Coin Opreated Vending Machine Based on Microcontroller

average vending machines are commonplace at railway stations, airports, fast-food restaurants and even in companies. Press a switch and the machine delivers a cup of your favorite drink. This looks quite a simple operation but has a very complex logic behind it: It involves use of twelve precision timers and four counters apart from physical devices like display, solenoid and motor to deliver water and premixed tea/coffee/soup powder in exact quantity for better taste and in exact sequence.This has become possible because of the use of micro controllers, which allow compact size, higher reliability, lower cost and multiple functionalists. This tea/coffee/soup vending machine controller uses Free-scale latest AT89S52   micro controller chip. The controller is programmable and user friendly. You can set the quantity of the beverages through a button switch provided on the front panel of the controller as per your requirements. Thus, cups of any size can be filled at any time. But you can insert a 10RS.Coin in the system then is working. For human beings, recognizing if a coin is real is pretty easy. We can look at the coin, weigh it in our hand, feel the temperature, listen to it hit the floor, etc. If someone handed you a coin replica made of plastic, you would immediately know it is fake even if it looked authentic to your eyes. If someone handed you a blank steel slug, it would obviously be â€Å"not a coin† because it wouldn’t look like a coin at all. What we take for granted as humans is not so easy for a vending machine.A vending machine needs a relatively inexpensive way to detect if a coin is real. Circuit Diagram: Block Diagram: http://ayusdumaru. blogspot. in/p/vending-machine. html http://www. docstoc. com/docs/134527341/Coin-operated-vending-machine http://www. scribd. com/doc/13916969/Ece-10-Documentation-Vending-Machine Be it schools, colleges or commercial establishments, vending machines, also known as automatic retailing, are ever ywhere. Most of the time, vending machines are used to sell beverages like tea, coffee and sodas, candies, snacks, gumballs, lottery tickets etc. o people. If you look at the history of vending machines, it is believed that the first such machine was actually invented way back in 215 BC by a Greek mathematician and used in Egyptian temples to dispense holy water! Thereafter, the first commercial vending machine was installed in 1880 in England, which was coin operated and sold postcards. It was only in the year 1888, that vending machine business made an entry into New York, America by way of the Thomas Adams Gum Company, which installed these machines at the subway platforms in New York City and sold gum.After that, there has been a no looking back, with everything, right from postcards, cigarettes, sodas, snacks, being provided through them to the customers, with just the push of a button! People would have thought that there can be nothing as convenient as these machines, but now , looking at what the vending machines of the future promise, this thinking will certainly get changed. Let us know something interesting about the future vending machines. Machines that Recognizes Age and Sex!Believe it or not, but there are vending machines installed at a Station in Tokyo, Japan, which can actually recognize a person's age and sex and suggest options accordingly. They have inbuilt cameras which recognize the activities taking place outside the machine. This machine comes with a 47-inch touch panel display, instead of the push-button system which are the usual fare with vending machines. They are controlled by a centralized server, which are in turn monitored by the vending company. When a customer comes in this machine's vicinity, images of various drinks are displayed on the screen.The machine will sense the customer's age and sex and then recommend a few drinks according to that. Also, if the customer wants some more information on a particular drink, such as it s nutritional information, they can actually zoom in and get it! These machines are godsend for marketers as when nobody is within a ten foot radius of these machines, their screens display advertisements! No More Credit Cards! A Massachusetts company who is into manufacturing vending machines, proclaims that soon there will be biometric vending machines introduced in the market.These biometric machines will recognize a person through his fingerprints. Through these customers can actually connect a credit card to the imprint of their thumb! The Massachusetts company predicts that such machines, which make the customers feel engaged will be the new future of vending machines. There are also some talks going around that certain vending machines are being manufactured and tested which will allow retinal scans of the customers. The customers will thus be recognized through their retinas and thereafter, charged for their vending machine purchases.A very useful feature of these vending ma chines, for companies who have installed them, is that they will come with Ethernet connections. This will enable them to recognize real fast when the machine needs to be re-stocked. Also, if the machine is somehow not working properly due to a coin being stuck in it, the monitors will report it immediately and the same fault can be corrected within no time. It is believed that these machines will get installed within the next one year. Looking at their benefits, they are indeed a â€Å"win-win† for customers, companies as well as advertisers!Read more at Buzzle:  http://www. buzzle. com/articles/vending-machines-of-the-future. html The Advantages and Disadvantages of Vending  Machines Vending machines are the most easy to use produce of the recent years. A cashier is ultimately unnecessary when it comes to vending machines, and yet it delivers food of all sorts. All you have to do is to fill the coin slot with the right amount of money, press the button according to what you desire to obtain, and then it comes right out of the machine. Pressing some button is all that it takes for you to gain satisfaction whenever you are hungry.It was already several decades back when the concept of vending machines came to life; it was when a mathematician put a coin in a machine slot, which eventually handed out water. During the industrial era, the use of vending machines have been taken advantaged by the public for the reason that these machines were already positioned in universities, hallways, and in workplaces. It is for the reason that  vending machines  provide you with your necessities almost instantly, that people consider it as a very much reliable choice.Not all people think of that, unfortunately; there are those who consider vending machines as tools that let you waste your hard-earned money to its costly products. People also are indeed dreadful when the item that they want to purchase gets stuck in the machine. This further proves that vending machines can both be beneficial and a waste of time for some people. The greatest benefit of these vending machines is that they are very versatile and convenient. When you find yourself in the middle of closed shops, with a hungry stomach, a vending machine can really come in handy.When you do not have the time in your hands, and you really need something to eat, these vending machines can be the sole answer to your problems. When you talk about vending machines, costly items always come with it, making this one of its major disadvantages. Compared to items being sold in other stores, those items that are on vending machines are way on the high-priced spectrum. Therefore, if you want to, then do not stop yourself from spending so much. Another disadvantage is the harmful snacks that they offer.Teenagers almost always patronize these unhealthy snacks that are constantly available in vending machines. Studies have shown that a great deal of foods and beverages in these machines are low in nutritional values. After knowing the different advantages and disadvantages of  vending machines, only you can make the final decision whether or not you still want to continue using it. Some people may have conflicting ideas when this topic arises. Nevertheless, what matters most is that you learn to stand on what you believe in. Besides, these machines have been designed to increase our comfort, with no other harm intended.

