My View on Sporting Event

Popular events like the football world cup and other international sporting occasions are essential in easing international tensions and releasing patriotic emotions in a safe way. To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion? In present days,more and more countries are putting big sporting events into national agenda due to a sporting explosion and their increasingly attentions towards multinational sports occupations. Meantime,issues are highly debated on whether such international sporting activities can ease the intensive atmospheres between competitive countries or not. Personally, I really appreciate the former idea for several reasons. In general,popular sporting events contribute to harmonious relationships between the participated nations. To start with,communications between nations during the games enable them to be closer to others. Participation in the events promotes the development of friendshios and recongnition,which are acquired by sharing the exciting moments and cooperating with each other. Moreover,every joining country is likely to concentrate on the game during the competiton,which ,as a result,tend to pay less attention to deal with his enemies in the fields of politics or economy. It is true that countries can afford no distraction to pose threats to the security of other countries during the game. Admittedly,sporting events may not function well to shoulder the responsibility for eliminating the contradiction between countries. The reason for this is that such events can make competitions even more intensive than before,provided that one country win another,which is coincidently its enemy. Obviously,the situation tends to be counterproductive,let alone the expectation of an improvement. Even so,it is unusual that such sort of thing happens frequently,as the game launched internationly is seen as a profile of promoting team spirit and paticipation. In summary,I would concede that the sporting events cause worse problems in some cases. Despite that,they play pivotal roles in cooling strained emotions safely. Overall,I am convinced that more and more countries should join in the events.

Explain what the what the principles and activities of your business are Essay

The Wycombe District Council (WDC) is an organisation run by the government that provides a wide range of facilities in parts the Buckinghamshire County that is needed to build a community. Public spending e.g. council tax, pole tax, housing rent etc, funds a majority of these services. These vital needs for a community that I will be investigating are services such as housing, public transportation and leisure. HOUSING The need for housing takes priority over all the other needs in the community because without housing over half of today’s population in Briton would be homeless. Because of this need the Council’s objectives in providing this service are: * To provide affordable long term housing for identified community needs. * To provide sustainable and self- sufficient communities through housing initiatives. * Ensuring the provision of adequate range of accommodations to meet identified needs of the community. * I identifying sites to meet the Structure Plans allocating homes for the hosing needs. * Identifying and acquiring suitable sites where necessary for the development of affordable housing. The Wycombe and district council also provides accommodation for the homeless or people in danger of becoming homeless. If such situations were to occur, under the provision act of 1996 the WDC ha s a duty to help any legal citizen in such situation. However the council is ineligible to give homeless asylum seekers in accordance with the asylum and immigration act of 1996, but asylum seekers can seek advice from either the council or citizen advice bureau or housing association. TRANSPORTION AND TRAVEL The Bucks County Council (BCC) is known to provide the three major ways to travel within and from the Bucks area either by train, bus, or coach. The other mode of public transport that is known as taxi that runs in and around the Wycombe District is under licensed by the WDC. The Bucks County Council can be overseen as a head office to the Wycombe District Council. However in providing these services the BCC aims are: * To ensure all new development helps to minimise the amount of motorised travel. * To increase the proportion of journeys taking place by public transport, on foot and by cycle and making these attractive, safe and being alternatives to the car. * To raise the awareness of the wider impact of travel decisions and the need to change travel habits. * To support and co-ordinate community transport community transport facilities. * To promote road safety. * To ensure adequate transport infrastructure exists to service current and purposed developments. * To improve the management of traffic and parking so as to minimise congestion and journey times. * To reduce to the impact of vehicles on the environment in terms of pollution and congestion. LEISURE The WDC offers a wide verity of leisure facilities such as a sports centre that offers a wide selection of sports facilities that include: * 50m swimming pool, * 25m teaching pool, * Multi-purpose sports hall, * 4 Squash Courts, * Simpsons’ Dance Studio, * ‘Lifestyles’ Health and Fitness suite (including sauna and spa), * 6 rink bowls hall, * ‘Bodyzone’ body building room, * Athletics track, * Synthetic turf pitch, * Crà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½che, * Moonbase’ * Children’s soft play area, * Cafeteria /Bar, * The round house ‘Health and Beauty Salon’ LEISURE (continued). The other leisure attractions the WDC has to offer are places like the ‘The Swan Theatre’, a modern threatre with the capability of seating up to 1000 people, found in the Wycombe town centre, offering a wide verity of professional and amateur entertainment with conference facilities. Other attraction that can be found around the High Wycombe are: an artificial lake by the Rye mead used for fishing during summer times as well as an open air heated swimming pool also used during summer time. The UCI 6-screen cinema that’s found a mile and a half from the town, aswel as the Wycombe Museum opened in 1999 where fascinating history and renowned collection of Windsor chairs can be discovered. And many more attraction can be found around the Wycombe district area. In order to recognised the need for these facilities the WDC had set a list objective in order to find out exactly what kind of leisure facilities the public wanted, they were: * To identify the leisure needs of all sectors of the community. * Optimising the use of existing leisure provision. * Promoting equality of access to leisure facilities and services for all including where appropriate direct provision. * Encouraging self-help, partnership working and community participation in the delivery of leisure opportunities. * Conserving, enhancing and promoting the heritage of the District. * To help achieve healthy lifestyles through the Health and Promotion Scheme. Task 2 * Give a description of the work of the human resources department. ALso a description of the work of three other departments -excluding the customer services department†¦ THE HUMAN RESOUCE DEPARTMENT. The Human Resources/Personnel department within any organisation is the department that deals with a majority of the company are internal and external affairs such as: recruitment, training, company polices, development within the company, promotions etc. After collecting some information about the human resources department at the WDC, I learned that they deal with a wide range of different topics, which are * Co-operate services * Recruitment * Management of project * Polices and development * Promotion of equal opportunities * Staff management with the trade union * Reward and establishment TRANSPORTATION AND TRAVEL DEPARTMENT The Transportation and Travel department at the Wycombe and District Council is responsible for the provision of public transport service in and around the High Wycombe district, services such as an organised bus service, to meet the needs of ordinary people who needs to needs to travel by public transport on a daily basis, e.g. for people to get to work school, work, college, to get to other destinations etc. Other services such trains are operated by a large rail network company called Chiltern Railways that run through out the southeastern part of Britton. Another means of public transport is the taxi service; which are all licencend by the council to operate under specified rules and regulation. Other services that are dealt with in this department are * Car Parks (multi-storey car parks surface) * Hackney Carriages * High Way (non agency) * Street Nameplates * Transport Planning * Footpaths and Bridleways * Footways Lighting * Travel Concessions (for elderly people) COMMMUNITY SAFTY This department at the council focuses on safety within the community such as the reduction of crime within the community. The main activities within this department are working together with both the police and the community in an effort to reduce crime and disorder with in the community. Other activities include the monitoring of C.C.TV in and around the town centre. As part of the major plan to reduce crime, the Wycombe District Council has form a large organisation together with members from different organisation called the WYCOMBE SAFTY PARTNERSHIP; here is a list of the organisation that forms that partnership: * Thames Valley Police * National Probation Service (Thames Valley) * Bucks County Council including Youth and Community, Education and Social Services * Youth Offending Team * Drugs Action Team * Local heath providers * ConneXions * Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescues services * Parish and Town Councils * Voluntary Organisations THE ENVIRONMENT DEPARTMENT This department covers a wide range of different task that affects the environment and the community. To ensure high standards of health and safety within the community is kept to a maximum, the council has to ensure rules and members of the community follow regulations. To enforce health and safety the council has to find a way to control these areas in the community: Pollution Pest/Dog Control Atmospheric pollution Control of pest and dogs e.g. dropping faeces in Environmental Monitoring a public park etc. Noise control Consumer Protection Public Health and Safety Food and safety control Public health and safety licensing Health and safety Public Services Waste and Cleansing Development control (appeals, applications, Domestic refuse collection? civic amenities advice, and enforcement) Sewage and cesspool emptying Planning policy Street sweeping and litter collection Urban design and planning Waste reclamation Conservation Environmental Management Flood Prevention / River maintenance Environmental policy group Flood prevention and river maintenance Building Control Building control. Task3 * A DESCRIPTION OF HOW THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES ARE SAFEGUARDED BY LEGISLATION†¦ The Wycombe District Council has a strong commitment to promoting equal opportunities, both to the community that it serves and the people they employ. Because the council values the communities within the district and its workforce they believe everyone should be treated fairly, regardless of their race, religion, ethnic background, sex, H.I.V or marital status (e.g. woman, with kids etc) under the equal opportunities law, every member should be treated equally to the highest standards possible. If a service user has a complaint of discrimination against the council they can either contact the reception desk or write to the chief officer. All complaints of such kind are dealt with seriously. Task4 An explanation of how different functional areas communicate with each other At the Wycombe District Council there lots of different departments that the members of staff will need to communicate with each other from in order to deliver the service they aim to deliver. The need for internal communication within any organisation weather large or small is absolutely vital for their business to keep growing stronger and stronger. At WDC there are lots of different methods used to communicate internally, weather it being a quick message, an informal letter, documents concerning another department about a customer, newsletter or staff notice etc. The methods in which these can be done are through the internet, e-mailing, fax, telephone, answer machines, portable radio, beeper mobiles etc. The WDC also uses similar ways to communicate with their external contacts for various reasons such as a purchase order a enquires about their services etc, this can be done through face to face conversation, faxing, telephone, e-mailing etc. There are advantages and disadvantages that goes with some of the methods used to communicate e.g. With visual meetings, telephone or face to face conversation, it is more easier to be able to get an instant response or you can also give an impression or read the other persons body language. And the disadvantages can sometimes be more common than the advantages, methods such as e-mailing which has a time delay where the recipient can take a long time to respond which is the same for faxing, answer machines, beepers and telephone where the person may not be around to receive the call Task5 Explain the organisational structure of the business The organisational structure at the Wycombe District Council is set up into various departments in accordance to the service that is involved with the job role. Each department is department is managed and run by different members of the directing board. Below is a list of the different department and details of the services and job role that is undertaken. A copy of the WDC’s organisation chart is put on a separate sheet with the rest of this assignment.

