The Possibilities of Progress in International Politics Research Paper

The Possibilities of Progress in International Politics - Research Paper Example â€Å"The Possibilities of Progress in International Politics† Therefore, data will be collected from secondary sources. The qualitative research methodology will correspondingly include three approaches of research. These would incorporate the grounded theory, historical research and critical social research approaches. In this regard, grounded theory research approach suggests of a research based on grounded data from secondary sources as well as primary sources. Based on the collected data obtained from the sources, the research approach will lead to the generation of relevant theory to suffice the determined goal of the study. This approach is highly important in the current context, as it would lead to the establishment of relevant theories related to international political conflicts and resolutions (Leavy, 2014). Another research approach will be used in the study is the historical research approach, wherein the researchers use historical data for conducting the research. These historical data will both be primary and secondary. Primary data will be collected from archaeological evidences and others, while the secondary sources will be collected from several scholarly articles and books (Leavy, 2014). The third approach used in the research study will be the critical social research approach. Through this approach, data collected from social and cultural evidences will be critically analyzed. Applying this approach, the concepts of humanities and social sciences will also be simultaneously used.

The Life and Times of William Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

The Life and Times of William Shakespeare Essay Shakespeare is widely regarded as the world’s greatest playwright, and there’s no real reason to dispute that. People are still seeing his plays 400 years after he wrote them, not because it’s â€Å"trendy† or â€Å"hip,† but because they’re so good. His insight into the human spirit has never been equaled. This paper is a brief biography of Shakespeare and a discussion of the times in which he lived. Discussion His life: It’s somewhat difficult to find factual information about Shakespeare, because the â€Å"first attempts at biographical research were not begun until over half a century after Shakespeare’s death† (Best, 2005). In addition, there were few biographies written of important persons at this time, especially dramatists, since plays were not considered â€Å"serious literature† (Best, 2005). In addition, the Puritans closed the theaters in 1642, and many manuscripts and other records were lost (Best, 2005). It also doesn’t help that there are numerous spellings of his name. Nevertheless, scholars have pieced together a fairly complete picture of his life, and where facts are not known, they have drawn reasonable inferences (Best, 2005). However, the fact remains that much of what we know is based on indirect information. William Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon some time in April, 1564, the son of John Shakespeare and Mary Arden (Hanna Life). Although there is no record of the exact date of his birth, there is a baptismal record at the church, so most scholars put his birthday as the 23rd of April, 1564 (Hanna Life). John Shakespeare was a â€Å"prominent and prosperous alderman† in Stratford, and was â€Å"granted a coat of arms by the College of Heralds† (Hanna Life). Little is known of Shakespeare’s boyhood but it is believed that he probably attended the â€Å"Stratford Grammar School† (Hanna Life). There is no record of him having gone on to either Oxford or Cambridge, both of which were well established by his time (Hanna Life). Shakespeare’s name turns up next in 1582 when he marries Anne Hathaway, some eight years his senior (Hanna Life). Their daughter Susanna was born in 1583 and twins, Judith and Hamnet, were born in 1585 (Hanna Life). Once again Shakespeare disappears from the records and doesn’t turn up again for seven years, by which time he is â€Å"recognized as an actor, poet and playwright† (Hanna Life). His recognition comes in the form of an insult from a rival, Robert Greene, who calls Shakespeare â€Å"an upstart crow† in his (Greene’s) play, A Groatsworth of Wit (Hanna Life). It’s thought that at about this time (1592) Shakespeare joined an acting troupe known as The Lord Chamberlain’s Men, one of the best in London (Hanna Life). The troupe leased the theater (named, unoriginally, â€Å"The Theatre†) where they performed; they lost the lease in 1599 (Hanna Life). By this time, though, the troupe had enough money to build their own theater, across the Thames on the less fashionable South Bank; this new theater was, of course, The Globe (Hanna Life). The Globe opened in July, 1599, with some of the old timbers salvaged from The Theatre used in its construction (Hanna Life). The Globe featured â€Å"Totus mundus agit histrionem (A whole world of players)† as its motto (Hanna Life). When James I ascended the throne in 1603, the company changed its name to the â€Å"King’s Men† or â€Å"King’s Company† (Hanna Life). The company’s instructions, conveyed to them in Letters Patent, told Shakespeare and eight other company members specifically to â€Å"use and exercise the art and faculty of playing Comedies, Tragedies, Histories, Interludes, Morals, Pastorals, stage plays as well for recreation of our loving subjects as for our solace and pleasure (Hanna Life). Things went well for the newly-christened King’s Men for another ten years, until 1613 (Hanna Life). Then, on June 19, a cannon fired from the theater’s roof during a â€Å"gala performance of Henry VIII† set the Globe’s thatched roof on fire and the theater burned to the ground (Hanna Life). The audience was so absorbed in the play that at first they ignored the fire, but when the walls and curtains went up, they surely must have run (Hanna Life). By some miracle â€Å"there were no casualties, and the next spring the company had the theatre ‘new builded in a far fairer manner than before’ (Hanna Life). Shakespeare â€Å"invested in the rebuilding† effort, but by that time he had retired to Stratford, to the â€Å"Great House of New Place† that he’d bought in 1597 (Hanna Life). There were considerable land holdings associated with the house, and Shakespeare remained there, where he continued to write, until his death in 1616 (Hanna Life). Ironically, he died on his alleged birthday, April 23 (Hanna). He was 52. Although he died at what we would consider a young age, he left behind a body of work that has made him immortal, and continues to light up theaters around the world. His Times: The world 400 years ago is often seen as romantic and noble, but it was brutal, unsanitary and often terrifying. We’re familiar with a lot of the history of the time through films and TV shows; a movie about Elizabeth I was released recently. Shakespeare lived at a time of political upheaval and court intrigue, as well as a time of exploration. For example, a man named John Hawkins sailed to the New World a second time in 1561 (Hanna Times). Trips like this were dangerous and daring, but also yielded treasure and more importantly, lands for the Crown. From 1577-1580 â€Å"Francis Proke sailed around the world† (Hanna Times). In 1586 when he was 22, Mary Queen of Scots was tried for treason and executed the following year (Hanna Times). And in 1588 one of the greatest events in English history took place: the English under the command of Queen Elizabeth I defeated the Spanish invasion fleet known as the Armada (Hanna Times). Unfortunately, this was also the time of the great plagues; plague swept through London in 1592-93, necessitating the closure of the theaters; plague struck again in 1603 (Hanna). This was also the year that Elizabeth I died and James IV, King of Scotland became James I of England (Hanna Times). It was at this point that the â€Å"Lord Chamberlain’s Men† became the â€Å"King’s Men†; James I liked the theater and was a writer himself, publishing works on such subjects and witchcraft and â€Å"the divine right of kings† (Best-James I, 2005). In 1605, the â€Å"Gunpowder Plot† was hatched and Guy Fawkes lead a group of Catholics in an attempt to assassinate James and blow up Parliament (Hanna – Times). The English still celebrate â€Å"Guy Fawkes Day. † As we saw, the Globe burned down in 1613 by which time Shakespeare had returned to Stratford. He lived only another three years.

The Automobile and the Environment Essay -- Essays Papers

The Automobile and the Environment In today’s society, the automobile is often stereotyped as the environmentalist’s infamous enemy. While the bases of many of these stereotypes are accurate, it is also true that the development of the auto industry has helped to improve certain conditions in our environment. With each progression of automobile technology and industry brings new and equal concerns in the realms of public safety, public health, the economy and the environment. Consequently, engineers and activists are constantly searching for a medium that will satisfy the human need for speed and will keep in tact the fragile world around us. Nearly one hundred years ago the concept of a car was still waiting to be born. The idea of transportation, however, had been around for thousands of years. By the turn of the 20th century, the quickest and most efficient method of moving was still by horseback. As urbanization crowded more and more people into tighter vacinaties, so were more horses found on city streets. The increase of horseback riders and horses resulted in a large increase of manure. Fred L. Smith, former senior policy analyst for the Environmental Protection Agency reported that the average horse produced 45 pounds of manure a day. This contributed to enormous waste problems many years ago. As the manure accumulated, it required constant collection and disposal. Stagnant waste led to flies, dried dung dust, and the stench of urine. Further, people often-developed lung complications and disease due to the lack of proper sanitation. Even more problems resulted from the disposal of dead horses. New York City reported the disposal of 15,000 corpses each year during 1890’s. Often body... ...latinum.ACS.html - â€Å"The Automobile, Environmentally Friendly Habits for Canadian Drivers†. What We Can Do: The Automobile. Internet Explorer. Online. Mar 2nd, 98. www.pwc.bc.doe.ca/corp/press/eweek/grhome/transpot.html - Bast, Joseph. â€Å"How Automobiles Have Cleaned Up Their Act†. Earth Day ’96. Internet Explorer. Online. Mar 1st, 98. www.heartland.org/earthday96/autos.htm - â€Å"Environmental Benefits†. Electric Vehicles-Battery Technologies. Internet Explorer. Online. Mar 1st, 98. www.sdge.com/EV/Benefits/batteries.html - â€Å"Lawryk, Nicolas J. Science News. 149:188. Mar 23rd , 96. - â€Å"MMT In Gasoline†. Consumer Reports. 61:8. May 96. - â€Å"Safe Brands Corporation featuring SIERRA Antifreeze-Coolant†. Safe Brands Corporation. Internet Explorer. Online. Mar 1st, 98. www.safebrands.com

