Enron Versus Bombay Politicians Essay

On August 3,1995, the Maharashtra state administration of India, overwhelmed by the patriot traditional Bharatiya Janata Party(BJP), suddenly dropped Enron’s $2.9 billion force venture in Dabhol, found south of Bombay, the mechanical heartland of India. This came as an immense hit to Rebecca P. Imprint, the administrator and CEO of Enron’s worldwide force unit, who initiated the Houston-based vitality giant’s universal venture drive. Upon the news discharge, Enron’s share value fell promptly by around 10 percent to $33.5. Imprint sprang to activity to revive the arrangement with the Maharashtra state, promising concessions. This exertion, notwithstanding, was met with disdain from BJP legislators. Enron’s Dabhol calamity provide reason to feel ambiguous about a genuine the company’s forceful worldwide development procedure, including some $10 billion in ventures in power plants and pipelines traversing across Asia, South America, and Middle E ast Enron got associated with the undertaking in 1992 when the new reformist legislature of the Congress Party (1), drove by Prime Minister Narasimha Rao, was excited about drawing in outside interest in framework. In the wake of meeting with the Indian government authorities visiting Houston in May, Enron dispatched officials to Indian to work out a â€Å"memorandum of comprehension â€Å"in only 10 days to construct a huge 2,015-megawatt Dabhol power complex. New Delhi set the task on a most optimized plan of attack and granted it to Enron without serious offering. Thusly, the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) consented to purchase 90 percent of the force Dabhol produces. Tow other U. S. organizations, General Electric GE) and Bechtel Group, consented to join Enron as guardians for the Dabhol venture. During the time spent organizing the arrangement, Enron made a significant political erroneous conclusion: It didn't truly contemplate a rising reaction against outside speculations by a restriction alliance drove by the BJP. During the state political race in mid 1995, the BJP required a reconsideration of the Enron venture. Jay Dubashi, the BJP’s financial consultant ,said th at the BJP would survey every single outside venture as of now in India, and â€Å"If incidentally, we need to request that they go ,at that point we’ll ask them to go.† Rather than hanging tight for the political race results, Enron raced to close theâ deal and started development, evidently accepting that another administration would think that its hard to loosen up the arrangement when development was in progress. Enron was not worried about nearby political conclusions. Enron battled to keep the agreement subtleties classified, however an effective claim by a Bombay customer bunch constrained the organization to uncover the subtleties: Enron would get 7.4 pennies per kilowatt-hour from MSER and Enron’s pace of return would be 23 percent, far higher than 16 percent over the capital cost that the Indian government ensured to other people. Pundits refered to the revelation as verification that Enron had misrepresented venture expenses in any case and that the arrangement may have included debasement. The BJP won the 1995 political decision in Maharashtra state and satisfied its guarantee. Manohar Joshi, the recently chosen boss priest of Mah arashtra, who battled on a promise to â€Å"drive Enron into the sea,† quickly dropped the undertaking, refering to expanded task costs and too high power rates. This vow played well with Indian voters with instinctive doubt of outside organizations since the British frontier time. (It assists with reviewing that India was first colonized by a remote organization, the British East India Company.) When the venture was dropped, Enron as of now had contributed some $300 million. Authorities of the Congress Party who supported the Dabhol in any case didn't act the hero of the task. The BJP scrutinized the Congress Party, properly or wrongly, for being too degenerate to even think about reforming the economy and excessively comfortable with business interests. With an end goal to constrain Maharashtra to invert its choice, Enron â€Å"pushed like hellfire â€Å" the U.S. Vitality Department to say something in June 1995 such that dropping the Enron arrangement could antagonistically influence other force ventures. The Statement just exacerbated the circumstance. The BJP government officials promptly condemned the announcement as an endeavor by Washington to manufacture India. Following quite a while of awful trades and claims, Enron and Maharashtra moderators consented to restore the Dabhol venture. The new arrangement requires that Enron cut the project’s cost from $2.9 billion to $2.5 billion , bring down the proposed power rates , and make a state-claimed utility another percent accomplice of the undertaking. A fulfilled Joshi, the main priest, stated:† Maharashtra has picked up massively by this decision.† Enron expected to make a significant admission to show that its worldwide force ventures are still on target. The new arrangement drove Enron to pull back a claim looking for $500 billion in harms from Maharashtra for theâ cancellation of the Dabhol venture If it's not too much trouble compose a two-page article to examine the accompanying focuses. 1. Talk about the main error that Enron made in Indian 2. Examine what Enron may have done another way to stay away from its pickle in India. You can glance through the smaller than normal case and furthermore search the related materials online so as to set up the article, yet make certain to indicate the data sources toward the finish of paper.

Language Is the Mirror of Society

Introduction: Sociolinguistics is the reflection of society. It isn't assumed. We need to specify some significant component and data to legitimize the remark. To demonstrate this we ought to explain some underlying terms before examining further. Sociolinguistics: Sociolinguistics is the investigation of the impact of any parts of society, including social standards, desires, and setting, in transit language is utilized, and the impacts of language use on society. Sociolinguistics varies from human science of language in that the focal point of sociolinguistics is the impact of the general public on the language, while the last's attention is on the language's impact on the general public. Sociolinguistics covers to an impressive degree with pragmatics. It is verifiably firmly identified with etymological human studies and the differentiation between the two fields has even been addressed as of late. It likewise concentrates how language assortments vary between bunches isolated by certain social factors, e. g. , ethnicity, religion, status, sexual orientation, level of training, age, and so on and how creation and adherence to these principles is utilized to order people in social or financial classes. As the utilization of a language differs all around, language use likewise shifts among social classes. The social parts of language were in the cutting edge sense previously concentrated by Indian and Japanese etymologists during the 1930s, an d furthermore by Gauchat in Switzerland in the mid 1900s, however none got a lot of consideration in the West until some other time. The investigation of the social inspiration of language change, then again, has its establishment in the wave model of the late nineteenth century. The primary verified utilization of the term sociolinguistics was by Thomas Callan Hodson in the title of a 1939 paper. Sociolinguistics in the West initially showed up during the 1960s and was spearheaded by etymologists, for example, William Labov in the US and Basil Bernstein in the UK Society: A general public, or a human culture, is a gathering of individuals identified with one another through determined relations, or a huge social gathering having the equivalent land or virtual region, subject to the equivalent political position and prevailing social desires. Human social orders are portrayed by examples of connections (social relations) between people who share a particular culture and foundations; a given society might be depicted as the whole of such connections among its constituent individuals. In sociologies, a general public perpetually involves social definition as well as predominance chain of importance. To the extent that it is collective, a general public can empower its individuals to profit in manners that would not in any case be conceivable on an individual premise; both individual and social (normal) advantages would thus be able to be recognized, or much of the time found to cover. A general public can likewise comprise of similarly invested individuals administered by their own standards and qualities inside a predominant, bigger society. This is here and there alluded to as a subculture, a term utilized widely inside criminology. All the more extensively, a general public might be portrayed as a monetary, social, or mechanical foundation, made up of a fluctuated assortment of people. Individuals from a general public might be from various ethnic gatherings. A general public can be a specific ethnic gathering, for example, the Saxons; a country state, for example, Bhutan; or a more extensive social gathering, for example, a Western culture. The word society may likewise allude to a composed intentional relationship of individuals for strict, generous, social, logical, political, energetic, or different purposes. A â€Å"society† may even, however more by methods for illustration, allude to a social living being, for example, a subterranean insect state or any agreeable total such as, in certain plans of man-made brainpower. Language: The word â€Å"language† has two implications: language as a general idea and â€Å"a language† (a particular semantic framework, e. g. â€Å"French†). Dialects other than English regularly have two separate words for these unmistakable ideas. French for instance utilizes the word langage for language as an idea and langue as the particular occasion of language. When talking about language as a general idea, a few unique definitions can be utilized that pressure various parts of the marvel. Language, The Social Mirror: Language is a multi-faceted wonder. For Chomsky, language is the human quintessence, a mirror mirroring the characteristic imagination of the brain. Be that as it may, language, with its rich variety, can likewise be viewed as a mirror mirroring the random idea of the general public or the unmistakable territory of a culture. In her book, Language, the Social Mirror (1982), Chaika states that language and society are so firmly interweaved that it is difficult to comprehend one without the other (p. 1). The common reliance, shared impact, and shared forming among language and society are inescapable. Likewise, language and culture are personally interrelated. Rather than considering language and culture, Duranti (1997: 336-7), after Harry Hoijer (1953), proposes that we should consider language in culture. He further expresses, the etymological framework deciphers every other framework inside the way of life. To grow this thought, we could state that language is in us as much as we are in language. This announcement helps us to remember etymological relativity contained inside the Whorfian Hypothesis, and simultaneously recommends that language is a reflection of the general public just as culture . The accompanying areas will take a gander at language from a socio-social viewpoint, and point out the ramifications of this attitude toward unknown dialect instructing. Language from a Sociocultural Perspective: In hypothetical semantics, consistency is the standard; for a proper hypothesis of language plans to uncover the normality of structures and rules. Toward this end, etymological information are restricted to sentences (as the greatest phonetic units) taken from standard language. Generative Grammar is an ideal case of hypothetical etymology. On the other hand, in the investigation of language in its sociocultural setting, best spoke to by Sociolinguistics and Ethno etymology, variety is the standard. As noted in passing, phonetic variety is otherwise called etymological relativity. In the most recent improvement of the control, there has been a draw and-push strain among relativity and comprehensiveness in the investigation of human language. As far as degree, saving the sequential request, semantic relativity is incompletely obvious in Saussurean structuralism, very noticeable in the Bloomfieldian school, exceptionally romanticized in the Humboldtian system, emphatically overwhelming in the Boasian convention, and settled in the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis. As we would like to think, semantic relativity is best caught by the neo-Bloomfieldian propose: Every language is one of a kind, fundamentally and socially. Returning to the investigation of language in its sociocultural setting, we accept that the most productive conversation of semantic relativity ought to be identified with phonetic all inclusiveness. The thought of all inclusiveness is well known in the Chosmkyan school, yet less famous in the Greenbergian school. The previous, planned in the hypothesis of Universal Grammar, is basically comprehensiveness in smaller scale semantics, generally relating to extract sentence structure. The last mentioned, figured in Universals and Typology (Comrie 1989), is all inclusiveness estimated across all inclusive parameters in phonology, morphology and punctuation, bringing about typologies across dialects. While the methodology in the previous is more hypothesis driven and the methodology in the last is more information driven, both the Chomskyan and Greenbergian schools are kept to the space of setting free semantics. In this way, the two sorts of comprehensiveness are lacking to clarify etymological relativity in setting bound semantics. To raise the matter of language and society we ought to talk about the relativity from phonetic viewpoints. As far as we could possibly know, the most suitable general parameters to clarify semantic relativity are those proposed by Clark and Clark (1977: 516-17), a somewhat dark reference since they are not hypothetical language specialists but rather researchers in Psycholinguistics. Truth be told, Clark and Clark don't give a lot of elaboration to their parameters. In spite of the minimal situation of the accompanying parameters in phonetic hypothesis, they ought to demonstrate valuable in clarifying etymological relativity. Universals in Human Language: a. Each language is found out by kids. b. Each language is spoken and comprehended by grown-ups effectively and proficiently. c. Each language exemplifies the thoughts individuals typically need to pass on. d. Each language capacities as an informative framework in a sociocultural setting. These general parameters appear to be perception based and thus exactly undeniable; and they are comparable to the laymans meaning of language, I. e. , language is a methods for verbal correspondence. Not the auxiliary component but rather the practical idea of language is surmised in every one of these parameters. The inquiry is: how do these all inclusive parameters clarify etymological variety? Parameter (15) a suggests that L1 procurement is a piece of social transmission, or from the Chomskyan point of view the presentation of the LAD to essential language information. In gaining their L1, kids at the same time get the sociocultural qualities. Parameter (15) b is valid with mono-level dialects, similar to Indonesian or English, yet not really evident with staggered dialects, for example, Balinese, Javanese, or Sundanese. It is seen that the dominance of Javanese fluctuates extensively across speakers: every one of them are familiar speakers of the ngoko low structure, however relatively few of them, especially among more youthful ages, are familiar speakers of the krama high structure. The image of prosperous society can be seen from this variety and the power is language. Parameter (15) c is all around obvious at the utilitarian level, however variety happens at the basic level and in the way of passing on thoughts.

