking incorporated other elements such as being highly-differentiated in most societal classes, brutality and violence, as well as being tough and unemotional. These traits became the large set of ideals that men follow in order to become the role model male, which basically did not change for several thousands of years. The family with the breadwinner status becomes the head of the household due to the additional input and exertion given to support the family. This gives him or her greater control over other members of the family despite having supposed equal rights with the spouse. This became the norm for most men in earlier societies due to them having greater strength than the women. Because of the rising dominance of manual labour in many societies, it eventually created a culture where men are seen mostly as those that have greater edge over women that mostly stay at home. When particular groups of men were able to inhabit positions of wealth and power due to the rise in social classes, they were also able to legitimise other aspects that would further give them greater dominance not just to other males and females, but to the greater part of the society as a whole (Carrigan, et al., 1985, p. 554). This particular group of dominant males become even more well-known within the society, thus exuding greater influence over other males as well. By observing rulers or other leaders of some sort, they become people that other males look up to, and wish to be, and the innate characteristics that these leader-figures have become the idealised characteristics that males are supposed to have. However, despite being the collective concept of what the ideal male

Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 220

Assignment Example In particular, the responsibilities and roles of Congress and the Executive Branch in matters relating to defense acquisition, have been an eye opener (Kramer, 2012). In addition, I have come to appreciate the role played by Congress in matters of defense and particularly its role in determining whether the U.S goes to war and if it does, the amount to be set aside for defense in the budget. I have been able to have a deeper comprehension of the Budget and its influence on not only the military, but also on other sectors of the economy which has made me realize the importance of the Presidency. Since the President sets the agenda for the country, I have come to realize that big differences in the military can be altered by an individual winning the presidency. The influence of the presidency cannot be understated and this has made me have a deeper appreciation for national politics, since they have a great impact on policy. A lot of times, people overuse the term life-changing experience, but I am certainly not one of those people. The work and discussions held in class have indeed made me a better student and a far more informed individual. For instance, I now comprehend that masculinity and machismo in the military is not how wars are won, but through logistical planning and management which is aided by technology. According to Barrington et al., the role of technology in the military cannot be ignored any longer. The use of drones and other computerized airstrikes are what sets the U.S from all the other countries in the world. Our military supremacy is primarily due to our strong economy and our superior logistics warfare management. As indicated, the role of the U.S economy is fundamental to the success of the military. A closer analysis of this role has been informative and particularly the relationship between the impacts of the U.S economy on

Geologic Time (Billions of Years vs. Thousands of Years) Research Paper

Geologic Time (Billions of Years vs. Thousands of Years) - Research Paper Example If the evolution of the old-Earth theory is traced, it can be seen that â€Å"one of the earliest refutations of the Christian tradition of a very young earth through reasoning based on observation and scientific theory was by Benoit de Maillet, French diplomat, savant, and amateur naturalist† (Darlymple, 1994, p.25). It was in the â€Å"middle of the seventeenth century† that two opposing theories on the age of Earth began to become distinct- one based on Biblical calculations and the other founded on physical and chemical processes (Jackson, 2006, p.32). The latter evolved to become the scientific theory of the age of Earth and proclaimed that Earth is billions of years old. The modern age has accepted this view as the authentic one and the educational system that we have worldwide endorses it. Yet, the young-Earth theorists also hold sway among a considerable section of the world population. Old-Earth View The old-Earth view is based on the big bang concept (Morris, 2007, p.34). The big bang theory says that â€Å"the universe began some 10 to 20 billion years ago with a big bang† (Morris, 2007, p.34). ... As time passed, the gravitational force of larger chucks of material attracted the smaller chunks and formed the galaxies and solar systems we see today (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). According to this theory, the solar system was formed from this big bang and its after explosions, around five billion years ago (Morris, 2007, p.34). Life on earth is supposed to have been born out of chemical reactions â€Å"about three to four billion years ago† and man is thought to have evolved â€Å"around one to three million years ago† (Morris, 2007, p.34). Extensive scientific methods have been developed ever since science started its quest to assess the age of Earth. There are methods like K-Ar method, Rb-Sr method, isotopic studies, fossil studies, and so on (Darlymple, 1994, p.184). Based on the results of the studies carried out using these assessment methods, certain rocks in the Yilgarn block of Western Australia have been found to have an age of 4.0 Ga (Darlymple, 1994, p.189). This substantiates the old-Earth theory. Science has used four different methods to substantiate that Earth is billions of years old (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). These methods are used either singularly or in combinations (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). These are radiological measurement, stratigraphic superposition and the fossil record method (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). The radiation measurement method dates rocks based on the radioactive disintegration of the radio isotopes present in them (â€Å"How Do Scientists Measure earth Age?†, n.d.). Using this method, the charcoal collected from bed of ash near Crater lake, Oregon, was found to 6,640 years old

Private and public management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Private and public management - Essay Example However, public management involves managing critical infrastructure which directly disturbs quality of public life. In fact, in many cases, huge government spending on public management, relying on the estimates given by public managers leads to create interest conflicts and violets ethical guidelines to a great magnitude (Boyne 97-122). Private management refers to a situation where responsibilities are delegated to some private organizations to manage and control certain areas of services such as schools and hospitals. In this paper, the operational efficiencies created by private and public management will be analyzed. To understand the theory better, the functioning of the publicly funded health care system, National Health Service (NHS), will be evaluated in the light of management differences in public and private sector. As mentioned earlier, National Health Service is a publicly funded health care unit based in the countries of United Kingdom. The healthcare system is mainly funded through the tax collected by the nation centrally. National Health Service is aimed at providing wide array of healthcare services among which most of the services are not chargeable for the legal residents of the United Kingdom. The services of NHS are categorized under four discrete systems such as National Health Service (England), Health and Social Care in Northern Ireland, NHS Scotland and NHS Wales. These four systems are generally different and independent of each other in terms of management, regulations and political accountability. However, the basic functions are performed on a regular basis, as regulated by the UK Department of Health. Healthcare services provided through all these four segments are denominated under the â€Å"NHS†; only the unit provides services in England, is officially called Natio nal Health Service. Nevertheless, no