A Vivid Dream Zechariah 3:1-10

Introduction The book of Zechariah is full of vivid imagery and peculiar visions that all help in the conveying of God’s message. This paper will examine the specific vision described in Zechariah 3:1-10. The intent of this essay is to examine the message of this vivid vision that Zechariah received and also to determine the application for readers at that time and for believers today. Compare English Versions The first step in studying this passage had been to read it over and over in multiple English translations to get a feel for how it could be interpreted in English.While there is some difference in the wording of different English translations it does not seem to change what is being communicated in the text. Some interesting differences in v. 4b do appear when describing the new clothing that is given to Joshua, it is described as simply a â€Å"change of raiment† (King James) or more elaborately â€Å"pure elaborately† (ESV) and in the NRSV â€Å"festal apparel†. The following verse describes the charge unto Joshua from the Angel of the Lord as being â€Å"protested† (King James) or â€Å"gave his charge† or even â€Å"spoke very solemnly† (Living Bible) which all seem much different than â€Å"assured† (NRSV).There is obviously some discrepancy as to the tone of this charge. Overall, the different English translations all describe a very similar vision experience. Structural Outline 1. Clean clothes for Joshua (3:1-5) 1. 1 Set the scene (3:1) 1. 2 Rebuke of Satan (3:2) 1. 3 Removal of iniquity (3:3-4) 1. 4 Clean garments and turban (3:5) 2. Promises from the Angel of the Lord (3:6-10) 2. 1 Joshua’s Commission (3:6-7) 2. 2 Promise of a coming Servant (3:8) 2. 3 In that Day (3:9-10) Genre of the Text This section of text is from the Prophet of Zechariah which places it in the genre of prophetic literature; however it also resembles apocalyptic iterature like that found in the book of Revelati on. What distinguishes this type of literature as apocalyptic is the obvious vision that is being described here (Miller 134). The scene for this vision is a courtroom with Joshua being on trial before the angel of the Lord. The vision then concludes with some messianic prophecy referring to the Messiah as â€Å"the Branch† (v. 8) and a promise is made for that day when â€Å"every one of you will invite his neighbor to come under his vine and his fig tree†. This is apocalyptic literature in the form of a vision conveying a messianic promise to those who will listen.Research the Text When reading this genre of literature, understanding whom it was written by is important to fully interpret the text. Zechariah’s name means â€Å"the Lord remembers† and is one of the most commonly used names in the OT (Miller 135). Zechariah’s name, along with his message, consistently reminded the nation that the Lord had made a covenant with Israel† (Klein 20 ). It is also a priestly name which could indicate Zechariah was a Priest as well as a Prophet (Miller 134) but this could also mean that he simply comes from a line of Priests (Klein 21).The first two chapters develop Zechariah as a â€Å"young man† (v. 4) who has an ear turned toward God in a difficult time in Israel’s history. It is also essential to understand the historical context that this text was written into. The book of Zechariah would fit into the Post-Exilic era of Israel’s history, after the return of God’s people to the city and the re-construction of the temple in Jerusalem had started. The message was directed to the â€Å"struggling Jewish returnees† (Miller 134) who would have been largely affected by the time in exile in Babylon.The Babylonians had recently been conquered by the Persian Empire and so great change for the nation of Israel was happening once again. Haggai and Zechariah (written at the similar time periods) both em phasize the everlasting Kingdom of God and the coming of a Messiah. The people of Judah would have been concerned about how their nation would survive in a world of such large superpower empires like Assyria, Babylon and now Persia. Would God ever demonstrate his power and establish his people as the most powerful of nations? Have the people paid their dues in exile?Why had he allowed them to go and return to their land and rebuild the temple? These questions would have been on the minds of the people at the time when Zechariah received this vision. This vision describes a courtroom scene involving some specific characters. The first character is introduced simply as â€Å"he† (3:1). This would be the same he as is mentioned in the previous chapter as â€Å"a man with a measuring line in his hand! † (2:1), and this man continues to be a messenger declaring the coming of the Lord (2:10) from his Holy dwelling (2:13).It seems as if it could be the same angel who â€Å"c ame again† in 4:1. Other commentaries say it is more likely that â€Å"the Lord himself made the revelation since the fourth vision, unlike the former visions, does not identify an angelic interpreter† (Klein 131). It seems however that ch. 3 continues on from the vision in chapter 2 and all the visions so far have had an angel to guide Zechariah through what he is seeing not the Lord personally. The next difficult part of this text is the uncleanliness of the High Priest named Joshua.The rebuilding of the temple was occurring at this time in Jerusalem and the High Priest would have been needed to oversee the running of the temple when it was completed but here Zechariah receives the revelation that the high priest is not fit for this service. The scene is this; the Angel of the Lord is the judge, the High Priest is on trial and the ‘adversary’ or the persecutor is â€Å"Satan† who is accusing the High Priest (3:1). The mention of the â€Å"filthy g arments† (v. 3) was significant when referring to a Priest in particular as the clothing of the Priest was to be to very specific standards (Lev. 8:5-9).This indicates that Satan’s accusations would have proved true. Yet, the Lord rebukes Satan. It seems that the Lord is asserting his authority and making the statement that he is the one who declares purity and innocence, he is the judge not Satan or the enemy or the adversary (the word Satan could be interpreted with any of those words). One commentator comments on this section that â€Å"Satan was reminding the Lord of the nation’s past wretchedness (1:2,4-6) and its unworthiness† (Miller 163) another commentator emphasizes this point â€Å"If the high priest is so filthy, how much more the nation as a whole† (Klein 133).Klein goes onto describe how this Joshua figure played a key role in the restoration of the returning community at this time in history and would have served as an excellent symbo l to represent the returning remnant. So the beginning of this text paints a significant picture of the nation of Israel’s guilt and the Lord’s rebuking of Satan for being so audacious as to make such a claim. The Lord responds by declaring Joshua’s innocence. In v. 4 the angel who is standing as Judge (most likely the LORD himself as he has the divine authority to bring judgment) declares that the filthy garments shall be removed.This reveals not the innocence of guilt but the pardoning of guilt. There is a demonstration of God’s forgiveness happening in this vision. Another question that arises has to do with who the witnesses are that are surrounding this trial scene and assist with the redressing of Joshua the High Priest as his pure clothes (vv. 4&5)? They are also brought up in v. 8 as â€Å"your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign†. Klein refers to them simple as the â€Å"unknown angels† (139). The imagery of the Priest being dressed in clean garments is a common imagery and is used in Ps 132:9 â€Å"May your priests be clothed with righteousness†.The clean turban seems to be â€Å"the finishing touch. On the high priest’s turban was a plate of pure gold inscribed with the words: â€Å"HOLY TO THE LORD† (Exod. 28:36; 39:30). All of this is witnessed by the â€Å"Angel of the LORD [who] was standing by† (3:5b), adding to the legitimacy and importance of what is occurring. The Lord has sent his personal emissary to oversee what is occurring (Klein 141). The filthy garments have been removed and replaced with pure and clean clothes, now Joshua is ready to receive his commission. Now we arrive at the angel of the LORD’s commission of Joshua in v. . The discrepancy in the English translation of the description of this commission (described above) is not commented by Klein or Miller. The best translation seems to be â€Å"solemnly assured† (ESV) as it raises the importance on what it about to be said and that it will be a positive commission, an assurance. The commission has three parts. The first part is a call to be obedient, the second part is the reward if he is obedient which includes authority to rule in the temple, and the third part is the right to be included in the witnesses who surround them.Klein comments on this second reward, that it will allow Joshua â€Å"the high priest, whom the Lord exalts still higher, will have a direct access to the throne of God. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies, and only once a year (Lev 16), but the declaration made to Joshua far surpasses this privilege by granting Joshua entry into the Lord’s heavenly throne room. † The scene in the courtroom has now moved from one of accusation to a scene of forgiveness and of honoring the high priest and therefore also the people of Judah.Next, the angel of the Lord prepares to make a promise (v. 8a) by calling Joshua to listen! â€Å"The verbal form mirrors that found in the Shema in Deut. 6:4, emphasizing the importance of the message to follow† (Klein 143). The message is to be directed to Joshua’s â€Å"friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign† (3:8a). It would seem reasonable that these friends of Joshua are fellow priests, or at least people who also hold a place of leadership among the returning community of Judah.Klein comments that this sign is that â€Å"Joshua’s fellow priests, however, symbolize good things the future will bring† (143). The future embodiment of this blessing will be in the servant who is the one called â€Å"the Branch†. These titles â€Å"servant† and â€Å"the Branch† are very common in the OT. The title â€Å"the Branch† links the messiah figure directly to the line of David (Miller 165) and the title of servant is reminiscent of the significant affirmation God gives to characters su ch as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deut. 9:27) and the same Hebrew word (ebed) is translated as â€Å"servant of the Lord† (Klein 145).The messianic imagery continues with the imagery of the stone as it has elsewhere in scripture, â€Å"The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes† (Isa 8:13-15; 28:16). Other interpretation of this stone is that it is referring to the cornerstone that would be used to build the new temple (Klein 147). This entire passage however seems to be concerned with the messiah and continued representation of him seems to be more likely, especially when considering the temple was most likely already completed at this time (Klein 147).The seven eyes on the stone would then represent the all-seeing and all-knowing power of this messiah. The concluding verse of this text affirms that this Messiah figure will bring about the desired peace and continued relationship that his people desi re. The imagery of sitting under a vine and â€Å"his fig tree† seems related to the title of â€Å"the Branch† as well and links the time of well-being with the Davidic Messiah who is to come. The vision concludes with an image of peace, prosperity, community and relationship. Relate the Parts In the concluding image the main purpose of this vision seems to be captured.The opening scene acknowledges the guilt of the accused and then removes that guilt, rebuking Satan, declaring that no one but the LORD is the judge. It welcomes the community to come around and participate in the removing of the guilt and the placing on of purity. However, the second section reveals that there is a further command now to live a life worthy of these shiny new clothes. Then it all concludes with the revelation of the source of this forgiveness and acceptance, who is â€Å"the Branch†, servant and stone, the messiah. The Theology How does this text reveal the nature of God?The visi on sets God up as the Judge, but what kind of judge? One who sees the guilt of his high priest and the people of Judah but removes that guilt. What gives him this kind of power? The prophets serve to remind God’s people of the covenant that they have with God and this should be kept in mind when considering who this Judge is. He made the law that the people are guilty of iniquity against. They sinned against him. Just as a debtor is the only one who can release someone from their debt, so the lawgiver is the only one who can forgive the lawbreakers.What is the Judge’s reason then for pardoning his people? The iniquity of the priest would have prevented the coming of his people to worship at the temple. Here is a judge that longs to be part of his people’s lives. He will also provide the means for this to happen in the future with the coming of his servant, he wants to be directly involved, personally involved. The end result of all this sounds much like street p arty. Through the cleansing of our iniquity we gain the honor beyond or expectation and with our neighbor in a prosperous land (v. 10).This is God’s reason for pardoning his people; this is the God we worship. Application How often have I worn the filthy clothes around this week? I constantly believe in the accusations of Satan, that I am a terrible friend, a terrible boyfriend that I simply use the people around me. What happens then? I live like that. When I believe those accusations I lie in light of those accusations. The importance of believing that God has dressed me in clean clothes is undeniable; he has got me ready for a party and declared me worthy of that invitation.Now it is time to live like I am heading to that party. I am who God declares me to be. Another application exists communally. Now the church knows who the messenger who was spoken of here is. We know Jesus and in this text in Zechariah he is once again emphasized as the one who came from God to bring a bout the peace and love of community when he comes. Should not the church also live as people free to enjoy the community of each other and of God? That is why Christ came, that is why he was sent.

