Individual Diff and diversity

Describe some beliefs that are commonly held about leaders, managers and/or other professions Over the period of observations, experience, reading we believe some common features of different characters in our life. These observations might be situational or might depend on socio economic structure and values of an Individual. These beliefs might be different for different persons. But for a certain professions there are some common beliefs for some specific characters.For example common people always believe that a manager/leader will be very responsible, smart, strict what one normally experience In books, cinemas or personally over a period of time while grew up. Same message Susan Cain tried to explain about Introverts. Introverts are believed to be very shy and not fit to be leaders/managers. But the study shows the opposite about the Introverts. These beliefs are different for different professions. It might be different In some socio-economic structure than other. Obsessions w e expect the behavior of the profession to behave accordingly the Idea,' perception we have in our mind. For example when we think about a doctor first we think about their help and dedication to save our life and we expect to behave/ perform the doctor accordingly. As a human when these professions behave per our expectation, the perception about those characters will be good to us and we start liking those characters. It's totally different to us when these characters don't fulfill one's expectation.How do these beliefs help or hinder our ability to lead effectively? As a leader sometimes the perception/expectation helps to manage the subordinates immensely. It helps the leader to love, listen, depend, and rely on these subordinates which will definitely increase the productivity of the team. At the same time wrong perception or evaluating the expectations wrongly create issues between the leaders and the subordinates and hence the productivity of the team.

Nursing Management Essay

Nursing Management, named 2003 Publication of the Year by the American Society of Healthcare Publication Editors, places special emphasis on the new skills needed to succeed in today’s turbulent health care arena, and prides itself on being a strong, independent platform for the expression of a broad range of opinions and views. It is devoted to nursing management concerns including recruitment, retention, reimbursement news, legal issues, and the pressing health care industry. Nursing management is performing leadership functions of governance and decision-making within organizations employing nurses. It includes processes common to all management like planning, organizing, staffing, directing and controlling. Importance of nursing management and function of the nurse manger: Nursing Management a useful source for current advice on how to manage health care delivery across the continuum of care. Novice nurses’ orientation to clinical nursing practice occurs in the critical period between graduation and acquiring the professional nurse role. Accommodating this transition process presents a challenge to expert clinicians in communicating essential behaviors intrinsic to the nursing discipline. In general, the beginning nurse lacks confidence in performing many new skills, and initial responses to problematic situations can escalate into dilemmas without intervention from an experienced clinician of we can say by nurse manager. Therefore, to gain recognition as a discipline that nurtures, supports, and provides guidance for new members, strategies must be developed to improve the transition of the novice nurse to professional nursing practice. Nurse Managers are key to retention, but limited by the scope and multiple skills needed for the role. The role and expectations for nurse managers in ambulatory settings are rapidly changing. Several recent trends should be of concern to nurse executives. Increasingly complex health care services are being provided in this profession. The Nurse Manager plays an essential role in healthcare. She sets the tone of any Healthcare System. The Manager is the backbone of the organization. The quality of patient care, as well as staff recruitment and retention success, rests with this key role. Over time it will be the strength of the nurse manager group that determines the success or failure of nursing leadership, the COO, and even the CEO. As critical as it is to develop those concrete and pragmatic skills noted above, there is also a delicate subtle art to being a Nurse Manager, to balancing the tensions between quality and cost, to dealing with multiple stakeholders, presenting conflicting agendas, to dealing with stress and pressure every day, to implementing processes needed to ensure that individualized compassionate care is provided consistently in the most efficient and effective manner possible ,these qualities in the manager comes from experience. He has the pivotal role in creating an environment that provides quality care for patient and opportunities for growth and development and staff. Constructive and positive attitude towards employ relation makes good manager sense . manager attitude is critical to the ability to staff to meet both there own profession goals of the organisation. the nurse manager has two main roles manage of patient care and provide the necessary source for that situation. The manager action must be superior in grievance handling, employ discipline. On the other hand nurses ensuring that patients receive the best care possible by highly competent and caring. A vital component of nursing consists of communicating effectively with patients and their family. One would assume that this principle would also apply between colleagues. Nurses are professionals and therefore should communicate accordingly with fellow peers as one’s attitude of another can jeopardize or influence others in regards to an effective working relationship and environment in a health care environment characterized by a shortage of nurses, retention is important to achieving good outcomes. The nursing is to provide quality patient care. This mandate becomes harder all the time, especially given the financial and staffing issues that healthcare organizations are facing. Nevertheless, the Nurse Managers is the person responsible for maintaining quality on the unit. She must define what quality means on her unit, set standards for quality, develop consistent processes, eliminate errors, measure results, and constantly improve performance. Benner (1984) discussed the need for clinical experts in patient care areas to provide clinical teaching for new nurses who are in the beginner or advanced beginner levels in their nursing practice. Because novice nurses do not typically understand the contextual meaning of newly learned theoretical concepts, they require guidance in the clinical setting that is generally provided by a more experienced nurse. As a nurse manager, you are expected to handle all the problems on your unit – whether internal or interdepartmental, concerning competencies or complaints, or concerning patients or families. But you’ve come up through the ranks, you’ve seen it all, and you can handle everything thrown at you. Nurse Managers were interviewed and all ward-based G grade charge nurses within the trust were sent a questionnaire to ascertain: the level of satisfaction with the way the changes had been introduced; whether they were in favor of the changes; and if they had sufficient time, knowledge, resources, preparation and support to enable them to undertake their new role. A random sample of charge nurses was also interviewed. It was found that the majority of charge nurses were in favor of the development of their role, believing it to be both inevitable and necessary. However, many felt that the change process had been managed ineffectively. There had been insufficient consultation during the change process, preparation and support were perceived as inadequate, the roles of the various protagonists were often unclear, and the lack of supernumerary status led to role conflict and confusion. As a consequence the new ward managers were often unable to fulfill the true potential of this demanding but exciting role. The nurse manager who clarifies the vision of collaboration, practices as a role model for collaboration, and inspires others to achieve this difficult goal. In addition, the nurse manager manipulates the environmental resources and facilitates self-confidence of staff. The management paradigm that unites the work environment with individual ability is most likely to facilitate collaborative practice. Difference between the expert nurse and the novice nurse: For many years student nurses were trained in a more disciplined approach with considerable time allocated to working in the hospital environment and specified times allowed for gaining theoretical knowledge throughout their formal training. Nurses therefore gained a tremendous amount of experience and competency in their practical skills. With the introduction of more specialized equipment and technology it was now desirable to improve the professional status of nurses and nursing education. The introduction of university trained nurses has been met with much criticism. Student nurses are now being empowered and informed with theoretical knowledge from many health disciplines that allows them to use a holistic approach to patient care. The changes to nurse education were hoped to improve the professional status of nurses although this transition has not been without problems. Integrating inexperienced nurses onto the unit with the nurturing and encouragement they need is a primary charge to the Nurse Manager. Yet the pressure of daily life on a nursing unit often precludes time for true mentoring and the TLC that is integral to fostering trust and commitment in orienting staff. A failure in this realm leads to diminished morale and high turnover among the nursing staff. Experienced nurses who are already working in stressful conditions with continuous staff shortages and poor recognition of service see the student nurse sometimes as an extra hindrance to their already increasing workload. Student nurses are theoretically competent but lack the clinical expertise and experience to complement this knowledge which can also add to the professional pressure that experience nurses encounter. Most nurses would like to see themselves, as promoters of nursing but are frustrated and disillusioned with their profession. It would seem then that student nurses as a result of this dissatisfaction are often devoured by some nurses instead of being encouraged and nurtured in their enthusiasm for nursing. the novice nurses has no enough experience to grasp aspect and recurrent meaningful component of the current situation for example a newly graduated nurse student, he has no understanding of situation exists he can not perform well as we aspect, in that case the responsibility of the manager is much, he is responsible for all activities more work load and stress due to the novice nurses. He determines which aspects of situations are important and which can be ignored him in the case of novice nerse,the manager kept one question in mind, he can perform this work or not. So the responsibility of the nurse manager is more in case of novice nurse. The performance of novice nurse is guided by principals and rules of conduct, so the manager has another responsibility to create some rules and limitation for novice nurse. Expert nurses have an ability to take decision according to the situation, Able to focus on the accurate region of the problem of the situation because judgment is based on understanding of paradigms. Effectiveness of practice not hindered by any wasted regard of alternative diagnosis or solutions. In this case the responsibility of the manager is less, and free to perform to another work. Novice nurse has no experience so he can not judge, what is the actual situation and he can not take decision, he is waiting the order of manager, so the responsibility and the work varies. Novice nurses can main health problem but experienced nurse can do well, all discussed problem. The main thing is, satisfaction of patient, it is only possible by experienced nurse. Expectation of medical surgical team by new nurse manager with respect of experienced nurse: Nursing has always been a physically demanding profession. Today the physical demand is as great as ever with the added challenge of highly technical and increasingly complex treatment modalities. The nurse is an analyst, a communicator, a facilitator, a problem solver, a decision maker, and above all a clinical expert. Nursing requires a broad theoretical base and a new and ever changing clinical skill set, along with the ability to integrate theory with clinical practice. Without the necessary educational preparation and on-going in-service training the nurse will feel overwhelmed, stressed, and unsupported. And to the Nurse Manager falls the task of assuring that her staff doesn’t lag behind and that high quality patient care is sustained regardless of newly imposed expectations. The pressing need for health care reform in this century has contributed to an increasing interest in educating health care providers who can deliver cost-effective, high-quality care. Demand for primary care nurse practitioners has risen significantly, and nursing education has responded by increasing the numbers and graduates of nurse practitioner programs. Although this century brings new opportunities for expanded nursing roles, it also presents challenges for nurse practitioners to sustain a holistic perspective while providing quality care. The new Nurse Manager may be uncomfortable or frustrated when she realizes that she has 100% responsibility for everything that happens on her unit, without 100% authority. That’s because she has to rely partially on other departments e. g. housekeeping, food services, pharmacy, etc. for her success. The successful seasoned manager has developed interpersonal skills, interdepartmental relationships, and the skill to apply effective influence, even lacking formal authority. In this profession the main thing is that how we can control the critical condition. he main objective if this profession is, that how we can recover the patient as soon as possible and some times to save his life in the most serious condition, in these condition the expert or we can say having tremendous knowledge and ability to take decision it doesn’t matter, he is an manager or experienced nurse but the matter is that to take correct decision within time. it is the profession in which we prefer the experience and practice not degree, because in this field it is necessary to save life of anyone and this is comes from practice not achieve a degree of management . ere the expert means who has experienced in the care of patients with restrictive airway disease in an emergency department setting, has experience in the insertion of peripheral access devices on daily basis. He provides assistance with physician insertion of central venous access devices and arterial lines Expert has 25 years of experience in the management of pain in patients in variety of settings in acute care and in medical office practice, Expert has clinical experience in an acute care hospital setting. His areas of expertise include outpatient surgery, medical, surgical, telemetry, intensive care, and the emergency department. He carried out all patient care functions within the realm of hospital policy and nurse practice act as a licensed practical nurse caring for the urgent visit patient under the auspices of the emergency department. Nurse Experts provides healthcare consulting and technical advice to attorneys, physicians, insurance and accreditation organizations, health professionals, private investigators, injured and 3rd parties, media and production. Our nurse experts also provide special services to hospital and nursing home risk management departments. On the above discussion we can say that medical surgical team wants a person who can help in his case it does not matter he was a manager or a nurse but he has an ability to handle the situation with responsibilities, he can take active part in his operation and not commit mistake because in this profession there is no chance of mistakes. Now the one question arise that how they satisfied there job, the answer is that if he has ability to handle the situation, he has ability to satisfy the patient, provide good curing, in this profession the main thing is that how we can deal with the patient problems, provide better treatment so that the patient recover soon then they are perfect in there job and then we can say that they satisfied there job.