King of Kings :: social issues

King of Kings Even though the people of Israel were under the leadership of the almighty God, they were not pleased. They wanted a human king, someone fallible and imperfect to lead them. Even then, God was forgiving and appointed a human king over them. As I intend to prove, kingship was not a good thing for the nation of Israel because kings were corrupt and sinful. They imposed harsh labors and laws on the people who followed them. But most importantly, by having a king, they were turning their backs on God. There were a few benefits that came from having a king, but these proved to be an illusion. Many will argue that a king was good for Israel. Proponents for a king argue that kings brought political stability to the country. By imposing taxes and labors, they argue that the economic stability of the country was established. A king would unite all the tribes of Israel into a single country under his leadership. A human king was someone whom all the people could approach and talk to, whereas God only appeared to a select few people. While David was king over Israel, the kingdom reached its peak in territory and conquests. He captured the strongholds of Zion and Jerusalem; 2 cities which held great importance to the people of Israel. Solomon, with the knowledge God gave him, was perhaps the wisest man of his time. He was a great arbiter of justice and the depths of his knowledge amazed all who came to seek his counsel. A king was also the leader of the army and would lead his troops into battle. Even though these were beneficial aspects of having a king, they did not overcome the negative aspects of kingship. I will argue that having a king was bad for the nation of Israel. I will refute the arguments that supporters of a king. Even though the Israelites made many territorial conquests under the leadership of King David, these gains would only be temporary. They would later lose much of the lands they gained. David, though he was a good king, also sinned against God. He coveted another’s wife and indirectly had her husband killed. Even though Solomon was wise, all his wisdom could not prevent him from sinning against God. A king and his reign are not permanent. A good king may sit on the throne, but he will die, and the king who follows him may not be a good king at all.

Menelaus and Helen In ‘The Trojan War’ Essay

Menelaus and Helen are the main characters of the poem, hence, its title. This draws the readers’ attention mostly to the characters rather than to the Trojan myth. The title could have been, ‘The Trojan War’, but rather than doing this, Brooke focused mostly on the main characters, for the poem is more about them, than about the actual happening of the Trojan War. The perspective, and of whose point of view the poem has been written, does not change. It is always from Menelaus point of view of what is happening. Both in part one which describes the scene of the Trojan War, and how Helen has been captured by Paris and is token away from Menelaus, and in part two, which talks about the future, and supposition of how Menelaus and Helen would be years after, it is all Menelaus’ point of view, and not Brookes. The effects of this are that we only have the point of view of one of the main characters, so we do not know how the others felt about the same situation, because Brooke just describes Menelaus’ thoughts and not Helens. It is distinct in the poem that the persona is not Brooke, and that Brooke is simply writing as if he knew what Menelaus thought. This can be told because Brooke writes, â€Å"Menelaus broke To Priam’s palace†, and not â€Å"I broke into Priam’s palace†. The speaker clearly indicates what took Menelaus to this action, his reasons, his feelings, and sensations; Brooke refers to Menelaus’ actions, the scene, as if it were a fact, he does not at any moment of the poem, show his opinion. He is not biased; he simply tells what happens when Helen is captured, as if he were an observer. In the second stanza, it is not Brook’s thoughts, but Menelaus’ feelings towards Helen. It is very clear that Brooke does nto put himself as if he were Menelaus, â€Å"He had not remembered that she was so fair†, he just describes his thoughts as if he knew what Menelaus though about Helen. In the second part of the poem, Brooke analyses the scene and gives his opinion, â€Å"perfect knight†, in the third stanza he continues analyzing, he writes about Menelaus thoughts. So there is a clear distinction between the writer and the persona, we can tell whether or not the character and voice is in the poem or not. Brooke does not only state the facts, he is writing as if he could read Menelaus’ mind and thoughts about his future with Helen, he then goes back to telling the facts and what actually happened when they got old, relating the facts, being omniscient and analyzing what happens, this enriches our comprehension about what is going on. The poem does not have a formal structure. Although we can depict some rhymes at the end of lines, they do not follow a regular pattern. There is also some sense of symmetry, for the stanzas are reasonably the same length. The poem is divided into two parts, the firs one which is a myth and the second one which is the reality. The theme is first presented by a description of the scene, the capturing of Helen by Paris, then, the feelings of Menelaus towards Helen and their lives, following a vision and analysis of the result of the capturing and how Menelaus imagined his future would be, finally, a report on how their lives actually turned out to be. Brooke narrates the scene, he describes Menelaus’ thoughts and therefore does not use speeches in his poem. When there is use of speeches, we know exactly what are on the characters mind, but he does not use them, and we still understand the thoughts of Menelaus because the author does not write of his point of view, but as he were thinking like Menelaus. There are connotations such as when Brooke relates Helens voice as being golden. In this case his intentions are not to say that her voice is made of gold, but this suggests that she has a soft voice, which gives an impression that she is a delicate and elegant woman. Brooke does not literally mean that Helens voice is gold. Brooke does not need to tell the readers that Helen is a feminine woman, because, by saying that her voice is golden, that is already noticed by who reads the poem.

Ch. 15 LO Essay Example

Ch. 15 LO Essay Example Ch. 15 LO Essay Ch. 15 LO Essay Learning Objective Chapter 1 5 LOI Decisions about technology and innovation are strategic, and managers need to approach them systematically. Assessing the technology needs of a company usually begins with benchmarking. Benchmarking compares the organizations practices and technologies with those of other companies. Then the company will look at the environment through scannings. These scannings focus on what can be done and what is currently being developed. Both of these practices still might not be enough to stay ahead of the innovation curve and use disruptive innovation which efers to a process by which a product, service or business model takes root initially in simple applications at the bottom of a market and them moves up market. Managers should make an effort to be aware of disruptive innovation that could potentially displace established competitors in their industry. L02 After managers have thoroughly analyzed their organizations current technological position, they can plan how to develop or exploit emerging technologies. Managers must consider several criteria when planning how to develop or exploit emerging technologies. To begin a manager must consider the market potential. Many innovations are stimulated by external demand for new goods and services. Next they should consider whether technological innovations are even feasible. After that they must carefully consider whether there is a good financial incentive for doing so. Then they must link technology and innovation strategies to their organizations core capabilities. Finally, a manger must decide whether to adopt technological innovations while also taking into account the culture of the organization, the interests of managers, and the expectations of stakeholders. L03 Developing new technology may conjure up visions of scientists and product evelopers working in research and development laboratories. In many industries, the primary sources of new technology are the organizations that actually use it. However, new sources can come from suppliers, manufacturers, users, other industries, universities, and overseas companies. Essentially, the question of how to acquire new technology is a make-or-buy decision which is the question an organization asks itself about whether to acquire new technology from an outside source of develop it itself. These questions include if it is important in terms of competitive advantage that the technology remain proprietary, are the time, skills, nd resources for internal development available, and is the technology readily available outside the company? The answers to these questions guide the manager to the most appropriate technology acquisition option. L04 Successful innovation is a lot more than a great idea. A study found that the lack of good ideas is hardly ever the obstacle to profitable innovation. Organizing for innovation involves unleashing the creative energies of employees while directing their efforts toward meeting market needs in a timely manner. Companies can unleash creativity y establishing a culture that values intrapreneursnip, accept and ven celebrate failures as a sign of innovation, and reinforce innovation through goal setting, rewards, and stories of creative employees. A powerful tool for managing technology and innovations is the development project. A development project is a focused organizational effort to create a new project or process via technological advances. These development projects typically feature a special cross-functional team that works together on an overall concept or idea. L05 Managers today want, or should want, their organizations to become world- class. Being world-class requires applying the best and latest knowledge and ideas nd having the ability to operate at the highest standards of any place anywhere. In order to get to world-class a company must build their organization for sustainable, long-term greatness. Great companies have strong core values in which they believe deeply, and they express and live the values consistently. They are driven by goals and have the ability to change continuously by driving for progress. A company must also replace the tyranny of the or with the genius of the and. The genius of the and is that multiple important goals can be achieved simultaneously and synergistically. World-class companies create high-value products and earn superior profits over the long run and that is what every company should be striving for. L06 Change happens, constantly and unpredictably. And competitive advantage you may have depends on particular circumstances at a particular time, but circumstances change. Effective change management occurs when the organization moves from its current state to a desired future state without excessive cost to the organization or its people. People dont like change for reasons such as inertia, poor timing, surprise, peer pressure, and management tactics. Motivating people to hange often requires three basic stages that include unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. Managers can also use education and communication, participation and involvement, facilitation and support, negotiation and rewards, manipulation and cooptation, and explicit and implicit coercion. Each approach to managing resistance has advantages and disadvantages. Finally, managers must lead the change in order to establish a sense of urgency to their peers in order to maximize efficiency. L07 Most change is reactive. A better way to change is to be proactive. Reactive change means responding to pressure after a problem has arisen. Preparing for an uncertain future requires a proactive approach. Proactive change means anticipating and preparing for an uncertain future. It implies being a leader and creating the future you want. People can proactively forge the future by being a shaper more than an adapter. An adapter takes the current industry structure and its future evolution as givens and choose where to compete. People can also actively manage their careers and their personal development, and become an active leader and a lifelong learner. Being willing to seek new challenges, and reflect honestly on success and failures is key to creating a successful future.