Risk Template Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Risk Template - Essay Example The subsequent analysis of the differences or variances and the action taken are a vital part of the control mechanism. III. Internal Risks. These risks have a great impact on the project and its success, but they can be easily eliminated and avoided. To achieve the task requires clear definition, good planning, clear roles and responsibilities, appropriate resources and regular reviews as the project proceeds. IV. Quality Risks. There is even evidence that, despite the formal utilization of quantified cost-benefit approaches, the practical implementation of safety and quality may be achieved by informal means. A new or changed design can be costly, as it may need new tools, or new layout of works and employees may have to be retrained (Crouhy et al 2000). Quality policy must be formulated in terms a designer can understand and act upon. V Resource Risks (Baseline schedule is closely connected with the efficiency levels which are driven by the normal productivity that can be expected from the type of person or equipment allocated to each activity, and the efficient allocation of the person or equipment is driven by the project schedule) Risk Low Probability Medium Probability High Probability High cost of raw materials in future (needs additional changes in design) X New (innovative) materials appeared in 3-4 years X VI Schedule Risks. Breakdown is not chronological and does not involve itself in worrying about what has to be done, it merely breaks down the objective of the project into some sensible and convenient groups (Frame, 2002). Also, it is important to note that within each department managers will find a hierarchy translated into a part of the project schedule structure. Risk Low Probab

Warren Buffet Essay Example for Free

Warren Buffet Essay Executive Summary: Warren E. Buffett is one of the worlds richest men with a net worth estimated at $44 billion by Forbes magazine. Buffett is known for his patient approach to investing and making long-term investments in steady, predictable industries that generate positive cash flow. It was announced that MidAmerican would purchase the regulated electric utility PacifiCorp from Scottish Power, for $5.1 billion in cash and $4.3 billion in liabilities and preferred stock. This would be the second largest purchase of his career. After the announcement, stock prices for both PacifiCorp and Berkshire Hathaway increased, by 2.4% and 6.28% respectfully, which suggests market approval for the acquisition of PacifiCorp. Problem: From the increase in stock price, we can assume that investors believe that the deal was a fair price and that acquiring PacifiCorp was a good investment to benefit Berkshire Hathaway. In fact the market added more value enhancement to Scottish Power than Berkshire, which leads investors to consider why Scottish Power gained more benefit than Berkshire Hathaway and if Berkshire Hathaway paid a reasonable price. Analysis: From Exhibit A, on the following page, we can analyze the range of values for PacifiCorp. From this we can see that the only significant various between median and mean value arises in EBIT, which indicates outliers for revenues, operating expenses, or depreciation. Intrinsic value refers to the actual value of a company or stock without reference to its market value and is calculated through the discounted cash flow of a business during its remaining life. Intrinsic value can also encapsulate how well the company is run, cash flow, and management competency. According to Buffett, intrinsic value indicates the â€Å"present value of the future expected performance† and can be predicted through calculating the discounted cash flow of a business for its remaining life. This estimate allows Buffett to identify stocks or businesses that are undervalued. Other alternatives to intrinsic value as book value and accounting profit, which can fall short when determining what  the inve stment is really worth and accurate aggregate value. Stock price is the most accurate way to determine a company’s present value of expected cash flows. However, as a private company, the market value of PacifiCorp could not be determined by its share price. In order to calculate Berkshire’s discount rate we must use the capital asset pricing model (CAPM) to determine a required rate of return. This is calculated by adding the risk free rate (yield on a U.S. Treasury Bond) to beta multiplied by the difference of the expected market return and risk free rate. A U.S. Treasury Bill has a yield of 5.76%, Berkshire’s beta is .7, and expected market return is 10.5%, therefore the rate of return would be 9.07%. This can then be used to determine the present value of this investment over one year, $4.68 billion. Therefore, Berkshire’s offer to purchase PacifiCorp for $5.1 billion is slightly overvalued, but still a fair price for both companies. Berkshire Hathaway performed tremendously well between the periods of 1965 and 1995, where its stock prices grew 24%, in comparison to the SP 500, which averaged 10.5% a year. This is a remarkable occurrence to beat the market growth rate, and is even more rare to beating it for 30 consecutive years. Berkshires shares have been among the highest-priced shares on the New York Stock Exchange. Berkshire also holds majority shares in Coca-Cola Co., American Express Co., Gillette Co., and Wells Fargo, all of which have had consistent growth and stability over the companies’ lifetime. Buffet’s philosophy contradicts many of the common principles the average investor swears by. His philosophy relies on little diversification and avoiding risk. The biggest stand out in this regard is his dislike of broad diversification. Instead referring to diversification as protection against ignorance and an unstable market, Buffet believes it to be the lazy way out. Buffet believes that we must invest in our expertise areas and therefore will have greater knowledge in a handful of stocks and should not diversify our portfolio by purchasing shares of companies we know nothing about. While I understand where Buffet is coming from, this seems very risky. Recommendation This case shows a prime example of the link between a company’s valuation and the behavior of investors in the capital market. Through Berkshire Hathaway`s increase in share price the investors reflected that they agreed with the deal through an increase in share price. And even though it seems odd that both the selling and buying company should have an increased share price, we can see through calculating PacifiCorp’s intrinsic value, that the purchase was reasonable. This acquisition also added more diversification to Berkshire’s investment portfolio to provide more stable returns.

