Monday, September 30, 2019

Inequality in Education Essay

Inequality is an unequal rewards or opportunities for different individuals within a group or groups within a society. Education is recognised as major social institution. However, inequality in education is linked to major problems in society. In education a key factor that influences a child’s performance at school is social class. By going through Marxist and Functionalist perspectives, explanations for such inequalities can be understood. Difference in social background results in differences in achievement within an academic field. The level of achievement of the middle class is hugely different from that of the working class. Students success depends on parents income and parental choice. In other words the higher the social class of the parents, the more successful a child is likely to become in education. Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds are more likely to have low academic status than the students from higher socio-economic backgrounds. The education system remains socially selective, the higher the social class of the parents, the better the education of the children. Educational inequality starts young for children of disadvantaged class and they struggle to keep up throughout their school years. Children of lower socio-economic background at age 3 are one year behind the national average. By the time they are 14, they are two years behind. We can see this figure is staggering and extremely worrying. As a result, these children are less likely to go into higher education and more likely to be categorised into a lower academic ability. The functionalist perspective on education is concerned with the functions or role of education for society as a whole. It focuses on its contribution in maintaining social stability through development of social harmony. It believe in building bridges between values and passing culture and norms through education. Functionalist views education as the basic needs for a  society in order to survive. Particularly, functionalist sees education providing a trained and qualified labour force and its effective role selection and allocation in a meritocratic society. The Marxist perspective on education highlights the way education system reproduces existing social class inequalities and how it is carried out to the next generations. Marxist argues that the values passed on by school are those of ruling class. In contrary to functionalism Marxist does not believe education system is neutral filter and grade according to meritocracy. Instead it believes social class and other factors influence success and failure in education. Marxist approach argues that there is no equality of opportunity in education, education rather covers the fact that the social class influences educational success and there is inequality Inequality in education can put individuals of the groups that are affected by these at a disadvantage in the future. Inequality in education gap will remain because even though we are aware of it we have learnt to tolerate it.The education system reproduces existing social class inequalities, and passes them from one generation to the next. Thus we can see that children from low socio economic class lack the aspiration to excel academically. This is not because of the fault of their own but they were born into lower socio-economic class. Bibliography Maureen T. Hallinan (2006)Handbook of Sociology https://www.dawsonera.com/readonline/9780387364247# http://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2014/jan/27/education-inequality-in-england-where-is-the-gap-widening-demos K. Browne, (2006) Introducing sociology for AS Level, 2nd Edition, Cambridge, Polity Press G. Marshall, (1994) Oxford Dictionary of Sociology, 2nd edition, Oxford,

Code of Sexual Ethics Essay

The value of a code of sexual ethics is one that is extremely important to hold close to ones mind and soul. Human sexuality is a broad topic in society and everyone has different views on what is important to them as individuals. My view of human sexuality has been shaped with many influences. Growing up, my Mother always taught me to be comfortable with my sexuality, and I watched my older siblings show the same confidence that my Mother was teaching me. She taught me to respect others and myself equally, no matter what label of sexuality that they hold. Basically; â€Å"Treat others how you want to be treated†. I hope to teach my children in the same effective way that my Mother taught my siblings and I. I feel as though having this code of sexual ethics will act as a backbone to the teachings of human sexuality for my children and the next generation. I plan for them to follow this code faithfully, as I will continue to do so throughout the remaining course of my life. CODE To my Children; I have put together a code of sexual ethics that will help instruct and guide you in the right direction throughout the course of your lives. â€Å"Part of discovering yourself sexually usually involves developing your personal set of morals and values as they relate to sexual issues†(Hock, 6). This code of sexual ethics should not be viewed soley as disciplinary, the purpose is to provide guidance throughout the course of your lives. The first principle that is essential to your sexual health and well-being is to always use protection. This is important because Be faithful to your partner Wait until you are ready, do not let anyone pressure you/don’t take advantage Make sure it’s the right person to share the experience with â€Å"Most people agree that parents are the most appropriate source of [sexual] knowledge† (Hock, 15). THE PAST My parents have taught me to always be respectful to women. I would never force myself on any woman. They taught me to practice respect with all people, and not to judge others based on their sexuality, even if they may be different from me. I was also taught to never hold back my feelings, and to follow my heart. Yes, in some situations throughout my life, this has lead to heart break. However, in others, it has brought me to experiencing the most amazing feeling in the world; love. I have been known to wear my heart on my sleeve, however, this put forth both benefits and harms on my feelings throughout my life. Sex on the other hand, has always been a bit more personal. My parents did not exclusively teach me about sex. They taught me about love and relationships in general. Although, the topic of sex did arise, it was never the main focus of their teachings. My mother and I have a very comfortable relationship, we are usually able to talk about anything. She has taught me almost everything I need to know about how to make relationships work; along with the respectful ways to treat the woman I love. We did not start having these discussions until I was in high school. I wish that we would have talked about sexual values and behaviors while I was in middle school because that is when I started seriously liking girls. It all started at a pretty young age. I was always able to speak through my heart, even though I tend to be extremely shy. When it comes to feelings of my heart, I need to let it out. My mom and my peers have always been helpful to me in developing my awareness and understanding about my sexuality. I have never struggled with my sexuality personally, however, I have always cared greatly about the way I look. Some people call me â€Å"metro sexual†. This all started when I was very young. Because I wore nice clothes, and did my hair everyday, some people would mistake me for homosexual. This did not bother me though because I have always been comfortable with my sexuality because I know that I am not homosexual. I just like to look good, which in turn helps me feel good about myself. On the other hand, I think that the media may have played an unhelpful part in raising awareness and understanding about sexuality. Although some programs out there do a great job of explaining these concepts, most of the ones that I was exposed to, did not. Communication about sexuality is definitely welcomed when talking with my mother. However, it is almost fully unwelcomed when talking with my father. We just never talked about that sort of stuff. With my Dad and I, it has always been all about sports. Although, I am comfortable talking about my sexuality in general with all of my family members, I am not be comfortable going into detail on my sexual experiences. I think this is the case because my sexual experiences are a private, intimate matter. My family has no business in knowing about it unless something negative comes out of it, which it never has. THE PRESENT AND CONCLUSION The process of writing my code of sexual ethics was interesting. It allowed me to really look back on my past actions and reflect upon what I did wrong and what I did right. It is also interesting to think that I may be sharing this code with my children in the future. That fact in itself shaped the way I wrote my code of ethics because I really had to think about what I would approve of as a parent and how I would want my child to behave sexually. It was a hard process, but I learned a lot about myself along the way. I think that writing a code of sexual ethics was definitely useful and helpful in clarifying my sexual philosophy. This is because of the major thought process that was required to put into the creation of the code. I had to dig deep into my families, and my own beliefs and values when addressing sexual behavior, which in turn clarified some hazy thoughts in my mind as well. I currently live by most of the principles I wrote in my code of ethics. My parents raised me well and taught me to respect myself and others, and to also take responsibility for your actions. If there are any of the guidelines of my code that I did not live by in the past, than I will change my ways to live by them now. I can comfortably communicate with friends and intimate partners depending on the content of the subject. I have learned a great amount of information throughout this course. This information has shaped the way I formed my code of sexual ethics. We learned how to respect ourselves and love ourselves before anyone else and that was the basis of my code of sexual ethics. I think my code is pretty solid. I do not think it will need much revision in the future. However, it may need some additions. It may need additions because over the course of time my idea of ethics may change, as I grow older. When I am married the code may be a bit different for me, however I would want to teach my children this exact code of sexual ethics.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Airline Industry