Crime and Punishment analysis essays

Crime and Punishment analysis essays Everyone in his or her life experiences some type of mischief or wrong doing in which causes some type of mental disturbance. In Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky uses the five basic literary elements in order to show the atrocities of crime; that crime is an unnecessary evil that only brings about suffering such as guilt, illness, loneliness and punishment. The five basic literary elements utilized by Dostoyevsky are setting, plot, characterization, style and theme. For instance, Dostoyevsky uses the literary element of setting to show that crime is consequentially followed by guilt, and only causes a negative effect on that person who is culpable of the crime. The setting of Crime and Punishment takes place in St. Petersburg, the capital of Russia, in the midst of its troubled transition to the modern age. Through Dostoyevsky use of setting we see that crime causes suffering and guilt. For example, he uses normal occurrences at a police station to exacerbate the protagonists (Roskolnikov) guilt. Furthermore, we see the suffering of Roskolnikov through Dostoyevskys vivid descriptions of his impoverished room; He woke up tense, bilious, irritable, and looked with hatred at his tiny room. It was a minute cubicle, six steps long...the ceiling was so low that a man of any height could not stand there without the sense that he was about to bump his head.(37) Secondly, through the use of plot, Dostoyevsky displays his feelings that crime is accompanied with loneliness. Ive really got to go. I wanted to tell you mother...and you Dunia, it would be better off if we ...separated for a while.(336) This statement by Roskolnikov indicates the extent to which his crime has isolated him, further demonstrating Dostoyevsky belief that crime entails loneliness. Furthermore, ...

Free Essays on The Search For The Standard Authority Of The Early Church

The search for the standard authority in the Early Church I understand and have not violated the Seminary ¡Ã‚ ¦s position on plagiarism ____________________________________________________________ Introduction: The Problem of Authority One of the hallmarks of the Reformed tradition is the concept of sola Scriptura, which is the teaching and belief that the only authoritative special revelation from God that man has is the written Scriptures or the Bible. Underlying this belief is the understanding concerning the nature of Scripture itself, that it is the inerrant, infallible, and inspired word of God. The idea of sola Scriptura stems from the work of the Protestant Reformation where figures like Luther, Calvin and Zwingli countered the claims of the Roman Catholic Church who attributed their authority in the church ¡Ã‚ ¦s traditions or what is called the magisterium. The magisterium is the official teaching body of the Church that is inspired by the Pope. Underlying this conviction is the belief that Jesus Christ transferred His authority to the apostles and their ordained successors, the bishops, where the primary authority was given to the Roman see; this concept is also known as apostolic succession. Ho wever the reformers denied that such authority could be attributed to an individual or tradition within the post-apostolic church as seen in the Westminster confessions, which reads:  ¡Ã‚ §The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit or traditions of men. ¡Ã‚ ¨ (WCF 1:6) Clearly we see that for the reformers, the authority of the Scriptures would find no equal, whether in terms of traditions or any individual whose claim to authority is said to parallel Scripture. H... Free Essays on The Search For The Standard Authority Of The Early Church Free Essays on The Search For The Standard Authority Of The Early Church The search for the standard authority in the Early Church I understand and have not violated the Seminary ¡Ã‚ ¦s position on plagiarism ____________________________________________________________ Introduction: The Problem of Authority One of the hallmarks of the Reformed tradition is the concept of sola Scriptura, which is the teaching and belief that the only authoritative special revelation from God that man has is the written Scriptures or the Bible. Underlying this belief is the understanding concerning the nature of Scripture itself, that it is the inerrant, infallible, and inspired word of God. The idea of sola Scriptura stems from the work of the Protestant Reformation where figures like Luther, Calvin and Zwingli countered the claims of the Roman Catholic Church who attributed their authority in the church ¡Ã‚ ¦s traditions or what is called the magisterium. The magisterium is the official teaching body of the Church that is inspired by the Pope. Underlying this conviction is the belief that Jesus Christ transferred His authority to the apostles and their ordained successors, the bishops, where the primary authority was given to the Roman see; this concept is also known as apostolic succession. Ho wever the reformers denied that such authority could be attributed to an individual or tradition within the post-apostolic church as seen in the Westminster confessions, which reads:  ¡Ã‚ §The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit or traditions of men. ¡Ã‚ ¨ (WCF 1:6) Clearly we see that for the reformers, the authority of the Scriptures would find no equal, whether in terms of traditions or any individual whose claim to authority is said to parallel Scripture. H...

DIVIDEND POLICY Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

DIVIDEND POLICY - Essay Example The management increased both the interim and final dividend throughout the four-year period. In 2007 the company paid an interim dividend of 6.5p which increased to 6.75p in 2008, 6.9p in 2009,7.6p in 2010 and finally 7.9p in 2011. For the case of the final dividend, the amount paid in 2008 was 13.5p, which was increased to 14.1p, 16.2p, 16.85p in 2009,200 and 2011 respectively (Associated British food, 2011). This is attributed to the increasing performance and profitability together with the increase in the performance of the general economy. Since the economy recovered from the recession and the inflation rates reduced, the company realized a reduction in the cost that made it post positive performance. The improving global economic performance also resulted in the increase in the sales turnover and improvement in ABF cash flows (Associated British food, 2011). Since the payments of dividends depends on the availability of cash flows, an increase in the cash inflows would result into an increase in the dividend that can be distributed to the company. Several theories have been developed o elucidate the relevance or irrelevance of dividends decision on the value of a firm (Lease, 2000). Modigliani and Millar dividend irrelevance theory asserts that dividends have no effect on the firms value in a perfect market because dividends are paid out of earnings and therefore whether distributed or not, it does not affect the firms earnings. Dividends have no effect on both equity and cost of equity (Baker, Powell & Veit, 2002). The bird in hand theory was also developed. According to this theory, dividend payments affect the value of a firm since investors are sure about the dividend earnings than the expected capital gains, which they consider as a bird in the bush (Miller & Kevin, 1985). The tax preference theory on the contrary claims that investors will prefer capital gains to the dividend because of the tax advantage associated with the capital gain. Since divi dends attract higher taxes, investors will prefer capital gain. The signaling theory further argues that dividend payment is significant in a firm’s investment decisions because it acts as a signal to the performance of the company. A company with high dividends is said to have better future prospects hence this will attract investors; the theory is based on the assumption that capital markets are imperfect and investors have different levels of knowledge (Benartzi, Roni & Thaler,1997). Before selecting a dividend policy, company managements must take into consideration the likely impact of their dividend decisions. Dividend decisions of a firm are important, as it can be use in influencing the value to the shareholders. In paying dividend, firms will considerer several factors. First, the dividend policy can be determined by the financial requirements of a firm. A firm that has several positive investment projects may decide to increase the proportion that is retained to inv est in the positive projects (Baker, Powell & Veit, 2002). Retention in this case provides the capital required to undertake the positive projects. Secondly, the dividend policy can also be determined by the nature of the company’s earnings. A company that realizes stable income in the financial performance can decide to increase the amount of dividends paid because of stability in the earnings whereas those with fluctuating incomes may reduce the amount of dividend distributed to the shareholders (Clayman, 2012). Moreover, firms’ liquidity also affects its dividend policy. A firm with better cash flows and which is liquid has the ability to make large dividend payments than that is not liquid. This is because dividends are always distributed out of cash and is therefore determined by the

Coca cola company report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Coca cola company report - Essay Example During this long time of its business Coca Cola has done many mergers and acquisitions with various companies. The company has also diversified its business in health drinks, bottled water, fruit juice etc. Coca Cola has created a huge customer base and maintains a strong connection with its targeted customers. Coca Cola is one of the recognizable brands in the world. It is a 16 billion dollar brand. Coca Cola produces the top five soft drinks like Diet coke, Fanta, Coca cola, and Sprite etc. It is also involved in manufacturing other products like vitamin water, Minute maid, powerade etc. The company has the license to market more than 500 beverage brands including water, sparkling drinks, juice, sports & energy drinks, ready to drink coffee or tea etc. Coca Cola has the world’s largest distribution system (Isdell and Beasley, 2011). It has many bottling partners throughout the world for selling its beverage. Its present employee strength is 130,600. In 2013 the company has earned revenue of US$ 46.854 billion. In 2013 Coca Cola has its total assets of US$ 90.055 billion. The company has many subsidiary companies. In 1920 Coca Cola became a publicly trading company. Coca Cola was innovated in 1886. From that time it has become the catalyst for inspired innovation and social interaction. This non alcoholic beverage created a global brand which provides refreshment to its customers throughout the world. This product was invented by John Stith Pemberton in 1886. In this year the first newspaper ad of Coca Cola appeared describing it as refreshing and delicious beverage. The Coca Cola syrup and extract was labeled as copyright under John Pemberton. In 1889 the formula of Coca Cola and the brand was bought by Asa Griggs Candler. He started the company Coca Cola in 1892. The company’s Spencerian script and its trademark were registered in 1892 with the Patent office of U.S. In the company’s second annual meeting the

I dont have topic on mind you can choose an easy one Research Paper

I dont have topic on mind you can choose an easy one - Research Paper Example Plagiarism is a prevalent but disturbing subject in academic societies all over the world. Many students today plagiarize past papers as well as various research papers when writing their research papers or assignments.  There are even websites that have been established to deal with the sheer need of students for people to help them in locating sources for their academic assignments. There are many websites today that allow students to pay complete strangers to do their assignments for them (Perelman, 128). Plagiarism was formerly simply referred to as copying. It was still as frowned upon as it is today, but the word plagiarism carries greater weight than the word ‘copying’. Many tertiary institutions punish students who engage in plagiarism; but this has not really dissuaded the practice. In fact, plagiarism appears to be on the rise. ‘Copying’ was not considered to be a serious issue before 1700 A.D. This is because prior to 1700 A.D., any written mate rial that was in existence was not considered to be the personal property of others, but as special messages of God. Therefore, any person who copied written texts was not considered to be trying to pass another’s work as his own, but just to be imitating the written work. In England, the first law against copying the works of others was passed in 1710 (Kantz, 83). This development is thought to have come about as a result of the developments of the printing press. The Protestant reformation also began to recognize the value of individual ownership. Although there was a lot of objection to the new law outlawing ‘copying’ another’s work, it would become more accepted in the 1890s. The word ‘plagiarism’ comes from the Latin term â€Å"plagiarus† which means â€Å"abductor† or â€Å"kidnapper†. Even though it is ethically wrong for a person to portray the ideas and concepts of others as his or her own, the laws concerning wha t constitutes plagiarism are hazy at best. For instance, one would be forced to say that in ghost writing, which is an accepted form of authorship in literary circles, the author that lends his or her name to the ghost writer is ethically wrong if plagiarism is strictly to be defined as taking credit for another’s work. Additionally, all movie stars who hire writers to write their acceptance speeches, or even politicians with writers in their payroll can also be said to be engaging in a form of plagiarism. This is because in reading their speeches, these celebrated people take credit for another person’s ideas and thoughts by passing these speeches as their own. Another kind of plagiarism that is not penalized in literary circles is â€Å"honorary authorship† where an overseer of a laboratory who hardly contributed at all to the research is mentioned in a research paper as a co-author. Another variety of plagiarism is in government circles where higher ranking o fficers use documents written for them by their subordinates and pass them off as their own. It is quite unreasonable to stress to students that plagiarism of any kind is wrong and will be penalized when here is a very different reality in the working world. The real world has a serious problem in overlooking different types of plagiarism while students are penalized even for insinuating ideas that their lecturers believe