Java vs JavaScript The Crucial Battle of The Beasts

Java vs JavaScript The Crucial Battle of The Beasts New programmers and non-technical individuals both have since quite a while ago confused related to Java vs JavaScript. However, their single shared trait is the word Java. Each is a programming language valuable in its respect, and each has qualities over the other. One isnt superior to the other; programmers utilize both Java and JavaScript for a wide range of tasks. In this blog, you are going to have a comprehensive comparison between Java vs javascript. This comparison will be in-depth, so get ready to dig into it. But before we are going to start this battle, we need to know what difference between Java vs JavaScript. Let me explain them one by one:- Java Summary JavaFeatures of JavaCompiled and interpretedPlatform independent and portableObject-OrientedRobust and SecureDistributedMultithreaded and interactiveDynamic and ExtensibleEase of developmentScalability and PerformanceJavascriptFeatures of the javascript languageInterpretedClient-side scripting languageEvent-basedObject-orientedComparison between Java vs JavaScriptOOPSExecution PlatformsMobile ApplicationLearning CurveCompilationSupportSyntaxOpen SourceTypesStatistics vs. dynamicUse of semicolonData typesConclusion Java is a broadly useful computer programming language that is simultaneous, class-based, object-oriented, and specifically intended to grow new software products for different stages. At the point when a coder writes a Java application, the compiled code (known as bytecode) keeps running on almost every operating system (OS), including Windows, Linux, and Mac OS. Java syntax is also inspired by C and C++ programming languages. James Gosling developed Java at Sun Microsystems. It is a statically typed programming language. Java has a Block level scope. Features of Java Compiled and interpreted The code compilation is quite different in Java than any other programming language. The java compiler first translates the raw code into the bytecode. Then the byte code is processed in JVM and convert it into the machine language. Then the interpreter executes the output of the code. Platform independent and portable Java provides full independence to users. The programmers can quickly move Java from one machine to another without any modification in the system resources, process, and operating system. A Java program written in a system can be run in any other system efficiently. Only one thing is required for that the system should have JVM installed to run the program. Object-Oriented Java is an object-oriented programming language. All the task done in Java is based and revolves around classes and object. Robust and Secure Java is the most secure programming language in the world. It prevents the treaty of misuse of resources and virus. It has inbuilt garbage collector and exception handling mechanism that helps the programmers to eliminate the errors and risk of program crashing. Distributed Java is one of the robust programming languages to create an application in distributed networks. Thus the programmers can easily share both data and programs in these systems. You can also access remote resources over the internet with Java. The programmers can also work in tandem with Java from remote locations. Multithreaded and interactive It is best for multithreading and also the most interactive language to handle multiple tasks concurrently. Dynamic and Extensible In Java, all the new classes, objects, methods, and libraries are dynamically linked. The best part of Java is it also supports the function written in other programming languages such as C and C++. Ease of development There is no need to write the code again and again in Java. You can use the same program again and again in Java with ease. It reduces the development time and cost and makes the development easier. Code reusability makes development more straightforward. Scalability and Performance It is easy to scale the Java program, and it also improved and enhancing the startup time. It also helps in minimizing the memory consumption in JRE. So that your Java program can be run smoothly. Javascript JavaScript is a high-level programming language. We use it to grow ongoing website pages. Numerous sites utilize productive JavaScript codes and use them as a plugin to empower different internet browsers. We also use it for game improvement and mobile application creation. JavaScript is a customer-side scripting language and for the most part, utilized for gives customer side approval. As it were, you can make your website page all the more lively and intelligent, with the assistance of JavaScript. It was developed in 1995 by Brendan Eich at Netscape. The original name of JavaScript was Mocha then, later on, it was known as live script. Nut after the license agreement between Netscape and Sun Microsystems( currently known as oracle) the name was converted into JavaScript. JavaScript is also submitted in ECMA for the standardized purpose. Features of the javascript language Interpreted There is no need to invest the time on code compilation. JavaScript code automatically executes in the browser without any compilation. It is quicker than the Java programming code. Client-side scripting language JavaScript is one of the best client-side scripting languages. We need a browser to execute the JavaScript code. It doesnt require server interaction to run the code. Some of its powerful frameworks also allow server-side scripting. It means that we can do lots of work only with JavaScript. There is no need for other scripting languages. Node.js is the best example of server-side scripting framework of JavaScript. Event-based Event-based scripting makes JavaScript the most popular scripting language. It allows you to insert the event-based code anywhere in the page. You can also put the event code on the base of time duration, page section, actions, and many more. You can also set the event on the form submission to provide a special message to the user or ask them to perform other activities. Object-oriented JavaScript an object-oriented scripting language. It offers you to apply control over HTML page. In other words, you can manipulate the object in HTML pages with the help of JavaScript. Comparison between Java vs JavaScript OOPS Java is the most popular object-oriented programming language. Everything in Java is based on the objects. It means that if you want to perform any action in Java, then you need to create an object in Java.Java will perform a work based on the relations between the objects. On the other hand, JavaScript is also an object-oriented scripting language. It works on the same phenomena to take any action based on the created object. Execution Platforms If you want to execute the Java application programs. Then you need to have JVM installed on your system. JVM requires JDK and JRE installation on a system. Without JVM it is impossible to execute the Java code. On the other hand, there is no need to no need to have an additional installation of a program on your system to run JavaScript. You can execute the JavaScript program on any standard web browser. Mobile Application Most of the old mobile application is in Java. Java is also helpful to create mobile apps, especially for android based devices. Some of the third party mobile operating systems support Java Applications. On the other hand, we can also use JavaScript to develop mobile applications. But the JavaScript code cant run directly on the mobile devices. You need to convert the code using any third-party software after converting the code. You can efficiently run the JavaScript application in your mobile devices. Learning Curve Java offers the extensive Java has extensive documentation. It is also having vast online sources, online forums, and communities to help the Java Programmers. Anyone can quickly learn Java with the help of online resources. If you want to desktop-based applications, then Java is the best option for you. On the other hand, JavaScript also offers extensive documentation. It also has vast online sources, large online forums, and communities of experts. Anyone can learn JavaScript by utilizing these online resources. The best part of JavaScript is, you can see the code output directly on your browser. It is quite easy for the beginner to write and execute the JavaScript code. Compilation Java programs compile as a programming language under a controlled environment. On the other hand, JavaScript compile as the scripting language, which is just a plain text of code. Support Java is supported by almost every operating system. You can run Java programs into any operating system. On the other hand, JavaScript is a globally recognized script. Thats why most of the web browsers and various operating systems support JavaScript. The developer needs to create the text and run it on any browser. But sometimes it may not work properly on the different versions of the same browser. Syntax Java syntax is quite similar to C++ programming language. Even some you will find too many similarities between Java and C++. Java also supports classes and objects. On the other hand, JavaScript language syntax is similar to the C language. Open Source Java and JavaScript are both considered as open-source languages. Both of them provide us the flexibility to edit and modify the actual code. Java is based on the thread-based approach, whereas JavaScript uses its event-based mechanism. Types Java is a strongly typed language. On the other hand, programmers considered JavaScript as a loosely typed language. In Java, we need to declare the variables using the set object before using them. On the other hand, in JavaScript, we can, we need not declare the variables we can use them in a flexible way. Statistics vs. dynamic Java is one of the best statically typed language. On the other hand, JavaScript is considered a dynamically typed language. It means that we have to declare the variables with the data types at compile time in Java. On the other hand, we JavaScript can accept any data types. Use of semicolon Java uses semicolon at the end of non-block statements. On the other hand, we use semicolons at the end of certain lines in JavaScript. Data types We can use different numeric data types in Java, on the other hand, in case of JavaScript programming often use floating-point data types. Conclusion Now you maybe get enough idea about Java vs JavaScript. Get the best Java homework help and Java Programming help from the experts. Java is the programming language to create desktop-based applications. On the other hand, JavaScript is scripting language which is used to perform some action on with HTML and CSS. In other words, it is a web development language. In the end, I would like to recommend you that you should choose Java if you want to developed desktop applications. If you want to work as a web designer or web developer then you should go for JavaScript without having any second opinion.

