Representative democracy Essay

Representative democracy is what we have in this country. We are seen by many other countries as one of the most well run countries in the world. Our system seems to run very well and there are many advantages of using the system we do. The principal is that the people are represented through their MP who is able to put the views of the constituent to parliament. On the other hand most politicians want to be successful. and this much easier if you follow the party line. The use of the whip system means that if there is a whip to the 1st degree then the Prime Minister expects you to vote the same way as him. If you do not, this may jeopardize your chances of getting up the opportunity ladder, as you are against the decision of the elected party leader. Another advantage of representative democracy is that the elected MP for a specific area will be aware of the problems, things that could be improved and the views of the constituents in that town/s. This means that peoples needs can be met to the highest level. A disadvantage to this would be that people may not get a chance to see their MP to express their beliefs so they may often feel like their views are unwanted and be annoyed with the government e.g. if someone sent a letter to their representing MP and did not get a response. Also, MP’s are spending more and more time in Westminster. This means they are often away and this is why they may be out of touch with their constituents. Some people believe along with the Conservative Party and Edmund Burke that the general public is not intelligent enough to make decisions for themselves, so we have a government made up of intellectually superior people to do it for us so we don’t get it wrong. But the majority of the people would argue that we are all equal and we should all have an equal say in all matters. After all, democracy is defined as â€Å"A form of government in which political power is exercised by the citizens†. Another argument for Representative democracy is that it is very practical and quick. Some people think that other kinds of democracy are more efficient like direct democracy because the whole country would vote on every issue and it would be very democratic. This is not always the case e.g. in Switzerland they have direct democracy and in every referendum held in the past year, less than 50% of those eligible to vote did so. Also the government does not have to go with what the majority of the people decide so some people may say that it is pointless. Some people may say that representative democracy is not very democratic because of many reasons e.g. the whip system. Page 2 Representative democracy allows MP’s to look at all of the factors and elements that would be affected if a new policy was introduced and make an informed decision on which way to vote. This means it is reliable and there are lots of people trying to find a problem with the policy and either amend it, or vote against it. A major flaw with this is that even though the MP is supposed to represent the views of his/her constituents not all of the peoples views may not get back to the MP so they do not have all of the factors to consider. This system where the people elect MP’s to vote in matters for them seems like a very fair system. However some people say that when examined closely the system demonstrates a range of flaws which can make it unfair and undemocratic. One of these is the fact that when a party is running for election, they bring out a manifesto. This is a small booklet of the main policies that that party wishes to bring in, and the main issues they wish to tackle. This sounds excellent, but the party does not have to feature policies they don’t want to on the manifesto. This means that a party could have policies that the public may not agree with and only bring them in after they have been elected. Another problem with this system is how representative parliament actually is.. The term â€Å"representative† means the people are represented. This  includes all people such as men, women, homosexuals and ethnic minorities. In the House of Lords and the House of Commons, this is not the case. The figures for women and ethnic minority population in the two houses are below. House of Commons: Ethnic minorities: 1.4% Women 19.6 House of Lords: Ethnic minorities: 1.5% Women: 18.3% These figures demonstrate that our representative system is not as democratic as it might first appear.. In conclusion, there are several advantages and disadvantages of Representative democracy, but I have looked over them many times and every time I have analyzed the figures, points and facts I found that the disadvantages outweigh the advantages so the system we use today may not be working at the level we would expect it to be run. Now the question that is asked should be is Representative Democracy the best political system for our country to use?

Successful Athlete Essay

Vince Lombardi says â€Å"the monetary value of success is difficult work. dedication to the occupation at manus and the finding that whether we win or lost we have applied the best of ourselves to the undertaking at manus. † A dedicated jock puts forth their all by to the full giving themselves to their athletics. They ever try to give one hundred and ten per centum before during and after pattern. Athlete achieves their success cognizing they worked difficult to achieve it and can truly state they accomplished something that makes them a better individual. For case hoops esthesis LeBron James keeps endeavoring to better. Branded the following Michael Jordan when he was in high school and drafted by the Cleveland chevaliers LeBron James kept his cool and kept working hard. He emerged an all-star and leader the chevaliers to the NBA playoffs three old ages in a row and made it to the NBA finals in 2007 against the San Antonio goad. However the chevaliers lost their title comma nd in four back-to-back games. James continued to assist the chevaliers improve in 2008 the squad made it to the semifinals where they defeated by the Boston Celtics in seven games. Fighting for an NBA title. shortly after going a free agent. nevertheless James announced that he would be fall ining the Miami heat. Many of his fans consider hid going a treachery to his hometown. James finishes 2nd in the conference during his first season with the heat. The 2011-2012 seasons besides saw major success for James and the Miami heat. Wining his first NBA title get the better ofing the Oklahoma City boom. Throughout his NBA calling. LeBron James has been considered one of the best participant in the conference. and has been compared to basketball great Michael Jordan.

Miller-Urey Experiment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Miller-Urey Experiment - Essay Example There is no denying the fact that this experiment till date is regarded to be a classic experiment pertaining to the origins of life. This experiment was carried on by Harold C Urey and Stanley L Miller at the University of Chicago in the year 1953. The scientific community was in doubt about the chemical components that constituted the atmosphere of the early earth. Thereby in their experiment, Miller and Urey selected Water, Hydrogen, Ammonia and Methane, considering them to be the salient components constituting the atmosphere of the early earth, when the life was still not there (Willis, 2000). These chemicals were made to circulate in an array of flasks and glass tubes which were completely sterilized. These glass tubes and flasks were connected together in a loop as is shown in the above figure. One of the flasks was half filled with water, while the other flask in this loop was fitted with electrodes. The water in the half filled flask was heated to create water vapors in the loop and the gases so created were circulated through the loop to simulate the atmosphere of early earth. The water vapor so produced represented the water in the lakes and rivers on the early earth which eventually evaporated and consequently precipitated down as rain. The electrodes in the other flask were intermittently fired to create lightening storm like effect, which was believed to be pervasive on early earth (Willis, 2000). After carrying on the experiment for one full week, Miller and Urey found out that that almost 10 to 15 percent of the carbon existent in the system they contrived in their experiment had turned to organic compounds (Willis, 2000). They also discovered that nearly 2 percent of the carbon now constituted 13 of the 22 amino acids that went into the making of proteins in living cells (Willis, 2000). Glycine was found to be the most abundant amino acid in this protein soup (Willis, 2000). No doubt the

A Report on Qatar Airways Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

A Report on Qatar Airways - Assignment Example For example, in 2006/2007 Qatar Airways according to the Oxford Business Group carried about 8 million passengers worldwide a sharp increase from its earlier record of 6.4 million passengers the previous year. This portrays a fast growing airline with massive potential to capture the market today, not only regionally but in the global market. Progress in Qatar airways The company in the last ten years since its launching has gained much ground compared to any airline globally. In an interview with the CEO, Qatar Airways Mr Baker, he explained that the airline managed to dominate its regional market mostly aided by the 2006 Asian games that made the world focus be turned to Qatar. As visitors from all over the world visited Qatar, this opened the region to the world, and as eh CEO explains, the Airways and the country at large benefited much in the regional level as the games opened this part of the continent to the world (Oxford Business Group 2008, 142). The General Secretary for De velopment and Planning, GSDP (2008, 2) explains that the massive and rapid growth in the region aided much in improving the airline in the region, as more investments trickled to the United Arab emirates since the early 90s. The international expansion of Qatar has been drastic and dramatic. The progress of the company has involved massive campaigns and acquiring ne destination in the global market. The expansion to the international market was more strategic compared to the expansion programs. Pennington (2010, 40) argues that the CEO of Qatar Airways explained that while other companies were rushing pack planes due to high competition in the market, the company was launching 7 new destinations in the international market. The most dramatic expansion and progress in the international market was the launching of the airway destination to Washington in June 26, 2007. This marked the first gulf airline to land in US and as the airplane landed on Newark Liberty International airport, i t marked the venturing in into a lucrative market that has thousands of travelers form different continents (Oxford Business Group 2008, 144). The oxford Business report further explains that the massive advertisement campaigns that have been carried out by the company are part of the overall strategy to expand to the international market. Currently Qatar Airways continue to dominate and capture new markets in Europe and other regions to expand its operations. Cultural, Political and legal environment According to GSDP (2008, 1) there is a tension in Qatar between the new aspects of life and the old traditions that natives were used to culturally. Modern work patterns in Qatar crash with the traditions relationships based on trust and personal ties. This is more elaborate as the country becomes more open to globalization and more international business enters the country. Although there is a challenge of social patterns as GSDP (2008, 1) argues, there has been a positive embracing o f the globalization where the country is more receptive to international investors and this makes Qatar Airways a choice of many in the regional Asian market. The political class is seriously committed to improvement the business opportunities and conditions in Qatar. Due to globalization Qatar Airways has been able to expand to foreign markets such as in the US, Africa, Europe and the Asian market effectively.

Ping Pong and China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Ping Pong and China - Essay Example The game is of low intensity since little physical activity is needed. The game also have become more of men’s championship since 1959. Ping pong became an Olympic sport in 1988 (Hong, 2008). Ping pong grew rapidly in China and became the main game due to several reasons. The main reason as to the popularity of the game was due to its low cost making it affordable to many. There is no professional training that was required and this made everyone being able to participate (Memphis, 2010). The country also contributed much in the popularity with Chairman Mao’s promotion on the game. He loved and played the game and wanted to make sure that the game was recognized. The country also had gold medal rush that was in favor of the game hence the popularity. The country also had glory on the game making it more popular (Griffin, 2004). The game has been the official one to the Chinese since 1950s and has from then has given china a taste of national glory. In national Olympics, china has won twenty three out of the twenty seven medals making it feel like the game has been china’s. China as a nation has focused less on other games rather than ping pong marking it not become a marginal country (Griffin, 2004). The game in china has symbolized and also played a direct role in the fate of the nation. It did this by absorbing the game from the imperial power and then they made it their own. Mao Zedong declared the game, ping pong the national sport for China. In the championships, China won its first victory in 1959 after defeating japan in the final stage. Popularity of the game in China has grown since 1988 (Hong, 2008). In 2008 the China team won both the medals, gold, silver and bronze in both the men and women category singles and again won gold and silver in both doubles. The winning of the medals then became regular for the players. When they first competed they dominated the dominated the world championship. This success made the

Ernest Hemingway Hills Like White Elephants Essay

Ernest Hemingway Hills Like White Elephants - Essay Example As soon as the girl is pregnant, the American presses for an abortion saying that it will be a simple operation because he doesn’t want to settle down like the ‘white hills’ and still wants to enjoy life like the ‘elephant’. The emotional substance behind their togetherness is negated by the American’s attitude and Jig ultimately realizes this. While the American has choices, Jig is left with none. She has to either lose the baby or the man. She has to choose between her love and her responsibility. While she chooses to listen to the American because she loves him, she ultimately realizes that the element of love itself is lost, for, he doesn’t love her. Else, he wouldn’t have worn that facade of love only for pleasure and just to run away like a coward as soon as the trouble comes. The way they react to the problem in hand is also different. Jig is asking different questions and is genuinely interested in solving the problem. On the other hand, the American’s goal is to get rid of the problem instead of facing or solving it.

