Future for Purchasing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Future for Purchasing - Essay Example But the situation changed with the introduction of Information technology, which brought significant changes in the dealings of business operations. The package it provided to an organization to overcome the limitations of traditional purchasing is 'e-purchasing'. Viewing the importance of E-Purchasing the paper tries to bring about some information on e-purchasing but specifically focusing on what an E-Purchasing actually means, how it is carried out and its overall contribution to the business in the next decade. The introduction of information technology has brought dramatic changes in the business operations. In spite of the huge investments were fabricated by the business organizations in the action ability planning arrangement implementations they could not get appropriate advice for authoritative able business decisions. But the placing of 'e' in front of any process or function proved to be the magic formula for the untold success and the rapid returns for the organizations. One such example to give is E-Purchasing. E-Purchasing is considered as the basic component of an e- procurement capability. Through e-purchasing the business organization can automate and extend the manual buying processes right from the creation of the requisition through to payment of the suppliers (Biechler, 1997). Thus the process of using of internet facility by the business organizations for purchasing goods and services is referred to as e-purchasing. E-purchasing essentially involves the buying of goods and services via internet. In other words it can be told as a system using information technology to streamline the purchase of goods and services in order to reduce costs. The internet can perform all the steps required manually for performing the purchasing function including ordering, payment and delivery. To avail this so many online banking services have been introduced by the financial institutions such as electronic bill payment, and funds transfer, so that the business can improve its operational efficiency. In accession to this the business alignment can use e-mail as a accelerated and reliable way to acquaint with suppliers or to acquire and acknowledge to chump queries like quotations, information, acquire orders, assassinate deliveries, and aggregate ante from the customers. The e-business can also make the operations of business effective through the greater use of electronic bookkeeping and records management. Thus the supplies received through internet helps to reduce the storage cost and the space required for the goods in the business organizations and thereby serving the customers faster and more effectively (Chia, 1998). E-purchasing is usually referred to as a user-friendly, Internet-based purchasing arrangement that offers e-purchase adjustment processing and added authoritative functions to the buyers that after-effects in added operational efficiencies and abeyant amount accumulation to the business organizations (Breite, 2001). The e-purchasing ability provides the Business organizati

Cost Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Cost Management - Essay Example Using learning lessons from General Electric, and through referencing personal experiences with cost management, learning associated with cost management and future projections about competent business planning can be developed. It is necessary to understand the demand environment and operational costs in order to successfully meet budget guidelines and secure effective cost management. Main Issues Mattel company did not fully understand its demand environment, thus the business was making decisions, strategically for long-term financial gain, that would not be sustained according to models of product life cycle. The product life cycle model recognizes the gains associated with new product launch and then follows the viability of products throughout the time period where product would be accepted by consumer markets. The life cycle model recognizes that products will eventually reach a maturity stage where new technologies or innovations begin to make demand volumes obsolete, thus th e business must be equipped to launch new products to offset any losses that occur. Dooley (2005) offers that it is extremely difficult to predict whether a product will have a long and profitable life cycle or whether the product, due to competition or even changing social and lifestyle needs, will have a long period where profit is sustainable. Mattel acquired a software company, Learning Co., as a means of diversifying its product portfolio and thus offering customers more selection of product and to ensure the business sustained its quality brand in the minds of buyers. Some of the main software titles were Carmen Sandiego and other relevant software characters that were associated with lifestyle and child values. Mattel believed that this decision would provide software titles with significantly-long product life cycles, thus offering more profitability through sales volumes. Soon after acquisition, Mattel realized that the decision to utilize these particular software names wa s not leading to the profit expected, thus leading to higher operational costs without sales volumes to sustain projections. It was assumed that the Carmen Sandiego, and other relevant brands, would have a much longer growth period in the life cycle than consumers actually favored. The end result: Mattel was left with very high operational costs, such as inventory and supply chain, which left the business with little options but to divest some of its business holdings. General Electric, on the other hand, understands the importance of not only diversifying its portfolio of products, but to create systems and feedback mechanisms that recognize the majority of costs during the planning process. Mattel was looking too closely at the consumer environment without realizing that some products would ultimately reach the maturity stage long before projections suspected. What did this indicate? It suggested that Mattel was not proactive in creating a well diversified product line, the firm d id not understand fully what was driving consumer demand ratios, and that Mattel had significant failures associated with manufacture and related operational costs. Mattel, in its proverbial effort to put all of its eggs in one software basket, did not create a supply chain methodology that would sustain unique product innovation and growth

