PEST Analysis of the External Environment Essay

The paper provides an analysis of the Case Study for Westjet Airlines, Canada. The case is taken from the work done by Peter Yannoupoulus (pg 376-380) Problem Statement The following problem statements are proposed: 1. Westjet Airlines total debt is higher relative to its shareholder equity a measure that may call for external financing. The company needs a strategy to ensure its self-sufficiency. 2. Westjet has many competitors and has to come up with strategies to ensure it remains in the market and makes profits. The major questions that management of Westjet have to deal with is whether to maintain its status quo of offering low cost and low fare, whether to venture more in the third party charter segment or whether to be involved in the Trans borders segment. The management has to decide the best strategy it will use to achieve its expansion plan and decision must be made urgently. PEST Analysis of the External Environment Political/ Legal After the 9/11 attack operating in the small markets has become uneconomical due to increased costs. Legal measures by the government translated to higher costs to airlines, which were transferred to consumers. Non-profit airport authorities have also led to the increased prices that act as a disincentive to air transportation. Most customers are price sensitive and care must be taken to maintain its competitiveness. Westjet incurred added costs by providing amenities to its customers like leather seats, snacks leg rooms and television. Economic It offers quality services, empowers its employees and shares profits. This way it maintains its competitiveness. Having good relationships with employees creates good relationships with customers. Employees can make decisions and solve customer problems without the unnecessary delay of contracting the management. Employees are made to feel as if they are part of the company. By offering quality services and on job training it improves its highly motivated employees skills. It employs qualified people who also have a right attitude. Employees are motivated by the profit sharing where they get additional money from what the company makes. Through its employees share purchase plan, it encourages its employees to invest in the company’s stock. Pricing Its fares are 55% lower than air Canada fares. It offers services at a low cost so as to increase the traffic flow. It attracts passengers who would prefer other means of transport as well as those without the traveling idea but attracted by the prices. Westjet intends to expand its scope to serve the central and eastern Canada. By early 2004, it was serving 24 Canadian cities. (P. 376) Environment/ Technological In increasing its efficiency Westjet may be obliged to incur high costs but the benefits are worth it. For instance the installation of winglets that cost $ 635,000 per plane would result to $ 112,500 savings p. a per plane. (p. 379) Social and Cultural Westjet airlines provide passenger, cargo and third party charter services to Canada’s domestic market. It started its operations in 1996 with 3 aircrafts and 220 employees by 2003. It has expanded and now employs 3610 employees and 14 aircrafts. It has entered an agreement with Air transit, the leading Canadian charter airline and it rent its airplanes during off-peak seasons like in winter months. It also did its maintenance and rented some of its simulators. Competition Air Canada, the largest competitor has more resources and a higher command in the market. It accessed over 90% of Canadian airline industry, US trans border and international markets. It makes counter decisions to be at better grounds than Westjet. Other low fare competitors include Cantet, HMY airways, Zoom airlines, Tango, and Jazz and Zip air. Decisions Alternative and Solutions Alternative -1 Tran border expansion Westjet may decide to expand in Tran border operations. Venturing into this area calls for increased cost in increasing aircrafts. Tough competition from subsidiary airlines of stronger airline could threaten its low fare strategy. There is very high competition in the trans-boarder market as it includes both the Canadian as well as the US airlines. Replacing the older aircrafts would also be essential to pave way for efficient aircrafts to travel non-stop across cities in Canada as well as across the borders. Alternative -2 Offer low cost and low fare and increase Canada market Westjet can maintain its status quo. It can strengthen or empower its employees results to increase their satisfaction that is further projected to the customers. Its small size will ensures low cost structure and fewer employees. Operating in the profitable routes makes it more efficient than large airlines. It must also ensure that it offers convenient schedules. It can increase or maintain these profits by increasing its scope. Westjet can advertise its services extensively through it the advertising and new media division in its sales and marketing. Advertisements can be through magazines, outdoors advertising, radio, television, and transit messaging and web advertisement. (P. 378). It can also increase offers to act as incentives like random promotion for instance, the prime ministers day special. Westjet offers tickets less reservation system through Internet bookings that are very convenient and effective to consumers. It also eliminated unnecessary costs that go with printing distribution and tracking of tickets Alternative -3 Venture more in charter segment. Westjet can opt to expand in the third party sector or the charter services. It is appropriate as the unutilized aircrafts can be utilized during winter. It can team up with established charter flight businesses. Most Favored Alternative The strategy that best suffice Westjet expansion is to expand its operation in Canada. Westjet has only exploited 10% of its potential market share and therefore has more potential to expand. (p. 375). It can increase the number of flights made and venture into areas that have not been exploited. Profits and ROI In 2001 Westjet had $ 478 million profits that rose to $ 680 million in 2002. It can continue with this trend if it exploits the unexploited 90% of its potential. (P. 380) References: Peter Yannoupoulus. West Jet Airlines Case 4 pg 376-380