Consumer behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 5

Consumer behaviour - Essay Example In this regard, the firms will formulate a marketing mix that reaps maximum benefits given the diverse market environment and the organizations resources (Lewis and Sappington, 1994). This brings to the fore certain marketing strategies like segmentation, targeting, and market positioning. This paper will seek to establish whether the marketplace can be inclusive to all consumers. Moreover, this paper will try to establish whether the market should be inclusive to all customers. This paper will focus on the fashion world in order to draw meaningful insights on the aspect of inclusivity and exclusivity of the marketplace. It is important to note that the scope of this study will be on the inclusivity and exclusivity of consumers within the fashion market place. Other markets will therefore not be focused on due to the dimension that this paper will take. The fashion market is a diverse and dynamic field that is constantly changing to accommodate the dynamic tastes, preferences, and needs of the clientele (Johnson and Myatt 2006). Players in this industry have to be abreast with the new trends as well as new emerging markets. This kind of reactiveness makes these firms to remain relevant in the fashion industry (Doeringer & Crean, 2006, p. 54). It is imperative to note that, the participants in the fashion industry have their own predetermined market. The goods that they produce are meant to serve a particular set of consumers. These firms rend to identify a niche and work to satisfy all the specifications that are required in that niche market (Dalgic, 1998, p. 4). In this regard, the success of a certain product in this niche market is because of the desires, wishes, or needs of a liberated customer and the consequence of marketers’ compulsion over an isolated individual. The advantages of adapting niche marketing entailed g rowth prospects, value formation and apparent value, revenues, augmented sales, prices and marketplace stakes, client

Case discussion Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion - Case Study Example y politically motivated (lobbying intense) actions that Chiquita took to counteract the EU common policy and analyze why they were not met with greater success in terms of breaking down the imposed trade barriers in the European market. One way to counteract the EU policy was to seek measures that involved lobbying trade unions that represent the interests of its citizens who are affected by foreign trading policies. This measure is not only political but legal as well but the process takes long due to verification of the policies and the bureaucracies. The solution achieved by this lobbying is either middle or long term as the trade unions seek to prevent other companies in future from these policies (Spar 13). The other channel that may be open and provide solution to the foreign policy issue is seeking powerful politicians to lobby against imposition of such policies by foreign bodies which â€Å"hurt† the companies in their country. This can be done through coming up with bills and lobbying during the political meetings and sittings and seek not only a temporary but permanent solution as well. The problem with this just like with the other solution is the time it will take before implementation is done hence not providing a short term

Challenges in Access Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Challenges in Access - Essay Example ted only this month and gauged the current public sentiment on health care amidst current conditions, particularly from September 21-22 (Rasmussen, 2012). The polls by Rasmussen Reports and Reuters depict the manner by which public opinion changes according to the movements in the policy networks. For example, when the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the validity of the health care law, Reuters reported that the public was slightly more supportive of it. According to what they found, opposition fell to 52 percent from the posted 57 percent previously. This development depicts how institutions can wield influence on the way people perceive specific issues. Then, there is the case of the Rasmussen poll. It found that more and more Americans are accepting the health care law, stating that even though 52 percent of Americans are in favor of repealing the law, most of them see that such repeal is no longer likely. The period by which the poll survey was conducted came at the heels of several polls released showing Obama’s rally in presidential election surveys. The defeat of the Republican contender in the presidential race - if the poll is to be believed or if the election was held September 22 - meant that the health care reform will persist, as the Democrats prevail. Of course, there is the other story to these two polls. Although, the trend seems to be gradually favoring the health care reform, certain aspects to the public opinion of it remain strong. It should be noted that after two years, there is still strong opposition to the so-called Obama-care. The length of time should have steadily eroded public opposition but this does not appear to be happening at all. If one goes back to the Reuters’ poll, the bump in the figures supporting the health care reform was given by the public unwillingly. This is supported by the public’s acceptance, according to Rasmussen, that the law will persist because it came with Obama’s possible reelection. I would also

Alexis de Tocquevilles Democracy in America (1835, 1840) and John Essay

Alexis de Tocquevilles Democracy in America (1835, 1840) and John Stuart Mill On Liberty (1859) - Essay Example The system of democracy has arisen as a result of oppression by aristocracy and monarchy. Aristocrats and monarchs pledged allegiance to Catholicism and often suppressed certain liberties. As the world’s first modern democracy, America stands as a beacon to the world. Marked disparities lie in both narratives of De Tocqueville and Mill. Both De Tocqueville and Mill carry onerous burdens about the tyranny of the majority in their theses; however they both attack the same topic, justifying their fears about the majority rule using different premises. On one hand, De Tocqueville takes note of American democracy as it implements the majority as its government its distinguishing traits and also downfalls; on the other, Mill is more predisposed to liberty considerations, detailing the distinctive qualities of liberty – both tackling the pitfalls of governing the individual, threats to individuality and by extension the nation under the rule of the majority. The combination of all these causes forms so great a mass of influences hostile to Individuality, that it is not easy to see how it can stand its ground. It will do so with increasing difficulty, unless the public can be made to feel its value—to see that it is good there should be differences, even though not for the better, even though, as it may appear to them, some should be for the worse. If the claims of Individuality are ever to be asserted, the time is now, while much is still lacking to complete the enforced assimilation.   De Tocqueville’s â€Å"Democracy in America† and John Stuart Mill’s â€Å"On Liberty,’ are similar because they both have numerous legitimate concerns about the right and plight of the minority and individual in the face of a system of politics ruled by the majority. Both thinkers delve into these pertinent subjects to substantiate their points. The narratives of both political thinkers also concur because they continue to dissect all forms of government and trace the effects of certain governmental structures and distributions of power, concentrating power into the hands of the public. De Tocqueville’s main preoccupation is the definition and sovereignty of the American people, whereas Mill’s is the supremacy of the general will. These differences exist because De Tocqueville’s argument centers on the system of democracy – a brand of government for the people, of the people and by the people. De Tocqueville reasons that for government, one party must be lesser, while the next must be greater. Following this logic, he realizes that even democracy has its inequalities. He refers to the origins of democracy – a system of government put into effect by the people, for the people and of the people. However, he is quick to underscore that there are some weighty implications with the rule of the people. Collective government is evidently encapsulated in the U.S. Constitution, â€Å"W e, the people.† The elections, the democratic process, is actually glaring evidence of the rule of the majority in which the people elect a government based on a majority count. Since minorities are not given enough say or authority, American democracy ultimately tyrannizes the minority, empowered with the ability to ignore conveniently, prosecute and persecute dissidents. By elucidating on the repressive origin and character of democracy, De Tocqueville informs that American democracy is ruled by a majority, suppresses the minority, conforming to the general will. Likewise, John Stuart Mill critiques the power of the general wil

Project Management Process at HLR Inc Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project Management Process at HLR Inc - Essay Example This paper discusses the main issues concerned with the implementation of Information Technology project at HLR Inc. The firm had never implemented such a big project that involves huge investment and association of many stakeholders. Stakeholder analysis is an important stage in the management of a project. A stakeholder may be defined as anybody or organization who is actively involved in the project process and they include people who are affected by the project (Sproull 1991). Actually, stakeholder identification is a continuous process. At any stage of the project, stakeholders can be identified. Hence, it is the best practice to workout the stakeholders' list and documents it in the initial stages of the project. During the course of the project, this stakeholder list can be updated. The project manager should be aware of the needs and wants of the stakeholders as different stakeholders will have different wants and needs. The key stakeholders of the present project include the following parties: The Customer/user (HLR Inc and its customers): HLR Inc is the immediate customer of the project. However, the customers who purchase goods and receive service from the organization also form part of the stakeholders of the project. The project sponsor has a specific role to play in the project process. ... Product Fulfillment (Denver, Ottawa CN): Processes, evaluates, and approves development and leasing contracts. Makes changes to customer information if notified. Customer Service (Denver): Resolves problems for customers and acts as the 24/7 call center for lease or customer related issues. Makes changes to customer information. Billing (Chicago HQ): Deals with rental payments, invoice issues, and follow-ups. Makes changes to customer information. Provides financial information to sales and executive management Marketing (Chicago HQ): Reviews sales and future development data and determines marketing opportunities. Sponsor (CIO of HLR Inc): The person who facilitates project process by timely arranging finance and other resources. Any other people who are influenced indirectly by the activities of the organization. The Project Sponsor The project sponsor has a specific role to play in the project process. He occupies the prominent position as the project is initiated and completed by him by arranging all resources necessary for the project. In the present case, CIO is the project sponsor, who is responsible to undertake the completion of the project to protect the organization interest along with the interest of other stakeholders. CIO at HLR Inc is primarily a high risk-taker as the project is being criticized by many in the organization. However, the project manager takes strong decisions as to the smooth flow of the operations and completion of the work. CIO, here acts as the mediator between the project manager and other stakeholders who are adversely affected by the new project. There is no doubt that the scope of the responsibility of CIO spans the whole of the project life cycle. The activities of CIO involve the

To what extent does Heidi Hartmanns metaphor of an unhappy marriage Essay

To what extent does Heidi Hartmanns metaphor of an unhappy marriage still characterise the relationship between Marxism and feminism - Essay Example She further asserted to the fact that the relationship that existed between feminism and Marxism is one that is similar. According to me, I think That Marxism was predominantly what made up feminism. This is from a line in her work in which she said, ‘Marxism and feminism are one, and that one is Marxism†. In her opinion, Hartman made it clear that a marriage needed to be healthy, failure of which a divorce was inevitable. The relationship that has existed between feminism and Marxism is characterized by tension. This is because the two theories of Marxism and feminism have an analysis that is radical (Yuval-Davi & Nira, 2006). However, in this article, I intend to bring out the aspect of there being an existence of a ‘healthier’ relationship between feminism and Marxism. There is the need to have a connection between the two divergent views. This is primarily because the Marxism analysis has in itself an analysis that presents insights that are essential in the historical developments vis-à  -vis those of capital particularly. Moreover, the arguments and fundamentals of Marxism are blind to sex. There is only a particular feminist analysis that clearly reveals the systematic character that exists between the relationship of man and woman. However, the feminist argument itself has been deemed to be inadequate as it does not consider historical facts and has materials that are inadequate (Brah, Avtar, Phoenix & Ann 2004). Looking at â€Å"The Unhappy Marriage of Marxism and Feminism†, an article by Heidi Hartmann, many questions went through my mind. One is left wondering the relationship that exists between feminism and Marxism. I wondered where these two concepts agree and where they are in conflict. More interesting is looking at Hartmann’s metaphor of â€Å"unhappy marriage†, and to try to relate it with Marxism and feminism. The review of Hartmann and that of Rosemarie Tong never convinced me hence the urge and curiosity to

Nursing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 3

Nursing - Assignment Example While some people may question the effectiveness of using group decision making in management, others have used it with the results being quite impressive. When members of a team are allowed to get involved in the decision making process, they can share various ideas, some of which are usually excellent for management. However, there are some situations in which decisions made in a group might not be as effective as they ought to be. This happens when the group members making the decisions are biased or are polarized. They tend to be subjective and not critical enough of the decisions they make. Managers working in teams should ensure that the groups they involve in decision making are as objective as they can be. This will help them avoid making polarized decisions which might end up hurting their organization. In the nursing field, it is important to involve everyone in decision making as this is the best way to come up with best practices within an institution or community. When decisions are made by a team, everyone is involved in analyzing the benefits as well as the risks involved. They can also look at some of the alternatives that they have at their disposal if they think that the action they have decided to take is too risky. Managers who involve their teams in decision making have a better chance at success since their teams are normally supportive of decisions made. Conflict is a social trait that is unavoidable according to Rahim (2002). Conflict management is, therefore, an important skill that every manager should have. However, as much as conflict comes with a negative connotation, there are some positive aspects to it. It can stimulate creativity, create opportunities and in the long run, improve performance. The question that every manager has to deal with is how much conflict should be allowed within their teams. It is not easy to develop a formula of how much conflict should be allowed within a team in a professional set-up (Rahim, 2002).