Socialization is done when children follow the footsteps Essay

Socialization can be referred to as the process by where adults and children learn from each other. It is often said that socialization begins at home and this is true because it is the responsibility of the family to teach children from a very early age the norms and values of society. It is the process by which they learn right from wrong. Socialization is done when children follow the footsteps of their parents, teachers or older siblings. Socialization never really stops because all through life, people learn new things and they are never knowledgeable enough to know everything. During this process of socialization children develop a sense of self and become their own person. They become unique and have a distinct personality. Individuals develop their potential and learn culture through this process of socialization. Humans are unlike any other species and they need to learn things and how to survive. It is important for humans to learn their culture for it is a part of who they are. We learn by internalizing which is the process when people take norms values beliefs and language as their own and accept them as their own. Importance of socialization Socialization is important for many reasons: It helps a person become who they really are. It provides the basics for a person to learn about their culture and their way of behavior. Socialization helps people discover their talents and they find out that they are really good at something and they enjoy that. Through socialization children can develop as a person and acquire normal social graces. Children need to feel cared for and loved so when parents take time out for their children and teach them values and norms this helps them to develop properly. Learn ways on how to think talk and actions that are important for social living Is a way by which the society can pass culture along to the next generation We achieve harmony and are able to it into society We develop skills and learn not to always act on instinct It avoids isolation and improper development of children It allows us to develop our potential to develop or maximize skills We develop proper learning Agents of socialization The family is a major agent of socialization. It gives individuals their first experience, earliest and deepest experience to relationships and their exposure to the way of life. The family also teaches their own about the social and physical environment and teaches them to follow it. Children learn from the type of environment that elders create. The family also gives children a social place when it comes to religion race or culture. This makes up the child’s self-concept. The family are the ones responsible to teach children manners, respect and obedience. They cannot allow their children to go to school without teaching them how to talk to older people with respect or how to obey when told to do something. The school also plays a role in the socialization of children. The school is a port way for children to learn about their ancestors and to teach them of the way people behaved in the older times compared to the way they behave now. They learn how society is connected to race and gender. The school is their first experience to bureaucracy. This means that the school prepares them for the future because it runs on a time schedule and is governed by rules. This is helpful because it prepares them for when they get a job. It is also proven that schools mold children into gender roles. School also open opportunities or children to join peer groups in which they meet people with similar interests or talents. The mass media is also an agent of socialization. The mass media provides a vast amount of information to a huge audience at the same time. It is proven to have a great impact on the behavior and attitude of children. The media is also a port way for people to learn about different cultures and to meet people of different race and ethnicity. The media can inspire people to achieve access and to follow their dreams. Children will view successful people on the television and aspire to be like them. This is a good thing because children will have ambition. Theories on socialization George Herbert Mead: He developed a theory on social behaviorism. It explained how a person’s personality can be affected by social experience. He saw the power that environment had when it came to shaping behavior. He studied inward thinking. His main concept was self. He described this as the part of a person’s personality composed of self- awareness and self- image. He considered that self only develops when people interact with others. He said that humans care what others think of them and that is what they think of themselves as well. Lawrence Kohlberg: He studied how people distinguish between right and wrong. At an early age for children, they think that whatever feel good to them is right. Another aspect of his is that teenagers in the adolescent stage lose their selfishness and learn to act according to what parents tell them and by the rules of their school. He also said that individuals learn not to argue with what is legal or right. Jean Piaget: he studied human cognition. This refers to how people think. He wondered how children made sense of the world. He described the way children made their way through life based on what they thought of it. Piaget believed that biological maturation and increasing social experience was reflected by human behavior. He stated four stages of cognitive development which included sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational and formal operational. Sigmund Freud: He studied mental disorder and personality. He believed that biology played a major role in the way people develop. He said that the human personality had three parts which include: The id which represents the innate human drives, this would be the human life and death instincts, the ego which refers to the internalized cultural values and norms and the ego which he considered resolved the competition between the restraints of the superego and the demands of the id. . Family Basic Concepts Family is a group of people who are closely related to each other by blood, adaption or marriage. The family is considered the basic unit of society. A family is considered to be the people who will always be there for you, no matter the situation you are involved in. Whenever in need of something the first place you run to is home. You are confident that there you can be safe and that there will be the people you can depend on. The family is the group of people who play a significant role in an individual’s life. Bonds within a family are considered kinship. Within every society there are families, however the views of people and whom they consider to be their family may vary depending on historical changes and culture. Family of orientation refers to when individuals are born into a family that includes parents and siblings living together. This plays an important role in socialization. A family of procreation is when adults decide to start their own family either naturally or through adaption. Marriage is an important aspect when considering starting a family. Marriage is a legal union between two people who commit to each other and this involves economic cooperation, sexual activity and childbearing. Children born out of marriage are considered to be illegitimate. Global Variations Types of families: Extended family: Is a family that includes more than three generations living in the same household. Everyone is connected by blood. Nuclear family: A family that includes a mother, father and their children living under the same roof. Sibling household: This is a family that an older brother or sister is the one in charge of the rest of children. They are required to be the parents and take care of the younger ones. Reconstituted family: This is a family type formed by the combination of two single- parent families. Single- parent family: Is a family type that involves one parent taking care of the household. Marriage patterns This refers to the way in which individuals are required to marry: Endogamy: This refers to marriage between people of the same social category. This limits marriage prospects to other people of the same gender, social class or race. Exogamy: This is when people of different social class get married. This type of marriage promotes cultural diffusion and builds alliances. Monogamy: This is marriage between two people. Polygamy: This is a type of marriage that unites two or more people. Polygyny: This refers to marriage of one man to two or more women. Polyandry: This refers to marriage of one woman to two or more men. Residential Patterns This talks about where a couple resides after being married: Patrilocality: This pattern refers to when the married couple lives with or close to the husband’s parents or family. Matrilocality: This is when the married couple lives close by or with the wife’s family. Neolocality: This refers to when the married couple live in a new place away from any side of their families. Patterns of Decent This refers to a system families used to trace their kinship over generations. Patrilineal descent: This is when individuals trace their kinship through men. This is when sons are the ones who inherit or get property passed on to them by their fathers. Matrilineal descent: This is a system used to trace kinship through women. This is when mothers pass on property or inheritance to their daughters. Bilateral Descent: in order to promote gender equality, this system traces kinship through both men and women. Theoretical Analysis of the Family Functions of the family Structural and functional analysis: Socialization: The teaching of right from wrong to children. Regulation of sexual activity: Every culture tries to regulate sexual activity in order to maintain property rights and kinship organization. Social Placement: Families try to maintain social organization in order to confer their social identity. Material, emotional and financial security: Families provide financial assistance, physical protection and emotional support. Inequality and the family: Social- Conflict analysis Property and Inheritance: Identifying heirs in order to transmit property. Patriarchy: This is how men own women as their sexual and economic property. Racial and ethnic inequality: Families promote people marry others like themselves. Stages of Family Life This is the way how a family evolves. Courtship: Is when partners get to know each other and see if they are compatible. Settling in: This involves romantic love where partners fall in love with each other and usually plan to marry or not. Child rearing: This is the raising of children on the right path showing them love and kindness. The family in later life: This is when people stay married but for the final years of their marriage they return to living with only one spouse. Transitions and problems in family They are many things that break up the family: Divorce is the dissolution of a marriage. Causes: Individualism is on the rise: This is when family members stop spending as much time with each other. Romantic love often subsides: When sexual passion fades this is when relationships fade. Women are now less dependent on men: Women leave unhappy marriages because wives are now not financially dependent on husbands. Many of today’s marriages are stressful: Most families face the problem of not having enough time or energy for family. Divorce is socially acceptable: Divorce is no longer being discouraged. Legally, a divorce is easier to get: Now divorces are easy to get as long as the couple says the marriage has fail. References Macionis John J., Sociology- (13th Edition). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Prentice Hall, 2009

Top Ten Countries Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Top Ten Countries - Research Paper Example Our management team found that none of the ten most populous countries are included in the list of the top ten countries for population growth. Indeed, China is in 152nd place for population growth, while India takes 86th place. The United States is 114th; Indonesia is 111th; Brazil is 104th; Pakistan is 75th; Bangladesh is 76th; Nigeria is 59th; Russia is 223rd; and Japan is 215th (Central Intelligence Agency, 2002). The top ten countries for population growth are (in descending order): Zimbabwe, Niger, Uganda, Turks and Caicos Islands, Burundi, United Arab Emirates, Gaza Strip, Ethiopia, Western Sahara, Burkina Faso (Central Intelligence Agency, 2002). Zimbabwe is 72nd in population; Niger is 62nd; Uganda is 36th; Turks and Caicos Islands is 209th; Burundi is 81st; United Arab Emirates is 114th; Gaza Strip is 149th; Ethiopia is 13th; Western Sahara is 170th; and Burkina Faso is 61st (Central Intelligence Agency, 2011).

Emergency Response & Crisis Comm Plans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Emergency Response & Crisis Comm Plans - Essay Example The Crisis Centre includes two component parts. The first is the Operational Control Incident Centre (OCIC) which is the corporate command and control centre that provides policy guidelines, responds to enquiries from the media fraternity, and has admission to a wide selection of resources such as key personnel and communication instruments. The second component part is the Emergency Procedures Information Centre (EPIC). EPIC provides the coordination and control of all passenger and family information for the British Airways and liases with activated Telephone Enquiry Centers (TEC’s) worldwide, including the U.S.A. The second component part will support the OCIC in providing information and support (Belliotti, 2008).   However, the British Airways Emergency Response Plan does not mention any background on the anticipated crisis. There is a general mentioning of a possible accident but does not include any further details as to the type of crisis that can occur. In case a crisis does occur, the emergency response plan has outlined various specific actions that will be taken to address the needs of the families of the passengers involved. Detailed sections are included in the plan specifying the most relevant and necessary actions to be taken in case of an accident. The plan contains specific instructions on corporate command and control centre to be carried out by the OCIC and the EPIC. Overall, the plan is well presented with specific sections to address specific issues that are likely to come up in case of an accident. All the anticipated problems are dealt with in the emergency response plan and specifically put the interest of the involved families and stakeholders first. However, the Emergency Response Plan does not highlight the stakeholders on the nature of the accident for which the plan was proposed. It fails to inform the stakeholders on the specific nature of the accident. Considering the nature of the plan, the anticipated

Written response Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Written response - Research Paper Example The reading is also motivated by the need to explore the influence the memories associated with a given locations, the physical characteristics and the geology on the overall architectural design process. One of the interesting aspects of this reading which comes out to be very engaging is way it explores the relationship between the buildings and the various environmental parameters which in the site where it is located. The reading explores how the orientation of the building, movement of the sun and movement from one building to the other affects design (Farrelly, 2007). It not only impacts on the height and the materials that can be used to construct the building. Generally, the reading is quite informative as it engages the reader to appreciate the key role which the location or site of a building has on the overall project starting from the design to the issue of the building upon

Empirical Techniques in Econometrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Empirical Techniques in Econometrics - Essay Example Econometrics is the application of statistical methods for solving the financial issues. It has many applications like – the effect of the economic conditions on the financial markets, the asset price derivations, predicting the future financial variables and other financial decision-makings. In econometrics there is a lack of adequate test data for applying the particular methodology, this is termed as the small samples problem. There are further constraints in Econometrics with respect to data revisions and the measurement error. These problems are generally faced due to the subsequent revisions in the reference data and the incorrect data estimation or incorrect measurement of data. The frequency of observation of the financial data has far-reaching implications. For the sake of understanding, just imagine the example of the prices of stocks in the share market, they are highly volatile and keep on changing every day, hour, minutes and so on. So to have precise knowledge of these prices one needs to have large quantum of data, in tens of thousands or in millions. Financial data are very noisy in the sense that it is highly difficult to draw a certain pattern or trend from the available data. In other sense the data doesn’t have a specific distribution. But approximations are applied for modeling of the market and for analyzing the future trends, values of financial variables.... sections, e.g. the weekly prices of mid cap shares over the period of five years. Cointergration: The macroeconomics and financial economics has empirical research based on time series. The macroeconomic time series has a nonstationarity property, which means that the variable doesn't return to a constant value or a linear trend. The stationary processes has a basic tendency of moving around a linear value i.e. the mean value and its fluctuation from this value is termed as the deviation. The variables such as employment, asset prices, gross domestic product follow a nonstationarity property and possess stochastic trends. Consider the trend in the financial return series like the rate of change of daily exchange rate. The figure shows the volatility of returns. Fig.1 Earlier it was a general practice to estimate nonstationary process equations in macroeconomic models by the simple linear regression. Clive Granger (1981) proposed a solution to the time series by a simple regression equation: (1) where, = dependent variable = single exogenous regressor = white noise To stress the solution, Granger defined the degree of integaration of the variable. Suppose a variable can be made nearly stationary by differencing it d times, then it can be termed as integrated of order d or I(d). Stationary random variables are I(0). In equation (1), if I(1) and I(1), then I(1). But there exists an important exception, if I(0) then I(0). The linear combination, holds same statistical properties as an I(0) variable. This