Human Rights In Saudi Arabia

Human Rights In Saudi Arabia Human rights refer to the legal, social or ethical principles of entitlement or liberties to which all humans are entitled (James, 2009). Proponents of this concept assert that each person is endowed with certain entitlements by reason of being human. These entitlements can be justified as moral norms, natural rights or even as legal rights, either at a national level or within international law. However, this concept has been the subject of intense debate and criticism as there is no consensus as to what should or should not be regarded as a human right. The modern conception of human rights, universalism, developed in the aftermath of World War II and its globalization was awakened by the crimes committed by Hitlers government (the Holocaust), which increased pressure on the need for a global system of accountability and stability. This resulted in the adoption of this concept by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), a declaration adopted on 10 December 1948 by the United Nations General Assembly. This forum aimed at paving the way for universalism by resolving the cultural differences between member nations, an approach which some argue, has led to the needs of certain cultures being compromised. The concept of universalism was further boosted by the adoption of the International Criminal Court in June 1998, with its core aim being the enforcement and promotion of the values agreed upon by the member states of the United Nations. Over the course of the 20th century, many movements and groups have achieved intense social changes in the name of human rights. In North America and Western Europe, labor unions brought about laws which granted workers to strike and established minimum work conditions. The womens rights movement succeeded in gaining voting rights for women while the National liberation movements succeeded in driving out colonial powers in many countries. The United Nations, together with its member states, have developed much of the discussion and bodies of law that currently make up international human rights law and international humanitarian law. In reality, the concept of Universalism is basically based on Western philosophies and the values they place on the individual. This approach can be seen as a product of Christianity as well as the Greek philosophy and contends that one can use reason or nature to identify basic rights inherent to every human. This concept was challenged by a delegation led by China, Iran and Syria at the 1993 United Nations Conference on Human Rights which was held in Vienna. They argued that the current definition of human rights was not universal, but was based on Western morality and should therefore not be imposed as norms in non-western societies. They further argued that this concept disregarded the non-western societies historical and economic development and their cultural perceptions of what is wrong and right. Cultural relativism, by contrast, is based on the thought that there are no objective standards by which others can be judged. It was introduced by the sophist Protagoras, among others who empirically established that there exist many different cultures in the world and each are equally worthy. For example, female genital mutilation is not mandated by any religion, but has become a tradition in many different cultures in Africa, South America and Asia. On the other hand, it is considered by the international community as a violation of girls and womens rights, which has resulted in the outlaw of the culture in some countries. However, International Law has only recently begun to tackle the issue of cultural relativism by paying more attention to certain themes (Bozeman, 1971). In Saudi Arabia, human rights are intended to be based on Sharia, a set of Islamic religious laws under the rule of the House of Saud, the royal family of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (US Department of State, 2004). The government of Saudi Arabia has often been criticized for its treatment of political and religious minorities, homosexuality and women. The Human rights of this country are specified in article 26 of the Basic System of Governance of Saudi Arabia, a constitution- like charter which is in accordance with Sharia. The National Society for Human Rights was the first independent human rights organization in Saudi Arabia, and was established in 2004. In 2008, the Consultative Assembly of Saudi Arabia, also known as the Shura Council, ratified the Arab Charter on Human Rights, a charter which affirms the principles contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the UN Charter and the Cairo Declaration of Human Rights in Islam. It provides for a number of traditional h uman rights, such as the right to liberty, protection of persons from torture, freedom to practice religious observance, among others. Saudi Arabia is one of the few countries in the world with judicial corporal punishment, the formal application of caning, whipping, birching and strapping as an official sentence by order of a court. In Saudi Arabia, judicial corporate punishment is carried out under Sharia, and includes whipping for lesser crimes such as drunkenness and sexual deviance and the amputations of hands and feet for more serious crimes such as robbery. This country also engages in capital punishment, which includes public executions by beheading. This is in accordance to strict interpretation of Islamic law as a punishment for rapists, murderers, and armed robbers. There were 191 executions in 2005, 38 in 2006, while in 2007; there were 153 executions (International, 2009). The government of Saudi Arabia has been criticized for lack of protection and violation of several human rights such as the freedom of religion. In this country, the practice of non-Muslim religions is aggressively prohibited. With the government declaration of the Holy Quran and the Sunna (tradition) of the Prophet Muhammad as the countrys constitution, Saudi Arabian law does not recognize religious freedom. Saudi Arabia, being an Islamic State, offers preferential treatment for Muslims and prohibits the burial of Non-Muslims on Saudi soil. During Ramadan, the month of fasting, eating, drinking or smoking during daylight hours in public is not allowed, even for Non-Muslims (Abdul, 2008). Foreign schools operating in Saudi Arabia are required to teach a yearly introductory segment on Islam and missionary work by any religions other than Salafi/Wahabi Islam is forbidden. Anti-Semitism, prejudice towards Jews as a result of hatred of their culture, religion and/or ethnic background, is very widespread in Saudi Arabia. In 2007, it was reported that a state website prohibited Jewish people and Israeli passport holders from entering the kingdom. The Saudi administration removed the offensive language, claiming that it was a mistake (CNN, 2004). A study of Saudi Arabias revised schoolbook curriculum in May 2006 discovered that the eighth grade book included text that discriminated against Christian infidels of the communion of Jesus. In Saudi Arabia, LGBT rights, initials referring to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender, are not recognized. In accordance with Islamic morality, cross-dressing and homosexuality are seen as decadent acts and are treated as solemn crimes. These acts, as well as the involvement with any activity that hints at the existence of an organized gay community, are punishable by imprisonment, lashing, deportation for foreigners and sometimes execution. According to the law, all Saudi citizens infected with HIV or AIDS are entitled to protection of their privacy, free medical care and equal employment and educational opportunities. However, most Saudi hospitals will not treat infected patients and many hospitals and educational institutions are reluctant to share out government information about the disease. This is because of the stigma and strong taboos associated with how the virus can be spread (Yamani, 2005). However, the situation has started to change, with the government recognizing World AIDS Day, and permitting information about the disease to be published in local newspapers and journals. Any foreigner found to be HIV positive (or with any other serious medical condition), is deported back to their country. Political freedoms in Saudi Arabia are also curtailed, with the Saudi government restricting the freedom of speech and the press to forbid criticism of the government. Political organizations and trade unions are banned, public demonstrations are outlawed and Internet reception within Saudi Arabias borders is actively censored by the government. The arrest of Fouad al-Farhan, a prominent Saudi blogger and reformist in December 2007, was seen as a crackdown by the Saudi government on online dissent. He was jailed in solitary confinement, without charges, after criticizing several prominent Saudi business, media and religious figures (Murphy, 2008). Fouad was released on 26 April, 2008. In Saudi society, gender roles come from Sharia, Islamic law, as well as the tribal culture. All women, regardless of social status or age, are required to have a male guardian. Saudi women do not have voting rights, and cannot be elected to high political positions (Sasson, 2001). However, there is substantial evidence that Saudi women do not want radical change. Advocates of reform in this country reject the Western critics of Saudi Arabia for failing to understand the Islamic uniqueness of the Saudi society (Zoeph, 2010). Advocates argue that Saudi women do have rights, though these rights are dependent on their obligations in life. Majority of the Saudis do not view Islam as the main obstruction to womens rights and dismiss perceptions of Islam as being patriarchal as a Western typecast. To prove that Islam allows strong women, Saudis often invoke the life of Prophet Muhammad. Khadijah, the Prophets first wife, was a powerful businesswoman who employed him and is the one who initiated the marriage proposal. Aisha, another one of his wives, commanded an entire army at the Battle of Camel, a battle that took place in Iraq, at Basra in 656, and for this, she is the source of many hadiths (Betsy, 2010). Saudi women face discrimination in many aspects of their lives, such as the civil, common and religious systems. Despite the fact that they make up over 70% of those enrolled in public universities, due to social reasons, Saudi women only make up 5% of the national workforce. The efforts by the government to support expanded employment opportunities for women in this country met fierce resistance from the religious police, the labor ministry as well as the male citizenry (Canlas, 2006). In most parts of this country, it is believed that the role of the woman is to care for her husband and family. There is widespread segregation in Saudi homes, with some rooms having separate entrances for the men and women. Driving had been banned for women, until 1990, when it was introduced as official legislation after 47 women drove cars through Riyadh, the Saudi capital. Though illegal, women in areas outside the cities and in the rural areas of Saudi Arabia do drive cars (Y, 2009). Saudi women are permitted to fly aircraft, though they are required to be chauffeured to the airport (Bascio, 2007). Many Saudis believe that allowing Saudi women the right to drive could lead to an erosion of traditional values and Western-style openness. Before a Royal Decree in 2008, women were not permitted to enter furnished apartments or hotels without a mahram or chaperon. With the decree, the only requirements they needed were their national ID cards, and the hotel must inform the nearest police station of their length of stay as well as the room reservation (Canlas J. , 2008). The current government, under King Abdullah, is considered reformist. This government has appointed the first female cabinet member, opened the nations first co-educational university and is also credited for passing legislations against domestic violence. However, critics say that the reform is very slow and is more symbolic than substantive. Conservatives see the Saudi society as the center of Islam and hence the deed for unique conservative values. They seek to preserve the cultures traditional gender roles, while on the other hand; radical activists compare the condition of the Saudi Arabian Women to slavery (S, 2010). A government poll conducted in 2006 found out that over 80% of Saudi Arabian women do not think that women should work or drive with men. A subsequent poll found that most Saudi women are not of the opinion that women should be allowed to hold political office. Saudi women are in high support of their traditional gender roles and are of the opinion that reforms wou ld be opposed to Islamic values. They argue that they already have a high level of independence and that reforms would bring about unwanted Western cultural influences (Saleh Ambah, 2010). In Saudi Arabia, all women are required to have a male guardian, who can be a father or husband. This guardian has rights and duties to his woman in various aspects of civic life. Saudi women must first seek their guardians permission for various matters such as marriage and divorce, education, travel (if below 45 years), employment as well as opening a bank account. Guardians requirements are not written law, but are applied according to the societys customs, as well as the understanding of particular institutions such as hospitals and banks. Official transactions initiated by women are often abandoned and officers often demand the presence of a guardian in order to prove authorization. In a recent interview, Saudi women defended male guardians as providing love and protection (Zoeph, 2010). In 2008, some Saudi women launched a petition defending guardians, which gathered over 500 signatures. The petition also requested the punishment for those activists equality and mingling between Saudi men and women. Liberal activists on the other hand reject guardianship and see it as demeaning to women. They object to the treatment of women as subordinates or children (Wagner, 2010). They cite cases of women whose careers were ended by their guardians, or who lost custody rights over their children. In a case in 2009, a father prohibited several of his daughters attempts to marry outside their clan, and sent her to a mental institution as a form of punishment (Jahwar, 2009). Activists agree that most Saudi men are caring, but see this kindness as a result of pity, from lack of respect for their women, and they compare male guardianship to slavery, with ownership of a woman being passed on from one man to another. The ludicrousness of the guardianship system is shown by what would happen to a woman if she tried to remarry: she would have to seek the permission of her son (Betsy, 2010). The Saudi government has defended itself by saying that there is no law of male guardianship and maintains that agreements are applied in the courts and other legal channels. The male guardianship system is very closely related to sharaf, a system which involves the protection of females in the family by a male individual. The male provides for them, and in sequence, the womens honor is reflected on him. Since the honor of the male guardian is affected by that of the women in his family, he is expected to control their behavior. If a man loses his honor because of a woman under his care, he is permitted to cleanse his honor by punishing her, which can be death in extreme cases. In 2007, a young Saudi lady was killed by her father for chatting with a man on Facebook. Conservatives called for the government ban on Facebook, because it causes social causes social strife by encouraging inter-gender mingling and inciting lust (Frthjof, 2007). In many Islamic states, women are required cover parts of that are arwah i.e. not meant to be exposed, which is mainly the face. However, in Saudi Arabia, the whole of the womans body is considered arwah, with exception of the hands and eyes. Women are therefore required to wear the niqab, or veil, a hijab; whish is s head covering, as well as an abaya, which is a full black cloak. In this country, womens clothing must not reveal anything about her body and is therefore required to be loose, thick and opaque. It is generally required to be unadorned and of a dull color and should not raise interest to the male (Saleh, 2009). Saudi women are however not bothered by the dress code and place it low on the list of priorities for reform. Majority of the women wear the veil with pride, and say it reduces destructions from their male counterparts. Sex aggregation is anticipated in public, especially between non-mahram women and men. Most official and educational institutions have separate entrances and exits for both men and women. According to law, there should be clear visual and physical separate sections for both sexes at all meetings and gatherings, including weddings and funerals. Public places such as amusement parks and beaches are also segregated, sometimes by time, so that men and women visit at different hours. Many Saudi homes have different entrances for men and women, with private space being associated with women and public space such as living rooms being reserved for men. Since eating requires the removal of the veil for women, most Saudi restaurants are segregated to different sections and they also bar entrance to women who come without their mahrams or husbands (Murphy, Saudi Arabia: Dining by Gender, 2010). Even Western companies for instance Starbucks and McDonalds enforce Saudi religious regulations and maintain sex-segregated zones in their restaurants. This has often led to these companies being criticized by Western activists as the facilities in the womens zones are usually lower in quality. The segregation rules sometimes apply to banks and even hospitals. However, the number of mixed-gender workplaces has been on the rise since the crowning of King Abdullah, though they are still strange. Some clerics issued fatwa, a religious opinion issued by an Islamic scholar concerning an Islamic law, which encouraged women to provide breast milk to any man with whom she comes into frequent contact with. The milk should not come directly from the womans breast, and reduces the difficulties of strict sex segregation by allowing him to become a relative of the family. In Islam, this breast milk kinship is considered to be as good as blood relationship and therefore allow the males to come onto contact with the without having to break Islams rules about mixing. Another scholar disagreed, saying that the milk should come straight from the wombs breast, an issue which was ridiculed by reformists who argue that this could end up being more erotic, and definitely not maternal. Womens economic rights in Saudi Arabia are also severely infringed. In order for a woman to buy or sell a piece of property, she is obligated to bring two men as witnesses to identify her identity. In addition, she is required to bring four other male witnesses to testify that the first two are valid witnesses and that they actually know her. This makes it hard for women to attain their legal rights, and therefore, they often end up finding other solutions such as paying bribes. Since childhood, Saudi girls are taught that their key role is to take good care of the household and raise the children, though Sharia allows women to work, as long as she does not neglect her essential homemaking duties. Government offices strictly advocate for the minimization of interaction between women and non-mahram men. They are allowed too work as long as their male guardians or husbands approve. A womans work must be deemed suitable for her physique and mentality and for this reason, they cannot be appointed as judges or to positions of high public office. The Saudi labor ministry has been inconsistent in its support for reforms promoting womens right to work. In 2006, the then minister of labor, Dr.Ghazi Al-Qusaibi was quoted as saying that the labor Ministry was not acting to promote womens employment because the best place for a woman to serve is in her own home (Al-Awsat, 2006). In recent years, mixed gender workplaces have become more common, especially in industries that must serve women such as medicine and banking. In this country, 71% to 78% of females are literate, compared with males who have 85% literacy rates. The number of women who receive secondary and tertiary education is higher than that of men with over 50% of working women having a college education (Forum, 2009). The freedom of movement for Saudi women is strongly limited as they are not supposed to leave their houses or neighborhoods without the consent of their male guardian or in the company of a mahram. Women are not allowed to drive and are forbidden from using public transport. When allowed, they are required to use a separate entrance and sit in sections reserved for women. However, the bus companies with the widest coverage of Saudis capital, Riyadh, do not allow women at all. In Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to run for public offices, but they are permitted to hold positions on boards of chambers of trade. There is one woman in a cabinet position, as assistant minister for womens education. In court cases, the testimony of one man is considered to be equivalent to that of two women. In April 2010, women were issued with new ID cards with fingerprints and GPS tracking features. Women are registered in their father or husbands identification card and conservatives argue that cards which show the unveiled face of a woman violate Saudis customs. Though the government banned the practice of forced marriages, females are not allowed to make their own decisions on this issue. Just like in any other domain, states should not be pushed into creating local or universal structures that bypass their levels of control. As in the case of Saudi Arabia, most of the groups in society whose rights are violated do not have equal access to the law. This demonstrates how both theories create a double standard, with men readily accepting western norms and women bearing the brunt of cultural authenticity. However, with realistic strategies, cultural sensitivities in countries like Saudi Arabia can be reconciled with universal goals.