Critical Social Work And Its Values Analysis Social Work Essay

Critical Social Work And Its Values Analysis Social Work Essay The essay analyses theories underpinning and key elements of critical social work and its values. An exploration of counselling as a form of social work practice and how it is influenced by the critical social work approach will be included. Examples from practice experience/ literature and the influence of inequalities, power and social divisions will be discussed. The views of service users and their contribution towards the practice will also be take into account in the essay. Payne (2005) traces social work in the UK back to the 19th century as a community and charitable activity to support the disadvantaged and poor. From the charitable and community origins it developed into a broader field. Jordan (2004) cited in Collins (2009) believes social work owes its origins to Christian morality than a commitment to social problems affecting individuals. Following the economic crisis in the UK in the 1970s due to escalating oil prices social issues like poor housing, unemployment, and poverty and homelessness social work shifted and broadened its focus and tried to address social issues and problems. Adams et al (2005). Adams et al (2009) mentions that in attempting to address social problems, disadvantage and inequalities social work practitioners have drawn knowledge and ideas from various disciplines such as sociology, psychology, philosophy and politics. From this multi-disciplinary knowledge base the underpinning ideology was anti oppressive principle which provides theoretical tools to understand intervene and respond to the complex experience of oppression. This means social work practitioners have a moral, ethical and legal responsibility to challenge inequalities and disadvantage (Payne 2005). Fook (2002) claims that critical practice can be traced and associated with radical social work in the 1960s-70s deriving ideas from Marxist theory. Marx analysed the capital society he lived in Germany and argued that the structures within society derived from the economy and the changes in the industrial revolution influenced some people to be more powerful and others not. Individuals were restrained by the demands of capitalism. Marx highlighted issues of class and class struggle where there is a struggle between powerful and powerless resulting in different societal classes. Those in power will seek to retain it mostly by exploitation of the powerless. Thompson (2006) affirms that society comprises of a diverse range of people in which social divisions emerge which in turn forms the societal structures which networks relationships, institutions and groupings. These groupings determine, control and regulate the distribution of power, privilege, status and opportunities resulting in social stratification and dimensions. From these groupings however it is important to mention that unfairness, inequality and oppression is witnessed in the group of people who are vulnerable and marginalised. Radical social work upheld the following themes: structural analysis of personal problems, ongoing social critique mainly focusing on oppressive ideas/practice and goals of self emancipation and social change. Parallel to these traditions empowering and anti-oppressive practice to participation in research and community work Adams et al (2005). Several key principles were shared from radical critiques to present critical social work which are: challenging dominant forces and oppression in all forms, a critique of positivist ideas and the need to challenge dominant constructed ways of knowing by developing other ways of knowing. This would be achieved through recognising that knowledge may reflect reality but may also be socially constructed through language and ideology. In order to create more/new knowledge self reflection and interaction are essential tools using communication processes Allan et al (2009). Moya et al (2009) believes that critical thinking was further enhanced by Marxism through academics from the Frankfurt School of Sociologists (Horkeimer (1979), Adorno and Horkeimer, (1979) and Marcuse (1964) from the 1920s/30s and Habermas (1984, 1987)s writing in the late twentieth century. The sociologists held that social interpretation was based on assumptions of a fixed social order mainly derived from religion, politics and social beliefs. When this order is rejected and challenged, sociologists believed that this would enhance knowledge of the environment which makes individuals more effective. Gerth and Mills (1948) and Durkeim (1972) cited in Harrington (2005) established that if we understand how social relationships work we would be able to achieve our objectives in society. This is how critical thinking in modernist way is about and it was termed modernism but has expanded and embraced other theories concerned with transformation and social change. Gray and Webb (2008) argue that critical theory is shifting from the Frankfurt school but at the same time it has not defined its critical base. Allan et al (2003); Fook (2002); Healey (2000) acknowledge that there is tension in defining critical theory as it comprises different theories, some argue that it is an umbrella term that encompasses a range of theories and approaches including Marxist, radical, feminist, anti-racist, anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory, post colonial, critical constructivist and structural perspectives. This suggests that there are many theories although different they all try to understand the r elationship between an individual and society. Thus critical practice involves ones judgement in a reflective and diverse manner Adams et al (2009). Critical practice involves exploring different options in a situation or actions in judging the best way to address issues. The practitioner would review their ideas, perspectives and options of others before deciding a best way forward. This is underpinned by the fact of accepting change and continuity as practitioners encounter different situations and ideas. Payne et al (2005) further mentions that in order to fulfil the requirements of critical practice which include liberation and empowerment social workers need an open mind, reflective stance that encompasses diverse perspectives, experience and assumptions. This would result in acknowledging individual differences, equal opportunity and respect. Fook and Garner (2007) further identify three aspects of critical practice which are critical thinking, critical action and reflexivity as essential tools to apply when seeking social justice and change. From these theories we can trace the ideas of critical perspective and acknowledge that the powerless can influence policy, societal views and self emancipation from the oppressors. An example of theoretical development implemented by service users was the theorising of disability from the medicalised interpretation to social model of disability. This shift was championed by disabled peoples movements to express how they felt and were treated for more than a century. This shift and theory influenced societal attitudes, influenced policies and to some extent changed societal attitudes in UK and abroad. Abberley (1998); Barnes, (1998). Morris, (1993) supports this by mentioning that the disability movement has overhauled societal perceptions and upheld disabled peoples rights to live independently, promote anti discriminatory practice, fairness and equal opportunities. Systems theory is another major theoretical source underpinning social work. The theory emphasised that peoples existence is determined by the environment they live or grow in. It highlighted that peoples problems are a result of how they interact with their resource systems which are either formal or informal. The informal include friends, neighbours and colleagues. The formal include support groups/ social clubs and associations. The public/ societal include housing, hospitals, work and school which provide certain structure or particular function in society. The system theory encourages growth and provides a wider range of solutions to problems by identifying areas of improvement or needing improvement. However it is said not to be acknowledging power differences within society and with different roles Adams et al (2009). Coulshed and Orme, (1998) clarifies that the nature of diversity in society makes it difficult to be entirely dependent on one theory or approach. Different situ ations and different circumstances entail different approaches through reflective practices and perspectives. Harris and White (2009) further explored events and changes within the welfare state from administering to managing the welfare state. They observed that the Conservative 1979 -1997 and Labour 1997-2010 were influenced by neo-liberalist ideas. This idea upheld the belief that market was superior to the state and as such professionals including social workers were meant to implement competitive government policy and approaches to meet global standards. These changes affected the vulnerable people in society as well because managers had been given the powers to speak on their behalf. These changes, debates and contradictions have put social work practice into a contested dilemma profession although this definition states that Social work is a profession that promotes social change, problem solving in human relationships and the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance well-being. (International Federation of Social Workers, 2000 p1). Parton (1998) points out that the present political environment is dominantly global, modernized and authoritarian. As such policies are informed and regulated by market principles which prescribes and narrows professional boundaries which affects the rights of service users. In order to achieve their objectives social workers need to challenge and resist the authoritarian elements by employing critical practice. Fook (2002) articulate that critical social work practice should be concerned with promoting a society without domination, exploitation and oppression. In order to achieve these practitioners need to reflect, reconstruct, deconstruct and unpack more processes for change through careful negotiation within the dominant framework. Many critical social theorists have challenged the existence of a social order and have questioned social order as evidenced in the work of Habermas (1984, 1987) who distinguishes between the system and the life world which interact and sometimes conflict with each other. The system represents the structures like the government departments, transnational companies emerging from globalisation, ideas promoted by communicative reasoning, education and media. All these structures are relaying a world view through different reasoning. As such social work is not excluded as an agent of systematic