The Impact of Mobile Phones and Tablets on Modern Business Coursework

The Impact of Mobile Phones and Tablets on Modern Business - Coursework Example This research will shed light on the potential and role of smartphones and tablets in increasing efficiency and effectiveness in organizations and to evaluate the attitudes of organizations towards the use of tablet and mobile phones in their operations and determine whether these attitudes and discernments differ among companies. Data will be gathered through questionnaires among 20 respondents. The data will be analyzed qualitatively. Over the past few years, technology has tremendously changed to include advanced gadgets such as mobile phones and tablets. These gadgets have been used for numerous purposes including entertaining and connecting friends and family. Tablets and phones have been fitted with numerous applications with different uses. The use and demand for smartphones and tablets have grown tremendously. The increment of tablets and smartphones across the world has created a complex environment and an opportunity for organizations. Tablets and smartphones have gained popularity over the past few years because of their comfort of interaction with the user and their entertainment uses. Numerous studies have suggested that tablets and smartphones have been primarily used for playing video games, watching videos and movies and reading books. However, tablets and smartphones are not entirely used for entertainment purposes. Since the functionality of smartphones and tablets is comparable to that of desktops and laptops, they have more undiscovered uses that can be beneficial not only to people but also to organizations. Presently, most organizations across the world have adopted the use of mobile phones and tablets to aid in their operations. Many of these organizations have employed smartphones and tablets to aid their business operations hoping to attain benefits from such usage. However, few of  these organizations understand the role and potential of mobile phones and tablets in business.  

HRM, Strategy and Performance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

HRM, Strategy and Performance - Essay Example inciples, the term personnel management do not reflects the entire functions of the personnel department and name personnel management changed to human resource management at present. Globalization and liberalization brought many changes in the business world and internationalization of business through outsourcing and offshoring are common nowadays. In any case, it is a fact that the interaction between employees of different culture has increased a lot in the current business word. Most of the big organizations are currently keen in keeping a diverse workforce in their workplaces because of different reasons. Managing a diverse workforce at the workplace is a complex task because of the huge differences in the requirements of the diverse employees. The performance of an organization depends heavily on the success of managing the employees at the workplace. In short, human resource management can make or break an organization. This paper briefly analyses the HRM topics in general and the topics related to HRM like the meaning of HRM, business and corporate strategies, stakeholders, corporate responsibility and diversity, international and comparative HRM, HRM an d Performance etc in particular. Human Resource Management or HRM can be defined in simple words as the process of employing people, developing their capacities, utilizing, maintaining and compensating their services in tune with the job and organizational requirement. HRM’s responsibility include hiring of the people, developing their resources through training, utilizing them by placing them in appropriate places and sustaining their services with respect to needs of the organization. In other words, HRM has two important functions; one with respect to the organizational needs and the other related to the individual needs of the employees. In short, HR department acts as the bridge between the organization and the employees. The needs of the organization and the needs of the employees may not go in

The Impact of Mobile Phones and Tablets on Modern Business Coursework

The Impact of Mobile Phones and Tablets on Modern Business - Coursework Example This research will shed light on the potential and role of smartphones and tablets in increasing efficiency and effectiveness in organizations and to evaluate the attitudes of organizations towards the use of tablet and mobile phones in their operations and determine whether these attitudes and discernments differ among companies. Data will be gathered through questionnaires among 20 respondents. The data will be analyzed qualitatively. Over the past few years, technology has tremendously changed to include advanced gadgets such as mobile phones and tablets. These gadgets have been used for numerous purposes including entertaining and connecting friends and family. Tablets and phones have been fitted with numerous applications with different uses. The use and demand for smartphones and tablets have grown tremendously. The increment of tablets and smartphones across the world has created a complex environment and an opportunity for organizations. Tablets and smartphones have gained popularity over the past few years because of their comfort of interaction with the user and their entertainment uses. Numerous studies have suggested that tablets and smartphones have been primarily used for playing video games, watching videos and movies and reading books. However, tablets and smartphones are not entirely used for entertainment purposes. Since the functionality of smartphones and tablets is comparable to that of desktops and laptops, they have more undiscovered uses that can be beneficial not only to people but also to organizations. Presently, most organizations across the world have adopted the use of mobile phones and tablets to aid in their operations. Many of these organizations have employed smartphones and tablets to aid their business operations hoping to attain benefits from such usage. However, few of  these organizations understand the role and potential of mobile phones and tablets in business.  

Increase in Insurance Rates Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Increase in Insurance Rates - Essay Example As result the rate directly relates to the premium paid. One factor that causes insurance rates to the increase is the occurrences of particular risks. For instance, an increase ion the occurrences of auto accidents in a particular region ill normally lead to the increase of the premium charged for motor cover. Several instances have been evidenced where the prevalence of a particular risk has led to insurance firms charging higher interest rates for such risks. Other insurers have been noticed to shun covering such risks. Another factor that has seen insurance rates go up is the moral hazard among the insured. This is the situation where the insured party takes no responsibility to prevent the occurrence of risks (G, 1960). This normally arises from the gratification that â€Å"after all I am insured.† The person therefore takes no duty to prevent certain risks from occurring. This will in the long run, lead to an increase in the prevalence of some risks. As a result, insuran ce firms will progressively increase the rates so that the insured chuck out more in form of premiums. The increase in the uncertainties realized in some dimensions in life has made insurance firms take radical measures to ensure they can cope with such situations.

Ariel Dorfmans Death and the Maiden 40 lines analysis Essay Example for Free

Ariel Dorfmans Death and the Maiden 40 lines analysis Essay The following forty lines from Ariel Dorfmans Death and the Maiden (1990), take place in scene 1 of Act 3, after Roberto has been tied up by Paulina and threatened with being tortured the same way as she had been, and then shot. In response to Paulinaà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s threats, Roberto begins confessing the brutality of his actions and his motives. This confession may be true; however, Gerardo has advised Roberto to indulge Paulina, to confess as this would save his life. Whatever the case, the extract is important because it portrays how a man can slide into brutality, without initially meaning to. Second, the extract is important because it helps expose the iniquities of dictatorial military governments. Finally, it is also important because it gives us an idea of Robertos character and personality. In this extract we clearly see the stages by which a respectable doctor became a brutal sadistic torturer. Though Robertos brother told him that helping the torturers could be a way to pay the communists back for what they did to [his] dad, Roberto stresses that he accepted the job for humanitarian reasons. Firstly, he wanted to help the prisoners who were dying from the tortures as someone to help care for them, someone they could trust. Later on, however, Roberto became involved in more delicate operations and was asked to sit in on sessions where [his] role was to determine if the prisoners could take that much torture. This indicates that he was there while the prisoners were tortured, watching these brutal scenes. Roberto thought this was a way of saving peoples lives, as he ordered them to stop or the prisoner would die; however, watching brutalized him, and slowly the virtue [he] was feeling turned into excitement. Soon, brutalization took over [his] life and he began to truly like what [he] was doing, so much so that, from an observer, he became a participant. Torture became a game for him, a game that was partly morbid, partly scientific, as he tortured women to find out things like How much can this woman take? More than the other one? Hows her sex? Does her sex dry up when you put the current through her? Can she have an orgasm under those circumstances? By the end, Roberto had become a sadist totally obsessed with carry[ing] out all [his] fantasies of sexually torturing women who were entirely in his power, women with whom he could do whatever [he] want[ed]. So, stage by stage, we see in the example of Roberto how men can slide from positions of respectability and motives of kindness and compassion to becoming human monsters, men who delight in the sufferings of others. The tragedy of Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s slide from being a humanitarian to being a torturer is emphasized by the style of his speech, which reveals that he is an intelligent, educated, insightful man. Firstly we see how Robertos diction indicates his intelligence and level of education. Words such as brutalization and morbid, and phrases such as he lost his capacity for speech, humanitarian reasons and install a totalitarian dictatorship clearly manifest his ability to speak articulately and in a high register. We also see how analytically capable Roberto is, as he does not just describe his own actions but explains why they occurred, carefully dissecting his his motives for working with the torturers, not to pay the communists back but for humanitarian reasons. He can organize his account in clear, logical stages, with phrases like It was slowly, almost without realizing how, At first, But afterwards, By the time, I began to, and It became. Additionally, even in the circumstances in which he is giving this confession, in fear of his life, Roberto uses figurative language, suggesting that he has good rhetorical abilities. He uses euphemism, for example, in calling torture sessions delicate operations, and he uses metaphors when he refers to his brutalization as the mask of virtue fell off, and to his descent into sadistic torture as the swamp. So, we see how Robertos use of language clearly reveals his high level of education and intelligence, and this makes us even more horrified at how such a sophisticated man could have become a brutal torturer of women. More than exposing the degeneration of individual men, exemplified in Roberto, however, this extract also exposes the iniquities of military dictatorships, like the Pinochet regime in Chile, which Dorfman himself had to flee from. We see how military governments divided families: though Roberto became a doctor devoted to saving lives, his brother, determined to pay the communists back for what they did to [their] father, took another path, joining the military dictatorship and becoming a member of the secret services.à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ We also are given the impression of how military dictatorships can convince people to support them by manipulating their sufferings under previous governments, promising some kind of compensation, as Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s brother joined the dictatorship to pay the communists back for what they didà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½ to his father à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½the day the peasants took over his land at Las Toltecas. Such governments also persuade people to support them, as Roberto did, by deceit and lies, getting Roberto involved in torture by saying the prisoners needed someone they could help care for them, but actually slowing criminalizing Roberto as a torturer. The fact that they have had such an enormous influence on Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s personality shows just how psychologically manipulative such regimes can be. Finally, the fact that, throughout his speech, Roberto refers to the government only as they evokes the way in which such governments work in the shadows, secretly and anonymously, to torture and terrorize. Thus this extract does not only show how Roberto and men like him deteriorate when they become involved in torture; it also shows how dictatorial regimes can manipulate such men, facilitating and enabling this deterioration to occur. In conclusion, this extract is very important as, whether Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s confession is true or feigned, it reveals how even the best of men may slide into such brutality and how military governments can create vile monsters out of exemplary human beings. Through the details of Robertoà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½s confession, Dorfman is inviting his audience to consider how a man becomes sub-human. If a respectable doctor, a benefactor to the community, could turn into such a monster because of the effects of such a regime, then what would happen to the rest of society? Dorfman tries to make the reader consider that this incident that has turned Robertos life into a monster might happen to anybody in our society; especially in a switch of regime.