Math Facts Essay -- Education, The Arithmetic Gap

â€Å"Memorizing math facts is the most important step to understanding math. Math facts are the building blocks to all other math concepts and memorizing makes them readily available† (EHow Contributor, 2011). To clarify, a math fact is basic base-10 calculation of single digit numbers. Examples of basic math facts include addition and multiplication problems such as 1 + 1, 4 + 5, 3 x 5 and their opposites, 2 – 1, 9 – 4, 15/5(Marques, 2010 and Yermish, 2011). Typically, these facts are memorized at grade levels deemed appropriate to a student’s readiness – usually second or third grade for addition and subtraction and fourth grade for multiplication and division. If a child can say the answer to a math fact problem within a couple of seconds, this is considered mastery of the fact (Marques, 2010). Automaticity – the point at which something is automatic- is the goal when referring to math facts. Students are expected to be able to recall facts without spending time thinking about them, counting on their fingers, using manipulatives, etc (Yermish, 2011). . In order to become a fluent reader, a person must memorize the sounds that letters make and the sounds that those letters make when combined with other letters. Knowing math facts, combinations of numbers, is just as critical to becoming fluent in math. Numbers facts are to math as the alphabet is to reading, without them a person cannot fully succeed. (Yermish, 2011 and Marquez, 2010). A â€Å"known† fact is one that is â€Å"answered automatically and correctly without counting† (Greenwald, 2011). In order for a child to achieve academically, the child must master basic facts. A child's progress with problem-solving, algebra and higher-order math concepts is negatively impacted by a lack... ...wer but offer no assistance with learning a concept (Mahoney and Knowles, 2010). Automaticity of math facts is beneficial to all mathematics learning. Fortunately, there are ways to help students learn basic facts without skill and drill. Explicit strategy instruction is more effective than encouraging strict rote memorization (Woodward, 2006). Yet, many educators are unsure of how to help students master facts. Too many educators still have misconceptions of how students learn facts and how they commit them to long-term memory (Baroody, 1985). Some people argue that students no longer need to learn how to compute now that calculators are widely available. â€Å"While facility at one-digit computation is far from the primary aim of elementary school mathematics, it is an important skill that provides the foundation for many other topics†(Burton and Knifong, 1982).

How Useful Is Postmodernism in Understanding Contemporary British Fiction

How useful is postmodernism in understanding contemporary British fiction To examine the question of how useful postmodernism is in understanding contemporary British fiction, I will be using the example of ‘Sexing The Cherry’ written by Jeanette Winterson. The works that can be closely linked with this novel first published in 1989 are those of theorist and historian Michel Foucault. His ideas on sexuality mirror the ideas of sexuality used in Sexing The Cherry (Winterson. J 1989, 47-60). Postmodernism affects the way that we read a text, but why is that more important than reading a text for its own individual merit.Postmodernism as a movement is only the current movement in literature, and if we look into the past we can see that all the movements can be used to characterise some of the texts of the era in which they were written, but also there are other factors that go into analysing a text, such as historical and social context. During those times texts were analys ed by using the movement of the time, however there is nothing to say that previous movements can’ be used to analyse contemporary texts, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the current movement.For example Romanticism or Modernism could still be used as a valid theory to analyse texts that are currently being published; because some of the ideas used to create the basis of these movements are still valid in today’s society, as Postmodernism is still just the progression of Modernism. It is all dependant on what the author has intended to convey with his or her story, as in any case the ideas and theories that have influenced postmodernism are those of the previous movements and societies.Foucault’s ideas of sexuality and the taboo of sexuality can be seen in the retelling of the 12 dancing princesses in Sexing The Cherry (Winterson. J. 1989, 47-60). In the story told by Winterson the twelve dancing princesses all become married to twelve princes but all bu t one of them part with their princes for one reason or another, most of them kill their husbands due to their inadequacies or in one case because he asks her to. Foucault argues that the relationship between sex and power is defined by repression.Sexual repression is something that can be seen in some if not all of the stories Winterson tells, if not especially with the tale of the princess who married another woman and lives are happy and peaceful life until their persecutors come to kill them. In this Foucault’s ideas of sexual repression which he talks about in his book The History Of Sexuality (Foucault, M, 1976) in society come to be useful in the analysis of this, however this could also be done using the current social context concerning sexuality.The postmodernism critique of this is detracting from the individual and placing into a much larger concept and can take away all the emotional power of this story. Postmodernism is not concerned with the individual as previ ous movements had been but instead pushes all of us into groups or theories that characterise all people in a similar way, which I believe takes something away from the text by making the text merely a commentary on the social aspects of our society as opposed to being the thoughts on paper of one person who wishes to express his or her feelings.Postmodernism removes itself from reality by showing the nature of the society in which we have created for ourselves as fake â€Å"Postmodern theorists adopt the poststructuralist strategy of severing the connection between signs and their referents, thus abandoning modern theorists' efforts to represent the â€Å"real. †Ã¢â‚¬  (Robert J. Antonio and Douglas Kellner, New York: Guilford Press, 1994: 127-152. Sexing The Cherry does this with the playful way in which it deals with history, by placing the protagonist of the story in a time that is so different from now the author is able to play with and subvert our already existing id eas of that time and apply social stigma of our society onto a time that had different ideas to those which we have now. Postmodernism as a critical tool, I feel takes away from the text its individuality, and therefore the power from the words on the page, which the author has tried to put down on paper.Literature should be classed individually as it has been created by individuals, and the postmodernist way of critique dismisses the idea that the author had anything to do with it. Word Count: 745 Bibliography * Sexing The Cherry – Winterson J. 1989, Vintage ISBN 0-09-974720-0 * Beginning Theory an introduction to literary and cultural theory – Barry P. 995, 2002, 2009 Manchester University Press ISBN 978-0-7190-7927-6 * The History of Sexuality, Vol. 1: An Introduction – Foucault M. 1976 Vintage ISBN-13: 978-0679724698 * The A-Z Guide to Modern Literary and Cultural Theorists Sim S. 1995 Prentice Hall/ Harvester Wheatsheaf ISBN 0-13-355553-4 * MODERNITY AND SO CIAL THEORY: THE LIMITS OF THE POSTMODERN CRITIQUE Antonio R. J. and Kellner D. 1994 New York: Guilford Press