Learning Solutions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Learning Solutions - Essay Example As the paper declares students are supposed to craft what they study to be part of themselves. Getting, as well as keeping, ELLs engaged are maybe the most significant steps in creating a flourishing learning outcome. Research has showed that a majority of students in United States universities, particularly Texas, go through their first year of education only to drop out in the second year. This is particularly because the students cannot relate what they learn into their daily lives. It is as if the instructions offered to them make no sense. Relating academic instructions to daily lives is the best technique of making (not only ELLs, but also other) students understand the importance of education. This paper will assist educator to rethink the classroom in a manner that will allow both ELLs and other normal students to feel engaged in classroom activities in order to succeed in their education. Recent research has showed that the classroom design affects levels of interactions, as well as engagement of ELLs. Therefore, the amount of instructions acquired also depends on the classroom design. A study conducted by the National Training Laboratory discovered that only 5% of what is instructed by a lecturer is retained by ELLs . Discussion groups, on the other hand, had a percentage of 50, and normal practice took the day by 70%. Sophocles, a Greek philosopher, was already aware of this when he wrote that a person should learn through doing (practice) things. It is vital to notice that, even though people think that they know how to do something, there is no certainty until that something is tried. This paper outlines that Dekhinet notes that a student should be motivated to practice what they learn in the classroom. He goes on further to argue that educators stress much on students being keen to what they teach and forget the vital fact that allowing them to practice is the key to coming up with a successful education outcome. Therefore, what this paper is advo cating for is that a teacher should also try to incorporate him/herself with the practice belief. A classroom should be set in a manner that gives students a feeling as if they are putting to practice what they are being taught. Such a classroom should be comfortable for both the learners, as well as the educator. Comfortable classrooms, psychologically and physically, keep minds focused, endorse a sense of well-being, and minimize distractions. Hence, a student will be able to capture the instruction more easily. Comfort is not always an experimental phenomenon. However, we know that when a person is uncomfortable, he or she is distracted. Lighting, temperature and furnishings, all have a significant role in an individual being comfortable. Psychological comfort is also vital. Environments, which are uninviting or intimidating, will affect the depth of learning that can occur or acquiring instructions.  

Elements of Democracy in France Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Elements of Democracy in France - Essay Example Elements of Democracy in France Other arms of government are the senate and National Assembly, which form the legislature and the Judiciary. Existence of different arms of government ensures separation of power, which enhances democracy. France is governed by a principle, â€Å"Government of the people, by the people and for the people.† Citizens above 18 years are free to register, vote or be voted for. Freedom of speech is a measure and foundation of democracy without which freedom is nonexistence. Freedom of speech guarantees everyone right to express themselves differently. It functions best in pluralistic states where different opinions in decision-making. This paper focuses on three democratic elements of democratic, freedom of speech, elections, and separation of power. The paper will assess if the three if the three elements exist in France. Before the 20th Century, freedom of speech was nonexistence in many nations. Critics such as presses were often closed down or exiled. Certain forms of writing w ere censored. In France, the freedom of expression was nonexistence until the 20th Century when the human right groups arose and started fighting for such rights. The freedom of speech became guaranteed after French Declaration of the Rights of man was expanded to include the right of expression.As early as 1881, the France government amended the Press Law allowing freedom of press. However, the rise of incitement led to enactment of Pleven Act in 1972, which bars any form of incitement, discrimination, or racism. Additionally, any form of hate speech against people based on gender, physicality or sexual orientation is prohibited. Currently, France follows the European Convention of Human Rights. The freedom of expression through writing is guaranteed in France where government censorship on written publications is not allowed (Francois, 2005, 17-22). Although the theory of elite, which advocates that the power be bestowed upon the few educated individuals, arose from France, it is no longer practiced in France. In France, the government power is bestowed on the different arms of the government. The executive, which is headed by popularly elected president, includes the prime minister as well as the cabinet. The legislature is bicameral and comprises of the Senate and the national assembly, which are referred to as the upper house and the lower house respectively. The judiciary, which operates independent of the legislature and executive comprises of the judicial as well as other administrative orders in addition to the constitutional court. The powers of each arm of the government are clearly defined by the constitution (Genieys, 2005, 414- 417). Additionally, the powers are distinguished in the constitution. It is clear that the prime minister and the president head the executive, which is at time confusing since the two have different roles. The president appoints the prime minister. The powers of the president include calling for referendum, negotiating fo r ratification of treaties, Dissolving the national assembly as well as requisition for constitutional review if need be. The president is elected through direct universal suffrage in which a candidate requires to obtain absolute majority to be declared the winner. In France, numerous powers are bestowed upon the president, which is attributable to the manner in which the president is elected (Carcassonne, 2002, Web). The prime minister has clearly

Marketing - Critical Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing - Critical Marketing - Essay Example Several monographs and edited volumes on critical marketing have been published†. The first use of the term ‘critical marketing’ in relation to the critical cultural as well as social theories is in the work of Hansen (1981). (Moufahim and Mitussis 2009). Critical marketing in general sense implies that any marketing idea has to be discussed threadbare focusing on its positive attributes as well as its faults, thereby coming up with necessary modifications and corrections. This point was put by forward by Friat and Tadajewski (2009, p.127) who stated that critical marketing involves â€Å"any position that judgmentally evaluates a body of discourse (including marketing) with the intention to find any faults or problems to be challenged and modified or corrected.† However, the key fact that has to be considered when viewing ideas critically is the time-bound factor. That is, what is/was viewed critically could change with time and context. Certain critical pe rspectives about an idea that gets formed during earlier periods of history could change now with contribution by other experts and thinkers. Thus, the crucial point is, critical perspectives will be mostly dynamic with the change of time, situation, contexts, etc. This is particularly relevant to the critical marketing idea of cultural stereotyping. As Hackley (2008, p. 154) with the aid of Tadajewski and Brownlie (2008) point out Marketing is a field of social and cultural studies as well as a set of social practices. That is, while launching marketing campaigns targeting a particular customer base, organizations will focus on that customer base’s various attributes including cultural attributes. The most common cultural attributes will be congregated and viewed stereotypically by the marketing team, to come up with effective and at the same time relevant marketing campaigns. However, at the same time, these stereotypes may not be accurate all the time, and as Hackley (2009 , p.155) states there are micro-level criticisms regarding the â€Å"promotion of stereotypes of race, gender and body type† through advertising campaigns. Cultural stereotype is the term given to a commonly held view about people belonging to a culture by the public, particularly the ‘outsiders’, which can include the other cultures as well as business organizations. Basically, different cultures and other entities will have different stereotypes of their own cultures and importantly about other cultures. For example, â€Å"The Germans think the French are resourceful; the British think they are humorless and short-tempered. The Dutch think the French are not very serious; the Spanish think they are cold and distant. The Americans think they are pleasant and intelligent, yet pretentious.† (de Mooij 2005, p.41). Thus, cultural stereotyping includes certain abstract familiarities as well as key commonalities that could be seen among the individuals belongin g to a particular cultural group. In a way, cultural stereotyping is a standardized and at the same time a kind of simplified view about particular sections of the people, based on commonly visible attributes or assumptions. However, those assumptions could be mainly generalizations in sizable cases, and so could be inaccurate at certain times. Bennett (1990, p.17) defines cultural stereotype as a social or mental grouping among individuals based on common, exaggerated and even inaccurate

Remote Document Vault OCD (Operational Concept Document) Essay

Remote Document Vault OCD (Operational Concept Document) - Essay Example Even though there are existing document vaults that are used in various enterprise architectures, the core essence of this project was to bring on a new dimension of source code repository architecture document that is founded on the principles of remote sensing. As far uses are concerned, the remote document vault is built on a principle of user friendliness and easy interactivity. This means that the component features and technical dimensions of the system are made in such a way that one would not have to be technologically inclined to use the system. The rationale for doing this was to ensure that the architecture fits into as many enterprises as possible, where the need to use basic text files is not the sole prerogative of a reserved few within the enterprise. The structure of the remote document vault is designed as a cyclical framework that makes the exchange of data between users and the remote source a constant process. Within the process, there is constant insertion and ex traction of files to and from the remote with Windows Communication Foundation (WCF) serving as the vault server. Among the critical issues that the project addresses are performance issues, test server issues, data transfer security issues, and test result log issues. Introduction Document management is fast becoming a phenomenon with modern operational concept document (OCD). ... igation of this research work is therefore aimed at the development f Document Vault, which works from a client and server interfaces (Ambrose, 1998). The Document Vault shall be operational based on a remote tracking system, giving way for the core provision of operational concept document and document management system to be covered. In effect, a remote document vault will be needed to quicken the process of documentation within the enterprise by enabling insertion and extraction of text files to a remote location. In enterprises with such remote document vault OCD, it has been noticed that a twofold merit of processing and storage are all taken care of. What is more, text files that are stored within the remote system can easily display information about their properties and relationship with other files on the system. Indeed as this happens, it is certain that decision making on the text files will be easier and enhanced (Barber and Delwyn, 2001). This is where it is said that re mote document vault brings about efficiency as it enables architecture users to have more done within very short time frame. There are key organization principles and key architectural ideas that shall be incorporated in the remote document vault creation. First and foremost, there shall be a purpose to consider the impact of specific uses on design. This is meant to mean that there shall be different uses to be tested for a single design of the document vault. For the test of results, each specific use shall be critically tested for each design before making decisive choice for an approved design. Specifically, there is also expected to be document parent-child relationships where various software specification documents (SSD) shall be used as a child. Meanwhile, this software