Chinas Hukou System

Chinas Hukou system is a family registration program that serves as a domestic passport, regulating population distribution and rural-to-urban migration. It is a tool for social and geographic control that enforces an apartheid structure of rights enforcement. The Hukou system denies farmers the same rights and benefits enjoyed by urban residents.   History of the Hukou System The modern Hukou system was formalized as a permanent program in 1958 meant to ensure social, political, and economic stability.  Chinas largely-agrarian economy during the early days of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) was seen as a problem.  In order to speed up industrialization, the government followed the Soviet model and prioritized heavy industry.   To finance this hurried industrialization, the state underpriced agricultural products and overpriced industrial goods to induce unequal exchange between the two sectors. Essentially, peasants were paid less than market value for their agricultural goods.  The government imposed a system to restrict the free flow of resources, especially labor, between industry and agriculture or between the city and countryside to sustain this artificial imbalance.  This system is still in place. Individuals are categorized by the state as either rural or urban and assigned to geographic areas.  Travel between these is permitted only under controlled conditions and residents are not given access to jobs, public services, education, healthcare, or food in areas outside of their designated area.   A rural farmer who chooses to move to the city without a government-issued hukou, for example, shares a status similar to that of an illegal immigrant to the U.S.  Obtaining an official rural-to-urban hukou is extremely difficult because the Chinese government has tight quotas on conversions per year.   Effects of the Hukou System The Hukou system has always benefited urbanites and disadvantaged country-dwellers.  Take the Great Famine of the mid-twentieth century, for example. During the Great Famine, individuals with rural hukous were collectivized into communal farms and much of their agricultural output was taken in the form of taxes by the state and given to city-dwellers.  This led to massive starvation in the countryside but the Great Leap Forward, or campaign for rapid urbanization, was not abolished until its negative effects were felt in the city. After the Great Famine, urban citizens enjoyed a range of socio-economic benefits and rural residents continued to be marginalized.  Even today, a farmers income is one-sixth that of the average urban dweller.  In addition, farmers have to pay three times more in taxes but receive lower standards of education, healthcare, and living.  The Hukou system impedes upward mobility, essentially creating a caste system that governs Chinese society.   Since the capitalist reforms of the late 1970s, an estimated 260 million rural dwellers have illegally moved to cities in an attempt to escape their bleak situations and partake in the remarkable economic development of urban life.  These migrants brave discrimination and possible arrest just by living on the urban fringe in shantytowns, railway stations, and street corners.  They are often blamed for rising crime and unemployment rates.   Reform As China became industrialized, the Hukou system was reformed in order to adapt to a new economic reality.  In 1984, the State Council conditionally opened the doors of market towns to peasants.  Country residents were allowed to get a new type of permit called a â€Å"self-supplied food grain† hukou provided that they satisfied a number of requirements.  The primary requirements are: a migrant must be employed in enterprise, have their own accommodations in the new location, and able to provide their own food grain.  Cardholders are still not eligible for many state services and cannot move to urban areas ranked higher than their own. In 1992, the PRC launched another permit called the blue-stamp hukou.  Unlike the self-supplied food grain hukou that is limited to a particular subset of business peasants, the blue stamp hukou is open to a wide population and allows migration into bigger cities.  Some of these cities include the Special Economic Zones (SEZ), which are havens for foreign investments.  Eligibility is primarily limited to those with familial relations to domestic and overseas investors. The Hukou system experienced another form of liberation in 2001​ after China joined the World Trade Organization (WTO).  Although WTO membership exposed Chinas agricultural sector to foreign competition and led to widespread job loss, it also galvanized labor-intensive sectors such as textile and clothing. This led to increased demand in urban labor and  the intensity of patrols and documentation inspections were relaxed to accommodate.   In 2003, changes were also made to how illegal migrants are detained and processed.  This was the result of a media- and internet-frenzied case in which a college-educated urbanite named Sun Zhigang was taken into custody and beaten to death for working in the megacity of Guangzhou without the proper Hukou ID. Despite many reforms, the Hukou system still remains fundamentally intact and causes continued disparities between the states agricultural and industrial sectors.  Although the system is highly controversial and vilified, its complete abandonment is not practical due to the complexity and interconnectedness of the modern Chinese economic society.  Its removal would lead to a massive exodus of people into cities that could instantly cripple urban infrastructures and destroy rural economies.  For now, minor changes will continue to be made to respond to Chinas shifting political climate.

Analysis Of The Poem My Words From The Village Of...

In Susan Stryker’s â€Å"My Words to Victor Frankenstein Above the Village of Chamounix: Performing Transgender Rage†, Stryker creates an intimate linkage between Frankenstein’s monster and the transsexual body. Like Frankenstein, a transsexual person owns an â€Å"unnatural† body and an identity defined completely by medical practice. And like Frankenstein, a transsexual person encounters countless challenges, discrimination, and hatred from normal people. Normal people deem transsexual existence as the embodiment of a monster which possesses â€Å"an unassimilable, antagonistic, queer relationship to a Nature† (Stryker 5). However, instead of running away, Stryker chooses to embrace co’s transsexual identity and lives in darkness with an identity of a seemingly cruel and despise-able monster. Stryker starts to pose a question that demands an answer: â€Å"Is monster really inferior than a human being, and does a natural body actually exis t?†. Most people would not react positively to the words you are a monster! Because, let s face it, no one thinks of monsters as beautiful creations, but as grotesque and defy the laws of nature and God. However, in Susan Stryker s essay, co explores what it really means to be a monster, applying this concept to transsexualism. Stryker argues that everyone is monster, like Frankenstein, in their own way, as no one today is natural. Co says that, â€Å"[t]he transsexual body is an unnatural body. It is the product of medical science. It is a technological

