MKT5A5 Application coursework Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

MKT5A5 Application coursework - Assignment Example The ‘open skies’ agreement with the US in 2007 and government deregulation in the 90s has seen the two major airline sections alter their strategies to stay in line with these changes (Data Monitor, 2014). There two major sections, one is the major global carriers for instance, British Airways and low budget carriers such as Ryanair. In addition to the 9/11 attack, the volatile economic effects and the rise in oil prices has seen a number of airlines go into liquidation. This essay analyses British Airway’s adverting strategy. British Airlines is the leading airline in the UK and its history can be dated back to 1919, however, the British Airways Group began its operations in 1974 (Data Monitor, 2014). During its years in operation the entity has moved from a government-owned entity to a private firm and has undergone a series of reorganisations making it the second largest airline in Europe and third globally. Currently, the airline has flights in over 300 destinations across the world and has over 33 million passengers (Data Monitor, 2014). It is clear that the airline has been adversely affected by the global economic crisis calling for the need to review their advertising strategy to reach a high number of consumers and manage its brand more effectively. British Airways launched a major campaign in eleven years with a  £20m funding by using its employees to promote the desirable qualities of the airline a few months after solving the controversial cabin crew dispute (Sweeney, 2011). The TV advertisement was displayed on British Airways Facebook page and was first aired in the UK and US markets before it was aired to other global markets. The outdoor campaign and supporting press was included in seven advertisements stressing on the skill and experience of the British Airways staff. One print advertisement was done on a baby jacket to draw attention to the fact that the staff members were trained to deliver babies if need be the

Code of Ethics Paper Essay Example for Free

Code of Ethics Paper Essay Most professional healthcare organizations have defined a mission statement, a code of ethics, and core values. These three documents must be agreement with each other and work together to define the organization. A mission statement communicates the overall purpose of the organization, and uses concepts such as philosophy or distinctive factors (Babnik, Breznik, Dermol, 2014). A code of ethics is defined as â€Å"one of the characteristics of a profession. It is defined by the profession through the professional association and serves to inform members of that profession and society about the profession’s expectations in ethical matters† (Kikuchi, 2005). Finally, core values are the chosen principles or virtues on which importance is placed (Fremgen, 2009). Here we will discuss these aspects of the American Nurses Association (ANA), as well as the relationship between the organizations goals, social responsibility, and the congruence between the ethical values and those of the professionals who belong to the organization. The nurse, in all professional relationships, practice with compassion and respect for the inherent dignity, worth and uniqueness of every individual, unrestricted by considerations of social or economic status, personal attributes, or the nature of health problems. The nurse’s primary commitment is to the patient, whether an individual, family, group or community. The nurse promotes, advocates for, and strives to protect the health, safety and rights of the patient. The nurse owes the same duties to self as to others, including the responsibility to preserve integrity and safety, to maintain competence, and to continue personal and professional growth. The nurse participates in establishing, maintaining and improving health care environments and conditions of employment conducive to the provision of quality health care and consistent with the values of the profession through individual and collective action. The nurse participates in the advancement of the profession through contributions to practice, education, administration and knowledge development. The nurse collaborates with other health professionals and the public promoting community, national and international efforts to meet health needs. The profession of nursing, as represented by associations and their members, is responsible for articulating nursing values, for maintaining the integrity of the profession and its practice, and for shaping social policy. The relationship between an association’s nurse’s culture, ethical behavior and decision making can be divided into severe parts. According to the Ethics Resource Center when serving the health care industry place more emphasis on profit, they risk losing their integrity. Health care practices that are more concerned with their place in the market often face greater challenges in maintaining ethical standards. Administrators, doctors and other health care workers provide ineffective care when their priorities become skewed. Care eventually is eroded when the organization’s culture promotes greed and power over patient-centered care. Now there are seven guidelines in making ethic decision making when individuals find themselves in the position to make decisions, they should first consider some of the guidelines associated with ethical decision-making, and keep these in mind throughout the entire decision-making process. Nurses deal with people during some of the most vulnerable times in their lives. It is therefore critical that there be a clear description of the duties and obligations that are an integral part of being a nurse. A high standard of ethics and personal responsibility is imperative. The American Nurses Association Code of Ethics is a nine-part that defines the expectations and responsibilities of the professional nurse. A code of ethics makes the primary values, obligations, and goals of a profession explicit. The American Nurses Association code of ethics serves a few purposes. It is a succinct statement of the ethical obligations and duties of every individual who enters the nursing profession. It is also the professions nonnegotiable ethical standard. The American Nurses Association code of ethics is also an expression of nursing’s own understanding of its commitment to society (ANA, n. d. ). Part of the statement of purpose, or mission statement, is that the American Nurses Association is dedicated to ensuring that an adequate supply of highly skilled and well educated nurses are available. The American Nurses Association is committed to meeting the needs of nurses as well as health care consumers. The code of ethics for nurses was established as an example for handling the responsibilities as a nurse in a behavior consistent with quality nursing care and the ethical responsibilities of the occupation. One ethical theory the American Nurses Association bases their code of ethics on is ethical relativism. They believe that people’s opinions vary from society to society and what one person believes is right is not necessarily what another person believes. This relates particularly to autonomy due to the fact that each individual is allowed to make their own decisions based on their care. The patient has the choice to accept or decline the care offered by their medical provider. the medical team has to abide by the patients choice whether or not they agree with it. another ethical theory that the American Nurses Association stands behind is deontology. Deontology, according to American Nurses Association (2014), â€Å"examines a situation for the essential moral worth of the intention of act, or rightness or wrongness of the act†. This theory correlates well with beneficence because it essentially means to be compassionate. As a nurse it is important to attempt and do well in every aspect of your job but it is most important to strive to help each individual to the best of ability. Most codes of ethics have little to say regarding charter and virtue, as such moral values are difficult to methodize than rules and principles of behavior. The American Nurses Association code is arguably unique in its relative emphasis on virtue and character, most especially the virtue of compassion. Most ethicists today recognize the importance of virtue and character in concert with the recognition of rules and principles in order to achieve a more complete and fulfilling moral life and in order to more sincerely and authentically discharge one’s moral duties. Even in the American Nurses Association code, the primary intended interpretation is likely to have been deontological and contractarian, but the importance of character and virtue is not ignored either.

T.S. Eliots The Waste Land and Morality :: Eliot Waste Land Morals Essays

T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land and Morality T.S. Eliot and Yulisa Amadu Maddy both address the topics of fear of death and then correlative love of life, but from entirely different points of view. T.S. Eliot wrote during a time when people were questioning relativity, especially moral relativity and it's effect on life after death. Maddy wrote about young boys who were going through that time in a teenager's life when they realize that they will die someday. Thus, teenagers begin to acknowledge death while embarking on their search for love and the meaning of life. During the time period that Eliot wrote "The Waste Land" people were questioning relativity. If time is relative then are not all things relative, including morals? People may have thought that they were living a moral life, but what was that moral life relative to? This lead me to the assumption that people were more fearful of life after death because the had no way to really know how they measured up morally to the standards of God. Eliot used these questions and fears in his poem, "The Waste Land." He displays the feelings of love for life as well as fear of death. Eliot writes of a "dead tree that can give no shelter," and a "dry stone no sound of water." Water symbolizes life and the dry stone implies the lack there of. The tree is dead and thus no shelter from the elements. Eliot continues, "There is shadow under this red rock,/ (Come in under the shadow of this red rock). Shadows imply darkness, death, and sinister dealings . Then Eliot writes, "And I will show you something different from either/ Your shadow at morning striding behind you/ Or your shadow at evening rising to meet you;/ I will show you fear in a handful of dust." These are signs pointing to death. Eliot claims he will show you something different than the shadows you see in the morning and at night. The opposite of having a shadow would be not having a shadow, and if someone, other than Peter Pan, ceases to have a shadow then they obviously have ceased to have an earthly existence. The lack of water, a barren tree, the loss of shadows, and finally what I believe to be a Biblical allusion, "I will show you fear in a handful of dust." There is mention in the Bible about originating from ashes and dust and returning to ashes and dust as well.

Being a Teacher Essay

* Among the given characteristics or qualities of an effective teacher, what do you think is the most important professional and personal quality to become an effective teacher? In my opinion, one must have an understanding and appreciation of the teaching profession so that he/she may become an effective teacher. With this professional quality, everything else follows. Try to imagine two different teachers: a very passionate one, and someone who teaches just to earn money. Obviously, the passionate one is more effective than the other because he/she loves and enjoys his/her job. Teaching isn’t just about sharing what you know to the learners, it is also about making a significant change in their lives. To be a teacher isn’t that easy. One must be a role model to others by being conscious with his/her traits. Being empathic, kind, helpful, and patient are some personal qualities of an effective teacher which I admire most. Teachers are once learners like every one of us, and they continue to be learners because learning is a continuous process; therefore, they probably understand how we feel. It is important that a teacher is willing to do his/her part in educating the learners patiently because as discussed in our class, learning is unique and individualized. Slow learners need extra help from the teacher to be able to catch up with the fast learners. Furthermore, a kind person would most likely inspire others by encouraging and influencing them to improve themselves; however, the learners themselves must also do their part to gain knowledge successfully. * As a future health educator, how will you prepare yourself to do the duty of imparting knowledge and expertise to your patients or students? To be a health educator needs a lot of preparation. As early as now, I must observe how other educators teach so that I could learn the dos and don’ts of teaching. Also, I must observe a healthy lifestyle; practice communicating well, and keep myself updated of recent findings about health. I hope that my interest in teaching could further be developed for me to become an effective educator. *Considering the fact that there are barriers that would affect the teaching and learning process i. e.  cultural, social, psychological, and language difficulties: give specific interventions on how to transcend these barriers in effecting change in knowledge, skills, and attitude among your learners. For the cultural barrier, we must learn to respect others’ beliefs and practices to avoid any misunderstanding; besides, we also want to be respected by others, don’t we? Also, we must be aware of the different cultures so that we may render appropriate care to our clients. For the social barrier, we must not be afraid to meet new people. Be open to build bridges of friendship; but be cautious, as well. Avoid trusting someone you don’t know well for your own sake. For the psychological barrier, we must reflect about our achievements, failures, view of self, stressful activities etc from time to time so that we may overcome this hindrance. We may also consult a psychologist especially in worst cases. For the language difficulties, we must be eager to learn different languages so that communication may be made easy. Moreover, we must know when to use a certain language depending on the student/client’s ability to understand.