Ballistics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ballistics - Essay Example A ballistic body is a body which is free to move, behave, and be modified in appearance, contour, or texture by ambient conditions, substances, or forces, as by the pressure of gases in a gun, by rifling in a barrel, by gravity, by temperature, or by air particles. A ballistic missile is a missile designed to operate in accordance with the laws of ballistics. Forensic ballistics involves analysis of bullets and bullet impacts to determine the type. Separately from ballistics information, firearm and tool mark examinations involve analyzing firearm, ammunition, and tool mark evidence in order to establish whether a certain firearm or tool was used in the commission of a crime. [Anthony A. Braga,1 Ph.D. and Glenn L. Pierce,2 Ph.D.] The specifications like Forensic ballistics, the science of analyzing firearm usage in crimes, Internal ballistics, the study of the processes originally accelerating the projectile, for example the passage of a bullet through the barrel of a rifle, Transition ballistics, the study of the projectile's behavior when it leaves the barrel and the pressure behind the projectile is equalized, External ballistics, the study of the passage of the projectile through space or the air, Terminal ballistics, the study of the interaction of a projectile with its target, whether that be flesh (for a hunting bullet), steel (for an anti-tank round), or even furnace slag (for an industrial slag disruptor) [Wikipedia] Ballistics has been used in forensic technology such as ballistic fingerprinting, imaging, etc. Ballistics imaging technology has received tremendous attention as a potent tool for moving the law enforcement response to violent gun criminals forward by linking multiple crime scenes to one firearm.[www.cybersniper.com] Cost-effectiveness estimates and qualitative evidence also suggest that ballistics imaging technology allows law enforcement agencies to make hits that would not have been possible using traditional ballistics methods. Ballistic fingerprinting, a sub-category of firearms examination, is a forensic method that is intended to help find the gun that was used in a crime by matching the bullet's striations (or striae) with the rifled barrel through which it was fired, or by matching marks on the cartridge case to marks in the chamber and breech. The technique is part of the science of forensic ballistics, and it is an application of tool mark identification. [Wikipedia] Newgard discusses the body's blood loss sensory and compensatory mechanisms (venous constriction, increased cardiac output and vascular fluid transfer), and the degree in which these mechanisms respond to, and compensate for, hemorrhagic shock. He reviews clinical tests of human tolerance for blood loss, which "demonstrate that adequate blood pressure can be maintained with minimal symptoms until a 20% blood deficit was reached." [Newgard, Ken, M.D ] Newgard provides the following example: "For an average 70 kg (155 lb.)* male the cardiac output will be 5.5 liters (1.4 gallons) per minute. His blood volume will be 60 ml per kg (0.92 fl. oz. per lb.) or 4200 ml (1.1 gallons). Assuming his cardiac output can double under stress (as his heart beats faster and with greater force). his aortic blood flow can reach 11 liters (2.8 gallons) per minute. If one assumes a wound that totally severs the thoracic aorta, then it would take 4.6 seconds

GM foods-where do we cross the line Discuss Essay

GM foods-where do we cross the line Discuss - Essay Example Farmers are involved for making better quality foods which are pest resistant and more nutritious. It can be produced with lesser gestation period and taste better than the natural produce. Traits of different plants are used to produce a better and richer quality of food. "Thirteen countries grew genetically-engineered crops commercially in 2000, and of these, the U.S. produced the majority. In 2000, 68% of all GM crops were grown by U.S. farmers. In comparison, Argentina, Canada and China produced only 23%, 7% and 1%, respectively. Other countries that grew commercial GM crops in 2000 are Australia, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Mexico, Romania, South Africa, Spain, and Uruguay. Soybeans and corn are the top two most widely grown crops (82% of all GM crops harvested in 2000), with cotton, rapeseed (or canola) and potatoes trailing behind. 74% of these GM crops were modified for herbicide tolerance, 19% were modified for insect pest resistance, and 7% were modified for both herbicide tolerance and pest tolerance. Globally, acreage of GM crops has increased 25-fold in just 5 years, from approximately 4.3 million acres in 1996 to 109 million acres in 2000 - almost twice the area of the United Kingdom. Approximately 99 million acres were devoted to GM crops in the U.S. and Argentina alone. In the U.In the U.S., approximately 54% of all soybeans cultivated in 2000 were genetically-modified, up from 42% in 1998 and only 7% in 1996. In 2000, genetically-modified cotton varieties accounted for 61% of the total cotton crop, up from 42% in 1998, and 15% in 1996. GM corn and also experienced a similar but less dramatic increase. Corn production increased to 25% of all corn grown in 2000, about the same as 1998 (26%), but up from 1.5% in 1996. As anticipated, pesticide and herbicide use on these GM varieties was slashed and, for the most part, yields were increased." (Whitman, 2000) According to Aigner, genetically modified plants are unwanted by both consumers and farmers. The minister for the environment, Sigmar Gabriel, has suggested that Germany follow the example of "countries like France that have imposed a unilateral ban on GM maize cultivation". Furthermore, Gabriel recommended that national policy be reviewed before the start of spring planting. According to a report in GMO Compass (2009), despite the several debates and bans, the cultivation of genetically modified plants continues to increase worldwide. In 2008, GM crops rose by a figure of 9.4 per cent to occupy 125 million hectares. GM plants are employed in 25 countries, of which Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Egypt are the newest. For soybean, the area occupied by GM varieties expanded to 65.8 mil. hectares (2007: 58.6), maize to 37.3 (35.2), cotton to 15.5 (15.0), and rapeseed to 5.9 (5.0). GM varieties represent 72 per cent of the global production of soybean and 47 per cent of cotton. These figures are taken from the yearly report by the agro-biotechnology agency ISAAA (International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications) on the cultivation of GM plants. The report was published on 11 February in Nairobi (Kenya). Genetically Modified Crops Across the World An "estimate says that there are almost 30000 different products on grocery store shelves are "modified." That's largely because many processed foods contain soy. Half of North

Proper Way for a Democracy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Proper Way for a Democracy - Essay Example d, p.1). Freedom, liberties, human right protection, fair elections etc are some of the basic elements of a democratic system. However, in many of the so-called democratic countries, human right violations are taking place continuously. Pakistan is the best examples for this. Malala, a teenage girl from Pakistan is currently struggling to save her life. Pak Taliban or Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the fundamental Muslim group shot her because of her activities to encourage teenage girls to acquire education. â€Å"Malala was attacked by Taliban gunmen on October 9 when she was on her way from school. The TTP said that they will target her again if she survives because she was a â€Å"secular-minded lady†Ã¢â‚¬ (Web Desk, 2012). Pakistan is a democratic country on papers, but in practice, none of the democratic principles observed in Pakistan. Even the elected government is only a toy government in the hands of Pak military. Pak military on the other hand gets immense supp ort from the fundamental groups and hence they will not act against the will of the fundamentalists. In Pakistan, democratic institutions such as judiciary, executive and parliament often clash each other. For example, the removal of Pak Supreme court judge by the former Pakistan president Pervez Musharaf has created lot of political problems in Pakistan. According to Tomuschat (2008), â€Å"An independent judiciary prospers only in countries where democracy, human rights and in particular a free press, set a general framework stabilizing the rule of law† (p.308). In short, the existing political system in Pakistan is incapable of protecting human rights because of the lack of cooperation between different institutions in the... This paper stresses that at present America is conducting war on terror in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq with the help of UK like countries. Moreover, UK and US like democratic countries are supporting the agitations against the autocratic governments in all parts of the world. Democracy and human rights are two sides of the same coin. In other words, human right protection is one of the major objectives of any democratic government. However, the morality of interfering in other states, for the protection of human rights is often questioned, by sociologists and philosophers. The problems with the humanitarian intervention by superpower is that they interfere only in their enemy countries. They will keep silence if the culprit is their supporting country. For example, international community strongly condemned the human right violations taking place in Middle East. Israel is keeping no ethics or morality in their actions in Middle East. However, neither UK nor America seems to be int erested in blaming Israel or interfering in these matters. Humanitarian laws and international laws should be applicable to all. No country, under any circumstances shall able to escape from such laws and restrictions. This report makes a conclusion that humanitarian interventions can be justified in some cases only. Stronger powers often justify their actions in other countries in terms of humanitarian intervention. Once they entered another country, they also do the same thing or humanitarian violation. UK like democratic countries should stay away from interfering in the internal matters of other countries in the name of humanitarian intervention. Only after getting the consent from UN like global bodies, interventions should be done.