Alcohol and Its Effects on Children

Andrelea Foerster Marriage & Family Dr. Ekechukwu 4/12/13 The Impact on Children of Alcoholic Parents The significant and detrimental impact on family life and child development caused by parental alcohol use cannot be underestimated, often putting children in danger. Alcohol use and disorders are a major public health problem. Alcohol abuse in poor and deprived communities is particularly deleterious as the scarce financial resources of the family needed for food, health care, and education are diverted to alcohol. Pinto, Violet) It rarely exists in isolation as a problem and is commonly intertwined with mental health, bereavement, family breakdown or domestic violence. Children are impacted in a number of different ways: parental alcoholism affects them financially; it affects their home environment; they may be exposed to unsuitable care and care givers or inadequate supervision, poor role models and inappropriate behavior; and their physical/emotional development and school atten dance can suffer.Many children whose parents drink at a significant level can often find themselves having to take on the role of care giver, both for their siblings and their parents. Approximately 5-10% of the country's population suffers from DSM-IV alcohol abuse, and this figure appears to be growing. Alcohol use problems affect spouses and children, unfortunately, in addition to the heavy substance users themselves. A recent study estimated that one in four American children have a parent who meets criteria for DSM-IV alcohol abuse. Brennan, Patricia) It is important to understand the feelings a parent will be experiencing in relation to their alcohol use and to recognize that just because a parent may or may not have disclosed that they have an alcohol problem, it does not necessarily mean the problem is not there. In practice, most standard policies and procedures are reactive to the parent admitting they have a problem. Consequently, workers from universal services often foc us on gaining evidence and then initiating procedures, which is a difficult balance to strike as workers often have to make social services referrals when disclosures are made. If you do not know what the problem is you cannot fix it' is a good place to start. In fact, it is difficult to meaningfully help a parent before they have accepted there is a problem; you cannot force change or engagement. From both sides, this can be difficult to manage as the positivity of a parent's disclosure can be overshadowed by a reaction to the referral to children's social care. Understandably, this can cause a dilemma for the professional and a great deal of anxiety for the parent. Encouraged by the disinhibiting effects of alcohol, they find it easier to enter the world outside their family borders in search of relief and self-assertion. † (Tomori, Martina) Professionals often worry about immediate safety when a parent has a drinking problem. Because they did not have an example to follow f rom their childhood and never experienced â€Å"normal† family relationships, adult children of alcoholics and addicts may have to guess at what it means to be normal. They sometimes can't tell good role models from bad ones.Some are not comfortable around family because they don't know what to do or how to react. Many adult children of alcoholics or addicts find it difficult to give themselves a break. They do not feel adequate, and feel that they are never good enough. They may have little self-worth and low self-esteem and can develop deep feelings of inadequacy. Because they judge themselves too harshly, some adult children of alcoholics may take themselves very seriously. They can become depressed or anxious because they have never learned how to lighten up on themselves.They can get very angry with themselves when they make a mistake. Many adult children of alcoholics find it difficult to let them have fun. Perhaps because they witnessed so many holidays, vacations and other family events sabotaged by the alcoholic parent, they do not expect good things to ever happen to them. In order to have an intimate relationship, one must be willing to look to another person for interdependence, emotional attachment, or fulfillment of your needs. Because of trust issues or lack of self-esteem, adult children of addicts may not be able to let themselves do that.They don't allow themselves to get close to others. After growing up in an atmosphere where denial, lying and keeping secrets was the norm, adult children of alcoholics can develop serious trust problems. All the broken promises of the past tell them that trusting someone will backfire on them in the future and because the alcoholic parent was emotionally unavailable or perhaps physically not around, adult children of alcoholics or addicts can develop an absolute fear of being abandoned. As a consequence, they can find themselves holding on to relationships they should end just because they don't want to be alone.If their alcoholic parent was mean or abusive when they were drunk, adult children can grow up with a fear of all angry people. They may spend their lives avoiding conflict or confrontation of any kind, thinking it could turn violent. Because they constantly judge themselves too harshly, many adult children of alcoholics are constantly seeking approval from others. The can become people-pleasers who are crushed if someone is not happy with them. They can absolutely fear criticism. Many children who grow up with an addicted parent find themselves thinking they are different from other people and not good enough.Consequently, they avoid social situations and have difficulty making friends. They can tend to isolate themselves as a result. Perhaps to avoid criticism or the anger of their alcoholic parent, many children from alcoholic homes become super responsible or perfectionists. They can become overachievers or workaholics. On the other hand, they can also go in the oppo site direction, becoming very irresponsible members of society. Handling disclosure is the key to being able to start to support a parent and get them the help they need.Listen to what the parent is saying and recognize that by starting to talk about the alcohol problem they are acknowledging it exists. This is the first step and can be a very vulnerable time; parents can become distressed at this stage. The parent is usually in a very negative space and it is important that this is a positive interaction where they feel supported and have hope. If this is handled badly their defenses usually go up and they disengage. Ideally, parents should be listened to and reassured that they have done the right thing in acknowledging they have a problem and that they will be given the right support.Stay with them until they have finished saying everything they want to–they will usually indicate why drinking became a problem. End by reassuring them and explain what you are going to do to try to help them. This might involve referral to your local alcohol service, providing them with printed information or calling someone else to look after the children. It is a good idea at this stage to give them a diary sheet to keep track of what they are drinking, when and why. You can now also draw up a safety plan or contingency plan with the parent.This is important as it empowers the parent to take control of the situation, even while the problem drinking continues, and it is something they can immediately succeed at. It should prioritize the child's needs and safety, which will also help the parent deal with feelings of guilt. We have all been in a room or meeting with a parent where we have suspicions of parental alcohol use. It is really important not to ignore this, but ‘say what you see' and offer help. Don't add a judgment, an assumption or interpret; simply say to the parent what you see.Examples of this could be: ‘I smell alcohol on your breath–if you need support with that we can help' or ‘you seem unsteady on your feet, your speech seems slurred'. This is an important process for the parent even if it does not lead to a disclosure as it forces them to face some of their own denial. If this is not done they may convince themselves everything is fine. Fundamental to working with parents is accepting that it takes time to change. Goals need to be pragmatic, realistic and timely, with a focus on finding solutions rather than obstacles.Sometimes you have to accept that it may only be possible to put a simple routine in place and that the parent will need support with anything that needs longer-term planning. A useful tool is a basic wall chart, which does actually need to go on the wall so it can be checked. The chart should outline tasks to be completed each day. Allocate a specific day for household tasks; for example, laundry on Mondays and food shopping on Tuesdays. This is useful as it enables the parent to have some basic structure to their time.They can also tick things off as they are completed, which will increase their confidence and make day-to-day life seem more manageable. It is also not reliant on the problem behavior changing immediately. Things often get worse before they get better–be prepared initially for the parent to deteriorate before they improve. It is a process and parents need to learn new coping mechanisms; support networks can help. Think about things that can be changed and what can be put in place to support parents and their children through the period of change.Accepting and anticipating a realistic timetable is crucial. For example, when a child has had little or no supervision and a parent then starts to put boundaries in place the child will react negatively, especially if the parent is still drinking. Putting this part of the program in place will increase parents' stress levels and could result in further drinking and disengagement with services. Therefore, think about support plans you might need for both parent and child. If the parent is still drinking they will find it difficult to maintain the changes.The situation could be handled by addressing the drinking first and ensuring the parent is engaged with an alcohol service that can provide relapse prevention support. Next, introduce intensive parenting support so the family has the maximum chance of benefiting from the intervention and maintaining the changes by using this support network to protect the family against wobbles. Think about the family as a system and look at what works well within it and ways other areas can be improved. This needs reviewing constantly, as if one factor changes the family dynamics will change.For example, if a parent's alcohol consumption changes, the family system will change and these periods of adjustment are stressful for all involved. Sometimes you have to accept that the parent's alcohol abuse might not improve immediately. However, the situat ion may change and, importantly, things may improve for the child over time–don't give up. Children will record their parent's actions at their worst. When Mom and Dad are most out of control, they are the most threatening to the child's survival. The child's survival alarm registers these behaviors the most deeply creating shame.Any subsequent shame experience, which even vaguely resembles that past trauma, can easily trigger the words and scenes of said trauma. What are then recorded are the new experience and the old. Over time an accumulation of shame scenes are attached together. Each new scene potentates the old, sort of like a snowball rolling down a hill, getting larger and larger as it picks up snow. As the years go on, very little is needed to trigger these collages of shame memories. Shame as an emotion has now become frozen and embedded into the core of the person's identity.Children of alcoholics grow up trying to control their parents drinking by hiding or throw ing away the alcohol. Then they try the use of guilt control – (If you really love me you'll stop), or (You care more about that bottle than you care about me). They don't realize that you cannot control or reason with a disease. Some try to cure the disease by being the perfect child; by keeping perfect grades, always being good, being responsible and trying to cure the illness, while keeping the path smooth for the drinker.To an outsider looking in, they are the perfect child. The truth of the matter is they are. People just don't see the whole picture. Other children may choose to be the scapegoat, the one in trouble all the time. They are the family's way of not looking at what's really happening. Then there are those who become the class clown, making everyone laugh and all the while knowing that life is not really that funny. And then there is that little child off in the corner; the withdrawn child who never gives anyone any trouble and feels like he/she is invisible.A ll of these children look like a child, dress like a child, to some degree they behave like a child, but they sure as hell don't feel like a child. Children of alcoholics grow up and become adults quickly. But underneath the mask of adult behavior there is a child who was neglected. This needy child is insatiable. What that means is that when the child becomes an adult, there is a hole in his/her soul. They can never get enough as an adult. An adult child can't get enough because it's really a child's needs that are in question.Growing up and not having your needs met as a child creates many scars; co-dependency being one of the most serious. Much has been written about co-dependency. All agree that it is about the loss of selfhood. Co-dependency is a condition wherein one has no inner life. Happiness is on the outside. Good feelings and self-validation lie on the outside. Children of alcoholics, learn to be care takers or rescuers early in life. They've developed a mechanism that h elped in coping with fear, pain, insecurity and growing up in an abusive alcoholic family.Usually this is how the child copes with not being able to get their own needs met. â€Å"Self-confidence and readiness to accept different, sometimes negative views and responses of others, coupled with the ability to cope with occasional refusals or failures, are the key characteristics that help adolescents adopt healthy patterns of social behavior. † (Tomari, Martina) But later in life, as an adult, those well learned habits imprison them in frustrating, painful, co-dependent relationships, at home and at work.Some of the most common side effects are guilt; the child may see himself or herself as the main cause of the mother's or father's drinking. Another is anxiety; the child may worry constantly about the situation at home. He or she may fear the alcoholic parent will become sick or injured, and may also fear fights and violence between the parents. Then the embarrassment; parents may give the child the message that there is a terrible secret at home. The ashamed child does not invite friends home and is afraid to ask anyone for help.Then comes confusion; the alcoholic parent will change suddenly from being lovey to angry, regardless of the child's behavior. A regular daily schedule, which is very important for a child, does not exist because bedtimes and mealtimes are constantly changing. And then the anger; the child feels anger at the alcoholic parent for drinking, and may be angry at the non-alcoholic parent for lack of support and protection. Inability to have close relationships because the child has been disappointed by the drinking parent many times, he or she often does not trust others.Although the child tries to keep the alcoholism a secret, teachers, relatives, other adults, or friends may sense that something is wrong. Child and adolescent psychiatrists advise that the following behaviors may signal a drinking or other problem at home. Failure i n school, lack of friends, withdrawal from classmates, delinquent behavior, such as stealing or violence, frequent physical complaints, such as headaches or stomachaches, abuse of drugs or alcohol, aggression towards other children, risk taking behaviors, depression and suicidal thoughts.Some children of alcoholics may act like responsible â€Å"parents† within the family and among friends. They may cope with the alcoholism by becoming successful â€Å"over achievers† throughout school, and at the same time be emotionally isolated from other children and teachers. Their emotional problems may show only when they become adults, but in fact they have been â€Å"adult children† their whole lives. â€Å"Adult Child† carries a double meaning: the adult who is trapped in the fears and reactions of a child, and the child who was forced to be an adult without going through the natural stages that would result in a healthy adult.When the adult child of a dysfuncti onal family begins to enter the â€Å"real world† schools and the workplace they discover their family system is not the reality shared by their classmates and co-workers. Many adult children become loners or form tight, unhealthy relationships with other children of dysfunctional homes. These relationships actually re-enforce their dysfunctional view of the world by â€Å"finding another person who really understands. † The tightness of the bonds created in these relationships is accented by the child's lack of an individual sense of identity.They do not yet know where they stop and someone else begins. As a result they are unable to define their limits and begin to take on other people's opinions, defects and needs. If the adult child is able to form lasting friendships (some never do), it is usually with other adult children who provide familiar characteristics similar to the family's dysfunction. Adult children can be very slow to recognize the patterns of family p roblems. They spent their lives being trained by the family to not see the problem, even when they are re-created in friendships, marriages and work relationships.Whether or not their parents are receiving treatment for alcoholism, these children and adolescents can benefit from educational programs and mutual-help groups such as programs for children of alcoholics, Al-Anon, and Alateen. Early professional help is also important in preventing more serious problems for the child, including alcoholism. Studies from the US and Australia have shown that easy local alcohol access is associated with adolescent alcohol consumption and alcohol abuse. Dale, Richard) Child and adolescent psychiatrists help these children with the child's own problems, and also help the child to understand they are not responsible for the drinking problems of their parents. The treatment program may include group therapy with other youngsters, which reduces the isolation of being a child of an alcoholic. The c hild and adolescent psychiatrist will often work with the entire family, particularly when the alcoholic parent has stopped drinking, to help them develop healthier ways of relating to one another.One very successful form of recovery for adult children involves acknowledging the existence of an inner child. The child, who was small, lost and without hope never really went away, but froze. Recovering adult children can find that inner child and resume the process of nurturing to allow him/her to complete the job of growing into a healthy adult. Many counselors, therapists and psychologists have been valuable to many adult children in the process of recovery. Growing up in an alcoholic family is certainly traumatic, and it seems there are no positive aspects involved.The fact of the matter is these children will be scarred for life and most likely need some kind of counseling in the future depending on the severity of the abuse. Too many children in America have lived through this dre adful lifestyle. Alcohol simply should never be abused, neither should the children. One misconception that many alcoholics and addicts seem to have is that their drinking or substance abuse is not affecting anyone else. Many times they will make statements like, â€Å"I'm not hurting anyone but myself! † Unfortunately, there is a great deal of research and a vast amount of anecdotal evidence that this is simply not the case. Hurt people . . . hurt people. † The behavior of addicts and alcoholics can affect everyone around them, including family, friends, employers and coworkers. Perhaps those most vulnerable to the effects of alcoholism or addiction are their children. If you have a drinking or a drug abuse problem and you have children in your home, they are being affected, sometimes so profoundly that the effects last their entire lifetimes. Children of alcoholics and addicts can have deep-seated psychological and emotional reactions to growing up with an addicted pa rent. Emergent from an alcoholic family is harrowing.In these homes, children experience a daily environment of inconsistency, chaos, fear, abandonment, denial, and real or potential violence. Survival becomes a full-time job. While most of us know that alcoholism is a disease, too few recognize it as a family disease, which may emotionally, spiritually and often physically, affect not only the alcoholic but each member of the family. Little emotional energy remains to consistently fulfill the many needs of children who become victims of the family illness. For many years, professional psychologists were barely aware of the vast pool of suffering of the family of alcoholics.They concentrated on healing the alcoholic and felt that it solved the problems of the family as well. Today they realize that the whole family suffers this sickness and all must be made well. By looking at what it is like to live in an alcoholic's home, the side effects, and how to cope with the problem there is conclusive evidence to see how the disease negatively affects the children. Dale, Richard A. , et al. â€Å"Alcohol environment, gender and nonfatal injuries in young people. An ecological study of fourteen Swedish municipalities (2000-2005). †Ã‚  Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy  7 (2012): 36.Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. http://proxy01. nwacc. edu:2076/ps/i. do? id=GALE%7CA307422823&v=2. 1&u=nwestakcc&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Tomori, Martina. â€Å"Personality characteristics of adolescents with alcoholic parents. †Ã‚  Adolescence  29. 116 (1994): 949+. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. http://proxy01. nwacc. edu:2076/ps/i. do? id=GALE%7CA16477257&v=2. 1&u=nwestakcc&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w Brennan, Patricia A. , Emily R. Grekin, and Constance Hammen. â€Å"Parental alcohol use disorders and child delinquency: the mediating effects of executive functioning and chronic family stress *.   Journal of Studies on Alcohol  Jan. 2005: 14+. Academic OneF ile. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. http://proxy01. nwacc. edu:2076/ps/i. do? id=GALE%7CA132050571;v=2. 1;u=nwestakcc;it=r;p=AONE;sw=w Pinto, Violet, and Rajan Kulkarni. â€Å"A Case Control Study on School Dropouts in Children of Alcohol-Dependent Males Versus that in Abstainers/Social Drinkers' Children. †Ã‚  Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care  1. 2 (2012): 92. Academic OneFile. Web. 18 Apr. 2013. http://go. galegroup. com/ps/i. do? id=GALE%7CA313826180;v=2. 1;u=nwestakcc;it=r;p=AONE;sw=w