Essay on setting and work

Essay on setting and work Describe the Setting and the Work it does This report is commissioned by the Local Authority and is the result of a review a Phase One Childrens Centre who currently adopt and integrated model of working. The scope of the review was to identify benefits and limitations of an integrated approach. Furthermore, a brief exploration of the economic implications is provided and recommendations regarding future strategic structure and planning are detailed. Terminology A primary issue with multi-agency working is the inter-changeability and misuse of associated terminology (Morris, 2008; Walker, 2008). This report offers two distinct definitions of multi-agency working and clarifies the use of terms. The first definition describes multi-agency work as a range of different services which have some overlapping or shared interests and objectives, brought together to work collaboratively towards some common purpose (Wigfield Moss, 2001). The second definition contends that multi-agency work is about Bringing various professionals together to understand a particular problem or experienceIn this sense they afford different perspectives on issues at hand, just as one sees different facets of a crystal by turning it (Clark, 1993). These definitions share the ideology of different professionals from separate agencies working with a common goal and attempting to resolve an issue. It is essential to note the differences between multi-agency and multi-disciplinary work. Multi-agency work refers to two or more professionals from different agencies working together, whereas multi-disciplinary refers to the collaboration between different professionals from one agency. For example, (Walker, 2008) suggests that the professional working relationship between a teacher, nursery nurse and teaching assistant within a school is multidisciplinary because although their roles are different, they work within the education agency. However, the relationship between a Teacher, Social Worker and General Practitioner would be multi-agency because it encompasses different agencies (Education, Social Services and Health). (Wilson Pirrie, 2000) make further distinctions between multi-agency and inter-agency and argue the choice of terminology is determined by three factors- numerical, territorial and epistemological. This relates to the quantity of professionals involved, locations, and the amount of innovation in developing new ways of working which considers the philosophical foundations of each professional identity(Wilson Pirrie, 2000). Inter-agency may involve two professionals from different agencies whereas multi-agency involves a minimum of three (Wilson Pirrie, 2000). Furthermore, true multi-agency working requires professionals to enter each others professional environment, both physically and culturally, and establishing or re-establishing a novel and universal awareness and understanding (Coad, 2008; Walker, 2008; Wilson Pirrie, 2000). For the purpose of this report, the term multi-agency shall be adopted throughout and shall refer to two or more professionals from different agencies working collaboratively to address the needs of children and young people. Rationale The emphasis for multi-agency teamwork initiated following the death of Maria Colwell in 1973 (Walker, 2008) which resulted in significant changes to the structure of child services. However, the deaths of children with whom various agencies were involved continued. Such deaths include Jasmine Beckford (1984), Tyra Henry (1984), Heidi Koseda (1984) Kimberley Carlile (1986), Doreen Mason (1987), Leanne White (1992), Rikki Neave (1994), Chelsea Brown (1999), Victoria Climbià © (2000), Lauren Wright (2000) and Ainlee Labonte (2002). Despite enquiries into these deaths only a minority led to negligible changes in policy or guidance and only one led to a radical change in children services (Walker,2008). (Laming) (2003) highlighted significant failings on the part of agencies to work collaboratively to ensure the well-being of children and young people. Lamings (2003) recommendations were broadly adopted into the Every Child Matters agenda (DfES, 2003) which (Walker, 2008) suggests the g overnment were already considering implementing which suggests the it was implemented because it mirrored the ideological perspective of the government. However, van Eyk and Baum (2002) suggest that inquests have provided h3 evidence that agencies should be working together in a collaborative manner to safeguard children and therefore it is unsurprising that the government have adopted this ideological stance. Laming (2003) supports this by indicating the inseparability of the protection of children and wider support to families which has been widely accepted (Morris, 2008) and therefore the need for Local Authorities to have agencies working collaboratively is essential (Coad, 2008; Walker, 2008). Despite the development of legislation and policies, the death of Baby Peter in August 2007 was attributed to the failure of Social Workers and other professionals who had seen him approximately sixty times.   In November 2008 Lord Laming was commission by the government to conduct independent report on the progress being made by Local Authorities to work collaboratively to protect children. Key findings from Laming (2009) included: Social Workers are under-pressure deliver but inadequate training. The Day-to-day running of protection cases has significant problems. Managers are failing to lead by example with an over-emphasis on targets and process. The lack of a centralised Information Technology system is hampering progress. Administration is too complex and lengthy with a tick-box recording system. There is a lack of communication and joined-up working. Data protection laws are not clear nor understood resulting in information not being shared. There is a lack of funding in Social and Child Protection work. There has been a reduction in Child Protection Police Officers. Laming (2009) made the following recommendations: Directors of Childrens Services with no experience with child protection issues should appoint an experienced social work manger. All Local Authority Leads and Senior Managers should have child protection training. Social Work students should get more child protection training. Employers should face prosecution for failing to protect. Court fees for Care Proceedings should be reviewed (currently  £4000 per case) OFSTED inspectors must have experience of child protection Explicit targets should be developed for all frontline services A national agency should be developed to ensure the implementation of these recommendations. Legislation Under Section 17 of the Children Act 1989 the Local Authority has a duty to safeguard and promoted the welfare of children within their area and are in need.   Section 22(3) extends this to include children within care. As the local authority is constructed of many agencies there is an implicit requirement for agencies to work collaboratively. This is stipulated within Section 10 of the (Children Act, 2004) Children which is a development of Section 27 of the Children Act 1989. This places a duty on agencies to pro-actively work with each other to support children and their families.   However, there also conflicting social policies and legislation which may act to limit the effectiveness of multi-agency working. An example may be a single-mother under the care of Social Services because she is over-crowded in her house.   The assessment indicates this is the primary factor from concern and recommends better accommodation from the Housing Department.   The Governments Every Child Matters vision demands that all children be placed at the centre of social action. However, other laws conflict this.   Housing law does not need to consider the Children Act 1989 or 2004, nor does it force Local Authorities to consider the allocation of accommodation on a child-centred basis, but on the basis of reasonable preference (Shelter, 2005, p.www). This leaves the potential for one law to stigmatise with the other to maintain stigmatisation and conflict between agencies arising. Current Model of Inter-Agency Working Integrated Service Model The Integrated Service Model unites various agencies into one hub who deliver a range of services and integrated support children and families within a community. The team share a location, vision, agreed principles and philosophies in developing localised plans to improve outcomes for service-users. This is usually delivered from an early years setting such as a Childrens Centre. The facilities and services of the integrated team are funded by all agencies and out-sourcing funding from voluntary, community and government agencies is also available. Such services may include access to childcare, education, and counselling as well as advice on health, employment and benefits. Furthermore, practitioners actively and collaboratively engage in outreaching activities to identify and target in need families. Parents and children are given the opportunity to learn new skills, discuss their issues (formally and informally), and engage in communal activities. As services are localised it recognises each community is different and has unique needs. Therefore, activities will differ from hub to hub. Furthermore, there is a greater emphasis on co-working and co-training with skills between agencies being shared at a deeper level resulting in better practice and information sharing. However, the benefits of this model can be limited by local factors such as poor management or failing to identify local needs. Furthermore, getting all agencies involved requires an initial financial and personnel investment along with a clear and agreed strategy on how to merge services. Managing the differences in pay between practitioners and the power each agency holds needs to be considered at a macro-level to ensure fairness and consistency. A failure in this may result in practitioners feeling devalued or threatened. Atkinson et als (2001) study found this model is most effective when there is a case lead/manager responsible for co-ordinating services for families which ensures services are aimed at the service-user rather than the organisation or professional.   A review into outcomes for families with disabled children indicates that a key worker integrated model promotes better outcomes (Liabo et al,2001). Although Liabo et al (2001) acknowledge a lack of large scale and robust studies, an integration of the current evidence indicates families enjoy a better quality of life, lower levels of stress and quicker access to services. However, from a critical perspective a systematic review is required to minimise any bias. Although Watson et al (2000,2002) concur, they argue these are opinions rather than fact and call for localised research aimed at measuring outcomes to enable a synthesis of results. Alternative Models of Multi-agency Working Multi-agency Team The multi-agency team model is considerably more formal than the Multi-agency panel model currently employed. Practitioners are recruited as part of a singular team who share a common goal and a sense of team identity and are line managed by a team leader. However, links are maintained with home agencies through supervision and training. This team would share a base, although some practitioners would be required to work in two settings. Such an example might include a School Attendance Officer who would be based within the Local Service Team and at the school which can lead to confusion between job roles. As collaborative working is at the foundation of the approach there is inevitably a sharing of skills and knowledge with communication being uncomplicated. However, recruitment of staff is time-consuming and identification of people not only with the appropriate skills, but also to work collaboratively may be problematic. Also, as this will be new to the Local Authority, time and funding would need to be allocated for team building and development.   