Development system Essay

Over much of the twentieth century, the foremost edges of economic development and growth were mainly identifiable with sectors distinguished by varying degrees of mass production, as expressed in large-scale machine systems and an unrelenting drive to product standardization and cost cutting. all through the mass-production era, the dominant sectors evolved through a progression of technological and organizational changes focused above all on process routinization and the exploration for internal economies of scale. These features are not particularly conducive to the injection of high levels of aesthetic and semiotic content into final products. Certainly, in the 1930s and 1940s many commentators – with supporters of the Frankfurt School (Adorno, 1991; Horkheimer, 1947) being among the most vocal – expressed grave misgivings concerning the steady incursion of industrial methods into the globe of the cultural economy and the concomitant tendency for multifarious social and emotive content to be evacuated from forms of popular cultural production. These doubts were by no means out of place in a framework where much of commercial culture was focused on an enormously narrow approach to entertainment and disruption, and in which the powerful forces of the nation-state and nationalism were bend in considerable ways on creating mass proletarian societies. The specific problems raised by the Frankfurt School in regard to popular commercial culture have in definite respects lost some of their urgency as the economic and political bases of mass production have given way before the changes guided in over the late 1970s and early 1980s, when the new economy started its ascent. This is not to say that the modern cultural economy is not associated with a number of staid social and political predicaments. Although it is also the case that as commercial cultural production and consumption have developed in the major capitalist societies over the last few decades, so our aesthetic and ideological judgments concerning their underlying meanings have lean to shift. The rise of post-modern social and cultural theory is one significant expression of this development. Creative Industries Policy and the Reason of Shift in Terminology â€Å"The idea that cultural or creative industries might be regenerative was the result of changes in the cultural-industries landscape that were themselves in part the product of cultural policy shifts – when cultural policy is understood in the wider sense, to include media and communications† . One other key aspect also goes unnoticed in Hesmondhalgh’s book, which is that the sector itself, the ostensible object of both academic and policy discourse does not distinguish itself in the term â€Å"cultural industries† – at least not instantly. Some are simply unaware of how their activities relay to a range of disparate occupations and businesses. Some are clear in their refusal of the terminology and the company with which they are thus grouped. Certainly, one of the key arguments of the policy advocates is that this sector lacks a essential voice, it needs to convey its demands, needs to become self-conscious as a sector, needs to present itself with the consistency of other economic groups, needs, therefore, to co-operate in its own building as policy object (O’Connor, 1999a). If an necessary part of this discursive operation is the dismantling of fixed oppositions between economics as well as culture then this has to be about the self-perception, individuality (and identification) of cultural producers – the inculcation or adoption of a new kind of what Nigel Thrift calls â€Å"embodied performative knowledge† but can as well be seen as a form of habitus (O’Connor, 1999a, 2000b). â€Å"The notion of culture is constructed through a number of intersecting discourses providing particular means of mobilising the notion and defining its object. These discourses are selectively emphasized to frame cultural (industries) policies† . The cultural industries discourse then is not just policy making but is part of a wider shift in governance, and needs a new set of self-understandings as part of the key skills in a new cultural economy (O’Connor, 2000b). In this sense those apprehensive to advocate cultural industry strategies could be seen as a species of â€Å"cultural intermediaries. â€Å"