Free Essays on Government Censorship

Government Censorship Thesis: Government Censorship would damage the atmosphere of the freedom to express ideas on the Internet; therefore, government should not encourage censorship. Introduction I. In the Internet community, there is a large volume of technical terms. For this reason, it is first necessary to examine the terminology specific to Internet. 1.The internet is a world wide computer network. 1.Electronic mail (email), which is one component of the Internet, approximates person to person letters, memoranda, notes and even phone calls. 2.Another term that is often used is electronic news (enews/Usenet), enews is a broadcast, free to the Internet medium. 3.The term FTP is also frequently used. File transfer protocol (FTP) started as an Internet archival and retrieval medium, somewhat analogous to traditional libraries. 4.The world-wide web (WWW), which is another component of the Net, can be used to "publish" material that would traditionally appear in journals, magazines, posters, books, television and even on film. 2.It is also essential to give a brief history on the internet. 3.The U.S. government is now trying to pass bills to prevent misuse of the Net. II. In order to understand the need for the ever-growing body of legislation, it is important to explore the controversy, and the current problems involved with the Net as it exists must be introduced. 1.The problem that concerns most people is offensive materials such as pornography. 2.Another crucial internet crime is the stealing of credit card numbers. III. One reaction to this inapplicability has been the "Censor the Net" approach (the censorship bill), we are now to compare its advantages and disadvantages. 1.First, the meaning of "Censoring the Net" must be explained. 2.However, many experts have pointed out that government censorship is not possible. 1.First, it is not fair to exclude the freedom and damage the atmosphere of... Free Essays on Government Censorship Free Essays on Government Censorship Government Censorship Thesis: Government Censorship would damage the atmosphere of the freedom to express ideas on the Internet; therefore, government should not encourage censorship. Introduction I. In the Internet community, there is a large volume of technical terms. For this reason, it is first necessary to examine the terminology specific to Internet. 1.The internet is a world wide computer network. 1.Electronic mail (email), which is one component of the Internet, approximates person to person letters, memoranda, notes and even phone calls. 2.Another term that is often used is electronic news (enews/Usenet), enews is a broadcast, free to the Internet medium. 3.The term FTP is also frequently used. File transfer protocol (FTP) started as an Internet archival and retrieval medium, somewhat analogous to traditional libraries. 4.The world-wide web (WWW), which is another component of the Net, can be used to "publish" material that would traditionally appear in journals, magazines, posters, books, television and even on film. 2.It is also essential to give a brief history on the internet. 3.The U.S. government is now trying to pass bills to prevent misuse of the Net. II. In order to understand the need for the ever-growing body of legislation, it is important to explore the controversy, and the current problems involved with the Net as it exists must be introduced. 1.The problem that concerns most people is offensive materials such as pornography. 2.Another crucial internet crime is the stealing of credit card numbers. III. One reaction to this inapplicability has been the "Censor the Net" approach (the censorship bill), we are now to compare its advantages and disadvantages. 1.First, the meaning of "Censoring the Net" must be explained. 2.However, many experts have pointed out that government censorship is not possible. 1.First, it is not fair to exclude the freedom and damage the atmosphere of...