Should firms price discriminate Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Should firms price discriminate - Essay Example Therefore, PD can be defined as the situation in which price charged to a customer can be based partly on the value of the good to the customer, rather than just on the cost of producing the good itself (Paul, 1987). As a result, allowing a firm to capture all or most of the consumer surplus, increasing overall profit of the firm. Although this definition is different, it highlights an importance of utility and consumer surplus theorems allowing us to analyze how firms might use their monopoly power. In other words, how PD could be applied, so maximum profit can be gained in different monopoly markets. First of all in order to discuss the usefulness of PD as a profit maximizing tool, we should identify the conditions that firm must meet in order to price discriminate. According to Fritz Machlup, (Fritz, 1955)there are three main prerequisites, firstly, a firm has to have the monopoly power in order to set the price. For example, if a firm is a price taker and its operates in perfectly competitive market it cannot price discriminate as demand curve is perfectly elastic, therefore there is no consumer surplus to capture, whereas if a firm is a monopoly it has a downward sloping demand curve therefore, there are some consumers who are willing to pay more than the uniform price. Secondly, for different groups of consumers it is necessary to have different price elasticity. For example, assume that all consumer groups have the same price elasticity then ceteris paribus; monopoly firm does not have an incentive to apply PD as the profit will be the same as a firm would have applied sing le price strategy. The third criteria, is that a firm must be able to prevent an arbitrage, in other words preventing resale of its products. For instance, why do Apple restricts on the number of IPhones that can be purchased, it is not because Apple products are exclusive, the reason is to prevent an arbitrage. Some people might buy IPhones in the US and sell them in the

Integrity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Integrity - Essay Example Some leaders strictly abide by this value; but some, by internal or external factors, are led to be swayed into violating ethical and moral codes of conduct and behavior. The most important integrity competency for an organizational leader is acting consistently with principles, values, and beliefs – which include those stipulated by policies and principles of the organization; because they are expected to abide by the overall goals and interests of various stakeholders who are expected to be governed under these standards. For a political leader, the integrity competency of keeping promises is paramount because they had been voted by the public to serve through advocacies and political platform which had been formed and communicated through plan of action and promises of performance. Finally, a spiritual leader is expected to abide by the integrity competency of telling the truth based on religious doctrines and teachings of the faith so that their followers would be enjoined to practice what they preach. I strongly believe that since one has developed personal values and interests, it would naturally be exuded and adhered to in whatever scenario, setting, or role that one assumes in life. Thus, whether one becomes a follower or a leader, the same set of values and interests would be manifested and applied. As a leader, the advice that I would give others to help them stand up for their values and interests would be to develop values that are consistent with moral, ethical and legal standards and to remain steadfast in conforming to these values. By doing so, leaders and followers would be assured that a sense of integrity is maintained and sustained and one’s image as a person with integrity would never be

First law of motion Essay Example for Free

First law of motion Essay I have come to a point in life that many people have not. I have made a firm decision to recommit myself to pursuing my dreams. While there are those who believe that with an ounce of luck and a ton of persistence anything can be accomplished, I believe that there is no reason to expend so much energy and rely on luck. I believe in taking hold of my destiny and carving out a future for myself based on the decisions that I make in life. Life is simply too short and too precious to be left to luck alone. This is why I have chosen to apply at (Selected University Here). An object at rest tends to stay at rest and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force. This is how the first law of Newton is often stated. An object remains at rest unless an external influence interacts with it and either gets it moving again or alters its direction. I prefer to think of myself as one of those objects that are at rest. There has never really been any motivation or desire on my part to try and do something drastic in my life. The problems of other people do not concern me unless there is some sort of benefit that I can gain through my actions or disadvantage that will happen through my inaction. This has always been my way of dealing with things when I was much younger and admittedly more selfish and naive. As every story concerning a spoiled child goes, I always felt that I was the center of everyone’s attention. I was the most important thing in this world. There was no need for me to raise a finger to do anything as everyone around me was at my beck and call, servants who catered to my every whim and desire. These thoughts of greatness and power however were also the same thoughts that made it very difficult for me to adapt to my school environment as I constantly found myself alone in school with no friends and nobody to talk to. Things took a turn for the worse before they got any better however as I was also performing terribly in school. I would get into scuffles with my classmates and get on the bad side of everyone in my school. These were very difficult times for me because I could not understand why these people had such an intense dislike for me. The worst part was yet to come however. One day when I was one my way to my classroom I saw a couple of my classmates breaking into the lockers of a few of the students. Unsure of what I was supposed to do I decided to watch them. A few moments later a young kid, much smaller and younger than me, told these bigger kids to stop what they were doing because it was bad. These bullies merely laughed at the kid and decided to have some fun with him and push him around. Forgetting how much bigger they were than the young child, they became too rough and pushed the child so hard that he rolled down the stairwell. Instead of helping the young kid out I decided to make a run for it and not say anything to anyone. It wasn’t my problem, I recall telling myself. Indeed it wasn’t but soon enough it became a problem of mine when I learned a week later that the young boy who I refused to defend would never be able to walk again. My inaction, my selfishness was the reason that a young boy would never be able to walk again. I could not live with myself. It was then that I decided to approach my mother and ask her why things were that way. Like every mother, my mom adored me and always had my best interests in her heart. But I was surprised when she told me the truth; I was selfish, arrogant and self centered. A person destined for greatness must learn to be humble and must also learn to stand up in the face of adversity. She then told me a story a great person, a person she admired, former President Ronald Reagan. While not exactly the most intelligent of all people, Ronald Reagan endured many trials in his life and was able to weather them all thus earning himself the nickname â€Å"The Teflon President†. Not only was Ronald Reagan able to endure all of his challenges, he was also well loved by many, which is largely attributed to his persuasive quotable speaking style. The Great Communicator was able to charm the hearts of many and in doing so became one of the most effective Presidents in the history of the United States. After that talk, I decided to learn more about this person who my mother thought so highly of and found that he had done so many things during his administration. I could not understand how a person who wielded such power never chose to abuse it but instead chose to use the power to help other people and improve the welfare of every American; Powerful and influential but at the same time well-loved by the American public. From that forth I resolved to discard my selfish and self-centered ways and decided to focus more on helping other people and becoming more altruistic in my deeds. While I certainly will not become the next Ronald Reagan, I have him to thank for motivating me to become a better person not only for myself but for others as well. He has inspired me to lead a life of service for the public and fueled my passion for politics. I may not be able to accomplish the things that this great person has done in his lifetime but I will be happy knowing that I have made a difference in this world. To have even inspired a single person to do good things and to devote his life to a life of service for others as Ronald Reagan has done for me will be a great accomplishment. While I personally believe that â€Å"there is no such thing as a free lunch† and that everything a person has in life must come from hard work and perseverance, I also believe in charity. I believe in helping others who do not have much in life. I believe in helping people regardless of their nation, race or creed. I believe in being a better person so I can best help myself and others around me. I believe that (Selected University) is the best place for me to turn these beliefs into realities.