The role of ombudsman in ADR and its impact on sovereign government Coursework

The role of ombudsman in ADR and its impact on sovereign government - Coursework Example While usually asked by one party or the other to become involved, the ombudsman may take the initiative without being requested to do so. While formal definition of the role is not legally universally accepted, the description of the role is generally as stated and practiced within the limits and specifications of various legal systems and constitutions. Functioning on local, national and international level, the role of ombudsman is the purest and most effective form of alternative dispute resolution between individuals and more powerful entities. The Ombudsman: Concept and Mechanisms for ADR The role of Alternate Dispute Resolution (ADR) in resolving the grievances of private citizens has expanded over the years to achieve a status even among attorneys as a valid legal and useful practice. Rather than merely an alternative to costly litigation, it has resurrected ‘traditional notions’ about the use of negotiation and out of court settlement.1 Over the past two decades ADR has evolved into a complex arena for settling disputes, encouraged by the rise in popularity and acceptance of the ombudsman as prime impartial negotiator. With the increased use of ombudsmen, officials in this role can be found at all levels of government, as well as in settings of private industry and academia. Modeled on a long established Swedish precedent, the concept took hold in Europe the 1960s along with a growing ‘power to the people’ movement seeking redress for the average person against the powerful forces of government and industry in dispute situations. Ombudsman were to assist in achieving fairness by means of independence, unfettered access to records and persons, careful investigation, impartiality and the prestige of the office. Ombudsman today can be found in almost any official capacity where parties involved in disputes are in need of an impartial negotiator. Differences in the operational aspect among these negotiating agents often depend upon where he or she is expected to function, but always within the clearly defined parameters of impartiality and/or political neutrality. In the private corporate environment, the ombudsman may not only resolve differences between workers and employers, but often affect better conditions in the workplace that discourage extreme acts by the offended party or parties as a means to resolution. Mechanisms employed in these circumstances may prove simple or complex, depending upon the nature of the grievances or dispute, as well as the commitment and attitudes of the parties at odds. The goal, however, is always the same: a fair resolution to a conflict of interests that satisfies and is fair to both parties achieved in a non-litigious setting. In the public arena--as in disputes with government and public agencies—the ombudsman also functions as a bureaucratic monitoring mechanism. Basically, the activity in the public realm may be viewed as threefold: as stopgap measure to holding administrators accountable for treatment of citizens; as righting wrongs done to citizens, and as a tool to dissuade citizens from becoming alienated from the tangled government bureaucracy, rendering it, or seemingly so, more human and personal. As watchdogs, ombudsman look for potential government abuses, and at times, as is fair and appropriate to their role as impartial mediators, they can also vindicate officials unjustly charged in a grievance with wrongdoing.2 The position then is a hedge against what many citizens see as an all powerful bureaucratic

Drinking Water and Sanitation Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Drinking Water and Sanitation - Research Paper Example The lack of safe drinking water has led to a number of diseases and deaths, especially among infants. A number of goals have been set over the years with various ten year milestones. These milestones have been beset with various challenges. However, there has been some amount of success. Various strategies including the promotion of breast-feeding to reduce mortality in infants have been used as a means of dealing with the effects of the problem. Introduction Drinking water and sanitation are two important factors in the lives of human beings. Water is required not only to drink but also for personal hygiene, the preparation of meals and to ensure that our surroundings are clean. Some people do not have access to piped water and therefore depend on other sources such as rivers and streams. This water is not treated and in a number of cases is exposed to various factors in the environment. Among these factors are the way we carry out various activities including disposal of industrial and household wastes. In addition to that, there is the problem of inadequate and improper sanitary conveniences which also have implications for the supply of safe water. Over the years a number of goals have been set. However, they have not been fully realized due to various challenges that affect these efforts. Previous Goals and Achievements The period 1981 – 1990 was designated as ‘The International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade’ by the United Nations (Cairncross 1992). During that period the aim was to increase the supply of water and hygienic toilets so that more people especially the poor could have access to these necessities (Cairncross 1992). A number of organizations including the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank were involved in this effort. Since then the drive for the improvement in the quality of life has continued as some of the targets were not achieved. In fact, Cairncross (1992) points out that a lot more needs to be done in order to facilitate efforts to make safe water and proper sanitation available to all people. Risk of Inadequate Drinking Water and Sanitation The problems that arise from inadequate drinking water and poor sanitation are far greater than the problems of war, terrorist attack and weapons of mass destruction but they receive less attention (Bartram et al, p. 810). The lack of proper sanitation and waste disposal facilities can lead to waterborne diseases including malaria, schistosomiasis and legionellosis (WHO). This is a serious problem as it results in the death of approximately 3900 children everyday and therefore threatens the achievement of the millennium development goals (MDGs) (Bartram et al 2005). The developing countries are more at risk as microbial organisms which cause diseases are normally found in drinking water in these areas (Ashbolt 2004). The situation is worst in places like Africa and Asia where a substantial portion of their people live in condit ions of extreme poverty. Sequelae and mortality are the result as the body becomes less capable of providing immunity against diseases that are endemic (Pond 2005). Diseases associated with the intestines are generally more severe because of the high levels of mal-nutrition as well as the non-existence of strategies in these countries to deal with these types of problems. The traditional methods of filtration and chlorination continue to be used. However, these are not 100% effective as there are some chlorine resistant pathogens (Ashbolt 2004). The Millennium Development Goals According to Bartram et al (2005) 40% of the world population does not have access to a pit latrine and almost 20% do not have access to

The Iconic image of Mao hangs at the Tiananmen Square and Its Futher Essay

The Iconic image of Mao hangs at the Tiananmen Square and Its Futher Implications - Essay Example Further, the face of China today was an entirely different one before. The penetration of the imperialists deteriorated the economic situation of the country. Political disloyalty and fraud emerged as corruption began to have an effect when the British East India Company earned massive revenues by co-operating with China’s corrupt public officers. The Japanese people attempted to take control of the nation by its Twenty-One Demand that gained severe protests. Mao Tse-Tung or most popularly known as Mao Zedong was one of the young intellectuals who set off the pioneering work of establishing the first Marxism study cluster that aimed to integrate the theories and principles of Marx in the political system of China. In 1921, he co-founded the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), which, together with the Kuomintang (KMT), battled against the guerrilla leaders and warlords who ruled lots of Northern China. The [Student’s Last Name] 2 Chinese Communist Party (CCP) – under t he leadership of Mao Zedong – eventually took spearhead and control over the entire nation on a completely different path. A Short Biography of Mao Zedong and His Contributions to the Political Scheme of China Mao Zedong was the leading and primary Chinese communist chairman and leader of the 20th century and the chief forefather of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1949. He was born on December 26, 1893, and was raised in a peasant family in a small village of Shaoshan, Hunan province of China. He was a stubborn rebel of his father's unusually strict disciplinary authority. He was initially introduced to subjects like the Chinese history, literature and philosophy but was also opened up to the thoughts and philosophies of progressive Confucian activists namely K'yang Yu-Wei. Mao moved to Changsa - the capital of the province - where he shortly worked as a combatant of the Republican army that defeated the Qing Dynasty in 1911 revolutionary action. During his stay in Ch angsa, he studied various topics of the Western civilizations including Western Philosophy and was likewise immensely motivated by several liberal newspapers and journalistic printed materials including the New Youth, established by the radical lead Chen Duxiu. In 1918, after completing his studies from the Hunan Teachers College, he voyaged to Peking, now Beijing, and got hold of a job in the Peking University Library under the supervision of Li Dazhao - the chief librarian of the university. Li was highly involved with the study of Marxism and eventually, Mao joined the study group and together they delved into the political and social philosophy of Marxism and in the long run became a keen reader of Marxist writings. Mao printed and circulated articles picking holes with the outdated, old-style standards [Student’s Last Name] 3 of Confucianism. The circulation occurred during the "May Fourth Movement of 1919" where scholars, learners and thinkers were convened for the even tual transformation and innovation of China. Mao emphasized the substantial weight of physical power and mental determination in the fight against custom. In the year 1921, Mao co-founded the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Albeit he was an avid reader of Marxist writings, he geographically tilted a bit from Marxism when he sensed that in an Asian civilization, communists had to give more focus on the rural areas or the countryside instead of giving so much attention to the urban towns. In actual fact,

Types of Terrorism Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Types of Terrorism - Case Study Example Terrorism is characterised by use of violence indiscriminatively against civilians with intensions of gaining publicity of cause for individuals or groups. Bioterrorism is a kind of terrorism that involves the dessemination of any bioplogical agent, in its natural or modified human form and that agent has anadverse effect on the health of individuals. The biological agents here may include but not limited to bacteria, bacterial toxins, fungal toxins and viruses. This are sometimeds descrinbed as biological weapons and have been used in warefare in manay nations incliuding the United States of America. Bioterrorism is one of the most attractive weapon for terrorism because it consist mainly of the biological agents and hence less expensive dispite the fact that it causes wide spread panic and fear as well as the actual physical damages that they cause to the body. Bioterrorism has a wider and undiscriminatory impact if applied in millitary or warfare. Because of these reasons therefor e the use of biological agents may only be useful in terrorism. As observed by Guillemin (2001), the use of biological agents have wide range of limitations for their use in war since it effectsis experienced passsed the target groups and individuals. It is not possible to dissminate the biological agents such that only the enemy is affected and in most instances, even the friendly forces are affected by the biolofgical agent (Guillemin, 2001). It is therefore useful for the terrorits due to the ease of creating mass panicx as well as disrupting the society and their activities. As warned by Fong & Alibek (2009), there is potential power that the results and advanccements in genetic engineering is palcing on the hands of the terrorists in the future. In his study he has also indicated that the genetic technology would benefit the terrorists more thn it would benefit its intensions in the future. Bioterrorism also includes also those aspects of the use of bioloical agents to disriupt a wider range of the society and the peole living in the society. This does not mean that it must result into the deaths of the peole but it may result into wider impact on the economy in terms of economic losses and other impacts. For example, in the year 2001 and the year 2007, the United kingdom witnessed the a wide outbreak and spread of the foot and mouth disease. While this did not infect the humans, it resulted into serious econnomic damages as well as public concerns and panic. Bioterrorism therefore includes both the aspects economy as well as the health of individual populations and the impacts such as panic, infections or deaths. Bioterrorism is also different from natural outbreak. This is because the natural outbreaks are not engineered by anybody but occur naturally while bioterrorism includes the use of biological gagents that are directed towards an individual or poipulation. Anthrax oubreak is one of the impacts of the biological agents used in bioterrorism in many nations. Anthrax is caused by a spore forming bacterium known as Bacillus anthracis. It is non contagious and hence transmissiom from one individual to the other through contacts is not very easy. Bacillus anthracis was first use in biological warfare in in germana when the German working stafs were supplied with the anthrax bacterium and used it against the Russian Army in Finland (Guillemin, 2010). The most recent attack and outbreak