A View from the Bridge Essay Essay Example for Free

A View from the Bridge Essay Essay A View From The Bridge’ is a play that was first staged in 1955. It was written by Arthur Miller. Arthur Miller was born into a Jewish family in New York in 1915, whose grandparents had come to America from Poland. When the family business failed, they moved to Brooklyn, where A View from the Bridge is set. There, Miller worked in a warehouse to earn money for his university fees. He began to write plays when he was in university and continued to write them after he graduated and became a journalist. In the play, loyalty dictates the events very strongly as because of Eddies mixed emotions for Catharine he chooses to be more loyal to her than to all of his family. Miller shows the importance of loyalty through Eddie telling Catharine the ‘Vinnie Bolzano’ story. Catharine’s reaction shows the audience that in Italy, family loyalty is the most important thing as Catharine is both shocked and horrified that Vinnie snitched on his own Uncle this is why she shockingly says ‘The kid snitched? Miller uses this as an opportunity to tell the audience that the Italian American community is very loyal, which makes Eddie’s betrayal even more shocking. Because Vinnie snitched on his Uncle he could never show his face in public because every one despised and loathed him this is why Beatrice says ‘I never seen him again’. This also shows that the Italian American Community has a very ‘if you snitch on one of us, you snitch on all of us’ mentality. Another way that Arthur Miller portrays the importance of loyalty in the play is the references Eddie uses to Catharine’s Mother. this quote shows that Eddie tries to use the promise he made to Catharine’s Mother as an excuse for being so strict and this is why he says ‘I promised your Mother on her death bed’. This is why he doesn’t want her working in the dodgy part of town; where as it is because of the emotions he feels toward Catharine and he doesn’t want her to have another male figure in her life who could be more important than he is. One of the most important scenes in the play is the ‘Phone Call’ scene which shows Eddie changing his loyalties from his family and friends, to just Catharine. ‘Give me the number for the immigration bureau’ this shows Eddie doing what Vinnie Bolzano didand snitching on Marco and Rodolpho, he does this because of the mixed and confusing emotions he feels for Catharine. Miller also uses stage  directions in the scene such as ‘A phone booth begins to glow on the opposite side of the stage; a faint, lonely blue’ I think that Miller uses the Lighting on the phone booth to show the audience the conflict going on in Eddie’s head; to loose every thing (his family and friends friendship, love, trust and loyalty) but keep Catharine for himself When the immigration officers arrive at the house, Eddie looses the respect and loyalty from his family. Beatrice realizes what Eddie has done when she says‘My God, what did you do? ’. She is completely shocked and horrified as Eddie was a loyal and family orientated man. Miller uses this quote to show the audience that Beatrice is astounded and aghast that Eddie has chosen Catherine over her, even though she is his wife. Marco is furious with the fact that Eddie has just ruined any chance of him getting an American citizenship, this now means that Marco wouldn’t be able to get a well paid job and support his family back in Italy. This is why he says ‘That one! He killed my children! That one stole the food from my children’ this is because although Eddie hasn’t directly murdered Marco’s family, his actions will lead to Marco getting deported and he wouldn’t be able to give his family money to buy food and they would consequently die. The audience would be shocked by what he is saying as he is insulting Eddie who Miller has made out to be the confused character who although he is doing something terrible he thinks that he is doing it for the right reasons, and the audience would therefore feel sorry for him. Miller uses the loyalty theme to show the weakness of men, Eddie betrays his family and community because of the mixed emotions he feels for Catharine.

Comparison Between BCS And ACM

Comparison Between BCS And ACM This report intends to summarize British computer society Code of Conduct and comparing it with different codes of conduct that has a significant in fact in IT profession. However Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is important in IT profession because it dedicates in advancing technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity (ieee.org, 2010). And Association for computing machinery (ACM) is also important because it is able to advance computing as a science and a profession (acm.org, 2010). Moreover, all the codes of conduct mentioned are found relevant to the case study which will be discussed in detail in the report. The report is going to describe how the professional codes of conduct comply and how it does not comply with the case study below. Furthermore, the report breaks down the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) analysis which talks about the strength and weakness of the case study in detail. The report covers all the important of code of conduct in the case study and the factors that influence the strategic as well as the day-to-day operation of the case study. Finally the reports reflective analysis explored how all the aspects of the research are conducted. Code of conduct The code of conduct simply defines as a set of regulatory rules of professional conduct which has been adopted by the Board (Merritt, R. 2008). Impact of code of conducts Codes of Conduct have a significant impact within the IT profession. They maintain the level of professionalism and ensure that IT professionals, their employers and the public at large have a clear idea of the expected standards of the profession. For example, it is unlikely that an employer could sack an IT Professional for failing to carry out work which the employee could demonstrate was unethical in terms of a code of conduct. If an employee was sacked under these circumstances, he/she would be able to demonstrate to an Industrial Tribunal that they had adhered to the Code of Conduct while the employer had failed to do so. (sqa.org, 2010). British computer society(BCS):- Describes the professional standards of practice relating to the contemporary multifaceted demands found in information technology (IT).It applies to members of all grades, including students and affiliates, and also non-members who offer their expertise as part of the BCS Professional Advice Register.(bcs.org,2010). The Codes governs the personal conduct of individual members of the BCS, who are requested to notify the Society of any significant violation by another member. Any breach of the Code brought to the attention of the Society is considered under the BCS Disciplinary procedures.(bcs.org,2010) The following are main areas that BCS covered Duty to the Profession:- All Members of the BCS code of conduct should be able to have a wider responsibility to promote public understanding of IT its benefits and drawbacks, encourage and support fellow members in their professional development and, where possible, provide opportunities for the professional development of new members, particularly student members and uphold the reputation and good standing of the BCS in particular.(bcs.org,2010) Duty to Relevant Authority:- As a Member of the BCS code of conduct you should be able to avoid any situation that may give rise to a conflict of interest between you and your relevant authority.(bcs.org,2010) Professional Competence and Integrity:- As a Member of the BCS code of conduct you shall seek to upgrade your professional knowledge and skill, and shall also maintain awareness of technological developments, procedures and standards which are relevant to your field and encourage your subordinates to do the same.(bcs.org,2010) The Public Interest:- In your professional role you shall have regard for the public health, safety and environment, you shall have regard to the legitimate rights of third parties and conduct your professional activities without discrimination against clients or colleagues.(bcs.org,2010) Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) code of conduct:-IEEE is one of the worlds largest professional associations dedicated to advance technological innovation and excellence for the benefit of humanity. IEEE and its members inspire a global community through IEEEs highly cited publications, conferences, technology standards, and professional and educational activities. (IEEE.org, 2010). The following are examples of the IEEE code of conduct. (IEEE.org, 2010). To accept responsibility in making decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the environment. (IEEE.org,2010). To maintain and improve our technical competence and to undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified by training or experience, or after full disclosure of pertinent limitations. (IEEE.org,2010). To treat fairly all persons regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin; To assist colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in following this code of ethics. To reject bribery in all its forms; Association for computing machinery ( ACM) is also one of the worlds largest educational and scientific computing society, delivers resources that advance computing as a science and a profession. ACM provides the computing fields premier Digital Library and serves its members and the computing profession with leading-edge publications, conferences, and career resources. (ACM.org, 2010) The following are examples of what the ACM code of conduct covers.(ACM.org,2010) Strive to achieve the highest quality, effectiveness and dignity in both the process and products of professional work. Excellence is perhaps the most important obligation of a professional. The computing professional must strive to achieve quality and to be conscious of the serious negative consequences that may result from poor quality in a system.(ACM.org,2010) Acquire and maintain professional competence. Excellence depends on individuals who take responsibility for acquiring and maintaining professional competence. A professional must participate in setting standards for appropriate levels of competence, and strive to achieve those standards.(ACM.org,2010) Know and respect existing laws pertaining to professional work. ACM members must obey existing local, state, province, national, and international laws unless there is a compelling ethical basis not to do so. Policies and procedures of the organizations in which one participates must also be obeyed. .(ACM.org,2010) Accept and provide appropriate professional review, quality professional work, especially in the computing profession, depends on professional reviewing and critiquing. Whenever appropriate, individual members should seek and utilize peer review as well as provide critical review of the work of others. .(ACM.org,2010) Comparison between BCS and ACM. Both the BCS and ACM are design to guide ethical decision making (7th pacific Asia Conference, 2003) They provide little assistance in the identification and resolution of ethical dilemma as they both tends to be national in scope by increasing the complexity of international decision making for IS practitioners. They both have to take responsibility for maintaining professional competence. They both maintain the level of professionalism and ensure that IT professionals, their employers and the public at large have a clear idea of the expected standards of the profession. Both the BCS and ACM are responsible for the ethical regulation of computer professionals. Comparison between BCS and IEEE They both improve the understanding of technology. They both maintain and improve their technological competence. They both assist their colleagues and co-workers in their professional. They are both committed to improving the competitiveness between companies Case study Wirral is one of the Britains leading component manufacturers. It has over 500 branches around the world with more than 1500 staff and many business activities. All the business activities are well supported by IT systems. More over the company was earlier a family business in Ellesmere Port Cheshire in 1960s.It started as a radio and television repair business. And eventually, the company was able to set up its own manufacturing operations and began to expand into other areas that include supplying of components and assemblies for mainframe and mini computers. The company is able to submit a successful bid for government contracts for the supply of radar equipment and weapons guidance systems in 1980s. And recently submitted a bid to supply hardware component for the proposed national identity card system. Meanwhile the company now grew to accommodate its growing market with euro trailers and European motor ways. The following are companys business activities. -Manufacture and assembly of components -Engineering drawing production maintenance -Sales Order Processing (SOP) incorporating barcode product identification -Purchase Order Processing (POP) -Warehousing Goods inward/outward -Accounts/invoicing -Marketing -Quality control -Personnel payroll Applications of code of conducts The company most keep their customers data safe by referring to BCS code of conduct that states that company should have regards to the public health, safely and environment All members of the company should seek to upgrade their skill, and shall maintain awareness of technological developments, procedures and standards. According to BCS. All members of the company should assist their colleagues and co-workers in their professional development and to support them in following IEEE codes of ethics. Referring to IEEE, all the members should treat fairly all people regardless of such factors as race, religion, gender, disability, age, or national origin. The company individuals should take responsibilities for acquiring and maintaining professional competence. According to ACM. As the companys business activities are supported with IT system, Fell et al. (2007, p.62) Computer Misuse act 1990 should be use in order to protect unauthorized access and data modification. Data Protection is also applicable to the case study because it will enhance privacy protection of the data that is outsourced to third party.(Hepple et al.2000, p.1011). Compliance and Noncompliance. Compliance If the company compliance with the above code of conducts, It will be able to maintain its level of professionalism and ensure IT standard in the company. If the company compliance with the above code of conducts, It will help the top level management in making good decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the staff of the company. If the company compliance with the above code of conducts, the company will be able to maintain and improve their technical competence. If the company compliance with the above code of conducts, It will be able to reject bribery in all its forms. If the company compliance with the above code of conducts, All the members of the company will be able to obey the existing and and new laws of the company if there is any. Noncompliance If the company did not comply with the above code of conducts it can cause bribery within the company or might let someone out of the company to access their customer information which can lead the company to lose their customers due to lack of good principles and rules to follow. It can also cause the company to lose their customers when the customers realise there is no good code of conduct that will protect their interest. Members of the company may lack professional development if the company did not comply with the code of conduct because the code of conduct will assist all the members of the company. The members of the company can disorganise by not complying with the above code of conduct that states, to treat fairly all members regardless of race, religion, gender, disability, age or national origin. Exploration of the legal, ethical and social factors of Wirral Company. Below is a table that shows an SWOT analysis of WCM, PRIMO-F SWOT analysis is basically a tool that is used to measure the street and weakness of an organisation. The following is (PRIMO-F) analysis and Strengths and weakness that will help the Wirral Company to achieve its objectives. Strengths Weaknesses People The company has a good number of staffs as it has more than 1500 staffs. People The staffs have limited skills as they cant provide enough information about the company. Resources The company has resources as it can have more than 500 branches. Resources Often all the resources they have third party operating on their department. Innovation Ideas The company grew to accommodate its growing market. Innovation Ideas The company has low creativity and Initiatives Marketing WCM has very good relations with its external agents who work on commission. Marketing The company need to enhance its marketing strategy. Operations WCM company is using an in house software in its day-to-day activities to achieve its objectives. Operations WCM need to review its objectives Finance WCM has Personnel/Payroll and Accounting/Invoicing. Finance WCM need to be monitoring account department as its operated by third party. Opportunities Threats Technology development and Innovation? Global influences? New markets, vertical, horizontal? Niche target markets? Geographical, export, import? New USPs? Tactics: eg, surprise, major Contracts? Business and product development? Political effects? Legislative effects? Environmental effects? IT developments? Competitor intentions various? Market demand? New technologies, services, ideas? Vital contracts and partners? Sustaining internal capabilities? 12. EPISTLE ANALYSIS (rapidbi.com, 2010) Economic Taxes specific to product and services Production level Interest rates Currency values Energy costs Political Government policies Politic culture Legislation Global political events Alliances Information Empowering people by technology Transference of technology Business Information secrecy. Social Demographics Major events and influences Life style changes Social attitudes Corporate social image Purchasing habits Technological Computing technology. development. New technologies. Access to technology. Develop new product Facilities competitive advantage Legal Competitive regulations. Consumer protection. Laws apply to the computing profession. Environment Environmental regulations. Global factors. Global warming Natural disaster. People Skills, motivations, ideas and communication REFLECTIVE ANALYSIS In conducting my research work I have done a lot of research in finding resources that are relevant to the case study although the case study does not have enough information, the wide research I had made has helped me to understand the basic and important of code of conduct not only to the case study but to business in general. I use several examples of case studies that are related to the case study and so many resources. The resources I used are internet, e-books, library books and lectures slides that are up to date, reliable, supportive, creative and accurate (CARS). Although is not all the resources that I read that I find useful to the case study but I still use them in my bibliography list. I conducted lots of research before I found resources that are relevant to my EPISTLE analysis. Therefore I made full use of resources available to me whilst writing my report which will be found in my references list. If I were to improve my report, I will do more practical research by arranging a work experience placement in such a way that it will benefit me with good working experience. Moreover, so far with this research work I believe I will be able to suggest a good SWOT and EPISTLE analysis to a company. Finally I will strongly recommend the Wirral Wirral Component Manufacturers Ltd (WCM) should comply with code of conducts because it will maintain its level of professionalism and ensure IT standard in the company, It will help the top level management in making good decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare of the staff of the company and also let the members of the company to respect the companys rules and regulations. REFERENCES ACM [on line access 22nd Aug 2010] Available at http://www.acm.org/about/code-of-ethics/#sect4 Bain, D.(2004) Introduction to computer law.5th ed.United kingdom. BCS [on line access 30th Aug 2010] Available at http://www.bcs.org/upload/pdf/conduct.pdf Fell, J et al.(2007) IT Law: An ISEB foundation.United Kingdom Hepple, A et al.(2000) Tort: Case and Materials.5th ed.London England. Impact of code of conducts [on line access 7th Sept 2010] Available at http://www.sqa.org.uk/e-learning/ProfIssues03CD/page_02.htm IEEE [on line access 2nd Sep 2010] Available at http://www.ieee.org/index.html Merritt, R.(2008) Code of Conduct. New york. Swot-analysis [on line access 12nd sept 2010] Available at http://www.businessballs.com/free_SWOT_analysis_template.pdf Swot-analysis [on line access 7nd sept 2010] Available at http://rapidbi.com/created/SWOTanalysis.html