Relationship Between Mental Illness and Crime

Relationship Between Mental Illness and Crime The Circle of Crime Broadsheets and tabloids along with other forms of media continue to sensationalise the association between mental illness and crime with 46% of press coverage dedicated to crime, harm to others and self-harm which is concerning (Hudson, 2013). However, this can be detrimental to the psychological wellbeing of individuals who suffer from mental illness leading to victimisation and recidivism due to ineffective management of offenders with mental illness. This essay will critically discuss the current thinking in relation to the link between mental illness and crime. In particular, the transition of childhood abuse or violence to a crime being committed as a result of mental health problems. This essay will also attempt to demonstrate the impact incarceration which continues a pattern of offending due to unresolved mental health issues and the never ending cycle persists. Vinkers, Beurs, Barendregt, Rinne and Hoek (2011) investigated the relationship between mental illness and different types of crime. The study included 21,424 pre-trial forensic reports from the Netherland between 2000 and 2006. The crime which was found to have the strongest relationship with mental illness was arson which was then followed by assaults, homicide attempts and then threats. The crime which was found to have the weakest relationship (with diminished or absent accountability) with mental illness was sexual and property crimes. If there is a clear relationship between a mental illness and a crime which has been committed then accountability is considered to be diminished in Dutch courts (Vinkers et al., 2011). There are five degrees of responsibility in relation to crime the first being complete responsibility which is when a crime is committed by a person who is fully in their right mind, there is an absence of mental disorder or if the disorder is unrelated to the comm itted crime. This is then followed by slightly diminished, diminished, severely diminished and total absence of responsibility. To be absolved from guilt completely a severe mental disorder (usually of a psychotic nature) is necessary. An important strength of the research conducted by Vinkers et al. (2011) is that they directly studied the relationship between mental disorders and different types of crime. It is essential to understand why a relationship exits and not only that there is a relationship. When a person has an underlying mental health disorder and they commit a crime this does not necessarily mean the mental disorder caused them to commit the crime. For example if an individual who is addicted to drugs shoplifts this may be attributed to poverty and not related to them having a mental illness such as schizophrenia. Having established a link between mental illness and crime this essay will now consider the relationship between childhood violence or abuse and mental illness. Nikulina, Widom and Czaja (2011) investigated the effect that childhood neglect and childhood poverty (family and neighbourhood) had on the likelihood of developing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), academic achievement and crime in young adulthood. The results suggest that both childhood neglect and childhood family poverty predicted PTSD and arrest as an adult. The study also found that children who suffered from neglect and were poor were more likely to be delinquent and participate in criminal behaviour than children who were not poor and were not neglected. It was also suggested by Nikulina et al. (2011) that children who grow up in a poorer household (or neighbourhood) have a predisposition to trauma which makes them more likely have difficulties in later life. They concluded that n eglect and poverty were positively correlated with long term criminal, academic and mental health outcomes. The findings from Nikulina et al. (2011) indicate that adverse conditions and unstable living environments (including poverty) increase the chance that a person will develop PTSD symptoms. A persons surroundings are important in determining their risk for mental health and psychosocial outcomes. In addition to this Grisso (2007) suggest an association between youth delinquency and mental illness. In this study youths aged 9 and 10, 11 and 13 were interviewed and tested at three points in time. During at least one of these assessment points approximately one third of the youths met the criteria for one or more mental illnesses and the same amount of the total sample were arrested when they reached young adulthood. The results suggest that having a mental illness in adolescence is likely to have played a role in the subsequent offending as an adult. It is also suggested that suf fering from a mental illness between the ages of 9 and 16 poses a much greater risk of offending as a young adult. Effective community based intervention during adolescence is recommended by Grisso (2007) to reduce delinquency. A major problem which faces law enforcement is the high number of individuals with mental illnesses in the criminal justice system (Cuellar, McReynolds Wasserman, 2006). This creates complications both socially and politically. One way of combating this issue would be to use a specialised program such as mental health courts, which are relatively new. There are approximately 200 mental health courts in the United States with D’Emic (2014) becoming the first mental health court judge in New York State in March 2002. Mental health courts are an alternative to incarceration courts. The aim of these courts is to improve the psychiatric stability of offenders and also to improve public safety by connecting offenders with mental health treatment. Cuellar et al. (2006) suggest that for certain types of individuals, it is more appropriate to use problem-solving methods rather than punishment. They do this by working with other mental health agencies, families and housing providers to name a few. The aim of these courts is to support offenders who are suffering with a mental illness to live a constructive life which is free of crime in the community (D’Emic, 2014). One of the first cases to be brought to this court was a young man in his early 20s who had been arrested for two street robberies (D’Emic, 2014). While in jail he began to act bizarrely and he was subsequently taken to hospital to be observed. He was diagnosed with schizophrenia. The agreement was that if he engaged with treatment the indictment against him would be dismissed. He succeeded and went on to obtain a master’s degree and remained in therapy and continued to take medication which was prescribed for his mental illness. The treatment which was overseen by the mental health court ensured the continued safety of the public by effectively managing this young man’s mental health. If the only option for this young man was to be handed a prison sentence this could have resulted in him being released into the community with a serious, untreated mental illness. The aim of using this method is to reduce recidivism and also reduce the severity of crimes committed by offenders who suffer from mental illness which in turn would reduce the societal cost of crime (Cuellar et al., 2006). The concern for policymakers in the reduction of crime is to place more emphasis on rehabilitation and treatment of offenders with mental illnesses as opposed to prosecution and harsher punishment. Offenders with mental illness would find it more beneficial to engage with more appropriate and less expensive supervised care in the community than being embroiled in the criminal justice system (DeQuendre, 2002). If appropriate services were provided to sufferers of mental illness then they would not end up being arrested, in jail or facing charges in court (Cuellar et al., 2006). A finding from Cuellar et al (2006) is that more than half of youths who had a mental illness wer e re-arrested. Over a one year period it was reported that there were 63 fewer arrests per 100 youths who had voluntarily enrolled on the diversion programme. This is an opportunity for youths to avoid the formal court intervention and engage with appropriate developmental and treatment needs. Female prisoners have been identified as particularly vulnerable by MacDonald (2013) and more likely to suffer from higher levels of emotional distress than male prisoners. MacDonald (2013) examined 6 countries which were part of the EU DAPHNE Strong project. The purpose of this project was to increase the knowledge and understanding of professionals who work with women in prison who had been subject to childhood, intimate partner or other forms of physical and or sexual violence. The findings of the DAPHNE project were that 70-80% of the female prison population in Scotland had mental health problems, 50% of the prisoners had a history of sexual abuse and at least 50% of the women were presently in an abusive relationship (MacDonald, 2013). The findings were similar in England and Wales with 50% experiencing domestic violence. In Finland it is suggested that approximately three out of four female prisoners have been a victim of physical, psychological or sexual violence. Germany als o reports a victim violence rate of 70%. It was found in Scotland and Finland that women who had a history of violence and abuse were not routinely identified. Effective screening of mental health problems and also other health concerns is fundamental to the services which can be provided. It is imperative that gender-specific guidelines are set for managing female prisoners as they often have more complex health problems than male prisoners (World Health Organisation, 2009). The areas which require particular attention are mental illness, substance abuse issues, reproductive health and physical and sexual abuse. It has been reported that the mental health care which is currently provided is inadequate. This is due to lack of funding and also a lack of trained staff. The overuse of medication is also highlighted. A major concern in prisons is amount of prisoners who suffer from mental illnesses such as psychosis (3.7% of males and 4% of females), major depression (10% males and 12% females) and antisocial personality disorder (45%) as this increase the likelihood of suicide (MacDonald, 2013). It is suggested that the treatment of mental illnesses including self-harm should be managed in the community where they originated. The problems which women face require specific treatment plans which are currently not provided by The Prison Service and unlikely to be without the appropriate resources being dedicated. The United Kingdom appears to be efficient in providing information. In women’s prisons in Scotland, England and Wales there are posters, brochures and leaflets however this method of delivery can be problematic for prisoners who have writing and reading difficulties. The need for a range of services to be provided to prisoners is advocated by Prison staff. These include a named member of staff who has responsibility for violence and abuse who prisoners can be referred to, informing the prisoners of the chaplaincy service and encouraging the prisoner s to use informal and therapeutic approaches to deal with their issues such as writing down their feelings or using art therapy. An important mechanism in supporting prisoners is to empower them to believe they can overcome their difficulties and live a happier healthier life. MacDonald (2013) infers that the criminal justice system appear unwilling to provide alternatives to custodial sentences. Cuts in public spending have further implicated the capacity for the prison service to offer any staff training. The availability of services is widely inconsistent within countries and also within the EU (MacDonald, 2013). Visher and Bakken (2014) examined the mental health status of women who were leaving prison and how their mental health shaped their re-entry outcomes. Problems that the women face over a year after leaving included poorer health, difficulty securing a home, trouble gaining employment and more involvement in criminal behaviour. Women who enter prison are more likely to report excessive history of physical sexual and emotional abuse which puts them at high risk of mental illness (Visher Bakken, 2014). There is also a strong link between childhood abuse and mental illness, in particular depression, PTSD, panic and eating disorders. Women inmates are reported to have higher rates of mental illness (73%) than males (55%). A large study was carried out looking at 357 women from six states that were released from prison. Of these women 44% reported a diagnosis of depression, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), bipolar disorder, PTSD and schizophrenia (Visher Bakken, 2014). Out of these women over half of them felt that they still required treatment for their mental illness a quarter of them believed that they need â€Å"a lot† of treatment. An important finding was that the need for this treatment pre-ceded the imprisonment. Women who suffer from mental illness are likely to face problems at every stage of the criminal justice process from the moment they are arrested, to being imprisoned and then finally when they are released and subsequently reintegrated back into the community. Reports indicate that history of women’s lives play a role in their criminal involvement such as personal abuse, mental illness and substance abuse, homelessness, poverty and also being involved in troubled relationships. Due to these difficulties women often find it difficult to re-establish their lives when they leave prison. The difficulties they have are getting a job, finding a place to live, earning enough money to support them, and also building relationships with t heir family which may have been broken due to being in prison. To avoid recidivism it is essential that women with mental health problems are provided with treatment during and after imprisonment. However prisons due not have the resources to provide this treatment and only those in the most secure facilities receive any support. Visher and Bakken (2014) conducted a longitudinal study called Returning Home; Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Re-entry which examined the lives of prisoners before, during and a year after leaving prison. A simple effective method that could be employed is a checklist for problems which might require follow up care or management. If any mental health issues are identified then women should be referred on to a community case manager in order to receive the appropriate services for their needs. Recidivism is an important issue which needs attention as eventually the majority of imprisoned offenders will return to society (Gontkovsky McClellan, 2000). Rehabilitation is particularly important especially with regards to inmates who have mental illness. Some of these inmates have a pre-existing mental illness whereas others develop an illness due to issues such as fear of violence and restricted freedom (Gontkovsky McClellan, 2000). Due to inadequate staffing, evaluations of offenders with psychological issues are often brief and unreliable which results in ineffective treatment. In theory the key to successful rehabilitation is providing individually tailored treatment programs however, this is rarely implemented. Resources should not be wasted on individuals who are unwilling to put the effort in but should be reserved for individuals who are motivated for change. To avoid recidivism women need the opportunity to deal with any trauma they have suffered and they need support to learn more effective ways of dealing with their problems to take control of their own lives. In Germany counselling and conversation during the night are provided to prisoners. The suggestions for improving the current practise for women in prison is using prison as a last resort for women who do not pose a risk to society. Also all policies which are developed must recognise the gender specific needs of women and finally mental illnesses which arise from substance abuse and PTSD should be specifically addressed (MacDonald, 2013).One of the objectives of this project was to develop a resource pack for prisons and other criminal justice related authorities to provide examples of good practice and to highlight programmes which already exist for women survivors of violence and abuse. A second objective of the project was to develop a training programme for the staff that ca rries out work with female prisoners who have experienced violence to help them understand the problems which these women face. In conclusion this essay has established the link between mental health and crime with regards to past life experience and in particular to females. The difficulties which individuals with mental illness face who commit crime have also been addressed. Effectively managing mental illness would benefit both the individual and also wider society. A broader understanding in the criminal justice system of mental illness would also be beneficial. For individuals who pose a risk to either themselves or to others there is often no alternative to a custodial sentence. However, for the individuals who do not pose a risk to themselves or to others perhaps developing and implementing other strategies than custodial sentences would reduce the ever revolving prison door. This would also take the pressure off of the prison service to provide treatment which they are not equipped to provide. If issues are identified in childhood early intervention may also reduce the number of individuals with menta l illness who find themselves entrapped in the ever revolving door of prison. Rather than condemn individuals with mental illness who commit crime it may be more constructive to identify the reason which caused them to offend in the first place. In some cases mental illness will play a role in the offending behaviour however in some cases other factors may have cause the offending. It is of utmost importance to clarify the factor which led to the offending behaviour in order to deal with the situation effectively and reduce further offending.