managerialism in agencies Pease (2005). Fook (2002) and Gardner (2007) proposed alternative forms of critical theory which are feminism and post modernism. They focus on the understanding that the world reflects personal experience and social historical context. They argue that personal experience constructs and is constructed by the world we live in. They advocate to listening to peoples experiences (narratives) seriously and from these we can hear how they view and experience the world in different ways. Powell (2001) suggests that feminists maintain that the narration of experiences by individuals gives us a clue on how they construct the world and how they want to engage with their problems and situations. Thus postmodernists say there is an alternative way of viewing the world than what it seems to be. Post-modernity argue there is a different way of viewing the world and different ways to deal with societal problems hence critical social work seeks for different options and take the best way forward. Adams et al (2009) suggests that in order to seek the best way forward social workers are encouraged to adopt the eclectic approach which entails selecting crucial aspects from different theories and blend them together as one approach. Alternatively they can use different theories for different cases. This has an advantage of addressing inadequacies in particular theories as they compensate one another. However there are also limitations as to master different theories and selecting crucial aspects may be difficult. It might as well be difficult to select the appropriate theory to use in the first place. To overcome these limitations Epstein (1992) suggested that continuous reflection, agreement, debate and teamwork would encourage flexibility in complex issues. Milner and Obyrne (1998) propose that in trying to address social injustices and inequality social work uses a variety of skills and knowledge based on theory perspective and methodology. This empowers social workers to put in place intervention which is appropriate to individual circumstances. This intervention empowers social workers with skills to engage service users to bring positive outcomes. Banks (2001) holds that values are diverse, may overlap, can conflict and socially constructed. Traditional social work and critical social work values overlap and are based on Biestek 1961 and consist of the following: Individualism, non judgemental, self determination, purposeful expression and controlled emotional development. In post modernity terms these can be interpreted to promotion of social justice, emancipation, anti-oppressive, anti-discriminatory, empowerment, non judgemental and respect and dignity. Above all the language used may affect the way we interpret the world resulting in assumptions, overrepresentation or misrepresentation of issues and ideas, Adam et al (2009). Critical social work as discussed explores the best way forward to individuals problems and seeks to listen and engage with the individual to tell their story and work in partnership to find the best way forward. The limitation is critical social work is surrounded by external forces which are beyond it control, for example resources in the current economic climate globally and at home. It is also criticised as its values and origins are Eurocentric and do not represent universal circumstances as what seems to work in UK might not necessarily work in Afro/ Asian communities. For example the issue of confidentiality is valued and essential in UK and Europe whereas in Afro Asian cultures they value kinship support in times of distress. However they would not want anyone else outside the kinship clique to know about their situation. This brings interpretation problems to confidentiality Morley (2003). In order for all these theories to be implemented there should be contact with individuals in society who experience inequality and disadvantage. Furthermore it is also important to mention at this point that social work intervention and practice is broad and spreads into other disciplines. Group work, Counselling, Advocacy and Assessment are examples of different forms of practising social work. I will not focus on the broadness of disciplines but will focus on the aims of the essay which are to explore how the critical social work approach influences counselling. Counselling requires a lot of skills and approaches as it seeks to address and resolve individual dilemmas, decision making and resolving issues. According to Dryden (2004:40) cited in Adams et al (2009) counselling is described as principled relationship characteristics by the application of one or more psychological theories and a recognised set of communication skills, modified by experience, intuition and other interpersonal factors, to clients intimate concerns, problems or aspirations. Its predominant ethos is one of facilitation rather than of advice-giving or coercion. It may be of very brief or long duration, take place in an organisational or private practice setting and may or may not overlap with practical, medical and other matters of personal welfare. The Barclay report in the early 1980s mentioned that it was essential for social workers to engage in counselling as it helped to engage with individuals to help them manage their problems, worries and anxieties, Barclay Committee,(1982). This is no longer the situation today as noted by Brearley (1995) when he states that political, administrative, legislative changes and ideologies have affected the relationship between counselling and social work. Some social work practitioners are in dilemma as to whether they can do counselling or not and where to start with counselling and when to stop. Because social workers operate in a legislative, organisational, ideological, value and ethical context it is becoming increasingly difficult to engage in counselling without pushing boundaries, Furthermore the economic environment, budget cuts and lack of resources makes it difficult to manoeuvre and employ uncontested interventions McLeod (2009). However despite the above constraints social workers at some point carry out counselling as not carrying it out would render their job inadequate and inefficient. McLeod (1998) identified a number of counselling theories which are Person centred, Existential, Cognitive Behavioural (CBT), Motivational, Humanistic, Psychodynamic, Karpmans (1969) Drama triangle and Eclectic or Integrative approaches. Some of the theories have been criticised as inadequate and resource straining. One approach that is complimentary to social work is the eclectic/ integrative approach. Integrative theory is adaptable to the needs presented by the client or specific circumstances which is flexible and adoptable to client needs. McLeod (2003) supports this statement when he maintains that eclectic approach enables the counsellor to choose the best option and techniques from a range of theories to meet the client needs. It can mean employing different elements from different theories to blend them into a new suitable model or theory. These compliments with one of the social work theory of eclecticism which seeks to integrate different theories to intervene (Adams, 2009). It can be argued that the aims of social work and the aims of counselling are both focusing on individuals and their interaction with the society, problems they face and how they solve them. As Egan (2006) puts it and complimented by Coulshed and Orme (2006) social workers adopt skills that compliment counselling skills such as empathy or understanding, respect, self knowledge and acceptance and honest. Although there are criticisms on Egans work as being ignorant of psychodynamic ideas meaning it has limited application and effectiveness. A reflective practitioner would seek to promote social justice, anti -oppressive and anti-discriminatory practice based on knowledge to promote inclusive practice. Both professions are being challenged by increasing literature developing and need to engage in best, critical and anti discriminatory practice to reach all individuals and communities Morley (2003). My privilege in practice working with clients is that I have acquired knowledge and on values of social work issues and intervention. I also have a black African background which has some conflicting values to social work. I will focus on the social work values to overcome any prejudices and biases which may jeopardise my work. I also have the law on my side which would give me power to intervene and practice. In my experience as a caseworker at Refugee Action (RA) I used counselling as a technique to working with clients. Clients from different background accessed the service to resolve their immigration matters. Mostly the approach we used was the integrative approach which meant that the outcomes met the needs of individual circumstances. I did not allow my own values and prejudices to influence my practice. The advantage of having my own values and knowledge made it easy for me to overcome any prejudices and stereotypes towards my clients. As a person from an African background with different values from those of the British society, it was easy for me to understand how it is to be in the clients shoes. I also observed that Muslim women preferred to work with female caseworkers and male Muslims preferred male caseworkers. They appeared not comfortable working with people from the opposite sex and tended to withhold information if that was the case. I therefore ensured Muslim clients were assisted by a person of preferred gender. Above all I applied the Narrative approach which solicits encouragement to clients to tell their stories. This enabled me to explore clients situation at their own pace and actively listened to assess and establish the real problem in the situation. Carniola (2005) observed that social workers are in the right direction of developing critical consciousness about the psychological impact of oppression on individuals. He further expressed that there is concern on the degree of awareness among social workers on the impact of privilege or dominant status on individuals subjectivities and world views. Rossitter (2000) concurs that the position/ impact and ways in which professionals engage with clients is overlooked and underestimated as they possess a certain class in the form of gender, race, and sexual privilege. Having explored critical social work practice and theories underpinning it, it is important to acknowledge that there is continuous transformation and contest within the academic field and socio-political arena. This is greatly impacting on vulnerable people and how they are treated and marginalised in issues affecting their lives. If the values of critical social work could be fulfilled and the theories underpinning it are integrated social work and counselling would be forces for change to promote social justice.