The absorbtion of a company is often a difficult task. Critical issues to consider, include organizational culture, technology, socio-culture, brand equity, and profitability of the firm. Organizational culture is the most important issue to consider when acquiring another company. While some cultures differ from others, that doesn’t necessarily make them weak cultures. Key questions to ask are; how well will the companies cultures mix with each other? If changes to either culture occur, what implications does this have on productivity and efficiency?Technology is and has been a key part of business and will continue to be. Technology increases productivity, efficiency, and in many times lowers the cost of making products. When looking to acquire another company one must compare the technology of that company to its industry. How much will a company have to invest in a company to get the technology updated and personnel trained on those machines? How much would the company gai n by implementing this new technology? Socio-cultural factors are a mindset of customers and they play a major role in whether or not a customer purchases a product and how much of it they will purchase.Grapefruit, for example, was a very popular item during the craze of the Hollywood Diet. Carbohydrates were in low demand when the Adkins Diet was trendy, and now it’s no transaturated fats that are becoming the next style of diet. Fast food companies had to change their menus to fit some of these trends due to their popularity! The lesson to take away from this is that a company needs to look into current as well as future trends that occur before making the decision to make an investment into an absorption.Brand equity is an essential part of acquiring a company. For example, a customer enters a pharmacy and sees both Tylenol and the generic brand of acetaminophen at the same price; the customer will most likely pick the Tylenol because it has proven itself to be a strong br and. The same can be said with companies in other industries. A company must research the customer’s perception of the products and service that the potentially acquired company offers in order to insure that they are making a good investment.Since the nature of business is to make profit, a shrewd to examination into the current profitability of the company being acquired as well as speculate future profitability is required. It’s also essential for a company to forecast the impacts that this merger will cause for their own company and determine if the results are desirable before the merger takes place. Part II. Barriers to entry—moderate: Sometimes a company will be able to enter the market but only for a short time; however this still causes competition and causes a reduction in fares.Part of what keeps barriers high are that airlines that are already in business there have planes already purchased as well as partnerships with other companies established. Th is leads to a potential entrant having diseconomies of scale. The two major things that deter customers from choosing a competitor are cost and past experience. These don’t contribute much to switching costs so when a new competitor enters the industry margins decrease even more. Since startup costs are so huge in the commercial airline industry, the threat of potential entrants is rather low.Rivalry among existing firms—high: Since JetBlue has entered the global market there are several more airlines worldwide that JetBlue has to compete with, as well as domestic and startup airlines to compete with. They must keep their prices/margins low not only to deter customers from other competitors but also to compete with close substitutes. There isn’t a firm that controls a large portion of the market so in turn companies receive low return due to competitive pricing structures. Finally there is very little differentiation in the airline industry.Services that JetBlue offers like free WiFi and XM radio are small things that help them differentiate their service for customers to buy. Threat of close substitutes—high: There are several substitutes to air travel, these being things like a car or a train. When going overseas there really isn’t a good substitute unless you are going on a cruise which in my opinion is an entirely different plan for travel. Sometimes if a group of people want to travel to the same place they will carpool for a cheaper rate, but this is getting less popular than it once was.In summary the shorter the distance, the more likely an airline is going to lose to close substitutes like a car or train. Bargaining power of suppliers—high: This is due to the fact that the suppliers are in an oligopoly. There isn’t much competition in the supplier market so those companies can keep their margins rather high. If a company decides to purchase a different brand of airliner then they would need to face trai ning and maintenance costs associated with buying that new brand. Now there are things like beer and peanuts, uniforms and the like.The airline industry has potentially high bargaining power against these suppliers but those items don’t affect the profit margin like equipment does. Bargaining power of buyers—low/moderate: The price of an airline ticket is set and doesn’t really change except over time through competition. Buyers get to use technology like the internet to compare prices of different competitors which lowers prices; however that only affects prices over time. Since there are many airlines to choose from as well as low switching costs buyers enjoy a moderate amount of bargaining power.However, with few exceptions like companies that use economies of scale to negotiate rates for you there is very little a buyer can do to bargain with an airline immediately. Overall competition in airline industry is very intense. There are several competitors in the airline industry, and since the industry is low growth competitors try to differentiate their service to get people to switch to them. In poor economic times people look for lower cost alternatives and airfare is no different—people will look for lower cost means of transportation. Airliners also face an overall moderate bargaining power which limits their profit margins. Airline industry This is considerably larger than some 620 countries, estimated similarly to the same size as Switzerland. (ATAG, 2012). It is orecast that by 2026, the industry will contribute $1 trillion to world GDP (ATAG, 2012). Despite the fact there is over 2000 airlines, each airline generally relies upon either one of the two-airline manufactures. These are Boeing or Airbus, both that are extremely wealthy companies. Boeing & Airbus are extremely competitive against each other and often have court disputes against each other.The most recent dispute was dated in May 2011, where both companies claimed victory after the World Trade Organisation overturned the ruling in which saw Airbus receive billions of Euros in illegal subsidies. BBC News, 2011). The US complained to the WTO as they thought the $18 billion subsidiary was deemed to 'cause serious prejudice' to US interests (BBC News, 2011). Growth Rate The Airline Industry woes are expected to continue, with humble profits produced mainly by l imiting capacity.Both Boeing & Airbus already have a backlog of orders due to carriers deferring their orders due to the poor growth in clientele and falling flight prices. (The Economist, 2012). Other factors that are damaging the threat of growth in the Airline industry are the threat of terrorism & increase in fuel prices. Are these factors putting people off? In 2009, there was an immediate decline in air travel by 30% (ehow) after the attack on the twin towers. The drastic decline maybe explained by the fact many feared there could be another terrorist attack in the nearby future.Rising fuel prices in 2012 are set to have an enormous impact on the industry and set to shrink profit margins awfully tight. The industrys global trade body nas warned that annual profits nave been cut by $500m (Financial Times). Due to the Increase in fuel prices, many airlines have decided to provide the A380 aircraft, hich carries roughly 500 people depending on the configuration. This has helped a chieve economies of scale for many companies. Market Share The Airline Industry is incredibly competitive and diverse globally so it is difficult to summarise market share of companies.However, because of this reason returns are usually lower than expected. This can result in difficultly at times of economic recession. The supply in airline industry is very limited and dominated by Boeing & Airbus, which means there is very little aggressive competition. It is very unlikely to ee a supplier vertically integrated. This means it is highly unlikely that Boeing or Airbus would start offering flight services. The bargaining power of airline companies is surprisingly very low.