The Rise And Fall Of Kingfisher Airlines

The Rise And Fall Of Kingfisher Airlines Kingfisher is a major airline based in Mumbai, India. It is the fifth Indias airlines that provide largest passenger airline in which international and domestic flights are provided to the customers with very flexible fares. Kingfisher is one of the largest airlines in India and it was established in 2003. It is owned by the Bengaluru based United Breweries Group. Basically the commercial operations are started in 9 may 2005 with the fleet of four new Airbus A320-200s Operating flight from Mumbai to Delhi. Then the next international operations are started on 3 September 2008 by connecting from Bengaluru to London. The Kingfisher airline has been facing financial issues for many years. Kingfisher airlines have the second largest share in the air travel market till December 2011. However due to the astringent financial crisis faced by the Kingfishers airline, it has now the fifth largest market share currently and only above Go Air Airlines. Kingfisher Airlines is one of the only seven airlines that are awarded 5-star rating by Skytrax along with Cathay Pacific, Qatar Airways, Asiana Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Singapore Airlines, and Hainan Airlines. Kingfisher operates 250 daily flights including domestic and international services. Kingfisher Airlines carry more than 1 million passengers which help the Kingfishers Airlines to make the highest market share among all other airlines in India in May 2009. Kingfisher also holds the Skytrax award for one of the Indias best airline of the year 2011. Background: Main issue of the downfall of the Kingfisher Airline. All things are going in a very good manner and kingfisher is at its peak but in 2005 the airline faced many problems in the operations, the Airlines then reported as in loss. But the situation become worst when the new airlines called Air Deccan is adopted by the Kingfisher airline in 2007. Due the collaboration with the new airline the Kingfisher suffered a loss of over Rs. 1,000 Crore continuously for 3 years. In the Starting of 2012, the staff of Kingfisher airline is going on strikes and it also faced a very big loss of over Rs. 7,000 Crore with half of the money is bankrupted. In this tough situation the faces mainly faced financial problem and to overcome the situation the airline went for loans, so that they can cover it. But the heavy interest and debt, in November 2010, the company adopted a way to decrease the burden the airline adopted debt restructuring on those total 18 leading lenders, those have landed total Rs. 8,000 crores, they agree to cut the interest the rates and convert part of loan into equity. As per the contract the lenders have to convert the debt into shares which is converted into equity. Due to this company able to cut down the average interest to 11% and save Rs. 500 Crore every year in the interest cost. The use of the strategy Debt restructuring also didnt help the airline a lot; no doubt by using this it reduced the interest charges by Rs. 500 crores every year, but due to the high increase in cost and many other factors the company started faced problems of liquidity. Due to no funds available the company also faced these types of problems like delayed salary there are over 6,000 workers which are working in the company and after the financial crisis company have delayed salaries of the staff that will affect the workers a lot because they are working like the same and we can say they are working more than normal but these type of problems decrease the workers morale and dissatisfaction factor also arises. Due to the non-availability of the funds they are also many things that will effect like due fuel, Service tax, Air craft lease rental due and many more. Current Situation: Problem still continues Kingfisher airlines started to cast down into fresh crisis. Many flights are cancelled and many aircrafts are grounded. The company shut down many important international operations and closed the booking of the tickets. Kingfishers have many aircraft and only few were operating and presently very less airplanes are operating and this dropped highly in market share. Main leading State bank of India also not giving more loans to the company unless they pay the previous amount. Now a day it is very hard situation for kingfisher airlines in recent months. The service of airline provided by Vijay Mallya is not glamorous as it was previous times because many flights are cancelled when customers are waiting to departure and this will underestimate a lot to customer. The management is main issue here in the Kingfisher airlines they need some expert CEOs that help to check the activities every day but Vijay Mallya is the only one that control the whole company this may be the biggest cause of downfall of the kingfisher airlines. In big organizations lots of discussion and suggestions are needed that help to make any decision easily. This causes which disturbs the relation between the employees and Vijay Mallya because there must be some time given to each and every employee so that they feel motivated and feel their suggestions or any need of help are given by the company, this help them to stay satisfied and they work with their full effort. Vijay Mallya always kept saying that the reason behind downfall of company is that the rising fuel pricing and other factors contributed the downfall of the company. But there are other factors also. Some other reasons that also contribute to the downfall of the kingfisher airline: Sociological: Now a days traveling by plane is not a big issue because there are lot of airlines from which we can select any one according to our financial status. Every flight has its own way of treating passengers because in todays world going one place to another is not a big deal all matters how was our journey what are the experience and how comfortable are you in the whole journey. As being a 5 star airline they provide good service to the passengers but the prices are also very high only the high profile or above the economic level people adopt Kingfisher airline. Due to the luxurious level of treatment they are willing to pay more than other airlines charge. But they have to be economical so every economic person can also have the experience this type of luxurious treatment this also help them to gather more and more customers. Technological: In todays world technology plays a great role in any type of the company. Kingfisher airlines dont provide a TV screen on the back of the seat, so that every passenger has its own personal TV. Now people use technology they want to do the whole work with the help of internet and do all the work while sitting in their home. This also attracts customers to do all the booking while relaxing in their home and they dont need to stand in the long queues on the ticket counters. Economical: Now a days economic issues is a major concern because people are now check not only the luxurious treatment they also check whether it is worth going or not. There a lot of bank credit options that are available in the case of travelling this are also the reason that affects the sales of the aviation industries. In India there are lot of factors that affect the organisation like the inflation, interest rates and recession. There are government policies that effect the organisation a lot. There are lot things which have to consider while planning the economic factors because that depend a lot on the success of the organisation. Ecological: Nature also effect the aviation industry a lot because the climate affects a lot on the aviation industry weather should be stable in the time of the flights because if the climate is not good they are delayed and this disturb the customers a lot. Passengers who pay so many amounts to get good service and comfortable journey in between if something happen this disturbs a lot. If something happen like delay in the flights airline have to provide facility and accommodation for the customers this costs a lot to the airlines but they have to do for the passengers to calm them down and this help them to understand the problem and they dont take any chances to lose the customers because if the customer have any bad experience they might not go next time with the same flight because they are many others options available to them. In India weather is stable for most of the time and passengers are not use to these type of situation so aviation industry must be prepared if any thing happens. Political: In India in every 5 years government changes and also it is a democratic country. Kingfishers have great benefit of this because the owner of kingfisher Vijay Mallya have good political network which helps to their airline. No doubt, the political network is great but this not always help because all have to follow the government policies and rules. Legal: Rising Fuel pricing is also the main issue in India. The aviation industries have to pay large amount of money for fuel. To overcome this problem aviation industry increase of decrease the level of services to the passengers which help them to cover it up. Ethical: Indians are very ethical people they always think before buying anything they always check which thing is good for them and also gives some benefits to them. Like in India there a lot stationary products which are collaborated with some non-profit institute or any other institute which gives some amount when someone buy it, majority of people willing to buy that product because they help the needy people. In past Kingfisher gives value for the money that is why people are willing to give more money after all kingfisher airline is the 5 star rated airlines. Analysis: No doubt kingfisher airlines are one of the successful airlines in India. But there are lot pros and cons there which lead them to downfall of the successful airline. Pros: Kingfisher is one of the luxurious flights in India. Kingfisher is a well-known brand and the financial status of the organization is very good. The connections between the political and the owner of the Kingfisher airlines are very strong. Kingfisher has a strong relationship with parent United Breweries Group which supports them a lot. The customer service is very healthy. Kingfisher provide very luxurious journey to the passengers. The staff is highly trained and very professional with customers. Cons: The management practices are very poor and the organization structure is not formed properly. Kingfisher airline is not producing the expected returns from they are spending. Sales are getting lower and lower due to cancellation and delayed flights which customers dont like it. Due to the 5 star brand of the company it is spending more than normally which is very hard to recover the money. Things need some changes: There are lots of things which are needed to be change which help the kingfisher airlines to recover. Aviation industry is now days are very popular and competition is getting tough and tough. To successfully run the aviation industry there are many things which have to keep in the mind while successfully run the business. In Kingfisher only the owner Vijay Mallya is having the direct control on the business and due this there is problems occur. In kingfisher there is huge network and there are many employee works there and to satisfy the needs of the employee only one person cannot keep it. There must be some professionally and fully trained CEO must be hired to control whatever is the situation. Vijay Mallya also taken wrong step while cutting the salary of the employees and even the salaries are delayed for many months and according to the Herzbergs Motivator-Hygiene Model the customers are Dissatisfied because they are not getting the salary on time. In the recession period of Kingfisher airlines they also misbehaved with some customers due to the frustration and this will lose their customers. In this period the Kingfisher airlines introduced a new airline called Kingfisher red to cover some expenses because it is comparatively low cost. Once there is an incident occurs passengers booked the ticket for Kingfisher Airlines and when they come to the flight the realize that this is not Kingfisher fisher this is Kingfisher red and when the passenger asked for that then they asked that there is technical issue in the website it was not distinguishing the two airlines differently but this is not a valid reason because as I said earlier that the technology plays a great role in todays world people are now days very techno used and they know which flight they are booking. The main question is that why the kingfisher is running a cheap airline after all Kingfisher is one of the top brand 5 star airline this reduces the reputation of the airline and also misbehaving with customers also give wrong impact on them so to handle this Kingfisher airlines must be have some arrangement to handle this type of stuff. To do so experience staff is required and if any conflicts occur then handle them with care so that no passenger get upse t and feel biased everyone should be treated same. Competition also have a major issue because while competing with other Aviation airlines they have to consider so many expects that will affect the Kingfisher airlines because other airlines provide more facility and there low cost of the fare attracts the customers, But Kingfisher Airlines have to do some strategies so that they can keep their customers. Competition is not only with Aviation industry in India majority of people will go for the low cost carriers in India. Railways are also competitors because now Indian Railways are safe mode to travel and they cost very less as compared to airline. So to plan according to the budget of the airlines and equally economical to the people, trained CEOs are required to do the job done well. Owner of Kingfisher airlines Vijay Mallya also done one more thing that they only targeted the passengers that are willing to pay more than normal. They only need luxurious treatment, this is a good but in the time period of 2005 to 2008 is very easily earned money period for Kingfisher and Vijay Mallya also make so much profit then he invested money on others places like Cricket, Alcohol and many more. Due to the easy money Mallya expanded a lot their empire that is very difficult to handle and this is one of the reason which makes the Kingfisher into trouble. Kingfisher Airlines have to take following step to make things good: With lot of increase in loss of Kingfisher airlines and overdue of tax, fuel suppliers and airports and only few of the flights are working. If they want to again successfully run the business then promoters need to invest some money first then the Kingfisher airlines firstly clear the due of fuel and overdue of the tax with this money and then they should step up the ladder of success. The morale of the employees should be considered first because they are the very important to the Kingfisher airline especially the staff and pilots they should never be dissatisfied. So Kingfisher airlines should must clear all the due of the salary of the employees because due to unpaid they have to suffer and their families also suffer with them. They cant afford to lose quality pilots and if this will continue it may be happen that the plant should shut down in future. Aircrafts used in the Kingfishers used now is very less and due to the mismanagement of the staff and between the owner leads them to failure because as I discussed earlier Mallya always have the direct control of the business and may be some factors that are left which are not considered by Mallya that affects a lot to the Organization. The perception of the Owner may be somehow wrong that is why the organization structure should be clear and should be made by various talented minds that help to success of the airlines. Conclusion Kingfisher is one of the leading and successful airlines in India. The reason behind the downfall of the airline is mentioned above and there are many other factors which also the reason behind the downfall of the Kingfisher airline. The organizational structure is mainly the major concern in the Kingfisher airlines. In starting the kingfisher is at its peak at that time period is the best time to expand the business but due to the huge benefits the staff and pilots and the expenses is also become more and more and to successfully manage it many talented person are required, no doubt they have experienced staff and luxurious treatment they give to the passengers but to organize the whole staff and the airline only Vijay Mallya is having the direct control on it and this occurs misunderstanding. When the business is having great profit then we must have to more alert because when this happen the other competitors always try to get trouble so we cant make profits. Like the other competitors of kingfisher is giving more facility and the cost of other airlines are also less than it is difficult to manage for Kingfisher airlines because they are the very luxurious and the cost of the flights are also high because due to the brand name they have to treat the passengers like they are treated previously and this is very difficult to handle but this can be handled by professionals so that the passengers not feel and change but this strategy gives benefits to the airline and various strategies are required to do it. Some of them are mentioned above but the organization behavior plays a great role to manage the people in the organization. This helps the staff and employee and higher status persons and owner to successfully run the business and maintain a healthy relation between them.