Financial Crisis: Beyond the 1929-2008 comparison Essay

There has been major economic and financial crisis that have afflicted the world economy since 1929. It all started with â€Å"a great depression† in 1929 that lasted for about 10 years and then some of the other major crisis followed it, the next one being the oil crisis in 1973 then the Latin American debt crisis in 1980’s, in 1990’s the collapse of the Japanese asset price bubble and then in 1997 the Asian financial crisis and then in 2007 United states’ subprime mortgage crisis leading to a Global financial Crisis (Wikipedia: 1973 Oil Crisis, 2010). But there has been certain strategy of the corporate sector that distinguishes the crisis and its impact whenever it took place, as during the times of crisis the steps taken by the people who are economically and financially linked either directly or indirectly becomes very important due to the criticality of the situation and a particular step could make or break for the companies and economy as a whole. Getting over to the 1929 â€Å"The Great depression† that is considered to be a ravaging stock market crash in the history of United States of America that initially occurred because of the over-optimism of economists who believed that the stock prices are invulnerably high which they actually were in early 1920’s but soon those believes and certain predictions proved to be wrong when the stock market collapsed badly in October 1929 and remained broken-down for the next decade (Wikipedia: Wall Street Crash of 1929, 2010). People who borrowed money to buy the number of stocks relying on to the predictions of the economists were helpless with the situation, some people sold in a loss rite away but some kept it with them in a desire to make them even but had to wait for it for most of their life. The economy of U. S fell to its all time low in 1933 with industrial output being only 65% of the previous level. It not only affected U. S but all the countries worldwide as with some examples being Germany, Australia and Canada where the unemployment rates reached nearly 30% (Xinhua News Agency, 2009). The depression that began in United States but quickly transformed into a worldwide slump because of the underlying weaknesses and imbalances within the U. S economy that was previously vague by the Booming economy psychology and the blues of 1920s. The depression unveiled those weaknesses as it did the capabilities if the nation’s political and financial institutions to cope with the massive downward economic cycle that was set in 1930. As it was a depression never sighted by the countries, government took a very little or no action in times of economic downturn and relied heavily on an automatic market forces (Demand and Supply) to accomplish the economic correction. But those forces were unsuccessful in getting the desired recovery during the initial stages of the Great Depression and this badly hit discovery gradually inspired some of the fundamental changes in U. S economic structure and soon government came up with interfering in the form of taxations, public relations, industrial ordinance, insurance, welfare services and certain spending from them confirmed economic stability in the industries with free Market economies. The second biggest recession came in 1973, when Arab countries imposed embargo on the exports of oil and petroleum in retaliation to the U. S decision to re-supply the Israeli military. As Arab countries announced during the Yom Kippur war, the countries that supported Israelis in the conflict. Hence, the long lasting capabilities of embargo related to massive oil prices, disrupted oil supply and recession and with persistent increase in the need for crude oil and petroleum for the industries lead U. S and other European countries made it tough for the industrial sector there to grow and not only that Arab Oil suppliers got united with others to boost up the prices of Oil and crisis further exacerbated that limited the price of an old oil with that allowing newly extracted oil being sold at a higher price, resulting in a secession of an old oil from the market, creating artificial shortage. As with this the 1973 oil inducted the worst ever economic crisis since World War II in key Industrial states, resulting in a deadline of more than 14 per cent industrial output in the U. S and more than 20 per cent in Japan. As a striking inflation was experienced during that period and this massive increase in prices were to be blamed for being suppressive of economic activity. The infected countries responded with a variety of new and probably taking a permanent initiative to contain further dependency. As the oil price stunned the economy by further leading to a stock market crash in 1973-1974. The impact followed several years of steep income declines after the recent failure of pulling off the major Western oil companies. The third real crisis situation occurred that was in 1980’s that were the Latin American Debt crisis. It all started when the Latin American countries started borrowing huge sums of foreign cash to develop the domestic industries during 1960’s. The Latin American region that includes people speaking Roman languages and specifically Spanish, Portuguese and French termed as Latin (Romance languages). The foreign debts for the Latin Americans exceeded USD 300 billion (Xinhua News Agency, 2009) in the early 1980s. In 1982 Mexico revealed it incapability of repaying the debts that triggered a world Shaking debt crisis. Mexicans requested a 90 day rollover of the payments of the principal in order to restructure the financial packages. Unfortunately that problem aroused all other Latin American countries and some other debtor countries in all parts of the world. The Mexican impact was far reaching as it created an atmosphere that caused to issue dreadful forecasts by the people that were thankfully never realized. Most of the observers believe that the petrodollar recycling during 1970s gave birth to this debt crisis. As during that period the oil prices grew dramatically. Commercial banks were as well eager of making profitable loans to the governments and state-owned entities in developing countries, using dollars that were flown from the Middle Eastern countries and because of that the Latin America also got keen of borrowing the relatively cheap money from the banks (Ruggiero, 1999). During the crisis, GDP per capita of Latin American countries dropped by 10 percent (Xinhua News Agency, 2009). The adjustable interest rates interest loans sky rocketed in the early 1980s when the United States attempted to minimize inflation by enforcing rigorous monetary policies where, at the same time, it also increased its military spending. The administration of Reagan during that time in U. S did all this while shortening their Income tax rates. The raw material prices fell drastically around the Globe, which resulted poor countries with lesser money even to re pay their debts. Brazil and Mexico for example closely defaulted on their loans, and according to an International Law, there was no other option for these poor countries but to declare bankruptcy. Though commercial banks in that situation came to the rescue and prevented its defaults. Although many developing countries were left in huge debts and as a result they could no longer get loans. With no real way out, these nations have always relied heavily on the World Bank and/or International Monetary Fund (Ruggiero, 1999). The next real collapse of the Japanese Asset Price bubble was an economic bubble in Japan that took place from late 1980’s to early 1990s when the Japanese real estate and stock prices experienced a ruinous crash in 1990 after years of Inflation. During that time Japan suffered inveterate deflation and economic recession due to its asset devaluation and in the middle of 1990’s the country’s economy entered into a phase where there was a Zero growth (Xinhua News Agency, 2009). Since late 1980s the Japan’s experience shows the emergence and bursting of the bubble that played an important role in economic fluctuations throughout that period. The experience that was observed to have given the indication of a close relations in both financial and macroeconomic instability to large fluctuations in assets prices and raising the question of what has to be an appropriate way of treating asset prices in macroeconomic policy making. It has to be noted that Japan’s experience is the enthusiasm of market participants and together with inconsistent projection of fundamentals that contributed to a large degree to maintaining temporarily high asset prices during that time. Such enthusiasm is often quoted Euphoria that is being excessively optimistic but un-getable expectations for the long term economic performance being lasted for many years before dissipating. The escalated bullish expectations clearly observed in an increased equity yield during the period from the late 1980’s to the early 1990s. As the growth rate of nominal GDP was computed from the equity yield spread in 1990 as high as 8 per cent with the standard assumption that was based on the discount factor. Although the view of low inflation at the time, it was unlikely that the potential growth rate of nominal GDP was close to 8 per cent. Hence that would be more natural to infer the high level of the yield spread in 1990 reflecting the intensification of optimistic expectations, which were not sustainable in the Long run (Shiratsuka, 2005). In the late 1990’s that is in 1997 the Asian financial crisis emerged against the backdrop of U. S dollar appreciation where the exports of many Asian countries whose currencies were nailed down to the dollar and became less competitive. In July, a widespread devaluation of Asian currencies followed Thailand’s decision to float their currency â€Å"Baht†, hence, marking the outbreak of the Asian financial crisis. Indonesia on the other hand with Thailand as well as South Korea was most affected by the crisis. Indonesia’s GDP shrank with a massive 83. 4 per cent followed by Thailand and South Korea’s 40. 4 per cent and 34. 2 per cent respectively the time of crisis (Xinhua News Agency, 2009). The scope and the severity of the collapse were so massive that the outside intervention became somewhat mandatory as considered by many as a new kind of colonialism needed urgently. Since the countries that were sighting a huge downfall were not only the richest in their region but in the world since hundreds of billions of dollars were at stake and any response to the crisis had to be cooperative and international, in the desired case it was International Monetary Fund (IMF). They created rescue packages i. e. the series of bailouts for the most affected economies enabling those affected to avoid defaults that tied the packages to reforms that were intended to make the restored Asian currency with banking and financial systems. In some of the affected countries, restrictions on foreign ownership were greatly reduced and there were sufficient government controls set up to supervise all financial activities and ones they were to be independent and of private interest and the insolvent institutions had to be closed down in order to avoid insolvency affecting other institutions. The financial systems had to become more transparent to provide the kind of reliable financial information used in the West to make sound financial decisions. Somehow the strategy of IMF was opposed and came under great criticism because as countries fell into crisis, many local businesses and governments had taken out loans in terms of U. S dollars that made the currency much more expensive as compared to the local currencies which formed their income actually found unable to pay back to their creditors (Wikipedia: 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, 2010). IN 2007 the U. S subprime mortgage crises lead to another monumental crisis situation that has hurt globally and has forced many businesses to shut down. The crisis broke out in the summer of 2007 in the U. S and its root being mortgages that were made to the borrowers with less ability to repay the loans. The largely invested in products related to subprime mortgages and the tightening of credits around the world. It all started with the bankruptcy of one of the top banks in the world â€Å"Lehman Brothers† and Merrill Lynch’s buyouts in 2008 that caused a major slow down in the global economic growth with contraction in global trade and an astonishing rise in the level of unemployed workforce. Deep recession that emerged in Japan and some other countries that were on the verge of improving their economy somehow got dented with the current crisis (Xinhua News Agency, 2009). The crisis that is named â€Å"the Great Recession† that resulted in the collapse of large financial institutions plus the bailouts of banks by national governments and penultimate downturns in stock markets around the world. The housing market in many countries also suffered, resulting in numerous dispossessions, foreclosures and prolonged vacancies as being considered the worst ever crisis situation since the Great depression in 1930s. It massively contributed to the failure of key businesses, declines in consumer wealth that is estimated to be in the trillions of U. S dollars with substantial financial commitments incurred by the governments, and a significant decline in the economic activities. The market based and regulatory solutions have been implemented or are under consideration, while significant risks remain for the world economy over the periods from 2008. The collapse of in the housing bubble that peaked in U. S in 2006, affected the securities tied to real estate pricing to plumb thereafter, damaging financial institutions in all around the world. The bank insolvencies declined credit availability and damaged investor’s confidence and gradually had its impact on the stock markets, where securities suffered huge losses during late 2008. Critics argued though that credit rating agencies and investors were not successful in pricing the risks involved with mortgage related financial products, and that governments did not adjust their regulatory practices to address the 21st Century financial markets. Governments and central banks had responded with unprecedented fiscal stimulus, monetary policy expansion and institutional bailouts (Wikipedia: Financial Crisis of 2007-2010, 2010). The Crisis throughout the Great depression in 1929 to the Great recession in 2008 are focused as have occurred due to different reasons but end of the day had the same impact and that was denting the global markets. But the strategies throughout the crisis had varied by the policy makers, sometimes it has been successful but sometimes as the recession that stands currently prior to the year 2008 in still active and measures are being taken to overcome the problem. Many companies in between had come up with the strategy of mergers and acquisitions in order to save themselves from bankruptcy and over the years it has become successful for some but has also been unsuccessful. It is somehow noticed that the Mergers and Acquisitions have had the bitter part. The history clearly tells that mergers are not ALWAYS successful for the firms. It takes a great deal of experience and courage to settle with the other firm and handle matters on a larger scale but as it is said the risks are sooner or later paid with dividends. The failures of Dunlop and Pirelli Merger that initiated in 1970, the British –Europe conglomeration went sour as the Pirelli sank into the red. Difficulties in European tire operations in France, West Germany and Ireland as well as Britain were somehow balanced for some time by Profits from Africa, Asia, North America and Australia. The two companies merged because of an intense competition in the tire market and an increased demand for the Japan and North American tires made it challenging for the European markets to grow and the only solution was to increase the financial resources and gain recognition through it hence that resulted in a merger of these two firms. But the troubled economic trends of the 70s played a lead role in the failure of the alliance between Pirelli and Dunlop, progressively deteriorating the relationship between top management of the two groups and their mutual confidence and the deeper elements that led to the Union dissolution was an attempt to combine the groups characterized by significant differences in their models of Corporate Governance, as Pirelli was a family business, while Dunlop was a Public company. Pirelli, as well as many other Italian groups, was controlled by means of a pyramidal structure, cross-holdings of shares and agreement between shareholders, a delicate balance which could be compromised by little changes in the share capital distribution or in its total amount. A delicate balance to preserve which Italian top management refused to implement deeper changes in the Union structure that, in the difficult 70s, might have led the group to achieve better performances. In this regard we can find some similarities between the Union history and a subsequent unfortunate international merger attempt: the one between Fiat and Ford in 1985. Notwithstanding the potential synergies of the joint-venture between the two automotive producers this project failed because the two head offices were incapable of achieving an agreement on the crucial issue of â€Å"corporate control†. The IMF and World Banks on the other hand have been actively participating but the crisis as the history shows, in most of the situations are so massive that their efforts are ruined as well. Bibliography Ruggiero, Gregory. (1999). Latin American Debt Crisis: What Where It’s Causes And Is It Over? Available: http://www. angelfire. com/nj/GregoryRuggiero/latinamericancrisis. html. Last accessed 01 May 2010. Shiratsuka, Shigenori. (2005). The asset price bubble in Japan in the 1980s: lessons for financial and macroeconomic stability. Available: http://www. bis. org/publ/bppdf/bispap21e. pdf. Last accessed 01 May 2010. Wikipedia. (2010). Wall Street Crash of 1929. Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Wall_Street_Crash_of_1929. Last accessed 01 May 2010. Wikipedia. (2010). 1973 Oil Crisis. Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/1973_oil_crisis. Last accessed 01 May 2010. Wikipedia. (2010). 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/1997_Asian_Financial_Crisis. Last accessed 01 May 2010. Wikipedia. (2010). Financial Crisis of 2007-2010. Available: http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Financial_crisis_of_2007%E2%80%932010. Last accessed 01 May 2010. Wright, William M. (n. d. ). The Great Depression that Changed Economic Theory. Available: http://windowtowallstreet. com/1929marketcrash. aspx. Last accessed 01 May 2010. Xinhua News Agency. (2009). Backgrounder: Major economic, financial crises since 1929. Available: http://news. xinhuanet. com/english/2009-03/31/content_11107060. htm. Last accessed 01 May 2010.