Role of Serotonin in Anxiety Disorders

Role of Serotonin in Anxiety Disorders Introduction Serotonin or 5-hydroxytryptamine is amonoamine neurotransmitter. Biochemically derived fromtryptophan, is a chemical produced by the body that acts on the nervous system playing a crucial role in numerous pathological conditions and physiological processes. Its highest concentrations are in regions of the brain called the hypothalamus and the midbrain. Anxiety is an unpleasant state of inner turmoil manifesting itself through feelings of worry, dread, nervousness and unease leading to the individual suffering from anxiety becoming withdrawn. Mood, sleep, impulse control, eating, vigilance, libido, and cognitive functions, such as memory and learning are all regulated by serotonin neurotransmission. Serotonin is also essential in the regulation of anxiety and fear, as well as impulsiveness in violent acts and suicide (Akimova et al.,2009). There is great scientific interest on the role of serotonin in mood disorders such as anxiety and depression. Anxiety is not simply an excess, depletion or efficacy of serotonin because according to data obtained this understanding would leave to many contradictions in its wake. It is postulated that the serotonergic projections located at the brainstem modulate different coping responses to acute aversive events. Events detected by visual, auditory or olfactory stimuli, evoke preparatory autonomic and motor responses, which form the central motive state of fear or anticipatory anxiety. During the anticipation of threat, animals display the fight-flight responses mediated by neuronal projections from the DRN. (JFW Deakin., 1998) The brainstem, at the level of the superior and inferior colliculi is one of the fundamental neurological regions of significance in anxiety. A system of grey matter is contained within this area surrounding the cerebral aqueduct and also the IVth and IIIrd ventricles connected to the cerebral aqueduct. Extending ventrally in the middle or raphe of the brainstem and lying embedded within the ventral periaqueductal grey matter (PAG) are the two main groups of neurones containing serotonin. Extensive branching axons are sent from the raphe nuclei by the serotonergic cells, to innervate all parts of the forebrain. The dorsal raphe core (DRN) innervates dopaminergic structures, for example, the corpus striatum and frontal cortex, both included with motor exercises. The median raphe nucleus(MRN) then innervates regions of the brain involved in the processing of memories and sensory information, for instance the hippocampus and the medial temporal lobe. It is proposed that these serotonergic projections regulate diverse coping reactions to chronic and acute aversive events. Acute events may be subdivided into distal and proximal events, according to how urgent the danger is. A threat becomes chronic if the proximal and distal defence mechanisms fail to either avoid or terminate it. Behavioural adaptation is elicited by repeated and chronic stress according to evidence. There are brain mechanisms which allow normal behaviours to emerge in the face of chronic adversity, and it has been suggested that such resilience is mediated by projections of the MRN [4]. When this system fails to respond, depression and anxiety is the result. Out of total of 14 different serotonin receptors the one most frequently studied for its relationship with anxiety is the 5-HT1A receptor, and is suggested to have a vital role in the etiology of anxiety disorders, this suggestion is fortified by the fact that partial 5-HT1A receptor agonists are anxiolytics (Akimova et al.,2009). The treatment of anxiety has to take account of the complexity of the serotonergic system. There are widely differentiated anatomical pathways associated with a variety of receptor subtypes (Deakin., 1998). The anxiolytic and anti-depressive effects of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) enables the treatment of both major depression and anxiety. (Sekiyama et al., 2013). The neurobiology of anxiety is substantially impacted by the serotonin system and particularly the 5-HT1A receptor evident from clinical and preclinical clinical research, including pharmacological trials, genetic studies and neuroimaging. However the serotonin system is also influenced by many other neurotransmitters and also affects these structures which are crucial for the expression and processing of anxiety (Coplan et al., 1998). Animal studies carried out by N.Santana et al, M.amargos-bosch et al, and MV.puig et al showed regulatory effects of the 5-HT1A receptor on GABAergic, glutamatergic ,and dopaminergic neurons, particularly within limbic and prefrontal cortex areas. There is a lack of human studies investigating the effects of 5-HT1A receptor activation on other neurotransmitter systems. Inherent problems of reproducing typical human stressful experiences in animal tests presents limitations in the use of mice as test subject’s in direct methodological and intersp ecies comparisons. To link results of 5-HT1A transgenic mice with clinical data compellingly it is crucial to carry out systematic multimodal studies in primates. A causal model of the influence of 5-HT1A in the etiology of anxiety disorders may be found in primates through the use of a combination of approaches with investigations of environmental risk factors such as stress and genetic polymorphisms in the serotonergic system. Anxiety disorders may be defined as biologically heterogeneous conditions influenced by environmental, genetic and epigenetic factors. Autonomic activation and intense unconditioned escape behaviour even in the absence of an imminent threat, in panic disorders can be caused by neuronal instability in the brains fight-flight mechanism. In anticipatory anxiety and in the pathogenesis of generalised anxiety disorders, it has been suggested by experimental evidence that excessive and inappropriate activation of DRN-5-HT2 pathways plays a crucial role. Anxiolytic drugs have been shown to decrease functioning in this system and experimental studies in volunteers show that 5-HT2 blockers and 5-HT2 agonists have the predicted effect on conditioned anxiety. Impaired 5-HT1A receptor function and depression appears to have a direct relationship. Through modification of memory mechanisms normal behaviour becomes possible in the face of chronic adversity due to contributions to resilience, by projections from the MRN to 5-HT1A receptors in the hippocampus and medial temporal lobe. When this defence fails the result is depression and/or anxiety. Thus it can be said that the disregulation of 5-HT1A receptors although evidently an important factor in anxiety disorders, cannot be said to be the primary factor in anxiety, however the role of the serotonin system in anxiety disorders can possibly be adaptive rather than pathogenic. Only by understanding the role of different serotonin projections and receptors in orchestration of psychological defences against various kinds of aversion can it be said that a coherent account of the role of serotonin in anxiety and depression is possible. authors year of publication title of journal article Asha S and Vidyavathi M. (2010) Role of human liver microsomes in in vitro metabolism of drugs – a review. Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology 160 (6): 1699-1722. volume issue page range journal title number number References 1  Deakin JFW. (1998) The role of serotonin in depression and anxiety. European psychiatry  13 (2): 57s-63s 2  E. Akimova, R. Lanzenberger, and S. Kasper. (2009) The Serotonin-1A Receptor in Anxiety Disorders Biological psychiatry 66 (1): 627– 635 3.  Deakin JFW, Pennell I, Upadhyaya AK, Lofthouse R. A neuroendocrine study of 5HT function in depression: evidence for biological mechanisms of endogenous and psychosocial causation. Psychophology 1990 ; 4 : 357-60 4.  Hetem LAB, de Souza CJ, Guimaraes FS, Zuardi AW, Graeff FG.  Effect of d-fenfluramine on human experimental anxiety. Psychopharmacology  1996 ; 127 : 276-82 5.  Zuardi AW, Cosme RA, Graeff FG, Guimaraes FS. Effects of ipsapirone and cannabidiol on human experimental anxiety. J Psychopharmacology 1993 ; 7 : 82-8 6.  Delgado PL, Charney DS, Price LH, Aghajanian GK, Landis H, Heninger GR. Serotonin function and the mechanism of antidepressant action. Arch Gen Psychiat D, 1990 ; 47 : 411-18 7.  Kennett GA, Dickinson S, Curzon G. Antidepressant-like action of some 5-HT dependent behavioural responses following repeated immobilization in rats. Brain Res 1985 ; 330 : 253-63 8.  Coplan JD, Lydiard RB (1998): Brain circuits in panic disorder. Biol Psychiatry  44:1264 –1276. 9.  Santana N, Bortolozzi A, Serrats J,MengodG, Artigas F (2004): Expression of  serotonin1A and serotonin2A receptors in pyramidal and GABAergic neurons  of the rat prefrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex 14:1100–1109. 10.  Santana N, Bortolozzi A, Serrats J,MengodG, Artigas F (2004): Expression of  serotonin1A and serotonin2A receptors in pyramidal and GABAergic neurons  of the rat prefrontal cortex. Cereb Cortex 14:1100–1109. 11.  Amargos-Bosch M, Bortolozzi A, Puig MV, Serrats J, Adell A, Celada P, et  al. (2004): Co-expression and in vivo interaction of serotonin1A and  serotonin2A receptors in pyramidal neurons of prefrontal cortex. Cereb  Cortex 14:281–299. 12.  Ã‚  Puig MV, Artigas F, Celada P (2005): Modulation of the activity of pyramidal  neurons in rat prefrontal cortex by raphe stimulation in vivo:  Involvement of serotonin and GABA. Cereb Cortex 15:1–14.