Legislation and common law responsibilities Essay

Legislation and common law responsibilities - Essay Example The responsible thing to do is to report the incident to my superior right away and to administer the appropriate first aid. The centre’s physician will be called upon to check if Isabella will suffer ill consequences of her ingestion of the milkshake, which has dairy products she is allergic to. Isabella’s parents will also be informed of the incident and the action taken to repair the damage, if any. Isabella’s family will be asked to complete a complaint form and raise the concern with the center director. The meeting is documented. Then the side of the concerned staff member the parent is complaining about is heard by the director, and likewise documented. Then the director acts as an arbiter when she calls a meeting for the parents and the staff concerned, in which the discussion is likewise documented. The director will try to arrange for a settlement of the complaint. However, if the complainant remains unsatisfied, then they could take it up to the manage ment committee. Uncle Paul may be a close relative of Eleni but since he is not listed as an authorized person to collect Eleni from the center, he is restricted from taking her without the permission of Natalie, Eleni’s mother. To validate his claim, Natalie must be contacted to verify if indeed she has given him permission to take Eleni to the party they are supposed to attend and remind her to inform the center next time an unauthorized person is given permission is to pick up Eleni to prevent any incidences of unnecessary waiting.

Healthcare Interview Essay Example for Free

Healthcare Interview Essay Introduction This paper is based on a conducted interview of a licensed employee of Larkin Community Hospital. This paper will include an overview of Larkin Community Hospital. It will describe the targeted department, type of work conducted in this department, and specific information that makes it unique. Furthermore, this paper will describe all responsibilities in care and will consist of questions answered by the interviewee. Overview of Larkin Community Hospital Larkin Community Hospital severed as a general hospital for those patients who in need of surgical and medical care. Larking Community is a physician-owned, acute care in bed hospital accredited by Joint Commissions. In this facility, patients will have safest and compressive care at its best quality. This facility offers a variety of services which include bariatric care, cardiology, dental care, emergency care, family practice, memory disorders, occupational health, outpatient and inpatient care, podiatry and foot, pulmonary care, mental health, surgery, and healing. It accommodates residential patients who suffer from physical or mental disabilities. As part of the Graduate Medical Education Committee, it teaches healthcare professionals of all aspects of care by monitoring and reviewing all healthcare decisions. The hospital will also implement and implement policies to ensure regulatory compliance is in order in regards to residents. Targeted Department The targeted department is the section where patients need more assistance; this is what makes facility different from the rest. In this section, resident assistance is available all hours of the day. All of the employees are trained to provide adequate care. All resident aids are first aid and CPR certified. Resident aids are available to provide ambulatory care when need for the patient. Because more care is provided in this section, there are more resident aids on the floor to make certain that all needs are fulfilled. Interviewee The person been interviewed is Ira Agastein, a resident supervisor of Larkin Hospital Community. His responsibilities is to make sure that residents are getting appropriate care by performance evaluations, make certain residents receive their medication when needed, and handling complaints by patients or their families. Agastein is in charge of enforcing implications of action plans that are developed to improve operation efficiency. As the resident aid supervisor it is his responsibility to ensure that employees (resident aids and resident aid manager) carry out their assigned duties. This will guaranteed that the department continues to improve and continue to provide the best quality of care to the patients. Career Path When asked what about his career path was, Agastein said it was to become a resident aid supervisor. Agastein began his career working as a combat medic in the Army National Guard. After a few years, he went to medical school to earn his bachelor degree in psychology. He began working shortly after his commissioning in the Army. After working in this position for 5 years, he began to shadow the resident manager learning the responsibilities of this position. A few months afterwards, he was promoted to resident manager. He knew that he wanted to go further so he began to learn the responsibilities as a resident aid supervisor. When the position was available he applied in hopes of getting the job. Because of his years of experience and acquired knowledge he was given the position. Although it can be overbearing at times, Agastein seems to love his job very much. Educational Requirements What are the educational requirements for the position? Agastein replied that there are some requirements for education where he had obtained a bachelor degree to get this position, which he did for psychology. While he was in medical school, he had to understand mental behaviors and theories relating to children and young teens. He had to deal with families suffering domestic violence and substance abuse. Also he had to working with people coming from socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. He needed to be able to withhold the knowledge of a resident supervisor, which got him in his current position today. Did your education adequately prepare you for your job? When asked this question Agastein said that without a doubt that his formal education in medical school had prepared him for this job. Since he had worked his way up through the ranks, from enlisted to commissioned he had seen all the aspects of leadership and he was well prepared to be put into a supervisor position. What would you say is the most important attribute for success in this position? Communication is the most important part of success in any position. Agastein said that from the janitor to the director if there is no communication everything will shut down and the business will not function. With his success in her current position he says that he has learned that throughout his entire career that communication was always what got his where he wanted to be. Another attribute that he attributes to his success is good old fashioned hard work. He says that he has always had to work hard and study a lot because good grades and success in education did not come as easy to him as it did for some of his colleagues. He had to study a lot and not sleep very much through medical school but he was able to pass in the top ten percent of his class. Hard work and dedication pays off well. Conclusion Ira Agastein a resident supervisor of Larkin Community Hospital, loves every aspect of his job and feels that he is right where he needs to be in his career path. He loves working with people and being able to make sure that they are all taken care of in a way that he says would make his grandfather proud. As a 18 year service veteran as a combat medic, he looks forward to retiring from the Army in the near future but he says he probably will never leave the health care field. He has done a lot of things in his 18 year career with the army and done other things, he has spent a lot of time on his education and says that here time in medical school was all worth it. Health care is something that he love and is very good at there is nothing else he would like to do more.

The Changing Face Of Youth Transitions Social Policy Essay

The Changing Face Of Youth Transitions Social Policy Essay Whether a young person is from a richer or poorer family may determine the age and the level of difficulty of going from a young person to an adult. The definition of youth transition seems vague. It generally means the time period when young people take increasing responsibility for themselves, their relationships and the decisions about their lives that shape their future prospects (HM Treasury, 2007). It is a principle that can be applied that to several key areas of adulthood, such as transition from education to work, moving out from home and starting a new family. The aim of this essay is to look at how social background could affect how long the speed of someones transitions in the mentioned areas. It will attempt to come to a conclusion afterwards. For simplicity, social class will be divided into working-class and middle-class. First of all is the transition from education to work. The main theory linking social class with this transition is that adolescents from middle-class backgrounds are more likely to stay in education at university level than youths from less well-off backgrounds. This could be because of more than one reason. This is because a persons level of education is likely to affect their childrens. For example, a mother from the working-class probably would not have had a higher education and may not have performed well in school as a child or adolescent herself. As a consequence, she may not have seen education as important as a parent from a middle-class background. This could possibly affect her childs education in two ways. The first way is that the parents unfavourable attitude towards education means that they are unlikely to encourage their child to pursue a university education. This is referred to by Jones (2002, p.9) as cultural capital. The second way is that parents who did not do well academically might have, as a result, low expectations of their children, expecting them to be similar to their parents. This would also mean parents not favouring university education. The importance of these two relationships between a parents social background, cultural capital and low expectation, is that children who do not study at university level (normally a three year course) are likely to get some form of employment sooner than those who go to university. For the same reasons, teenagers from wealthier backgrounds probably have better educated parents and are, perhaps, expected to attain a university degree. From this, it can be said that social class may influence the timing of transition to adulthood as children from less well-off backgrounds are more likely to move from education to employment earlier than those from middle-class backgrounds. It can also be said that this transition is made earlier and easier for working-class youths simply because their parents cannot afford to pay for their university fees. Therefore there is little choice for them but to get a job. This is another example of the influence of social class. Teenagers from a wealthier background could have the option to delay transition into work by furthering their qualifications at university, because there is money available from their parents or other sources. On the other hand, however, this theory is may not be very convincing. This is because there is usually financial aid available to those who do not have the money themselves, such as government loans, grants and university bursaries. According to Jones (2002), 68% of student income is from loans. This suggests that a high amount of higher education students are from backgrounds that cannot themselves afford it. The relevance of this is that it gives the impression that the influence of social class on transition from education to work is minimal, as many working-class children are also pursuing higher education in recent times. It is also crucial to consider domestic youth transitions. The first is the change a young person experiences from living in their parents houses to living independently. Living independently means that the adolescent is living in accommodation financed by his or herself. This links together with the education-employment transition as university students, although most of them are living away from home, are not living fully independently because it is most likely their parents who are responsible for their childs education and university accommodation fees. It was claimed earlier in this essay that middle-class adolescents are expected to go to university more than those from a poorer background. From this it could be said that the moving from home transition may occur earlier for those from the working-class as they will go into employment sooner than those from wealthier backgrounds. The relationship between social class and standard of living may be important. Using economic intuition, it can be said that higher income and wealth leads to a higher standard of living as more luxury goods and services become affordable. Therefore young people from middle-class backgrounds would enjoy a higher standard of living than youths from working-class backgrounds. This is surely influential over the time and ease of the transition of leaving home. This is because high living standards may reduce the incentive for young people from middle-class backgrounds as they are enjoying a higher quality of life while living with their parents. It is probable that moving away from home and earning their own living would reduce their quality of life as they will not be able to afford it in the short-term. Those from working-class background, however, do not have this quality of life and therefore have more reason and enticement to move out of home and aim to make a better living from hi s or her self. Another domestic transition is a youth going from their family of origin to starting a new family. This could mean having children. Before this, it is important to consider why a young woman would have a planned pregnancy. According to Carter and Coleman (2006), an unsettled childhood can be a key factor in this fast-track transition. Separation of parents and domestic violence are usually more associated with people of working-class background than any other. It can be claimed that teenagers that have separated parents and difficult family relationships desire a baby to achieve more stability in their lives something which they believe being a parent may bring. An unsettled background could also result in the youth abandoning home. This suggests that teenagers from less-wealthy backgrounds may make the family transition or the leaving-home transition earlier than those from richer families. Another theory is that poor educational achievement and bullying may prompt young women to c hange to a different life course such as parenthood (Carter and Coleman, 2006), but it is difficult to link this to social class. In fact, the issues of separated parents and domestic violence affect middle-class families too, undermining the strength and validity of the previous point. From the analysis above, it can be said that social class seems to have some influence over the timing and ease of youth transitions. It appears that all the mentioned transitions employment, moving out of parental home and parenthood seem to happen earlier and with more ease for children of working-class background. However, it is difficult to conclude the extent to which social class affects youth transitions. There are also other factors that need to be looked at such as the individual characteristics of a young person or the role of ethnicity in youth transitions (Cassidy. et al, 2006). Overall, social class might has some influence over the timing and ease of youth transitions through the family situations, academic expectations and living standards typically associated with that particular social background. Reference List Jones, G. (2002). The youth divide: diverging paths to adulthood. Joseph Rowntree Foundation Carter, S. and Coleman, L. (2006) Planned teenage pregnancy: Views and experiences of young people from poor and disadvantaged backgrounds, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation Cassidy, C. et al (2006). Young peoples experiences of transition to adulthood: a study of minority ethnic and white young people. Joseph Rowntree Foundation HM Treasury Department for Children, Schools and Families (2007) Aiming high for young people: a ten year strategy for positive activities [Online], Available: http://publications.dcsf.gov.uk/eOrderingDownload/PU214.pdf [July 2007]