The potential impact of the current debt crisis in Europe on the U.S Essay

The potential impact of the current debt crisis in Europe on the U.S. finanancial market - Essay Example Thus major U.S. political allies could lose their positions, weakening consumer confidence in Euro zone. Europe is the major American exports market with 22.5 % of the total U.S. exports. This implies that U.S. exports will be hurt. Moreover, considering since 2008 government spending and exports have been the major U.S. economy drivers. The debt crisis will halt the recovery of the economy, thereby increasing the unemployment rate. In addition, according to FED Chairman Ben, U.S. has little financial exposure to the indebted countries. Financial markets in Europe and America are highly correlated. This implies that if the current debt worsens further, it will affect France and Germany, where major U.S. banks have significant exposure. This implies that due to the indebtedness of European banks, other banks will be hesitant to give credit on the fear of failure of payment. In case of extension of credit they would demand more security before credit maturity translating to enforced asset sales. This will drive the cost of borrowing high. This would drive down commodities prices and seize up of financial markets, another 2008 Lehman Brothers Scenario. In the financial market, debt crisis has led to great speculative trading. This is due to the uncertainties and recession fears in the market poised by the Euro zone debt crisis. This has translated to loss of major indices like the Dow Jones, stocks and variances in commodity prices. This is because many of the companies in United States have affiliates in Europe, leaving them exposed to the debt crisis. This has further translates to low investor confidence, and even shunning of financial markets. In the event of further debt crisis, it may result to the collapse of these markets (Trahan and Krantz, 2011). The market turmoil caused by the Euro zone crisis will negatively affect the U.S. household retirement and saving funds. This will amount to American household losing part of