Motherhood in Sula

Toni Morrison’s Sula revolves around the relationship of her two main characters, Sula and Nel. The childhood friends grow apart with age. Although it is indicated that their friendship is the most important relationship they participate in, they eventually betray each other and lead dishonest lives. Throughout the novel, we see their constantly deteriorating relationship as a result of absence of a family life. Sula is a novel about the influence family may have on the make up of someone’s personality.In particular, the novel examines the effect parents can have on their children and the conscious effort the main characters make to be unlike their mothers. Nel’s maternal grandmother was a prostitute in New Orleans and so her daughter Helene (Nel’s mother) does everything in her power to lead a life that opposes the path her mother took. She holds everyone to the highest standard, sees everyone as the best they can be, and expects everyone else to see her the same way. Those who fall short of these expectations are subject to judgment, in her mind.Helene plays a significant role in the early parts of the novel—she is an important figure in Medallion, described as â€Å"an impressive woman,† who â€Å"won all social battles with presence. † (18) In this first description of Helene, Morrison quickly falls into an epic catalogue, repeating the first words of each short part of a long sentence again and again (â€Å"Helene who†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). This repetition allows the reader to understand the influence Helene has on the town; we see why she is respected. Unlike her mother in everyway, she is well known for the good she has done.She has an esteemed presence. Morrison emphasizes the details of her success to highlight how different she has made her life from her mother’s. There is an episode in the early parts of the novel, however, that keeps everything we learn about Helene in perspective. She is a well-resp ected woman within the Bottom, but on the train trip she takes with Nel, we see that her religious and respectful nature does not protect her from racism. When treated with disrespect by a racist train conductor, Helene smiles â€Å"like a street pup. (21) Her attempt to appease the train conductor confirms his superiority and spurs a sense of anger in the black soldiers that observe the event. This occurrence on the train establishes a sense of place for Morrison’s readers. We see Helene in a new light. She is respected and loved in her town, but to those who do not know her, she is simply a black middle class woman—one of a demographic that in 1920 (and to this day) receives the least respect. After Morrison provides a full understanding of Helene, we meet the woman who has inadvertently shaped her life and clearly, Nel’s mother wants nothing more than to return to the Bottom.Helene plays a minor role in the novel as a whole (she quickly disappears after the beginning). In understanding her character, though, a more complete understanding of Nel can be accomplished. Just like her mother, Nel wishes to be nothing like her mother. Many times during her childhood, we see her attempts to differentiate herself from her mother. Perhaps it is a simple case of the grass is always greener, but Nel’s perception of Sula’s home is indicative of her attempts to become different. Nel loves the unkempt nature of the house.She loves the noise and the people and even the lack of attention that Eva gives to Sula. Although she will grow to live a life that is full of order, as a child, she looks for opportunities to remove herself from that world. Sula is a quintessential example of this escape. She realizes this desire to be different upon her return from the trip. She doesn’t want to be anyone’s child; she develops a sense of â€Å"me-ness,† and likens her mother’s true personality to â€Å"custard pudding,â₠¬  feeble and afraid to challenge societal structure. 29; 28) Most important of all the changes the train trip provides, though, is Nel’s newfound â€Å"strength to cultivate a friend in spite of her mother. † (29) This strength opens the door for Sula to change her life. Nel and Sula’s relationship is a complex one, which allows for the novel to become incredibly in depth and driven by interesting characters. Sula’s relationships with her mother and grandmother are opposite of Nel’s relationship with her mother. This is, perhaps, why their personalities differ so much once they reach adulthood. Both become their mothers.Her mother and grandmother, who obviously favor her brother, essentially ignore Sula. Hannah, her mother, is a very sexual woman who enjoys the company of many men in town to the disapproval of Sula. Because of her mother’s actions, Sula views her with an indifferent and callous sense of hostility. Still, Sula reacts in a n egative way when hears her mother say, â€Å"‘I just don’t like her’† in reference to her daughter. (57) The difference between loving someone and liking someone is made clear here. It develops the idea of a mother’s ambivalent love.When a child is aggravating, it can be frustrating to love them. But for Hannah, she simply does not like the person Sula is becoming. This realization, for Sula, removes her from her childhood. She sees the idea of love in a new light—it can be an overwhelming feeling that commands responsibility and irritation. With this comment, we see Sula as an adult for the first time, exposed to the negative side of human emotion for the first time. Sula’s relationship with her mother comes to a harrowing climax when Hannah is set on flames and Sula stands and watches.She is not shocked, we later learn, but intrigued. This says much about Sula as a person, but it also is interesting concerning her dynamic with her mo ther. She acts as her mother would have in this situation; she is cold and disconnected, and cares little about the person in need. Sula’s reaction to the fire is strikingly similar to the way her mother brought her up. Perhaps all of the disregard Hannah showed towards Sula came back in her death. Sula, with no feeling of love or like for her mother, simply watched her die.Hannah’s words about Sula before she died, that she did not like her, freed Sula, in a way. Because Hannah did not like Sula, Sula felt no need to love Hannah. The connection was lost. Interestingly, at her mother’s death, we see Sula become comparable to her mother for the first time. Sula eventually becomes more and more like her mother, with no emotional connections to anyone. Almost with no regard for the person she cares for most in the world, she sleeps with Nel’s husband. She doesn’t know the real name of the person she participates in her only romantic relationship with. Disconnected and completely unemotional, Sula as the adult she becomes is first seen at her mother’s death. Nel and Sula, much like many people in the world, are defined by their mothers. Any attempt they made throughout the novel to push themselves further from what their mothers were proved futile. Helene’s over-bearing motherhood and incredible need for order resulted in Nel acting out slightly in adolescence but eventually becoming as stable and constant and respectable as her mother.Hannah’s lack of attention towards Sula and constant promiscuity led to Sula acting in the same way, with no love toward the people who cared most about her. Their mothers differ on an incredible number of features and perhaps this is one reason why Nel and Sula’s relationship goes from sister-like to betrayal and hatred. Morrison makes it clear in this novel that we are what our mothers make us, whether we make a conscious effort to do so, like Nel, or if we are so affec ted by the ways in which they act that we simply have no choice but to fall into their past routines, like Sula.