Supply And Demand Chain In Music Industries Marketing Essay

Supply And Demand Chain In Music Industries Marketing Essay Since the inception of humankind, music has been significant to civilization of human race providing various advantages physically and mentally to every person involved in making or listening of music and tasting pleasure in doing so. Prior to 19th century, musical pursuit suggests attending live performances and playing of music instruments by people on their own at home. A soaring percentage of people involved in playing and singing by themselves and rest went to see the live performances in concert halls, taverns and music halls. During this era, the only way of recording music was on paper with support of some pre-programmed mechanical devices to play notes. This clearly shows that there was demand for devices which will help in developing and recording the music and can be easily distributed at listeners place. Before moving towards the process of recording and distribution of music let see how music-making is being categorised by society. Society has differentiated music making in two types i.e. classical music and popular/pop music. The classical music consists of well trained musician and pop music consists of untrained populace. The classical music suggest three large periods of music i.e. (Baroque, classical and romantic) where as popular music can be any modern day contemporary music. The basic difference between the classical music and pop music is classical music is also known as art providing entertainment whereas later only provides entertainment. Classical music has greater musical complexity and it is appreciated by older generation while pop music lacks the structural complexity for multiple structural layers but have universal appeal. Factor governing buyer behaviour Information on consumers potential behaviour becomes a strategic resource enabling promoters to anticipate competitors, improving the fit between supply and demand of music in the digital environment Quality Uncertainty Cultural goods are experiential goods in the sense that their quality may not be learned or measured even after consumption. There are no suitable parameters to make a claim regarding an unsatisfactory music album. When the quality is uncertain, people prefer what other people prefer. This represents the second feature of consumption in the cultural industries the presence of socio-network effects. Cultural-dependence Represents a way of fulfilling desires identified with highly valued life styles by consuming cultural goods, people express who they are and the social groups they belong. Demand Reversal Phenomenon Once too many people participate in a particular fashion, it ceases to be attractive, and the trend reverses. In this sense, the consumption process is cyclical, and the consumer segments may be influenced by the dynamics of fashion. This reversal process may also be repeated, such as when an anthology of Beatles songs, after being first fashionable, and then less attractive, may once again become valued as classics, experiencing repeated streams of consumption. Demographic factors Classical Music Willing to pay more for Interested in better sound quality Buy records as a package: not just music but notes, lyrics and cover art. Enjoy live concerts Prefer subscriptions than daily tickets Popular Music More interested in convenience Need flexible medium to listen Comparatively more fascinated discovering new music and artists Curious about the new phenomenon Consumer use music in two ways i.e. they own the product in the form of a CD/ DVD or use as a service, and listen to radio station or online. The listening of songs through radio station also used as promotional channel where the awareness is created and consumer is tempted to be the owner of the product. The market can be largely grouped into two segments: music owner and casual listener. It is possible for a consumer to be a part of both the segments i.e. customer being casual listener for some music and music owner for other kinds of music. When the casual listener is converted into music owner the profit starts coming in. Internet being a two-way interactive tool gives benefit to sales channel for downloading music as it is also used as a promotional channel. Consumer analysis suggests that adolescents and college going student perceived buying of CDs/DVDs as expensive. This perception exists due to mass piracy and copying, devaluing the commercial value of music and other reason being there is only one or two good value songs on the CDs/DVDs. The easy accessibility of technologies (MP3 player), digital downloading and CD/DVD writing has given power to consumer in-turn changing their buying behaviour. The music industry has drastically transformed in the last couple of decades, all credit goes to the increasing penetration of strong broadband connection, which provides convenient service to music lovers to download or buy the MP3 tracks or any music via internet. This technological change in music industry has adversely affected the traditional chain of high street music specialists. But in turn has resulted into heavy selling of physical music and DVD music online. This activity also lays the foundation for promoting digital downloads as well as the stealing of music illegally from the web. T he illegal downloading of music is the current major problem faced by the members dealing in music industry and the owners of the music. Downloading music illegally has not only started devaluing the value of music for entire generation of youth but also affecting the content owners in terms of their financial returns which is decreasing day-by-day. A huge challenges also faced by the retailers as there is a rapid ranges of price deflation due to free downloading of music by the new generation of consumers. While essential modifications are taking place in the music and video retailing as well as major upsetting among the specialist players, they are being provoked by the swift escalation of technology set up in the consumers place. With the influx of broadband connection there is a mass increase in the ownership for iPods and MP3 players. Other reasons for growth in online sales are due to the moving of supermarkets from food to non-food categories creating and continuing the huge impact. Thus, in this environment the challenges for retailers are to find different ways to cater their consumers for retaining their expected profitability which will help them to survive in this tough competition. On the whole, the music industry is facing an enormous challenge. A few of the most popular artists have an undersized product life cycle as the temperament of the industry has changed. Then alongside is the modern technology and broadband letting consumers to obtain classical and popular music at superior quality for free or diminutive cost during exchange of the MP3 tracks or file sharing. According to music recording companies and their representatives the massive and regular use of this method for obtaining classical and popular music has been a major setback for recording companies as this being the reason to their declining sales and profitability. Members and followers of the file sharing partly blames the commercial desire of the recording companies and indicate towards the comparatively great prices of DVDs, CDs and recorded music as the most important reason of consumers looking out for new and other choices. When we talk about technology it is clear that modern technology is here and will be upgraded time to time will become even more sophisticated in future. Numerous artists have problems and fail to get their music heard because of the governance of the quick buck super marketing of the present trim of top acts. Internet is the useful tool for the performers and artists and may offer useful resources for delivering their music to their follower all over the world. No matter what the point is? The music industry will counter the challenge of encountering the changed market place and how they act in response to such difficulties is going to be critical in their success and prolong development of music industry. Implications to Supply chain, Publisher and Demand chain The Music industry consist of performers/artists, labels/publisher, producers, manufacturer, engineers, marketing agencies. To realize all the arguments affecting each members of the supply chain, recording companies and demand chain it is important to know how music industry operates. It is huge and complex industry. In real meaning, a performer or an artist, is undersigned in a contract by the record companies to create an album or tracks. Then recording company pay or may pay for the produced albums to market it or manufacture the CDs which will be distributed all over the world. In return, the revenue is generated by the sale of the albums which covers all the cost incurred on producing the CDs and thus the income is passed to each member involved in the process. The music company are therefore smashing their business in search of providing a variety of music to meet the various range of tang of the consumer. For doing this, it is very important to manage the product portfolio sensitively as any action taken will have an adverse effect on cash flow. The music company has to ensure that there is a sufficient cash flow in the business to manage its liabilities. Almost every main record company will highlight the fact that they have dozens of other company that has set up under it or they have bought them. For example, The Universal Music Group owns: Jazz recording company Verve Classical recording company Deutsche Gramophone Apart from this the labels also has different companies under them which distribute conventional pop and rock material. Therefore, the market is dominated by five major companies sharing 75% of the total sales of recorded music all across the world. But to the fact, there are dozens of other labels and companies which are reputed as a individual entity but may have been under taken or set up by their parents company over the years. (Source: IFPI, Market Share of the Music Industry, 2008) The Problem The problem centres on several issues: Increase in piracy has affected the record labels severely as they experience a worst in declining sales. If sales are not official the artists are not bound to receive any royalty income from the sale of the music. The complexity of modern technology is also responsible in making of fake CDs which is again affecting the market of the music industry. Some artists struggle to get into mainstream as they are not signed by the major labels; they opt for the internet as it is potential source of getting their music to mass audience. Due to decline of CD sales physically, retailers of all size are facing the heat. Some smaller size retailers are complaining the difficulty they face in competing the larger stores as they have the advantage of providing the songs through downloaded music. The effects of music piracy has created the dispute for the record industry as it claims that piracy generates further sales but recording company wants to protect their monopoly powers by keeping the artificial prices high, and thus affecting the customer base. Other Problems The other aspects of music industries are also affected by the changing market in the music world. The method used by music lovers to purchase music is also going under drastic change as there is development in new forms of media entertainment i.e. DVDs and videos. Companies selling music have also come to provisions with the impact of changes taking place in the market. Amazon coming in on-line retailing made other companies like HMV, Virgin and Tower Records, which are the three major retailers to face the competition. Amazon also created the impact by providing the features like speedy delivery times and extensive range of stocks through global access. Digital distribution saviour of supply and demand chain in music industries The RIAA (Recording Industry Association America) forced Napster and other peer-to-peer companies to closed music sharing business with the help of severe legal process. The commotion was temporarily stopped but it clearly suggested that there is a need of such crucial products and services which will help in understanding the customers tastes and will meet their actual requirement. The basic objective was to re-organize the traditional supply chain for the survival and this was only possible by inculcating various digital distribution strategies. The content creators, content developers and marketers and retailers/ distributors are the three major players for the current supply chain in the music industry. Composers, lyricists, and artists are the part of content creators. The music publishing and record companies are included in content developers which are central to the industry. s are the They not only procure the musical rights, recognise and develop performing artists, record music in studios but also produce and distribute the music, advertise and promote music through various channels. The distributors consist of large national retail chains and recording company. 