The Effects of Wolf Predation

Abstract: This paper discusses four hypotheses to explain the effects of wolf predation on prey populations of large ungulates. The four proposed hypotheses examined are the predation limiting hypothesis, the predation regulating hypothesis, the predator pit hypothesis, and the stable limit cycle hypothesis. There is much research literature that discusses how these hypotheses can be used to interpret various data sets obtained from field studies. It was concluded that the predation limiting hypothesis fit most study cases, but that more research is necessary to account for multiple predator – multiple prey relationships. The effects of predation can have an enormous impact on the ecological organization and structure of communities. The processes of predation affect virtually every species to some degree or another. Predation can be defined as when members of one species eat (and/or kill) those of another species. The specific type of predation between wolves and large ungulates involves carnivores preying on herbivores. Predation can have many possible effects on the interrelations of populations. To draw any correlations between the effects of these predator-prey interactions requires studies of a long duration, and statistical analysis of large data sets representative of the populations as a whole. Predation could limit the prey distribution and decrease abundance. Such limitation may be desirable in the case of pest species, or undesirable to some individuals as with game animals or endangered species. Predation may also act as a major selective force. The effects of predator prey coevolution can explain many evolutionary adaptations in both predator and prey species. The effects of wolf predation on species of large ungulates have proven to be controversial and elusive. There have been many different models proposed to describe the processes operating on populations influenced by wolf predation. Some of the proposed mechanisms include the predation limiting hypothesis, the predation regulating hypothesis, the predator pit hypothesis, and the stable limit cycle hypothesis (Boutin 1992). The purpose of this paper is to assess the empirical data on population dynamics and attempt to determine if one of the four hypotheses is a better model of the effects of wolf predation on ungulate population densities. The predation limiting hypothesis proposes that predation is the primary factor that limits prey density. In this non- equilibrium model recurrent fluctuations occur in the prey population. This implies that the prey population does not return to some particular equilibrium after deviation. The predation limiting hypothesis involves a density independent mechanism. The mechanism might apply to one prey – one predator systems (Boutin 1992). This hypothesis predicts that losses of prey due to predation will be large enough to halt prey population increase. Many studies support the hypothesis that predation limits prey density. Bergerud et al. (1983) concluded from their study of the interrelations of wolves and moose in the Pukaskwa National Park that wolf predation limited, and may have caused a decline in, the moose population, and that if wolves were eliminated, the moose population would increase until limited by some other regulatory factor, such as food availability. However, they go on to point out that this upper limit will not be sustainable, but will eventually lead to resource depletion and population decline. Seip (1992) found that high wolf predation on caribou in the Quesnel Lake area resulted in a decline in the population, while low wolf predation in the Wells Gray Provincial Park resulted in a slowly increasing population. Wolf predation at the Quesnel Lake area remained high despite a fifty percent decline in the caribou population, indicating that mortality due to predation was not density-dependent within this range of population densities. Dale et al. (1994), in their study of wolves and caribou in Gates National Park and Preserve, showed that wolf predation can be an important limiting factor at low caribou population densities, and may have an anti-regulatory effect. They also state that wolf predation may affect the distribution and abundance of caribou populations. Bergerud and Ballard (1988), in their interpretation of the Nelchina caribou herd case history, said that during and immediately following a reduction in the wolf population, calf recruitment increased, which should result in a future caribou population increase. Gasaway et al. (1983) also indicated that wolf predation can sufficiently increase the rate of mortality in a prey population to preventthe population's increase. Even though there has been much support of this hypothesis, Boutin (1992) suggests that â€Å"there is little doubt that predation is a limiting factor, but in cases where its magnitude has been measured, it is no greater than other factors such as hunting.† A second hypothesis about the effects of wolf predation is the predation regulating hypothesis, which proposes that predation regulates prey densities around a low-density equilibrium. This hypothesis fits an equilibrium model, and assumes that following deviation, prey populations return to their pre-existing equilibrium levels. This predator regulating hypothesis proposes that predation is a density-dependent mechanism affecting low to intermediate prey densities, and a density-independent mechanism at high prey densities. Some research supports predation as a regulating mechanism. Messier (1985), in a study of moose near Quebec, Canada, draws the conclusion that wolf-ungulate systems, if regulated naturally, stabilize at low prey and low predator population densities. In Messier's (1994) later analysis, based on twenty-seven studies where moose were the dominant prey species of wolves, he determined that wolf predation can be density-dependent at the lower range of moose densities. This result demonstrates that predation is capable of regulating ungulate populations. Even so, according to Boutin (1992) more studies are necessary, particularly at high moose densities, to determine if predation is regulatory. A third proposal to model the effects of wolf predation on prey populations is the predator pit hypothesis. This hypothesis is a multiple equilibria model. It proposes that predation regulates prey densities around a low-density equilibrium. The prey population can then escape this regulation once prey densities pass a certain threshold. Once this takes place, the population reaches an upper equilibrium. At this upper equilibrium, the prey population densities are regulated by competition for (and or availability of) food. This predator pit hypothesis assumes that predator losses are density-dependent at low prey densities, but inversely density-dependent at high prey densities. Van Ballenberghe (1985) states that wolf population regulation is needed when a caribou herd population declines and becomes trapped in a predator pit, wherein predators are able to prevent caribou populations from increasing. The final model that attempts to describe the effects of predation on prey populations is the stable limit cycle hypothesis. This hypothesis proposes that vulnerability of prey to predation depends on past environmental conditions. According to this theory, individuals of a prey population born under unfavorable conditions are more vulnerable to predation throughout their adult lives than those born under favorable conditions. This model would produce time lags between the proliferation of the predator and the prey populations, in effect generating recurring cycles. Boutin (1992) states that if this hypothesis is correct, the effects of food availability (or the lack of) should be more subtle than outright starvation. Relatively severe winters could have long- term effects by altering growth, production, and vulnerability. Thompson and Peterson (1988) reported that there are no documented cases of wolf predation imposing a long-term limit on ungulate populations independent of environmental influences. They also point out that summer moose calf mortality was high whether predators were present or not, and that snow conditions during the winter affected the vulnerability of calves to predation. Messier (1994) asserts that snow accumulation during consecutive winters does not create a cumulative impact on the nutritional status of deer and moose. All of the four proposed theories mentioned above could describe the interrelationships between the predation of wolves and their usual north american prey of large ungulate species. There has been ample evidence presented in the primary research literature to support any one of the four potential models. The predation limiting hypothesis seems to enjoy wide popular support, and seems to most accurately describe most of the trends observed in predator-prey populations. Most researchers seem to think that more specific studies need to be conducted to find an ideal model of the effects of predation. Bergerud and Ballard (1988) stated â€Å"A simple numbers argument regarding prey:predator ratios overlooks the complexities in multi-predator-prey systems that can involve surplus killing, additive predation between predators, enhancement and interference between predator species, switch over between prey species, and a three-fold variation in food consumption rates by wolves.† Dale et al. (1994) stated that further knowledge of the factors affecting prey switching, such as density-dependent changes in vulnerability within and between prey species, and further knowledge of wolf population response is needed to draw any firm conclusions. Boutin (1992) also proposed that the full impact of predation has seldom been measured because researchers have concentrated on measuring losses of prey to wolves only. Recently, bear predation on moose calves has been found to be substantial, but there are few studies which examine this phenomenon (Boutin 1992). Messier (1994) also pointed out that grizzly and black bears may be important predators of moose calves during the summer. Seip (1992), too, states that bear predation was a significant cause of adult caribou mortality. These points emphasize that multiple-predator and multiple-prey systems are probably at work in the natural environment, and we must not over generalize a one predator – one prey hypothesis in the attempt to interpret the overall trends of the effects of predation of wolves on large ungulate populations.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Case Problem Production Strategy Essay

1. The recommended number of BodyPlus100 and BodyPlus200 machines to produce? Sol: I recommend you sir to produce fifty one (51) numbers of BodyPlus100 and seventeen (17) numbers of BodyPlus200 machines so as to make the maximum profit in manufacturing of these BodyPlus100 and BodyPlus200 machines. The effect on profits of the requirement that the number of units of the BodyPlus 200 produced must be at least 25% of the total production? Sol: The net profit that is obtained in manufacturing BodyPlus200 at least 25% of the total machines will be marginally less when compared to the profit that is obtained in manufacturing more BodyPlus100 machines i.e. more than 75% of total machines production.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As calculated, the total expenditure that is made in manufacturing BodyPlus100 (includes the raw costs and labor costs) is $1309 per machine The total number of working hours in manufacturing BodyPlus100 (includes machining, welding, painting, finishing work and for assembling, testing and packaging) is 15hrs. Now, the net profit that is made in manufacturing one BodyPlus100 machine after selling it to an authorized dealer for (70% of the retail price i.e. $2400) is ($1680 – $1309) $371. Now the profit made per hour on manufacturing one BodyPlus100 machine is $24.73 Admittedly, referring to the calculations from attachment 1 from ‘Production strategy’ the net profit made per hour on manufacturing one BodyPlus200 machine is $20.83   Where efforts should be expended in order to increase contribution to profits? Sol: I sincerely advise you, sir, to reduce the total percentage of manufacturing the BodyPlus200 in the total production as the profit obtained for each BodyPlus100 is more than the BodyPlus200.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Also assigning lesser time for machining and welding is also resulting in the total number BodyPlus100 machines produced   so as to obtain more profits and time has to be managed well so that assigning ten (10) more hours for machining and welding will result in more number of products that can be manufactured.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Instead of assigning 450 hours for finishing and painting, we can assign 440 hours for finishing and painting that can produce one more BodyPlus100 (taken that the total percentage of BodyPlus200 is just slightly less than the percentage recommended as 25% of the total production).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Case Problem2 Solution Plus: If Solutions Plus wins the bid, which production facility (Cincinnati or Oakland) should supply the cleaning fluid to the locations where the railroad locomotives are cleaned? How much should be shipped from each facility to each location? Sol:    No. of gallons required No of gallons supplied from Cincinnati (in gallons) Oakland (in gallons) Santa Ana 22,418 —– 22,418 El Paso 6,800 —– 6,800 Pendleton 80,290 30,290 50,000 Houston 100,477 50,447 50,000 Kansas city 241,570 191,570 50,000 Los Angeles 64,761 14,761 50,000 Glendale 33,689 —— 33,689 Jacksonville 68,486 18,486 50,000 Little Rock 148,586 98,586 50,000 Bridgeport 111,475 51,475 50,000 Sacramento 112,000 62,000 50,000 Total 990,522 517,615 462,907 Here we can see that the total numbers of gallons that are delivered from Cincinnati are more than 500,000 gallons. So we are short of 17,615 gallons of the locomotives cleaning agent that has to be delivered from Cincinnati. To satisfy the requirement of the majority of the dealers in the remaining locations, and considering the profits, all the 17,615 gallons of the cleaning agent is reduced from the Pendleton deal. What is the break-even point for Solutions Plus? That is, how low can the company go on its bid without losing money? Sol: The Break-Point is given by the point at which the company owns neither profit nor loss during the sale of the company products. Hence this is given as the zero profit and zero loss zone for the Solution Plus company. This Break Point can be calculated when there is no profit in the bid. If the price of oil is hiked and freight charges are also increased by the same amount, then the Break Point is calculated at $1,821,214.39 If Solutions Plus wants to use its standard 15% markup, how much should it bid? Sol: If Solution Plus wants to use its standard 15% markup, then it should place a bid for $1,821,214.39 Freight costs are significantly affected by the price of oil. The contract on which Solutions Plus is bidding is for two years. Discuss how fluctuation in freight costs might affect the bid Solutions Plus submits. Sol: Here, the net profit made for one year is $237,749.72 and if the bid is made for one year the total amount has to be $1,821,214.39 but given that the bid has to be made for two years, then the bid price would be $3,642,428.78 And the profit expected in two years (taken the oil prices are fixed) is $475,499.44 If the oil price is hiked by 15% then also profit is expected for the Solution Plus Company as there are few locations which are supplied with the cleaning agents without any shipping charges. So only a marginal amount of profit can be made in two years even after placing the bid.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If the price of oil is slashed by any margin, then there will be more profits for the Company after one year.