Dissertation Methodology †Impact of Technology on Recruitment Free Essays

Dissertation examples – Dissertation Methodology – FREE our site ESSAYS The following article is a sample dissertation methodology on the following dissertation topic: Impact of Technology on Recruitment in UK Retail Banks. A case study of Lloyds Banking Group: The methodology depicts a mixed method research, using quantitative surveys and semi structured interviews. Based on Saunder’s Research Onion. We will write a custom essay sample on Dissertation Methodology – Impact of Technology on Recruitment or any similar topic only for you Order Now a. Research Philosophy – Dissertation Examples The social world of banks and graduates upon which this study is based exists externally and are not related to the researcher; therefore they would be measured through objective methods rather than being inferred subjectively through reflection, sensation or intuition (Easterby-Smith, 2002). This study would therefore adopt a positivist approach as credible data could only be derived through quantitative analysis of phenomena observed (Saunders et al, 2007). The social interpretivism philosophy, which aims to study and reflect on the inner feelings of participants, is not being utilized in this study, due to the study’s research objective, which is to ascertain the effectiveness of online recruitment in an organization. Details regarding effectiveness are measured using objective means (such as increase in candidate application and reduction in costs), thereby warranting a positivist approach. b. Research approach Due to the positivist nature of the research, this study would adopt a deductive approach (Saunders et al, 2007). This approach represents the most common view of the relationship between theory and research and results gotten from this approach are developed through logical reasoning (Bryman and Bell, 2007). The data findings would be compared against existing literature to ascertain if they concur with what has already been published in the field of online recruitment. c. Access The ability to gather primary data during this study was dependent on gaining access to an appropriate source within the organization. The level to which this source is appropriate relies on the research question, related objectives and research designs (Saunders et al, 2007). Therefore, the researcher, as a friend of an employee within the organization, was in a favorable position to get access within the organization. I contacted a friend of mine who currently works within graduate recruitment at Lloyds TSB, and discussed the prospects of my dissertation. She spoke to several of her colleagues on my behalf and they agreed for me to conduct telephone interviews with 4 members of the graduate recruitment team, some of which had been there for an average of 5 – 10 years (reasons expatiated further in this chapter). Due to the non-intrusive nature of my research, there were no objections or limitations raised by the participants with regards to the questions asked or the purpose of the study. d. Research Strategy This study would adopt a case study strategy in answering the research question. Robson (2002) asserts that the case study strategy would be useful if the aim of the study is to gain a rich understanding of the research perspective and the process being endorsed. Therefore as this study aims to understand the recruitment process within Lloyds TSB and also any benefits associated with online recruitment, a case study would be most effective. Two separate yet parallel approaches would be utilized in this study, and are outlined in the table 1 below. Table 1: Research Strategy STRATEGYAIMSAMPLETYPE OF QUESTIONSMETHOD OF ANALYSIS 1. Quantitative questionnaireQuantify graduates’ perception of what constitutes an effective recruitment platform10 graduates who have applied to one or more organizations through their online system.Closed rating scale questions, and nominal data.Descriptive analysis (bar chart, pie chart and line charts). 2. Qualitative semi-structured interviewsThis was done in order to ascertain the benefits associated with online recruitment.4 members of the recruitment staff within Lloyds TSB, who have been in the organization for more than 5 yearsStructured questionnaires. Open questionsContent analysis i. Quantitative Questionnaire Quantitative methods are mainly used in the data collection process of research. It involves data that is either in the form of, or expressed as numbers (Easterby-Smith et al, 2008). The quantitative questionnaires were handed out to 10 graduates and undergraduates. The questionnaire was mainly designed with rating scale questions, where respondents were asked to state their opinion or preference for a particular question on a scale of 1 – 5. Secondary nominal data was also included in order to ascertain the respondent’s status, application activity and preference. The quantitative questionnaire distributed to respondents is outlined in appendix. Quantitative questionnaires are useful as the results derived are quantifiable and measurable against other variables in an objective manner (Saunders et al, 2007). ii. Qualitative Semi Structured Interviews Following the access grant to four members of the recruitment team within the organization, 15 – 20 minute qualitative telephone interviews were carried out. A semi-structured interview is a qualitative interview that is defined by a pre-set question guide. It aims to provide in-depth findings through informal discussions with participants (Collis and Hussey, 2003). This interview method was chosen over unstructured or structured interviews, because this study intends to answer the research questions by asking specific questions, but not so much (unstructured) that it generates useless data, and not so less (structured) so as not to miss out on any unanticipated information. The interview questions in the semi-structured interview are in appendix. The themes utilized in this study were derived mainly from the literature review and were crucial in developing the questions that were raised during the study. The semi-structured approach also provided the researcher with the ability to probe answers. Answer probing was particularly useful in responses whereby more explanation was needed in order to fully understand the answers. Due to the recent adaptation of online recruitment, the semi structured interviews was targeted at members of the team who had witnessed or orchestrated the shift towards online recruitment, that way these respondents would be better able to answer questions that relate to the comparison of both methods. Also, members of the online recruitment team being interviewed had different positions within recruitment and handled separate tasks. The questionnaires were given to them beforehand, when the approval was first sought, and each respondent chose the questions that they were more qualified to respond to. Therefore the research was such that all respondents answered some questions, while some others were answered by a particular individual because of their knowledge of that process. Table 2 outlines the respondent details and their interview theme. Table 2: Interview Respondents and Questions asked RespondentFictionalNameRoleYears in LloydsSubjects Covered R1AliceGraduate Events Manager2Effectiveness, Disadvantages R2MarthaApplication Review7Background, Adoption, Effectiveness, Disadvantages R3NickFinance and Budgeting9Adoption, Effectiveness, Efficiency R4ChloeMedia Advertisement3Effectiveness, Advertisement Each respondent were asked for their consent to interview, prior to the interview sessions, and also requested not to have their names mentioned so as to prevent any form of organizational backlash if the contents of the study were interpreted in any other non-academic form, and distributed. They have therefore been given fictional names, so as to make the research more readable. e. Data Collection i. Sampling Method Based on the research objectives and the issues to be investigated, it would have been most appropriate if all recruitment staffs within the organization were interviewed. However, due to the time constraints and resource limitations inherent in this study, a non-probability sample of the population was selected. Saunders et al (2007) asserts that a non-probability sample is most often used when adopting a case study strategy. A non-probability sample, as described by (Oppenheim, 2000), is a sample in which the probability of each case being selected from the total population is not known. The samples of graduates that were chosen to partake in the quantitative study are too small to constitute a probability sample of graduates within London or UK. Also, the number of employees within Lloyds who took part in the qualitative study was not high enough to constitute a significant portion of the recruitment department within Lloyds TSB. Therefore the study focused more on the quantitative facts of the perception of recruitment within the organization, as opposed to theories expressed in the literature review, and what graduates on the outside thought of online recruitment. ii. Primary Data Collection In collecting data that could be analysed using quantitative means, Easterby-Smith et al (2008) claims that researchers could collect either primary or secondary data. He further claims that though each of these means have their merits and demerits, the collection of one’s own data gives control over the structure of the sample and the data obtained from each respondent. It also gives greater confidence that the data collected would match the research objectives. The researcher therefore chose to collect primary data from 20 graduates using questionnaires distributed-in-person to each respondent. This was done amongst friends and colleagues within the university who have utilized online recruitment systems. Data from the semi-structured interviews would be collected using a tape recorder, and the conversations with all four employees would be transcribed word for word, and expression for expression. The advantages inherent in this approach is that it allows the researcher to document and see patterns in words and emotions that would not be available if other forms of interviews were conducted. f. Analysis of Research Findings i. Quantitative Data The quantitative data collected during the course of this study, whilst still in its raw form, is described by Saunders et al (2007) as being useless and conveying little information to most people. Univariates, which are total sample distributions of one variable at a time (Oppenheim, 2005) was utilised in analysing the frequency and percentage occurrence of each variable; including both ordinal and nominal, category and rating scale questions. However an indepth correlation or bivariate analysis was not conducted due to the low number of graduate respondents, and also due to the fact that the study was mainly concerned with the viewpoint of the organization, and not necessarily that of the graduates. Results would be analysed using Excel and graphs would be drawn out to analyse all data with the aim of comparing them to the qualitative study. ii. Qualitative Data Yin (2002) suggests that in studies whereby the research question has been formulated based on the literature review; these theories that have been used in the postulation of the research question could also be used in analyzing the findings. Thereby suggesting that a deductive approach to data analysis would be essential for theoretical driven studies. Based on these arguments, this study analyzed the qualitative findings using deductive methods. The findings from each respondent and questionnaire theme were analyzed according to the literature review topics discussed. In the instance whereby different respondents had something to say about a particular issue, all their opinions were recorded and taking into consideration in the analysis of findings. A fact sheet of all findings according to the theory is illustrated in chapter 4. Full transcripts of the interview are in the appendix. The pattern matching procedure, as postulated by Saunders et al, (2007), would be utilized in this deductive analysis. It involves predicting a pattern of outcomes based on theoretical propositions. These propositions are thereby analyzed in the data analysis process. This procedure involves the development of an analytical framework, utilizing existing theory, and then testing the adequacies of the framework as a means of explaining the findings (Saunders et al, 2007). In the instance where a pattern is found as initially predicted, it would be evidence that suggests that there is indeed an explanation for findings. g. Ethics Blumberg, et al (2005) describes ethics as referring to the appropriateness of one’s behaviour in relation to the rights of those who become the subject of a research project. A number of ethical issues have been identified and raised with respect to this study. The issues, and steps taken to alleviate such issues are discussed below: The company may be secretive about some aspects of its online recruitment, such as the quantity of graduates and marketing techniques to attract graduates, which it may not like its competitors to know about. Employees responding to semi structured interviews may not be so willing to discuss their personal opinion of the bank’s recruitment system, or the quality of graduates received through their channels, in case their response does not really conform to the brand and reputation that the organization is trying to build (for instance, the bank may pose as an equal opportunity organization that employs from diverse backgrounds, whereas they mostly only recruit students from top Oxbridge universities with a certain background). Information such as this could pose difficulties if the bank eventually decides to broaden its pool of candidates and employ people from varying backgrounds. Apart from these ethical considerations, no other ethical dilemmas have been found with relation to this essay. Therefore, in order to alleviate these issues, the questionnaire and interviews would be designed in such a way that it does not offend, harm, provoke or stress any of the participants in any way. Questions asked would be non-instrusive as no personal information about names; age or post would be requested. Information about specific applicant quality and demographics of applicants’ recruitment would not be sought. Also, in terms of graduate questionnaires that have been distributed, some candidates may think that answering these questions and including personal details may impede or even benefit them when applying to said organizations. Therefore the questionnaires would fully state that it is an academic research and in no way constitutes a study conducted by the organization. h. Limitations The major limitation of this research would be gaining access to graduates who have gone through online recruitment systems and applied specifically to Lloyds TSB. Graduates that have applied to the bank are diverse both in culture and geography. Therefore this study would be limited in not being able to survey a probability sample of graduates who have either used online recruitment or specifically applied to Lloyds TSB in the past. The willingness and capacity of staff to answer questions with relation to graduate recruitment is also impeded. Some staff may not be willing to discuss sensitive issues such as their views, some may be unwilling to discuss online recruitment in any capacity to an external researcher such as myself, while some may not have the relevant experience required to answer most of the questions raised in this study. Therefore the list of participants has been limited to 4, which in no way represents a probability sample of the recruitment workforce within the organization. There is also a secondary limitation with regards to the experience of those staff that participate in the interviews. The ideal participants would typically have been working in recruitment for over 10 years, and would have witnessed and participated in the transition from traditional to online recruitment within the organization. However, only two of the participants answering this questionnaire are ‘ideal candidates’, the other 2 have been working within recruitment over the past 2 – 3 years and were in no capacity to discuss the transition between traditional and online recruitment. However, their views were still helpful and contributed significantly to the findings of this study. This study did not incorporate recent events such as the merger between Lloyds TSB and HBOS. It also did not include the recent government bailout and financial crisis affecting most UK financial institutions. This information could have impacted on the quality of graduate applications that the organization received within the past 3 years, and could pose a shortfall in the information gathered. However, including this information would have extended the limits of the study, beyond the word count and capacity currently accepted. How to cite Dissertation Methodology – Impact of Technology on Recruitment, Essays