85% of sales come from record companies and larger national retail chains which are owned by retail outlets and are also high compared to record clubs and mail orders and online retailers which only account for 12% and 1 % respectively. In recent years, there has been a significant shift in the market share from unaccounted music to P2P music sites as the record companies have had a significant influence on the demand as well as the supply chain. Cost Breakdown of digital distribution (Source: Alternate digital distribution, G. Premkumar, 2003) The above cost structure proposes latent opportunities to develop the efficiency of current supply chain. The above table provides the breakdown of the costs involved using averages from various published sources. From this the royalty to composers/artists account to 12% as manufacturing cost is only 5% of total cost and costs such as labour, rent, and local inventory of retail outlet account for 35%. Meantime, the costs involved in retail outlets also account for 35% of selling price. The operating profits ranges from 4%-6% of sales in relation of price markdown and after writing off the inventory. An additional cost of 20% is absorbed in promotion and advertisement. The breakdown of these cost facts disclosed 25% of variable cost is comparatively small to fixed cost which is 75%. This is important because 60%-80% of music labels are meant to be flopped and they fail to cover the fixed cost. Most of the consumers do not realize that there is natural risk in this business and the suc cessful labels do only compensate the losses. Alternate strategies for Digital Distribution Distributing music digitally through supply chain can have a variety of strategies. The three major members of the supply chain are content creators/artists, recording companies and retailers. In order to ensure the success of digital distribution, multiple marketing and social issues must be solved instead of technological issues. Due to other restraint, concentrating only on supply chain will may or may not give the solution which can be implemented. Six different strategies given below are the suggestion for distributing music digitally. Recording company-retailer-customer Some consumer support this strategy as it suggests flexibility to produce modified CDs without altering the packaging CDs. This strategy introduce consumer to new artists also gives quality experience of music. This strategy is categorized into three stages as per changes taking place in the market. The primary stage consists of developing customized CDs and it advances to second stage where the assembling of CDs is done overcoming the in-store inventory problems. In the third stage, this strategy provides inventory less in-store and help consumer to recognize types of music they want, different artists, and can also create CDs. Due to inherent cost efficiency in this strategy, it provides benefits to Retail store operations. This strategy also helps recording companies to protect their copyrights. Record company-customer This strategy of direct distribution take advantage of eliminated retailers as it reduces the cost of retail operations for distributing music. Thus creating potential market for digital distribution between recording company and customer. Record company-intermediary-customer This strategy is also called one-stop shop. The consumer can get their music by visiting multiple sites at one place. Music from multiple recording companies is consolidated at one place by intermediary and this gives consumer to buy their favourite music at one place. Online retailers like Amazon.com can generate extra sales revenue by providing quick search facility and good system network to download music. Artist-customer This strategy creates the most efficient supply chain by eliminating the intermediaries and save cost in every aspect for music industries for distributing music. Although this strategy suggest expenses for artists in terms of direct advertising and maintaining the cost of the web site. It is also important to address other issues for the success of this chain. Artist-intermediary-customer In this strategy, an intermediary combines the artists and offers them services to minimise their search and information problems related to consumers also does expand the market reach for the artist. The intermediaries creates online communities with similar music interest also offers services like online reviews and provides email alerts to consumer for new releases and concerts. Thus they add value to this strategy. Audio-on-demand (AOD) This option helps consumer to create their own playlist of their favourite songs and can listen as per their convenience through internet radio stations. This strategy uses simple subscription model for delivering the music to consumer. A consumer can change their playlist as per their choices during the subscription period this will help consumer to get rid of old and few songs considering the ownership model. (Source: Alternate digital distribution strategies, G. Premkumar, 2003) Comparison of distribution strategies (Source: Alternate digital distribution strategies, G. Premkumar, 2003) It is thus necessary to educate the people about negative effects of piracy and protecting the copyrights. This is also critical for keeping the music industry healthy and flow of income and royalty to artists will encourage them to create new music portable devices. Internet radio stations require two-way connection with each consumer compared to broadcasting radio which will creates load on server and system infrastructure. These problems will be solved in future with the help of surplus bandwidth. Future of Music Distribution The above table provide the summary of merit and demerits of each distribution channels for stakeholder, artists, labels and publishers, retailers and consumers. Although it will be enticed to say which strategy is going to succeed in future, it is obvious that quite of them will survive in their own niche markets. The absolute victory of every channel depends on their relative features. A single feature that will induce the reformation of the industry is the dominance between the artists, publisher, retailers and consumers. As formerly stated, some of the big labels and publisher not only have control of creation, marketing, and distribution of MP3,CDs, DVDs dominating the market but also have substantial control on the artists. Boost in consumer power to copy the music files from P2P file sharing sites, which was abandoned because of legal actions taken by recording companies followed the closure of P2P music sites. But the impact of action taken by RIAAs did not stop launching of many new P2P music sites. Due to the risk of breaching copyrights, artists have started supporting the point of labels and publishers related to digital distribution of music. The above table suggest that the situation for retailers is on risk in future, they need to diversify their services to on-line retailing. E.g. ARKIV.com, NAXOS. Looking at the future of music industry the recording companies will influence the most to each distribution strategy as they will have proper control on incentives and disincentives for consumer to operate one strategy or the other. Various business models can work all together to give absolute supple to consumer when music is accessible digitally. As a matter of fact, the business model adapted by Naxos, MuiscNet is the mixture of strategies recording company-intermediary-customer and audio on demand which gives ownership and listening features to consumers. Conclusion The information given above provides opportunities for re-engineering the traditional supply chain by digitizing the music. The negative impact on members of supply chain, publisher and demand chain due to the illegal copying and downloading of music can be solved with the use of six digital distribution strategies. These six distribution strategies were investigated in terms of cost structure and the relative roles of stakeholders for the music industry. The major problems linked to the successfully implementation of each strategies were discovered and explicated. Bibliography and Referencing http://www.bized.co.uk/current/research/2003_04/011203.htm http://www.oligopolywatch.com/2003/06/28.html http://www.ifpi.org/site-content/press/20030909.html http://www.bmg.com/ http://new.umusic.com/overview.aspx http://www.emigroup.com/About/Overview/Default.htm http://www.timewarner.com/corp/index.html http://www.scopus.com/record/display.url?fedsrfIntegrator=METALIB-SCOCIT origin=fedsrf view=basic eid=2-s2.0-3142691513 http://www.scopus.com.lcproxy.shu.ac.uk/record/display.url?fedsrfIntegrator=METALIB-SCOCITorigin=fedsrfview=basiceid=2-s2.0-61549099931 http://www.springerlink.com.lcproxy.shu.ac.uk/content/42g3531nv41u17t4/fulltext.pdf http://academic.mintel.com.lcproxy.shu.ac.uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show/display/id=393867/display/id=437587#hit1   http://academic.mintel.com.lcproxy.shu.ac.uk/sinatra/oxygen_academic/search_results/show/display/id=280587/display/id=326982?select_section=326984   http://www.anstendig.org/classical_vs_street_music.html http://stason.org/TULARC/music-genres/classical/9-What-distinguishes-classical-music-from-popular-music.html http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_pop_and_classical_music   http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/5731.html   http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/4206.html

What is Sleep and the Effects of Sleep Deprivation Essays -- Biology E

What is Sleep and the Effects of Sleep Deprivation Sleep is one of the things that most students can say they do not get enough of. It is a time for us to rest and for a few blissful hours hopefully forget about the stress and worries of school and life. Unfortunately, due to too much work or too much studying to do, often enough, we do not get the amount we need each night to be fully rested the next day. But we have learned to cope with the sleep deprivation by drinking coffee in the morning to wake us up. Even though we are awake, how well can we function throughout the day when we have only had less than five hours of sleep? How much does our behavior change without enough sleep? Before we get to what the effects of sleep deprivation are, let us first look at what sleep is. Sleep is controlled by neurotransmitters, which act on different neurons in the brain. Some of these neurotransmitters produced, such as serotonin and norephinephrine keep the brain active while we are awake. Researchers think that adenosine builds up in our blood while we are awake and the gradual breakdown of it causes drowsiness. There are five stages of sleep: stage 1, 2, 3, 4, and REM or rapid eye movement sleep. During stage 1-4 of sleep, our brain waves become slower and slower until we switch to REM sleep. At that point, our breathing is more rapid and irregular and our eyes move rapidly under our eyelids. (1). Circadian sleep rhythm is the internal body clock that is controlled by the hypothalamus. Every twenty-four to twenty-five hours, the cycle repeats itself, which can be effected by light exposure. It is thought that light will reset the clock of your body. The low-point of the rhythm is in the morning, which is thought to help you stay... ...ent because without it, how can you study, do well on an exam or participate in discussions? The only effect of sleep deprivation that you can slightly counteract is drowsiness, which can be reduced by drinking coffee or anything that may have caffeine. Napping in the afternoon can help reduce some of the effects, but it is better to keep those naps short or else, you may end up more tired and groggy than before. So, without enough sleep our behavior will change making us worse students. Therefore, we can conclude that we all need more sleep! WWW Sources 1)http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/understanding_sleep_brain_basic_.htm, 2)http://www.emedicine.com/neuro/topic444.htm, 3)http://www.nature.com/cgi taf/DynaPage.taf?file=/nature/journal/v403/n6770/full/403655a0_fs.html, 4)http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/hu/groups/sleep/wellcome.htm,