Prostitution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Prostitution - Essay Example In fact, it is one of those aspects of the society that has been acted upon since mankind came into existence. We find Greek literatures of 6th century BCE where three classes of prostitutes have been mentioned: ‘pornai’ or slave prostitutes, free born street prostitutes, ‘hetaera’, educated prostitute-entertainers who relished a level of social influence. Prostitution remained permissible throughout the Greek and Roman periods, until Christian Roman emperors intensely opposed it. Prostitution was seen in the medieval era as well. Though King Henry II discouraged it yet it was permitted. However, he ensured that no other laws were broken while this profession was carried out. During World War II, 80,000 to 300,000 girls and women were forcefully seized and sent to military battalions to serve the Japanese soldiers. Though India banned sex trafficking in 1956, yet it is found to be a home to Asia’s largest red-light-district. (Head) From Japan to South America and from India to England, we cannot deny the veracity of the fact that prostitution is prevalent everywhere in this world; and it is not a new trend that has started recently, but it has been executed since the creation of mankind. Perceiving prostitution from an economic point of view, we shall discover the causes, as to why this profession had to start. In ancient times, widowed women or unmarried women who did not have any medium of earning, either solely depended upon the little wealth that had been left behind by their husbands or their fathers or the last option for them would be to sell their bodies for money not only for the survival of themselves, but also to run a living for their family. Women found men with their uncontrollable urges and willingly submitted themselves to them to earn a living or for bartering goods. In the21st century where survival of women is not difficult, we still find many women involved in this profession due to their a ddiction of making

Friday, September 27, 2019

Psychology Behind Substance Abuse Research Paper

Psychology Behind Substance Abuse - Research Paper Example From the report it is clear that  more and more people presently are turning towards substance abuse for seeking relief from the distress of many everyday annoyances like paralyzing sense of failure, broken relationships, and other complex tragedies of life.  Thid discussion stresses that  most of the people turn towards the option of drug abuse when they are psychologically saturated from the aggravated worries and this saturated point tempts them to abuse drugs so that they may be able to negate or exchange their blackened depression for positive pleasure or psychological reward. Whether the substance used by the abuser is a stimulant or a depressant, it helps him/her in temporarily forgetting the harsh or ruthless realities or failures of life. Psychological assessment helps in identification of the fact that the patient is habitually and inadequately using drugs because he/she is obsessive about seeking denial from mounting depression. The psychological disorder of substanc e abuse can be managed by effective communication with the patient rather than abruptly referring him/her to a rehabilitation centre without any psychological therapy. The initial euphoric sense that is experienced by a substance abuser serves as a potent psychological pleasure or reward for him/her, which is immediately followed by strengthened feelings of self-confidence in case of a stimulant abuse and relaxation in case of a depressant intake. The street name for such potent and weird psychological effects is rush, which is the bait for all drug abusers who desperately seek refuge from the brutal challenges of life which they find too hard to manage. Psychological analysis of rush reveals that this is experienced by a substance abuser because of the stimulation of the pleasure reward pathway in brain that results in excessive dopamine release, which is responsible for the regulation and transfer of drug and producing the overpowering sensations of pleasure, indulgence, confidenc e, and ego gratification. This gratifying but unearned psychological reward modulates the brain of a substance abuser in such a way that he/she develops a persistent longing for the preferred drug. 4. Rebellion and defiance lead to substance

Analyse the opening sequence of desperate housewives Essay

Analyse the opening sequence of desperate housewives - Essay Example The pop-up format is reminiscent of childish cartoons, with sudden swerves and changes in viewpoint. It serves the dual purpose of maintaing a pretend childlike environment, where serious syntagms and paradigms are displayed under the cloak of lighthearted comedy and of speedily moving the viewer from one realm of intertextuality to another.The undercurrent of dark humor flows through the entire sequence, mainly through the subversion of iconic signs in order to show unusual meanings that invoke surprise and incongruity, and hence laughter. The sequence opens with the iconic images of Adam and Eve at the very moment of temptation.In the original painting, Lucas Cranach the Elder, known for some of the most explicit nudes in the history of art, uniquely captures the instant of original sin in the salacious expression of Eve. She is not seen here as the traditionally naive primal woman, but one fully aware of her sexual prowess, hence becoming a coded sign for woman as the femme fatale. "....... the color "red" implies different things. .....If a woman wears a red dress, or a man wears a red armband, it means something different. So red in western culture means usually danger, hot, sexy.....". ( Yildiz, 2002) The moment The moment gains a new meaning when the animated Adam, instead of eating the proverbial apple, is promptly squashed by a car-sized, shining red apple that falls on him. Despite being farcical at the denotation level, the falling of the apple becomes a symbol of female power within the bounds of the sequence. It is a power not yet understood by the iconic woman Eve, who is still holding her proffered apple, but nonetheless lethal. The next pop-upshows the painting of a hapless Egyptian lady of rank, who is overwhelmed by a flood of children, and drowns in the process.This is a tongue-in-cheek reference to the various goddesses of fertility, who were invariably connected with the yearly flooding of the river Nile as this was what gave Egypt its fertility.Fertility for an Egyptian woman was as important as that of the land, and despite possessing equal regal rights as men, women were only considered as successful as the number of children they could produce. As Caroline Seawright says about ancient Egyptian sexuality, "To the ancient Egyptians, the most attractive women tended to be the fertile ones. A women who had children was seen to be more fortunate than ones without... In the Egyptian community, men had to prove their masculinity by fathering children, while the women had to be able to bear these sons and daughters. Being a mother meant being able to keep her marriage secure and to gain a better position in society." (Seawright, 2001) The animation sequence takes this Egyptian way of living and turns it on its head, attributing on a symbol of fertility a completely different meaning by showing the cause of a woman's misery or downfall to be her children! This is a comic, modern take on the pains of motherhood never openly spoken of in our society.It is clearly seen in Lynette's character played in the series by Felicity Huffman whose name

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Employee Assistance Program Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Employee Assistance Program - Essay Example The EAP can be the place where a grieved employee could approach and seek advice on family issues that nag him or her. Also find ways to set right their own thoughts on the happenings in the company; whether these are for the good or the bad. As a matter of fact, the supervisors in the company should encourage EAP and resorting to EAP when behavior of a person is not in line with his usual performances. Since the advice given is from professionals in the trade and they do not cost to the company or to the employee, the EAP will stabilize and produce the expected results over a period of time (Dept of Employee Relations, 2004). One, EAP will be a place where people could go for any of their not so obvious problems. Many times, men and women are bogged down by problems that come out of mental stress. This created either by an event or sometimes by presumptions. One of my friends, who was married for nearly two years, had a kid out of the marriage, suddenly found herself at a loss when her husband died suddenly in an accident. She used to be young and agile. She was a qualified computer programmer but mentally she was shocked at the turn of events. Her own working performance shattered in face of this personal calamity. To make matters worse, the company could not appreciate the reason behind her lack of performance and found that she was not worthy of what they were paying her. She was shunted out of the company nine months after her husband’s death. Jobless and with no heart to hunt for one, kid to take care, she was really in a soup. Good that some of her friends could spend time with her, counsel her and put her slowly back to normalcy. It took almost another year for her to get back to work in full swing and produce results in a different company. Another incident of importance happened with one of my friends. He became an addict; I am not sure what drugs he employed. But it was certainly spoiling his high flying career.

Summary and Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Summary and Response - Essay Example The delegates argue that the rural areas receive fewer funds as compared to the big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. Notably, the allocation of funds has been discriminating against the students who come from the neglected areas including Henan province. The poor funding of the university education in the remote regions has attracted complaints from the residents. In fact, people have demanded equality in the allocation of the funds for higher education. Such inequality resulted in delegates demanding for the equal treatment of the students from all the regions. The quota system of recruiting students to join the universities is discriminating. Primarily, the quota targets the students from the rich areas such as Beijing and Shanghai. According to the article, the political interference in the process of distributing the quotas tends to disadvantage the students from provinces with a large population such as Henan. The household registration that restricts free movement from one region to the other has advanced the discrimination against students from the rural areas (Buckley). The implication of the restriction in movement is that the students cannot acquire the best education in prestigious universities located away from the rural areas. Hence, students from the remote areas are victims of the unequal allocation of slots in the universities. The system of recruiting students to join the universities continues to widen inequality gap in education. Majorly, political favoritism affects the efforts of the China’s government to ensure all the students enjoy fair recruitment in the universities. The university entrance exams tend to reduce the number of the students joining the higher education. According to the article, Henan received 85 positions out of the 758,000 students who attempted the entrance examinations (Buckley). In contrast, students from Beijing got 226 slots out