Three Types of Exceptions in Java

Three Types of Exceptions in Java Errors are the bane of users and programmers alike. Developers obviously dont want their programs falling over at every turn and users are now so used to having errors in programs that they grudgingly accept to pay the price for software that will almost certainly have at least one error in it. Java is designed to give the programmer a sporting chance in designing an error-free application. There are exceptions that the programmer will know are a possibility when an application interacts with a resource or a user and these exceptions can be handled. Unfortunately, there are exceptions the programmer cant control or simply overlooks. In short, all exceptions are not created equal and therefore there are several types for a programmer to think about. An exception is an event which causes the program to be unable to flow in its intended execution. There are three types of exception- the checked exception, the error and the runtime exception. The Checked Exception Checked exceptions are exceptions that a Java application should be able to cope with. For example, If an application reads data from a file it should be able to handle the FileNotFoundException . After all, there is no guarantee that the expected file is going to be where it is supposed to be. Anything could happen on the file system, which an application would have no clue about. To take this example one step further. Lets say we are using the FileReader class to read a character file. If you have a look at the FileReader constructor definition in the Java api you will see its method signature: public FileReader(String fileName) throws FileNotFoundException As you can see the constructor specifically states that the FileReader constructor can throw a FileNotFoundException. This makes sense as its highly likely that the fileName String will be wrong from time to time. Look at the following code: public static void main(String[] args){ FileReader fileInput null; //Open the input file fileInput new FileReader(Untitled.txt); } Syntactically the statements are correct but this code will never compile. The compiler knows the FileReader constructor can throw a FileNotFoundException and its up to the calling code to handle this exception. There are two choices - firstly we can pass the exception on from our method by specifying a throws clause too: public static void main(String[] args) throws FileNotFoundException{ FileReader fileInput null; //Open the input file fileInput new FileReader(Untitled.txt); } Or we can actually handle with the exception: public static void main(String[] args){ FileReader fileInput null; try { //Open the input file fileInput new FileReader(Untitled.txt); } catch(FileNotFoundException ex) { //tell the user to go and find the file } } Well-written Java applications should be able to cope with checked exceptions. Errors The second kind of exception is known as the error. When an exception occurs the JVM will create an exception object. These objects all derive from the Throwable class. The Throwable class has two main subclasses- Error and Exception. The Error class denotes an exception that an application is not likely to be able to deal with.   These exceptions are considered rare. For example, the JVM might run out of resources due to the hardware not being able to cope with all the processes it is having to deal with. Its possible for the application to catch the error to notify the user but typically the application is going to have to close until the underlying problem is dealt with. Runtime Exceptions A runtime exception occurs simply because the programmer has made a mistake. Youve written the code, it all looks good to the compiler and when you go to run the code, it falls over because it tried to access an element of an array that does not exist or a logic error caused a method to be called with a null value. Or any number of mistakes a programmer can make. But thats okay, we spot these exceptions by exhaustive testing, right? Errors and Runtime Exceptions fall into the category of unchecked exceptions.

Challenges to Infection Control of Hep C, B and HIV

Challenges to Infection Control of Hep C, B and HIV Infection control and cross contamination prevention are imperative to ensuring high quality patient care and quality of life for all patients. In the hemodialysis clinics and hospital units where patients are in end stage renal disease the prevention of infection is of utmost concern as it is directly correlated to lowered morbidity and mortality rates. Blood borne pathogens and bacteria are transmitted through poor infection control practices and lack of cross contamination prevention procedures. To understand the importance of infection control and cross contamination prevention, it is first imperative to understand the risks and consequences of infection transmittal in the hemodialysis unit. The hemodialysis unit is unique in that the procedure allows pathogens to enter the body through access sites, injection sites, and catheterization, all of which increase risk of infection for already ill patients. The following explores the most common concerns in infection transmittal as H epatitis C and B, HIV, and common bacteria found in hemodialysis patients. This is followed by an exploration of methods in infection control, focusing on the procedures of cleaning, sterilization, and disinfection. An examination of staff education and training procedures that impact infection control and patient care follows. The research concludes with a summary and commentary. Research has often compared the incidences of HCV infections in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis in patients, finding that patients undergoing clinical bloodstream invasive hemodialysis procedures have three times higher rates of HCV infections (Horl et al 2004). This is reflective of nosocomial transmission of HCV within the clinical dialysis setting (Horl et al 2004). HCV is transmitted through cross-contamination, occurring through â€Å"blood, shared cannulas, and equipment, and blood transfusions† (Horl et al 2004 p 1390). A comparison of the outcome of hepatitis virus-positive and -negativ e kidney transplant and hemodialysis patients involved 384 kidney transplant patients (67 HBsAg positive, 39 anti-HCV positive, 278 hepatitis negative), transplanted between 1987 and 2001, and 403 hemodialysis patients (128 HBsAg positive, 83 anti-HCV positive, 192 hepatitis negative) who had started hemodialysis and were referred to the kidney transplant waiting list during the same period (Visnja et al 2008). Comparison of the groups’ survival rates, adjusted for patient age, showed that all kidney transplant patients survived longer than hemodialysis patients (p < 0.001) (Visnja et al 2008). Interestingly, HBV infection had a negative impact on patient survival, especially in hemodialysis patients, but HCV infection did not have a significant influence on patient survival (Visnja et al 2008). Thirty-two outpatient hemodialysis providers in the United States voluntarily reported 3699 adverse events to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) during 2006 (Klevens et al 2008). Among the 599 isolates reported, 461 (77%) represented access-associated blood stream infections in patients with central lines, and 138 (23%) were in patients with fistulas or grafts (Klevens et al 2008). The microorganisms most frequently identified were common skin contaminants (e.g., coagulase-negative staphylococci) (Klevens et al 2008). Hepatitis C (HCV) among maintenance hemodialysis patients has limited data on the incidence and prevalence. According to Bennett, Brachman and Jarvis (2007 p 360): â€Å"In 2002, 63% of dialysis centers tested patients for anti-HCV, and 11.5% reported having (symbol) 1 patient who became anti-HCV positive in 2002. The incidence rate in 2002 was 0.34% among centers that tested for anti-HCV, the prevalence of anti-HCV among patients was 7y.8%, a decrease of 25.7% since 1995. In the facilities that tested, the reported incidence was 0.34% and the prevalence3 was 7.8%. Only 11.5% of dialysis facilities reported newly acquired HCV infection among their patients†.

Event Planning in Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Event Planning in Tourism - Essay Example Event planning for any organization requires individuals who are competent and knowledgeable in the field of event planning. This is so much so in the field of tourism where the organization aims to package itself as a tourist destination of sorts. They seek to attract tourists to their tourist destinations. The tourism sector is linked to virtually all the other sectors of a country’s economy. This makes the tourism sector the most important sector of a government’s planning. With this knowledge in mind, the individuals brought in to plan for a tourism-related event should possess skills that are relevant to the field (Kelly, 1990). Â  This paper sets out to investigate the field of event planning while looking at the tourism sector. It seeks to identify the process involved in planning for tourism as an event and set out the steps which should be included when planning for the same. Â  An event is defined as a temporary occurrence that possesses a fixed length of time. An event can be of different types, i.e. planned and unplanned, and the ones that are planned are usually publicized to ensure they get maximum exposure towards the targeted audience. Every event is unique in itself as it involves the blending of different setting, duration, management, and people who facilitate it (Getz, 2007). In the field of tourism, the organizer has to plan for every event because of the nature of the events that are being thought of. Â  Successful planning of any event is important because it ensures that the organization remains competitive in the related market.

Nurse-to-Patient Ratio legislation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Nurse-to-Patient Ratio legislation - Essay Example The problem of nurse staffing has been a consistent problem since the year 1996. However, it needs to be addressed since patients nowadays know their rights as they are better informed that earlier about their health. Other issues have also contributed into finding a solution for this problem. This includes high levels of acuity, the amounts allocated by the national budget to this sector and finally the retirement age of employees in this profession (Buerhaus, 2009). Understaffing in government institutions has brought about so many problems that affect the well being of both patients and nurses who are meant to take care of them. These problems mostly arise when these nurses work for long hours. This can lead to patients’ mortality as nurses have a significant number of patients to attend to. In such a case, it is difficult for a nurse to detect any change in the health of the patient and consult a doctor. Secondly, it has led to increasing in the number of infections that are acquired in the hospitals by nurses in the course of their duty (Clark, 2005). This is mostly associated with poor working conditions and lack of the required equipments to perform their duties. This has been a consistent problem in most hospitals hence it should be addressed with immediate effect. Understaffing also causes shock among nurses and as well as bloodstream infections. This is because they receive and admit patients with different illnesses. Due to their limited number, a nurse might be overwhelmed by the complicated and challenging tasks. Hence, this policy if enacted will be of great help to both nurses and patients of this country. Finally, it has also caused psychological problems among nurses. This is because these nurses work for long hours, and they have limited time to take care of themselves. A large number of them in the country spend most of their time taking care of patients in hospitals. Hence, sometimes they may be depressed when they see the