Strain Theory and Postpartum Psychosis

Strain Theory and Postpartum Psychosis Free Online Research Papers Strain theory is based on the concept anomie. Anomie first defined by Emile Durkhiem (1858-1917) and means the state of normlessness. The basic concepts suggest that when social norms become disorganized an increase in deviant behavior will occur as a reaction to the loss of a social cohesion. It is believed that once success is lost whether by choice or due to any other action, severe problems can occur. (Cullen 2006) On the morning of June 20, 2001, Andrea Yates, 36 years old, systematically drowned her five children, one-by one, in her upstairs bathtub (Feldman, 2001). Born on July 2, 1964, the youngest of five, Andrea grew up, reportedly, in a normal, church-going family (Feldman, 2001). While attending high school, she was captain of the swim team and graduated valedictorian of her class (Feldman, 2001). After graduating high school, Andrea attended the University of Texas School of Nursing at Houston and became a registered nurse (Feldman, 2001). She practiced nursing from 1986 to 1994 at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (Bernstein, 2001). In April of 1993, Andrea married her boyfriend of four years, Russell Yates, a NASA computer engineer (Bernstein, 2001). Ten months after their wedding, Andrea gave birth to their first child, Noah, left the nursing profession, and became a full time mom (Bernstein, 2001). Friends report that Russell Yates insisted that his wife stay home after giving birth to their first child (Bernstein, 2001). Evidently, Andrea did not complain and agreed to quit her job and give up her career, to stay at home with her son (Feldman 2001). Her mother states that she supported her daughter’s decision to stay at home, especially since her daughter and son-in-law planned to have as many children as God would allow (Feldman 2001). Within 4 years, Andrea had two more children, John and Paul. By all reports, Andrea, Russell, and the three boys were a happy, healthy family (Teachey 2001). Friends state that they saw no signs of depression in Andrea during this period, and described Andrea as â€Å"a model of mental stability and patience as she reared her children† (Bernstein, 2001, p. 5). It was not until the birth of her fourth child, Luke in 1999, that Andrea began to exhibit symptoms of depression. It was soon after Luke’s birth that Andrea first attempted suicide. A few months later, after the death of her father and her second unsuccessful suicide attempt, she was hospitalized (Feldman 2001). Her mother describes her as being overextended and being unable to handle the job of raising her family (Feldman, 2001). During her hospitalization, her doctor, Dr. Eileen Starbranch, diagnosed her as â€Å"having major depression with severe, recurrent psychotic features† (Teachey, 2001b, p. 4). Dr. Starbranch further cautioned that Andrea’s condition could â€Å"spiral downward†¦[and] surely guarantee future psychotic depression† (Teachey, 2001b, p. 4) if she were to have more children. Andrea told her psychiatrist that she had been having homicidal thoughts since the birth of her first child and that her suicide attempt was to  "prevent herself harming others† (Teachey, 2001b, p. 3). However, her mother stated that although she was not back to normal, the hospital stay and the anti-psychotic medication ameliorated Andrea’s mental condition (Feldman, 2001). Less then 2 years later, Andrea once again gave birth, this time to a girl, Mary (Teachey, 2001b). Four months later, in April of this year, Andrea was again admitted to a mental hospital for depression, and then again in May. Her husband acknowledged that she had become â€Å"paranoid, withdrawn, and emotionally numb† (Teachey, 2001, p. 4). After a 10-day hospital stay in May, Andrea was declared not to be suicidal and was released (Teachey, 2001a). Continuing an outpatient program until May 22, Andrea appeared to have improved with the help of the anti-psychotic drug Haldol and anti-depressant drugs (Teachey, 2001a; Colb, 2001). However, her husband asserts that she had begun to deteriorate again right before the murders, after she had been taken off the anti-psychotic drugs (Teachey, 2001a). Her family declared that they were worried she may harm herself but never contemplated that she would harm the children (Feldman, 2001). After months of thinking about killing her children, on June 19th, Andrea Yates decided it was time (Teachey, 2001b). The next morning, June 20, 2001, about an hour after her husband left for work, Andrea Yates began to mercilessly drown her children (Glenn, Rendon, Bernstein, 2001). The police report alleges that Noah walked in on his mother murdering his baby sister, that she turned toward her oldest son, and commanded him to â€Å"get in† the tub (Colb, 2001). Purportedly, Noah began to run; Andrea chased him down, struggled with her son, and finally, overpowered him and drowned him, as she had done with his four younger siblings (Colb, 2001). The police were summoned to the Yates’ home by Andrea Yates (Glenn et al., 2001). The caller only asked the police to come to her house but did not give the police any specifics as to why (Glenn et al., 2001). After the first phone call to the police, she called her husband at work and stated only that he had â€Å"better come home† (Glenn et al., 2001, p. 4). Described by police as wet and panicked, Andrea opened the door to the police, in a torn shirt, and stated, â€Å"I killed my kids† (Glenn et al., 2001, p. 1). Andrea led the police to an upstairs bedroom where they found John, 5, Paul, 3, Luke, 2, and Mary, 6 months, on a bed covered with a sheet. The eldest, Noah, 7, was discovered still floating, lifeless in the bathtub (Texas Woman†¦, 2001). Charged with five counts of capital murder, Andrea Yates was found competent to stand trail, and while sitting and waiting, under suicide watched in the psychiatric unit at the Harris County Jail, for her trial (Teachey, 2001b). Doctors had placed her on anti-psychotic drugs, and she reportedly came out of the comatose state she was in when she first arrived. According to the defense’s psychiatrist, Steven Rubenzer, Andrea believed she had â€Å"somehow damaged her children irreparably† (Colb, 2001, p. 2), and that she â€Å"wasn’t a good mother [and had] neglected them† (Teachey, 2001b). Dr. Rubenzer diagnosed Andrea with Postpartum Psychosis (Williams, 2001). A Houston jury of six men and six women found Andrea Yates not guilty of murder by reason of insanity after deliberating more than 12 hours over a three-day period. Yates was on trial for the drowning deaths of only three of her children Mary, 6 months; John, 5; and Noah, 7 at not for the deat hs of Luke, 2 and Paul, 3. This was her second trial for murder after her first murder conviction was overturned on appeal. (http://crime.about.com/b/2006/07/26/andrea-yates-not-guilty-by-reason-of-insanity.htm) What causes a mother to kill her children? There are several terms to describe these abhorrent acts: neonaticide, the killing of a child within the first 24 hours of life; infanticide, the killing of a child within the first 12 months of life, filicide; the killing of a child over 1 year-old by the child’s parent, also a general term used for killing one’s own child; and familial filicide, the mass murder of children by a blood relative (Sadoff-Rober, 1995; Guileyardo, Prahlow, Barnard, 1999). Regardless of terminology, filicide has been documented in every culture throughout history. During ancient civilizations, children with birth defects were killed due to the belief they were a bad omen. Some cultures have condoned the killing of children who were sick or weak because they were a drain on resources and finances. It is well documented that in Chinese and Japanese cultures parents have routinely killed female children due to the notion that having a female is shameful (Pitt Bale, 1995). In modern western cultures, due to the thought, that killing one’s own child is a horrific act, the killing of one’s children has been the focus of much research. The study of filicide has produced many classification systems to help identify, categorize, and understand child murder (Pitt et al., 1995; McKee Shea, 1998). Resnick proposed that to have an understanding of the women who commit these types of crimes; one must first differentiate between the offenders who commit neonaticide and those who commit filicide, a child over 1 day-old (Pitt et al., 1995). Mothers that commit neonaticide tend to be younger (late teens to early twenties), unmarried, immature, sexually submissive, and, although they rarely seek abortion, they make no plans for the birth and care of their child (Pitt et al., 1995). Fear and guilt are postulated to be the primary reasons for the killings (Pitt et al., 1995). The women who commit filicide are quite different. They are older (late twenties or older) and quite often married (Pitt, 1995). Psychologically they tend to be more depressed, psychotic, have high suicide ideations, and have a higher suicide attempt rate compared to neonacidal mothers (Pitt et al., 1995). In 1969, Resnick studied 88 cases of maternal filicide and classified them into 5 categories according to apparent motive; altruistic filicide, acutely psychotic filicide, unwanted child filicide, accidental filicide, and spouse revenge filicide (Pitt et al., 1995; Haapasalo et al., 1999). Resnick found the majority of mothers killed for altruistic reasons, meaning they felt the need to kill their child to save them from a real or imagined inescapable doom (Pitt et al., 1995; Haapasalo et al., 1999). Scott developed a similar classification system in 1973, which listed 5 categories based on the impulse to kill. These included elimination of unwanted children, mercy killing, gross mental pathology, stimulus arising outside the victim, and stimulus arising from the victim. In 1979, D’Orban, established his classification system, which is very similar to Resnick and Scott’s. His system classified maternal filicide into: battering mothers, mentally ill mothers, neonati cide, retaliating mothers, mothers who killed unwanted children, and mercy killings. Lastly, Guilryardo et al., (1999) developed a 16-item subtype scale, which included altruism, psychosis, and postpartum depression (Guilryardo et al., 1999). One common category throughout all the classification systems is that of pathological filicide, or rather, filicide committed during some type of psychological disturbance. As in the case of Andrea Yates, Resnick found that in persons who commit filicide, 75% had â€Å"psychiatric symptoms prior to committing† the murderous act (Guileyardo et al., 1999 p. 291). Another study by Silverman and Kennedy (1998), found 67% of mothers who commit filicide to be mentally ill (Haapasalo Petaja, 1999). Additionally, mothers who kill children over the age of 1 year-old tend to have â€Å"severe depression† (Haapasalo et al., 1999). It is reported that 70-80% of women experience â€Å"baby blues† after giving birth. Baby blues is marked by mood swings and a mild depression and that lasts no longer then two weeks (Oglesby, 2001). A more severe form of depression that occurs with childbirth is postpartum depression. This form develops in 10% to 20 % of new mothers. This more chronic form of depression lasts longer then two weeks but usually not more then a year, and is treatable with anti-depressants. Postpartum psychosis, which is the mo st serious form of depression developed after childbirth, is only diagnosed in about 1 out of 1,000 women (Oglesby, 2001). Notably, women who experience postpartum depression have a 50% chance of redeveloping depression again in a subsequent birth (Oglesby, 2001). According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th Edition (DSM-IV) Postpartum Mental Disorder, a metal disorder related to pregnancy, can induce â€Å"a major depressive disorder†¦to a brief psychotic disorder† (Guileyardo et al., 1999 p. 288). This disorder can cause a severe depression without psychotic features, involve command hallucinations to kill a child, or entail obsessive thoughts regarding killing or harming the child (Guileyardo et al., 1999). While the concept of postpartum depression and /or psychosis, explains the mental state of an offender, what motivates these individuals to kill? Obviously, a large majority of the women that develop the rarest form of postpartum depression, that of postpartum psychosis, do not kill their children. Back in 1960, Satten, Menninger, Rosen, and Mayman researched murder without apparent reason in an attempt to explain â€Å"rational, coherent, and controlled†¦ [yet] senseless† (p. 48) murders perpetrated by â€Å"sane† individuals. They postulated that the individuals who committed these types of murders suffered from a specific syndrome in which they were â€Å"predisposed to lapses of ego control† (Satten, et al., 1960, p. 48). The unstable ego defense system allows for â€Å"periodic breakthrough of intense aggressive impulses† (Satten et al., 1960, p. 52). In other words, because the individual does not have a well-developed defense system, they are unable to deal with stress and attacks on past unconscious traumatic events. Therefore, when stress does occur, they become unstable and act out violently (Satten et al., 1960). After the attacks the offenders rarely remember the details and describe themselves as being in a dissociate state (Satten et al., 1960). While this accounted for impulsive, seemingly unprovoked attacks on relative strangers, it does not explain maternal filicide. To achieve a better understanding of this phenomenon, one must evaluate the concept of the Catathymic Process on a motivational spectrum. Schlesinger developed a motivational spectrum to classify all types of crime (Schlesinger, 2001). This spectrum utilizes a continuum from â€Å"external motivations for crime† to â€Å"internal motivations for crime† being on opposite ends, with situational, impulsive, and catathymic motivations situated between them. For example, a contract killer’s motivation is external, usually monetary. There is no mental illness or an internal stimulus that is â€Å"compelling† him to kill. On the other end of the spectrum, internal motivation is an individual whose motivation to commit a certain crime is overwhelmingly internal. They may feel a compulsion to commit the crime, as a sexual sadistic murderer does, with little or no external motivations (Schlesinger, 2001). Catathymic motivation, according to the spectrum, is m ostly internal with external stimuli playing a minor role. The term catathymia, from the classical Greek dictionary means â€Å"in accordance with emotions† (Schlesinger, 1996). In 1912, the concept of catathymic behavior was first introduced by Maier, however, it was Wertham who first utilized the idea in the forensic setting (Wertham, 1978). His five stages of the catathymic crisis are: 1. An initial thinking disorder, which follows an original precipitating (or traumatic) circumstance. 2. Crystallization of a plan, when the idea of a violent act emerges into consciousness. The violent act is seen as the only way out. Emotional tension becomes extreme, and thinking becomes more and more egocentric. 3. Extreme emotional tension culminating in the violent crisis, in which a violent act against oneself or others is attempted or carried out. 4. Superficial normality, beginning with a period of lifting of tension and calmness immediately after the violent act. This period is of varying length, usually several months. 5. Insight and recovery, with the reestablishment of an inner equilibrium. Wertham believed that catathymic crisis â€Å"is indispensable for an understanding of certain forms of violent behavior† (Wertham, 1978). Catathymic motivations represent crimes that seem relatively unmotivated (Schlesinger, 2000). It is postulated that a catathymic crisis is a psychological process that is activated by an emotional situation that is connected to underlying ideas (Schlesinger, 1996). In other words, the individual has underlying unresolved conflicts, ranging from self-perceived inadequacies to attachment disorders. When an emotional situation occurs, it â€Å"produces extreme emotional tension† (Schlesinger, 1996) inside the future offender. Their underlying unresolved conflicts are ignited by the emotional event that has occurred and the future offender forms a rigid, delusional idea that they must act out violently to resolve the inner turmoil (Schlesinger, 1996). The essential feature of this crisis is the idea and the urge that they must act out violently to resolve the inner conflict (Schleslinger, 1996). In the context of familicidal murder, there are two types of offenders, accusatory and despondent (Schlesinger, 2000). The accusatory individual usually suspects a loved one of cheating or has a partner who is trying to end their relationship and they act out of jealousy and anger (Schlesinger, 2000). This type of offender is sexually motivated by sexual inadequacies and may have a history of violence (Schlesinger, 2000; Schlesinger, 2001). They strike out at the object of their jealously (Schlesinger, 2001). Conversely, the despondent type is severely depressed and â€Å"view themselves as failures† (Schlesinger, 2000, p. 200) and generally does not show hostility toward their attended victim before the attack (Schlesinger, 2000). It is within the context of the catathymic process that one can begin to understand why it is that these individuals resort to violence. Revich and Schlesinger, influenced by Wertham’s concept of catathymic crisis, developed their own catathymic process model (Schleslinger, 1996). They postulated that the catathymic process could be broken down between chronic and acute types (Schlesinger, 1996). In both types, there seems to be a transformation in thought pattern that influences the future offender to act. The acute type occurs when an offender’s underlying emotional conflicts are triggered by a situation and the offender reacts almost immediately with violence. For the acute catathymic process, the incubation period of emotions can be several seconds or longer, and then the individual acts out to resolve their inner conflict. The acute offenders experience a flattening of emotions after acting out. The victim is usually a stranger and, afterwards, it is common for the offender to have only partial memory of the act itself (Schlesinger, 1996). Schlesinger differentiates the acute catathymic viole nt act from â€Å"situational acts of violence and from assaults committed [because of] anger, fear, and jealousy or under the influence of paranoid delusions, drugs, or alcohol† (Schlesinger, 1996). Rather, a deep underlying conflict has been triggered by emotional tension that causes theses individuals to act violently (Schlesinger, 1996; Schlesinger, 2000). The chronic catathymic type exemplifies the type seen in despondent familicidal offenders, and is divided into three stages, incubation, violent act, and relief (Schlesinger, 1996). During the first stage, there is also a marked change in the individuals thinking process, usually accompanied by depression. This is triggered by â€Å"a build up of tension, a feeling of frustration, depression, and helplessness† (Schlesinger, 1996). The future offender begins to believe the only way out of their situation is to kill, either themselves or others (Schlesinger, 2001). Initially, the future offender is resistant to the idea of killing. The individual may seek help from outside sources, clergy, friends, a psychological counselor, and even tell the future victims themselves. However, they are often ignored. Despite the reluctance at first to accept the impulse to kill, the individual begins to believe that this is the only way out of their horrific, inescapable situation (Schle singer, 2000). The urge to carry out the plan to kill is all consuming. This incubation period can last from days up to a year before the offender acts out (Schlesinger, 1996). The second stage is the violent act itself. The victim of the attack is usually someone that the offender has had an interpersonal relationship with, or is an actual family member (Schlesinger, 1996). The third stage, relief, usually is comprised of the offender feeling an overwhelming sense of calm after committing the violent act. In addition, their homicidal thinking dissipates (Schlesinger, 2001). The â€Å"catathymic tension† is released with the murder (Schlesinger, 2000). Normally, the victims are remembered with sympathy, demonstrating that the violent act was a â€Å"means of securing liberation† (Schlesinger, 1996) for the victim not an act of anger or hate. Wertham believes that if the stage of relief is not met, then there is great risk that the offender will return to the belief that violence is the only way to resolve their inner conflict (Wertham, 1978). Filicide is a crime that leaves people angry, horrified, and predominantly mystified. In the case of Andrea Yates, adding to the mystery is the fact that the offender is a well-educated, middle class woman, who seemed to have all the family support and love ones needed to raise a healthy family. While the diagnosis of postpartum psychosis is being used to defend Andrea Yates’ actions, it does not explain why and how she was able to kill her children. The concept of chronic catathymic process does explain the mental process that could have attributed to Andrea’s mass murder. During the incubation stage, depression is the most prominent feature present. Accordingly, there is irreparable evidence that Andrea had been suffering from depression since the birth of her fourth child two years prior. This depression intensified with the birth of her fifth child. The development of postpartum depression, perhaps, was the emotional tension that triggered some sort of unresolved inner conflict within Andrea. The depressive state broke down her defensives and she became riddled with self-doubt and insecurity regarding her abilities to mother. Andrea began to feel helpless. She started to have obsessive thoughts that she was ruining her children’s’ lives. Ultimately, she developed the delusional thought pattern that, to save her children from herself, she must kill them. Initially, she fought against her drive to kill, evidenced by the fact that she sought help, and attempted suicide. In an attempt to save their lives, Andrea attempted to take her own life several times. As the research indicates, she reached out to mental health workers, telling them that she feared for her children’s’ lives. Neither her family nor her doctors believed that her children were in danger. However, her depression was not subsiding with medication and therapy and her obsessive thoughts began to make sense. It was then that Andrea Yates began to plan the murders. The catathymic tension could not be released without a violent act. As Wethram postulated, when her suicide attempt did not bring the relief she sought, she reverted to the planning stage or incubation stage of the catathymic process. She understood that the only way to relieve the pain that continually plagued her was to kill her children. Right after the killings, Andrea called the police and her husband. She had done what she needed to do, she saved them. Theoretically, Andrea Yates’ murderous acts were an expression of love. Being a new mother makes me want to know what drives someone to do something as cruel as to kill his or her own child or children, and get away with it. There have been many other cases since the case of Andrea Yates, but for some reason, this story was more compelling to research. Strain can cause someone to commit inhumane acts. Nevertheless, there should be stricter policies, for example, Yates not only should have been convicted of capital murder, but she should have received to death penalty, as soon as she was convicted. References Bernstein, A. (2001, June 27). Mom depicted as private, caring, burdened. HoustonChronicle.com, 1-6. Retrieved October 28, 2007 from chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/special/drownings/951166 Colb, S. F. (2001, July 4). Why Andrea Yates deserves compassion, not execution. FindLaw.com, 1-3, Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://writ.news.findlaw.com/scpts/printer_friendly.pl?page=/colb/20010704.html Cullen, F. Agnew R. (2006) Criminological Theory Past To Present, Part V Feldman, C. (2001, July 5). Yates’ mother mystified by children’s drowning. HoustonChronicle.com, 1-5. Retrieved October 28, 2007, from chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/special/drownings/960277 Glenn, M., Rendon, R., Bernstien, A. (2001, June 27). Mom held in killing 5 kids: Children may have died in tub. HoustonChronicle.com, 1-6. Retrieved October 28, 2007, from chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/special/drownings/949223 Guileyardo, J., Prahloq, J. A. Barnard, J. J. (1999). Familial filicide and filicide classification. American Journal of Forensic Medicine and Pathology, 20 (3), 286-292. Haapasalo, J., Petaja, S. (1999). Mothers who killed or attempted to kill their child: Life circumstances, childhood Abuse, and types of killing. Violence and Victims, 14 (3), 219-238. McKee, G. R., Shea, S. J. (1998). maternal filicide: A cross-national comparison. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 54 (5), 679-687. Oglesby, C. (2001, June 27). Postpartum depression: More than ‘baby blues’. CNN.com, 1-3. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www8.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/parenting/06/26/postpartum.depression Pitt, S. E., Bale, E. M. (1995). Neonaticide, infanticide, and filicide: A review of the literature. Bulletin of the American Psychiatry Law, 23 (3), 375-386. Satten, J., Menninger, K., Rosen I., Mayman, M. (1960). Murder without apparent motive: A study in personality disorganization. American Journal of Psychiatry, 117, 48-53. Schlesinger, L. B. (1996). the catathymic crisis, 1912-Present: A review and clinical study. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 1 (4), 307-316. Schlesinger, L. B. (2000). Familicide, depression and catathymic process. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 45, 200-203. Teachey, L. (2001a, September 2). Release of Yates’ records a legal maneuver. HoustonChronicle.com, 1-5. Retrieved October, 28, 2007, from chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/special/drownings/1032138 Teachey, L. (2001b, September 21). Expert: Yates contemplated killing children for months. HoustonChronicle.com, 1-4. Retrieved October, 28 2007, from chron.com/cs/CDA/story.hts/special/drownings/1056637 Texas Mother charged with killing her 5 children. (2001, June 21). [On-Line], Retrieved October 28, 2007, from: http://www2.cnn.com/2001/US/06/20/children.killed Williams, D. (2001, August 8). Postpartum psychosis: A difficult defense. CNN.com, 1-2. Retrieved November 3, 2007, from http://www8.cnn.com/2001/%20-%20Postpartum%20psychosis%3A%20Adifficult%20 defense%20-11/3/01 Wertham, F. (1978). the catathymic crisis. In I.L. Kutash, S. B. Kutash, and L. B. Schlesinger (Eds). Violence: Perspectives on Murder and Aggression. (pp. 165-170). San Francisco: Jossy-Bass. Research Papers on Strain Theory and Postpartum PsychosisPersonal Experience with Teen PregnancyArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Three Concepts of PsychodynamicTrailblazing by Eric AndersonEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenNever Been Kicked Out of a Place This NiceMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseDefinition of Export QuotasGenetic Engineering