Internal audit and corporate governance Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Internal audit and corporate governance - Essay Example Although internal auditors are characteristically accountants, this activity can also be carried out by other qualified experts who are knowledgeable with the company's functions as well the necessary regulatory requirements. (Friedberg, 2004) The span of internal auditing in an organization is expansive and it may engage internal control issues such as the effectiveness and efficiency of business processes, the consistency of financial reporting, preventing and inspecting fraud, protecting resources and other important assets, and observance with the laws and organizational strategies. (Friedberg, 2004) Internal auditing repeatedly requires measuring observance with the businesses' policies and procedures. Nevertheless, internal auditors are not accountable for the implementation of business activities; they give advice to the senior management on the subject of how to better accomplish their responsibilities. Management is responsible for internal control. (Friedberg, 2004) Management sets up the course of action and designs processes to facilitate the organization in achieving particular objectives in each particular field. Internal auditors perform audits to evaluate whether the policies and processes designed are operating effectively and provide recommendations for improvement. (Friedberg, 2004) To execute their responsibility efficiently, internal auditors have need of self-rule from management, to facilitate open and clear assessment of organizational activities and personnel. Although, internal auditors are part of company management and are paid by the company, but the most important client of internal audit activity is the body charged with supervision of management's actions. (Friedberg, 2004) Internal auditors may also help businesses' commence and retain Enterprise Risk Management processes. The Internal auditors also play an imperative task in facilitating businesses' to carry out a top-down risk assessment. In these concluding two fields, internal auditors usually are part of the project team in an advisory position. Based on a risk evaluation of the business, the internal auditors, and the senior management determines where to concentrate the internal auditing uphill struggle. (Rezaee, 2002) Internal auditing activity is normally carried out as solitary or as more distinct projects. A characteristic internal audit plan comprises of the subsequent measures. First and fore mostly, it begins with establishing and sharing the degree and purpose for the audit to appropriate management. This is followed by developing an understanding of the business division in evaluation. This encompasses objectives and significant operation types, it involves analysis of credentials and dialogues; flowcharts and accounts may be created if necessary. (Rezaee, 2002) Then the identified control measures are used to make certain that each crucial business transaction is correctly controlled and scrutinized. After that, the internal auditors work out and execute a risk-based sampling and examining approach to find out whether the a good number of important controls are working

Critical Thinking Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Critical Thinking - Assignment Example This paper analyses whether Nancy Cantor, who were once a Syracuse University chancellor, used critical thinking in a piece of work that she wrote in reply to the filing of affirmative action cases with U.S. Supreme Court. Cantor is rational and objective. Her argument does not portray emotional or subjective perceptions. Cantor developed her argument on justifiable reasons. In her first sentence, she recognizes the existence of collective fears, sins, and stereotypes between races. In the fourth paragraph, Cantor points out that race, is an essential aspect of life in America. The existence of Asian-American, Hispanics, Native Americans, Whites, African –Americans, and Native Americans in American society, support the view of Cantor. Students thus have historical and cultural experiences associated to their races. Cantor recognizes the existence of inequality and the need to factor in the issue of inequality in College admissions. Cantor is honest in her argument. She does not argue for a particular race. According to her, the decision of Justice Lewis F. Powell, urged the educator to create a truthfully integrated community of learners. Even though, the decision was aimed at helping students of color, Cantor looks at it as a benefit to the different races in Americans. Cantor sees the use of race-consciousness as way to build a positive society. According to her, the recognition of race as a factor in America would help solve the mistake made by racially segregated public districts schools that failed to recognize American history and possible impacts of race. In this way, Cantor recognizes the weight and extent of evidence and thus shows her use of judgment. Cantor’s consideration of President Bush’s argument shows her open-mindedness. The former president had earlier labeled the use of affirmative action program at the University of Michigan a quote system. Cantor responded by claiming that all students

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Sodium Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Sodium - Essay Example Despite the fact that sodium is very significant to the body, too much intake can have adverse effects especially on individuals who are sensitive to sodium. Excessive consumption of sodium can lead to hypertensions which can cause complex health problems (Gazzaniga 23). Sodium helps in muscle and nerve function because it is a mineral that has an electrical charge or electrolyte. The electrolyte facilitates transmission of nerve cells and muscle contraction. For example sodium ions such as chloride and potassium trigger nerve impulses and muscle contractions when the change places across cell membranes. Sodium maintains fluid balance in the body. For example, via its ions (potassium), it attracts water to itself which ensures that hydration level in the body is optimal. It is significant to note that sodium is found in food such as fish, meat, pickled foods, olives, eggs, table salt, dairy foods and poultry (Gazzaniga 45). Excessive overdose of sodium causes hypertension which can cause many health problems. However, deficiency of sodium in the body can lead to serious health problems. For instance, deficiency of sodium in the body leads to hyponatremia which means the body can not be in a position to regulate sodium.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Narrative criticism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Narrative criticism - Essay Example es of narrative criticism have emerged; some people have claimed that narrative criticism is a fundamental tool in communication processes owing to the fact that it facilitates the understanding of texts and how they reflect on human life structures, thus creating a platform for information sharing and exchange (Pullman, 7). As a method of literary analysis, this approach has been a subject of negative and positive criticism. To begin with, some scholars have claimed that the application narrative criticism is majorly based on a dimension of literary analysis that allows readers to assess literary works in a holistic manner, by noting different characteristics and styles that are similar to other literary works, taking into consideration, the beginning, middle as well as the end (Powell, 3). On the other hand, some narrative critics have asserted that it is basically a method that does not focus on a holistic analysis of literary works, but rather focus on specific elements of literary works, which seem relevant to the story line or the main theme. Moreover, this group of critics has claimed the narrative criticism is a basic tool for literary analysis that engages its readers through understanding how the literary works relate with real life experiences (Byron, 13). This is usually achieved through various points of view passed by the narrators and relating them to the real life experiences of its readers. According to Allan Powell (1990), Narrative criticism can be considered a function of events. This is because in its application, a high sense of priority is given to the text from the ideas of ‘implied readers’ and ‘implied author’: The essence of implied author as well as implied reader are usually determined by signatures emerging from the text. Powell also asserts that narrative criticism is a function of events, basically due to the fact that it involves taking into consideration characters and settings of a literary analysis that forms its

A Person Who Was Nearly Killed After a Heart Attack Research Paper

A Person Who Was Nearly Killed After a Heart Attack - Research Paper Example This essay discusses that many years ago, the patient was already warned by the doctors to watch his diet and maintain a regular exercise. He was advised to be â€Å"careful about his health† and watch his weight because he was already hypertensive and his family (both on the father and mother side) had a long history of having cardiovascular disease and hypertension. The patient was already overweight which indicated that he really had to watch his health. Even his wife which is also a family friend already advised him to at least scale down on his drinking habit and have a change of diet. Still, it was to no avail. The patient was encouraged to do sport or go to the gym or do a leisure swim as a substitute for drinking but it still did not work. Even if he already reached his 40s and had a history of cardiovascular diseases on both sides of his family, he still carried the lifestyle that he had when he was still college. He likes to indulge in fatty foods like pork and high cholesterol beef in addition to junk foods and soda. Even his wife already reminded him to â€Å"slow down† with his eating and drinking habits to no avail. He does not get enough sleep due to his beer binges rendering his immune system weak. Until one day while eating, he suffered a heart attack and it was obviously bad. He just fell from his seat. It was accompanied by a stroke due to his hypertension. It nearly killed him only that he was rushed to the hospital in time. But he was not able to recover from that single heart attack and stroke.... ho attended him explained that the stroke which paralyzed his brain was caused by high blood pressure and heart attack which deprived the brain of oxygen during the attack. Due to the spontaneous heart attacks and stroke that deprived the brain oxygen (caused by heart attack), several blood vessels or nerves in his brain burst. The bursting of the blood vessels left a blood clot lodged within the nerves of his brain that blocked the oxygen from reaching his brain tissues. As a result, his brain tissues deteriorated that instead of recovering, his situation is just getting bad. To date, his physical movement is seriously limited that he has to be on a wheel chair and his speech is now impaired because he can no longer speak clearly. His hearing also deteriorated because we have to yell before he can hear us. But what hurts more than his physical condition is the effect of his sudden paralysis on his family. It was also as if his family was paralyzed. The very first thing that was affe cted was their finances. He was the sole breadwinner in their family and his paralysis rendered him unfit to work and removed the source of income for their family. The only consolation they have is that they were done amortizing their house that they were not thrown out to the streets even if the husband is no longer working. Their savings were literally wiped out with his hospitalization that rendered them bankrupt. They also had to spend for his expensive maintenance medicines. What hurt more is that the wife was forced to work doing some menial jobs that she was not used to. Two of his children has to stopped going to college (the eldest was sophomore in college while the second is a freshman and the youngest was in junior high). They went through turbulent times after that becasue

Monday, September 23, 2019

Analysis of the Book Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya Essay

Analysis of the Book Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya - Essay Example The essay "Analysis of the Book Bless Me, Ultima by Rudolfo Anaya" analyses the actions of the main character Antonio of the book "Bless Me, Ultima" by Rudolfo Anaya. In his search for identity, Antonio struggles to find his personal belief and value system. The paper investigates Antonio’s religious quest and discusses the juxtaposition of Catholicism, paganism, magic, mythology, and superstition in the novel. Antonio has a somewhat conflicting childhood, with his mother belonging to the Luna family who are mostly farmers and priests and who wants him to become a priest as well. Whereas his father belongs to the MÃ ¡rez clan, a family where roaming the earth and the freedom it gives are encouraged. Antonio is raised as a Catholic, which he adapts to so unquestioningly that at the small age of six he already decides to become a priest when he grows up. However, despite being Catholic, both his parents not only love but also reverse the curandera Ultima. Thus, she is someone w ho holds fast to the traditions of the people and is a healer, though not a witch, albeit she is accused of being so. Most of the people do not know how to react to her, as she has really good healing powers, almost to the point of people suspecting witchcraft. The first time doubts are raised in Antonio’s mind about his Catholic faith is when his friend tells him about the golden carp, a pagan god. The first thought that comes to his mind is if the God the Catholics pray to is the true God or not.