There is also a reliance on agencies sharing a good relationship and be willing to partake in meetings, conferences and strategy meetings in addition to service-user discussions. Measuring the Impact of Integrated Working The above has highlighted the implications for failing to work in an integrated manner and there is an assumption that effective integrated working actively contributes to the positive outcomes of Every Child Matters. Therefore this section focuses on studies and literature aimed at measuring the efficacy of integrated working. Cameron and Larts (2003) systematic review reaffirms the findings of Cameron et al (2000) that there is little evidence to confirm the benefits for service users of integrated working. Cameron and Lart (2003) are critical of the lack of evaluations aimed at measuring the effectiveness of multi-agency working and highlight the few that have are methodologically poor. Similarly, few studies have provided information regarding the effectiveness of different models. For example, Atkinson et al (2002) interviewed professionals to assess benefits of multi-agency working to service users. They identified quicker access to services leading to quicker diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, they identified that professionals from different agencies communicated more effectively. However, this study collected the subjective views of professionals and failed to obtain the representative view of the service user.   Webb and Vuillamys (2001) study indicated a reduction in the exclusion of high risk pupils through the introduction of specialist support workers responsible for avoiding inter-agency disputes regarding responsibilities and resources. Webb and Vuillamy (2001) claim the support workers differentiated between school-focused agencies (such as educational social workers, educational psychologists and teachers) and external-agencies (such as Social Workers, Police and General Practitioners). This study reported a 25% reduction in exclusions. Webb and Vuillamy (2001) claim this has far-reaching consequences such as a reduction in crime, better educational and vocational attainment, however, this is broad assumptions based on the statistical link between exclusion and crime and is not proven within the study. Challis et al (2004) conducted a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) of 256 older people at risk of care home entry. The objective of the RCT was to redesign the decision-making process by assessing the value of obtaining a specialist clinician assessment prior to placing individuals into care homes. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups, the first received the standardised assessment process and second (experimental group) received a clinical assessment from a geriatrician or psychiatrist. The collaboration between the clinician and social worker was at the heart of this RCT. The experimental group continued to experience reduced deterioration mental and physical, had minimal contact with emergency services and carers reported lower levels of stress. Furthermore, NHS costs were lower and social services and the NHS benefited from merging skills, developing communication; and improved outcomes for users and carers. Despite the findings from these studies, the majority of studies focus on process rather than outcome, for example a Systematic Review by Cameron and Lart (2003) indicate factors which promote and hinder integrated working. This is supported by the Integrated Care Network (ICN) (2004) who contends that even when outcomes are considered this is narrowly focused and are difficult to measure in the short-term without evidence from a cohort study. The ICN (2004) believes emphasis needs to shift from structure and input to outcomes. Benefits of Multi-agency Working Inter-agency working is reported to improved the knowledge, skills and expertise of professionals (Sammons et al,2003) due to the increased opportunity for professionals development through working with other agencies (Atkinson et al, 2001,2002). This is supported by Townsley et al (2004) who indicate that the process of multi-agency working is having an effect on positive outcomes for families with disabled children. However, this incorporates the views of professionals rather than service users suggesting a subjective and biased view. The study by Atkinson et al (2002) also considers the views of professionals who suggested service users benefited from quicker access to services leading to quicker diagnosis and treatment. Furthermore, they identified that professionals from different agencies communicated more effectively. Challis et al (2004) conducted a Randomised Control Trial (RCT) of 256 older people at risk of care home entry. The objective of the RCT was to redesign the decision-making process by assessing the value of obtaining a specialist clinician assessment prior to placing individuals into care homes. Participants were randomly allocated into two groups, the first received the standardised assessment process and second (experimental group) received a clinical assessment from a geriatrician or psychiatrist. The collaboration between the clinician and social worker was at the heart of this RCT. The experimental group continued to experience reduced deterioration mental and physical, had minimal contact with emergency services and carers reported lower levels of stress. Furthermore, NHS costs were lower and social services and the NHS benefited from merging skills, developing communication; and improved outcomes for users and carers. Webb and Vuillamys (2001) study indicated a reduction in the exclusion of high risk pupils through the introduction of specialist support workers responsible for avoiding inter-agency disputes regarding responsibilities and resources. Webb and Vuillamy (2001) claim the support workers differentiated between school-focused agencies (such as educational social workers, educational psychologists and teachers) and external-agencies (such as Social Workers, Police and General Practitioners). This study reported a 25% reduction in exclusions. Webb and Vuillamy (2001) claim this has far-reaching consequences such as a reduction in crime, better educational and vocational attainment, however, this is broad assumptions based on the statistical link between exclusion and crime and is not proven within the study. Counter-Evidence Despite the findings from these studies, the majority of studies focus on process rather than outcome, for example a Systematic Review by Cameron and Lart (2003) indicate factors which promote and hinder integrated working. This is supported by the Integrated Care Network (ICN) (2004) who contends that even when outcomes are considered this is narrowly focused and are difficult to measure in the short-term without evidence from a cohort study. The ICN (2004) believes emphasis needs to shift from structure and input to outcomes. Cameron and Larts (2003) systematic review reaffirms the findings of Cameron et al (2000) that there is little evidence to confirm the benefits for service users of integrated working. Cameron and Lart (2003) are critical of the lack of evaluations aimed at measuring the effectiveness of multi-agency working and highlight the few that have are methodologically poor. Similarly, few studies have provided information regarding the effectiveness of different models. Facilitators to Multi-agency Working Evidence on Removing Barriers Barriers to Effective Multi-agency Work There are apparent dangers to encouraging inter-agency and multi-agency working. As (Walker, 2008) stipulates, different professions are likely to have unique values at their foundation which they may want to protect. To provide an example of different values, cultures and practices consider a social worker partaking in an interview with a police officer. The child who they are interviewing breaks down. The role of the social worker is to consider the well-being of the child (from a child-centred perspective), however, for the police officer it is to provide evidence to consider prosecution. Obvious barriers, conflicts and confusion can arise. (Coad, 2008) offers support to (Walker, 2008) and suggests the primary trigger for such issues is the lack of clarity of roles and authority in decision making. The lack of clarity regarding roles may lead to work duplication or providing advice which conflicts with that of another professional. However, this can be overcome through effective c ommunication between agencies and practitioners (Walker, 2008) and transparency regarding decision making processes (Coad, 2008). In addition, each agency will have its own language, terminology, budgets, targets, assessments and measurement criteria to which other professions may not fully understand. Overcoming the barriers presented is dynamic and complex. As expectations of politicians, academics and service users change so do the barriers which are presented. Therefore, in order to overcome such barriers a model of integrated thinking should be adopted with the development and deployment of a Childrens and Young Persons Strategy. This should be developed through the conduction of research to include all agencies, academic institutions training professionals, and the views of service users. This should be reviewed on a bi-annual basis to ensure it remains contemporary. Recommendations Conclusion Seeking funding utilises large amounts of managerial time and resources.

DID Trojan War Exist :: essays research papers

Many have speculated about the Trojan War. It’s been written about in books like the Iliad and The Odyssey. A person could read in a book about this massive war between King Priam and Agamemnon, but did this massive war ever really happen? We have all heard of the mighty wooden horse in which the Greek forces broke into the mighty walls of Troy. The Trojan War did occur and can proven by skeletons, artifacts, and other findings from excavation sites. Historians speculate that the Trojan War could have been fought anywhere along the seaboard of the Mediterranean Sea. The City of Troy’s destination has been a mystery for hundreds of years until lately. Scientist now say that the mythological city of Troy existed on what is now called Turva. According to Homer’s Iliad and the Odyssey, scientist dug at a location written about by Homer in his tales of The Iliad and The Odyssey. Excavating the site where the Trojan War was fought, has brought lots of evidence to the prove that there was in fact a Trojan War. The research team at Turva found an early settlement, that appears to be a gravesite that dates back to Trojan times. Calculations of this area were measured at around twenty hectares. At this site, scientists found a ditch that was used as a defensive barrier. This ditch was two meters deep and was easy for men surpass this obstacle. But horses weren’t able to get over this wall, and horses were considered a somewhat extraordinary tool in battle. Horses were very unlikely in Troy’s climate area and so they were a great commodity. Scientist that excavated this site believe that they have found the remains of human bones and skeletons of men who might have died in the Trojan War. These scientist found millions of bones since 1988 in the area where Homer says the Trojan War was fought. Like the skeleton bones found, many other artifacts were found. Ancient pottery has been found at the excavation site. This pottery was traced back to the times when many believe the Trojan War occurred. This shows that there was a city of Troy and it wasn’t just a battlefield.