The History of the Game of Bingo

The History of the Game of Bingo Bingo is a popular game that can be played for cash and prizes.  Bingo games are won when the player matches numbers on their card with ones randomly drawn by a caller. The first person to complete a pattern yells, Bingo. Their numbers are checked and a prize or cash awarded. The patterns can be varied throughout a gaming session, which keeps players interested and engaged. Bingos Ancestors The games history can be traced back to 1530, to an Italian lottery called Lo Giuoco del Lotto DItalia, which is still played every Saturday in Italy. From Italy, the game was introduced to France in the late 1770s, where it was called Le Lotto, a game played among wealthy Frenchmen. The Germans also played a version of the game in the 1800s, but they used it as a childs game to help students learn math, spelling, and history.​ In the U.S., bingo was originally called beano. It was a country fair game where a dealer would select numbered discs from a cigar box and players would mark their cards with beans. They yelled beano if they won. Edwin S. Lowe and the Bingo Card When the game reached North America in 1929, it became known as beano. It was first played at a carnival near Atlanta, Georgia. New York toy salesman Edwin S. Lowe renamed it bingo after he overheard someone accidentally yell bingo instead of beano. He hired a Columbia University math professor, Carl Leffler, to help him increase the number of combinations in bingo cards. By 1930, Leffler had invented 6,000 different bingo cards. They were developed so there would be fewer non-repeating number groups and conflicts when more than one person got Bingo at the same time. Lowe was a Jewish immigrant from Poland. Not only did his E.S. Lowe company produce bingo cards, but he also developed and marketed the game Yahtzee, for which he bought the rights from a couple who played it on their yacht. His company was sold to Milton Bradley in 1973 for $26 million. Lowe died in 1986. Church Bingo A Catholic priest from Pennsylvania approached Lowe about using bingo as a means of raising church funds. When bingo started being played in churches it became increasingly popular. By 1934, an estimated 10,000 bingo games were played weekly. While gambling is banned in many states, they may allow bingo games to be hosted by churches and non-profit groups to raise funds. Casino Bingo Bingo has been one of the games offered at many casinos, both in Nevada and those operated by Native American tribes. E.S. Lowe built a casino hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, the Tallyho Inn. Today, more than $90 million dollars are spent on bingo each week in North America alone. Bingo in Retirement and Nursing Homes Bingo is a popular game played for recreational therapy and socialization in skilled nursing facilities and retirement homes. It is easy to operate with just a couple of staff or volunteers, and residents can play along with their visitors. The opportunity to win a small prize is a lure. Its popularity may wane once the elderly population who enjoyed church bingo in their youth pass on to new generations raised on video games.