Sociology GCSE mass media notes Essay Example for Free

Sociology GCSE mass media notes Essay New media – anything that uses new technology that usually involves some process of convergence e.g. phones as they can now access the internet. New media is likely to be digital, interactive and dispersed (not controlled by a single source of professionals). Democracy – rule by the people for the people Consumer society builds as it is cheaper and quicker for companies to advertise on the internet Exploits WC and MEG’s through news, stereotypes, folk devils and media ampflication Faster for many functions such as advertising and research etc Reinforces digital divide as the RC are more likely to posses new media The internet enables us to be democratic as it allows us to see and research information Increases social isolation as those without new media feel less ‘involved’. Allows us to have more knowledge and enhances us intellectually Higher risk of criminal behaviour happening e.g. fraud, illegal downloads and paedophiles of children’s websites Widens consumer choice Lack of regulation – many things go uncensored and undiscovered Infotainment – the replacing of news information by entertainment Enhances the power of the powerful, risking democracy as we only see information from the side of those in power Theoretical views Functionalist – media reinforces social order through the NV’s system Marxist – division of labour is kept as WC cannot become socially mobile due to poor access to information Feminist – dislike how women are portrayed; women that go against portrayal are seen as deviant Functionalist – socialises us with NV’s, gender roles etc Marxist – selective as it exploits the WC; it is always from the point of view of the RC and those in power Feminist dislike how women are portrayed; women that go against portrayal are seen as deviant Functionalist – no problem with it as it provides information Marxist – dislike as it benefits the RC and reinforces the digital divide Feminist – dislike as it present women in a derogatory way e.g. pornography The Press – privately owned media that primarily communicates the news; they are profitable organisations Broadcasting – lots is financed privately: PBS is not profit making, CSB is private and the BBC make profit through TV licenses with prices decided by the government. Media affect on behaviour The hyperdermic syringe model – The media has power over its audience: it can control and persuade people. The audience receives its daily injections of information from the media and this determines behaviour. It has an immediate effect o the audience as the media controls us. Evidence to support the HSM Lab experiments were conducted by Bandura Ross and Ross Liebert and Baron. Bandura: children who watched violence were more likely to hit the doll with a mallet. However, there were no other toys to play with and the children were aware this was wanted from them. Liebert and Baron: Children that watched violence were given the option to help or hurt someone when light came on, indicating a child in another room needed help with a game. Many clicked hurt, which sent an electric shock. However, lab experiments do not measure long term affects and we cannot isolate media as a variable. The uses and gratification model is used to argue against the HSM. The uses and gratification model – The media does not use us; we use the media. This theory is how the media is used to actively satisfy peoples needs based on their ability to exercise choice and control. Audiences actively seek media for specific gratifications and this theory deals with why media is chosen, what purpose media serves, and how media competes with other media sources to meet satisfaction. We retain information from the media based on five factors: Information e.g. wildlife programmes Personal Identity e.g. religious TV Personal relationships e.g. Jeremy Kyle Entertainment e.g. Big Brother Diversion/Escapism e.g. soaps The decoding approach – We use the media to support the values we already have, not give us new ones. McQuall suggests that the audiences are active decoders of the content of the media and have different interpretations in terms of: Selective retention – remembering certain information if it has significance to you Selective exposure – only exposing yourself to what you want or need; we’ll only watch things if they support our values Selective perception – we all understand parts of the media in different ways and use it in different ways The media has an immediate effect on the audience The media does not have an immediate effect on the audience Marxist – it has a negative immediate effect on the audience as they control us to have particular behaviour e.g. hierarchy Decoding approach – we expose ourselves to what we chose so only learn what we wish to learn Hyperdermic syringe model – the media controls our behaviour as we are given daily injections Selective retention – we only remember the information that means something to us Imitation – we copy what we see Selective exposure – we only expose ourselves to the media that interests us Functionalists believe values are learnt through the media Selective perception – we all interpret the media in different ways, so our behaviour is not immediately or directly affected in the same way Media can also be to blame for deviant and criminal behaviour: Media affects Explanation Imitation The audience are influenced by what they see to the extent that they copy the images and messages they are exposed to. Children in particular are prone to imitation and often engage in violent and inappropriate behaviour as a result. Sensitisation The audience hears and sees a lot of images in the media that makes them more aware of the consequences of the behaviour. They are less likely to engage in the behaviour and instead are likely to report to the police or intervene if the behaviour is witnessed. For example, child abuse reports went up due to coverage in soaps Desensitisation If an audience is exposed to violence in most of the media output, they begin to believe what they see is normal and are therefore no longer shocked by it in real life Cathartic effect Sex and violence in the media helps the audience to release inbuilt tensions and anxieties. By watching the behaviour there is no need to engage in it. Sex offenders are treated with pornography Disinhibition Violent and sexual images become so common that the audience no longer feels embarrassed or ashamed to behave in this way as they think it is normal Moral panic – the false worry about people and deviance/crime in society Deviance amplification model 1) A small group of people commit some act of deviance 2) The media pick up on the interesting story: a ‘problem group’ is identified 3) The media sensationalise the news to grab the attention of the audience 4) Causes of the deviant behaviour are simplified for easy explanation e.g. bad parenting 5) The group is labelled as folk devils and stereotyping occurs; other incidents of this deviant behaviour are made into news and it seems more common than it really is 6) A moral panic develops and the public’s concern is aroused at the real or imaginary ‘threat’ posed to society; the media campaign for action to be taken against the perceived threat 7) More social control – politicians, police and magistrates respond to public demands as shown in the media, and law-and-order campaigns are begun to stamp down on the deviants The impact of media on society today Primary socialisation – the first place to learn the norms and values of society; the family Secondary socialisation – other areas of your life in which the value system is reinforced or, in some cases, contradicted Functionalists believe the media is beneficial as it reinforces social order Marxists dislike the media as they reinforce the hierarchy of the RC over the WC and false class consciousness Feminists dislike the media as it reinforces gender roles and patriarchy What the media reinforces Through Gender roles Children’s programmes adverts Patriarchy Soaps music videos Political socialisation Debates the news Glamorisation of violence Soaps video games Hegemonic masculinity Competition between men soaps Stereotypes Soaps Global culture – when the culture of one community spreads worldwide through media and, globally, people are exposed to this culture. It is also known as media imperialism. Mass culture – the culture shared by the majority of society due to a general interest in certain things the media presents Media dominates family life; whereas before families were hardworking, hierarchical and communicative around the hearth, families today have their living rooms organised around the TV (the substitute hearth) and other media devices dominate leisure time. Identity – who you are as a person; this can be influenced by what we see in the media as, nowadays, people use the media to confirm and explore their identities. The media shapes our views on what we should be consuming and what we should be like. The media’s representation of age, gender ethnicity Children Rogers argues that children are presented as either angels or devils. The impact of this is that children are not held accountable for their actions if they are angles. However, it they are devils, they experience negative interaction as they are to blame. These stereotypes lead to labelling Youths The news amplifies stories on youths to make their devious and criminal behaviour appear more common. Teens become folk devils as they are all believed to be delinquent. Cohen says that the young as used as scape goats for society’s own issues and this can lead to a self-fulfilling prophecy. Age As children are easily manipulated, gender stereotypes are reinforced through TV programmes. This is known as age patriarchy. Elderly Grumpy – conservative, stubborn and resistant to social change Mentally challenged – deteriorating health Dependent – burden on the younger generations as they are weak Elderly women – grey hair, old clothes; being different is being ‘mutton’ Men have higher status as world leaders, politicians etc We are an age denying society Ethnicity People are free to upload on the internet as they wish so racism can happen on the internet or dangerous cults can start online YouTube is not moderated so various videos can be uploaded Impact of media on society 1) Socialisation 2) Mass culture 3) Effects family life 4) Reinforces and causes stereotypes on age gender and ethnicity 5) Effects behaviour and can create violence – audience effect models 6) Politically socialises us Political socialisation – your learning of political values, beliefs and preferences Whipping system – when an MP is told they need to vote in favour of their party or they will no longer be a part of it Rebel MP’s – Mp’s that do not vote the way of their party Political spin (spin doctors) – write speeches with ‘sound bites’ that can be used as newspaper headlines Curtis and Mair (2008) believe that: The press has too much influence on how people vote Negative coverage of politicians and politics has discouraged people from voting If readership of newspapers declines then: Newspaper’s ability to influence the outcomes of general elections will also have declined Fewer people will be exposed to the press’ supposedly negative coverage of politics and politicians that discourages people from voting at all The media promote democracy The media restrict democracy Because the media in Britain are not controlled by the state, the risk of censorship by governments is reduced, and free speech is protected. Journalists are free to report as they wish – within legal limits The media reflect the conservative views of their wealthy owners. While journalists are often critical and expose wrongdoing, they will frequently avoid issues which might cost them their jobs by upsetting newspaper owners or TV station bases The wide variety of privately owned media means a range of opinions are considered and public debates take place. By criticizing the actions of governments, the mass media can play an important ‘watch-dog’ role and keep governments in touch with public opinion The variety of opinion presented is limited. Working-class political views – such as strikes – are rarely reported. The ideas and actions of the least powerful groups are the most likely to be excluded. Those who in some way present a challenge or threat to the existing way society is organised are presented as irresponsible or unreasonable extremists The media give an unbiased account of news. TV news has to be impartial News values, agenda-setting, norm-setting and other sources of bias mean only some issues are covered, and these are not presented in neutral ways. The media choose what to report and how to report it, and therefore provide a biased view of the world The media accurately reflect public opinions that already exist in society rather than creating new ones. People wouldn’t read newspapers or view TV and websites unless they were providing what their audiences wanted The media do not simply reflect public opinion, but actively form and manipulate it. People can only form opinions on the basis of the knowledge they have, and the media are primarily responsible for providing this knowledge. The owners of the mass media hold overwhelmingly conservative views, and their ownership gives them the power to defend their position by forming favourable public opinion Anyone can put his or her views onto the internet via blogs, social networking sites etc Only the rich have the resources necessary to publish and distribute a newspaper on a large scale, or to set up a television or radio station, and it is the wealthy that own and control the main means of electronic communication. The concentration of ownership of the mass media is a threat to democracy, as a small powerful group of media owners can control access to ideas, information and knowledge. Those who wish to put forward alternative views to that presented in the mass media may not be allowed access to the media b their owners, and will therefore be denied any real opportunity to persuade public opinion of their ideas Concentration of press ownership Functionalists take the pluralist approach and they believe that the media isn’t used by owners to control the audience but is available for secondary socialisation. Marxists take the conflict approach as they believe that the media is used by its owners to control the audience. Pluralist approach Conflict approach A range of interests exist in society and no single group dominates Society is based on conflicting interests between different groups Media represents a range of different interests within society e.g. Woman’s Weekly, The Pink Paper and the Financial times Owners of the media are part of a minority who use their power to influence opinions in their own best interests Newspapers only give the audience what they want to receive i.e. the Sun does not have much international news because readers of the Sun do not want to read it, not because Rupert Murdoch does not want them to know Press owners have intervened directly to control content e.g. Harry Evans was hired as editor of the Sunday Times and was then allegedly fired from his post by Rupert Murdoch as a result of Evans’ political policy If owners of the media tried to give us something we did not want, consumerism would decrease; this is known as consumer power and would cause a decrease in companies’ profit m argin The Big Six – the few companies that own a vast majority of the press and world media. This is problematic as these companies can promote their own political beliefs and values through everything they own, meaning we are exposed to the owners’ own beliefs and values. They have the power to influence our views and beliefs. Consequences of press ownership Political socialisation – influences us to believe certain things and therefore affects the voting pattern and behaviour Negative portrayal of MEG’s Support those in power and authority to reinforce capitalism Presentations of different groups within society – age, gender, ethnicity Ethnic presentations in the media Black populations are presented as criminals. Cottle (1994) believes that this representation effectively hides racism and, through the hyperdermic syringe model, they believe they are criminal and this leads to self-fulfilling prophecy Sociologists argue that people from the groups internalise – from the media – that their lives are restricted and so they live the lives shown to them by the media Agenda setting – the media can focus attention on some issues and ignore others. They don’t tell us what to think but what to think about. This can affect political views and voting habits. Those who decide what makes the news are called gatekeepers as they have the power to influence what we think about. Norm referencing – the media reinforces norms and values so we conform. Those who conform are viewed and shown in a positive light and those who don’t in a negative light. This causes us to label people, leading to stereotypes. The cameras are always from the point of view of those in authority, giving a very selective view on what is happening. Defining ‘New Values’ – News doesn’t happen; journalists make news and have a list of things that ‘make news’. These are news values and, the more that are satisfied, the better the news is. This affects our understanding of events. Profit motive – Media is about money; owners and companies get this from advertisers. The advertisers must be satisfied with what goes on the news and the media listen because they want the money. Laws – there are laws in place saying what the media can and can’t share, so laws have a large impact on what goes on the news and how the news is presented. Digital natives – have grown up in the digital world using new media to communicate; there is a digital divide between digital natives and novices. Digital novices – have been born into a generation that used old media to communicate and new media has been introduced within their lifetime, meaning they have to learn how to use it and have not grown up with it. The mass media and power Press ownership In Britain, press ownership is concentrated in a few hands; this could give some individuals in the media the ability to influence mass opinion. Some argue that, in order to keep democracy, press ownership should be spread between larger numbers of individuals. The pluralist approach to press ownership According to the pluralist approach, a range of views and interests exists in society and no single group dominates. This range of views is reflected in the wide variety of newspapers and magazines available, so all political viewpoints are represented within the various publications that consumers can choose to buy. The pluralist approach rejects the idea that press owners control content. Instead, it suggests that newspapers simply give people what they want to read as, companies that fail to do so, are unlikely to succeed in competitive market and are more likely to go bankrupt. So, this view states that consumers are the ones who influence content through their market power. The conflict approach to press ownership According to the conflict approach, press owners are in a strong position to put their own political views across. This is because, as owners, they are able to control content and they do so in favour of their own political and economic interests. Supporters of this approach point to several developments within the media to support their position. These include the increasing concentration of press ownership in the hands of a few companies and individuals and the emergence of multimedia (or cross-media) conglomerates (such as News Corporation) that operate on a global, rather than national, scale. As a result of such developments, much of what people read comes from a few multinational media empires. The exercise of power within the media The media have the power to select which issues are ignored and exploited. In doing so, they direct public discussion and therefore affect what people think about it. This could give the media influence over people’s political views and their voting behaviour. The news media also have power in relation to norm referencing; they are able to outline the acceptable boundaries of behaviour. The views and behaviour of some groups and organisations are presented positively, whilst others are presented negatively. Through nor referencing, positive images of some groups ad negative images of others are created, and this helps to shape public opinion. The internet and the distribution of power Some sociologists argue that digital technology will lead to a reduction in power and influence of media power as it allows everyone to produce media content, rather than just consume it. For this reason, the internet could help to safeguard democracy by spreading the power to communicate and to exert influence more widely among different individuals and groups. Because anyone can upload information, comment on information given, contact politicians etc, they can exert influence. They can also find out about pressure groups (such as Greenpeace) or issues such as global warming. In this way, the internet could empower people and provide them with more opportunities to participate in politics. Other approaches, however, question how far the internet has increased political participation and empowered people as most people use the internet for things like shopping rather than for political reasons. Critics also argue that ‘e-democracy’ requires expensive technology and funding to start up and maintain so not everyone can get involved. The press is free because The press isn’t free because Members of the public exercise control through our market power. We can easily switch newspapers if we are unhappy with what we read. Hence, the market controls content and the consumer is sovereign There has been an increasing concentration of press ownership in the hands of a few companies and individuals meaning smaller companies have been swallowed by media giants Owners cannot simply dictate content but have to give us what we want to buy Multimedia conglomerates operate on a global rather than a national scale so a small number of multinational companies now have interests in media across the globe There is freedom to set up new newspapers if existing ones do not meet market demands Multimedia conglomerates such as News Corporation have emerged as a result of other companies merging together The media is an ISA used to teach us the norms and values of a capitalist society. The media is controlling us.

Ecology Mock Experiment Essay Example for Free

Ecology Mock Experiment Essay Due to their large size oak trees become shelters and nesting sites to very many wildlife species, so if one were to remove or decrease availability of these oak trees then one might expect the abundance of the animals that use oak trees as a home would decline as well. In this experiment, we will be testing whether or not the availability of oak trees in an environment will affect the distribution and abundance of robins. The hypothesis of the experiment would be as follows: The population size of robins is restricted by the availability oak trees present. This hypothesis would then lead you to predict that by removing oak trees from an environment, the population size of robins would then decline. In this experiment, both the control and the experimental groups will be tested in similar conditions which include temperature, geographic location, resources available, and species diversity and richness of the areas in which the experiments are taking place. The variable which will be tested is the presence of oak trees. Therefore, the experimental group will have the oak trees removed while, the control group will have the oak trees present. For the experiment, we will observe these groups on a weekly basis for two months. If in the experimental group, the population of the robins were to show a decline while population of the control group would remain at a steady pace over the two month span then my hypothesis would be proven correct. But if results of the experiment were to show the population size of the experimental group have similar numbers with the control group or show the control groups robin population decrease more than the experimental group then my hypothesis would be disproven.