Replay: Love is real or not? :: essays research papers fc

True love is when a person has a deep, tender, ineffable feeling of affection and solicitude toward one other person. Even through difficult obstacles or changes in life, the strong feeling between the two persons should remain constant and last eternally. However, the novel, Replay, by Ken Grimwood, creates characters that are confused on the meaning of true love. Throughout the novel, the characters are constantly falling in love with many different people and are having many short term marriages as well. The protagonist of Replay, Jeff Winston, who was originally married to Linda, claims to fall deeply in love with Judy and Pamela. Secondly, another main character, Pamela Philips was married twice before she falls in love with Jeff. Besides the novel, people in real life such as celebrities have numerous marriages too. In addition, it is proven that a married couple would tend to get a divorce as they spend more time together. All of these examples support the fact that true love does not exist. There is no such thing as true love, because a people keep switching partners and their relationships are short term. In the novel, Replay, Jeff Winston was originally married to Linda in his first life. However, during his replays, he falls in love with many other women and forgets about his original wife, Linda. Throughout the novel, Jeff had encountered many women, and made love with almost all of them. However, there were 2 other women besides Linda, which he loves so much, he marries them. During his second replay, he was madly in love with Judy, and decides to marry her because he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. The following quote shows Jeff’s confession of love to Judy: â€Å"Judy† His voice broke. He cleared his throat and started again. â€Å"I just want you to know†¦how very much I have always loved you.† (pg. 102, Grimwood) This passage shows that Jeff feels that he strongly loves Judy for all of eternity. Moreover, during his final replays, he meets another replayer, Pamela, and falls in love with her. This passage shows how Jeff feels about Pamela: It had been over a year since he’d begun his fourth replay of his life, and all the hopefulness with which he had once anticipated sharing this cycle with someone he fully loved, someone whose experience and understanding matched his own, had disappeared.

First Lady of Nursing: Virginia Henderson Essay

Abstract Virginia Henderson has made an everlasting imprint on society. With her various degrees and teaching settings, Virginia was a very knowledgeable nurse who helped other young nurses into their roles in the health care industry. She was not only a teacher and student, but also a researcher. Because of her many roles in nursing, the books she has written and revised cover a wide span of information. Although this may intimidate some, Virginia wrote for a general audience so that all could learn how to take care of a sick loved one. She defined nursing, so that the whole population could have a universal definition. She pushed for the roles of nurses to be clearly defined so that hospitals would be able to see all a nurse could or could not do, making a safer environment for the patient. Because of all her work, Virginia Henderson is one of the most well-known nurses in history. Key Words: Virginia Henderson, Need Theory, Definition of Nursing A look Inside the First Lady of Nursing: Virginia Henderson After a long hospital stay a patient hopes to go home and care for themselves; this was not always the case until Virginia Henderson revolutionized the nursing industry. Virginia grew up with a great education and went to school for many years, giving her an extensive span of knowledge that allowed her to make her mark on nursing. Although nursing is a forever changing occupation with new innovative technology always arising, Virginia Henderson has made a lasting mark on nursing with her â€Å"Need Theory† and her many books, teaching nurses worldwide the concepts of health promotion and disease prevention. Henderson began her life in Kansas City, but she was only there for a short four years. Born on November 30, 1897 Henderson became the fifth child of what would be eight. Her parents, Lucy Abbot Henderson and Daniel B. Henderson, came from a background of educators and scholars. In 1901, at the age of four, the Henderson’s relocated to Virginia, where Virginia would finish her maturing (Halloran, 2007). Through a developed impulse to help the sick and wounded military personnel, Henderson began her journey of nursing. Beginning her education at a young age of four under William Richardson Abbot, a figure named â€Å"grandfather†, Virginia Henderson grew to be a well-informed individual as she continued her schooling. Although she attended school, Virginia’s education did not produce a diploma, which hindered her entrance into nursing school (Halloran, 2007). In 1921, Virginia graduated the Army School of Nursing, located in Washington D.C and continued her journey as a nurse by accepting a position as a staff nurse at the Henry Street Visiting Nurse Service. After briefly working here, Henderson began her role as a teacher. Working back to her roots, she taught at Norfolk Protestant Hospital in Virginia (Anderson, 1999, p. 9). Here, Virginia was the first and only teacher in the school of nursing (Halloran, 2007). Although she was not done with her role as teacher, she decided to let another do the teaching when she went back to school at Columbia University Teachers College to complete her Baccalaureate and Masters degree in nursing. After accomplishing these goals in her career she again went back to educating young nurses at the Teachers College from 1930 to 1948 (Herrmann, 1996, p. 19). Throughout her role as an educator, Henderson saw the need to teach young nurses not only clinical skills, but also analytical skills to help them succeed as nurses (Anderson, 1999, p. 9). As her years of teaching came to an end, Henderson took on the role of researcher associate at Yale University in 1953 (Herrmann, 1996, p. 19). The research, named the National Survey of Nursing, conducted was â€Å"designed to survey and assess the status of nursing research in the United States† (Halloran, 2007). Later on in life, after the completion of her Nursing Studies Index, Virginia began to see the world as she â€Å"embarked on an international schedule of consultation† (Herrmann, 1996, p.22). With all this knowledge she was able to write and revise many books that would keep her name alive even today. Another major part in Virginia Henderson’s career is the work that will survive forever, her books. While teaching at Columbia, â€Å"she revised Bertha Harmer’s Textbook of the Principles and Practice of Nursing, which was published in 1939† (Halloran, 2007). Starting in 1948, she began to revise the fourth edition of the Principles and Practice of Nursing, which took her five years to write. Although the title may fool the reader that this book was not meant only for nurses, â€Å"it is written for anyone who is faced with the prospect of caring for another human being†. Her earlier works were greatly influenced by all she had gained as an instructor of clinical nursing (Halloran, 1996, p. 20). Creating the first annotated index of nursing research, Henderson began her four volume Nursing Studies Index in 1959 and completed it after twelve years (Halloran, 2007). This volume was â€Å"an analytical and historical review of nursing literature from 1900 to 1959† (Tlou, 2001, p. 241). Henderson continued to write as she progressed in years. She wrote Basic Principles of Nursing Care in 1960, Nursing Research: A Survey and Assessment in 1964, and the Nature of Nursing in 1966 (Herrmann, 1996, p.21). The beginning of her sixth edition of the Principles and Practice of Nursing started when Virginia was seventy- five, in the year 1972. In the book she argues that â€Å"health care will be reformed by the individual nurses who will enable their patients to be independent in health care matters when patients are both educated and encouraged to care for themselves† (Halloran, 2007). Although her books have a great influence on us, the thing that makes her most well-known is her definition of nursing and the Need Theory. With her contribution of her Need Theory, Henderson taught other nurses what she believed was the true meaning of nursing: to assist an individual to become more independent on the road to health. Henderson defined nursing as â€Å"helping people, sick or well in the performance of those activities contributing to health or its recovery, or to a peaceful death, that they would perform unaided if they had the necessary strength, will, or knowledge† (Halloran, 1996, p. 23). In her basic needs theory Henderson defines the roles of a nurse by explaining that a nurse should help or provide conditions under which the patient can do the following unaided: 1. Breathe normally. 2. Eat and drink adequately. 3. Eliminate body wastes. 4. Move and maintain desirable position.5. Sleep and rest. 6. Select suitable clothes – dress and undress. 7. Maintain body temperatures within normal range by adjusting clothing and modifying environment. 8. Keep the body clean and well groomed and protect the integument. 9. Avoid dangers in the environment and avoid injuring others. 10. Communicate with others in expressing emotions, needs, fears, or opinions.11. Worship according to one’s faith. 12. Work in such a way that there is a sense of accomplishment. 13. Play or participate in various forms of recreation. 14. Learn, discover, or satisfy the curiosity that leads to normal development and health and use the available health facilities. Henderson wanted to define nursing because she feared that some states didn’t have a true definition of nursing, which could lead to an unsafe environment for patients. In order to solve this issue she believed that nursing should be defined in the Nurse Practice Acts that would clearly state a nurses roles (Anderson, 1999, p. 10). Even though she defined nursing as this, she still saw acknowledged that nurses were given a stereotype. Virginia Henderson had an ideal of what nursing should be and who they were. She believed that nurses during her time were not able to give the care that they thought would help the patient (Henderson, 2006). Virginia believed that because nurses came from all classes in society that the public had a confused definition of what a nurse was. She saw that the image of a nurse was influenced by the fact that most were women, who were not well educated from a privileged social class. Virginia Henderson saw nurses as the ones who provided the most intimate and comforting service as they are the ones who are continuously with the patient, because of this she saw nurses as independent practitioners. She identified a nurse as someone who would have to be able to work with all ages of people in order to provide for their needs and help them live a life as normally as possible (Henderson, 2006). In order to fix the stereotype and lead members of society to truly see how important nurses were, Henderson thought nurses should be educated in a certain way. Henderson also believed that nurses should be prepared in national, provincial or state systems of higher education (Henderson, 2006, p. 25). She thought that nursing students should work with other people in the health fields in order to create an interdisciplinary learning environment. She also believed that nurses needed an understanding of government and economics (Henderson, 2006, p. 26). She thought that nursing students should be assigned to practitioners, where they would first observe and then participate until they can function independently. She thought nursing should be taught in stages. The first stage would be geared toward studying the basic human needs or functions and helping patients with daily activities. The second stage would be devoted to helping patients with common dysfunctions. The third stage would be studying the different stages of life and the specific help that is needed for a particular disease. She also thought that nursing students should be taught in a multitude of settings (Henderson, 2006, p. 30). If each of these principles were followed Virginia believed nurses would get the education they needed and be respected. Without the ground-breaking research and ideas contributed by Virginia Henderson, nurses today would not be taking care of patients in a style allowing them to succeed after recovery from the hospital. Virginia passed away on March 19, 1996. Although she may be gone from this world she is still with us through her books and her theories. References Anderson, M. (1999). Virginia avenel henderson: A modern legend. Wyoming Nurse, 12(1), 9-10. Halloran, E. J. (1996). Virginia henderson and her timeless writings. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 23(1), 17-24. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.1996.tb03130.x Halloran, E. J. (2007). Virginia henderson 1897- 1996. Retrieved January/31, 2013, from http://www.aahn.org/gravesites/henderson.html Henderson, V. (2006). The concept of nursing. 1977. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 53(1), 21-31; discussion 32-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03660.x Henderson, V. (2006). Some observations on health care by health services or health industries. 1986. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 54(1), 1-2; discussion 2-4. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2006.03829_1.x Herrmann, E. K. (1996). Virginia henderson: Signature for nursing. Connecticut Nursing News, 69(5), 1. Tlou, S. D. (2001). Nursing: A new era for action. A virginia henderson memorial lecture. Nursing Inquiry, 8(4), 240-245.