Comparing Fuentes’ Aura and Ligotti’s The Last Feast of Harlequin Essay

Mythological and Archetypal Reading of Fuentes’ Aura and Ligotti’s The Last Feast of Harlequin  Ã‚   Mythological and archetypal techniques coupled with the interpretation of symbolism found within a piece of literature tells the reader something about the mind and character of a people or culture. Not only does it allow you to delve deeper into this collective mind and speculate about the meaning of a particular work, it can give you something more. I believe that by using these techniques you also get a better glimpse into the main character’s state of mind. It also gives you clues as to is going on ‘behind the scenes’ that will affect the character’s mental state. The texts I chose for this essay are Fuentes’ Aura and Thomas Ligotti’s The Last Feast of Harlequin. Both are dark tales that are full of symbolism. Interpreting some of this symbolism may tell us why the main character acts the way he does and what his mental state is throughout the story. The main characters in both stories are similar. Both are young men who are well educated, with one who attended Harvard and the other who attended the Sorbonne in Paris. The two men are both teachers, each working on his own ‘life’s work’. Interestingly enough, neither story mentions any close family or friends the main characters might have. Fuentes’ Aura is definitely a strange story. It is hypnotic; it draws you in with its slow, seductive style. That is how I would describe this twisted love story that ends very surprisingly. Within this story there is symbolism that helps the reader to understand it better. First, we will explore some of the symbolism that could show us there was an effect on Felipe’s mental state. Darkness abounded in Senora Consuelo’s ... ...things. This approach also gives you an insight into the character’s mind and possibly answers the question of why would they do something that no other sane person would do. In Aura, some of the symbolism found throughout the story suggested that Felipe was not thinking clearly. Surely anyone else would have just left after encountering that woman and her house. In the other story, the main character’s dark side was leading him to do things he or any other outsider might not have done otherwise. Using this approach gives the reader little clues as to what might happen in the story, insight into the main character’s mental state, and a greater understanding of the story as a whole. Works Cited Fuentes, Carlos. Aura. Trans. Lysander Kemp. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 1981. Ligotti, Thomas. The Last Feast of Harlequin. The Voice of the Damned 1990.

Iago as the Hero of Shakespeares Othello :: GCSE English Literature Coursework

Iago as the Hero of Othello Roderigo, a soldier in Othello's army, is in love with Desdemona and is deceived by Iago into thinking that Desdemona holds some affection for him. Iago, who is Othello's "ancient" or his counselor, desires to hold Othello's position and so tries to devise a plan to become general. As proved by the outcome of the play, Othello was too naive and kindhearted to properly lead an army. Iago felt that he should have been promoted to be Othello's lieutenant but Cassio was promoted instead. The outcome of the play also proves that Iago was more efficient in achieving his goals. Iago's plan is one that involves Cassio, Othello's second in command, Roderigo and Desdemona. Iago is better qualified than either Cassio or Othello if he devised such a plan without either of them noticing. The same strategies he uses in everyday life he would be able to employ in battles. Iago has proven to be the ultimate soldier. Iago instills jealousy in both Roderigo and Othello by leading each of them to think that Desdemona and Cassio are having an affair. He accomplishes all this without being discovered until the end. During the course of the play, Othello is further deceived by Iago to believe that Desdemona is unfaithful to him. Emilia, Iago's wife, unknowingly helps Iago fool Othello when she gives her husband the handkerchief that was given to Desdemona by Othello on their wedding night. Desdemona always keeps this by her side, as a result of Othello's command. When Iago tells Othello that he has seen Cassio with his gift to Desdemona, Othello becomes enraged and vows to kill her. He also makes Iago swear that he will kill Cassio. Through Iago's planning, Roderigo gets a chance to kill Cassio but fails. When Iago sees Roderigo's failure to carry through with the plan, he wounds Cassio in the leg and kills Roderigo. When Othello hears commotion in the streets below he thinks that Cassio is dead and smothers Desdemona. When Cassio, Gratiano (relative to Brabantio), Montano (Cyprus official), and Iago hear Emilia's screams from Othello's bedroom they discover what he has done. Iago is revealed as the culprit and he then kills Emilia. After this Othello commits suicide and Iago is taken away to be punished. Iago was seeking a revenge that can be justified because he felt that Othello had had an affair with Emilia.

Justice Process

During the past 30 years the prison population has changed. 1. There has been a major Increase in the number of African American and Hispanic American Inmates. 2. More Inmates come from urban areas. 3. More inmates have been convicted of drug-related and violent offenses. 4. Former street gangs regroup inside prisons and have raised levels of violence in many institutions. 5. The rise of public employee unions have improved working conditions, safety procedures, and training. E. Current focus of corrections has shifted to crime control, which emphasizes the Importance of Incarceration.II. The Goals of Incarceration A. Three models of incarceration have been prominent since the early 1 sass: 1. The custodial model – based on the assumption that prisoners have been incarcerated for the protection of society and emphasizes security, discipline, and order subordinating the prisoner to the authority of the warden.. This model was prevalent in corrections before World War II and dom inates most maximum-security Institutions today. 2. The rehabilitation model – developed In the asses, It emphasizes treatment programs to reform the offender. 3.The reintegration model – inked to the structures and goals of community corrections, it emphasizes maintaining offender ties to family and community. B. Correctional institutions that conform to each of these models can be found, but most prisons are mainly custodial. Ill. Organization for Incarceration A. Statistics 1. Prisons are operated by all 50 states and the federal government. 2. There are 1,208 confinement facilities; 85 % are run by the states. 3. 84 % of the facilities are for men only. 4. 8% are for women only. B. Federal Bureau of Prisons 1.Jurisdiction of federal criminal law is restricted to crimes involving interstate amerce, certain serious felonies such as bank robbery, violation of other federal laws and crimes committed on federal property. 2. Since the â€Å"war on drugs† in the as ses, drug offenders in federal prisons make up about 56% of the inmate population. 3. Federal prisoners are often a more sophisticated breed of criminal, from a higher socioeconomic class, than the typical state prisoner. 4. Federal sentencing guidelines have increased the probability of imprisonment substantially. 5.The bureau of prison is highly centralized with a staff of over 33,000 who supervise more than 150,000 prisoners. . The bureau operates 104 confinement facilities (see figure 10. 1). C. State Prison Systems -94% of offenders are held in confinement facilities operated by the state; administration of prisons is a function of the executive branch. 1 . The total capacity of a state's prisons reflects the size of the state's population. 2. States vary considerably in the number, size, type, and location of correctional facilities. 3. Over 435,000 people work in state institutions. V. The Design and Classification of Prisons A. Form follows function: the design of a structur e should serve its purpose. 1. During the penitentiary era, institutions were to promote penance. 2. When prison industry became the focus, a different design enhanced the efficiency of workshops. 3. When punishment held sway, emphasis was on the fortress-like edifice that ensures security. 4. During the rehabilitation era, new prisons were built in styles thought to promote treatment goals. B. Today's design – There are four basic models found in America's prisons. 1.Radial Design: Eastern, Auburn, Leavenworth, Roadway, and Trenton. 2. Telephone-pole Design: most commonly used for maximum security prisons: Exaggerator, Marion, Somers, Jackson. 3. Courtyard Style: mom of the newer facilities are the courtyard style. 4. Campus Style: long used for juvenile or women's facilities 5. Today prison construction is greatly influenced by cost. C. Location of Prisons: As in the past, most are located in rural areas. 1. Even though most prison inmates come from cities and reintegration has been the prime correctional goal, new institutions are still being built in the countryside. . Rural whites are hired to guard urban blacks. 3. Many citizens believe that serious offenders should be incarceration, but not in their community (NIMBI syndrome). 4. Some economically depressed areas have elected prisons to bring in Jobs and revivalist the local economy D. Classification of Prisons: 1. Maximum Security Prison – closed custody prisons hold 35% of inmates); usually an awesome edifice with high stone walls studded with guard towers; designed to prevent escapes and to deter prisoners from harming each other. 2.Medium Security Prison: hold 47% of inmates; externally they resemble the maximum security prison, but organized on a different basis and atmosphere is less rigid and tense. 3. Minimum Security Prison: holds 18% of prisoners, the least violent offenders; lacks tower guards and walls. E. Private prisons entrant with private companies to furnish food and medic al services, educational and vocational training and other services. 3. Now, governments hire corporations to house prisoner in privately owned facilities. 4. By midyear 2003, a total of 94,361 inmates were being held in private facilities. . The private prison business is dominated by the Corrections Corporation of America and Hackett Corrections Corporation. 6. Problems with private facilities a. Differences in programming b. Costs c. Accountability d. Legal issues 7. Corrections is a multimillion dollar government-funded enterprise that purchases applies, materials, and services from the private sector. 8. Private entrepreneurs argue that they can build and run prisons at least as effectively, safely, and humanely as any level of government can, at a profit and a lower cost to taxpayers. 9.Private prison corporations need to fill their cells in order to be profitable. 10. Liability of Guards?the U. S. Supreme Court said that private prison guards did not have legal protection und er Section 1983 and are fully liable for their actions when they violate a protected right. 1 1 . There are fears that the private corporations will press to maintain high occupancy and will be interested in skimming off the best inmates, leaving the troublesome ones to the public correctional system. V. Who is in Prison A. Data on the characteristics of prisoners is limited (figure 10. ). 1. A majority of prisoners are men aged of 25-44 2. Members of minority groups 3. Approximately 40 percent have not completed high school. 4. 44 percent of prisoners are rearrested with the first year of release. 5. Within 3 years, approximately 25 percent of all released inmates will return to prison. B. Elderly prisoners – An increasing number of prison inmates are older than 55 and eve housing, medical, program, and release service needs that differ from the In the general population, special housing accommodations average inmate. 1. Should be made. 2.The elderly are more likely to devel op chronic illnesses such as heart disease, stroke, and cancer. 3. Prison work assignments must be tailored to fit their physical and mental abilities. 4. Preparation for release to community supervision or to hospice services require time and special efforts. 5. As people get older they become less dangerous. C. Prisoners with HIVE/AIDS: In the coming years, AIDS in expected to be the leading cause of death among males aged 35 and younger; with 57% of the inmates population under 35, correctional officials must cope with the problem of HIVE. . In 2001, there were more than 24,000 HIVE-positive inmates (3. 2 percent of the prison population). 2. The high rate of infection among inmates can be explained by the prisoners' â€Å"high risk† behaviors. 3. Only 18 states test all new inmates for HIVE. D. Mentally Ill Prisoners: Mass closings of public hospitals for the mentally ill began in the asses; new antispasmodic drugs made treating patients in the community seem retirement o nly works if the drugs are taken and clinics and halfway houses exist to assist the mentally ill. . Homelessness is the most public sign of the lack of programs for the mentally ill. 3. With the expansion of prisons and greater emphasis on public order offenses, arrest and incarceration have become the price many pay for their illness. E. Long Term Inmates – more prisoners serve long sentences in the US than in any other Western nation. 1. Harsh sentencing policies of the last 30 years?three-strikes, mandatory minimums, truth-in-sentencing?the amount of time revered is increasing. 2.An estimated 11-15% of all prisoners (well over 100,000) will serve more than 7 years in prison. 3. Long-term prisoners generally are not seen as control problems. 4. Administrators must find ways of making long-term prison life livable. 5. 310,000 prisoners are currently serving at least 20 year sentences. 6. Each life sentence costs taxpayers an estimated $1 million. 7. Severe depression, feelin gs of hopelessness, and other health problems are common among long teeters. 8. Long term inmates are charged with less disciplinary infractions that short term inmates.