Essay --

I grew up on the fairy tales of my parents’ youth. As I was listening to the amount of interesting and superb adventures they were going through, I could not understand why I was so afraid and at the same time so excited to hear about all those escapades. It is only after a while that I apprehended that technology has hindered all our outdoors activities by being introduced prior. With the new widgets we utilize to exercise, communicate from home, and communicate outside the house, we are being very sensible to the physical and mental strength we are predisposed to have. Nowadays, children of technology have a new method of exercising. These children go to the gymnasium to exercise rather than train in nature. Girls’ exercise due to the desire of maintaing their body weight and shape. As boys, they only exercise in order not to lose their muscles. As a child who was raised in this era, I can affirm that none of the children are fond of the gym; it has become a boring routine. The cause behind it is that children no longer have the time to adventure their selves in new sports due to the massive amount they spent on gadgets. Another horrible disease that killed our outdoors sports is the electronic gadgets parents purchase to their children, such as PlayStation and Wii. As confirmed in Campbell (2011) children develop weaker and are unable to perform some physical tasks due to sport technology - practicing sports in front of the television by using a remote that monitor the activity one does. Wii and PlayStation games are virtual sports amusemen t that makes children active. But these entertainments are not at accurate and offspring do not lose use their muscles as much as previous generation and therefore do not gain the strengt... ...riends. When I am out with my friends most of the times I watch my friends pop off the conversation, text, smile, then pop back in. From experience I can confirm that people are more comfortable talking with others through the net because the net blocks one’s visual. In addition, since we spent most of our time on gadgets, we do not bother writing in a correct form, in a way or another, we lose the correct writing approach. If all my era was initiated later to technology, we would be able to have more social skills, would rely less on technology be more creative when it comes to outgoing life. Now that everything has been facilitated for us, we do not use our skills to go and reach out to someone, we use one of the multiple ways of technology. We are losing the ability of thinking. We would have been more interesting and be much stronger and capable than we are.

Theodore Roethkes Poem Sale :: essays research papers

When you first read it, Theodore Roethke’s poem â€Å"Sale† seems like it is about a house that is empty and for sale. The metaphors, similes, connotation, and personification show the sadness of the house and the more important point. The poem is actually about the death of a grandfather and everything in the house seems to remind him of his grandfather and how his grandfather was an abusive man to him and the rest of his family. He is trying to let go lost memories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In the beginning of the poem Roethke writes, â€Å"-And an attic of horrors, a closet of fears.† (1.4). This is where you start to feel that the poem is about something more. He uses metaphors to describe the house, or in this case, what may have happened in the house. Roethke starts by saying that this house is for sale and he describes it like a regular house, but then all of these thoughts just hit the reader. It is not exactly yet clear that it may have been a death or whose death it was. But you can see that something had to have happened to fill the attic with horrors and to fill the closet with fears. It gives the aroma or sense of a death but doesn’t exactly say it. These things remind the author of bad things and bad memories. It just gives the poem an eerie connotation right there at the beginning of the poem.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There is more that reveals what Roethke is trying to say. Roethke writes, â€Å"The summer house shaped like a village band stand/–And grandfather’s sinister hovering hand.† (2.3,2.4). Roethke starts again by describing the house and things in it. And once again the reader gets hit with these thoughts. He uses a simile to describe the house as a village bandstand. A house that is alone and one of those places you go to getaway. The more important thing is that he uses a metaphor to say â€Å"-And grandfather’s sinister hovering hand.† He remembers that about the house. This is where the reader gets the thought that his grandfather was an abusive man. Roethke remembers that sinister hovering hand right before he was physically hurt. Like he is looking at the house and he is seeing the hand, because he was scarred with these memories.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Roethke describes his pain furthermore in the next stanza.

Alcohol Misuse Among Minors In The UK :: essays research papers

The law in this country states that it is illegal for anyone under 18 years to consume alcohol or to work in licensed premises; to buy alcohol or to have it bought for them anywhere. Those over 16 may drink a small amount with a meal in a specially allocated area, but beyond that they face arrest and prosecution.In spite of this the law is frequently broken. Following the example of adults, for whom alcohol is the most used drug, several surveys show that children try alcohol. 68% of boys and 54% of girls (in the UK) appear to have tried it by the age of thirteen. The majority may not drink to excess but many have already experimented with the effects of intoxication. The young do not seem to know the dangers and public houses frequently hold discos which attract them in. Stewards find it difficult to assess who is below the age limit. The increase in consumption expected when the price of alcohol falls is bound to include youngsters. the serious implications of this must be faced, not least because drug abuse is closely linked to alcohol abuse.Clearly the law has a role to play. The police must be encouraged to enforce age limits, and, if necessary, licensing hours should be restricted. Unfortunately, this may inconvenience legitimate drinkers and deprive landlords of potential legal business. Having extra police and stewards may be useless since 16 year olds are not easy to pick out anymore. One solution offered by the Portman Group is the identification card system whereby only 18 year old will carry age identification cards. This should help, but even one of the director involved admits it is only a contribution.The alternative lies in education. Adults can help by example and by de-glamorising alcohol. Children can be taught about the risks to health and to performance, about the chances of being involved in violence or serious accidents and the dependency which lands many in hospital wards.