Film and Television Genre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Film and Television Genre - Essay Example Film genre can be classified into the following.Action films.These are films characterized by fights, battles and destructive crises such as floods, natural disasters and fires. Good examples are the James Bond films and martial arts films.Adventure films.They are exciting stories with new experience, they include films that are based on treasure hunts, jungle and desert epics.Comedy.These are designed to provoke laughter with jokes, they exaggerate a situation. There are various types of comedies they include romantic comedies, black comedies, slapstick and parodies.Crime or gangster films.They are based on actions to combat crime, they are in most cases referred to as detective mystery films and examples include serial killer films and bank robbery films.Drama films.Are those films that portray realistic characters and life situations. This is the largest film genre and they do not focus on specific effects such as comedy or action.Historical films.They are usually historically ima ged films that are focus on myths, legends and heroic figures. Good examples are Bible-based films.Horror films.They are films that are designed to frighten and invoke our hidden fears. They include satanic films, monster films, Dracula films and serial killers.Musical or dance films.They are films that are centred on music, dance and songs. Examples are concert films and musical comedies.Science fiction films.They are based on imaginative scientific ideas, they include alien films, distant planet films. The genre categories are broad enough to accommodate any film ever made. Film categories can never be precise and films tend to be crossbreeds or hybrids, this is to mean that a film has more than one genre that is overlapping. Detective mystery film, they cannot be classified as main genre films because they are both thrillers and gangster films. Therefore they are classified according to their hybridity and not by specific genres. From the above examples of hybrids we can conclude the present films are classified as hybrids, it is for the simple reason that they cannot be classified as specific genres. The genre classification has no closed boundaries because they are formed by certain sets of conventions and classification is based on recurring patterns.... Walt Disney is the main producer of these films, they include Mickey Mouse cartoon, Popeye and superman. (http://www.filmsite.org/animatedfilms.html) Children and family films. These are non offensive films, they are usually made to entertain the whole family. They do not include scenes with violence, nudity or sex. Classic films. These are films that are referred to as favourites by the whole universe, they are high quality films and often gain quality after re screening. A good example is King Kong (1933). Documentary films. These films are non fiction based, they are narratives of historical events, an example is the Memphis belle(1944) which is a World War 2 documentary. Sexual or erotic films. This are films that present human nudity and love making, they are pornographic in nature. The genre categories are broad enough to accommodate any film ever made. Film categories can never be precise and films tend to be crossbreeds or hybrids, this is to mean that a film has more than one genre that is overlapping. Examples of hybrids. Detective mystery film, they cannot be classified as main genre films because they are both thrillers and gangster films. Therefore they are classified according to their hibridity and not by specific genres. Disaster films, they are both action and adventure films, an example is the hurricane film of 1937 and the high and the mighty film of 1954. Sports films, are those that based on sports, this films may be fictious or non fictious and they are hybrids. Examples include the rocky film of 1976, remember the titan's film of the year 2000. Thrillers and suspense films, these are films that are based on suspense promotion, they are

American Perspective Short Stories Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

American Perspective Short Stories - Essay Example To analyze the cost of Vietnam War effectively, the two warring nations need to be treated as separate entities. This is because the costs incurred by the America were not similar to those incurred by the Vietnam. During the war, American suffered heavy losses that had long-lasting effect on its citizens and economy. Firstly, America lost nearly 58,000 people to the war. The dead included American combatants and service members serving at different battalions that were deployed in Vietnam (Bennett 162). The heavy casualty suffered by American servicemen and combatants in Vietnam caused the Americans to condemn the government for its decision to send troops to Vietnam. This shows that people were feeling the pinch of the war through the death of their relatives. The US also had to sustain the war by supplying equipment and ammunition to the service men and this contributed to the cost incurred by the country. In addition, Vietnam veteran suffered adverse health effects some that resul ted from Agent Orange that was used to eliminate Vietnam forest cover. This caused massive protests from war veterans that America had to deal with as long-term effects of the war. ... Between 1969 and 1973 nearly 107, 504 Vietnamese lost their lives. These figures may be slightly lower since most of Vietnamese deaths went on unreported. These deaths include those that occurred in the frontline and those that resulted from bombs dropped in Indochina. The civilian deaths resulting from the war were estimated to be 200,000 most of who died from starvation (Bennett 92). These figures are slightly lower since most civilian deaths were not recorded. After the war, Vietnam had to cope with the aftermath, which resulted from the devastating effects of the war. The bombs used by America on Vietnam fighters had long-lasting effects on the civilian population and environment. In addition, the country lost most of its infrastructures such as bridges to the war. This is because American bombers targeted such infrastructures as part of their combat strategy. In order to defeat the Vietnamese the American divided the country into portions or territories that later became indepen dent states. This political strategy was applied by the Americans to gain advantage over Vietnamese. The resultant states included Cambodia North and South Vietnam. This segregation partly resulted due to Soviet invasion and American strategy to win the war. The modern day radical movements such as al-Qaida and Taliban that have cost the US millions of dollars also have their roots in the Vietnam War. 2. What was the Bonus Army and what were the reasons and goals behind the movement? Was it successful? The World War I had a long-lasting effect on Americans and the country’s policy makers. The bonus army was a demonstration of the effects that the war had caused on the

Southwest Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Southwest Airlines - Case Study Example The most impressive thing about SA is its low-cost offerings for all of its routes in the market. In spite of its low cost, its services were excellent and flights were on schedule. When its rivals assumed that SA will soon be out of business, the airline not only survived but also prospered and could multiply its fleets from three planes in 1971 to over 500 planes in 2010. It is the only career in the US to make consistent profits since 1973 due to its low operating cost and customer oriented services. Q. What grade would you give Southwest management for the job it has done in crafting the company’s strategy? What is it that you like or dislike about the strategy? Does Southwest have a winning strategy? Certainly, the company deserves a top grade for its winning strategies that include customer satisfaction and keeping operational costs as low as possible. No airline can offer such a low-fare on all its routes unless it knows how to reduce its operational cost without affecting customer services. It is commendable that almost 74 percent of SAs revenues are earned through bookings at its website saving a lot on booking agents (408). The company employed strategic thinking from the very beginning. For example, using Houston Hobby Airport instead of Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1972 was a strategic choice and its passenger traffic outlived the rival airlines almost immediately. It requires business acumen to cut fares from $26 to $13 in a single stroke in 1973 on its San Antonio-Dallas flights to ascertain that not a single seat goes unoccupied ever (395). When Kelleher, the CEO of SA stepped down in 2001, the company was firmly established earning revenues of $5.6 billion and over 30,000 employees on its payroll. Since its inception, the company continues to prosper and it is not a small feat that in these

Effects of National Culture on the Marketing Strategies Dissertation

Effects of National Culture on the Marketing Strategies - Dissertation Example The paper tells that international business theory begins with trade. Daniels and Radebaugh identified and compared ten types of trading theories. The theories are mercantilism, neomercantilism, absolute advantage, country size, comparative advantage, factor-proportions, product lifecycle, country similarity, dependence, and strategic trade policy. In the factors-proportions theory, there are four defined factors related to each home country. The factors are land, labor, capital, and entrepreneurship. The land is the natural resources associated with the physical boundaries of the country that are used to produce things. Countries without a strong and sufficient land base are forced to engage in international trade in order to obtain needed resources. Labor is the availability of unskilled and semiskilled workers within the country that can be mobilized for production purposes. Capital is the money, machinery, and infrastructure a country possesses. Countries abundant in these areas are considered more developed countries. Entrepreneurship is the creative management and ideas people use to solve problems and find new opportunities. The four factors explain the inherent resources a country possesses that make it attractive for trade, and therefore, international business. The theory is that "differences in a country's proportionate holdings of factors of production explain differences in the costs of the factors and that export advantages lie in the production of goods that use the most abundant factors."

Southwest Airlines Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Southwest Airlines - Case Study Example The most impressive thing about SA is its low-cost offerings for all of its routes in the market. In spite of its low cost, its services were excellent and flights were on schedule. When its rivals assumed that SA will soon be out of business, the airline not only survived but also prospered and could multiply its fleets from three planes in 1971 to over 500 planes in 2010. It is the only career in the US to make consistent profits since 1973 due to its low operating cost and customer oriented services. Q. What grade would you give Southwest management for the job it has done in crafting the company’s strategy? What is it that you like or dislike about the strategy? Does Southwest have a winning strategy? Certainly, the company deserves a top grade for its winning strategies that include customer satisfaction and keeping operational costs as low as possible. No airline can offer such a low-fare on all its routes unless it knows how to reduce its operational cost without affecting customer services. It is commendable that almost 74 percent of SAs revenues are earned through bookings at its website saving a lot on booking agents (408). The company employed strategic thinking from the very beginning. For example, using Houston Hobby Airport instead of Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1972 was a strategic choice and its passenger traffic outlived the rival airlines almost immediately. It requires business acumen to cut fares from $26 to $13 in a single stroke in 1973 on its San Antonio-Dallas flights to ascertain that not a single seat goes unoccupied ever (395). When Kelleher, the CEO of SA stepped down in 2001, the company was firmly established earning revenues of $5.6 billion and over 30,000 employees on its payroll. Since its inception, the company continues to prosper and it is not a small feat that in these

Compare and contrast the ways Essay Example for Free

Compare and contrast the ways Essay Stanhope and Raleigh are absolutely different characters. Stanhope is experienced and confident and Raleigh is naive and doesn’t have such a long experience in army that Stanhope has. But also you can find something similar in stories of their lives. Their childhood, which they spent together. They went to the same school and their families were friends long time ago. At the beginning of the play Capitan Stanhope is presented as a brilliant commander and at the same way as an alcoholic. This quotation ‘drinking like a fish’, means that Stanhope cannot live without alcohol just, as a fish cannot survive without water. It shows literally that he will die without alcohol. This one â€Å"Without being doped with whiskey I’d go mad with fright† shows that has to be dunk to get through the war without the fear. Also Hardy said that he’s called a ‘drunkard’. That also means that he is ‘in love’ with alcohol. But while Hardy jokes, Osborne defends Stanhope and describes him as ‘the best company commander we’ve ever got’. Moreover, from Osborne we found out that straight after school Stanhope joined the army and became an amazing commander. Also, one of the officers said that he is ‘a splendid chap’. It shows that Stanhope has man’s qualities. We also pick up a few more details about the character of Stanhope from Osborne he has never rested, his nerves ‘have got battered to bits’. This shows us the nature of Stanhope. Second lieutenant Raleigh has a complete opposite character than Stanhope. The difference between them is just in three years, but Raleigh looks much younger than Stanhope. This is because the war ages Stanhope. Raleigh looks like a ‘healthy-looking boy of about eighteen†. He is entering the war for the first time. He has ‘a nervous laugh’ and there are some dashes in his speech that creates broken speech, which highlights how overwhelmed he is  with his emotions, and it is a bad quality for an officer. ‘His uniform is very new’ this quotation shows that he is a new and without any army experience. He imaged the war and trenches very different ‘†I thought there would be an awful row here- all the time. † But Raleigh is very idealistic, viewing the war as a romantic possibility to become a hero. He thinks that the war would make him famous and people will be proud of him as a hero of their country. Raleigh also idolises Stanhope, having looked up to him since he was a child and refers to him as ‘Dennis’. Also ‘their fathers were good friends and  Stanhope used to come and stay with them in the holidays’. He admits that he requested to be sent to Stanhopes company. Osborne hints to him that Stanhope will not be the same person he knew from school as the experiences of war have changed him. But Raleigh does not seem to understand and he is looking forward to see his old ‘friend’ again. So from all my points we can see that Stanhope and Raleigh are completely different characters and do not have any similarities in their lives. But maybe later, in the play Raleigh will have some new war experience and it will be something similar in their characters.