Physical Changes in Adolescence Essay

Children must pass through several stages, or take specific steps, on their road to becoming adults. According to the U.S Department of Health and Human Services the term adolescence is commonly used to describe the transition stage between childhood and adulthood. Adolescence is also equated to both the terms â€Å"teenage years† and â€Å"puberty.† They also state that puberty refers to the â€Å"hormonal changes that occur in early youth; and the period of adolescence can extend well beyond the teenage years. In fact, there is no one scientific definition of adolescence or set age boundary.† During the adolescence stage, parents will notice the greatest amount of changes that will occur in their child’s body. The adolescent himself/herself will also take note of these changes. Some of these teenagers may experience theses signs of maturity sooner or later than others. Adolescence is the time for growth spurts and puberty. The adolescents may grow several inches in height. This is true for both boys and girls at the age of 13 and goes as far as 18 yrs old. When it comes to the puberty change then these become more visible since there are several signs. The females start with these changes as early as 8 years old and in males at 9.5 yrs. Sexual and other physical maturation that occurs during puberty is a result of hormonal changes. As a child nears puberty, the pituitary gland increases the secretion of a hormone called follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH). This hormone then causes additional effects. In girls, FSH activates the ovaries to start producing estrogen. In boys, FSH causes sperm to develop. In boys it is more difficult to know exactly when puberty is coming. There are changes that occur, but they occur gradually and over a period of time, rather than as a single event. Some of these changes might be the enlargement of the testicles, appearance of pubic hair their voice deepens and at the age of 14 some of them may have even ‘wet dreams’. The girls also happen to experience some changes as well. The first one to be noticed is the developmental of their breast, menstruation period and changes in their body shape start to show. No two teenage bodies are the same so some may  experience these physical changes before others. Physical development is a critical part of adolescence. How adolescents perceive their physical self, that is, what they think they look like and how they feel about it, directly relates to their overall sense of self-worth. Many of these feelings are influenced by their culture, the media, their peers, and their families. They are also influenced by their own initial sense of self-esteem as they enter this rapidly changing phase of physical development. We know that the changes are rapid and often drastic, resulting in rapid growth and physical maturity. Now that we have a sense of some of the important physical changes that occur during adolescence, we can use this information to help us better understand teens. It will also help us recognize their sensitive thoughts and feelings. We can use this information to help us direct them toward positive behavior and outcomes. By the beginning of late adolescence, many of these changes are nearing completion. This allows teens to gain more acceptance and ownership of their body image. By reminding ourselves of these changes, we can become more sensitive to teens’ growth experiences and treat them with the respect, compassion, and consideration that will help them move smoothly through these physical transitions. Parents can help their children by providing support and by being understanding and tactful during discussions about these changes. Preparing one’s children for the initial onset of puberty (menarche for girls and spermarche for boys) will let them know what to expect. It will also minimize any stress and shame that they may feel without adequate preparation. The approach to this preparation should be gentle, but informative. It may be given in a manner that is very positive, explaining that these events are â€Å"normal† and everyone experiences them once in their life. Once the child understands that this is part of the path to adolescence and a rite of passage, they will view these changes with minimal stress and maximum acceptance. What does my adolescent understand? The teenage years bring many changes, not only physically, but also mentally and socially. During these years, adolescents increase their ability to think abstractly and eventually make plans and set long-term goals. Each  child may progress at a different rate and may have a different view of the world. In general, the following are some of the abilities that may be evident in your adolescent: develops the ability to think abstractly  is concerned with philosophy, politics, and social issues  thinks long-term  sets goals  compares one’s self to one’s peers. As your adolescent begins to struggle for independence and control, many changes may occur. The following are some of the issues that may be involved with your adolescent during these years: wants independence from parents peer influence and acceptance becomes very important male-female relationships become important may be in love has long-term commitment in relationship How to assist your adolescent in developing socially: Consider the following as ways to foster your adolescent’s social abilities: Encourage your adolescent to take on new challenges. Talk with your adolescent about not losing sight of one’s self in group relations. Encourage your adolescent to talk to a trusted adult about problems or concerns, even if it is not you he/she chooses to talk with. Discuss ways to manage and handle stress. Provide consistent, loving discipline with limits, restrictions, and rewards. Find ways to spend time together. Topic Home Page | Return to Full List of Topics The information on this Web page is provided for educational purposes. You understand and agree that this information is not intended to be, and should not be used as, a substitute for medical treatment by a health care professional. You agree that Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital is not making a diagnosis of your condition or a recommendation about the course of treatment for your particular circumstances through the use of  this Web page. You agree to be solely responsible for your use of this Web page and the information contained on this page. Lucile Salter Packard Children’s Hospital, its officers, directors, employees, agents, and information providers shall not be liable for any damages you may suffer or cause through your use of this page even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

The Passage “America Needs Its Nerds” by Leonid Fridman

G  compares athletes to nerds and geeks. Fridman made an analysis suggesting that society rewards the athletically apt for their skill while the â€Å"intellectually curious† as Fridaman puts it, are put down. Fridman’s passage was fluent and well written because of his range of writing techniques such as logos, tone, and his use of rhetorical questions to finish off the strong passage.Throughout the passage Fridman uses logos to appeal to the readers logic and attempt to persuade the audience academically serious individuals deserve to be awarded with much more respect than they are given. One example of Fridman’s use of logos is â€Å"In most industrialized nations, not least of all our economic rivals in East Asia, a kid who studies hard is lauded and held up as an example to other students.†This particular statement uses logos by loosely stating that East Asia is our â€Å"economic rival†; proceeding to say that individuals who take academics seriously are put on a pedistol, loosely suggesting this is the reason their economy is doing better than ours. This use of logos was successful because it makes you wonder if we did the same, maybe our economy would be better.Fridman’s tone throughout the passage added to the overall strength of the paper by keeping a serious, valid, and respectable tone which made you take him seriously. He didn’t joke or use emotion without information to back up his opinion. The very first paragraph of the passage starts out â€Å"There is something very wrong with the system of values in a society that has only derogatory terms like nerd and geek for the intellectually curious and academically serious.† Fridman starts out with emotion and opinion by stating there is something wrong with the system of values.However, he follows by explaining up why that is his opinion, i.e. the derogatory terms, then backs up what the derogatory term geek’s true definition is accordin g to Webster’s New World Dictionary. His serious, valid and respectable tone makes the reader truly listen to what he has to say and sincerely consider the way society treats geeks an important issue.Fridman’s use of rhetorical questions to finish the passage is vital to the persuasion of this passage. He begins the last paragraph in the passage by asking â€Å" How can a country where typical parents are ashamed of their daughter studying mathematics instead of going dancing, or of their son reading Weber while his friends play baseball, be expected to compete in the technology race with Japan or remain a leading political and cultural force in Europe?† This rhetorical question is a crucial part of the passage.It uses one of the world’s most technologically advanced countries, Japan, to make the reader consider if we don’t pushed our children academically rather than athletically and socially, how can we compete in the technology race with them?Th e rhetorical question makes the reader take into account that if around the globe children are being pushed academically while we are concentrated on social and physical skill, they will keep moving up and us, down.All in all, Fridman’s range of writing techniques such as logos, tone, and the use of rhetorical questions to finish off passage are what made the passage fluent and stong.