Food Industry Risk Analysts Can Simulate Real-Life Scenarios

Question: Food Industry Risk Analysts Can Simulate Real-Life How Scenarios? Answer: Introduction This code of conduct describes the principles to be followed by auditors approved under the Food Act 2006 (the Act) to ensure food safety program assessment and auditing services are delivered with integrity, professionalism, accountability and diligence. Queensland Health is committed to protecting any person who raises concerns about a breach of the code of conduct from retaliation or reprisal.[1] Food industry risk analysts can simulate real-life scenarios by inputting multiple food types and potential hazards in a single assessment. Additionally, hazards can be ranked by level of risk. After providing the appropriate data, iRISK quickly generates reports that offer estimated risks from multiple microbial or chemical food safety hazards and estimates how scenario alterations can increase or lower contamination risk. Since its launch, iRisk has attracted more than 500 registered users.[2] In Australia, the Sydney Food and Drug Administration also relies on Monte Carlo simulation to assess food safety, and one of its most notable uses of the technology occurred in the months prior to Sydneys hosting of the 41st World Expo in May 2010. Organizers wanted to be certain that food distributed to foreign visitors was safe, so it initiated a quantitative analysis of nitrite contamination in cooked meat. The Sydney FDA conducted 370 random checks of meat products in the city and found four percent of samples exceeded nitrite standards.[3] On the basis of this initial data, the organization commissioned a report to determine the probability of consuming nitrites in excess of established standards in normal consumption habits. Then, using MCS, the researchers simulated the sample 10,000 times, multiplying variables to fit possible real-life situations. The findings indicated that the possibility of passing the threshold for acute nitrite poisoning indeed existed, as well as the possibility for exceeding the allowable daily intake of nitrite. Based on the results, the Sydney FDA proposed that businesses in the food service industry be forbidden from using nitrite, which eliminated the possibility of nitrite poisoning at its root. Food Safety Hazards There are three major hazards that may be introduced into the food supply any time during harvesting, processing, transporting, preparing, storing and serving food. These hazards may be microbiological, chemical or physical. Microbiological Hazards Microbiological hazard occurs when food becomes contaminated by microorganisms found in the air, food, water, soil, animals and the human body. Many microorganisms are helpful and necessary for life itself. However, given the right conditions, some microorganisms may cause a foodborne illness. Microorganisms commonly associated with foodborne illnesses include bacteria, viruses and parasites.[4] Chemical Hazards Chemical hazards can occur at any point during harvesting, storage, preparation and service. When toxic chemicals used for pest control or for cleaning and sanitizing food contact surfaces and food preparation equipment come into contact with food, the food may be contaminated by those chemicals. Toxic metals such as copper, brass, cadmium, lead and zinc can be a source of chemical contamination. Zinc, used in galvanized containers (garbage cans) and in gray enamelware containers which may be plated with anatomy or cadmium, can make acidic foods such as orange juice or tomato sauce and pickles poisonous. Pottery dishes with lead glazes should not be used to prepare or serve food. Intentionally added chemicals help to maintain a foods freshness or to enhance flavors in foods. Check the food ingredient label for more information about the additives. Excessive use of some additives has been linked. Foodservice establishments are prohibited by law from using sulfites to maintain product freshness. However, they are still approved for use in some food processing operations, for example, processing shrimp and manufacturing wine. If they are used, the product must be clearly labeled.[5] Physical Hazards Physical hazards usually result from accidental contamination and /or poor food handling practices. Examples include slivers of glass, human hair, nails, false nails, nail polish, and pieces of jewelry, metal fragments from worn or chipped utensils and containers, dirt, stones, frilled toothpicks. Pesticides may leave residues on fruits and vegetables. In general, these residues can be removed by scrubbing the surface and washing with water. Food irradiation is classified as a food additive and is regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Irradiation is a process, which destroys pathogenic and spoilage microorganisms without compromising safety, nutrition or quality and significantly lengthens storage life. In general, spices are irradiated as a means of controlling bacterial growth and mold. Food Safety and Hygiene Food safety and hygiene therefore play a major role in industry and food quality is the result of numerous factors such as physical, biochemical, and microbiological characteristics. Therefore, it is imperative that these factors are considered in layout design in the food processing industry. Many practices such as the hazard analysis and critical control points (HACCP) or good manufacturing practices (GMP) attempt to ensure food safety and hygiene requirements in the food manufacturing process. In order to align with these requirements, layouts need to focus on segregating the work area to control hazards and prevent contamination of the products being manufactured. This focus will ensure that the layouts comply with the requirements of the food industry and avoid modifications required later that usually result in additional costs. However, little research on FLP considering the unique manufacturing requirements of the food processing industry is reported in the literature. Theref ore, this paper formulates a model that simplifies the layout planning process for the food processing facilities (FPF). A generalized framework that helps to visualize the FLP was initially developed. Then, a layout model for FPF was proposed considering the unique features that need to be present in the layout. A case study was finally conducted by changing the layout of a malted milk powder processing facility in Sydney according to the proposed model. Food Processing Technology The primary concern of food manufacturers is to produce something that is wholesome and safe, that is, free from pathogenic microorganisms and chemical and foreign body contamination. Food items are perishable and become unsuitable for consumption with time. Although it cannot be prevented, one aim of food processing is to slow down the rate of deterioration by selecting appropriate methods of processing, ingredient formulations, packaging, and storage condition.[6] In order to make food items safe for consumption, food processing plants take measures to eliminate the possibility of microbial, chemical, and physical contamination. Thus, it becomes a key factor of concern, and layout design should essentially help to prevent direct and cross contamination of the products being manufactured. Hence, the layouts of the food processing factories have to be designed to meet food safety requirements on top of production efficiency. This is the main envisaged difference between the layouts o f food processing and other manufacturing plants. Thus it can be concluded that the food processing plants add a new dimension to the common layout design problem.[7] Quality Standards Applicable for the Food Processing Industry Many guidelines are available to regulate the food manufacturing processes. In the food processing sector, Quality Assurance (QA) systems are used to improve quality and reduce costs whilst HACCP programs are specifically deployed to assure food safety. Based on management principles, HACCP and GMP have been implemented to help plants to maintain high levels of hygiene.[8] HACCP systems establish process control by identifying points in the production process that are most critical to monitor and control in terms of contamination. It is widely recognized in the food industry as an effective approach to establish good production, sanitation, and manufacturing practices that produce food items that are safe to consume. Therefore, it can be concluded that QA and HACCP implemented in concert facilitate improvements in both production efficiency and product safety.[9] Considering the above factors, an area that needs attention in the food processing industry is the relationship between hygiene and the layout of the processing plants. Aspects of food hygiene have been addressed in different disciplines and a considerable amount of knowledge is available. However, this knowledge is not systematically linked to the evaluation and design of layouts for food processing. The literature on layout planning has thus far inadequately addressed the influence of hygiene factors on the specific nature of the food processing companies. As discussed earlier, the food industry norms have to be followed in designing factory layouts for food manufacturing and segregation of work areas is important for the food processing industries as they are characterised by a continuous change in volume, type, and mix of products due to constantly changing market requirements.[10] On top of this, many critical control points are present in the food processing industry. These have been identified as hazards for the manufacturing process. Hence there should be adequate controls to mitigate the risk of contamination. The site layout plays an important role in this risk mitigation process. Thus, basic sections of food processing facilities were identified as primary manufacturing, secondary packing, warehouse, utility area, and administration.[11] The hazards identified in HACCP are biological hazards (e.g., bacteria, yeasts, and molds), chemical hazards (e.g., cleaning chemicals and lubricating fluids), and physical hazards (e.g., glass, insects, pests, metal, and dust). Layouts for food processing facilities should be designed to minimize risks due to the above hazards. The product is exposed to the environment at the primary manufacturing area. Thus, it is the area, which poses the highest risk for hygiene in the manufacturing process, and risk mitigation steps are essential to prevent contamination. Environmental conditions in terms of humidity, temperature, and particulate levels and the barometric pressure have to be closely monitored and maintained within the primary manufacturing section. Furthermore, the primary manufacturing area has to be completely separated from the other areas to control the risk of contamination.[12] References Glenn Gardener, Anne Gardner, and Jane O'connell. "Using the Donabedian framework to examine the quality and safety of nursing service innovation." Journal of clinical nursing 23, no. 1-2 (2014): 145-155. Gretchen Young, Julie Hulcombe, Andrea Hurwood, and Susan Nancarrow. "The Queensland Health Ministerial Taskforce on health practitioners expanded scope of practice: consultation findings." Australian Health Review 39, no. 3 (2015): 249-254. Hills Harris, Carmel Bofinger, and David Cliff. "Community Health and Safety Handbook: Leading Practice Sustainable Development Program for the Mining Industry." (2016). Jana Lerssi-Uskelin, Leila Hopsu, and Anne Salmi. "What is Workplace Health Promotion (WHP)." Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 24 (2014): 46. Janet O. Chan-Monk, Carlo Caponecchia, and Chris Winder. "The concept of workplace bullying: Implications from Australian workplace health and safety law." Psychiatry, Psychology and Law 21, no. 3 (2014): 442-456. Jeff J. Wilks, Stephen, and F. Moore, eds. Managing tourist health and safety in the new millennium. Routledge, 2013. Jennifer A. Witty, Paul Crosland, Kaye Hewson, Rajan Narula, Timothy R. Nathan, Peter A. Campbell, Andrew Keller, and Paul A. Scuffham. "A cost?minimisation analysis comparing photoselective vaporisation (PVP) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for the management of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Queensland, Australia." BJU international 113, no. S2 (2014): 21-28. Leon Straker, David Dunstan, Nicholas Gilson, and Genevieve Healy. "Sedentary work. Evidence on an emergent work health and safety issue." (2016). Lynn R. Marotz. Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child. (Nelson Education, 2014) Marion Nestle. Food politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health. Vol. 3. Univ of California Press, 2013. Petra Amchova, Hana Kotolova, and Jana Ruda-Kucerova. "Health safety issues of synthetic food colorants." Regulatory Toxicology and Pharmacology 73, no. 3 (2015): 914-922. Sheila Arbury, Michael Hodgson, Donna Zankowski, and Jane Lipscomb. "Workplace Violence Training Programs for Health Care Workers: An Analysis of Program Elements." Workplace Health Safety (2017): 216507991667153 [1] Glenn Gardener, Anne Gardner, and Jane O'connell. "Using the Donabedian framework to examine the quality and safety of nursing service innovation." Journal of clinical nursing 23, no. 1-2 (2014): 145-155. [2] Gretchen Young, Julie Hulcombe, Andrea Hurwood, and Susan Nancarrow. "The Queensland Health Ministerial Taskforce on health practitioners expanded scope of practice: consultation findings." Australian Health Review 39, no. 3 (2015): 249-254. [3] Hills Harris, Carmel Bofinger, and David Cliff. "Community Health and Safety Handbook: Leading Practice Sustainable Development Program for the Mining Industry." (2016). [4] Jana Lerssi-Uskelin, Leila Hopsu, and Anne Salmi. "What is Workplace Health Promotion (WHP)." Afr Newslett on Occup Health and Safety 24 (2014): 46. [5] Janet O. Chan-Monk, Carlo Caponecchia, and Chris Winder. "The concept of workplace bullying: Implications from Australian workplace health and safety law." Psychiatry, Psychology and Law 21, no. 3 (2014): 442-456. [6] Lynn R. Marotz. Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child. (Nelson Education, 2014) [7] Jennifer A. Witty, Paul Crosland, Kaye Hewson, Rajan Narula, Timothy R. Nathan, Peter A. Campbell, Andrew Keller, and Paul A. Scuffham. "A cost?minimisation analysis comparing photoselective vaporisation (PVP) and transurethral resection of the prostate (TURP) for the management of symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) in Queensland, Australia." BJU international 113, no. S2 (2014): 21-28. [8] Marion Nestle. Food politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health. Vol. 3. Univ of California Press, 2013. [9] Leon Straker, David Dunstan, Nicholas Gilson, and Genevieve Healy. "Sedentary work. Evidence on an emergent work health and safety issue." (2016). [10] Jeff J. Wilks, Stephen, and F. Moore, eds. Managing tourist health and safety in the new millennium. Routledge, 2013. [11] Lynn R. Marotz. Health, safety, and nutrition for the young child. (Nelson Education, 2014) Marion Nestle. Food politics: How the food industry influences nutrition and health. Vol. 3. Univ of California Press, 2013. [12] Sheila Arbury, Michael Hodgson, Donna Zankowski, and Jane Lipscomb. "Workplace Violence Training Programs for Health Care Workers: An Analysis of Program Elements." Workplace Health Safety (2017): 2165079916671534.

The Long and Short of It

Delivering content that meets your target audience’s needs is not as simple as it sounds. Apart from deciding where to publish your content, there’s one fundamental question that faces every content creator: does my audience prefer long or short content? Differences Between Long-Form and Short-Form Content Long-form content is usually defined as 2,000 words or more and can include white papers, ebooks, how-to guides, case studies and video transcripts. Short-form content tends to be under 1,000 words and can include blogs, social media posts, infographics and listicles. A short, two-minute video would also fit the bill. However, these content types can all vary in length and can fall into either the short-form or long-form category. But like everything related to content, you need to first consider what you want to achieve. Short-form content can be great for quickly engaging your audience, whereas long-form content can strengthen your credibility. The key is to know your audience and have a clear set of goals tied to the point in your sales funnel the content is going to appear at. For example, if you’re selling a high-end product to customers who aren’t familiar with your company, they would likely find a long-form, highly informative product description useful. This could be very effective in converting shoppers who are considering your product. However, if your goal is to drive traffic, your best bet is likely a short, entertaining social media post that reaches a wider audience. Both short and long content have benefits and what will work best depends on your business, your products, your marketing goals and user intent. When Long-Form Content Works If your goal is higher search engine rankings for particular topics, most marketing experts agree that long-form content is the way to go since Google’s algorithm favors more in-depth articles. A SerpIQ study found that the average word count for content in the top ten of a Google search result page is over 2,000 words. Longer pieces are also more suited to evergreen content, which can be a great for driving long-term web traffic. In the inbound marketing world, HubSpot, Moz and Kissmetrics are authorities in this niche and they all produce high-quality, long-form evergreen content. So, if you want to position your brand as an authority in your niche, use long-form content that covers each topic in depth. When Short-Form Content is Best If your goal is to build awareness or your primary audience mainly views your content on mobile devices, short-form content is probably a better fit. Today, many people scan online content rather than read it fully, so short-form content can have more impact on your readers in the short term. If your brand voice is more fun than serious, short-form content is also likely to be more appropriate. While some topics require longer explanations, a fun infographic or video can help you quickly build a connection with your target audience. Start-ups stand to benefit from this kind of content because it helps to establish their brand’s identity. It’s also quicker to produce and is particularly useful when covering news or trending topics in your industry. Where to Publish Different Forms of Content Facebook Notes and LinkedIn Pulse give marketers a platform to publish long-form content to social media. Google Plus is also ideal because there are no character limits, unlike other social media platforms. It’s also worth remembering that every piece of long-form content can be split into multiple content assets. For example, you can share a statistic on Twitter, post an image on Pinterest or submit an infographic to the Infographics Showcase website. This way, you can attract different kinds of buyers through different channels. Quality Over Quantity Your decision to go long or short depends on your brand’s voice, your target audience and your marketing goals. Crucially, you should focus on delivering quality content. Don’t think you have to write 2,000 words if you can get your message across in 200. Focus on being authentic and giving people useful information. If you’re unsure, experiment with both long and short content and see which resonate most with your target audience. The truth is, people like to consume information in different ways and you’ll probably need both to reach as many customers as possible.