Dysphagia :: Health, Diseases

Dysphagia Surviving a severe stoke often leads to a new problem. Almost half of patient affected by severe stroke develop difficulty in swallowing that is known as dysphagia. People in this condition have trouble in holding food and fluid in their mouth or swallowing. When food passes from the mouth into oropharynx and laryngopharynx, it enters the esophagus and muscular contraction propels it to the stomach, but when process goes wrong the food and fluids re-enter the esophagus which is known as reflux (Nozarka, 2010). There are factors that disrupt normal swallowing. These include stroke, age-related changes, medication and neurological disease (Nozarko, 2010). Signs of dysphagia are cough during eating, change in voice tone or quality after swallowing, abnormal movements of the mouth, tongue or lips and slow, weak, precise, or uncoordinated speech. Other signs of the disease are abnormal gag, delayed swallowing, incomplete oral clearance or pocketing, regurgitation, pharyngeal pooling, delayed or absent trigger of swallow, and inability to speak consistently (Potter & Perry, 2009). Dysphagia can leads to aspiration pneumonia. During aspiration, the food or fluid passes through the vocal folds and enters the airway. It can be caused by impaired laryngeal closure or overflow of food or liquids retained in pharynx. This increases the risk of choking and aspiration pneumonia. Through coughing the body tries to free from aspiration that helps to clear food and fluid from lungs. However, silent aspiration is very dangerous because food and fluid penetrate the airway and move deep into the lungs that cause major respiratory problems. Dysphagia also results to malnutrition and dehydration. This increases the risk for pressure ulcer (Nozarko, 2010). Assessment of the gathered data leads to a nursing diagnosis. A client who is a stroke survivor complains in difficulty when swallowing that is associated to deficit in oral, pharyngeal, or esophageal structure or function. In this case the nursing diagnosis is impaired swallowing related to neurological problem (Ackley & Ladwig, 2011). As a caregiver of a client in this condition, setting goals and outcome is needed. The goal and outcome for a client suffering from dysphagia are; the client can effectively swallow without choking within seven days, and the client will be free from aspiration evidence by clear lung sound within five days (Ackley & Ladwig, 2011). To meet the goals and outcomes for this patient first determine the severity of dysphagia. â€Å"If a person has mild dysphagia, simply provide a suitable and advice about eating slowly and sitting upright while eating may enable the person to remain well nourished [sic] and problem free† (Nozarka, 2010, para.

Summary of 1984 by George Orwell :: 1984 by George Orwell

What do you think a normal human being needs to have a good, hearty life? I believe that you need the freedom of thought, the rights of love, the right to express yourself on paper, and freedom of speech. In Orwell’s world of totalitarianism you don’t have any of these freedoms. You are to obey the party and do nothing but obey the party. The only way of temporarily escaping totalitarianism is through conspiracy and lies. The characters in 1984 give us readers an idea of how INGSOC ruins lives and makes the very idea of conspiracy hopeless. Winston Smith is your â€Å"average Joe† in Oceania. He struggles with how to determine what is true or not. Winston is a fatalist because, â€Å"no matter what he does, he believes that the party will eventually kill him. At the beginning of the book, Winston buys a diary from a junk shop, which is against the party’s will because he buys the diary he is committing a crime against the party. Simply by purchasing the diary made no difference if he wrote in it or not he would still be killed. On pg. 19 of the book Orwell wrote, â€Å"Whether he wrote DOWN WITH BIG BROTHER, or whether he refrained from writing it, made no difference. Whether he went on with the diary or whether he did not go on with it, made no difference. The thought police would get him the same.† This shows Winston’s sense of fatalism. While in the shop where Winston bought the diary, he spies a piece of coral enclosed in glass. He immediately takes an interest in it and decides to buy it. This piece of coral symbolizes his ability to connect to the past. Winston’s first inclination once he sees Julia following him is to kill her, and smash her head on the cobblestone. Winston thinks to himself, â€Å"I could keep on her track till they were in some quiet place, and then smash her skull with a cobblestone. The piece of glass in my pocket should do the job.† By smashing the piece of glass into Julia’s head Winston would be destroying two things. One is Julia and his hopes of having a decent life but his obsessive desire to know the truth and the second is the piece of coral which is Winston’s way of linking the past to the present. Winston is afraid that Julia could be part of the thought police.

Tour Operator Management Essay

Introduction: A tour operator typically combines tour and travel components to create a holiday. They prepare itinerary. The most common example of a tour operator’s product would be a flight on a charter airline plus a transfer from the airport to a hotel and the services of a local representative, all for one price. Niche tour operators may specialise in destinations, e.g. Italy, activities and experiences, e.g. skiing, or a combination thereof. The original raison d’etre of tour operating was the difficulty of making arrangements in far-flung places, with problems of language, currency and communication. The advent of the internet has led to a rapid increase in self-packaging of holidays. Task 1. Understand the tour operator industry A tour operator combines tour and travel components to create a holiday, it designs travel routes for tourists and offer perfect arrangements of the airlines and hotels. In a word, a tour operator offers package holidays. A travel agent is a kind of retail business which is a buyer of tour operator, it sells travel-related products and services to customers on behalf of tour operators, airlines, hotels and other entities. Some tour operators own the distribution channel, they set up retail shops selling products and services directly to the final customers, or they establish close relationships with travel agencies under contracts. The development of the industry should be attributed to the development of transportation in the early age. With the invention of aircraft, the demand for travel increased rapidly. But in recent years, situations become more complex than ever before in such a changeable economic climate, UK’s tour operator industry are fluctuated in growth. The pack age holiday market continued to decline but specialist holidays, cruise tours and flight-only bookings all grew significantly. Company failure level rose substantially from 33 in the previous year to 47 this year. The industry structure changed a lot: independent agents turned to favour dynamic packaging with concentration on niche markets including long-haul, cruising, UK holidays and self-packaging. Big operators drove bookings online and through their own retail networks. 2006 is one of the  most challenging years in the industry’s history, with traditional business model under great pressure and uncertain future for many others. Tour operators judge overall demand and the expected demand for each destination and seek to satisfy that demand if it can be accomplished profitably. Tour operators assemble the component parts of holidays. Tour operators have many sub-contracted suppliers that are expected to deliver quality services under some form of supervision. They rely upon close relationships with people working in the destinations – at airports, hotels, restaurants, excursion venues, public administrations, medical authorities, etc. – for without them, holidays could not be delivered. Tour operators have resident staff, or those of their local agents that maintain these relationships and are expected to become familiar with concerns expressed by local c ommunities. Where good quality accommodation for customers is in short supply, many tour operators co-finance developments on a short-term basis. Tour operators act as a bridge between suppliers, customers and the country visited, providing information about the destination, safety and cultural sensitivity (dress codes, etc). With smaller guided tours, customers often seek greater detailed interaction and are very aware of their social and cultural responsibilities. In Great Britain, the country in which they occurred the first time tour operators, leading manufacturers are Thompson, Owners Abroad and Airtours which has 60% of the total national sales of standard trips. Vertical integration: Vertical integration occurs when an organization own companies on two or more levels of the buying chains.(Siraliova and Angelis, 2006). Companies use the concept of rebranding in this integration for the purpose of enhancing the customer base. Horizontal integration: â€Å"Horizontal integration simply means a strategy to increase the market share by taking over a similar company. Tour operators can integrate with same kind of company such as Thompson holidays so that to sustain in the competitive market. Especially technological industries use this concept where mergers and acquisitions happen in order to enhance t he reach of the entity.† (Vignali, 2001).