Liberal Democracy vs Social Democracy Essay

Abstract The essay to follow will discuss what is meant by liberal democracy. The term will be defined and further discussed. In addition, it will be contrasted with that of a socialist democracy. This democratic system will be defined in political terms with reference to valid examples as too will liberal democracy. The following essay is based on a contrast between liberal and socialist democracy from a political perspective. An analysis of the terms, concepts and the question will then follow. In addition, reference will be made to current examples such as that of the USA, Great Britain, and Chile as evidence for each type of democracy that is being examined. Furthermore, key issues that will be discussed in this paper consist of democracy as a whole, negative and positive freedom within a liberal democracy, and the failure of socialism in the third world. Furthermore this essay will prove that Sweden is not a socialist democracy. In order to contrast liberal and socialist democracy one must first hold an understanding of what each term means. In order to go about understanding these terms, it is important to first understand what democracy. In simple terms, democracy can be defined as the rule of the people. A democracy is about the people who come together to decide on laws. And according to Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address of 1863, democracy links government to the people as he stated that democracy is a â€Å"government of the people, by the people, and for the people† (Heywood, 2014). Universal suffrage plays a role in deciding these laws. This term is understood as the right of almost all adults to vote in political elections. Depending on the country, there are different requirements which have to be fulfilled. In the Philippines, citizens have to be at least eighteen years of age, and have to have resided in the Philippines for at least one year and in the region wherein they wish to vote, for at least six months prior to the election (Castillo, 2011). There is not always collective decision-making within every democracy. Zimbabwe for one claims to be a â€Å"democracy† based on the will of the people with a leader who claims to a monopoly of ideological wisdom but there isn’t collective decision making. Whereas it really is a totalitarian democracy in which there is absolute dictatorship that pretends to be a democracy. Also here, which is a republic version of democracy, where you elect representatives to make decisions on your behalf. The scope of a democracy defines what should fall under the sovereignty of life, and divides the liberals from the socialists. Heywood (2013) states that liberalism is â€Å"the ideology of the industrialized West†. By this Heywood means that liberalism is a classical ideology that supports social progression and the changing of laws through reform rather than through a revolution. The individual is the primary focus of liberalism, not of revolution. Consequently we can understand liberal democracy as a modern form of governance that denies that popular rule is the ultimate political rule. Leaders are elected by the collective to govern the entity on behalf of the community. In South Africa not all leaders declare voted for by the collective due to the fact that there are provisional elections that are only open to those citizens residing in that province, such as you could not vote in Cape Town if you live in Gauteng. But you choose to vote for an overall party during the ele ctions based on the rule of the law and therefore the election is free and fair (Yufo, 2008). Great Britain is an example of a state which has a liberal democracy even though it is also a monarchy (Evolution News, 2014). It is considered a laissez-faire liberalism in that the Government are free to do as they choose for up to 5 years before the next free and fair democratic election The British declaration political settlement of 1688 is evidence that Great Britain became the first liberal state in 1614. Another liberal democratic state is the United States of America according to the American Declaration of Independence of 1776 as freedoms such as that of thought, speech, association and religion are all basic liberties that take priority over popular rule (Gutmann, 1993). Liberal freedom within this democracy is a characteristic of negative freedom as individuals are equally free and protected from collective decisions. Negative freedom has no external constraints on the individual or the collective due to the freedoms available to them and the fact that there is no interference in decision-making and a lack of forces which prevent individuals from doing as they please. Although in South Africa, government has implemented the â€Å"Secrecy Bill†. This bill is somewhat a farewell to democracy, as the freedom of speech is no longer a right, as both citizens and the media have been censored by government. The purpose of the secrecy bill is to protect state information (SABC, 2013) and many people would argue that this silencing is due to the self-interest of politicians that are involved in activities such as corruption. Laws such as this contradict democratic freedoms such as that of speech. Positive freedom can be defined as having some control over your decisions. This is an autonomous state which gives you as the individual an education for example in order for you to reach your full potential. The government also provides grants and subsidies to assist individuals in achieving this potential. The formation of free and compulsory education, public health systems limit the freedom of the capitalists to exploit workers, but give worker the opp ortunity to develop as human beings. Positive freedom has been built up due to the struggle of the working class which in which the legislation limited the hours of work per day, per person and abolished child labor (Marxist, 2014). In the words of J.S Mill â€Å"the only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way† and this is exactly what Liberal democracy aims at achieving as American and Great Britain citizens have individual and property rights which are both a principle of classical liberalism (Heywood, 2014, p32). Socialist democracy in essence is a modern version of socialism. All these notions were integrated but there are small distinctions between them. Social democracy takes some of its principles from socialism such as free enterprise and the focus on societal framework. Whereas capitalism, private enterprise and maximization of life opportunities are more democracy than socialism. In theory South Africa is an example of democracy as the constitution states that RDP housing is provided by government (Rabbani, 1994), due to the fact that government provide grants and education in order to correct the ills of Apartheid. Socialism, by definition, is a system marked by the â€Å"common ownership of the means of production (Legon, 2013). Having said so, we can simply understand it is a democracy that uses socialist reforms in their referendum. It is pivotal to make this distinction between socialism and socialist democracy as they are not the same concept and often the two terms are confused. A social democracy is a government that uses democratic process but also consists of characteristics that resemble those of a socialist society as mentioned in the above. Social democrats generally are committed to acting for the common good. In a government that is a social democracy, the government plays an active role in regulating certain political and economic conditions (Jablonsky, 2014). A socialist democracy is a Marxist organisation which believes that the poverty and misery and the oppression and exploitation that marks their society is the result of control of the world’s wealth and productive resources by a tiny class that exploits the vast majority of society. This leads to humanity crippled by the reality an d ideology of capitalist society. In the Soviet Union, China, Vietnam and Eastern Europe socialist democracy is the dominant system. The trouble of the people in liberal democratic countries is not as wretched as it is in socialist countries, due to the fact that in communist countries, political and economic system are imposed on society by party officials therefore resulting in untold human suffering and severe psycho-economic exploitation. Both liberal democracy and socialist democracy may be considered forms of political democracy because these systems are based on economic and political centralization (Evolution news, 2014). Many would argue that socialism has failed and that the Cuban economy is a disaster and when Cuba found itself caught in disagreement therefore facing both the merciless US blockade and enduring the suspension of all trade with the former members of the socialist bloc–, leaders of the Cuban revolution told the people: â€Å"either we stand our ground or we lose everything we have ach ieved under socialism† (Legon, 2013). This brings us to discuss the failure of socialist democracy in third world countries. This democracy promised prosperity, equality and security. Yet it is evident that it rather delivered poverty, misery and autocracy. Equality was achieved only in the sense that everyone was equal in his or her misery. Socialism is now a bankrupt, discredited, and flawed nineteenth century theory that has failed miserably in countries around the world (Perry, 2014). We can agree that Socialism has collapsed because of its failure to operate under a competitive, profit- and-loss system of bookkeeping. A profit system is a very effective monitoring tool which frequently assesses the economic performance of every enterprise (Perry, 2014). The firms that are the most efficient and most successful at serving the public interest are rewarded with profits. Evidence of a socialist democracy can be seen in Chile as their changeover to democracy has still not been achieved. After a decade of non-combatant rule, the state remains under the military dictatorship’s 1980 constitution. According to the writings of Alejandro Reuss â€Å"The president has made sure to not aggravate the still-powerful Armed Forces. He has insisted that his relations with the Armed Forces are â€Å"excellent and that they can work together for Chile†. The Chilean Socialist leader Ricardo Lagos has declared that Chileans should stop worrying about the past, concentra ting instead on their future together (Reuss, 2001). The above clearly proves that socialism has failed in the third world. The question of whether Sweden is or is not a socialist democracy has risen many times before in the past within the left internationally, with regards to the politics and economy of the Nordic state or if Sweden is an alternative to neo-liberal capitalism (Olsson, 2009). Sweden has never been a socialist society as it is based merely on public ownership of production, workers’ control and management, social equality and a democratic plan of production which are characteristics of a socialist entity according to Olsson (2009). Neither has Sweden been a ‘mixed economy’. In fact it is one of the most well off country’s to date. It is evident that the social democrats and the trade union movement in Sweden are â€Å"facing a historic crisis as they have lost roots, influence and support, with no prospect of regaining their old ground as their policy and methods mean further attacks on what is left of the general welfare system. The social democratic party has become an empty shell† (Olsson, 2009) but that doesn’t change the fact that Sweden is not a socialist democracy. In conclusion, there is a major contrast between liberal democracy and social democracy. Evidently a liberalist democracy is built on the foundations of organic social solidarity with private ownership of production, empirical (demonstrable, verifiable reasoning), scientific, reflective and constructivism. The pursuit of the greatest possible welfare for all is a major view of liberal democracy. It considers the State as an association like any other, generally managed no better and no more efficient than others and wishes the abolition of all monopolies as well as the disappearance of classes and that there should be no more proletariats (Lesigne, 1887). Liberals wish to leave each in possession of its own and desires everybody to be a proprietor. The latter promises liberty and makes the State the employee of the citizen. Whereas socialist democracy is based on collective ownership of the means of production, political restrictions, and is dogmatic, meaning that the government is i nclined to lay down principles as undeniably true as well as being destructive. Socialist democracy wishes for the governed class to become the governing class and that that there should be none but proletariats. The most obvious distinction is that socialist democracy wishes to take everything and all positions away from everyone and impound them (Lesigne, 1887). The greatest contrast between both democracies is that liberal democracy is the future, while socialist democracy is the past. Bibliography 1.Gutmann, A (1993). a companion to contemporary political philosophy. 2nd ed. Australia: Blackwell Publishing. p413. 2.Heywood, A. (2013). Political Ideas and Ideologies. In: Heywood, A Politics. 4th ed. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. 31, 32. 3.Kuttner,R. (2005). Liberalism, Socialism, and Democracy. Available: http://prospect.org/article/liberalism-socialism-and-democracy. Last accessed 13 March 2014. 4.Legon E D. (2013). Cuba and the Alleged Failure of Socialism. Available: http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=99148. Last accessed 17 March 2014. 5.Lesigne, E (1887). Liberty V. p5. 6.Olsson, P. (2009). Sweden Is Sweden Socialist?. Available: http://www.socialistworld.net/doc/3752. Last accessed 15 March 2014. 7.Perry, M. (2014). Why Socialism Failed. Available: http://spruce.flint.umich.edu/~mjperry/socialism.htm. Last accessed 15 March 2014. 8.Rabbani, F. (1994). SA: ANC’S RECONSTRUCTION & DEVELOPMENT PLAN. Available: http://www.africa.upenn.edu/Govern_Political/ANC_Recon.html. Last accessed 16 March 2014. 9.Reuss, A. (2001). Thirty Years of Chilean Socialism. Available: http://www.thirdworldtraveler.com/South_America/30Years_ChileanSocialism.html. Last accessed 15 March 2014. 10.SABC. (2013). National Assembly approves Info Bill. Available: http://www.sabc.co.za/news/a/8612bb8041cd7c3e8bd9cb5393638296/National-Assembly-approves-Info-Bill-20131211. Last accessed 16 March 2014. 11.Unknown. (2009). Political Liberalism. Available: http://www.123helpme.com/preview.asp?id=74492. Last accessed 13 March 2014. 12.Unknown. (2014). Liberal Democracy. Available: http://evolutionnews.co.nz/liberal-democracy/. Last accessed 16 March 2014. Unknown. (1688). Bill of Rights [1688]. Available: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/aep/WillandMarSess2/1/2/introduction. Last accessed 17 March 2014. 13.Unknown. (1776). The Declaration of Independence. Available: http://www.ushistory.org/DECLARATION/DOCUMENT/index.htm. Last accessed 17 March 2014 14.Unknown. (2014). Glossary of terms : FR. Available: http://www.marxists.org/glossary/terms/f/r.htm. Last accessed 16 March 2014. 15.Yufo. (2008). http://www.studymode.com/essays/Liberal-Democracy-140567.html?utm_campaign=transactionalEmail&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email. Available: http://www.studymode.com/essays/Liberal-Democracy-140567.html?utm_campaign=transactionalEmail&utm_source=sendgrid&utm_medium=email. Last accessed 17 March 2014.