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 40

Economics - Essay Example That makes lending conditions more difficult, especially at smaller banks. The March loan-to-deposit ratio of 83 per cent  for Chinas small and midsize banks was already above the 75 per cent  limit set by the regulator. In aggregate, though, it isnt clear the banks are short of funds to lend. The level of reserves banks hold above the requirement held steady at 2.2 percentage points in March, up from 0.8 points in the middle of 2011. The seven-day interbank lending rate was 3.2 per cent  Friday, down from an average of 4 per cent  in 2011. Both measures suggest that liquidity conditions are improving. With no shortage of funds in the banking system, but new loans low, the obvious conclusion is that it is constrained demand for loans, not a constrained supply of credit, that is the problem. The shrinking share of long-term loans in the total for new lending - down to 28  per cent  in April from an average of 51 per cent  in 2011 - suggests businesses dont see so many opportunities for profitable investment. In the past, demand for loans was always strong. Increasing supply by lowering the reserve-requirement ratio was a sure-fire way to give growth a boost. If demand is now less assured, opening the lending taps may no longer provide a quick

Endemic and epidemic diseases in Third World countries Essay

Endemic and epidemic diseases in Third World countries - Essay Example Large numbers of such diseases are seen in the third world countries today, owing to a lack of proper health and hygiene practice in the ways of living of the people, lack of proper medical services, and also due to poverty. Many diseases that are commonly seen in these countries are air and water borne, like dysentery, malaria, polio, typhoid and cholera. Another disease which is now taking the shape of a great epidemic is the HIV-AIDS, especially in the African belt. Here there have been reportedly more than 2 million deaths in 2000, and now around 70% of all AIDS cases are said to be from Africa. Thus, AIDS has become an epidemic in Africa and is still spreading with women being more affected than men are. As Shanmuganandan tells us, â€Å"It is observed that the epidemiological situation is precarious in some regions of the Third World such as African parts of Caribbean and Latin America. Cases of AIDS have almost doubled in the Asia-Pacific region. Africa is the leading continent...It is also inferred that the regions identified to report with a higher prevalence rate are Brazil, The Bahamas, The Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, Trinidad and Tobago. In addition, the countries included are Hong K ong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives, The Philippines, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Thailand†( Shanmuganandan, AIDS in Third World Countries: A Geomedical Study). Without proper treatment and medical facilities, HIV-AIDS continues to spread mercilessly. Dysentery is another disease that continues to affect thousands in the third world countries due to poor lifestyle practices. As Macfarlene comments â€Å"Dysentery is of major importance in most non-western societies, as anyone who has spent time in a Third World country today knows†¦ If we take just amoebic dysentery In 1981, it was estimated that there were about 480 million infected people in the world: 290 million

BRIC Emerging Markets Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

BRIC Emerging Markets - Essay Example In line with this, Lopez-Claros (2005) explains that the competitiveness of each nation to compete in the world market is not limited to their ability to maintan exchange rate competitiveness but also the importance of improving their productivitity in order to increase the businesses' return on investment and also improve the aggregate growth among the four countries' economy. As part of increasing the BRICs competitiveness against other countries around the world, enhancing one's knowledge on economic development could empower each nation to positively act upon the challenges associated with the challenges related to FDI and trade, political stability and sustainability in each nation (Lopez-Claros, 2005; Henisz, 2000; Olson, 1996; Bhagwati, 1989). Globalization strongly promotes the practice of free trading around the world. In line with this, balancing the volume of local and foreign trade activities is crucial in terms of maintaining a strong economic growth because allowing the import level of foreign goods to exceed the export level within a country is harmful in terms of the country's economic development (Bhagwati, 1989). Given that a country becomes very dependent on the importation of goods and services, it is likely that the country would experience slow growth and unemployment problem because of the significant decline in the demand for locally manufactured and provided goods and services (Bhagwati, 1989). A great imbalance between the import and export is enough to cause the sudden decrease in the countries' gross domestic product (GDP). (Campos & Coricelli, 2002; Boix, 1999) Political Stability The socio-political stability of Brazil, Russia, India, and China could significantly affect the economic development of each nation (Henisz, 2000) In line with this, several past research studies revealed that the governemnt's ability not to interfere with the private property rights of the businessmen is necessary in terms of maintaining the long-term capital investments necessary to enable the BRICs to experience a rapid economic growth (Henisz, 2000; Olson, 1996). Equally important for the continuous economic growth of BRICs, the government in each nation should develop and implement effective stabilization programs related to taxation, business regulation, and other relevant economic policies that could promote the increase in private investment (Henisz, 2000) aside from intervening on global trade activities like imposing import restrictions and providing export subsidies among others (Bhagwati, 1989). Whenever a new foreign business would enter the country, the government shuld impose a strict entry regulation in order to prevent the incidence of fly-by-night business operators (Djankov et al., 2002). With regards to tax policy, collected tax revenue should be invested in economic activities including the development of infrastructure, improvement in educational services, and investment on new technology in order to create new job opportunity and demand for the local products and services (Lopez-Claros, 2005). All these can be easily achieve