Literature review on contemporary HRD Essay

Critically discuss and evaluate current perspectives on the changing role and nature of training and learning in organisations and human resource development. This should include a critical appraisal of key theoretical perspectives on the strategic role of HRD within contemporary organisational contexts Within this submission, I have illustrated the changing role and nature of training and learning within context of a learning organisation. Training and learning in organisations. So what do we mean by training and learning within an organisation? One view is that it is about developing a learning organisation, an ‘organization that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future. For such an organization, it is not enough merely to survive, ‘Survival learning’ what is more often termed ‘adaptive learning’ is important, indeed it is necessary. But for a learning organization, ‘adaptive learning’ must be joined by ‘generative learning,’ learning that enhances our capacity to create’. Senge (1999:14) Further support for this ‘generative’ view is seen in Wick and Westley (1996) who take the perspective that a learning organisation should be seen against the backdrop of its culture. Arguing values, beliefs, feelings, artefacts, myths, symbols, metaphors’ form part of any approach taken by a learning organisation. It arguably impossible to clinically define what a learning organisation consists of in a generic form. By creating a learning organisation you create a learning climate, thus hopefully a training and learning culture. Senge takes the view that, what fundamentally will distinguish learning organizations from traditional authoritarian â€Å"controlling organizations† will be the ‘mastery of certain basic disciplines. That is why the â€Å"disciplines of the learning organization† are vital’. Senge (1999: 5). However, it is to be noted that Senge uses the word discipline to mean a set of practices rather than a rigid system of rules, which is often inferred understood in the modern use of the word. Going on to comment, ‘To practice a discipline is to be a lifelong learner. You never arrive; you spend your life mastering disciplines’. Senge (1999: 11) Futher confirming the view that, this area of management study is far from being a science, but he does present offer a few guiding principles in his best selling book, The Fifth Discipline, ‘Have realistic goals, challenge your assumptions, commit to a shared vision and that teamworking is good for you. We see here the dualistic approach of both the need for the organisation and the individual to become intrinsically involved in the concept. Although a popular view, others have felt that organisation learn in there own right, almost biologically. Schon for example sees organisations as, ‘repositories of knowledge’ independent of their members (Schon, 1983:242). There is a wide school of thought that learning organisations develop and are not imposed, ‘†¦as cultures develop and alter their expectations, (an example of which would include the demise of unions and the capitalist ideology of the Thatcher years) so must organisations change that employ within that culture.’ (Schon, 1983). Further cultural identities in terms of sector, product or organisations must also be taken into account, highlighted by the work of both Argyris (1960) and Hofstede (1994). One mistaken view is that the term a ‘learning organisation’ is a new concept. It is certainly true that as the world changes new approaches must be investigated to maintain both personal and organisational survival. However, the idea that organisations have only recently had to deal with changing situations, both operationally and strategically, is clearly absurd. Only the pace and scope of change in the last 50 years has brought the spotlight on organisations managing its human resource in a more effective manner. It remains a truism that it is not an argument about leaning and development, after all we have all learnt and development within any organisation we have been in contact with either consciously or subconsciously. The argument must surely be how we identify, focus and deliver that learning in an organisational context to produce value to the individual and therefore hopefully the organization. A view highlighted by Argyris and Schon (1974) Historically this point is confirmed, ‘We trained hard†¦ but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up in teams we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ Caius Petronius, AD 65. However, the key element of a learning organisation is that it is about people and how they learn, develop and ultimately (or hopefully) contribute to the organisation. The link with HRD is therefore both binding and key in determining how T&D takes place in an organisation. Yet we still come back to what is a learning organisation. One simple view that will form the basis of my assignment is, ‘A learning organisation can, in plain terms, be described as an organisation which anticipates changes in its environment by learning on a strategic level; deliberately aims at improving its ability for learning and which, in order to learn on a strategic level, makes use of the learning of all employees, therefore this employee learning is enhanced at all hierarchical levels. (Sambrook and Stewart, IDPM Paper 1999). Therefore, it can be argued that the development of a learning organisation the most important factor in the changing role of T&D within organisations. Human Resource Development (HRD) Having settled on a broad view of what a learning organisation is, fitting it within a HRD context can only be achieved if we understand what we mean by HRD. In a learning context, HRD has been described as, ‘Organised learning experiences in a definite time period to increase the possibility of improving job performance growth’. (Nadler and Nadler, 1990:1.3). However, HRD covers a much wider field, ‘HRD is the integrated use of training and development, career development, and organisation development to improve individual and organisational effectiveness. (McLagan and Suhadolnik, 1989:10). A further view, ‘HRD is a process of developing and/or unleashing human expertise through organisation development (OD) and personnel training and development (T&D) for the purpose of improving performance. Swanson (1998) confirms this view that HRD is about the relationship of individuals with the organisation in a learning environment. But surely, HRD can be defined more accurately? Presently there is no universal view or agreement on the theory or multiple theories that support HRD as a discipline. On one hand some have called for systems theory to serve as a unifying theory for HRD to access all useful theories as required (Gradous, (1989) and on the other hand many have proposed sets of principles in the forms of comparative lists of added value, products, processes, and expertise (Brethower, 1995). The alterative to having a sound theoretical and disciplinary base for the HRD profession is the present state of ‘rudderless random activity aggressively sponsored by a theoretical professional associations and greedy consultants’ (Micklethwait & Wooldridge, 1996; Swanson, 1997). This view, it is argued, is a short-term sell of perceived success without having a deep understanding of the key components of the concept. ‘For this reason, a discrete and logical set of theories as the foundation of HRD is proposed. It is comprised of psychological theory, economic theory, and systems theory’ (Passmore, 1997; Swanson, 1995, 1999). Economic theory is recognised as the primary force at the organisational level with the systems theory recognising the importance of direction, politics and purpose that could affect any organisational system. Psychological theory acknowledges human beings as a resource, whilst trying to understand the behavioural patterns that must be taken into account, opening the HRD function up to new ideas and concepts such as NLP and EQ. It is believed by Passmore, Swanson et al. that these three theories, more than any others, make up the modern view of HRD. Development of HRD Early incarnations of HRD concerned themselves with a personal management function, ‘Personal management function at an administrative level, independent of commercial realities, into a concept that has become central to the strategic and commercial success of the organisation.’ (Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001: 668) However, as organisations adapted to change and new ways of thinking so did its human resource function: 1964-70 – systematic approach to diagnosis of training 1968-75 – standardization training for job categories by industry. (Such as motor, construction and social work) Thorough off-job basic education for skilled occupations 1970-75 – systematic planning of training for all categories of employee 1974-80 – company contribution to training for young people and long-term unemployed to meet national needs 1979-90 – business-orientated training directed at improving organizational effectiveness (value added) 1988 – present – personal development with individualized plans for which each employee and their boss take responsibility. Sambrook & Stewart IDPM Paper (1999) The last of these observations highlights a move away from organisational directed learning, as it sees the individual start to take more control of their own development needs. Due to the differences in organisational needs, cultural context organisational structure and resources available, the concept of the individual taking more responsibility for their development is a significant shift away from earlier ideas. Additionally, there has been a shift in the last decade from organisations training to meet competence voids, towards a more learning environment that relies on experiential learning and self direction. It is argued, such an approached, does not limit itself to training, ‘†¦but stretched to facilitating and supporting learning processes within the organisation, with the aim to contribute to meaningful organisational learning processes. Sambrook & Stewart IDPM Paper (1999) This clearly has an impact on the concept of HRD and any approach it may take within an organisation. (cf. case study research by Tjepkema & Wognum, 1995). Once again, it can therefore be argued, that a key role of HRD is to create and/or maintain a learning organisational environment as the foundation to any training and learning within an organisation. Yet even with this backdrop, many commentators still take the view that HRD should be subject to tight quantitive justification, that HRD needs to demonstrate that their activities add value to the organisation which is their paymaster. (Walton 1999: 1). However, Walton falls short of believing that value is the only issue in developing a learning organisation through a HRD function. Yet there remains a broad body of support that does lean towards this view. Swanson and Arnold (1997) consider that HRD in an organisational context has no meaning unless the connection is made to performance. A point echoed, Welsh 1998 who contends, ‘An employer doesn’t teach for the sake of learning †¦ What are the rewards?’ (Welch, 1998). With Mayo adding softness to the argument by involving a learning process to the HRD list of ingredients, ‘there needs to be a systematic method of linking business goals with the learning process. Mayo 2001: 82 However, there remains a danger that the HRD function, however defined, becomes over indulgent, becoming the end rather than the means to add some value to the sponsoring organisation. Maybe it is this fear, which when added to high-level managerial naivety of modern HRD approaches, which has seen many a HRD organisation become the first casualty of any downsizing. But why has the evolution of HRD been necessary? Quite simply the world of people and the environments in which they work has changed. A decade ago, Peter Drucker anticipated this change when he said in The Age of Discontinuity. ‘Businessmen will have to learn to build and manage innovative organizations.’ Others continue to see change. Ansoff, a long-time student of business strategy, adds as he envisages organisations reducing its reliance on structure: ‘†¦ Structure will become a dynamic enabler of both change and unchange, the ultimate model of ‘organised chaos’. (Peters and Waterman Jr, 1995: 111) Thus asking the question, can HRD stand still in a world of chaos or will is need to develop further new strategies to protect its value to a given organisation? The world is changing and as long as the interpretation and subsequent management of the change is influenced by human organisations the HRD function, however loosely defined, will need to continually adapt if it is to both manage and influence organisational direction if it is find a place in this ever changing ‘chaos’. Strategic HRD With a change in the type of work being undertaken in the western economy over the last 50 years, less ‘dominated by labour-intensive, low-tech industries with semi-skilled operatives, to high-tech industries reliant on highly skilled knowledge workers in relatively short supply, individuals are now seen as the single most significant source of sustainable competitive advantage.’ Walton (1999: 85) The role of HRD has therefore needed to change to provide the level of support required from its parent organisation. The management, retention and developing of this organisational resource, ‘knowledge workers’,(Wilson 1999) has taken on greater importance at higher managerial levels. A reflection of this is the fact HRD/HRM in many large organisations plays a much more important role at boardroom level, contributing to the overall organisational strategy. But does a HRD manager sitting on the Board make HRD strategic? Walton (1999) argues that for HRD to become strategic is needs to be HRD with a holistic, long-term approach, that may or may not develop a strategic awareness of company goals. He defines the term as one, ‘undertaken with full strategic intent, with an understanding how the initiative being undertaken adds to the coherence of the SHRD effort, congruent with an explicit learning philosophy incorporated into the overall organisation mission’ In short, for it to be strategic the HRD function needs to be holistic with a function to integrate and develop into the overall strategic management system. A little clarification comes from Burgoyne 1988, ‘†¦strategic approach has to be conscious and reflective; unplanned, interpersonal and functional experiences cannot be classified as strategic in organisational terms unless explicitly linked to implementation of corporate policy.’ However, Burgoyne does takes the view that such an approach should be linked to the hard systems of HRD such as planning, recruitment and selection strategies, feeling that a more objective approach is better implemented and quantified within an organisation. As Harrison (1997) points out, ‘despite the hype that surrounds a number of organisations where the planned development of people has made a notable contribution to the achievement of business goals†¦research has failed to reveal any significant connection between HRD and business strategy across the UK.’ An example of a SHRD approach was for many organisations the move toward individual responsibility for there own learning, ‘At the beginning of the decade the strategic attention was focused on self-managed learning, continuous personal development, learning organisation and the people messages associated with Total Quality Management (TQM). Walton (1999: 85). Nearly 15 years later many organisations are still working at getting this message across to a workforce that has not fully grasped the concept. The debate about turning strategy into practice remains an issue that continues to find its way into many Board rooms and commented on by many and varied management writers. However, because SHRD has taken a holistic view, fully integrated into the organisational management strategy, is that all that is needed for HRD to become SHRD. Wilson (1999) argues that HRD will deal with detail whilst modern SHRD should do no more than provide a framework for guidance, a point touched on by Mayo, ‘ †¦the task for HQ†¦is to determine the frameworks of best practice which will enable diverse and locally owned implementation, and to provide consultant help built round the local need,’ putting the view that organisations operate better when decentralised and given there own accountability and responsibly. It is clear in this scenario that anything other than a SHRD framework would be difficult to implement. An example of such a framework maybe, ‘a successful learning climate’ Walton (1999: 11) Conclusion Over the last decade, the role of HRD has both, found a niche and come under fire in organisations trying to compete in an ever changing political, economic and cultural environment. Add globalisation, demographic changes and the ever changing world of information technology (IT) and not surprisingly, HRD has had to both adapt and show direction in its approach and function in modern organisations. Balancing between both an art and a science it has had to prove its value to organisations in what ironically is the very environment it should be showing its main worth – managing the human resource in a world of constant change in compressed markets. The struggle of organisations to produce strategy in Tom Peters world of innovation and creativity, often results in the crisis, tactical, and short term approach taken by many organisations that often goes on to see HRD as the first enemy target of this struggle. The need for definition and justification for a HRD component remains more real today than at any time if it is not to been see as a luxury component in a volatile world that, arguably under pressure, relies more on economic stability than a humanistic resource development approach that often produces results beyond a strategic planning horizon. However, HRD is not a science, and as such will continue to change, develop and find new roles in the adapting, fast moving world of the modern working environment.