Employee Wellbeing in a Prison Workplace

Employee Wellbeing in a Prison Workplace Aims and Objectives With specific reference to the research question, that of: ‘Does the impact of organisational change and a Transformed Workplace affect the Health Well-being of employee’s within a Prison Workplace Environment?’ Key to the development of the Aims Objectives is the evaluation of similar research (Bamford and Daniel, 2007; Hyde et al, 2005; Van Stolk et al, 2009) conducted within a similar Government Department that has also been subjected to workplace transformation (new ways of working; Hyde et al, 2005). In this instance the Government department was that of the NHS (National Health Service). Also the use of research that assesses the impact of the workplace upon an individual’s well-being, which includes 2 case studies that have researched wellbeing within the workplace (Danna Griffin, 1999; Harter et al, 2002) In making use of such literature, evaluate whether or not and to what degree it either supports or contradict the research question. AIM: To assess how and to what extent (positive or negative) the managed change and transformed workplace has affected employee’s health and wellbeing and to assist in the development of baseline data for further analysis and evaluation in regards to the efficacy of targeted wellbeing interventions. OBJECTIVES. Review literature in regards to ‘New ways of working’ and organisational change (Both the NHS NOMS) and its impact on health and well-being. To determine the survey model content. Develop, implement and analyse a staff health and wellbeing survey tool based on objective. Survey undertaken using survey monkey / paper, complete anonymity, distributed across all staff. 2 principal pay-band groups within the organisation, that of paybands 1-4 and 5-10 to ensure anonymity, and in the use of incident data, such as organisational sickness absence data. Identify if the impact of the transformed Workplace regimes has affected absence. All absence data will be provided by HR and will be anonymous and generalised by specific factors prior to inclusion in the study, i.e. type of absence or organisational demography (operational and non operational staff). Permission for use of the data has been given. Methodology Survey: Background The aim of this research and the Health and Wellbeing survey is to identify and understand the respondent’s perceptions as a consequence of the transition to and impact of the â€Å"Our New Way†, the new operating model adopted by the NOMS agency, as part of the strategic plan to create a modern cost efficient publically owned prison service. To better understand this transition, and also as part of literature review, a review was completed of similar research of another government organisation that had completed a similar transition, that of the NHS (Hyde et al, 2005; Van Stolk et al, 2009). Making the use of tools such case studies that have looked into the impact upon well-being within the workplace (Danna Griffin, 1999; Harter et al, 2002; Van Stolk et al, 2009); the methodology used in research (Thirlaway et al, 2012) at Cardiff Metropolitan University and also the Survey development model developed by RAND(Europe) (Van Stolk et al, 2009 p. 3) will assist in the development, piloting and analysis of a survey tool. Survey: Aim The aim of this survey is, as part of the evaluation of the consequences of organisational change was to provide a question set, based upon the new operating model ‘our new way’. Furthermore, based upon responses to questions posed, perform an analysis of the responses in regards to their physical and mental health and well-being, during and post transition to the new operating model. Using a structured model of questions, that of the ‘Likert 5-point Scale’ that ranges from strongly Agree to Strongly disagree, this will enable the research to gauge perception both positive and negative in regards to an individuals’ wellbeing following a period of sustained change and transformation. Survey: Structure The design and format of this survey was set out to gauge the views and perceptions of the Prison Service Staff, both generally and specifically in relation to the workplace, the transition to the new operating model. The Survey comprises and is composed of 3 specific elements; Element 1: Demographic Data Element 2: Questions Exploring the impact of the ‘new way’ of working, managing and delivering; on the employee’s physical and mental well-being and also engagement and communication Element 3: An open-ended question exploring additional perceptions and feelings from staff that have experienced the transition to ‘our new way’. Element 1: Demographic Data Element 1 provides demographic data, that of personal information (i.e. Age gender pay-band), providing evidence that the responders, are both anonymous and a ‘cross-section’ of employee’s within the organisation Element 2: Exploring the impact of the new operating model; ‘Our New Way’ Element 2 seeks to determine respondents response in regards to the new ways of: Working, Managing and Delivering (Independent Variables) and how following the transition to a new operating model, how the transition has impacted upon not only an employee’s, physical and mental well-being, but also the impact upon organisational engagement (Dependent Variables) (Figure 04; below). (Figure 04: Survey question breakdown based upon Dependent Variables) Element 3: Opened ended question to explore respondent feelings and perceptions of the transition to the new operating model Element 3 seeks to determine respondents response through an open ended question, to explore and evaluate how the transition to the new operating model, has affected each specific respondent and has impacted upon their Physical and Mental Health and Well-being. Survey: Development Making use of the method and model developed by RAND (Europe) (Van Stolk et al, 2009) the survey was designed, working in conjunction with both Cardiff Metropolitan University; NOMS: H.R. Directorate and also Stakeholders within the Prison Service at HMP Exeter, up to and including the Governing Governor; using 5 specific stages; from the inter-partnership creation of the prototype survey models, to the initial tests, through to the Survey deployment, completion and analysis (Figure 05 below). Survey Stage 1: The successful creation of the Health and Well-being Survey was as a result of working in close partnership with Cardiff Metropolitan University, the NOMS Human Resources’ Directorate and also with Senior Management Organisational Stakeholders from both NOMS and also HMP Exeter. The creation of question a set was based upon the framework of transformation, the delivery model and documents of the new operating model; â€Å"Our New Way†. This included specific and directed approaches in the creating of the questions posed. It was essential that the questions were concise and simple to understand, to make them complex to understand, could lead to erroneous responses due to limited or misunderstanding of the question. From this perspective the experience from both NOMS Human Resource Directorate and Cardiff Metropolitan University was essential. Survey Stage 2: Partnership Survey Review This stage, involved testing the questions, for at this stage it was essential to ensure that through an ongoing process that the survey questions were neither too complicated, nor too vague. Key to this approach was open, consistent advice and guidance upon how the questions could be interpreted and would be understood. Survey Stage 3: Limited Pilot Test The aim of this stage was to undertake a limited implementation pilot test of the survey, to ensure that not only that the responders would understand the questions posed, but also to test the hyperlink access the survey. The design, hyperlink accessibility and the analysis of the results, was undertaken by the NOMS H.R. directorate, via Survey-monkey. In terms of the launch vehicle it was identified that, the initial launch would be within a single establishment within the NOMS organisation that we would be able to make use of a global email as a platform from which the links to the survey could be used. Furthermore the option of the internal Intranet was also considered, if as an avenue of further research, the Survey was to be deployed within all of the establishments within the NOMS agency. Survey Stage 4: Launch and Deployment of the Health and Well-being Survey Following the successful controlled test of the completed survey model, that included the survey access via the launch vehicle, that of the global email platform. The email was sent to all staff within the single survey area, that is a single establishment, that of HMP Exeter. To facilitate manage, monitor and control the survey, a single partner, (the NOMS H.R. Directorate) managed the survey tool following its successful launch. This included keeping the partners informed as to the level of responders that had accessed the survey throughout the duration of the Survey period. Having a single point of management of the survey also enabled us to deal with effectively any unforeseen technical issues, if required. Survey: Duration The Survey was launched via a Global Email platform on 27th January 2014, and closed at Midnight on 16th February 2014. Survey: Eligibility Criteria The eligibility criteria for the completion of the Survey will be those that are directly employed by the HM Prison Service, specifically employed at HMP Exeter, and fall within 2 specific pay-band groups, that of pay band 1-4 and pay band 5-10. Which reflect those employed that have some management role and duties (pay band 5-10) and those that undertake roles and responsibilities that deal with offenders either directly or indirectly. The sample size is approx 260 staff members, with an anticipated response rate of approximately 25%, which will ensure that we have a broad sample across the organisation. Survey: Completion This Survey Model in the determining the impact of â€Å"New Ways of Working† (Dependent Variables) upon physical, mental well-being and organisational Engagement and would take approx 20 minutes to complete. Results At the closure of the Survey Completion window, 86 respondents had completed the Survey, a number that represented approximately 20% of the directly employed workforce within a Single site; HMP Exeter. Though only a small sample group; as a representative group, given the ‘demographic’ questions posed (Age, Gender, Length of Service, Pay-band) it is considered, to be sufficient to provide an accurate analysis. To illustrate how the number of respondents are considered to be ‘representative’, Figures 06–Fig 09 (below) provides not only details of the demographic data of the respondents, but also in regards to this data how they compare to the same demographics within the Establishment as a whole