Accountability in the UK Public Sector

Accountability in the UK Public Sector To what extent has the public sector become more or less accountable as a  result of the changes since 1980s in the way in which the public sector is  organised and managed? The following will discuss whether the public sector has become more or less accountable as a result of changes in its organisation and management since the 1980s. There have been at face value some profound changes to the public sector since the 1980s yet whether those changes have had a great impact on the public sectors accountability, or have been merely cosmetic changes will be examined below. As will be outlined below, the public sector was greatly affected by privatisation, de-regularisation, or greater central government scrutiny, as well as changes in the ways in which it was organised and managed. The differences and similarities in the methods in which both Conservative and Labour governments have wanted to change the way the public sector is organised and managed has been critical for the levels of accountability within the various parts of the public sector. The public sector accounts for a major share of the economy, the majority of government spending, alongside the bulk of the provision of public goods and services to the majority of the British population. The public sector had a tradition of not being readily accountable to the people it supposedly served, even though it could be held to account by government ministers and Parliament (Comfort, 1993 p. 491). The public sector was widely seen as being provider-centred rather than citizen-centred, an attitude, that still persists even if the emphasis of public sector organisation and management has changed (Watmore, 2005 p. 32). Since the 1980s, the aim of successive governments was to make the civil service as efficient as it is politically impartial. Central government would also focus its attention on local councils, which were responsible for a quarter of public sector spending and service provision. Councils were also accountable to the electorate, facing local elections every yea r besides being accountable to central government their performance and reliant on central funding. However, local councils have the ability to raise their own revenue from local taxation which is crucial for their organisation and management, whilst causing conflict or debates with central government. Ultimately, local councils would believe that their accountability to central government takes precedence to their accountability to the local electorate. After all, central government can abolish any council it wants, as Margaret Thatcher did (Savage and Atkinson, 2001 p.17). In 1979, the public sector was larger in size and scope than at present. The public sector did not just comprise of government departments, the civil service, or the services provided by central and local government. The public sector also included nationalised industries such as the railways, coal and steel, as well as ailing private sector firms such as British Leyland that were nationalised to keep people employed and factories open. Margaret Thatcher came to power with the intention of radically altering Britain’s economy and society, alterations that reshaped the public sector. Thus, changing the organisation and management of those parts of the public sector that unlike British Telecommunications that could not be quickly privatised, or those parts that unlike the coal industry were not left to go into extinction. The Thatcher government’s adoption of neo-liberal monetarist economic policies was intended to change the ethos and management of the public sector almo st as much it was intended to change the private sector (Fisher, Denver Benyon, 2003 pp 7 –8). Thatcherism could not dismantle the public sector, nor could it reverse the welfare state. However, the parts of the public that could not be privatised were opened to internal markets to make their organisation and management more efficient, if not more accountable (Jenkins, Independent, 2 April 1987). The enterprises that left the public sector became less accountable to the general public through Parliament, although their organisation and management became more accountable to their new shareholders. By the time the Conservatives left office in 1997, public owned enterprises produced only 2 % of gross domestic product. That compares to 12% in 1979 (Bannock, Baxter Davis, 2003 p. 309). The remnants of the public sector would become more accountable by spending budgets more effectively, reducing waste and error whilst cutting unnecessary expenditure. Government departments were set more stringent budgets, whilst both Conservative and New Labour governments have set performance stan dards for the public sector to achieve to improve efficiency if not directly increasing or decreasing accountability. The Conservatives wished to make high spending councils more submissive to central government and were rate capped if they refused to curtail their spending. Organisation and management had to be changed to avert the punishment from Westminster rather than being more accountable to the public (Coxall, Robbins Leach, 2003, p. 43). Local government was probably the segment of the public sector that has had its accountability increase the most since the 1980s. Higher unemployment and the perceived unpopularity of cutting spending on the NHS meant that welfare spending could not be cut as much as Thatcher had intended. On the other hand, the Conservatives were able to maintain tight control of local government. Funding was reduced or made conditional on working â€Å"with other public and private agencies† (Stoker, 1999 p. 1). Conversely, whilst elected local authorities were made more accountable to central government, more functions were being transferred to unelected bodies known as quangos. These quangos were spending  £ 40 billion of public money annually by 1996 with little or no accountability compared to local government or central government departments (Fisher, Denver Benyon, 2003 p. 263). Councils lost some of their greatest capital assets with the increased sales of councils during the 1980s . Thatcher had promoted these sales to increase the number of homeowners and reduce the size of the public sector without much concern about the dwindling supply of affordable housing for the poorest members of society. Conservative success in promoting home ownership through selling off council houses was shown by the 15 % increase between 1979 and 1997 (Coxall, Robbins Leach, 2003 p. 42). Councils were made more accountable for the way the remaining council houses were organised and managed, even though they had far less control of budgets, sales of council housing, and the proceeds of those sales than ever before. The Conservatives were also keen in promoting the transfer of council housing to social landlords and housing associations. Since 1997, New Labour has not tried to reverse any of those transfers of housing stock back into the public sector. In fact, New Labour has tried to expand joint public and private schemes in its efforts to increase service provision and efficiency rather than accountability (Fisher, Denver Benyon, 2003 p. 272). Accountability within the public sector for the way it is organised and managed has increased since the 1980s due to the increase in inspection and intervention from central government. The Conservatives were as enthusiastic about inspecting schools, councils and hospitals as they about greater consumer or citizen choice, market approaches and selling off what public sector assets they could. Whilst individual schools and hospitals were given greater opportunities for self-management, they were also faced with meeting performance targets, and more frequent inspections. Not only did the government want greater accountability; Parliament increased its ability to scrutinise government departments and the public sector through the expansion of the select committee system. These committees have been able to uncover much that both Conservative and New Labour government ministers would have liked to have left unknown, whilst gaining greater information from the public sector. Ministers have wanted more information from public sector management when going before select committees, increasing the pressure for public sector organisation and management to be fully accountable to the minister (Coxall, Robbins Leach, 2003 p. 245). New Labour has extended the roles and remits of inspectorates such as Ofsted, the Audit Commission and the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. All these inspectorates have increased the accountability of public sector organisation and management, often in its attempts to meet or exceed government targets (Seldon Kavanagh, 2005 p. 77). New Labour put most of its inspectorates together under the auspices of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department of Work and Pensions to assess local councils under the Comprehensive Performance Assessment scheme, to make them accountable for their failings or to praise them for their successes. Poor performing councils can face greater levels of inspection whilst the best performing councils can have the ir inspections reduced. The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate has had considerable success in making Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit more effective and councils more accountable (DWP, 2003 pp. 38-9). The 1980s not only witnessed the growth of inspection and scrutiny, it also witnessed the emergence of New Public Management to make public sector administrators more efficient by forcing them to work along private sector lines rather than more traditional public sector ones. Operating along the principles of the market economy did not make public sector organisation and management more accountable, hence the increasing use of inspectorates and nation wide performance standards (Davis, 2005 p. 11). Advances in IT have provided the basis for the public sector to improve its organisation and management, and allow for the collection of greater levels of management information for its various scrutinisers. Of course, more advanced IT allows the public sector to become citizen focused and offers the possibility of decentralised decision-making and even online benefit claims or queries from the general public. Improved IT and technology can raise the public expectation of better services. The NHS for instance has to ration new treatments that everybody wants as it has a limited budget. Accountability has to be amended to adapt to changing circumstances and technologies. New Labour has attempted to make both private and public sector companies and organisations more accountable for the electronic data they hold through the Freedom of Information Act and Data Protection Act (Watmore, 2005 p.33). The government has another motivation for developing better IT within the public sector, it can reduce the infrastructure, resources, and staff needed to provide public services. Better management of resources has allowed the Treasury to gain  £6 billion a year between 1999 and 2004 from the disposal of public sector assets. Gordon Brown also believes that greater efficiency means that 84,000 civil servants were no longer needed, a decision that provoked anger from public sector trade unions (Davies, 2005 p.11; Simpson, 2005 p. 14). Therefore, it can be successfully argued that public sector organisation and management has become increasingly accountable since the 1980s. The Thatcher and Major governments made the public sector more accountable, or at least the parts of it that could not be privatised. Thatcher’s changes were not primarily concerned with promoting accountability, that was just a consequence of her aim of reducing the public sector, curtailing trade union power and increasing control over local councils. The Major government did introduce the Citizens Charter to make public service providers more accountable to the public. New Labour has continued the trend of increasing the accountability of public sector organisation and management, although more for reasons of efficiency than any ideological attack on the public sector. The public sector has become increasingly accountable to central government, although its accountability to the general public is less obvious despite legislation such a s the Data Protection Act, which gives the public greater rights to information and making complaints. The culture within the public sector has also changed to some extent from being provider-centred to being citizen-centred. Bibliography Bannock G, Baxter R E Davis E, (2003) The Penguin Dictionary of Economics 7th edition, Penguin, London Comfort N (1993) Brewer’s Politics, a phrase and fable dictionary, Cassell, London Coxall B, Robbins L Leach R, (2003) Contemporary British Politics 4th edition, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke Davies W, Is efficient government necessarily good government? Public Service Director, January 2005, A GovNet Communication, London Department for Work and Pensions (2003) – Departmental Report 2003, The Stationary Office, London Fisher J, Denver D Benyon J, (2003) Central Debates in British Politics, Pearson Education Limited, Harlow Jenkins P, â€Å"Waking Up From the Long Communist Nightmare†, Independent, 2 April 1987 Savage S P and Atkinson R, (2001) Public Policy under Blair, Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke Seldon A Kavanagh D, (2005) The Blair Effect 2001-5, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge Simpson J, ‘Selling Britain by the pound’, Public Service Director, January 2005, A GovNet Communication, London Stoker G, (1999) The New Management of British Local Governance, Macmillan, Basingstoke Watmore I, ‘Using IT to transform Government’, Public Service Director, January 2005, A GovNet Communication, London