Maitaining versus withdrawing life support (Florida General rules) Assignment

Maitaining versus withdrawing life support (Florida General rules) - Assignment Example Since, termination of an individual’s life via withdrawing life support adversely affects even the close relatives despite the law advocating acting in the interests of the patient. Additionally, an individual experiencing persistent vegetative state does not imply one cannot regain full consciousness with the administration of the necessary treatments. This is regardless of the anticipated complications that might arise, which in reality may be contrary (Elliott, 2005). However, these cases may be minimal but I tend to belief that not all surrogates act in the interests of the patient despite prove presented to execute their consent in the withdrawing of life support. Since, investigation may not be adequate to reveal deep hidden malicious intentions of the surrogates where some benefit indirectly. Hence, cause long-term trauma to the loved ones especially the young children or beneficiaries after knowing what happened to their loved ones regardless of whether there was a leg al or authorized substituted judgment (Elliott, 2005). I deem, maintaining life support is a depiction of respect for human life where in withdrawing it, may deny an individual a chance to life who was to regain consciousness and recuperate thus it should be maintained. The decision regarding end of life is the mandate of a sane individual prior the appointed time who in accordance to the law will act in the interests of the ailing (Turan, Goldstein, Garber & Carstensen, 2011). Therefore, I strongly deem and advocate that the right person to act in these cases ought to be a parent or close a relative after meticulous investigation to establish their relations. This shuns any deeds guided by malicious gains where the partakers may benefit either direct or obliquely after execution of the intended end of life procedure (McGowan, 2011). However, in some cases, the parents may not be present or close reliable relatives especially to the married people where their

Design Research - Article Critique Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Design Research - Critique - Article Example The authors employ purposive sampling to find and select illustrative cases of the firms that had initiated brand-building process. The authors also selected three Swedish firms with strong brand image making their results to be of note. The article also employed personal interviews as their main data collection which offers further credibility to their findings. Pre-testing of the data collection tools also offers strength to the findings and article (Aggarwal 2008, p.123). A weakness in the research article is that its study sample size of three firms appears limited and small. The article’s findings are of use considering the fragmented literature available on brand building from an internal perspective. Further, this article can be of use to managers who are interested in developing strong brands by providing indicators to how a firm can respond to scandals, geographical expansion, and or brand repositioning. The article’s findings are relevant to current practices in corporate branding. It further highlights emergent trends that should provide base for future research in regard to the implementation phase of corporate branding (Glynn & Woodside 2009, p.63). The article has a good structure as it provides an abstract first, then a literature review, followed by methodology, then the results and a conclusion. It makes it easy for the reader to follow and understand its contents. In their article ‘innovation, growth, and getting to where you want to go’, Ryan Jacoby and Diego Rodriguez seek to give advice to their readers on how to thoughtfully structure the innovation process (Jacoby & Rodriguez 2007, p.10). They aim at presenting managers with a model that helps them to assess and direct innovation efforts. The authors provide evolved and refined tools that employ design thinking to assist their clients to shape their innovation efforts. The strength of the article lies in its step by step approach towards design

Design Exercise Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Design Exercise - Essay Example This necessities the use of a public address system(PA). The PA system requires special design as they must be tailor made to meet the client's specifications and wants. It is therefore necessary to design the PA systems using an organized procedure such as the Pahl and Beitz method. The process involves the surveying of the customer's needs and wants, generating some demands and wishes from the client, developing of the solution using a function analysis matrix and finally developing the product using the information from the demands and the function analysis. After the development of the product, it is tested for its overall suitability particular in satisfying the customers wants and needs, if the product is found unsuitable or with some limits, it is necessary to redesign and reconfigure the product to ensure that it satisfy the customer needs and promotes usability engineering and ergonomic principles. The power supply: This is the system that supplies the public address unit with electrical power that is used to run the whole PA system. The most common types power supplied include the alternating current (AC) and the direct current (DC). Most PA system use direct current while most of the commercially available power is in form of AC supplied at 240 Volts or 110 volts. Rectifier unit or DC adapter This adapter is used for the conversion of AC power to DC power. Some of the PA systems incorporate this gadget inside the systems while others have the same system incorporated outside as a separate unit The amplifier unit The amplifier unit is used for amplification of the voice signal. The amplifier receives low power electrical signal and amplify the signals to high power and voltage which is fed to the loud speaker systems. Amplifier uses the transistors, MOSFET devices, field effects transistors (FET), CMOS and operational amplifiers circuit to provide gain to the input signal. The microphone unit The microphone unit is used for changing voice sound to an electrical signal that can be amplified by the amplifier. Upon receiving the sound signal, the crystal microphone vibrate generating a small electrical current that is fed to the amplifier The mixer The mixer is used for signal conditioning, this helps is controlling the voice produced by the amplifier unit. The mixer enhances the audibility of the sound