Lost in translation - Emphasis

Lost in translation Lost in translation Its amazing how many good ideas are lost in translation not from one language to another, but from the brain to the printed page. One reason could be that its so tempting, when you suddenly find that youre unable to get your idea down on paper effectively, to throw more words at the problem. Yet the solution is often to do quite the opposite, and keep it simple. Take a recent Department of Health guidance document, which should have been issued with its own health warning: The aim of this resource pack is to help organisations promote and implement the use of an HR Leadership Qualities Framework that describes those behaviours which enhance NHS HR capacity and capability to improve the patient experience. Why complicate matters? Try using: This pack will help you promote and introduce an HR leadership qualities framework. In turn, this will help improve the service we give patients. Then theres this example from a recent invitation to tender (specifics changed to protect the guilty): Description/objective of the contract: To provide evidence on the extent to which north west organisations needs for enhanced and modified skills and knowledge among their existing adult employees are being met. This description is not unusually bad. It may even make perfect sense to you. But its extremely unlikely that the author would have described their objective like this if youd asked them to explain it over a cup of coffee. Instead, they might have said something like: We want to discover how far employees of companies in the north west have improved their skills and knowledge. Yet something stopped them using clear, simple language when they started writing. They forgot that their reader is no more likely to enjoy reading dense, turgid documents than they are. Its as if people feel they have to impress others with their language and use of corporate jargon. They ignore the fact that professional people today simply do not have time to decipher poor documents. So you need to be efficient to make sure your message doesnt get lost in a mountain of other documents, letters and emails. Inefficient writing wastes millions of pounds every year and documents are often four or five times longer than they need to be. These documents take much longer to read than they should have to that is, if people read them at all. As a result, your good ideas might go to waste. Here are three tips to help you with your writing: Clarify your key message before you begin, by writing a short three-sentence statement to sum up the issues you want to cover. Plan your document too before you write it. Never use the writing process to work out what you think. You might be clearer when you reach the end of the document, but your reader is more likely to be confused. Instead, separate the thinking process from the writing, and do the thinking first. Dont be afraid to use short, punchy words, and to be less verbose. It doesnt mean that you are dumbing down. Its fine to use jargon as long as youre certain that your reader will understand it. But you can still use plain language between the jargon. Flowery language just makes for heavy reading. Why say, Were currently involved in the implementation of something, when you can just say Were implementing it?

Vietnam Market Competitive Pricing Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 10000 words

Vietnam Market Competitive Pricing - Assignment Example The chief executive officer represents the company in making deals with other companies. The chief operating officer is directly below the CEO. Under him, there are production and business managers who oversee the production and business wings. The division operates autonomously. Several departments branch from the production wing such as procurement and production department. The business wing has finance, quality assessment, manufacturing, and sales department. The supply chain management in the company focuses on the need to interact with customers so as to identify the gaps in the market and take the appropriate action. Its marketing strategies recognize the need for SWOT analysis and trade marketing. The company conducts promotions where it gives 10% discounts to wholesalers and also offers a promotion on special days. To keep aloof from the market trends, the company holds at least one fashion fair. Through its process, AK Underwear undergoes several challenges. The main one is lack of enough capital to conduct adequate product development. This affects the success of some products which in turn affects its revenues negatively. There are also failures in products as a result of inadequate market research. The company is not fully established in Europe and the U.S therefore unable to tap into those potential markets. In recent times, there has been a low amount of high-quality raw materials which affects the implantation of the goal to produce high-quality products. At times the raw materials are highly priced due to economic factors such as inflation. There are several recommendations that the company can consider. First, it should prioritize conducting adequate market research so as to guide its production and sales activities. It can interact with the customers to identify their preferences. It should consider raising capital through public offering its shares, approach lenders through a well-drafted business plan, or contact the government for financial help as it is already a reputable business in Vietnam.

Implications of income inequality. Does or should inequality matter Essay

Implications of income inequality. Does or should inequality matter Why or why not - Essay Example The government will get enough funds to run its operations (Chambers, 2008, p. 98). Countries that support inequality experience political stability. Those who do not support this face welfare crisis (Hanushek, 2006). The governments will pay heavy for creating a monetary union without political unions. Thus, it creates instability. It is very hard to have equality of opportunity (Navarro, 2007, p. 100). There will be economic efficiency in the presence of inequality. The poor in society will have an incentive to work hard. Because of the need to be high earners. In an unequal society, there are limited resources. The government will be able to gain resources from the taxes garnered from the rich (Harmon, 2009, p. 19). There is no social justice in equality. The poor will access low standards of living and do not receive social amenities like healthcare. Those with great wealth provide to their people and take the opportunities meant for the little wealthy. Thus, the cause of injustice (Arrow, 1996, p. 12). Some economists believe degree of inequalities is necessary for working of free markets. In a free market, income inequality will be a fact. There is no equal income and the rich will have their say in the markets. The governments of various countries fail in putting up an equal opportunity for all (Barbanel, 2013, p.

Tom DeLay indictment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Tom DeLay indictment - Essay Example While it is not a criminal offence to receive additional funding, becoming charged of conspiracy in a campaign finance scheme has serious implications. Unlawful transfer of company's assets or property to finance election campaigns is strongly prohibited in Texas State. Nevertheless, it was found that the sum $190,000 was transferred from associates of DeLay and companies to the accounts of seven candidates. John Colyandro and Jim Ellis were also accused in violation Texas election law. In spite this fact, "no evidence to support the conspiracy charge was cited in the indictment, which says only that DeLay and two named associates entered "into an agreement with one or more of each other" or with the committee to conduct the funds transfer" (Smith, 2005). The only evidence presented to the a Texas grand jury was the check in corporate money, but Tom Delay denies the fact that he used corporate funds illegally and conspiringly. DeLay told "I have done nothing wrong. ... I am innocent" He added that "the charges amounted to "one of the weakest and most baseless indictments in American history." (DeLay indicted, steps down as majority leader, 2005). Tom DeLay's attorney, Dick DeGuerin, stated that the money transferred were "lawfully collected from individuals who knew what they were contributing to".

Analyzed the movie Margin Call from a legal perspective Term Paper - 1

Analyzed the movie Margin Call from a legal perspective - Term Paper Example is no character featuring the film that breaks the law, gets involved in conspiracy, or does anything any reasonable person would call unquestionably illegal. Even when the film’s fictional bank CEO makes the decision to peddle all the toxic assets in company’s - the act that factually sets in motion the total collapse of the whole American financial system – this is an understandable, if challenging, choice. If he does not sell first and begin the catastrophe, someone else is there waiting to do the same. That is the core puzzle of what economists name a collective action matter. If no specific individual or firm’s actions can change things, the only reasonable thing that can be done is assuming everyone else will adopt their most selfish (and perhaps destructive) instincts. Everybody has an incentive to adopt the worst path they think others of following, and hence it becomes a self-fulfilling insight. This not only explains why the bubbles burst, but also illustrates why they build up firstly. After all, why did big investment banks begun packaging and selling big amounts of mortgage-backed securities that ultimately triggered the crisis? It is because all the other banks did it. They were seeking greater profits, obviously, but profits are the purpose of any company and its survival basis. Each bank’s employees were aware that if they did not get in on this exceptionally lucrative new business branch, they would fall behind their rivals, their share price go down, th ey would get fired. The difficult certainty is that with systemic catastrophes like the one that has lead to our current economic crisis, no one is to blame since everyone is to blame. In the end, though, this sympathetic bankers’ dilemma portrayal offers perhaps the most pejorative indictment one can make in the modern capitalist fiscal system (Bernstein 1). After all, if disaster like this can occur even when decent individual are more or less endeavoring to do their best, hence

Assignment - Assistive Technology Plan Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

- Assistive Technology Plan - Assignment Example Research ability is limited due to his physical disability, and his performance in social science and liberal arts courses is below average. He has a need for more physical activity, but it has proven difficult to make this happen. Due to his lack of involvement in extra-curricular activities, James has a hard time making and maintaining strong relationships with his peers. He is easily angered and frustrated at not being to participate in some everyday activities, yet he appears to be losing the desire to do so altogether as well. His physical skills continue to deteriorate, as he does not exhibit much physical exertion at all during the normal course of a day. James has two older brothers and a caring mother and father at home. All indications are that the family structure provides a nurturing environment that has contributed greatly to James’ successes to this point. The older brothers have always assisted with James when they can and they spend a great deal of time with hi m, while being permitted to carry on with their daily lives independent of the family as well. Goals of the AT Plan: The Assistive Technology Plan for James involves providing him with devices that will assist his researching and writing skills moving forward. In addition, some devices should be considered that encourage James to become more physically active and more socially involved. Finally, the AT Plan will not neglect his current strengths in the fields of math and science and, as such, will include devices aimed at furthering his interest and ability to excel in these disciplines (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2011). . Materials and Methods Potential Barriers/Missed Opportunities AT Solutions Example: Printed textbook or worksheets Student with a visual impairment has difficulty seeing small text. This student would benefit from using a text-to-speech program, such as Kurzweil 3000 (http://www.kurzweiledu.com/k12.html) so that text can be converted to files and read aloud t o the student.   Further, the student could benefit from having an electronic magnifier for text-based resources used in the learning environment (Beard, Carpenter, & Johnston, 2011, p. 75). 1.Lab reports and mathematical formulas   Because James has difficult with mobility, it is often difficult for him to manipulate lab reports and math formulas to see what is expected of him. A device that magnifies visual aids to the point it is more accessible to James would be beneficial to him as he strives to continue to develop his math and science skills. 2.Reading social science and liberal arts materials, particularly when doing research Because it is not only difficult for James to hold reading material for long periods of time, it is also cumbersome for him to read large amounts of material on the computer, microfilm, or via another medium. There are devices that convert text to voice. This could prove beneficial to James so that once he finds material relevant to a particular topi c he is interested in researching, he can better focus his attention by listening to the text and taking notes as needed. This would eliminate his need to try to manipulate texts, the computer, or papers to suit his physical limitations. 3.   Computer Typing It is quite labor intensive for James to type. In addition, it is even more difficult for him