A Farewell to Arms an Ironic Metaphor to Explore Physical and Literature review

A Farewell to Arms an Ironic Metaphor to Explore Physical and Emotional Death - Literature review Example   Ã¢â‚¬Å"A Farewell to Arms† is a novel set during World War I. It is filled with human despair, loneliness, and confusion (Bloom 17). It is told in the first person, using the character of Lt. Frederic Henry, who is an American serving in the Italian army as an ambulance driver. He falls in love with an English nurse, Catherine Barkley, and the whole story revolves around how each character tries to survive life, conquer death, and placate their loneliness and misery (Burden and Hemingway 9). If one is familiar with the life of the author, Ernest Hemingway, one could easily see several allusions to the events that occurred in the author's life, particularly in the relationship between the main characters Frederic and Catherine. Hemingway served in the Red Cross in Italy during the war (Hewson 53). Not surprisingly, he was an ambulance driver, much like the main character in the story, Frederic. Hemingway got wounded and during his hospitalization, met and developed a relatio nship with nurse Agnes von Kurowsky (Hewson 56). A large part of the story is based on the realities that Hemingway encountered during the war, and to explore this in the novel, he utilizes several metaphors (Harrington 60) mainly using rain or the weather to forecast major events in the characters' lives (Bloom 19). Rain, or water for that matter, is usually seen as something that supports life, yet Hemingway effectively utilizes this as an ironic representation of gloom, pain, and destruction (Harrington 60-1). From start to finish, rain symbolizes the many emotions associated with death. At the beginning of the novel, one can see the immediate turning of summer into autumn. Summer is â€Å"rich with crops,† while autumn is where â€Å" the branches were bare and the trunks black with rain† (Hemingway 7). This alone forecasts the turning of events from happy to desolate. This is because, in that same chapter, death is foreshadowed. â€Å"In the fall when the rains c ame, the leaves all fell from the chestnut trees and the branches were bare and the trunks black with rain† and â€Å"The vineyards were thin and bare-branched too and all the country wet and brown and dead with autumn† (Hemingway 7). This is followed by the line â€Å"At the start of the winter came the permanent rain and with the rain came cholera. But it was checked and in the end, only seven thousand died of it in the army† (Hemingway 8). Here, the link between death and the pouring of the rain is stated clearly. However, there is no reference to emotions usually associated with death.  

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Intelligence Analysis Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Intelligence Analysis - Assignment Example Revelations have been put forward by experts amidst the lack of evidence to prove it. They have only been major suspicions with no supportive evidence. In the midst of these allegations, the western media has built up pressure by its view on Iran. A mock US aircraft carrier has been the source of media frenzy in the West with claims that its purpose was to initiate â€Å"black propaganda† and a means to signify mistrust. On the other hand, Iranian media clarified what it was stating that it was just a movie prop. In the continuing face of the ongoing negotiation over Iran’s contentious nuclear program, allegations that have long been running under have come into the limelight. The allegations are that Iran is a major player in the acts of terrorism targeting Western nations. However, analysts say that it has never gotten much of the U.S. government’s attention at all. The issue is quite intriguing as the two, Iran and terrorists are deemed enemies, but on the other hand, in the eyes of the West, terrorism provides a platform for the two to work in association. These allegations have been put forward by the 9/11 investigating commission, Canadian investigators with the commission recommending that the U.S. government investigates further the ties between Iran and al –Qaida and the investigators alleging that two men involved with plans to derail a train had been receiving guidance for al – Qaida members in Iran. All these have been allegations. However, the only U. S. government to present a concrete case linking Iran to terrorism is the Treasury Department that connected an Iran – based terrorist as a main al – Qaida facilitator (Seldin, Iran’s Ties To Terror Shadow Nuclear Talks). As for the manner in which Western media views Iran, Iran is portrayed in a negative manner. CNN claimed that the mock carrier been built Iran is been done intentionally at a time when negotiations are ongoing over

The Tempest and William Shakespeare Essay Example for Free

The Tempest and William Shakespeare Essay In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and  other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that. In the Tempest, written by William Shakespeare in 1611, Prospero the sorcerer was the Duke of Milan until Antonio usurped his power. Prospero is banished to an isolated island with his daughter Miranda. Here he practiced his sorcery and controlled every aspect of Miranda’s life. Prospero used his sorcery to create a magnificent tempest to bring all his enemies to the island, including Antonio, for revenge. Caliban was a native to the island Prospero lives on. Prospero catches Caliban trying to rape Miranda so he makes him his slave. Prospero makes Caliban carry firewood and other hard labor. Prospero frees Ariel from a tree and then makes him his personal servant. Both of these men are Prospero’s slaves but they are much more than just that.

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Arousal Theories Essay Example for Free

Arousal Theories Essay During the rallies, you could see that their arousal levels were increasing because he kept hitting the shuttle harder and harder each time and because he is in the autonomous stage of learning, as arousal levels increased, so did their performance as they won most rallies. Theory: Drive theory – this theory states that as arousal levels increase, so does performance/dominant response. With cognitive learners, their dominant response is usually incorrect, so low arousal levels work best as their dominant response is decreased. With athletes in the autonomous stage, their dominant response is usually correct, so high arousal levels work best as their performance increases. Inverted U theory At low levels of arousal, performance will be below par, the athlete is not psyched up. As arousal increases so does performance, up to an optimal point. After this point, further increases in arousal lead to declines in performance. Each athlete has their own optimal level of arousal. Optimal arousal is higher for more simple tasks and lower for more complex tasks. An increase in arousal causes improvement in performance up to an optimal point (moderate arousal level). After this point, increased arousal leads to deteriorated performance. Catastrophe theory – like the inverted U theory, catastrophe theory claims that as somatic arousal increases then the quality of performance improves. Performance will reach maximum potential at the optimum level only if cognitive arousal anxiety is kept low. If high cognitive anxiety coincides with high somatic arousal the athlete will go beyond the optimum level of arousal and is thought to have gone over the edge, where performance drops shown by a vertical line on the graph. After this, the performer can rejoin the upward curve of arousal and gain the optimal threshold again, to do this they have to lower cognitive anxiety.