Current Technology And Future Trends Computer Science Essay

Current Technology And Future Trends Computer Science Essay Server virtualization is the masking of server resources including the number and identity of individual physical servers, processors, and operating systems from server users. The intention is to spare the user from having to understand and manage complicated details of server resources while increasing resource sharing and utilization and maintaining the capacity to expand later. Virtualization allows multiple operating system instances to run concurrently on a single computer; it is a means of separating hardware from a single operating system. Each â€Å"guest† OS is managed by a Virtual Machine Monitor (VMM), also known as a hypervisor which is computer software/hardware platform virtualization software that allows multiple operating systems to run on a host computer concurrently. Because the virtualization system sits between the guest and the hardware, it can control the guests use of CPU, memory, and storage, even allowing a guest OS to migrate from one machine to another. Virtualization is a modified solution between centralized and decentralized deployments. Instead of purchasing and maintaining an entire computer for one application, each application can be given its own operating system, and all those operating systems can reside on a single piece of hardware. This provides the benefits of decentralization, like security and stability, while making the most of a machines resources. Advantages of Virtualization Zero downtime maintenance Freedom from vendor-imposed upgrade cycles Instant provisioning Pooling hardware resource Virtual hardware supports legacy operating systems efficiently Dynamic resource sharing Security and fault isolation Business continuity, backups, and automated restoration Examples of Productivity Using Virtualization When to use Virtualization As virtualization disentangles the operating system from the hardware, a number of very useful new tools become available. Virtualization allows an operator to control a guest operating systems use of CPU, memory, storage, and other resources, so each guest receives only the resources that it needs. This distribution eliminates the danger of a single runaway process consuming all available memory or CPU. It also helps IT staff to satisfy service level requirements for specific applications. Since the guest is not bound to the hardware, it also becomes possible to dynamically move an operating system from one physical machine to another. As a particular guest OS begins to consume more resources during a peak period, operators can move the offending guest to another server with less demand. This kind of flexibility changes traditional notions of server provisioning and capacity planning. With virtualized deployments, it is possible to treat computing resources like CPU, memory, and sto rage as a hangar of resources and applications can easily relocate to receive the resources they need at that time. Components of Virtual Infrastructure Bare-metal hypervisors to enable full virtualization of each x86 computer. Virtual infrastructure services such as resource management and consolidated backup to optimize available resources among virtual machines Automation solutions that provide special capabilities to optimize a particular IT process such as provisioning or disaster recovery. Physical to Virtual Server Migration Any respectable virtualization solution will offer some kind of P2V (Physical to Virtual) migration tool. The P2V tool will take an existing physical server and make a virtual hard drive image of that server with the necessary modifications to the driver stack so that the server will boot up and run as a virtual server. The benefit of this is that you dont need to rebuild your servers and manually reconfigure them as a virtual server—you simply suck them in with the entire server configuration intact! So if you have a data center full of aging servers running on sub-GHz servers, these are the perfect candidates for P2V migration. You dont even need to worry about license acquisition costs because the licenses are already paid for. You could literally take a room with 128 sub-GHz legacy servers and put them into eight 1U dual-socket quad-core servers with dual-Gigabit Ethernet and two independent iSCSI storage arrays all connected via a Gigabit Ethernet switch. The annual hardware maintenance costs alone on the old server hardware would be enough to pay for all of the new hardware! Just imagine how clean your server room would look after such a migration. It would all fit inside of one rack and give you lots of room to grow. As an added bonus of virtualization, you get a disaster recovery plan because the virtualized images can be used to instantly recover all your servers. Ask yourself what would happen now if your legacy server died. Do you even remember how to rebuild and reconfigure all of your servers from scratch? (Im guessing youre cringing right about now.) With virtualization, you can recover that Active Directory and Exchange Server in less than an hour by rebuilding the virtual server from the P2V image. Software Automation Solutions for Virtualization These are the few platform virtualization and software providers in the market on which organizations rely upon.  »Ã‚ »VMWare  »Ã‚ »RightScale  »Ã‚ »eNomaly  »Ã‚ »Force.com  »Ã‚ »Gigaspaces  »Ã‚ »Citrix  »Ã‚ »Xen  »Ã‚ »Microsoft Virtualization  »Ã‚ »Sun VirtualBox  »Ã‚ »IBM PowerVM  »Ã‚ » Hewlett-Packard Integrity Virtual Machines (Integrity VM). Future Trends in field of Virtualization Virtualization has significant cost benefits for organizations: server consolidation can yield a saving of  £2 million over three years for an organization running 250 dual-core servers; and a power saving in the order of  £78,000 per 1,000 PCs per year can be realized by moving from a full desktop PCs infrastructure to a server-hosted desktop virtualization solution. The market for virtualization management solutions will be the most innovative and, potentially, lucrative in the near future. Financial analysts estimate the market for IT virtualization could be worth over $19 billion. As many as 16 million desktops could be virtualized by 2011. The virtualization infrastructure management (VIM) market is undoubtedly going to be the most lucrative aspect of IT virtualization in the longer term, and so is perhaps the most dynamic and active part of the virtualization scene References: Emerging trends and the evolving vendor landscape By Victoria Furness Introduction to server virtualization by George Ou www.microsoft.com