Ethics in Auditing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Ethics in Auditing - Research Paper Example An auditor is a business professional with the responsibility to assess various features of an organization, individual actions or project implementation to ascertain that resources are used efficiently, which includes finances, labour, inputs and any other factor of production that may affect business efficiency as well as the authenticity of the financial accounts of the business. The auditor is expected to provide an audit report with recommendations concerning the amendment of inaccurate entries and situations that may negatively affect the organization. Auditors are expected to adhere to professional ethics and in a manner that promotes the organization’s well-being. This paper focuses on ethical standards in auditing and why those standards are important. It also highlights ethical auditing violations and how they can be avoided. Ethical Standards in Auditing McWilliams & Nahavandi (2006) highlight the code of ethics in auditing whereby ethical standards and expectations need to be adhered to with regards to the conduct of individuals and organizations in an audit process. Auditors need to be morally responsible for their actions in the process of auditing and need to understand their impact on the future of the organization. An audit report may lead to improvement of business competitiveness, but on the other hand it may also result in dire consequences such as termination of contracts, employment, fines and lawsuits. Professional ethics is therefore an important component in auditing. Public confidence is achieved through adherence to good code of ethics, which reflects effectiveness and efficiency. Ethical standards give an organization and the public the reassurance needed with regards to risk control and effectiveness (Beauchamp & Bowie, 2010). Auditors are expected to maintain integrity in their actions, which is an important indicator of trustworthiness and hence the reliability of their findings and final conclusion. According to McWilliams & Nahavandi (2006), auditors need to observe the values of independence, impartiality in their judgement, high moral standards with regards to professional demeanour as well as unconditional honesty in their activities. Conflict of interest is a vice that needs to be avoided in auditing since it may lead to biased results. Fear or favour may also influence the outcome of auditing since the auditor may avoid certain aspects that may help unveil important loopholes through which organizational efficiency is likely to be lost. Auditors need to exercise unmatched standards of even-handedness, honesty and ethical behaviour. They need to accomplish their work with uprightness, meticulousness and accountability while observing the law (Jamal, 2004). They are obligated to make disclosures stipulated by the law and in line with professional obligations. They should avoid situations that may unintentionally lead them to be party to any unlawful activity or get involved in actions that are di sreputable to the auditing profession or to a business. Howieson (2003) notes that auditors need to demonstrate respect for the work of fellow auditors whether in the same or different organization and also recognize their distinct capabilities are areas of competency. Respect for other players in the audit profession promotes good work relations and possibility of future collaborations. Objectivity is the frame of mind

Assignment - Assistive Technology Plan Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

- Assistive Technology Plan - Assignment Example Research ability is limited due to his physical disability, and his performance in social science and liberal arts courses is below average. He has a need for more physical activity, but it has proven difficult to make this happen. Due to his lack of involvement in extra-curricular activities, James has a hard time making and maintaining strong relationships with his peers. He is easily angered and frustrated at not being to participate in some everyday activities, yet he appears to be losing the desire to do so altogether as well. His physical skills continue to deteriorate, as he does not exhibit much physical exertion at all during the normal course of a day. James has two older brothers and a caring mother and father at home. All indications are that the family structure provides a nurturing environment that has contributed greatly to James’ successes to this point. The older brothers have always assisted with James when they can and they spend a great deal of time with hi m, while being permitted to carry on with their daily lives independent of the family as well. Goals of the AT Plan: The Assistive Technology Plan for James involves providing him with devices that will assist his researching and writing skills moving forward. In addition, some devices should be considered that encourage James to become more physically active and more socially involved. Finally, the AT Plan will not neglect his current strengths in the fields of math and science and, as such, will include devices aimed at furthering his interest and ability to excel in these disciplines (Beard, Carpenter, and Johnston, 2011). . Materials and Methods Potential Barriers/Missed Opportunities AT Solutions Example: Printed textbook or worksheets Student with a visual impairment has difficulty seeing small text. This student would benefit from using a text-to-speech program, such as Kurzweil 3000 (http://www.kurzweiledu.com/k12.html) so that text can be converted to files and read aloud t o the student.   Further, the student could benefit from having an electronic magnifier for text-based resources used in the learning environment (Beard, Carpenter, & Johnston, 2011, p. 75). 1.Lab reports and mathematical formulas   Because James has difficult with mobility, it is often difficult for him to manipulate lab reports and math formulas to see what is expected of him. A device that magnifies visual aids to the point it is more accessible to James would be beneficial to him as he strives to continue to develop his math and science skills. 2.Reading social science and liberal arts materials, particularly when doing research Because it is not only difficult for James to hold reading material for long periods of time, it is also cumbersome for him to read large amounts of material on the computer, microfilm, or via another medium. There are devices that convert text to voice. This could prove beneficial to James so that once he finds material relevant to a particular topi c he is interested in researching, he can better focus his attention by listening to the text and taking notes as needed. This would eliminate his need to try to manipulate texts, the computer, or papers to suit his physical limitations. 3.   Computer Typing It is quite labor intensive for James to type. In addition, it is even more difficult for him

Has Composites in Aircraft Design made Aircraft Safer Essay - 1

Has Composites in Aircraft Design made Aircraft Safer - Essay Example This essay describes technological presentations that have been more influential in the airline industries have been those that accord easier navigation and increase the performance in speed. The inclusion of composite materials in the construction of aircraft has transformed the airline industry into a leading transporter, with competition heightened in the technologies applied. The performance of the airline industry has been boosted by the implication within the structural composition that has ensured elevated results in the functionality of the mechanism. Composite elements have been a vital entity and provision in presenting the needed results and performance within the aircraft. These materials have elevated the composition within the aircraft with exemplary physical composition and resistance to pressure exerted in the attitudes. The inclusion of composite elements in the transportation airline industry had been realized in the developments within the Boeing 787 in 2011. Despi te the immaturity of the implementation of the aspect within the commercialized transport industry, the composite materials have realized increased benefits rather than setbacks. The composite materials that had been first applied in the tail of the Boeing 777 noticed application within the transportation industry. The materials applied had included the combination of glass fibers and epoxy. These materials reduced the weight of the aircraft presenting the provision that accords more resistance when the corrosion aspect involved.

The Writings of Shakespeare and Donne Essay Example for Free

The Writings of Shakespeare and Donne Essay The poems from William Shakespeare and John Donne that interest me are â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day† and â€Å"The flea†. One of the main reason that I am writing about these two poems are because they are the only ones that I know of because that is what we talked about in class and I have never read poetry in my life. Poetry has always been difficult for me to read because of my mild case of dyslexia. I have to read the sentence a couple of times before I finally figure out what the writer is trying to say. Obviously I have heard of Shakespeare before and knew about his works that included Romeo and Juliet, Hamlet, Macbeth, and Julius Caesar. What I didn’t know was how successful and influential his poetry was. But unlike William Shakespeare, I have never heard about John Donne until the lecture a few days ago. After reading the two poems I believe that there are many similarities and differences in the style that both of these poets write. In â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day by William Shakespeare I certainly feel that the author is addressing a woman with whom he is truly in love. This is purveyed to me by the two strong opening lines, â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summers day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate†. Shakespeare starts the sonnet off with how strongly he loves this woman and then goes on to say â€Å"Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all to short a date: Sometimes too hot the eye of heaven shines† Shakespeare is saying that even though he loves her, she is still not perfect. Afterwards he goes on to say, â€Å"But thy eternal summer shall not fade, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st† which he is saying that her youth will not fade and that her beauty will always remain with her for the rest of her life. It ends with â€Å"So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. † He is trying to say that as long as people are alive on the Earth, his feelings towards this woman will never change and will allow her to live forever. A poem we have studied and which also focuses on a similar situation to that of â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day† is â€Å"The flea† by John Donne. In it he goes on to say that the flea has sucked both of their bloods and how they are now mingled together. He says, â€Å"This flea is you and I, and this Our marriage bed and marriage temple is† The man in the story believes that he and the woman are one with the flea and if she decides to kill the flea she would be killing the marriage between them. The poem ends with, â€Å"’Tis true; then learn how false fears be: Just so much honor, when thou yield’st to me, Will waste, as this flea’s death took life from thee. This means that if she were to sleep with him, she would lose no more honor than she lost when she killed the flea. The similarities between â€Å"The flea† and â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day† are not quite as numerous as the differences. One of the main similarities is that both of the main characters are in love with a woman, even their love seems to be the opposite of each other. There are many differences in the way that Shakespeare and Donne write. Shakespeare is more in your face I guess you would say. He doesn’t use as much trickery as Donne does in his sonnet and is a lot easier to understand in my opinion. The tone in â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day† seems to be more upbeat than in â€Å"The flea†. How Donne uses a flea and blood in his sonnet makes it seem more ominous. As you can see, they are many similarities and differences in the way that William Shakespeare and John Donne write in â€Å"Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day† and â€Å"The Flea†. Both of these poets had a long lasting impact upon Western Civilization and helped influence the English language all around the world. If someday I become hooked to reading poetry, I can look back and know these two poems are what got me addicted.