Jet Blue Case Study Essay Example for Free

Jet Blue Case Study Essay This essay will examine in detail the human resource strategies, policies, and practices that were developed by Ann Rhoades who was the Executive Vice President of People at JetBlue Airways. Ms. Rhoades was very innovative with the development of the new HR policies, which up to that time had never been implemented by any other startup airline organization. Along with the strategies, policies, and practices, there were ï ¬ ve core values that were also established. These values provided an overarching vision for JetBlue Airways in order to direct all organization activities whether internal or external. The five core values were safety, caring, integrity, fun, and passion, which from JetBlue Airway’s management viewpoint was that if employees were happy then that would lead to greater successful recruitment and greater employee retention rates, which would potentially reduce or eliminate the likelihood of a union organization attempting to unionize the company. Three National Equal Employment Opportunity Laws JetBlue Airways hiring practices were compliant with the equal employment opportunity laws, which included the following: †¢ Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title VII , which prohibits employment discrimination based on race , color , religion , sex , or national origin †¢ Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 Title VI, which prohibits against exclusion from participation in, denial of benefits of, and discrimination under federally assisted programs on ground of race, color or national origin. †¢ Equal Pay Act of 1963, which protects men and women who perform to a large extent equal work in the same establishment from sex-based wage discrimination. (The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, 2009) The hiring practices that were established by Ms. Rhoades were based upon five values, which were safety, fun, caring, integrity, and passion. These values were the cornerstone of JetBlue Airways hiring philosophy. With that being said, JetBlue Airway’s new employment model from the time the organization was formed was to focus on selecting particular employees that would best fit into the company’s core values as opposed to focusing on the employee’s skills and experience. This innovative approach could create a work environment that would promote a higher level of satisfaction amongst the employee’s and staff, but would also create a working environment that would be more uniform, which would mean that all employees would have similar work characteristics and behaviors. However, this process of hiring requires a greater subjectivity. By Jetblue Airways own admission, they used â€Å"a targeted selection process to identify employees who were most likely to ï ¬ t.† In addition, JetBlue provided customized employment packages intended to â€Å"ensure overall equity in treatment† (The case study of JetBlue Airways Starting from Scratch, 2001). For example, when JetBlue Airways offered an employment package for ï ¬â€šight attendants, there was a preference toward college students. This preference in hiring college students was apparent because JetBlue Airways offered more in the way of ï ¬ nancial compensation and lower indirect beneï ¬ ts. In addition, JetBlue Airways also offered a variety of unique and innovative pay and compensation packages for their pilots, ramp workers, and ticket agents, which were tailored around the employee’s needs rather than the needs of the organization. JetBlue Airways Internal Recruitment Method The main focus of an internal recruitment process within an organization is to fill vacant positions that become open over time and or to promote an employee in lieu of seeking a candidate outside of the organization, which saves the organization from paying the training costs associated with the training of new employees. However, JetBlue Airways internal recruitment method was to recruit known veterans of the industry from competing airlines. For example, David Neelman CEO of JetBlue Airlines originally worked for Southwest Airlines as their executive vice president, so Mr. Neelman developed working relationships with many within Southwest Airlines and subsequently recruited those same people to JetBlue Airways as his management team such as Ann Rhoades. JetBlue Airways External Recruitment Method External recruitment by an organization can be through a variety of mediums such as advertisements, recruitment agencies, and personal recommendations. The advantage of external recruitment for an organization is that it can create a larger pool of applicants from which the organization can choose the best candidate from. JetBlue Airways followed the traditional route of advertising in a newspaper. The advertisement for reservation agents was placed in a Salt Lake City newspaper, which resulted in a waiting list of twenty five hundred applicants. The outcome of JetBlue Airways recruitment process both internal and external was very successful, which was attributed to Ann Rhoades experience in human resources. Furthermore, the strategies used by JetBlue to attract employees created a very robust and experienced management team and as aforementioned a waiting list of twenty five hundred applicants. Personnel Selection Many organizations utilize a standard interview selection process which consists of a pre-established interview questions in order to measure the applicant’s skills and qualifications. However, JetBlue Airways conducted an interview process for their mechanics and pilots that was very unique. The process of interviewing the pilots was based upon JetBlue Airways five values that were translated into specific undesirable and desirable behavioral situations. Interview questions were then posed in respect to the pilot’s past behavior and how that particular behavior correlated into his or her decision making process, which was very unique considering a pilot must make snap decisions every day within a very chaotic environment. Furthermore, multiple interviewers were used in the interview process; the reasoning for the multiple interviewers was that if a pilot were to be selected for hire then all interviewers must reach a consensus rather than an average. The interview process for the mechanics was very similar to that of the pilots, but slightly different in that the mechanics were interviewed with one of the five JetBlue Airway values as the focal point of the interview. The one value was integrity, which a logical approach considering the safety of passengers and the mechanical reliability of an airplane is dependent the mechanic to do what is ethical. Performance Appraisal System The concept of performance appraisals have been around for over sixty years and it is a method by which a supervisor evaluates the job performance of a subordinate in a formal structured environment. This review takes the form of a periodic interview either semi annual or annual basis in which the work performance of the subordinate is examined and discussed. Weaknesses and strengths in performance are identified and the supervisor outlines opportunities for the subordinate to improve in those identified areas. The three factors that influence a performance appraisal system include the following: †¢ The appraisal should be based on standard †¢ Employee should have input into development of the standard †¢ Appraiser should be someone who has observed employee’s work 360-Degree Feedback Evaluation 360 degree feedback is an employee development feedback mechanism that is derived from employees within the company. This includes managers, coworkers, and ancillary staff, which is considered to be internal within the organization. In contrast, external feedback is derived from the customers and suppliers. It also known as multi-rater feedback system because it is concluded from several groups within and outside the company. The main reason for using the 360 degree feedback is to ascertain how you are thought of. In addition, to make the results more objective rather than subject; there is a neutral party that is involved. Lastly, 360 degree feedback provides the best insight into employee performance than any other appraisal method. The three advantages of using the 360 degree feedback include the following: 1. As the procedure of carry out the 360-degree appraisal need to have a lot of people to do the evaluation for the staff, it may include the staff in the company, from the top (manager) to the bottom (colleagues), even some external sources such as the customers. If it is conducted well, this can give the employee a more comprehensive and accurate view for the evaluation and also it is good for the staff’s self-development. It is more comprehensive than other appraisal methods since they may only need the manager to do the evaluation. 2. It increases the credibility of the appraisal result. Since the 360-degree appraisal methods need a lot of people to finish it, as mentioned before it may include of the manager also other staff, it can reduce the unfair of the result. It is because it contain everyone’s point of view, not only the manager or any single staff, then they cannot give some comments that show the evaluated employee is very good or not, then help the staff easily get to promote to higher position or make the staff lose the job. It can show that this appraisal can help to increase the credibility of the appraisal result. 3. The feedback from the peers can help to enhance the staff’s self-development. Not every appraisal methods will also include the feedback from the peers, that may only judge by the manager, so it is not easily show the real performance of the staff since the manager may not observe the performance of the staff in every single minutes and they may only have a blurred impression of the staff. (â€Å"Team P The advantages and disadvantages of 360-degree appraisal in the hospitality industry†, 2007) JetBlue Airways utilized the 360-degree appraisal as a means to measure the needed training and development of its employees. In addition, 360-degree appraisal was also utilized as means of ensuring that employees were adhering to JetBlue Airways values. The dimensions that were rated in the appraisal process reflected the five values. Factors Determining Employee Compensation Employee compensation must be fair and equitable to the employee and must be tied directly to the employee job evaluation, but there are two important factors that can skew the rating, which in turn will reduce the compensation for the employee. The two factors are job subjectivity and rapidity with wich the job fundamentally changes, which can create an innaccurate and unreliable evaluation. The following are four factors that are essential in determining financial compensation for an employee: †¢ Skill/Know How †¢ Effort †¢ Responsibility †¢ Working Conditions Discretionary Employee Benefits Many organizations offer discretionary benefits to their employees. However, there are the smaller organizations that are unable to offer discretionary benefits because of the inability to afford them, so in lieu of benefits they offer a higher starting salary or may provide compensation in other ways such as more days off per year or bonuses. Furthermore, discretionary benefits are reduced for part time employees. The three most common discretionary benefits that an organization offers to their employees are health insurance, paid time off, and retirement plan. JetBlue Airways offered medical benefits, personal time off rather than the traditional holiday and 401 K, which was the retirement plan. These benefits were provided to their full and part time employees. Conclusion In Summary, JetBlue Airways is an organization that prides itself on taking care of their customers, but they also go to great lengths to ensure that their employees are also taken care of by offering them the highest pay in the industry and other tailored benefits, which translates into a happy employee. Would you like to work for JetBlue Airways? References: http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/qanda.html Gittel, J. H., O’Reilly, C (2001). JetBlue Airways Starting from Scratch. Boston: Harvard Business School Publishing. Pp. 1-14 (78-91). http://project.shtm.polyu.edu.hk/wiki/index.php/Team_P_-_The_advantages_and_disadvantages_of_360-degree_appraisal_in_the_hospitality_industry