The reaction to Boris Johnson’s article about Ken Bigley and resulting implications for the media

When Boris Johnson's article in The Spectator1 caused controversy a week ago, it raised questions not only about the ethical position of politicians involved in journalism, but also about the freedom of the media and its relationship with regulators and governmental bodies. Boris Johnson is a much- derided figure, often attacked for his looks and manner rather than his views and actions. In a radio interview for the BBC, for example, Paul Bigley (Ken's brother) accused him of being a â€Å"self- centred, pompous twit†2 and belittled him for his appearance and waffling manner despite the valid points in the article, and subsequent apology. This tact was followed by newspapers almost without exception; The Times, for example, started their article with a quote from Michael Howard denouncing Johnson's writing as â€Å"nonsense from beginning to end,†4 a comment in the Liverpool Daily Post recommended that he ‘got life insurance,'5 and an article on the BBC website6 provided quotations only from those against the MP. This is in direct contrast to what the same website suggested was the general public opinion. On the ‘Your Views'7 section, nineteen out of twenty- two comments support Johnson's opinion, ranging from those in general support to people from Liverpool criticising their fellow Liverpudlians; suggesting that the media was either being sensationalist or deliberately opposing a Conservative- who, it should be noted, did not even write the article. The true author, Simon Heffer, was barely mentioned and has ‘no plans to issue an apology;'8 further evidence that it was the character of Johnson rather than his article that caused so much disagreement. This is supported by a comment in The Independent which noted that Johnson was not the first social commentator to challenge Liverpool's reaction to the beheading. On Sunday the 10th of October, Dr Anthony Daniels challenged the town's reaction for an ‘estranged son â€Å"whose attachment to Liverpool was so great that he was planning to live in Thailand. â€Å"‘9 Dr Daniels, however, was not featured in any newspaper or criticised for his comments. This calls into question the role of MPs in the media; whether it is possible for them to be both decision makers and public commentators. Though not the first editor to become an MP- Iain Macleod and Dick Crossman have both managed it in the past- as both the Financial Times and The Guardian Student pointed out, in ‘bowing down to Mr Howard's edict'10 Johnson put political ambition over journalistic independence. This not only undermines Johnson's validity as a public commentator but also the doctrine of press freedom. Enshrined in the US Constitution in the First Amendment and by ‘Supreme Court precedent,'11 the press is often perceived in America as the ‘fourth branch of government,' providing a check and balance to the judiciary, executive and legislative. Though in Britain the branches are less divided, the same principle should stand to provide effective restraints; hence the ongoing debate over the Lord Chancellor's position in all three branches of Government. When an MP becomes involved in the media, therefore, its independence is called into question. It seems unlikely, for example, than an MP could comment fairly on the actions of a body he or she works for. The reaction to Johnson's article proves that MPs working as journalists do not have the same freedom as journalists not also working as MPs. This challenges the validity of a ‘free media' that can be influenced so easily despite supposedly having complete freedom of speech. Often heralded as an indicator of democracy, Britain's press is perceived to be one of the freest in the world. â€Å"Freedom,† however, can be interpreted in many ways. In the United Kingdom, for example, though the media can in theory print anything there are moral and bureaucratic restrictions. Seven companies, four of which account for 90% of sales, own the entire national press and media ‘moguls' such as Rupert Murdoch control many publications. Murdoch himself owns the News of the World, The Sun, The Times and The Sunday Times. This may have influenced their synonymous attack on Johnson's article which was published in The Spectator, owned by one of Murdoch's rivals the Barclay brothers- who, as commented upon in The Times, have ‘not raised the Liverpool editorial'12 with Johnson, revealing their ongoing faith in having a politician as an editor whilst others are questioning it. The ownership of chains of newspapers has implications on their bias and impartiality. Murdoch's politics, for example, are generally right- wing, though he apparently favours republicanism over monarchy and is said to have refused a British peerage. His influence is apparent in the papers he owns. In February 1998, for example, The Sun, which had consistently attacked Labour's plans for the Millennium Dome suddenly changed tack and threw its weight behind the project. It seems no coincidence that Murdoch's BSkyB had recently made an investment in the Dome. 13 It is, however, impossible for any form of media to be truly unbiased. Humans, by their nature, are influenced by what they read and who they see, and inject personal opinion into articles or reports without intending to. In the United Kingdom The Times is typically seen as a left- wing paper, The Telegraph as right- wing, and The Independent as the most unbiased paper. These stereotypes rarely hold true, however, with The Times' editorial often being more lenient towards the Conservatives. This may have more to do with the fact that the media often opposes whoever is in power, whoever they are, with no regards to traditional stance. Of the articles about Johnson, the most balanced viewpoint was from The Guardian Student. From the very start it offers views for and against the article; even the headline, â€Å"Boris is ‘sorry' for tactless own goal†14 presents Johnson as apologetic whilst also implying he made a blunder. Throughout, it keeps this balanced viewpoint with quotations from those supporting him followed by those against; contrasting articles in The Times15 which present tirades of criticism. The Guardian Student article is an exception, however. Though often not as transparent as headlines in tabloids such as The Sun or The Daily Star, broadsheets in the Western world show clear bias without obvious governmental controls. This may be seen to affect politics. In a poll conducted in America in 1992, for example, 89% of 1400 members of the national media surveyed voted for Clinton in that same year. 16 Though it is certain this would have influenced the journalists' articles, it is debateable whether the media dictated the public's mood or vice versa. In 1997 when The Sun declared â€Å"It's The Sun Wot Won It† due to its support of the Labour party, it was questionable whether they actually influenced the public or merely responded to what the public was urging them to print. Despite the obvious bias, however, the media of the Western world is still typically liberal in viewpoint, with it rare for an outlet to present controversial or minority views. The views of the BNP, for example, are rarely, if ever, supported in the media. The reason for this comes down to money. The public are unlikely to buy a paper if it is known to publish racist, xenophobic or controversial views, even if they are just the expression of free speech (though The Sun comes close on occasion, printing sensationalist headlines with unsubstantiated evidence17). Constantly looking for ways to increase revenue, papers are therefore unlikely to publish minority views if it is the majority that they are aiming for. Minority views are more often only heard when their exponents, such as Abu Hanzar, are being persecuted or when comedians are chastising them. Billy Connelly and Doug Stanhope, for example, as criticised in the Warwick Boar18, regularly use controversial, politically incorrect material under the guise of jokes. Connelly joking about Ken Bigley, for example, did not receive the criticism that Johnson did despite being more tactless and insensitive. Freedom of press, however, is not truly understood unless compared to non- Western countries. In ‘Last Seven Days' (a Warwick- based informal political discussion group), for example, both a Russian and a Chinese student commented that the freedom of the press is not appreciated in Britain. In Russia, using restrictive legislation and exerting financial pressure through the government and government- related companies, the Kremlin â€Å"gained nearly total control of the broadcast media in 2003. â€Å"19 Many Russians, as commented upon in the World Press Review, support restrictions on the press. 20 This has resulted in a media consistently supporting the Russian government and President, as evident in the translation of articles from Moscow News which celebrate nuclear weapons test launches as ‘landmark events. An article on the same event in the USA or the UK is likely to have included criticism of the demand and use of nuclear weapons. The general perception of the media in much of the Western world is that they have a great degree of freedom. Whilst this is true if compared to countries such as Russia, China or Iraq, there are still pressures on journalists to produce articles with a particular slant or viewpoint. It could be said, for example, that the restrictive policies typical of countries ruled by dictatorship have been replaced by the â€Å"dictatorial† media barons such as Rupert Murdoch and the Barclay brothers. The governmental restrictions, meanwhile, are more likely to be whips or party leaders trying to pander to public opinion rather than imposing party policy, as was displayed by Michael Howard over Boris Johnson's article. I also witnessed this during work experience at the House of Commons, where there were daily meetings for all opposition MPs to discuss the previous day's press coverage, and the majority of Theresa May's (MP, Windsor and Maidenhead) work was to attract the attention of, or respond to, local and national media. The relationship between the press and politicians is complex, with politicians trying to get in the media, and journalists often only willing to cover a minority of issues for personal, political, or financial reasons. When politicians, such as Boris Johnson, become directly involved in the media, further restrictions and pressures are placed on the medium. Therefore though the media, in particular in Britain, is supposedly free from constraints, in reality there are numerous limits on what journalists are willing to write.