Steganography :: Essays Papers

Steganography Introduction to Steganography Codes have been around for centuries ranging from wax, invisible ink, Morse code, the Enigma used by the Germans during World War II and now steganographic. Steganography is the latest form to insidiously hide information over the Internet without a trace of a file being altered. You are able to hide messages within images, voice or music. Steganography is an ancient method of hiding messages. Today messages are hidden in images and music. Steganography can be traced back to the ancient Greek who would write messages on tablets and cover them in wax. This made the tablets look blank and unsuspicious (Kolata, F4). Citizens of ancient civilizations would tattoo messages on their shaved heads. They would then let their hair grown in and travel across enemy lines to deliver the message (Seper, G1). During World War II the Allies placed a ban on flower deliveries with dates, crossword puzzles and even report cards (Kolata, F4) for fear of a message being hidden with in. Steganographers fi rst alter their data by using encryption and then place the image into a pre-select image. Steganographers look for a piece of code that would be the least significant and look the least altered to the human eye (Kolata, F4), being as inconspicuousness and random as possible. This makes the messages undetectable unless you knew that there is a message hidden and you were able to crack the code. Hacking and Unhacking Hackers and terrorists have been using this form of technology for years. The United States governmental officials had suspected an attack on the United States for a period of time and thought the information to be hidden using steganography. Anyone can use and get access to steganographic materials. It's easy to download on numerous sights and no software is required. It's an easy and cheap way to keep information secure and undetectable. The number of steganography sites has doubled in the past two years (Kolata, F4). The United States government is also trying to place restrictions on encryption methods to prevent another catastrophic attack in the world such as the World Trade Center attacks. By having access to a private key the government would have unlimited access to secure information and crack codes all for safety reasons (USA Today). A " private key" is needed to decode any steganographic messages. Images are made up from a combination of an abundant of pixels (tiny dots).

HIV Prevention in Africa :: HIV in Africa

HIV prevention in Africa A continuing rise in the number of HIV infected people is not inevitable. There is growing evidence that prevention efforts can be effective, and this includes initiatives in some of the most heavily affected countries. One new study in Zambia has shown success in prevention efforts. The study reported that urban men and women are less sexually active, that fewer had multiple partners and that condoms were used more consistently. This is in line with findings that HIV prevalence has declined significantly among 15-29 year-old urban women (down to 24.1% in 1999 from 28.3% in 1996). Although these rates are still unacceptably high, this drop has prompted a hope that, if Zambia continues this response, it could become the second African country to reverse a devastating epidemic. This suggests that awareness campaigns and prevention programs are now starting to work. But a major challenge is to sustain and build on such uncertain success. What form should AIDS education take? Peer education A social form of education without classrooms or notebooks, where people are educated outside a 'school' environment but still have the opportunity to ask questions. Most peer education focuses on providing information about HIV transmission, answering questions and handing out condoms to people in a workplace, perhaps in a bar, or where a group of women gather to wash clothes. Most peer educators make contact with their target audience at least weekly and their sessions will usually be in the context of informal discussions with individual people or within a group. Active learning Active learning can sometimes link into peer education, especially when AIDS education is aimed at young people, as one of the best methods of learning something oneself is to teach it to others. Blanket education A general message aimed at the population as a whole. Blanket education usually aims to inform the population about which behaviors are risky and to give them support in changing these behaviors. Targeted education This type of strategy is usually used to speak to social groups who are perceived as being at a high risk of HIV infection. It focuses on risky activities particular to the specific target group. AFRICA ALIVE! January of 2000 kicked off the campaign to literally help keep Africa Alive! in the new millennium. The Mission of the Africa Alive! campaign is to give youth the skills they need to fight against HIV/AIDS. The vision is a new generation of Africans who are HIV/AIDS-free.

Pegasus Airlines Essay

Please read the case on page 36-37 and answer the following questions: Question 1: Give examples of the needs, wants and demands that Pegasus customers demonstrate, differentiating these 3 concepts. What are the implications of each for Pegasus’ practices? (10 points) ————————————————- ————————————————- Examples of needs: Pegasus’ customers need diversification. examples of wants: Customers are willing to improve the airline company and reflect their opinions, mostly by the website â€Å"Pegasus listens to you†. examples of demands: low-cost flights, choice between many destinations , good quality services, and discounts and other benefits for the customers. The implications of each for Pegasus’ practices are based on the orientation on customers. So, they want to satisfy their customers and meet their expectations. ————————————————- Question 2: Describe in detail all the facets of Pegasus’ product. What is being exchanged in a Pegasus transaction? (10 points) ————————————————- ————————————————- Pegasus sells customers a product, a ticket for a flight. Since it is a low-cost airline company, the tickets are not very expensive and compared to other airline companies the tickets are cheap. But Pegasus is not a company with low quality service like most other low-cost airline companies, they in fact focus on satisfying their customers. So besides the flight they give the customers all kind of discounts and benefits. For example they have: a credit loyalty card to reduce insurance rate, have a refund strategy for when departure is delayed, give away free tickets for winners of events on  social networks. Also the company really meets the customers’ expectations and the company improves itself by listening to the customers’ voice. ————————————————- ————————————————- Question 3: Which of the 5 marketing management concepts best applies to Pegasus? (5 points) ————————————————- ————————————————- Pegasus wants to satisfy the customer as much as possible when they choose Pegasus airline by all kinds of discounts and benefits. This is a good example of the marketing concept, where the idea is that the organizational goal is to deliver the desired satisfaction better than competitors by adapting your product/service to the needs and wants of the customer. So that means they definitely apply best to the marketing concept. ————————————————- ————————————————- Question 4: What value does Pegasus create for its customers? (10 points) ————————————————- The most important value is that Pegasus has a great price-quality ratio. That is basically the main reason why they are so popular in Turkey and the neighbour countries, if Pegasus holds on to that strategy they seriously could be more successful. Other values that Pegasus gives their customers is that, Pegasus insures successful service through safety, training and is devoted employees, it employs creative communication with customers, it offers great destinations and easy access to international hubs and it uses efficient management techniques, delivering low prices with a high-quality service experience. ————————————————- Question 5: Is Pegasus likely to continue being successful in building customer relationships? Why or why not? (5 points) ————————————————- The relatively good relationship between Pegasus and its customers, will highly likely be continued. ————————————————-  Because the economy of Turkey is currently stable, especially compared with the European countries and the United states. Which basically means that they could keep continue with their strategy. Moreover Pegasus created a Twitter and Facebook account several years ago. With which they keep close touch with their customers. Social media has been a great hype lately. Since the early 2000s social media became a great way to communicate with friends, relatives and even colleagues . Soon enough companies found out that social media is good way to make commercials. Pegasus automatically focuses on the youth as their target group. This is a target group that has been increasingly integrating social media such as Facebook and Twitter into their daily life. The y outh of today is the customer of tomorrow! That is the main reason that we think that the relatively good relationship between Pegasus and its customers will be continued in the future. ————————————————-