Identification of Stage on the Hayes and Wheelwright Model Essay Example

Identification of Stage on the Hayes and Wheelwright Model Essay Example Identification of Stage on the Hayes and Wheelwright Model Paper Identification of Stage on the Hayes and Wheelwright Model Paper As the organization for analyses I chose the company I work for. Here is a short description of organization which may be useful for better understanding of outcomes: Airframe is today one of the fastest growing beauty companies selling direct. It is present in 62 countries, of which is the market leader in more than half. It takes the 18th place in the world among cosmetics companies in terms of sales volume. It offers a wide range of high-quality beauty products as well as a unique opportunity to Join sales force and start your own business. Brief facts about Airframe 1. 3 billion Euros in annual sales approximately 3. 3 million Distributors (Consultants) 7 500 employees 950 products annually, more than 30% of products are new. Global RD center with more than 100 scientists 5 own production units in Sweden, Poland, China, Russia and India Listed on the Nasdaq OMG Exchange since March 2004 The scope of the evaluation includes: Prepare fundamental data (description of main traits of the Hayes and Wheelwright model) Collect information necessary for analysis. Recommend tools for analysis. Make a clear conclusion about the stage on the model based on analysis. In the last decade the strategic role of operations has increased, which led to fast improvements in management and methodology. The four-stage model of operations contribution by Hayes and Wheelwright was developing from mid-80-s but has already a classic status in operations management due to its simplicity, visibility. It hypothesizes that companies go through four development stages: Internally Neutral, Externally Neutral, Internally Supportive and Externally Supportive. I found the following diagram of Hayes and Wheelwright (1984) the most pervasive and understandable: This model is a result of historical development with increasing performance levels. Stages are as a ladder that needs to be ascended for success to be achieved. The most successful organizations will be those whose operations reach the pinnacle of stage 4. The pears of stage name/maim trait are the following: Internally Neutral Avoid mistakes, Externally Neutral Benchmark, Internally supportive creative reaction to Dustless strategy, Externally Supportive Foundation of business-success And the short name for the model may be From Indifference to Maturity. Analysis in order evaluate Airframes stage Managers have difficulty in assessing the strategic role played by their operations in an internally consistent and coherent manner (Barnes, D. , Rowboat, F. 2004)) this phrase proved me in my philistine opinion that its difficult to determine a stage where my company is now. Its rather difficult to do as theres a lack of simple instruments to make analysis on this question. Suggested below self- diagnosis instrument for internal use is replica of Porters 5 competitive forces model and has a lot of shortcakes. I also assume the quality of analysis may be exposed to bout due to incoming information based on my personal assessments or on scared benchmark data. But its a good balance between simplicity and expensiveness of external experts/databases use or complex mathematical models. Source of information: My personal reflection as a manager who works in the analyses company. Strategic companys data mission statements, TOP- management announcements and interviews. Managerial data assessment (KIP, presentations. Example appendix 1). Extract of main proofs are in Appendix 2 classified under groups above. Proofs like that are used in Strategic stage survey below as answers for each question.

State and Society in 20th century China Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

State and Society in 20th century China - Essay Example It was 1975 when Deng took the control of China – in just two years after Deng started a plan – which lasted for 10 years, i.e. from 1977 up to 1987, and became known as a ‘political structural reform’ (Gittings, 2006, 165); the main target of this scheme has been the extinction of old political ideas – referring mostly to those developed during the governance of China by Mao – and their replacement with new political principles – incorporated within the above scheme. The efforts for China’s political reform had many opponents; one of them has been Hua Guofeng – a successor of Mao, in terms of his political ideas and targets. The resistance of Hua and his supporters towards the political changes promoted by Deng proves the refusal of Chinese politicians to be aligned with the current political trends (Gittings, 2006, 167) and their preference towards the traditional principles of Communism – as expressed through Mao ’s political choices. It could be stated that political reform in China was imposed because of the need for an economic reform – which could not be achieved unless the political structure and principles in China were changed – after making this assumption Deng enforced the development of the country’s political structure through a licence granted in 1986 (Gittings, 2006, 197). Certain aspects of the attempted political reform attempted by Deng after 1986 are the following: a) change of the country’s political system to capitalism – even if communism has been the primary political system its structure has been changed showing similar characteristics with political systems that are based on capitalism (Gittings, 2006, 213), b) development of ‘patriotism’ – a concept that was not particular supported during the governance of the country by Mao (Gittings, 2006, 209), c) the increase of the political civilization in China (Git tings, 2006, 13), d) the improvement of the relationship ‘between intellectuals

Metaphysics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Metaphysics - Essay Example In this paper, the author examines the concept of metaphysics by surveying the changes in the use of the term, from the ancient, philosophic sense, to the contemporary esoteric sense, such as that found in New Age teachings. Ancient Metaphysics The term â€Å"metaphysics† was coined by Andronicus, the editor of Aristotle’s works, to refer to the collection of writings that dealt with a subject outside of physics, that is, Aristotle’s works on the natural or physical sciences. Aristotle himself did not refer to his works as being divided into the Physical and the Metaphysical. Instead, he somewhat classified his works as dealing primarily with the nature of the natural or physical world, and those that deal with first causes. But does it make sense to make such a distinction? It appears that it does make sense, because in seeking to understand the nature of the physical world, Aristotle argues that the latter is characterized by change. Thus, Aristotle’s ph ysics deals with change. Consequently, the â€Å"metaphysics† or those â€Å"beyond or after the physics† deals with first causes, or those that do not change. This latter point explains why the concept of Being is central to Aristotle’s metaphysics. ... In tackling the question of Being and existence, metaphysics deals essentially with the question of reality. In book 12 of his Metaphysics, Aristotle writes that â€Å"the subject of our inquiry is substance; for the principles and the causes we are seeking are those of substances. For if the universe is of the nature of a whole, substance is its first part† (â€Å"Metaphysics†). Indeed, if the observable world is subject to change, of what substance is this world made of? Could there be an unchanging, hence, metaphysical substance? In other words, he was preoccupied with examining the nature of reality. Modern Metaphysics In the e-book, Metaphysics (2006), Ethan Vorly states that â€Å"Metaphysics is the science of all realms, their laws and functions†(2). He defines metaphysics as the â€Å"study of multi-dimensional energies, forces and substances† (5). This view of metaphysics clearly delves into the esoteric interpretation of the term. In discussing m etaphysics along the lines of energy forces and dimensions of existence, Vorly has much in common with the Eastern philosophies of Taoism and Confucianism. For example, he writes of reality in terms of an Ultimate Reality, not very different from the Eastern concept of Tao. In this sense, an esoteric understanding of metaphysics is somewhat consistent with the ancient Greek conception of the term, to the extent that there is a search for an ultimate principle or substance, as Aristotle would refer to it. However, while the ancient Greek approach to the question of reality was meant to gain an understanding of the nature of reality itself, the modern esoteric interpretation of metaphysics tends