Free Essays - Catcher in the Rye Still Relevant Today :: Catcher Rye Essays

The Catcher in the Rye - Still Relevant to Today's Youth To begin, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is unique. The novel is written from the perspective of a teenager who lives in New York in the 1950's. From the context in the beginning and the end of the book, "I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy" (page 1), "I could probably tell you what I did after I went home, and how I got sick and all, and what school I'm supposed to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I don't feel like it" (page 213), we can infer that Holden Caulfield, the aforementioned teenager, is in a mental hospital. However, he tells the story through flashback of a three-day period sometime before Christmas the year before. This is unusual because most novels cover much more time than three days. This is one reason why this novel is so unique. Although the novel is spread over only three days, we learn so much about the p rotagonist, and many other characters, because all Holden's thoughts and feelings, especially about other characters, during these three days is portrayed, nothing is left out. My favorite part of the book is probably Holden's interaction with and description of Ackley in Chapter 3. This is probably my favorite part of the book because I can relate to the protagonist in that I have to put up with my neighbor who fits the description of Ackley perfectly. Ackley is a rather nosy fellow who comes over through a window and without permission. He plays with all of Holden's possessions, and then puts them back in different locations. He cuts his nails all over Holden's room, stands in his reading light to talk to him, and he never brushes his teeth. I also enjoy not only this part, but also other descriptions of other characters, because the author has a totally unique way of describing people. "He was exactly the kind of a guy that wouldn't get out of your light when you asked him to" (page 21), "He was one of those guys that think they're being a pansy if they don't break around forty of your fingers when they shake hands with you" (page 87). Free Essays - Catcher in the Rye Still Relevant Today :: Catcher Rye Essays The Catcher in the Rye - Still Relevant to Today's Youth To begin, The Catcher in the Rye by J. D. Salinger is unique. The novel is written from the perspective of a teenager who lives in New York in the 1950's. From the context in the beginning and the end of the book, "I'll just tell you about this madman stuff that happened to me around last Christmas just before I got pretty run-down and had to come out here and take it easy" (page 1), "I could probably tell you what I did after I went home, and how I got sick and all, and what school I'm supposed to go to next fall, after I get out of here, but I don't feel like it" (page 213), we can infer that Holden Caulfield, the aforementioned teenager, is in a mental hospital. However, he tells the story through flashback of a three-day period sometime before Christmas the year before. This is unusual because most novels cover much more time than three days. This is one reason why this novel is so unique. Although the novel is spread over only three days, we learn so much about the p rotagonist, and many other characters, because all Holden's thoughts and feelings, especially about other characters, during these three days is portrayed, nothing is left out. My favorite part of the book is probably Holden's interaction with and description of Ackley in Chapter 3. This is probably my favorite part of the book because I can relate to the protagonist in that I have to put up with my neighbor who fits the description of Ackley perfectly. Ackley is a rather nosy fellow who comes over through a window and without permission. He plays with all of Holden's possessions, and then puts them back in different locations. He cuts his nails all over Holden's room, stands in his reading light to talk to him, and he never brushes his teeth. I also enjoy not only this part, but also other descriptions of other characters, because the author has a totally unique way of describing people. "He was exactly the kind of a guy that wouldn't get out of your light when you asked him to" (page 21), "He was one of those guys that think they're being a pansy if they don't break around forty of your fingers when they shake hands with you" (page 87).

Enigmatic Lights On The Moon :: essays research papers

Enigmatic lights seen on the Moon are a classic example of a Fortean enigma. Called transient lunar phenomena (TLP), they have been a mystery and a source of wonder to skywatchers since the earliest times. And yet, as astronomer Peter Grego points out, despite a wealth of detailed observations we seem no closer to an understanding of what these anomalous flashes are. Not long after the telescope was invented at the beginning of the 17th century, astronomers came to realise that the Moon, our only natural satellite, was not as dynamic a world as the Earth. The dark lunar tracts which early astronomers had somewhat optimistically called "maria" (seas) turned out to be nothing more than deceptively smooth plains of solidified lava. Much to astronomers' disappointment it became apparent that there were no appreciable expanses of water, though the new romantic marine nomenclature was retained, regardless - names like Mare Crisium (the Sea of Crises) and Oceanus Procellarum (the Ocean of Storms) were given in a vain attempt to grant the Moon an air of mystery and excitement. In reality, the Moon's surface appeared solid and unchanging. The Moon possessed no appreciable atmosphere and there were no detectable signs of lunar life; the Church breathed a sigh of relief, having been spared the embarrassment of attempting to explain why the book of Genesis forgot to mention that our sister planet was teeming with the products of DNA. This initial impression of the Moon as being a barren and entirely dead world has been propagated in the astronomical literature ever since Galileo first published his observations in 1610.2 It seems, however, that the Moon has been receiving unjustifiably bad astronomical press for nearly three centuries, for reports of its long-standing status rigor mortis have been greatly exaggerated. Lunar observers (mainly amateurs) have noticed that the Moon's surface is occasionally host to anomalous transient lunar phenomena (TLP) which have assumed a variety of forms, including isolated flashes or pulses of light, coloured glows and obscurations of portions of the lunar surface. Just why the science of astronomy has been unwilling to accept that our satellite occasionally displays obvious signs of activity is almost as big a mystery as TLP themselves. There is no shortage of TLP having been observed by reputable astronomers. William Herschel, one of history's greatest astronomers - he discovered the planet Uranus in 1781 - observed a red glow in the vicinity of the crater Aristarchus on 4 May 1783, at a time when that feature was situated on the unilluminated lunar hemisphere.

Essay --

One of the central pillars of American history and idealism is the concept of manifest destiny. Which according to the Random House Dictionary is the nineteenth century belief and doctrine of the United States, that it was their God given destiny to expand its territory over North America, thereby enhancing their sovereignty and increasing their political, economic and social influence on the world stage. This term was not created until later in the century, post Lewis and Clark expedition. However it was most certainly one of the main goals of the expedition. Lewis and Clark were not the first group of white men to explore areas of the west, though none were quite as influential or as important to supporting manifest destiny. However these two explorers, Lewis and Clark not only supported manifest density, they also made significant contributions to scientific and cartographical knowledge of the western frontier. Their voyage across the United States stands out from other explorati ons of the west, due to the numerous journals that Lewis and Clark as well as their expedition team wrote in, almost every day. These journals represent first hand records of everything they encountered, thus preserving their journey for hundreds of years to come and allowing for their additions to the scientific community of the United States to be preserved. When Thomas Jefferson was elected as the third President of the United States in 1801, the majority of the population lived within a fifty-mile radius of the Atlantic Ocean, very little was known about the west. Though what was known was grossly outdated information from the French traders as well as British and Spanish explores in the earlier centuries. Jefferson was a vast believer and suppor... ... as set out by President Jefferson there were many. Not only did they alter the face of this rapidly changing country and its imperial struggle for control over North America, more specifically the Pacific Northwest and the Louisiana Territory. It greatly strengthened the United States claims in these areas through numerous peaceful encounters with the indigenous peoples and tribes, which allowed for increased interest in the American commercial front, which was the fur trade. Their expedition also led to an increase in various explorations and exploitations in the direction of the West. The duo also made incredible advancements in the geographic and topographical knowledge of the Upper Missouri, producing various maps as well as notes on the areas they traversed. Which would kick start the net centuries great migration of American people in to the west.