Abortion :: essays research papers

To Whom It May Concern:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  My name is bubba smith, and I am a freshman male at the University of Florida. It has come to my attention that our wonderful state has done something terrible. That something is the allowance of abortions. What is an abortion you might ask? Well it is the termination of a pregnancy, or the killing of a baby, to be simply put. This issue has split our country for years, and I think that we as a state should step and make an example to the rest of the world and stop abortions.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is nearly impossible anymore to find someone who doesn’t have an opinion about abortion. Yet the endless debates on the topic usually go nowhere, leaving the opponents even more stuck to their positions, and the open-minded observers even more confused, but both sides have a good case. For example an unwanted child is a pitiful thing, and the apparent social problems like child neglect, and financial burden that comes with it don’t have easy solutions. On the other hand, the thought of killing a little baby is disgusting and unthinkable.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This is where I stand, and the only solution I can come up with is the total ban of abortions altogether. This task should not be a hard one, but it might take some time. My plan calls for the closing and the illegalizing of abortion clinics, and the prosecution of people who perform these deeds.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As with any big descion we must consider the opposing views. One reason that the debate on what we should do about abortions doesn’t go anywhere, is because each side focuses on a different topic. We make no progress because we are not talking about the same thing. The anti-abortionists are focused on the fetus’ rights, and the pro-abortionists are focused on the women’s rights. Though these issues are basically interrelated, they are different topics.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The issues of the social problems like child neglect and financial burden, and even the issue that it is the woman’s exclusive right to make decisions concerning her body; they are not the problem. It all comes down to one thing: Is the fetus a person? That is the issue that cannot be agreed upon. Medical science has overwhelmingly demonstrated that biological life begins at conception. Furthermore, the developing embryo isn’t simply part of the mother, it’s a separate being that just inhabits the mother.

Uncovering History in our own Backyard :: essays research papers

Uncovering History in our own Backyard   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Dr. Solberg has his own stamp on discovering American history. He has had a long interest in the ordinary person and was quoted as saying â€Å"People that carry history are a needed part of our past.† He did his doctorates on diaries from the 18th century. And has sent much of his time studying letters sent to Norway during the 1930s and 1940s. Dr. Solberg started the lecture by asking Olle and Marie Mellin to stand up in the audience they are both in the American Scandinavian foundation and have set up scholarships for Scandinavian studies. Solberg was quoted as saying â€Å"They where pillars of the American foundation.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Solberg told of a book that he felt had a connection with what he was doing in Solvang. The name of the book was Prairie Earth by â€Å"William least HeatMoon.† Heatmoon did a cultivation of land in the Midwest wand with that went through the history of the land from the Indians to the present. Almost like a de-mapping of the land.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Slides came on the screen from the American Post magazine. This magazine was what covered American life during the time of Solberg's childhood, almost every American home had one. In an issue dated January 1947 an article told of Solvang being an â€Å"Original Danish community.† This article had a profound effect on tourism. Land prices went sky high and Solvang became a tourist town.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are three areas that Solberg will cover in the lecture, the first being the background of Solvang, the second will cover the time from 1911 through 1916, and the third being his own experience from the 60s. After graduating from UCSB Solberg went to Europe and after his return he felt he felt a strong interest in cultivating history. It was at this time he decided to do Solvang. He decided to do an oral history. â€Å"If you fail to get oral history you lose parts of history.† Solberg did not tape anyone with out there permission was able to collect photos to give a human dimension to his oral report.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Large ranchos gave the backdrop for the Santa Ynez valley. With 40,000 acres the valley became a huge area for cattle. In 1804 the first mission was established. 1888 the first railroad became operational before this time Los Olivous was the business center but by 1888 it had died down and by 1911 Solvang was the center of the Santa Ynez valley.