Elderly Suicide Strategies with Nurse Based Intervention

Elderly Suicide Strategies with Nurse Based Intervention Investigation into nurse strategies to prevent or minimise attempted suicide in patients over 65 This dissertation considers the rationale for positive nurse-based intervention in consideration of issues relating to suicide in the elderly. The introduction sets the context, including the historical context, of the issues and discusses the negative effects of ageism on issues relating to suicide in the elderly. The literature review considers selected texts which have been chosen for their specific relevance to the issue and particularly those that espouse the view that ageism is counterproductive to a satisfactory quality of life outcome for the elderly person. Conclusions are drawn and discussed with specific emphasis on those measures that are of particular relevance to the nursing profession whether it is in a secondary care facility, a residential home setting or in the primary healthcare team and the community. Introduction We can observe, from a recent paper (O’Connell H et al. 2004), the comments that, although there is no doubt that the elderly present higher risk of completed suicide than any other age group, this fact receives comparatively little attention with factors such as media interest, medical research and public health measures being disproportionately focused on the younger age groups (Uncap her H et al.2000). Perhaps we should not be surprised at the fact that both suicidal feelings and thoughts of hopelessness have been considered part of the social context of growing old and becoming progressively less capable. This is not a phenomenon that is just confined to our society. We know that the Ancient Greeks tolerated these feelings in their society and actively condoned the option of assisted suicide if the person involved had come to the conclusion that they had no more useful role to play in society (Carrick P 2000). Society largely took the view that once an individual had reached old age they no longer had a purpose in life and would be better off dead. In a more modern context, we note the writings of Sigmund Freud who observed (while he was suffering from an incurable malignancy of the palate: It may be that the gods are merciful when they make our lives more unpleasant as we grow old. In the end, death seems less intolerable than the many burdens we have to bear. (cited in McClain et al. 2003) We would suggest that one of the explanations of this apparent phenomenon of comparative indifference to the plight of the elderly in this regard is due to the fact that the social burden of suicide is often referred to in purely economic terms, specifically relating tools of social contribution and loss of productivity. (Breeching A et al.2000). This purely economic assessment would have to observe that the young are much more likely to be in employment and less likely to be a burden on the economic status of the country whereas with the elderly exactly the converse is likely to be true. This results in economic prominence being given to the death of a younger person in many reviews. (Adcock P,2003). There is also the fact that, despite the fact that we have already highlighted the increase in relative frequency of suicide in the elderly, because of the demographic distributions of the population in the UK, the absolute numbers of both attempted suicides and actual suicides are greater in the younger age ranges and therefore more readily apparent and obvious. The elderly are a particularly vulnerable group from the risk of suicide. In the industrialised world males over the age of 75 represent the single largest demographic group in terms of suicide attempts. Interestingly (and for reasons that we shall shortly discuss) although there is a general trend of increasing suicide rate with age the excess rates associated with the elderly are slowly declining in the recent past (Castell 2000). We can quantify this statement by considering the statistics. If we consider the period 1983 to 1995 in the UK then we can show that: The suicide rates for men reduced by between 30% and 40% in the age groups 55–64, 65–74 and 75–84 The rates for the most elderly men (males over 85 years) remained fairly static, this group still having the highest rates of any group By way of contrast, the 25- to 34-year-old male group exhibited a 30%increase in suicide rate during the same period, this group are becoming the group with the second highest rate, while the 15- to24-year-old male group demonstrated a 55% increase in suicide rates.(WHO 2001) Female suicide rates have shown a similar overall decrease, reducing by between 45 and 60% in the 45–84 age group. Elderly women, however, retain the highest rates throughout the life span (Castell 2000) The ratio of male to female elderly suicide deaths remains approximately 3:1 (Fischer L R et al. 2003) We can suggest that these trends in reduction of suicide, particularly in the elderly are likely to be due, amongst other things, to: The improved detection of those at risk together with the advent of aggressive treatment policies relating to mental illness in the elderly. (Warn M et al. 2003) One of the main reasons, we would suggest, for this obviously changing pattern and the discrepancies in the suicide rates between the age ranges, is the fact that, in direct consideration of the context of our topic, the elderly are more likely to be both amenable to professional help and also, by virtue that a higher proportion are likely to be in direct contact with healthcare professionals either through failing health or nursing homes and hospitals, (Soutine K teal. 2003), have the warning signs of impending suicide recognised and acted upon more promptly than the younger, arguably more independent age group. In specific consideration of the elderly group we should also note that attempted suicide is more likely to be a failed suicide attempt rather than a Para suicide. (Rubenowitz E et al. 2001). There is considerable evidence that the incidence of depression is increased in the presence of a concurrent physical illness (Conwell Yet al. 2002) and clearly this is going to be more likely in the elderly age group. Some sources have cited association rates of between 60-70%of major depression with physical illness in the over 70yr olds.(Conwell Y et al. 2000). Another significant factor is that it is commonly accepted that an attempted suicide is a strong independent risk factor in the aetiology of further suicide attempts. (Conwell Y et al. 1996) This trend is much more marked in the elderly group with a ratio of about 4:1 which compares very badly with the ratios in the younger age groups of between 8:1 and 200:1 (depending on age range, definition and study).(Hippie J et al. 1997) Aims and objectives In this dissertation it is intended to gain evidence based knowledge of the scope and significance of the phenomenon of attempted suicide in the elderly. In addition it is intended to gain evidence based knowledge in the use of strategies to ameliorate attempted suicide in the elderly to highlight gaps in the literature available and to suggest recommendations for change in nursing practice It is hoped tube able to suggest areas for research into the phenomenon of attempted suicide in the elderly. Methodology The initial strategy was to undertake a library search at the local post graduate library and the local university library (Client: you might like to personalise this) on the key words â€Å"suicide, elderly, prevention strategies, industrialised societies†. This presented a great many papers. About 40 were selected and read to provide an overview of the literature in this area. During this phase, references were noted and followed up and key literary works were assimilated. The bulk of the papers accessed and read were published within the last decade, however a number of significant older references were also accessed if they had a specific bearing on a particular issue. The most significant references were accessed and digested. The dissertation was written referencing a selected sub-set of these works. Rationale for proposal To increase nurses knowledge and understanding of attempted suicide in the older age group and to highlight through the literature review, evidence based strategies that can be employed to ameliorate attempted suicide amongst the elderly. Literature review Before commencing the literature review, it is acknowledged that the literature on this subject is huge. The parameters of the initial search have been defined above. In addition it should be noted that there is a considerable literature on the subject of assisted suicide which has been specifically excluded from these considerations The literature base for suicide in the elderly is quite extensive and provides a good evidence base for understanding, appropriate action and treatment. (Berwick D 2005) One of the landmark papers in this area is by Hippie and Quinton(Hippie J et al. 1997) which provided a benchmark, not only on the aetiology of the subject, but also in the long term outcomes, which, in terms of potential nursing care input, is extremely important. The paper points to the fact that there is a good understanding of the absolute risk factors for suicide in the elderly but a comparative lack of good quality follow up studies in the area. It set out to identify100 cases of attempted suicide in the elderly and then follow them up over a period of years. The study was a retrospective examination of100 consecutive cases of attempted suicide that were referred to the psychiatric services over a four year period. The authors were able to make a detailed investigation (including an interview of many of the survivors), about four years later. Their findings have been widely quoted in the literature. Of particular relevance to our considerations here we note that they found that of the 100 cases identified, 42 were dead at the time of follow up. Of these, 12 were suspected suicides and five more had died as a result of complications of their initial attempt. There were 17further attempts at suicide in the remaining group. Significantly, the twelve women in the group all made non-lethal attempts whereas all five of the men made successful attempts. The authors were able to establish that the risk of further attempts at suicide (having made one attempt)was in excess of 5% per year and the â€Å"success† rate was 1.5% per year in this group. From this study we can also conclude that the risk of successful repeat attempted suicide is very much greater if the subjects male. The authors were also able to establish that, because of their initial attempt, those at risk of self-harm were likely to be in contact with the Psychiatric services and also suffering from persistent severe depression. We can examine the paper by Dennis (M et al. 2005) for a further insight into the risk factors that are identifiable in the at risk groups. This paper is not so detailed as the Hippie paper, but it differs in its construction as it is a control matched study which specifically considered the non-fatal self-harm scenario. The study compared two groups of age matched elderly people both groups had a history of depression but the active study group had, in addition, a history of self-harm. The significant differences highlighted by this study were that those in the self-harm group were characterised by poorly integrated social network and had a significantly more hopeless ideation. This clearly has implications for intervention as, in the context of a care home or warden assisted setting, there is scope for improving the social integration of the isolated elderly, and in the domestic setting community support can provide a number of options to remove factors that mitigate towards social isolation. This would appear to be a positive step towards reducing the risk of further self harm. The O’Connell paper (O’Connell et al. 2004) is effectively a tour divorce on the pertinent issues. It is a review paper that cherry-picks the important information from other, quite disparate, studies and combines them into a coherent whole. It is extremely well written, very detailed, quite long and extremely informative. While it is not appropriate to consider the paper in its entirety, there are a number of factors that are directly relevant to our considerations here and weshall restrict our comments to this aspect of the paper. In terms of the identification of the risk factors associated with attempted suicide in the elderly, it highlights psychiatric illnesses, most notably depression, and certain personality traits, together with physical factors which include neurological illnesses and malignancies. The social risk factors identified in the Dennis paper are expanded to include â€Å"social isolation, being divorced, widowed, or long term single†. The authors point to the fact that many of the papers referred to tend to treat the fact of suicide in reductionist terms, analysing it to its basic fundamentals. They suggest that the actual burden of suicide should also be considered in more human terms with consideration of the consequences for the family and community being understood and assessed. (Mason T et al. 2003) In terms of nursing intervention for suicide prevention, we note that the authors express the hypothesis that sociality exists along a continuum from suicidal ideation, through attempted suicide, to completed suicide. It follows from this that a nurse, picking up the possibility of suicidal ideation, should consider and act on this as significant warning sign of possible impending action on the part of the patient. The authors point to the fact that the estimation of the actual significance of the various prevalence’s of suicide varies depending on the study (and therefore the definition) (Kirby M et al. 1997). In this context we should note that the findings do not support the ageist assumptions expounded earlier, on the grounds that the prevalence of either hopelessness or suicidal ideation in the elderly is reported asap to 17% (Kirby M et al. 1997), and there was a universal association with psychiatric illness, especially depressive illness. If we consider the prevalence of suicidal feelings in those elderly people who have no evidence of mental disorder, then it is as low as4%. It therefore seems clear that hopelessness and sociality are not the natural and understandable consequences of the ageing process as Freud and others would have us believe. This has obvious repercussions as far as nursing (and other healthcare) professionals are concerned, as it appears to be clearly inappropriate to assume that sociality is, in most cases, anything other than one of many manifestations of mental illness. It also follows from this, and this again has distinct nursing implications, that suicidal ideation and intent is only the tip of the iceberg when one considers the weight of psychological, physical and social health problems for the older person. (Warn M et al. 2002) If one considers evidence from studies that involve psychological autopsies, there is further evidence that psychopathology is involved. Depressive disorders were found in 95% in one study. (Duberstein P R teal. 1994) Psychotic disorders and anxiety states were found to be poorly correlated with suicidal completion. Further evidence for this viewpoint comes from the only study to date which is a prospective cohort study in which completed suicide was the outcome measure. (Ross R K et al. 1990). This shows that the most reliable predictor of suicide was the self-rated severity of depressive symptoms. This particular study showed that those clients with the highest ratings were 23 times more likely to die as the result of suicide than those with the lowest ratings. It also noted that other independent risk factors (although not as strong), were drinking more than 3 units