ANZ Sustainable Business Practices Essay

â€Å"Sustainable† business practices are being touted, or even required, more and more by western society. What is ANZ’s sustainability policy and how is this congruent (or not) with cutting edge sustainability thinking and theory. Does this thinking and practice change across borders? And if so, how does the ANZ’s Australian head office engage with it? Does what they espouse align with the reality of their practice? Over the past few decades, sustainable business practices have become more prevalent and required in corporations. Australian organisations are required to be responsible for being sustainable socially, economically and environmentally, here we focus on the environmental factors. Australia’s government is constantly coming up with new way for its people and businesses to follow more sustainable programs. Western society as a general believes that sustainable business practices are an essential part of any business policy. Pushes through meeting between world leaders, countries are now more than ever expected to upkeep sustainable conventions. Although almost all large corporations claim that they have strong sustainable business practices and policies, not all corporations espouse what they preach. It is difficult for any corporation to achieve sustainability at a level which pleases everybody, however most organisations are noticing that having sustainable business practices is rewarding both financially and at a customer satisfaction level. Meeting the needs of a business and its stakeholders, while at the same time managing it’s effects on society and the environment are core to business sustainability (Pojasek 2007). The culture we live in thrives off of new and improved ways of living. Finding the most sustainable option, in every case, allows organisations and their customers to grow. This generation will not stand for ignorance and insensible approaches to sustainability in the corporate world. Large businesses must be aware that the decisions they make will often impact beyond the walls around them, and that they must answer for the damage they cause. Organisations that shy away from sustainable options, be it due to finances or ignorance will see themselves placed under immense pressure from government organisations all the way down to the consumers. This push for a better tomorrow, is being incorporated around the world on a business and personal level. Burke (1991), lists ten characteristics for a sustainable  society, such as using renewable resources and linking development with conservation, these when applied to an organisation build a trust and a loyalty with stakeholders who align their morals with the companies they choose. If everyone were to stand by these rules, the prospect of the population doubling in the next fifty years may not seem so daunting. However not everyone abides, as it is not always economical or immediately beneficial to be sustainable and some corporations cannot see the footprints they are leaving behind for the next generations to deal with. Corporations need to see the potential for improving business value through sustainability, starting internally with management, before reaching out. The general consensus is that sustainable business practices are vital in the longevity of any organisation and needs to be taken seriously. Australia is ranked quite highly when it comes to cutting edge sustainabil ity thinking and theory. In fact the most sustainable company in the world in 2014 is Westpac Banking, which is an Australian corporation (Smith 2014). With four companies placed in the top hundred, on the most sustainable companies list, one can see that Australia’s expectations for business’ to adopt sustainable approaches throughout all their business operations is taking effect. The government uses many tactics to make sure that businesses are using sustainable business practices. One method is the annual Australian business award for sustainability, this is useful, as it is important to commend sustainable companies and it encourages a healthy competition to have the best continual business model and be more aware and proactive in regards to the environment. The Australian government is active in its move to promote and push for sustainable business practices, one of their more recent resolutions is the Clean Energy Legislation, which is made of individual bills covering levys on green house gases and fuel tax, this enforces corporations to oblige and making a move towards being green (Griffiths, 2012). However this means that certain organisations will do the bare minimum of what is required of them by law and nothing more. There are other initiatives in place to encourage sustainable business practices which are not legally binding, such as Sustainable Bu siness Australia, who provide policy recommendations and resources for sustainability challenges (SBA, n.d). Companies who become members with SBA are held in high regards by their stakeholders as they abide by the recommendations regarding carbon  action and resource solutions. There is also an emphasis on the people, and their crucial role in creating business value. Previously people were satisfied with just their basic needs being fulfilled, but no longer, we now see Maslow’s hierarchy of needs triangle unravelling as people require more to feel satisfied with themselves and what they do in their work space (Kiel, 1999). With encouragement from government and local communities, Australia is making an effort with great determination towards having the best sustainable business practices. ANZ (2013) asserts that it endeavours to recognise the environmental impact within its work places and branches, following social and environmental pressures to reduce them. ANZ makes it clear that they are aware of their environmental impact directly through their buildings, structures and empl oyees, as well as indirectly through their lending. They are certified carbon neutral with the National Carbon Offset standards and create progress reports biannually regarding their impact on a variety of areas such as gas emissions, water and paper usage and resource efficiency among others, they have been doing so for ten years (ANZ 2004). Although ANZ has variety of KPIs and targets to meet, they cannot always fulfil their requirements. One of the targets for 2013 was to reduce paper usage by converting everything into electronic statements, New Zealand successfully did so, however Australia did not reach that target, and has set it as a goal for the year to come (Nash 2013 p.68). ANZs sustainability policy is very broad and covers a range of issues, beginning with educating sustainability, it is seen as vital to begin by reaching out and teaching staff so they are aware of the impacts they have on the environment, directly and indirectly. The policy goes over safety, fairness and responsibility as well as maintaining an environmental management system and integrating government and community needs in regards to sustainability (ANZ 2004 pg.2). ANZ’s sustainability policy goes above and beyond what is required of them by law, this is the case through to stakeholder. ANZ works closely with its stakeholders through collaboration and engagement, progress is reported to stakeholders regularly and based on responses, ANZ makes public commitments which they aim to accomplish (ANZ n.d.). Questionable practices and unethical behaviour would have stakeholders removing themselves from being associated, for this reason ANZ aims high to please its stakeholders which intern promotes sustainability and business  continuity. Crossing borders to the rest of the world we find variations in sustainable business practices from commendable nuclear recycling in France to disgraceful toxic waste dumping off the Ivory coast. Every co untry has a different set of laws and legislations set up that can affect the way one runs a sustainable business. An Australian based corporation with locations around the world, still has to abide by the countries laws that they are set up in. Luckily more and more people are realising the benefit of sustainable business practices around the world such as Ray Anderson (Ted Talks, 2009) who claims, â€Å"The biggest culprit in this massive mistreatment of the earth by the human kind†¦that culprit is business and industry†, and that the only solution is for businesses to take responsibility of their actions and move towards more sustainable resolutions. In 1997 many of the worlds countries met in Kyoto, Japan to discuss greenhouse gas emissions, through this the Kyoto protocol was created with the aim to help avoid global warming (Gang 2007). Through these worldly events and meetings between leaders, countries are becoming more obligated to be vigorous in their attempts to create a sustainable future. As the governments accept new world protocols and create their own, businesses must oblige and follow suit. Overall western societies are all on the same page when it come sustainability, as they can afford to take steps to preparing for a greener future. It is a struggle with third world countries who do not have the funds to improve on their sustainability, such as the upfront costs of solar power. What must be realised that no matter poor or not, one cannot afford to be wasteful or carless with resources on this planet. Since 1835 ANZ has branched itself all over the world, originating in the United Kingdom, then Australia and now in the Asia Pacific region amongst other areas. Considering that business is being conducted in these areas, and major lending does occur, the effects of this must be contemplated. ANZ proactively adopts a program called the sensitive sector policy, which regulates who ANZ lends to. Employees who are working in the lending field at ANZ are thoroughly trained in social and environmental risk and how the people and companies they lend to will affect the standard of living and the environment in the country that they are in. This training goes on, and is consistent in all of ANZ’s branches across the planet from Australia to Hong  Kong and Singapore (ANZ n.d.). ANZ does put an effort in to having a globally sustainable business policy, not just within their company but also through the communities it works in. In 2013 one of ANZ’s global key aims was to have their staff do at least 100,000 hours of volunteering in the districts that they operate in. They hit ninety precent of their target, which is an achievement (Nash 2013). What ANZ is seeing is that businesses need to seek sustainable solutions internally as well as externally, as they have an affect on whichever communities they are in. They use a geocentric view, which is more world orientated and find people from around the globe who are best suited to knowing what is needed in the communities that they are in. ANZ uses an accommodative approach to corporate social responsibility. Luke (2013) says that CSR is a type of political agenda, a way to deceive people that one is doing good for good, even so the social impact programs and the environmental outreach, whether a form of coercion to be seen as a good and successful company, still has a positive effect even if the intentions weren’t so. ANZ also partners with WWF, which is aimed at creating awareness, providing information and education in regards to the environment and sustainability within the corporation and to the customers it serves (ANZ, n.d.). ANZ aspires to have and uphold sustainable business practices globally and believes that it is. Although companies aim to achieve the best sustainable business policies, often they cannot hold true to their word. Unfortunately for ANZ due to their investments in projects which will have an adverse affect on the climate and natural habitats of the Great Barrier Reef, their customers are protesting, threatening and are indeed changing banks (Vincent, 2013). In fact ANZ is Australia top lender when it comes to coal and gas projects, they have already lent a whopping $1.1 Billion to the undertaking of finding fossil fuels in the Great Barrier Reef (Charlie, 2013). Interestingly though, ANZ’s attitudes on the subject of coal and fossil fuel investments are not negative. ANZ actually approaches the subject of their investments in coal and fossil fuels as a positive, even though this area is receiving a large amount of negative publicity on the news and from a variety of NGO’s. They do not try to hide their investments either. Their argument is that coal is one of Australia’s main sources of energy and is also our second largest export, therefore helping finance the country (Nash, 2013). Although they do  fund many of these fossil fuel and coal schemes, they do control where they invest, ANZ has recently not agreed to lend to three coal and gas-fired power prospects, because of various reasons including the level of gr eenhouse gas involved and incompetent business practices (Nash 2013). Whilst the intentions of most large corporations are for the good, often the product of their doings is not seen that way. To continue to be a successful business, one must always seek to improve and to look towards a sustainable future. ANZ has done an outstanding job at doing so, winning awards in innovation and excellence, and coming in as a finalist in the award for the best sustainable development in the new buildings category. All architects and builders now look towards creating a harmony between building designs and being environmentally conscious. Studies have shown that using sustainable building methods can be more cost efficient in the long term (Sims, Rogner & Gregory, 2003). ANZ has gone above and beyond in 2009 when they completed the work on their accredited six green star ANZ headquarters, situated in the docklands of Melbourne. This building includes a myriad of environmental features such as solar power, wind turbines, tri-generation black water recycling, and use of the river cooling (Puchalski 2011). One of ANZ’s objectives for the coming years is to increase their lending to lower carbon emission power and financing new energy opportunities. While it was uncovered that one of ANZ’s customer was attaining oil from illegal palm oil plantations, ANZ identified the situation, and through delicate discussion, cleared the air and made sure that all practices were completely certified (Nash 2013). ANZ has many goals and KPIs both financial and non financial that they set and aim to achieve every year, a surprising amount of these are part of their sustainable business policy. As a corporation they are doing more good than harm. Whilst countless organisations aim for profit growth, the need of sustainable business practices means that choices may be made that might not necessarily maximise capital, but will be beneficial for society and the environment. Sustainable business practices are essential to all organisations, even more so in the western world. Sustainable technology is constantly growing as the need for it expands. However it is not always simple to comply and meet everyone’s expectations when it comes to sustainability, even so through world incentive corporations are being pushed to take the matter seriously. Although there are set policies for  what is appropriate and approved, businesses have the ability to surpass what is expected of them and in doing so help nurture a sustainable future. Reference List ANZ 2013, Our approach and performance, ANZ, Australia, viewed 25 April 2014, www.anz.com.au/about-us/corporate-responsibility/framework/urban-sustainability. ANZ n.d., Engagement and best practices, ANZ, Australia, viewed 6 May 2014 http://www.anz.com.au/about-us/corporate-responsibility/environment/engagement-best-practice/ ANZ n.d., Sensitive sector policies, ANZ, Australia, viewed 26 April 2014, http://www.anz.com.au/about-us/corporate-responsibility/customers/responsible-business-lending/policies-guidelines/sector-policies/. ANZ n.d., Stakeholder Engagement, ANZ, Australia, viewed 25 April 2014, http://www.anz.com.au/about-us/corporate-responsibility/more-mike/stakeholder-engagement/. Burke, J, 1991, Caring for the Earth: A Strategy for Sustainable Living, IUCN/Gland, Switzerland, viewed 25 April 2014, https://portals.iucn.org/library/efiles/edocs/CFE-003.pdf. Charlie, 2013, Coal and climate dominate ANZ AGM, 350 Australia, viewed 23 April 2014, http://350.org.au/coal-and-climat e-dominates-anz-agm/. Griffiths, M 2012, ‘Climate change policy in Australia: contexts and consultation on the Clean Energy Legislative Package’, Proceedings of the 12th European Conference on e-Government, held in Barcelona, Spain 14-15 June, 2012, Academic Conferences and Publishing International, M. Gascà ³, pp. 1-9. Kiel, J 1999, ‘Reshaping Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to reflect today’s educational and managerial philosophies’, Journal of Instructional Psychology, September, Vol. 26 Issue 3, p167, viewed 6 May 2014, Teacher reference centre Luke, T 2013, ‘Corporate Social Responsibility: An Uneasy Merger of Sustainability and Development’, Sustainable Development, March, Vol. 21 Issue 2, p83, viewed 5 May 2014, EBSCO Host. Nash, J 2013, Corporate sustainability report 2013, ANZ, viewed 25 April 2014, http://www.anz.com/resources/e/2/e29f5bf3-8b7e-456f-a3a3-f381b46a99f8/ANZ_Sustainability_Review_FY13.pdf. Pojasek, R 2007, â₠¬ËœA framework of business sustainability’ Environmental quality management, December, vol. 17, issue 2, p.81, viewed 23 April 2014, Wiley Online Library.