Memorable Experience with Writing and Reading Essay

â€Å"You cannot open a book without learning something† (Confucius). About two months before school started, the weather became extremely hot. I stayed at home to enjoy the air-conditioning and to do some reading. I grabbed an arbitrary book which had probably sat on my shelf during the whole summer. On the cover, it read â€Å"Voices and Values: A Reader for Writers by Janet M.Goldstein and Beth Johnson†. On the inside, a few carelessly folded pages indicated that the book had ever been used. This book, a collection of effective essays, was a requirement for one of my classes. It theoretically served as a key to succeed both in reading and writing, but I had only read ten essays in an attempt to finish my homework assignments enough to maintain a fair grade in the course. That was how I approached school, getting the highest possible grade with the lowest possible effort. However, after reading several more essays in â€Å"Voices and Values†, my attitude toward studying changed. In my family, education plays a serious role. My parents taught me to study hard. Nevertheless, I personally viewed these ideas childishly and impractically. I told myself that it would be a waste of time to try too hard and fully absorb any of the material I was studying. What I did was to study enough to gather the facts. I used to taste ideas, chew on them for as long as it took to survive in class, and then, after tests, spit them out. Grades, after all, had served as the most powerful element in my educational view. As a matter of fact, while my grades were thriving, my mind was stagnating. As I opened the book that day, looking for some interesting essays that I might have missed, I found more than that. This book is much more than an academic book designed to teach critical reading and writing skills. â€Å"Voices and Values†, in some ways, introduces its readers to higher moral lessons. The essays, â€Å"Dare to Think Big† by Dr. Ben Carson, â€Å"From Nonreading to Reading† by Stacy Kelly Abbott, â€Å"Reading to Survive† by Paul Langan, and â€Å"Learning Survival Skills† by Jean Coleman, are different stories written by different authors, but they all exude the same ideas resurrecting lost hope to people, encouraging people not to surrender, and imparting how important education is to people’s lives. Their words did not so much sound new to me as they reminded me of some ideas that I had known, some concepts I had held. However, I had stored them somewhere in my head and never used them. â€Å"As I look back over the past for years, I see all the things that have happened to make me see how important reading is. I am not where I want to be yet, but I will be in a year or two† (Abbott). Abbott’s words moved around and enli ghtened me. Looking back over twelve years in school, I found myself nothing more than a revolving machine: receiving data, keeping it in short-term memory to cope with the tests, and then removing it as soon as possible. What I did, indeed, never could be called â€Å"studying† or â€Å"learning,† but using a basic skill to achieve the best grade possible. Chemistry, World History, National History, World Geography, National Geography, Agricultures, and Biology, these subjects never seemed strange to me. I had undertaken, struggled, and passed through them years before in Vietnam. Unfortunately, none of them managed to set up roots in my mind. These things, which were supposed to be general information for a long term student, had come and gone like a visitor. I did not change; I did not grow; I did not accumulate any useful knowledge for myself. Worse than that, I was still too innocent to realize I had been on the wrong path and had the wrong attitude. The misconception I had about education eventually prevented me from opening my eyes and my mind. â€Å"And that is how we have to learn to think about life! With a long-term view. A Big-Picture perspective!† (Carson). There are times, when a person’s mind encounters the right philosophies, and self-discovery happens. In a flash, I visualized an uncertain future, where I could see myself was holding a materialistic degree with spiritual ignorance, knowing nothing about the world, and being completely empty of practical knowledge. Then, I knew that if there were ever a time for me to abandon the misconception about education, it was at that moment. As Peck stated in his essay â€Å"Responsibility†, â€Å"This is because we must accept responsibility for a problem before we can solve it. We cannot solve a problem by hoping that someone else will solve it for us.† Using education as a key to succeed is my responsibility. I realized that I am the person who has to deal with my future, and it was time for me to solve it. â€Å"I feel passionately that all of us can control our own destinies. Students should plan for a realistic career, get themselves organized, learn to persist, be positive, and open themselves to growth† (Coleman). I was determined to change, to create a new attitude. I wanted to learn not just for the grades, but also for the knowledge. From that moment, I told myself to be more concerned with the information than with the grades. The information is what education really is, while the grades are sometimes merely an outward factor. I began refusing to use the phrase â€Å"just study enough† as an excuse for not trying. However, several times, when I felt regretful for having held the wrong attitude for such a long time, again, I found my concerns reflected in â€Å"Voices and Values†. Most of the people in that book started their education a little late and faced many difficulties. Even so, they were seriously struggling, combating, and they overcame their own obstacles. At the age of nineteen, I am ready to be a go-getter, to thrive with a new passion which has been redefined. I will always cherish the moment that I touched that book, â€Å"Voices and Values†, that has spiritually changed who I am.†

Nike vs. Adidas

Mitchell Earley Mr. Jackson ENGL 101 November 9, 2012 Nike vs. Adidas Nike and Adidas are two of the most popular sporting attires out in the clothing and equipment market. Both Nike and Adidas offer people and athletes a broad selection of great apparel and athletic equipment. The purpose of this essay is to compare and contrast Nike and Adidas companies in terms of headquarters, market focus, sponsorships, marketing, advertising, price, product, and its production.Both Nike and Adidas are sportswear companies whose products throughout many parts of the world are very popular and have been the top two leading sport companies in the sport industry. Nike is an international American sportswear manufacturer. It was founded by Bill Bowerman in the year 1972 and the slogan is â€Å"Just Do It†. On the other hand, Adidas is a worldwide sportswear manufacturer based in Germany and founded by Adolf Dassler in 1949 and their slogan is â€Å"Impossible is Nothing†. NIKE, INC. STRATEGIC CASE STUDYThese two companies sell and offer a wide range of products for the customers and their products offered is mainly on sportswear for men and women. These companies also provide the customers varieties of footwear such as sports shoes, casual shoes, boots, sandals and stockings. While they are selling similar products, Nike products are more expensive than Adidas because all Nike brand has high and advance technology. Nike is firmly focused in the American market, although it has made its way into the international market fairly recently.The company is also considered largely responsible for the frenzy of athlete sponsorship that the industry is known for today. All of this ties in with Nike's dominance of the advertising and marketing aspects of the business. On the other hand, Adidas has traditionally focused on the European market even though it is a well-known name in the rest of the world as well. This is mainly due to the company's affiliation with soccer. The company has recently taken steps to increase its marketing and advertising budget and has made moves into the ajor sports equipment and sportswear markets. Nike and Adidas have also been the top sponsors in the sport industry. Nike promotes its products by sponsorship agreements with celebrity athletes, professional teams, and college athletic teams. In contrast, Adidas sponsors professional soccer, tennis, and general athletics with mainly clothing. In terms of market focus, Retail is a key focus for Nike in connecting with consumers, both online and in store.Adidas is in the European market focus because Europe is the birthplace of Adidas with a long tradition of domination in the marketplace. Nike has a more varied line-up of basketball shoes, running shoes, and cross-training products. Among the different brands under the Nike control are Umbro, Converse, Jordan, and Cole Haan. Adidas for most part currently offers products that are geared primarily towards the socc er, tennis, and general athletics markets. Among the companies in Adidas' control are Reebok, Taylor Made and Rockport.Almost all of Nike’s products are outsourced to various countries in Asia, particularly Taiwan and Korea, which in turn outsource production to still other Asian countries, among them China, Indonesia and Vietnam. The company does have a home office in Beaverton Oregon and that is where Nike products are designed, developed, and marketed. Adidas recently adopted a similar approach with virtually all the design and development work being handled in Germany and production being outsourced to Asian countries as well.This move has helped Adidas remain competitive in the industry and compete with Nike for the most part. In conclusion, Nike and Adidas are famous sport brands and which people usually tend to compare them to each other. Price is a vital factor that influences consumers to make the final decision. Nike and Adidas both show that they provide the same t ype of work, but a little different schemes and offers different products. The two are both very popular and they will both always be connected to one another due to product value, sales, and products produced.