of alcohol per day and sleeping more than 9 hours a night. One further relevant point that comes from the O’Connell paper is the fact that expression of suicidal intent should never be taken lightly in the older age group. The authors cite evidence to show that this has a completely different pattern in the elderly when compared tithe younger age groups. (Beauties A L 2002). The figures quoted show that if an elderly person undertakes a suicide attempt they are very much more likely to be successful than a younger one. The ratio of Para suicides to completed suicides in the adolescent age range is 200:1, in the general population it is between 8:1 and33:1 and in the elderly it is about 4:1. (Warn M et al. 2003). It follows that suicidal behaviour in the elderly carries a much higher degree of intent. This finding correlates with other findings of preferential methods of suicide in the elderly that have a much higher degree of lethality such as firearms and the use of hanging. (Jorum A Feet al. 1995). The paper by Cornwell (Y et al. 2001) considers preventative measures that can be put in place and suggests that independent risk factors commonly associated with suicide in the elderly can be expanded to include psychiatric and physical illnesses, functional impairment, personality traits of neuroticism and low openness to experience, and social isolation. And of these, t is affective illness that has the strongest correlation with suicide attempts. We have discussed(elsewhere) the correlation between impending suicide and contact with the primary care providers. Cornwell cites the fact that 70% of elderly suicides have seen a member of the primary healthcare team within 30days of their death and therefore proposes that the primary healthcare setting is an important venue for screening and intervention. It is suggested that mood disorders are commonplace in primary healthcare practice but, because they are comparatively common, are underdiagnosed and often inadequately treated (ageism again). The authors suggest that this fact alone points to the fact that one of the suicide prevention strategies that can be adopted by the primary healthcare team. they suggest that clinicians, whether they are medically qualified or nursing qualified, should be trained to identify this group and mobilise appropriate intervention accordingly. Obviously the community nurses can help in this regard as they are ideally placed to maximise their contact with vulnerable and high risk groups. We have identified the role of a major depressive illness in the aetiology of suicide in the elderly. Bruce (M L et al. 2002) considered the role of both reactive and idiopathic major depression in the population of the elderly in a nursing home setting. This has particular relevance to our considerations as firstly, on an intuitive level, one can possibly empathise with the reactive depressive elements of the elderly person finding themselves without independence in a residential or nursing home and secondly, this is perhaps the prime setting where the nurse is optimally placed to monitor the mood another risk factors of the patient and continual close quarters. The salient facts that we can take from this study are that there was substantial burden of major depressive symptomatology in this study group (13.5%). The majority (84%) were experiencing their first major depressive episode and therefore were at greatest risk of suicide. The depression was associated with comorbidity in the majority of cases including â€Å"medical morbidity, instrumental activities of daily living disability, reported pain, and a past history of depression but not with cognitive function or socio demographic factors.† All of these positive associations which could have been recognised as significant risk factors of suicide in the elderly. Significantly, in this study, only 22% of all of the seriously depressed patients were receiving antidepressant therapy and none were receiving any sort of psychotherapy. In addition to this the authors point to the fact that 31% of the patients who were put on antidepressants were taking a sub therapeutic dose (18% because they were purposely not complying with the dosage instructions). The conclusions that the authors were able to draw from this study were that major depression in the elderly was twice as common in the residential setting as opposed to those elderly patients still in the community. The majority of these depressed patients were effectively left untreated and therefore at significant risk of suicide. There was the obvious conclusion that a great deal more could be done for this study population in terms of relieving their social isolation and depressive illnesses. And, by extrapolation, for their risk of suicide. Ethical considerations. In consideration of the issue of suicide in the elderly we note that there are a number of ethical considerations but these are primarily in the field of assisted suicide which we have specifically excluded from this study. (Pabst Batten, M 1996) Evidence for positive nursing interventions Having established the evidence base in the literature that defines the risk factors that are known to be particularly associated with suicide in the elderly, we take it as read that this will form part of the knowledge base for the nurse to be alert to, and to identify those patients who are at particular risk of suicide. It is equally important to be aware of those factors that appear to confer a degree of protection against suicide. This will clearly also help to inform strategies of intervention for the nurse. Studies such as that by Gunnel (D et al. 1994) point to the fact that religiosity and life satisfaction were independent protective factors against suicidal ideation, and this factor was particularly noted in another study involving the terminally ill elderly where the authors noted that higher degrees of spiritual well-being and life satisfaction scores both independently predicted lower suicidal feelings. (McClain et al. 2003). The presence of a spouse or significant friend is a major protective factor against suicide. Although clearly it may not be an appropriate intervention for nursing care to facilitate the presence of a spouse(!) it may well be appropriate, particularly in residential settings, to facilitate social interactions and the setting up of possible friendships within that setting (Bertolote J M et al. 2003) Conclusions and discussion This Dissertation has considered the rationale behind the evidence base for nursing intervention and strategies to prevent or minimise suicide attempts in the elderly age group. We have outlined the literature which is directed at identification of the greatest â€Å"at risk† groups and this highlights the importance of the detection and treatment ofboth psychiatric disorders (especially major depression), and physical disorders (especially Diabetes Mellitus and gastric ulceration).(Thomas A J et al. 2004) Although we have been at pains to point out the relatively high and disproportionate incidence of suicide in the elderly, we should not lose sight of the fact that it is not a common event. One should not take the comments and evidence presented in this dissertation as being of sufficient severity to merit screening the entire elderly population. (Erlangen A et al. 2003) The thrust of the findings in this dissertation are that the screening should be entirely opportunistic. The evidence base that we have defined should be utilised to identify those who are in high risk groups, for example, those with overt depressive illnesses, significant psychological and social factors, especially those who have a history of previous attempted suicide. The healthcare professional should not necessarily expect the elderly person to volunteer such information and if the person concerned is naturally withdrawn or reserved, minor degrees of depressive symptoms may not be immediately obvious. (Callahan C M teal. 1996). In terms of direct nursing intervention, this must translate into the need to be aware of such eventualities and the need to enquire directly about them. The nurse should also be aware that the presence of suicidal feelings in a patient with any degree of depression is associated with a lower response rate to treatment and also an increase in the need for augmentation strategies. The nurse should also be aware of the fact that these factors may indicate the need for secondary referral. (Gunnel D et al. 1994). If we accept the findings of Conwell (Y et al. 1991), then the estimated population at risk from significant mood disorder and therefore the possibility of attempted suicide in the elderly, is 74%.This can be extrapolated to suggest that if mood disorders were eliminated from the population then 74% of suicides would be prevented in the elderly age group. Clearly this is a theoretical viewpoint and has to be weighed against the facts that firstly â€Å"elimination† of mood disorders (even if it were possible), would only be achieved by treatment of all existing cases as well as prevention of new cases, and the secondary prevention of sub-clinical cases. We know, from other work, that the detection and treatment of depression in all age ranges is low, and even so only 52% of cases that reach medical attention make a significant response to treatment(Bertolote J M et al. 2003). These statistics reflect findings from the whole population and the detection rates and response rates are likelyto lower in the elderly. (Wei F et al. 2003). It follows that although treatment of depressive illness is still the mainstay of treatment intervention as far as suicide prevention is concerned, preventative measures and vigilance at an individual level are also essential. Nursing interventions can include measures aimed at improving physical and emotional health together with improved social integration. Sometimes modification of lifestyle can also promote successful ageing and lead to an overall decrease in the likelihood of suicidal feelings. (Fischer L R et al. 2003) On a population level, public health measures designed to promote social contact, support where necessary, and integration into the community are likely to help reduce the incidence of suicide in the elderly, particularly if we consider the study by Cornwell (Y et al.1991) which estimated the independent risk factor for low levels of social contact in the elderly population as being 27%. Some communities have provided telephone lines and this has been associated with significant reduction in the completed suicide in the elderly (Fischer R et al. 2003) To return to specific nursing interventions, one can also suggest measures aimed at reducing access to, or availability of the means for suicide such as restricting access to over the counter medicines.(Slog I et al. 1996), Some sources (Castell H 2000) point to the possibility of introducing opportunistic screening in the primary healthcare setting. The rationale behind this suggestion is the realisation that there is high level of contact between the suicidal elderly person and their primary healthcare team in the week before suicide (20-50%) and in the month before suicide (40-70% make contact). This is particularly appropriate to our considerations here because of the progressively increasing significance of the role of the nurse within the primary healthcare team particularly at the first point of contact. (Houston, Ret al. 2002) The evidence base for this point of view is strengthened by reference to the landmark Gotland study (Ruts W et al. 1989) which examined the effect of specific training in suicide awareness and prevention in the primary healthcare team by providing extensive suicide awareness training and measures to increase the facilitation of opportunistic screening of the population. Prior to the intervention, the authors noted that, when compared to young adults, the elderly were only 6% as likely to be asked about suicide and 20% as likely to be asked if they felt depressed and 25% as likely to be referred to mental health specialist. This balance was restored almost to normality after the intervention. Suicide in the elderly is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon. It appears to be the case that the elderly tend to be treated with different guidelines from the young suicidal patient insofar as the increased risk is not met with increased assistance. (Kouras L et al.2002). We have presented evidence that the factors included in this discrepancy may include the higher overall number of young suicides, the higher economic burden that society appears to carry for each young suicide together with ageist beliefs about the factors concerning suicide in the elderly. From the point of view of nursing intervention, both in a hospital and in a community setting, there should be greater emphasis placed on measures such as screening and prevention programmes targeted at the at-risk elderly. There is equally a need for aggressive intervention if depression or suicidal feelings are overtly expressed, particularly in the relevant subgroups where additional risk factors may be active, for example those with comorbid medical conditions or social isolation or recent bereavement. (Harwood D et al. 2001), Many of the elderly spend their last years in some form of sheltered accommodation, whether this is a nursing home, a hospital, warden assisted housing or being cared for by the family. (Haut B J et al.1999) In the vast majority of cases this is associated with a loss of independence, increasing frailty and an increasing predisposition to illness that comes with increasing age. (Juurlink D N et al. 2004).This loss of independence and increasing predisposition to illness is also associated with depressive illnesses of varying degrees. (Bruce ML et al. 2002). These patients are arguably, by a large, more likely to come into contact with the nurses in the community. (Munson M L 1999)The comments that we have made elsewhere relating to the nurse’s role in being aware of the implications for the depressed elderly patient are particularly appropriate in this demographic subgroup. As a general rule, it may be easier to keep a watchful eye on patients who are exhibiting early signs of depressive illness or mood disorder in this situation by making arrangements to visit on a regular basis or on â€Å"significant anniversaries† such as the death of a spouse or a wedding anniversary. (Nagatomo I et al. 1998) when the risk factors for suicide increase dramatically (Schonberg H C et al. 1998) The literature in this area is quite extensive and covers many of the aspects of suicide in the elderly. It is noticeable however, that there is a great deal of literature on the subject of risk factors and associations of suicide together with plenty of papers which quote statistics that relate the various trends and incidences. There are, by comparison, only a few papers which emphasise and reflect on the positive aspects of nursing care. The positive steps that can be taken by the nursing profession specifically to help to minimise the burden of suicidal morbidity. There is clearly scope for studies in areas such as the impact that a dedicated community nurse might have on the levels of depression in the community if regular visits were timetabled. It is fair to observe that the community mental health nurses fulfil this role to a degree, but are severely hampered in most cases by sheer weight of numbers in the caseload. (Mason T et al. 2003) Having made these observations, we must conclude that there appears tube an overwhelming case for opportunistic screening of the at risk elderly at any point of contact with a healthcare professional. It is part of the professional remit of any nurse to disseminate their specific professional learning with others. (Yuri H et al. 1998). This can either be done on an informal professional basis in terms of mentorship or, if appropr