Changes in the Marketing Environment Essay

In recent times, from an economic environment perspective, people are getting more affluent, even in third world countries like Vietnam, the younger generation are more interested in spending on the latest fashion and gadgets, like iPods. Phone marketers might want to include phone designs which allow for self-expression, hence catering to the younger people seeking to carve out their own identity. For example, young girls in Japan like to stick many shiny crystals on their phones as they see it as a form of beautiful art. Phone marketers can cash in on this growing trend by offering phones which have suitable surfaces for crystal gluing, and they might want to also consider having a tie-up with a suitable bead company in order to have a package selling the crystals together with the phones. An important marketing strategy in catering to the changing political environment would be cause-marketing. It is by cause-marketing that phone marketers can reassure the public that they are soc ially responsible, even in the midst of increasing unethical behaviour existing in society. Cause marketing might be the determining factor which might set a phone or a brand of phones apart, especially if customers have the same perception of 2 brands of phones and are undecided which to choose. Phone marketers can follow Motorola’s lead whereby they produced a red â€Å"razr† phone to promote awareness of aids, which was highly successful. Another important marketing strategy is for the marketer to observe the changing demographic forces and decide which target group they can focus on in order to make the most profits. Quite a few countries in the world are facing an aging population, like Japan, China and Singapore. This might be a good target market to go into, by manufacturing phones which are suited for older people like by having larger screens and more user-friendly buttons. Technological forces are constantly changing, and a good marketer would be able to foresee what kinds of functions people might want in their phones. Marketers might want to research about what form of entertainment is capturing people and cater to these needs. Sony Ericsson realised that music was slowly becoming an integral part of people’s lives, no matter what age and produced the walkman phone series which was highly popular. The path to success and its maintenance depends very much on a phone marketer’s resellers and suppliers, hence phone marketers should engage in tie-ups with them both. A phone marketer’s resellers normally consist of telecommunications companies.  Marketers can offer to sell their phones at a lower price to these companies, and in exchange, persuade them to offer more attractive or cheaper line subscription packages when customers purchase the phones of the marketers’. Marketers should constantly source for more efficient and cheaper suppliers and sign a long-term contract with them. Marketers might also want to consider suppliers based in China or India, as labour in such countries is known to be one of the cheapest, yet efficient, in the world. Lastly, marketers should always keep an eye out for competition and continually check on other phone marketers’ strategies and phone pricing. Marketers should also be aware that competition not only lies with other phone marketers, but in any company that has to do with providing entertainment or convenience to people. For example, Apple is not a phone manufacturer, but it is beginning to slowly capture the phone market due to its iPhone. Phone marketers might want to produce phones which have the capability to rival such phones, or if they are unable to do so run a major advertisement campaign to promote their phones against other rival phones, so as to hopefully mould the public’s thinking into their liking. Alternatively, phone marketers can also liaise with major entertainment companies like Apple or Creative to work together to produce quality phones or gadgets to capture a major share of the phone market.

Performance Evaluation Using Accounting Information

What is performance evaluation? o Performance evaluations are formal review processes designed to encourage the informal day-to-day practice of performance management, while providing a framework in support of merit pay adjustments, promotion and employment decisions. Evaluating staff performance and helping employees develop their skills are important duties associated with performance management. Performance management begins with supervisors and employees collaboratively setting goals and standards, clearly communicating performance expectations and evaluating the results during the performance evaluation process. o A performance appraisal is a systematic and periodic process that assesses an individual employee’s job performance and productivity in relation to certain pre-established criteria and organizational objectives. o o Performance evaluation tools are quantitatively and qualitatively based. They utilize a scoring system that assesses numerical data relative to prod uctivity, as well as characteristic data that measures the quality of the employee's work.The indicators on performance evaluations include items such as business ethics, innovation, motivation, job knowledge, skills and expertise, communication, teamwork, work quality, professionalism, task management and project completion. Benefits of performance evaluation: †¢ Facilitation of communication: communication in organizations is considered an essential function of worker motivation. It has been proposed that feedback from performance evaluation aid in minimizing employees’ perceptions of uncertainty.Fundamentally, feedback and management-employee communication can serve as a guide in job performance. †¢ Enhancement of employee focus through promoting trust: behaviors, thoughts, and/or issues may distract employees from their work, and trust issues may be among these distracting factors. Such factors that consume psychological energy can lower job performance and caus e workers to lose sight of organizational goals. Properly constructed and utilized performance evaluation has the ability to lower distracting factors and encourage trust within the organization. Goal setting and desired performance reinforcement: organizations find it efficient to match individual worker’s goals and performance with organizational goals. Performance evaluation provides room for discussion in the collaboration of these individual and organizational goals. Collaboration can also be advantageous by resulting in employee acceptance and satisfaction of appraisal results. †¢ Performance improvement: well constructed performance evaluation can be valuable tools for communication with employees as pertaining to how their job performance stands with organizational expectations. At the organizational level, numerous studies have reported positive relationships between human resource management (HRM) practices and performance improvement at both the individual and organizational levels. †¢ Determination of training needs: â€Å"Employee training and development are crucial components in helping an organization achieve strategic initiatives†. It has been argued that for performance to truly be effective, post-appraisal opportunities for training and development in problem areas, as determined by the appraisal, must be offered. Performance can especially be instrumental for identifying training needs of new employees.Finally, performance can help in the establishment and supervision of employees’ career goals. The Role of Accounting Information in Performance evaluation Accounting information consists of all data that a company records from operating activities and reports to the public at the end of a month or quarter. Accounting information is important for investors, analysts and regulators, management, employees, creditor and debtor. This information is also critical for a firm's management because it provides insight in to the company's financial robustness and profitability in the short and long terms.Accounting data frequently is used in performance evaluations, because it is seen as an objective method to evaluate performance. While there are many advantages to using accounting information for this purpose, small-business owners should be careful to understand that there are drawbacks as well. Knowing the pros and cons of using accounting metrics can help business owners choose the right data to use for evaluating employee performance. Budget to Actual Many businesses expect employees to achieve budget targets as part of their overall performance.While the specifics requirements of each employee differ with the position and nature of the company, it is common for employees to be expected to sell a certain number of items, control costs versus a budgeted amount or reduce waste compared with a benchmark. A potential downfall of using budget information for performance evaluation is that employees may be so concerned with making budget targets that they may do so at the cost of other parts of the business. Sales Growth Sales employees and business management frequently are evaluated on the basis of sales growth.Sales growth usually is calculated as the percentage that sales have increased over the prior year. While this metric is commonly used to gauge performance, it does not come without drawbacks. If the general economy changes from year to year, then sales may naturally be increasing or decreasing. For example, if the economy is in decline, then employees may be modeling the correct behaviors, but sales may still be slow. In contrast, if the economy is growing, employees may be receiving the benefits of increasing sales while developing habits that will keep this sales growth from being sustainable in the future.Net Profit In many small businesses, net profit is used as a performance benchmark for the company's manager. Condensing the operations of a business into its sim plest form, net profit measures the amount of profit left after deducting expenses. While profit is important to businesses, focus on profit can have adverse effects on the company in the long term. For example, cutting advertising expenses will grow net profit in the short-term, but in the long-term, potential customers may not know about the company's products. Expense ReductionFor employees in charge of spending, it is common to evaluate performance based upon cost reduction. This can be a useful metric, as each dollar of expense saved translates into a dollar of profit. However, caution must be exercised, because this performance metric does not account for differences in quality. For example, if a purchasing manager is evaluating on reducing the expense of purchased metal for production, he could be rewarded for buying cheaper substandard material. As such, small-business owners should be cautious when using this metric in isolation. Profitability Analysis: Management analyzes profitability by reviewing the statement of profit and loss, also known as statement of income. This statement indicates a company's revenue and expense items. Profit Margin Profit margin measures a company's business performance over a quarter or month and equals net income divided by total revenue. Return on Equity o Return on equity provides an assessment of profitability on owners' capital and equals net income divided by shareholders' equity. Working Capital Working capital is a gauge of a firm's cash availability in the next 12 months and equals current assets minus current liabilitiesBudgeting o A budget helps a business know where money comes in and where it goes out. With accurate accounting, a business owner can make decisions to cut back in certain budget areas to improve the profit potential of the business. Without accounting data, the company would be forced to guess how much money should be allotted to each department or line item. A budget that is updated quarterly g ives a clear picture of where the business stands financially so that smart money management decisions can be made. Investor Relations A public company has a responsibility to report the company's financial standing to stockholders. The accounting department of the business creates a public report for investors with the intent of disclosing all financial data. Good accounting practices helps investors trust the management team as they know exactly the points of financial strength and weakness of their investment. A company that does not maintain accounting information would be in danger of lawsuits, claims of fraud and lose access to relationships that provide capital necessary to running the business.Employee Retention Providing employees with accounting information helps them to make responsible decisions regarding their futures. A business that does not disclose or maintain accurate accounting information would gradually lose credibility with its employees. Employees with retirem ent accounts managed by their employers rely on the financial stability of companies to ensure their employers follow through Planning o Before most businesses even start operations, some level of planning is done to determine the level of success that can be achieved from operations.Businesses will examine current economic trends like consumer demand, market size, and number of competitors. This analysis helps companies determine which industry best suits their goods and services and then focuses on planning for the necessary plants and equipment needed to create successful business operations. Management Decisions o Once a business starts producing goods and services, executive managers must review each level of the company to ensure that each department is functioning at its peak.Some departments may need to be overhauled to re-create a competitive environment that produces high-quality goods and services. Additionally, management will use accounting information to decide if thei r company could improve operations by purchasing a competitor or enter a new market with their existing production facilities. Profitability o The biggest need for accounting information is to determine overall profitability. Sales, costs of manufacturing, inventory, and expenses are all recorded and presented to company management so the company's profit levels can be determined.Financial statements like the balance sheet or statement of cash flows may also be prepared so executive management can assess the value of the company and the cash-generating functions of business operations. Investing o Once companies have a solid understanding of their profitability, they begin to make decisions on investing their cash and retained income from business operations. Executive management will decide what amount of cash should be reinvested into the business and what amount should be invested in interest-bearing securities.Companies will use these securities investments to generate cash outs ide business operations, giving them higher cash flows. Accountants must track these investments to ensure that the company does not take on too much investment risk. Performance Analysis o After the financial transactions of a company are properly recorded and presented in financial statements, accountants will review the information to determine the strength of business operations. Accountants use financial ratios to break down the financial statements and compare them to the industry or competitors.This analysis will help management find weak areas in the company and help allow them to find solutions for strengthening these operations. Accounting Performance Measurement Tools Budgets o Budgeting initiatives help department heads discuss steps to limit the decision-making authority of specific personnel. These include employees running inefficient operations or segment chiefs unable to whittle away at runaway budget deficits. Top leadership may not strip ineffective segment leader s of their operating prerogatives, but budgeting certainly limits how much they can spend.A budget is a list of planned expenses and revenues, a plan that organizations use to spend and save. 2. Pro Forma Statements o Pro forma or projection-based, accounting reports rely on hypothetical data to illustrate how a firm's operations may fare under specific scenarios. These include â€Å"best,† â€Å"average† and â€Å"worst†Ã¢â‚¬â€œ with these concepts indicating the state of the economy or conditions in the company's competitive landscape, among other factors. For example, worst-case-scenario pro forma statements show whether a business could generate enough revenues to sustain itself if economic conditions deteriorate. . Accounting Reports o Management accountants and corporate leaders use accounting reports to measure operating performance. By doing so, they help prevent the dismal financial situation that arises when a firm consistently posts negative numbers. Department heads rely on accounting statements to determine operating weaknesses and prescribe the right medicine to fix ineffective mechanisms. The most important accounting statements are balance sheets, income statements, cash-flow reports and equity statements. Balance heets are also called statements of financial position or statements of financial condition. 4. Financial Ratios o Corporate executives and business-unit chiefs analyze financial ratios to determine processes to tear up and those to keep or expand. Inefficient processes may drive away profit opportunities and jobs, especially if a company must shed its workforce to maintain solvency. Management accounting metrics include net profit margin and return on equity. ROE equals net profit divided by shareholders' equity. Net profit margin equals net income divided by total sales. 5. Technological Tools Organizations rely on various tools to tackle the often thorny issues of management accounting, performance monitoring a nd regulatory compliance. In the modern era, computer systems play a key role in the way firms record and analyze accounting data. Tools used to evaluate management accounting performance include financial analysis software, project management applications and enterprise resource planning programs. Other tools include industrial control software, calendar and scheduling programs, mainframe computers and computer-aided manufacturing applications. 6. Gap AnalysisA gap analysis is a useful method of measuring performance when there are already fixed performance standards. For example, you may have a goal of producing a certain number of units per month. This could be a performance standard. A gap analysis starts with the established performance measure. After looking at the established performance measure, a manager assesses the current performance level. Finally, the manager will calculate the difference between the performance standard and the actual standard. This provides the gap, which is an indication of how close a company has come to its performance standards.The smaller the gap, the better the company's performance. An advantage of this performance measure is that it provides an indication of what needs to be overcome in order to achieve the desired level of performance. LIMITATIONS OF ACCOUNTING INFORMATION IN PERFORMANCE EVALUATION (i)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accounting information is in terms of money. Accounting provides information on events and transactions that are of financial nature or can be expressed in terms of monetary unit. It does not give information in quantity or size terms of in qualitative matters like usefulness or efficient.Non-monetary events or transactions are completely ignored however important these may be. (ii)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accounting information is expressed in monetary terms and it is assumed that a monetary unit is stable overtime. This is not true at all with the result that the impact of price level changes is not taken into consider ation. The assets remain undervalued in many cases especially land and building. The direct outcome of this practice is that balance sheet figures of assets are not helpful in measuring the true financial positions of the enterprise. iii)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Accountancy is as yet a inexact science and depends sometimes on a number of estimates, personal judgment etc. Estimates are inherently inaccurate and personal judgments introduce bias in the accounting information. It is not possible to predict with any degree of accuracy the actual useful life of an asset which is done for calculating the depreciation charge. The same is true about provision for doubtful debts. (iv)  Accounting information cannot be used as only test of managerial performance. The focus of the financial information is on profit or income which is only ne small aspect of the annual story of business. Profits for a period of one year can readily be manipulated by suppressing such costs as advertisements, research and development, depreciation and so on. (v)  Ã‚  Accounting information is not neutral or unbiased. Accountants measure income as conventionally defined: revenues less expenses. But accountants consider only selected revenues and expenses. They fail to give recognition to the benefits received by their efforts to clean up the environment, improve community welfare and introduce safety measures for the workers. vi)  Accounting like other disciplines has to follow certain principles which in some cases are contradictory. Current assets are valued on the basis of cost or market price whichever is less following the principle of conservatism. Accordingly the current assets may be valued on cost basis in some year and at market price in another year. In this manner, the rule of consistency is openly violated. (VII) The historical perspective of financial accounting: In order to obtain a recent estimate of an entity’s financial performance, the corporate managers carefully scrutin ize financial accounting information.In retrospect, this information is based on past performance. The information does provide clarity on the monetary issues but does not provide a definite insight into the strategic future; as the future holds various changes in terms of technology, economic situations as well as political scenarios etc. Such factors in relation to accounting are unpredictable. Therefore, a careful balance between historical accounting as well as the future forecasted outlook is required. (VIII).Inability to reflect the true value of strategic management: Various factors such as goodwill and natural circumstances influence the operations of an enterprise; however, these elements are difficult to measure thus, leading to their unavoidable exclusion from financial reports. For example companies depend upon their shareholders, who in turn depend on the performance of the Chief Executive Officers. Although the CEOs may have been hired by the company based upon prior p erformance, their future performances are not reliably measurable as they may continually vary.In the initial stages, it may be impossible to measure whether the CEO’s presence will deter or appeal to the shareholders, which in turn will influence the profitability of the enterprise. (VIX). Measuring Volatility of external factors: Financial accounting information does not take into consideration volatile and ever increasing changes in the natural and commercial environment. Although scarcely measurable in monetary terms, their unstable nature may have adverse effects if included within the financial reports and have a volatile and cosmetic impact upon the earnings of the firm.For example, tariffs on trade, duties and other environmental issues can have significant short-term volatile effects on the organization Conclusively, In order to obtain a recent estimate of an entity’s financial performance, the corporate managers carefully scrutinize financial accounting infor mation. In retrospect, this information is based on past performance. The information does provide clarity on the monetary issues but does not provide a definite insight into the strategic future; as the future holds various changes in terms of technology, economic situations as well as political scenarios etc.Such factors in relation to accounting are unpredictable. Therefore, a careful balance between historical accounting as well as the future forecasted outlook is required. References: El-Shishimi, H. and Drury C. (2001) : Divisional Performance Measuring in UK companies, paper presented to the annual Congress of the European Accounting Association, Athens Esptein, M and Ray, M. J (1997):Eniromental Management to improve corporate profitability, Journal of cost management , November-December, pp 26-34 Kaplan R. S and Norton D.P (2001) â€Å" Transforming the balance scorecard from performance measurement to strategic management : part 2’, Accounting Horizons March, pp87 Kaplan, S. E. , and J. T. Mackey. 1992. An Examination of the association between organizational design factors and the use of accounting information for managerial performance evaluation. Journal of Management Accounting Research (4): 116-130. BABCOCK UNIVERSITY, ILISAN, OGUN STATE Performance Evaluation uses accounting information, limitation reconsidered Emerging issues Assignment BY ADEYEMI EBENEZER ADESUJI MATRIC NO NS/4270