The Similarities between the books Brave New World and Logan’s Run

In a dystopian society, one is not limited to the sum of displeasure and lies that might transpire. The lines between dystopian and anti-utopian societies are similar in contrast, but offer a wide array of absent pleasure for the citizens of the totalarianistic state. Brave New World, a brainwashed utopia, written by Aldous Huxley, introduced the first suggestions of human cloning in literature. Thinking about the class ranks that the â€Å"embryos† are classified into, you are literally born into either the lower classes or upper classes; contrasting Logan’s Run.In the movie, the society presents themselves in different colors. It’s not that the women wear one color and the men wear another, but instead based upon their age. The different colors of their wardrobe put forward an insight into anyone that they might converse with. It seems a little bizarre, don’t you think? But very logical. To sustain population control in Logan’s Run, the process ve iled as â€Å"renewal†, masks the true reason for the so called â€Å"carousel†. When the citizens in Logan’s Run reach the age of 30, they are basically done, meaning they are sentenced to death.But in the minds of the rebellious ones that are next up for â€Å"renewal†, they take their chances and run. You know their considered a runner because the red dot on their hands will lose their color, and when their ready to be renewed there’s no longer life, so the red will start blinking. This enjoyed process by the other citizens watching isn’t so tasteful for anyone humane or sane. When compared to our society throughout the world, China has a high policy on child restrictions. The law states they are limited to the one child policy.So with the ever growing population of China, there’s certain ways to try and slow down the growing rate of humanity; similar to Logan’s Run. In both Brave New World, and Logan’s Run, one thing is apparent. The futuristic society’s role in sexual relations. It’s a â€Å"no strings attached† kind of constructional, sexual pleasure. The way Logan used the technology to choose women he wanted for the night, was disgusting to the common person; but in all actuality, it was acceptable and encouraged in their civilization. When Logan 5 is selecting his pray he comes acrossJessica 6 in which her rejection to his offer, makes him feel allured. This is because of their conditioning, intercourse is practiced and performed so much, that there’s no rejections, it’s as if their playing a Simon Says game. Same case in Brave New World, there’s no repercussions to their actions! I believe that’s the alarming red flag. Any woman in our society to be unprotected meaning, no way to prevent pregnancy, then your cruising to become a mother. But in both sex pleasured worlds, they know nothing bad is going to happen after their one night stand, s o they continue on their ongoing activities.The inevitable fate of both worlds has its bad sides and okay sides, for us outsiders we can only image how much harm is going on. But both Brave New World and Logan’s Run illustrate a society striving for ultimate efficiency, and ultimate pleasure. There is so called life outside of both considered â€Å"utopias†. Not suited for the non-rebellious intellectuals. The conscience minds who question the rule of authority and the ways of the society are gaining new ground in discovering the outside world. There’s ways around everything.But for some, living in the dystopian setting of futuristic, test tube lives can alter you true, humanly instincts. One living in lies, won’t or can’t be acceptable to the ways of life on the outside, it may take time or just never happen. Good example: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. I know we all knows the story, but the societies in both: Brave New World and Loganâ€⠄¢s Run complement each other, suggesting new, alien ideas, thought of by obviously more than one man. The boundaries are endless in according to dystopian and utopian works of literature, leaving one to think†¦. What kind of society are we living in?

Body Alterations

Cosmetic surgery is the most common kind of plastic surgery nowadays. It consists on medical practices intended for enhancing one’s appearance, maintaining it or embellishing it beyond an average level toward an esthetic ideal. Tattoos, piercings and any other ornaments are applications that also take the human’s body as their final object. In his essay â€Å"The Body Jigsaw†, Philippe Liotard states that cosmetic surgery and body alterations stand at opposite sides. In the following, I’m going to take a position relatively to the above statement, before analyzing the situation in my home society, Lebanon. First of all, Liotard believes that body modifications are ways that one can use in order to look different from the common mass. For him, it is as expression of â€Å"refusal to comply with social norms† (Liotard, 264). So far, it’s true that having a foreign tattoo or a piercing in a society that doesn’t originally apply them commonly makes a person looks out of the box. Moreover, different combinations of body alterations emphasize the uniqueness of each individual and reflect a mixture of cultures. On the opposite side, cosmetic surgery can be applied for several reasons. One of them is looking for example as a certain idol, celebrity or any public figure. This aim is becoming very redundant between women who seek having this actress’ nose or that singer’s lips. From this way of thinking, we can say that cosmetic surgery promotes a kind of stereotype. For that, the uniqueness of each individual is abolished. For this way of interpretation, I stand on the same shore as the author. Moving to my home society, views and opinions concerning both â€Å"alternative† body alterations and cosmetic surgery vary a lot. There’s no single common way of handling these applications. In fact, some alterations are rejected while others can be tolerated. For most Lebanese, a familiar thought is that piercing as well as others body ornaments or some techniques are not manly. For that, a man with a pierced ear is subject to negative connotations. On the other hand, tattoos for instance are accepted to a certain extend. Concerning cosmetic surgery, we encounter three main categories of opinions. There are some people who completely support these surgeries whereas others reject them completely while some have intermediate views. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t mind people having a tattoo even though I won’t do it. I personally believe that the decision of having a permanent tattoo is based on mood or temporary convictions that can collapse with time. On the contrary, I’m not against having a temporary one. Also, about cosmetic surgeries, I support them when they aim to correct an inborn defect or an accidental one. A personal experience I had was when I broke my nose and the only solution was having a surgery to repair the bad appearance caused by the accident. On the opposite side, I disapprove plastic surgeries when they are applied just to have someone else’s nose, lips†¦ To sum up, I agree that cosmetic surgery and â€Å"alternative† body alterations are philosophical antonyms even though they both affect the body. And, like in everything else, the best use of body alterations relies in moderation. As a Lebanese proverb says: â€Å"Every excess means less† Works Cited Liotard, Philippe. â€Å"The Body Jigsaw†. Shades of Gray. 2nd edition. Ed. Zane Sinno et al. Essex: Pearson, 2008. Print