Shafer-Landau Ethical Theory Summary and Analysis

Shafer-Landau Ethical Theory Summary and Analysis Brody Kent   In this section, Shafer-Landau seeks to draw attention to a major flaw which he finds to exist in subjectivism through its incompatibility with an individuals tendency to question his or her own moral values (p. 296). To begin his argument, Shafer-Landau states that if subjectivism is correct, whatever is right is what he, Schafer-Landau, approves of. According to Shafer-Landau, this is because, under the subjectivist model of ethics, a persons own values are the ultimate authority in determining what is morally right and what is morally wrong (p. 296). In Shafer-Landaus view, however, this use of personal values as the predominant ethical authority does not make sense, as it does not account for instances where a person may be undecided as to the value of their beliefs (p. 296). Arguing to this end, Shafer-Landau claims that he, himself, has personally experienced circumstances where he has been drawn to question his values and their supporting justifications (p. 296). According to Shafer-Landau, this tendency to for an individual to question their beliefs is incompatible with the use of these beliefs as the basis of moral truth (p. 296). Through close analysis of this argument as it is made by Shafer-Landau, it appears that he is thereby reaching this conclusion based on one of two premises: either it is wrong to question ones values because they represent moral fact, or it is impossible for our individual values to represent moral fact because they are founded in beliefs that may be influenced by internal debate and which may therefore change over time; in other words, these values cannot represent moral fact because they lack consistency and objectivity. To counter this argument, I will seek to show that both of these premises are false: the first, due to its inability to describe a legitimate threat to the status of individual values as moral truths, and the second due to its inability to accurately represent the nature of individual, subjective truth described by the subjectivist model. Regarding Shafer-Landaus first possible premise to this conclusion, it seems unsound to conclude that because a fact is questioned it cannot be a fact. Certainly, there are many ideals which we now consider to be fact that have been heavily scrutinized throughout history. As a notable example, the fact that the earth is spherical and not flat has been, and in some cases even continues to be, questioned extensively. Further, it does not seem that the act of questioning a potential fact plays any role in determining whether or not an idea is truly factual. Consider, as an example, the many conspiracies which assert that the Buzz Aldrin and the United States did not land on the moon. Despite this argument and those counterarguments which assert that the United States did, in fact, place a shuttle on the moon, the actual fact of the matter, whatever it may be, is a fact in and of itself and is not affected in any way by this questioning. In other words, the legitimacy of a fact is independent of and cannot be affected by any acts of questioning its value or legitimacy. Therefore, if it was Schafer-Landaus intent to argue that our tendency to question our values is incompatible with our values forming the basis of moral fact, this reasoning seems false, as it relies on a poor argument that our act of questioning a fact damages that facts legitimacy. Shafer-Landaus second possible premise for his conclusion appears to be equally flawed, as it seems to disregard some major components of the essence of subjectivist moral reasoning. According to Shafer Landau, the act of questioning the legitimacy of ones moral values cannot make sense, since [ones own] approvals and disapprovals are the ultimate test of right and wrong (p. 296). Assuming that, through this argument, Shafer-Landau intends to say that moral values are unfit to represent moral truth because they represent ideas that are subject to change under the influence of internal questioning, it appears that Shafer-Landau is overlooking a key aspect of the subjectivist ideal. According to Merriam-Webster, subjectivism is a moral doctrine which states that individual feeling or apprehension is the ultimate criterion of the good and the right (Subjectivism, n.d.).   From this definition, it is understood that under the subjectivist model, there are no objective moral truths ; rather, the subjectivist ideal champions that each individuals values represent subjective moral truths, which are the highest level of moral truth (Ethics Guide: Subjectivism). As a result, subjectivism does not give preference to any single moral value, but supports every individual value as ethically meaningful to that individual. And it seems that the essence of this idea can easily be expanded to the individual level used within Shafer-Landaus argument. If all ideas between individuals are morally valuable so long as they reflect the subjective moral beliefs of that individual, it seems to follow that all differing values within an individual are morally valuable so long as they reflect that individuals perspective, feeling, or belief at the given time. When considered in this light, it no longer appears that the susceptibility of our subjective moral truths to change truly conflicts with the subjectivist model of morality, as Shafer-Landau may be arguing. Rather, it seems that Shafer-Landaus argument rests on a misrepresentation of subjectivism, whereby he is arguing based on a false perception that subjectivism intends for subjective moral truths to possess the level of infallibility and rigidness held by objective moral truths. Because the kind of subjective moral truths championed by subjectivist theory are not expected to possess this level of infallibility, and are, in fact, often celebrated for their tendency to differ and change across people and cultures, Shafer-Landaus argument for the presence of a conflict in our tendency to question our own moral perceptions while using them to determine our moral beliefs appears false if it intends to argue that this conflict is derived from the resulting susceptibility of our moral va lues to our own questioning. Through his argument in this section, Shafer-Landau seeks to convey that subjectivism conflicts with the tendency of individuals to question their moral beliefs (p. 296). I have objected to this conclusion in two ways, each of which correspond to one of what I perceive to be the two most likely reasons for which Shafer-Landau believes this conflict to exist. First, I have identified that Shafer-Landaus conclusion is unsound if it is based on the false premise that this conflict exists because of our tendency to question factual moral truths. Second, I have found this conclusion to be unsound if it is based on the premise that subjective moral truths cannot be susceptible to adaptation or change due to our questioning our own moral values. References Ethics Guide: Subjectivism. Retrieved fromhttp://www.bbc.co.uk/ethics/introduction /subjectivism.shtml Shafer-Landau, R. (2015). Ethical Relativism. In The Fundamentals of Ethics (pp. 296). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. Subjectivism [Def. 2.b] (n.d). Merriam-Webster Online. In Merriam-Webster. Retrieved March 9, 2017, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/subjectivism

On Human Cloning :: Genetics Science Feminist Papers

On Human Cloning How should we think about cloning as philosophers and feminists? Reproduction by cloning is not, in itself, morally inferior to human sexual reproduction. Moral criticism of cloning rests on condemnation of its "unnaturalness" or "impiety," but this kind of criticism should not persuade non-believers. I evaluate cloning in two phases. First, some hypothetical situations involving private choices about cloning are examined within a liberal framework. From this individualistic perspective, cloning appears no more morally problematic than sexual reproduction. A liberal feminist may welcome the possibility of human cloning as an expansion of the range of reproductive options open to women. The second phase argues for a shift in the framework of analysis in order to get a more complete evaluation of the ethical implications of human cloning, including questions of distributive justice and the ideology of reproduction. How should we think about cloning as philosophers and feminists? Reproducing by cloning is not, in itself, morally inferior to reproducing by human sexual reproduction. Moral criticism of cloning in itself rests on condemnation of cloning's "unnaturalness" or "impiety," but this kind of criticism should not persuade non-believers. In this paper, cloning is evaluated in two phases. First, some hypothetical situations involving private choices about cloning are examined within a liberal framework. From this individualistic perspective, cloning appears no more morally problematic than is sexual reproduction. A liberal feminist may welcome the possibility of human cloning, as expanding the range of reproductive options open to women. The second phase argues for a shift in framework of analysis to get a more complete evaluation of the ethical implications of human cloning, including questions of distributive justice and the ideology of reproduction. In this paper, "cloning" refers to a process begun when an enucleated oocyte receives a complete set of genetic material from one adult of the same species, and then develops. The resultant cloned embryo is genetically identical to the adult supplying the DNA. Thus, cloning differs from sexual reproduction, in which half the genetic material of the fertilized egg is supplied from the oocyte itself and half from the sperm. It is also different from "twinning," in which an egg, once fertilized sexually, splits into two genetically identical zygotes, each of which may develop into an embryo. In February 1997, Dr. Ian Wilmut announced the birth of Dolly, the cloned offspring of an ewe. If it is possible to clone sheep, why not then humans?

Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the American Civil War :: Uncle Toms Cabin Essays

Uncle Tom’s Cabin and the Civil War   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Uncle Tom’s Cabin played a big role in starting the only war that was fought entirely on American soil. There were many factors that led up to the Civil War, but Uncle Tom’s Cabin turned the anger caused by the fugitive slave act into moral outrage which was then fueled by cases such as John Brown and Dredd Scott.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Fugitive Slave Act was seen by many Northerners as a violation of their personal freedoms. Why should any Northerner be forced to miss work and leave their family to take a runaway slave back to their master? Unfortunately they didn’t have a choice unless they wanted to go to jail and/or pay a $1000 fine. Uncle Tom’s Cabin included a slave family (Eliza, George, and Harry Harris) that was running away in order to keep their son. This made Northerners mad because they didn’t want to leave their life anyways and to leave it to destroy another family was completely against their will.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Most Northerners saw slave owners as lazy because they didn’t do their own work. With new ideas about human rights, dignity, and the sanctity of motherhood brought about by the social reforms caused by cult of domesticity. Harriet Beecher Stowe showed that slaves were people too through Tom and his role all of the plantations that he worked on. By humanizing slaves many the North saw the freedom of slaves as an issue worth fighting and dying for. John Brown started an uprising at Harper’s Ferry. His goal was to get the arms and ammunition at Harper’s Ferry and arm slaves to start an uprising, but the uprising was crushed and Brown was hung for treason. Brown became a martyr for the fight against slavery and caused the tension between The North and The South to reach a new high.