Nutrition and Childhood Obesity

There is a lot of talk these days about childhood obesity and why it seems that today's children are more overweight than the previous generations. The fact of the matter is that we live in time where things are constantly changing such as our jobs, the way we spend our time, and the way that we look. Obesity has been a major issue for many years in the United States. Children as well as adults suffer from obesity and the rates are increasing every year. Obesity can be a result of heredity, overeating, psychological disorders, other medical conditions, etc. but no matter what the cause is, it can lead to other problems. One out of five children in American schools are obese due to poor school lunch, fast food restaurants, and sedatary lifestyle without exercise and lack of parental involvement. Adult and childhood obesity have increased substantially in the last 30 years. Currently, 31% of adults and 18% of children are obese, as defined by their body mass index (BMI). One of the mai n factor that is causing obesity in children, is the quality of food in our school systems.School cafeterias are serving canned foods with high sugar content, fried chicken nuggets and soda machines in the hallway. The meals that are currently available to our children are not healthy enough to eat. . The school cafeteria are feeding children food that has high amount of fat and carbohydrate content, not to mention the vending machines that are stocked with potato chips,candy,soda and baked goods that are loaded with high calories and sodium. The children need full course nutritious meals to help them function in class and keep their energy levels high.In order for our children to make healthier choices, the products in the vending machine should be replaced with snacks such as fruit, crackers, raisins and yogurt which are all healthy alternative. What I also see as a major contributor to obesity in children and adults is Fast Food Restaurants. Today people are so busy and they just aren't taking the â€Å"time† that's needed to prepare a healthy dinner. People are constantly on the go, and find it very convenient to pick up a Whopper at Burger King or a Hot Dog from Sonic. The Fast Food Restaurants are a billion dollar industry and a quick fix for people on the go.The convenience of the fast food industry allows working people to gather food for their family, when they are in a time crunch. The people view this as a time saver, but in reality, they are harming themselves and their family by not cooking healthy meals. The calories and high fat content in fast-food helps American to gain weight faster, also leads to health problems that include heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and stroke to avoid these problems as American we need to stop eating out and try to prepare healthy meals at home with organic food or regular food like in previous times.In my opinion they need to replace some of these restaurants with healthy organ ic restaurants around the world to eliminate some of this epidemic in obesity to keep Americans living longer. Another reason that our children are obese is that our children tend to stay inside and play video games and watch television for hours on end, rather than stepping outside and having fun or exercising. In many schools throughout the United States, there has been a decrease in the amount of free play or physical activity that children receive during school hours.Only about one-third of elementary children have daily physical education, and less than one-fifth have extracurricular physical activity programs at their schools. In order to live a well-rounded healthy lifestyle physical activity should be incorporated into a child’s daily activities. Exercise helps children build strong bones and muscle and helps fight against obesity. Parental involvement in the prevention of childhood obesity is very important.The problem is that many parents don't fully understand the problem themselves nor have a good understanding of what it takes to start your child off right with a healthy life. Parent involvement is very important in the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity. The positive influence helps to teach the child healthy behaviors that will help them to make healthy food choices. Teaching your child healthy eating habits is one of the basic and easiest childhood obesity prevention tips.When your child knows the importance of eating proper amounts of food, drinking enough water and then playing well, you won't have to bother about obesity at all. Parent has to become involved by monitoring their children’s eating habits. The parents can prepare healthy meals by eliminating bad fats from their children’s diets. The parents could prepare lunch using meats lean meats and products low in fat and salt like ham, turkey, fish and chicken, while make sure that they are not forcing them to eat too much.Childhood obesity prevention, can start by preparing delicious foods such as French fries, potato skins, pizzas, nachos, desserts, etc. , at home, to keep them from overeating these foods from outside. Kids get tempted to eat junk very easily, and in order to control this, prepare these meals at home so you won't have to bother about junk cravings! Last but not least, we need to address all these programs out-hear that is associated with weight loss; weight is approved for safe weight loss by the food and Drug Administration, weight loss supplement is a joke.Some companies advertise all these weight loss programs that do not work on Americans but getting rich off the poor and wealthy, â€Å"pills and diet plans promising to help shed pounds in days have made the weight loss industry more than $62 Billion a year business. The Doctors knows some of the plans don’t work but they don’t care all they see is a dollar sign in front of their face, as Americans we need to educate our self on what plan works fo r use not what others say.In today society as Americans we need not to listen to some of the Doctor or advertisement, we will be in some much debt about time you realize that you are broke and some of these diet plans didn’t work at all. In my opinion as American we need to do this plan the old fashion way without medication to help use loss weight. (1) Cardio is the key work keep the hearting pumping in-order to loss the weight (2) weight-train help you to get tone and burn fat. (3) Swimming is the best exercise because it works all the muscle (4) Eat six times a day, morning meal, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack

Life Inside Prisons

In recent years increased attention has been paid to the custodial institution in terms of general sociological theory rather than in terms of social problems, notably with reference to aspects of prison life commonly identified in the relevant literature as the â€Å"inmate culture,† the â€Å"prisoner community,† or the â€Å"inmate social system† (Wortley 26). What is life in prison like? Most of the 250 or so million Americans have little idea what life behind bars is all about. Even though some of us may know someone who is doing time, or who works inside prison walls, a realistic picture of prison life is absent for most people.Much of what we think we know is based on television or motion picture depictions of prisons. This system of social relationships – its underlying norms, attitudes, and beliefs – as found in the American prison, and a general but truer portrayal of prison life will be examined in this paper. After summarizing the salien t features of prisoners as presented in the sociological literature of the last two decades, we comment briefly on the major theoretical approach that has been used in discussing prison life. Then we consider a theory of the structure and functioning of the inmate social system, primarily in terms of inmate values.The â€Å"penitentiary† has existed in America since 1790 and the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Wortley 52). Although our country has witnessed numerous reforms since the early nineteenth century, prison as punishment has remained a mainstay of corrections in the United States. State departments of corrections vary considerably in how many facilities they operate, depending primarily on the size of the inmate population but also on the willingness of taxpayers to subsidize additional prisons. They vary as well as to the size, type, and location of those facilities and in the number of staff assigned to each prison.A typical day in prison, then, i s spent trying to keep oneself in line and as busy as allowable (or as chosen to be) in prison. In addition, activities for the day include moving from place to place and being counted and accounted for. Inmates are moved in systematic, orderly, and predictable ways from their housing areas to mess hall, showers, education programs or work assignments, and back again several times, to be counted. The major activity for prisoners is usually a morning (two hours) and an afternoon (two hours) program, such as attending GED classes.Work assignments are usually also considered â€Å"programs† and can involve work as a porter doing maintenance, a cook or kitchen worker, or a clerk of some type, plumbing or electrical work in the prison, or in prison industry work, making license plates or furniture. Some job assignments are better than others, either in terms of pay (ranging from $.15 to $4.00 an hour), the challenge it affords (law clerk versus porter), the housing that accompanie s it (such as honor block for model inmates), or the particular perks that go along with it (working outside in fresh air) (Wortley 45). Other activities to keep inmates busy and out of trouble may include visitation (on set days/hours), recreation, religious services, tutoring, and so on.The routine of prison is occasionally interrupted by disruptions of various sorts and violence. When we think of prison violence we tend to think of riots, but full-scale riots are relatively rare events. For example, there were five riots throughout the over 1,500 state and federal prisons in 1995. Some are planned and instrumental (a means to an end) and controlled by a small group of inmates (such as Attica, New York), while others have been spontaneous, expressive, and deadly (such as Santa Fe, New Mexico).Evidence indicates that incarceration adversely affects some prisoners while others adapt relatively well. Research shows that most inmates, however, cannot escape feeling some impact of impr isonment. While individuals enter prison with a range of coping abilities, those with the most difficulty in adjustment tend to be individuals who have lived a marginal lifestyle prior to prison and those with the least successful experience coping with life. Those inmates most susceptible to coping problems in prison are those who (a) have unstable family, living, work, and/or education histories, (b) are single, young, and male, and (c) have histories of chronic substance abuse or psychological difficulties or who have otherwise had significant problems with other major aspects of life. Individual factors, prison environmental forces, and a history of low-level coping, both inside and outside prison, interact to determine the degree of adaptive or maladaptive responses to the prison experience.Despite the number and diversity of prison populations, observers of such groups have reported only one strikingly pervasive value system. This value system of prisoners commonly takes the f orm of an explicit code, in which brief normative imperatives are held forth as guides for the behavior of the inmate in his relations with fellow prisoners and custodians. The maxims are usually asserted with great vehemence by the inmate population, and violations call forth a diversity of sanctions ranging from ostracism to physical violence.Examination of many descriptions of prison life suggests that the chief tenets of the inmate code can be classified roughly into five major groups:1. There are those maxims that caution: Don't interfere with inmate interests, which center of course in serving the least possible time and enjoying the greatest possible number of pleasures and privileges while in prison. The most inflexible directive in this category is concerned with betrayal of a fellow captive to the institutional officials. In general, no qualification or mitigating circumstance is recognized; and no grievance against another inmate – even though it is justified in th e eyes of the inmate population – is to be taken to officials for settlement. Other specifics include: Don't be nosey; don't have a loose lip; keep off a man's back; don't put a guy on the spot. In brief and positively put: Be loyal to your class – the cons. Prisoners must present a unified front against their guards no matter how much this may cost in terms of personal sacrifice.2. There are explicit injunctions to refrain from quarrels or arguments with fellow prisoners: Don't lose your head. Emphasis is placed on the curtailment of affect; emotional frictions are to be minimized and the irritants of daily life ignored. Maxims often heard include: Play it cool and do your own time. There are important distinctions in this category, depending on whether the prisoner has been subjected to legitimate provocation; but in general a definite value is placed on curbing feuds and grudges.3. Prisoners assert that inmates should not take advantage of one another by means of fo rce, fraud, or chicanery: Don't exploit inmates. This sums up several directives: Don't break your word; don't steal from the cons; don't sell favors; don't be a racketeer; don't welsh on debts. More positively, it is argued that inmates should share scarce goods in a balanced reciprocity of â€Å"gifts† or â€Å"favors,† rather than sell to the highest bidder or selfishly monopolize any amenities: Be right.4. There are rules that have as their central theme the maintenance of self: Don't weaken. Dignity and the ability to withstand frustration or threatening situations without complaining or resorting to subservience are widely acclaimed. The prisoner should be able to â€Å"take it† and to maintain his integrity in the face of privation. When confronted with wrongfully aggressive behavior, whether of inmates or officials, the prisoner should show courage. Although starting a fight runs counter to the inmate code, retreating from a fight started by someone else is equally reprehensible. Some of these maxims are: Don't whine; don't cop out (cry guilty); don't such around. Prescriptively put: Be tough; be a man.5. Prisoners express a variety of maxims that forbid according prestige or respect to the custodians or the world for which they stand: Don't be a sucker. Guards are hacks or screws and are to be treated with constant suspicion and distrust. In any situation of conflict between officials and prisoners, the former are automatically to be considered in the wrong. Furthermore, inmates should not allow themselves to become committed to the values of hard work and submission to duly constituted authority – values prescribed (if not followed) by screws – for thus an inmate would become a sucker in a world where the law-abiding are usually hypocrites and the true path to success lies in forming a â€Å"connection.† The positive maxim is: Be sharp.In the literature on the mores of imprisoned criminals there is no claim t hat these values are asserted with equal intensity by every member of a prison population; all social systems exhibit disagreements and differing emphases with respect to the values publicly professed by their members (Wortley 37). But observers of the prison are largely agreed that the inmate code is outstanding both for the passion with which it is propounded and the almost universal allegiance verbally accorded it.In the light of this inmate code or system of inmate norms, we can begin to understand the patterns of inmate behavior so frequently reported; for conformity to, or deviation from, the inmate code is the major basis for classifying and describing the social structures of prisoners. Social groups are apt to characterize individuals in terms of crucial â€Å"axes of life† (lines of interests, problems, and concerns faced by the groups) and then to attach distinctive names to the resulting roles or types. This process may be discerned in the society of prisoners and its argot for the patterns of behavior or social roles exhibited by inmates; and in these roles the outlines of the prison community as a system of action may be seen.An inmate who violates the norm proscribing the betrayal of a fellow prisoner is labeled â€Å"a rat† or â€Å"a squealer† in the vocabulary of the inmate world, and his deviance elicits universal scorn and hatred. Prisoners who exhibit highly aggressive behavior, who quarrel easily and fight without cause, are often referred to as â€Å"toughs†. The individual who uses violence deliberately as a means to gain his ends is called â€Å"a gorilla†; a prisoner so designated is one who has established a satrapy based on coercion in clear contravention of the rule against exploitation by force.The term â€Å"merchant†, or â€Å"peddler†, is applied to the inmate who exploits his fellow captives not by force but by manipulation and trickery, and who typically sells or trades goods t hat are in short supply. If a prisoner shows himself unable to withstand the general rigors of existence in the custodial institution, he may be referred to as a weakling or â€Å"a weak sister†. If, more specifically, an inmate is unable to endure prolonged deprivation of heterosexual relationships and consequently enters into a homosexual liaison, he will be labeled â€Å"a wolf† or â€Å"a fag†, depending on whether his role is an active or a passive one.A â€Å"right guy† is always loyal to his fellow prisoners. He never lets you down no matter how rough things get. He keeps his promises; he's dependable and trustworthy. He isn't nosey about your business and doesn't shoot off his mouth about his own. He doesn't act stuck-up, but he doesn't fall all over himself to make friends either – he has a certain dignity. The right guy never interferes with other inmates who are conniving against the officials.From the studies describing the life of men in prison, two major facts emerge: (1) Inmates give strong verbal support to a system of values that has group cohesion or inmate solidarity as its basic theme. Directly or indirectly, prisoners uphold the ideal of a system of social interaction in which individuals are bound together by ties of mutual aid, loyalty, affection, and respect, and are united firmly in their opposition to the enemy out-group.The man who exemplifies this ideal is accorded high prestige. The opposite of a cohesive inmate social system – a state in which each individual seeks his own advantage without reference to the claims of solidarity – is vociferously condemned. (2) The actual behavior of prisoners ranges from full adherence to the norms of the inmate world to deviance of various types. These behavioral patterns, recognized and labeled by prisoners in the pungent argot of the dispossessed, form a collection of social roles which, with their interrelationships, constitute the inmate social system.Works CitedWortley, Richard. Situational Prison Control: Crime Prevention in Correctional Institutions. Cambridge University Press, 2002.