British Muslims: Mental Health Stigma and Counselling

British Muslims: Mental Health Stigma and Counselling Explore mental health stigma and perception of counselling amongst British Muslims. Introduction: Mental health stigma is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed especially amongst minority groups. Statistics show that one in four people will experience a mental health problem in the course of a year (mental health foundation 2015). The government has initiated to tackle mental health stigma that prevents people from accessing psychological services (Burstow 2011).Over the past decade the Muslim community has been portrayed negatively especially through the media, and this has had a profound affect on Muslims mental health. The purpose of this research is to explore mental health stigma and perception of counselling amongst Muslims in the UK, My interest in this research emerged from my own personal experience of living in a Muslim family where mental health is seen as an alien concept and counselling is seen waste of time. After experiencing a close family member suffering from depression and when given the choice of counselling chose to decline this, as they would rather ta ke medication then be labelled as crazy. A growing population of 2.7 million Muslims in the UK (Census 2011) I feel that it is imperative to explore what types of mental health stigma exists in the Muslim community and their views on counselling in order to address them. Search strategy To search for articles I used SOLAR, selecting databases, which included Academic Search Premier, CINAHL and MEDLINE (Ovid). I did this so that the article that filtered through were relating to counselling, psychology, psychotherapy and mental health. The key terms that I used firstly was counselling, and this was grouped into four subgroups using the OR which contained counseling, OR psychotherapy, OR therapy, OR psychological services. This brought up a result of 874.207, which was a very large result, but I felt this was needed to be done as counselling maybe worded different in research articles. I used key terms such as mental health, stigma, Muslims and perception all with sub groups (see appendix 1) Finally, I joined all the key terms and sub groups together using AND which brought the number of articles generated down to 604. I mixed some of the sub groups together to find variety of results because when I added all 6 categories together my results became very limited so therefore to broadened my research I took out two categories and I felt this gave me access to variety of research articles. Limitations also included all my articles needed to be peer reviewed, this was to ensure standard and quality of the articles were examined by other people in the same field to ensure the publication has a meets certain level of excellence. I also limited the publication dates from 2005 up to 2014 to generate current articles I found that lots of articles that had very close link to my question had to be excluded due to the publication date being before 2005. This process finally reduced the articles to 91 from which four articles were selected (see appendix two). I found some articles th at related directly to my question but were mostly conducted outside the UK so only one article was selected because it felt necessary to look at research done in the UK considering my title involved British Muslims. The article selected from the USA was chosen because there did not seem to be any research conducted in the UK therefore was a gap to explore. In relation to my question I felt my 5th article Rethink (2007), Our voice : The Pakistani communities view on mental health and mental services in Birmingham, was very relevant to utilize in my review as it provided an insight to what I was searching for. However the only down side to finding this articles was that it was not found using the above research strategy, as I read a mention of this study through another article and I could not find it on EBSCO, therefore I used Google to find it. Summery The articles will be judged the on the methodology used to conduct the research and focus on the findings relating to perception of counselling and mental health stigma. A study conducted by Weatherhead and Daiches (2010) looked at Muslims view on mental health and psychotherapy. The aim of the research was to look at the Muslim populations perception of mental health and their understanding of how mental distress experienced by an individual can be addressed. This was a qualitative study where 14 Muslim participants were interviewed using semi structured interviews and data was analysed thematically. Lancaster Institute of Health Research ethics committee ethically approved this study. There were seven women and seven male aged between 28-77 who were recruited through local Muslim organisations and electronic mailing. One of the main benefits of this study was that it provided a good insight to Muslims understanding on mental health by using open questions allowing the participants to express their views on mental health in-depth. The finding that related to my question was that there was a fear of stereotyping, feeling stigmatised, embarrassed and ashamed, they found that mental distress was a punishment from god, cause of witchcraft/jinn and drug taking. Participants there was no need for a therapist as you could talk to your family or friends. Mental illness was seen as a test from Allah and it was managed through praying to god and if you had a strong faith then therapy was not needed. For a question, looking at Muslim populations views the sample was very small even though it provided rich data it was limited as it was not enough to represent Muslim populations view. The sample also included two students and two staff members and a couple who were interviewed together, this makes the sample less representative and biased. Data check would have been useful as both researchers were non- Muslims therefore this may have had an affect on how they interpreted the Reponses and by data checking they could have validated their findings. The researchers recommendation for further research was a very useful, as by exploring the views of Muslims who have accessed mental health services would have gave the study a bigger picture, as the focus on therapeutic help was neglected in the study as only three participants had a view on this. Another similar study conducted by Rethink (2007) Our Voice: the Pakistani communitys view on mental health and mental health services in Birmingham commissioned by UCLAN (University of Central Lancashire) and CSIP (Care Services Improvement Partnership). This aim was to investigate the view of the Pakistani communities on mental health issues and how they would want support in regards to their mental health needs. This study was a qualitative study conducted by 11 community researchers who conducted focus groups and interviews with a very large sample of 152 service users, this study utilized quantitative approach by distributing 30 postal surveys to mental health service providers in Birmingham and receiving seven responses. Rethinks research department and UCLAN ethically approved the study. This study found similar findings to Weatherhead and Daiches (2010) they found that 83% wanted to keep any mental health illnesses a secret, and 76% were ashamed of it, 58% fear of stigma. They also found religious beliefs affected their perception on mental health as they felt it was caused by jinns, voices from god and found that culture and language barriers can get in the way people from accessing mental health services. One of the benefits to this study compared to above is that this study was conduced in different languages so therefore this was accessible to people who could not participate because of language barrier. Another benefit of this study compared to the Weatherhead and Daiches (2010) study was the sample size as they had a larger sample 152 compared to 14 participants in Weatherhead Daiches (2010) study. However, Rethink (2007) even with a big sample it could be argued that it was a limited study which only focused on Pakistani Muslims in Birmingham whereas Weatherhead and Daiches (2010) study had a small sample of participants but from different nationalities . However, both studies failed to consider demographic area such as different ethnicities and different locations that could have provided a more in-depth representation of British Muslims perception. The one of the recommendations from the study that stood out and was missed in the first study was the suggestion of working closely with religious leaders such as imams, it felt in both studies religious influence was a huge factor yet both studies failed to get the perception of imams on mental health. It was also relevant to my research as this project highlighted the mental health stigma issues that are current in the Pakistani Muslim community in Britain however, I felt that no emphasis was given on perception of counselling and I feel this was a gap in the research. Another similar study to Rethink (2007) was a study conducted by Shoaib and Peel (2006) which looks at Kashmiri womens perception of their emotional and psychological needs, and access to counselling. This like Rethink (2007) study used both qualitative and quantitative method to analyse data, the sample was of 45 Kashmiri women aged between 18- 45 living in Oldham, from whom 19 were born in the UK. A questionnaire was administrated and data was collected in an interview by a researcher that was also Kashmiri and spoke the same language as the participants, this was one of the strength of the study as this eliminated language barriers. This study explored six areas in 21 questions: understanding of mental illness, issues that cause distress, coping mechanism, awareness of support, expression and description of feeling (Shoaib and Peel, (2006). The reason this article was selected because the 6th area looked at perceptions and understanding of counselling that was relevant to my quest ion. The findings were very similar to the above studies, the study found that women feared of shame (izzat) affecting their family and being stigmatised. It was found that talking to a specialist was an option but fears of confidentiality breaking, lack of cultural awareness from the professional and that it will not improve the situation was a barrier therefore they referred to their faith for healing. This study like the other two provided a good insight to views of mental health stigma but also provided a glimpse into the perceptions of counselling which the other two studies failed to do. There are few limitations, the potential source of bias would be the use of the snowball method in recruiting 35 participants, who were recommended through previous interviewees, and therefore there is a possibility that subjects shared the same traits and character. Another limitation is the research may be flawed by the inexperience of the researcher who at the time of the research worked as a welfare officer. Changes need to be made to the recruitment process in order to get a more representative sample. Two others studies which explored factors influencing attitudes towards seeking help within the mental health services where reviewed. The first study I looked at was by Soorkia et al (2011) which explored Factors influencing attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help among South Asian students in Britain. This study looked at the link attitudes towards psychological help seeking, following cultural values, salience of ethnic identity and cultural mistrust (Soorkia et al, 2011) .this study was relevant because it looked at attitudes towards seeking help and this relates to my question of perception of counseling and mental health stigma. A quantitative approach utilized where 148 participants completed a survey of which 81 were women and 67 men all participants were British. The sample covered Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi and 30% were other. Participants were recruited though public spaces directly and sign up sheets were posted in campuses in different locations. Qu estionnaires where given out on paper and participants returned the questionnaire in a sealed envelope to researcher (Soorkia et al, 2011). Priory power analysis, SPSS and ANOVAs was used for statistical analysis, as these were the most affective to see the difference between gender, ethnicity and also to compare similarities (Soorkia et al, 2011). It was found that the ethnic minorities had a negative attitude towards seeking psychological health, and factors such as cultural values and mistrust as this was related to stigma and shame associated mental illnesses. it found that people that were mistrustful of whites held a greater negative attitudes to help seeking. Asian values played a significant part in peoples attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help (ATSPPH), (Soorkia et al, 2011). The more significant the values were the more it played a negative part in ATSPPH. The study also found that women were more open to getting help than men and this maybe due masculinity being dominant there negatively affecting the way men see health related issues. It seems that this could be explored in more depth to see what the underlying issues are that prevent men in seeking help compared to women. However the limitation to the comparison between genders was that this could not be representative as there was not an equal number between both genders. Sample size was small therefore, it did not represent south Asian students across the country. It feels that even though participants religion was noted that the study failed to explore if religion played a part in help seeking. It seemed like the study could have looked at what the cultural factors were or the Asian values in order to understand the barriers to combat. It seems like this study was s stepping stone to see what the factors where but a qualitative approach will give this study more