Republic of South Africa Essay

South Africa contains some of the oldest archaeological sites in the world.[19][20][21] Extensive fossil remains at the Sterkfontein, Kromdraai and Makapansgat caves suggest that various australopithecines existed in South Africa from about three million years ago.[22] These were succeeded by various species of Homo, including Homo habilis, Homo erectus and modern humans, Homo sapiens. Settlements of Bantu-speaking peoples, who were iron-using agriculturists and herdsmen, were already present south of the Limpopo River by the fourth or fifth century CE. (see Bantu expansion). They displaced, conquered and absorbed the original Khoisan speakers. The Bantu slowly moved south. The earliest ironworks in modern-day KwaZulu-Natal Province are believed to date from around 1050. The southernmost group was the Xhosa people, whose language incorporates certain linguistic traits from the earlier Khoisan people. The Xhosa reached the Great Fish River, in today’s Eastern Cape Province. As they migrated, these larger Iron Age populations displaced or assimilated earlier peoples, who often had hunter-gatherer societies.[citation needed] Republic of South Africa (1961–present) In 1487, the Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias became the first European to reach the southernmost point of Africa. Initially named the Cape of Storms, The King of Portugal, John II, renamed it the Cabo da Boa Esperanà §a or Cape of Good Hope, as it led to the riches of India. Dias’ great feat of navigation was later immortalised in Camà µes’ epic Portuguese poem, The Lusiads (1572). In 1652, Jan van Riebeeck established a refreshment station at the Cape of Good Hope on behalf of the Dutch East India Company. The Dutch transported slaves from Indonesia, Madagascar, and India as labour for the colonists in Cape Town. As they expanded east, the Dutch settlers met the south-westerly expanding Xhosa people in the region of the Fish River. A series of wars, called the Cape Frontier Wars, ensued, mainly caused by conflicting land and livestock interests. Great Britain took over the Cape of Good Hope area in 1795, ostensibly to stop it from falling under Revolutionary French control. Given its standing interests in Australia and India, Great Britain wanted to use Cape Town as an interim port for its merchants’ long voyages. The British returned Cape Town to the Dutch in 1803, but soon afterwards the Dutch East India Company declared bankruptcy. The British annexed the Cape Colony in 1806. The British continued the frontier wars against the Xhosa, pushing the eastern frontier eastward through a line of forts established along the Fish River. They consolidated the territory by encouraging British settlement. Due to pressure of abolitionist societies in Britain, the British parliament first stopped its global slave trade with the passage of the Slave Trade Act 1807, then abolished slavery in all its colonies with the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. Boers in combat (1881)In the first two decades of the 19th century, the Zulu people grew in power and expanded their territory under their leader, Shaka.[23] Shaka’s depredations led indirectly to the Mfecane (â€Å"Crushing†) that devastated the inland plateau in the early 1820s.[24] An offshoot of the Zulu, the Matabele, created an even larger empire under their king Mzilikazi, including large parts of the highveld. During the 1830s, approximately 12,000 Boers (later known as Voortrekkers), departed from the Cape Colony, where they had been subjected to British control. They migrated to the future Natal, Orange Free State and Transvaal regions. The Boers founded the Boer Republics: the South African Republic (now Gauteng, Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West provinces) and the Orange Free State (Free State). The discovery of diamonds in 1867 and gold in 1884 in the interior encouraged economic growth and immigration. This intensified the European-South African subjugation of the indigenous people. The struggle to control these important economic resources was a factor between Europeans and the indigenous population, and also between the Boers and the British.[25] The Boer Republics successfully resisted British encroachments during the First Boer War (1880–1881) using guerrilla warfare tactics, which were well suited to local conditions. However, the British returned with greater numbers, more experience, and more suitable tactics in the Second Boer War (1899–1902), which was won by the British. 20th century After four years of negotiating, the Union of South Africa was created from the Cape and Natal colonies, as well as the republics of Orange Free State and Transvaal, on 31 May 1910, exactly eight years after the end of the Second Boer War. The newly created Union of South Africa was a dominion of Great Britain. The Natives’ Land Act of 1913 severely restricted the ownership of land by ‘blacks’; at that stage they had control of a mere 7% of the country. The amount of land reserved for indigenous peoples was later marginally increased.[26] In 1931 the union was effectively granted independence from the United Kingdom with the passage of the Statute of Westminster. In 1934, the South African Party and National Party merged to form the United Party, seeking reconciliation between Afrikaners and English-speaking â€Å"Whites†. In 1939 the party split over the entry of the Union into World War II as an ally of the United Kingdom, a move which the National Party followers strongly opposed. â€Å"For use by white persons† – sign from the apartheid eraIn 1948, the National Party was elected to power. It intensified the implementation of racial segregation begun under Dutch and British colonial rule, and subsequent South African governments since the Union was formed. The Nationalist Government systematised existing segregationist laws, classifying all peoples into three races, developing rights and limitations for each, such as pass laws and residential restrictions. The white minority controlled the vastly larger black majority. The system of segregation became known collectively as apartheid. While the White minority enjoyed the highest standard of living in all of Africa, often comparable to First World western nations, the Black majority remained disadvantaged by almost every standard, including income, education, housing, and life expectancy. On 31 May 1961, following a whites-only referendum, the country became a republic and left the Commonwealth. Queen Elizabeth II ceased to be head of state, and the last Governor-General became State President. Apartheid became increasingly controversial, leading to widespread international sanctions, divestment and growing unrest and oppression within South Africa. A long period of harsh suppression by the government, and at times violent resistance, strikes, marches, protests, and sabotage by bombing and other means, by various anti-apartheid movements, most notably the African National Congress (ANC), followed. In the late 1970s, South Africa began a programme of nuclear weapons development. In the following decade, it produced six deliverable nuclear weapons. The Mahlabatini Declaration of Faith, signed by Mangosuthu Buthelezi and Harry Schwarz in 1974, enshrined the principles of peaceful transition of power and equality for all, the first of such agreements by acknowledged black and white political leaders in South Africa, which would ultimately end with the negotiations between F.W. de Klerk and Nelson Mandela in 1993. In 1990 the National Party government took the first step towards dismantling discrimination when it lifted the ban on the African National Congress and other political organisations. It released Nelson Mandela from prison after twenty-seven years’ incarceration on a sabotage sentence. A negotiation process known as the Convention for a Democratic South Africa was started. The government repealed apartheid legislation. South Africa destroyed its nuclear arsenal and acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. South Africa held its first multi-racial elections in 1994, which the ANC won by an overwhelming majority. It has been in power ever since. In post-apartheid South Africa, unemployment has been extremely high. While many blacks have risen to middle or upper classes, the overall unemployment rate of blacks worsened between 1994 and 2003.[27] Poverty among whites, previously rare, increased.[28] While some have attributed this partly to the legacy of the apartheid system, increasingly many attribute it to the failure of the current government’s policies. In addition, the current government has struggled to achieve the monetary and fiscal discipline to ensure both redistribution of wealth and economic growth. Since the ANC-led government took power, the United Nations Human Development Index of South Africa has fallen, while it was steadily rising until the mid-1990s.[29] Some of this could possibly be attributed to the AIDS pandemic and the failure of the government to take steps to address it.[30] Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (Xhosa pronunciation: [xoˈliÉ ¬aÉ ¬a manˈdeË la];), born 18 July 1918, [1] served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, the first South-African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the African National Congress’s armed wing Umkhonto we Sizwe. The South African courts convicted him on charges of sabotage, as well as other crimes committed while he led the movement against apartheid. In accordance with his conviction’s sentence, Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela supported reconciliation and negotiation, and helped lead the transition towards multi-racial democracy in South Africa. Since the end of apartheid, many have frequently praised Mandela, including former opponents. In South Africa he is often known as Madiba, an honorary title adopted by elders of Mandela’s clan. The title has come to be synonymous with Nelson Mandela. Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, most notably the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize. In November 2009, the United Nations General Assembly announced that Mandela’s birthday, 18 July, is to be known as ‘Mandela Day’ to mark his contribution to world freedom.[2] Apartheid (Afrikaans pronunciation: [É Ã‹Ë†pÉ rtÉ ¦Ã‰â„¢it], separateness) was a system of legal racial segregation enforced by the National Party government in South Africa between 1948 and 1994, under which the rights of the majority black inhabitants of South Africa were curtailed and minority rule by whites was maintained. Racial segregation in South Africa began in colonial times, but apartheid as an official policy was introduced following the general election of 1948. New legislation classified inhabitants into racial groups (â€Å"black†, â€Å"white†, â€Å"coloured†, and â€Å"Yellow†), and residential areas were segregated by means of forced removals. From 1958, Blacks were deprived of their citizenship, legally becoming citizens of one of ten tribally based self-governing homelands called bantustans, four of which became nominally independent states. The government segregated education, medical care, and other public services, and provided black people with services inferior to those of whites. Apartheid sparked significant internal resistance and violence as well as a long trade embargo against South Africa.[1] A series of popular uprisings and protests were met with the banning of opposition and imprisoning of anti-apartheid leaders. As unrest spread and became more violent, state organizations responded with increasing repression and state-sponsored violence. Reforms to apartheid in the 1980s failed to quell the mounting opposition, and in 1990 President Frederik Willem de Klerk began negotiations to end apartheid, culminating in multi-racial democratic elections in 1994, which were won by the African National Congress under Nelson Mandela. The vestiges of apartheid still shape South African politics and society.[2] After decades in a Robben Island prison, Nelson Mandela (Morgan Freeman) is released in 1990 and works immediately to bring about the end of apartheid and the initiation of full democratic elections where the black majority population can vote. Mandela wins the race for President of South Africa and takes office in 1994. His immediate challenge is â€Å"balancing black aspirations with white fears.† The country’s still-present racial tensions are shown, in part, through Mandela’s security team, which is composed both of new black and old white officials. The black and white groups are immediately hostile to one another despite sharing the same job and goal. While Mandela attempts to tackle the country’s largest problems – including crime and unemployment – he attends a game of the Springboks, the country’s rugby union team. Non-whites in the stadium cheer against their home squad, as the Springboks (their history, players and even their colours) represent prejudice and apartheid in their mind. Knowing that South Africa is set to host the 1995 Rugby World Cup in one year’s time, Mandela convinces the South African rugby board to keep the Springbok team, name and colours the same. He then meets with the Springboks’ captain Franà §ois Pienaar (Matt Damon). Though Mandela never verbalizes his true meaning during their meeting, Pienaar understands the message below the surface: if the Springboks can gain the support of non-white South Africans and succeed in the upcoming World Cup, the country will be unified and inspired. Mandela also shares with Pienaar that a poem, Invictus, had been inspiring to him during his time in prison, helping him to â€Å"stand when all he wanted to do was lie down†. Pienaar and his teammates train, but the players (all but one are white) voice disapproval that they are to be envoys to the poor and public – fearing exhaustion from overwork. Mandela, too, hears disapproval from friends and family. Many more, both white and non-white citizens and politicians, began to express doubts on using sport to unite a nation torn apart by some 50 years of racial tensions. For many non-white, especially the radicals, the Springboks symbolised white supremacy and they did not want to support their national team. As the tournament approaches, Mandela collapses from exhaustion and the Springboks’ only non-white player, Chester Williams, is sidelined with a pulled hamstring. Things begin to change, however, as the players went around interacting with the locals. During the opening games, support for the Springboks begins to grow amongst the non-white population. By the second game Williams is fit once again. Citizens of all races turn out in numbers to show their unanimous support for the Springboks. At the suggestion of several security guards, Mandela decides to sport a Springbok jersey with Pienaar’s number 6 on it to show his support and his name is chanted repeatedly by the home crowd during his entrance, a contrast to a previous rugby match scene, in which Mandela is booed by some of the whites in the crowd. As momentum builds, even the security team members become at ease with each other and the black members who disliked rugby eventually began to enthusiastically support their national team alongside their white colleagues. The Springboks, possessing a sub-par record, were not expected to go very far and are expected to lose in the quarterfinals. They surpass all expectations and make the final, only to face the New Zealand rugby team – called the All Blacks – the most successful rugby team in the world, the favourites to win the World Cup and historically the Springboks’ greatest rivals. Roared on by a large home crowd of both whites and non-white, Pienaar motivates his team to overcome their doubts and push their bodies to the limits. After ending in a tie, the game goes into extra time, where the Springboks win on a long drop kick from fly-half Joel Stransky (Scott Eastwood) and a score of 15-12. Mandela and Pienaar meet on the field together to celebrate the improbable victory amidst a crowd of some 62,000 fans—of all races. Once there, Mandela thanks Pienaar for his service to the nation, but Pienaar insists the President that he deserves the real thanks. In one particular scene, some white police officers celebrate by hoisting a young black boy, who had been lingering near their vehicle to listen to the radio broadcast of the game, onto their shoulders.