depth. The second study I looked at was very similar to the first study and it was by Hamid, Furnham (2013) which looked Factors affecting attitude towards seeking professional help for mental illness: a UK Arab perspective. This research like the above was also quantitative where online questionnaires were used; the sample size was 204 participants from which 104 were British Caucasians and 100 Arab. This study looked at various factors affecting attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help (ATSPPH). Some of the hypothesis was that Arabs compared to Caucasians will be less positive to ATSPPH and arabs sample will have higher score in supernatural causes, shame focused attitudes will be significant predictors of ATSPPH , females more positive than males in ATSPPH and Muslims will have less positive than other religion (Hamid, , Furnham 2013). To analyze the data a discriminative analysis was utilized with ethnicity being the dependant variable between British Caucasian and Arabs, using discriminative analysis was a benefit as it reduced mistake rates (Falkenberg, 2005). To examine differences between British Caucasians and Arabs same as the previous study ANOVA was used( Hamid, , Furnham 2013). The study found that Arabs were less positive to ATSPPH than British Caucasian as the study predict ed , it was also found that age, level of education and experience of metal played a positive role to ATSPPH (Hamid, Furnham 2013) . It also found that Arabs had strongest supernatural casual beliefs about mental illness than British Caucasians. Unlike the above study this research found that gender was not a significant predictor, however it was similar to the other study in the sense that there was also not an equal number of males and females as in this study 69% were females. Shame was not seen as a significant predictor to ATSPPH that is opposite to the finding in the above studies. This maybe connected to the fact that Arab participants had migrated to uk and therefore far from family so they did not have to protect their honour or family (Hamid, Furnham 2013). One of the limitations to this study was that the questionnaire was done in English and therefore only targeted an audie nce where participants had some form of education, therefore it does not represent the Arab community who do not speak or understand English making it bias and limiting its response rate. I then looked at a quantitative study by Pilkington et al (2010) which explore factors affecting intention to access psychological services amongst British Muslims of south Asian origin. Second study by Ali et al (2005) looking at the Imams role in meeting the counselling needs of Muslim communities in the United States. Both studies used self-report questionnaires. The study by Pilkington et al (2010) Hypothesised that the level of shame/izzat related with mental health would predict the intention to access psychological services, the barrier was already identified compared to the above studies. This study was relevant because it looked at British Muslims, which relates to my area of proposed research and explored mental health and barriers that related to stigma. The Identified factors that may affect intention to access psychological services were; religious beliefs, biological /social environment beliefs about mental health problems, the causes and shame/izzat. Another large sample of 94 participants recruited through seven Islamic communities centres. A self-report questionnaire was developed using measures that were already tested making this a strength as it was easy to correlate the findings and therefore strong statistic were produced. Psychological openness and help seeking prosperity was measured using Inventory of attitudes towards s eeking mental health services (IASMHS: Mackenzie et al 2004). Shame/izzat on intention influencing the access of psychological services was measured using the Attitudes Toward Mental Health Scale (ATMHP; Gilbert et al 2007). The study found that the higher level of shame/izzat experienced the less likely psychological service was accessed. The study like the other studies above found views were influenced by religious beliefs, mental illness was a punishment from god, shame to the individual and the family and less knowledge about mental illness because of lack of education(Pilkington et al, 2010). The limitation to this study was that there might have been a bias to the recruitment process, as the questionnaires designed was for people of higher education level therefore resulting in a low response (Pilkington et al 2010). Another limitation was that participants were recruited through Islamic communitys centres, therefore they may have been more religiously inclined then others who are Muslims but not as religious, this limits the experiences and results. I feel this was gap to where the level of religious commitment could have been measured to get effective results. I then looked at two studies that focused on the role of imams in regards to mental health. The first study by Ali et al (2005) explores what the role of imams and Islamic clergy is in meeting counselling needs, the reason I chose this was because I found that all the studies that I have reviewed failed to consider the views of Islamic clergy on mental health and counselling and how they support the Muslim community. A questionnaire was mailed to 730 mosques around USA however; the response rate was low as only 8% responses received. Data was analysis measured by Likert scale, demographic areas were considered such as ethinicty, age and region, and consent was gained. This study found that imams played a key role in supporting the Muslim community with mental health issues relating to stress, discrimination, anxiety and financial problems. It also found that imam has had little or none training in counselling to help people who came to them for mental health problems. The limitation to this study like the above study is that the questionnaire was in English and not all participants or imams are literate in English, therefore weakening the study. I found the recommendation from the researchers is valid that a further research is needed to explore the role of imams in assisting with mental health issues. The second study by Abu-Ras et al (2008) explored The Imams Role in Mental Health Promotion: A Study at 22 Mosques in New York Citys Muslim Community. the reason this study was chosen because this provided an insight to not only the imams role but also what the worshippers attitude towards mental health services before 9/11 and after 9/11 (Abu-Ras et al 2008). A survey of 22 imams and 102 worshippers from 22 mosques in New York city was conducted, researchers chose a face-to-face interview method with mostly close ended questions. The questionnaire for the imams explored what type of issues worshippers came with for guidance, and what method were used to assist worshippers resolve their issues. The questionnaires for worshipers looked at the role of the imam perceived by worshippers, types of counselling sought at mosque, if the imam was effectively addressing their issues. It also asked the affects of 9/11 to their personal lives and finally worshippers perception on attitudes towards western psychology, mental health and if they have any experience with the mental care system (Abu-Ras et al, 2008). For analysis, Univariate and bivariate analyses were used for descriptive statistics for both imams and worshippers. The t test and chi-square tests were applied to discover any large differences between gender, age, time in education, income, immigration status, marital status, and language skills (Abu-Ras et al, 2008). The study found that imams are usually the primary and sometimes the only contact for help with mental health issues. It was also found that the imams were foreign born and English was not their first language and they struggled with their English and No training was provided and they had little knowledge on mental health issues, which then prevented them from referring worshippers to mental health services (Abu-Ras et al, 2008). This was very similar to the finding of the above study were the imams had the same issues of language barrier and little or no knowledge on mental health. The study also found that 9/11 had a negative affect on worshippers lives this included their self as well their families. It also found that 84% of worshippers believed that people with mental illness were possessed by the devil and 95% believed that this was test from their faith (Abu-Ras et al, 2008). The limitation to this study was that data was only limited to New York so it did not represent other Muslims in the USA, same as the above study the questionnaire was conducted in English, and imams had difficulty with English so it brings up the issues of reliability . The benefit of this study was that it found that imams do play a vital role within the Muslim community in New York especially when it came to personal and mental health issues and that they were also welcomed support and training in regards to mental health. The researchers recommendation was very prompt that the mental health services need to do more to integrate within the Muslim community especially by providing support and training to imams because this research has shown that imams play a huge role in providing support. Conclusion It was found from the literature review that mental health stigma is very much alive in the Muslim community, in the form of misconceptions around the causes of mental illness, fear of being labelled and stigmatised, religious and cultural views influencing views on mental health e.g. punishment from god for committing a sin. The majority of the Muslim community would rather keep mental illness quite because of the fear shame, some seen mental illness caused by drug abuse or caused by witchcraft. In relation to my proposed question I found that there were number of gaps that were found that I could use in my research firstly their was a common theme of religion being a major factor in influencing views on mental health. However not one paper focused on measuring religiosity and its impacts on individuals perception, they focused more on ethnic backgrounds such as south Asian origins which is not religion. Findings showed Muslim community turned to religious leaders for support, yet no papers in the UK explored the role of Islamic clergy on mental health and their views on counselling. I feel this could provide a clear picture around what support is available and how much experience the imams have in supporting the Muslim community. I found that Papers do not specifically address the issue of counselling, I felt that this could have been explored in more depth also one of the recommendations was to look at participants that have accessed counselling and explore their perception on stigma and therapy which I found useful for my research. I feel that for the question I have proposed qualitative methodology would be more appropriate as it provides rich data and allows participants to expand on their responses. I also found that demographic factors need to be taken into consideration, such as age, gender and location, and to look at factor such as sample size and recruitment process. Word count: 2745 References Ali, O. M., Milstein, G., Marzuk, P. (2005). The Imams role in meeting the counselling needs of Muslim communities in the United States. Psychiatric Services, (2), 202-205. Burstow, P. (2011). Â £20 million to knock down mental health stigma, retrived from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/20-million-to-knock-down-mental-health-stigma Census, (2011) retrieved 19 January, 2015, from: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/rpt-religion.html Mental health foundation, (2015), retrieved 19 january, 2015, from http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-statistics/ Pilkington, A.,Msetfi,R,.M,.Watson,R. (2012). Factors affecting intention to access psychological services amongst British Muslims of South Asian origin. Mental Health, Religion Culture, (1), 1-22. doi: 10.1080/13674676.2010.545947 Rethink (2007), Our voice: The Pakistani communitys view of mental health and mental health services in Birmingham. London: Islamic Human Rights Commission. ) Retrieved 29 December, 2014 from: http://www.rethink.org/media/853081/our%20voice.pdf Shoaib, K.,Peel, J. (2003). Kashmiri womens perceptions of their emotional and psychological needs, and access to counselling. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, (2), 87-94. DOI: 10.1080/14733140312331384442 Weatherhead, S., Daiches, A. (2010). Muslim views on mental health and psychotherapy. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, (1), 75-89. http://people.eku.edu/falkenbergs/psy862/notes%20on%20discriminant%20analysis.html 2005 Steve Falkenberg Abu-Ras, Wahiba, Gheith, Ali and Cournos, Francine(2008)The Imams Role in Mental Health Promotion: A Study at 22 Mosques in New York Citys Muslim Community,Journal of Muslim Mental Health,3:2,155 176 Appendix 1 The next key term was mental health using two sub group using OR was Mental illness and mental health services, this generated 525,281 results. Another key term was stigma and the sub groups using OR was attitudes, stereotypes, prejudices and shame. The next key term I felt was important to my research was Muslims I tried this on its own but then realised that there can be other terms used in researches referring to Muslims and I used three sub groups which were Islam, ethnic minority, south Asian and this generated 89,716 results. Another key term was perception and I used three key terms view, understanding and intention and this generated 2,456,725 results which was huge but I felt that this was necessary as this bought my question together. my last key term that I used was Britain and I used two sub groups British and UK, this was to focus on the researched done on the British population as I felt it related to my question more. Appendix 2 Examples of articles found