Does ‘The American Scholar’ Reflect the Values of the Declaration of In

Every country today differentiates each other through having a unique identity of which the elements are cultures, tradition and religion. Even a country like America was once under the rule of the British. However this did not last as long as it did in India as the people fought back and won what is today called â€Å"The War of Independence.† During the time the British ruled various countries they had taught the people under them their ways of conducting every activity in life. In America even after the British were gone the way people lived their lives were still the way they had learned from the British. One such ways of conduct was vividly observable in written literature. Then began the argument that the literature in America should be written differently from how the British would. In 1837 Ralph Waldo Emerson delivered a speech called The American Scholar at Cambridge, Massachusetts to criticize how the Americans still kept alive what they had learned from the British and to remind people the real American culture in every aspect of their lives. Emerson stated that every citizen in America has the right to freedom and to display their own culture. In literature he suggested that scholars can form a new way of writing through nature than memorizing the writings of other authors. The writings of the other authors were present before young scholars in books that limited new ideas. Such history had occurred because of the actions gone wrong by the people in accepting the influences of the Europeans. Emerson was therefore a transcendentalist. The speech delivered by Emerson indicates the reason why it is important for a man to be free. According to the constitution of U.S (n.d) in the bill of rights every citizen has the right to ... ... just the scholars but every citizen in America the importance of preserving their own culture with originality in everyone’s ideologies. He has attempted to provide elements through which the new form of literature can grow and it has evidently helped literature in America be more research based and not scholars memorizing from previous texts written by other authors. The American scholar was thus a historic speech that encouraged scholars since to write with freedom encouraging arguments to discover truth for any matter to be discussed. Works Cited http://www.history.com/topics/constitution http://www.cliffsnotes.com/more-subjects/american-government/the-constitution/summary-of-the-constitution http://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/111emerson-2.html http://www.shareyouressays.com/99753/short-summary-of-the-american-scholar-by-ralph-waldo-emerson

American lifestyle Essay

The novel â€Å"Jasmine† by Bharati Mukherjee provides frontier narratives and myths about Americanization and the Gold Rush. She presents Americanization from the Western viewpoint with all locales, hero lifestyles and mobility. Furthermore, the author pays special attention to the promise of American lifestyle, individualism and female freedom stressing that Eastern lands are characterized by strong cultural ties and women’s suppression and subordination. Women inequality isn’t struggled there. The central figure of the novel is Jasmine who comes from the Eastern world – India – to the United States of America, where women are provided with more rights and opportunities being historically more fluid. Firstly Jasmine is presented as a pioneering woman symbolizing the female role of women courage and self-reliance. The author shows that Jasmine changes both metaphorically and physically throughout the novel towards the western philosophy. Mukherjee involves frontier myths to illustrate Jasmine’s cultural and psychological transformation from oppressed woman to liberal personality. When moving from India to Florida and New York, then to the Midwest and California, the author shows metaphorically Jasmine’s transformation and notes that she becomes a real American â€Å"gold digger†. (145) Jasmine starts transformational process when becoming affected by the Gold Rush. Jasmine realizes she appears able to benefit and to profit from the unexhausted American state. Nevertheless, she is treated as an exotic newcomer disturbing moral equilibrium of the society, though her desire of independence and freedom makes her struggle with prejudices. Therefore, she is forced to change her core moral and ethical principles and values to be welcomed to new country. Jasmine settles with a disabled banker in Iowa creating in such a way a life similar to that of the earlier immigrants and their cultural assimilation. As it is mentioned Jasmine is rejected because of her non-European origin. However, with the novel progression we see that she manages to become absorbed into new culture and to become true American. When moving to California Jasmine hopes to become completely assimilated into the American culture, though she faces many borders and obstacles. The author defines these obstacles as both metaphorical and physical. With the help of wilderness legends, she shows Jasmine’s hesitations and fears about irrationality of the inner self and fear of being rejected. Then the author shows Jasmine’s moral adaptation to the American laws – she realizes that she is provided with more freedom and she should have less fear of oppression. Nevertheless, her views are undermined when her husband is killed. She becomes stronger morally and decided to travel to America because her husband has planned this trip originally. Firstly she wants to commit widow’s ritual immolation, but later being raped she decided to fight for better future. Instead of committing suicide, Jasmine turns on her violator and kills him showing she is able to fight for her life. This act of violence is that of the frontier outlaw who takes retribution into his own hands. Speaking about Jasmine’s transformation, it is necessary to outline that psychological issues of guilt and repression are inherent to her personality and these principles don’t change even in the end of the novel. , The West liberates her inner self so that a chaotic unconscious can be calmed. In the end we see that Jasmine finds new morality that enables her to make free her personal freedom. However, newly achieved freedom makes her relinquish her Indian roots and to follow the lifestyle of other wanderers and seekers. The feeling of guilt always haunts her. When she decides to leave town with her former lover she feels guilt for having abandoned a man who loves her. The ending of the novel is rather symbolic as well: Jasmine drives off with Taylor into the sunset, â€Å"greedy with wants and reckless from hope†. (241) In such way Bharati shows that Jasmine’s transformation from oppressed women into free American personality, who realizes her desires and demands, is over. References Mukherjee, Bharati. (1989). Jasmine. New York: Fawcett Crest.

Quotation essay Essay

â€Å"We never appreciate the value of water until the well runs dry†. The words in this quote, written by Benjamin Franklin, invite the reader to take a deeper more insightful glance into how possessions and people aren’t appreciated until the realization of their importance or value. Through literature, the author uses symbolism, comparisons, and theme to evaluate the importance of appreciation. The author, Benjamin Franklin, portrays meaning throughout the quote which relates to appreciating what you have. People don’t realize what they have until it’s gone. When it’s gone, then you realize the importance of what you had. In a specific case in which the possession is a valued item, you tend to realize how much better off you were once you had it. Also, if what the quote was referring to specifically was a person, you sometimes realize you love or miss that person more than you expected to. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a death, it could be someone leaving a job or moving. For example, I had an apple iPod. I didn’t really pay much attention to it. When I lost it, then I realized its value and importance to me. This quote is also based on taking every little chance you get. Taking risks could mean something as simple as trying new things. The author, Ben Franklin portrays different meanings throughout the quote which relates to appreciat ing what you have and taking risks. The water and the â€Å"well runs dry† are two symbols that represent a friend, family member, or possession that is important to you. Franklin uses the water to represent the value of that specific person or possession to you. The well is used to symbolize the source of your opportunities. Referring back to what I mentioned about the subject being a person, this loved one  could also be the source of your opportunities or education. â€Å"Until the well runs dry† could refer to that person leaving and taking an opportunity with them. For example, the water could be a teacher that’s trying to help you get into a good high school. But, you don’t think you need their help. If that person leaves and moves on, you might not have as good as an opportunity like you did before when they were helping you. You then start to realize that there help was very important. Other than being a person, the water could relate to a possession. As I mentioned before, when I lost my iPod, I realized its importance. The water and well could symbolize the wealthy versus the poor. In this situation the well, source of opportunities, would be different. Therefore, those two symbols fully symbolize the parting of a loved one, a lost possession, or an important opportunity up until the realization of its true value and meaning you. The author uses the comparison of the value of water to the well. He does this to explain that people take opportunities as well as other people for granted. With this comparison, the subject must be an individual. For example, to a friendship situation, a friend could be taken for granted if you assume that he will always be ready to help you out even if you aren’t always ready to help him or her. Another example is an employee could be taken for granted by an employer, who makes no effort (such as raises in pay) to reward the employers long and faithful service. The theme of this quote is appreciation, which is basically similar to the meaning. Another theme that can be analyzed from the quote is taking people for granted. Taken for granted is like when you have something really special or important but you don’t notice it. Also, grabbing opportunities while you can plays a big part in taking things for granted. For example, I wanted to join the recycling team. But, I kept stalling and not filling out the paper. As a result, the opportunity passed me by and I could no longer join. Franklin’s words personally relate to human experiences. As I stated earlier, I had an iPod but didn’t realize how valuable it was to me until I misplaced it. This quote relates to life in different ways. Taking advantage of a  parent or teacher is one of these ways. For example, I depend on your mom or dad for almost everything. If something happens and I’m mad at them, I sometimes wish things you don’t mean. If they unexpectedly leave, I will then realize the importance of their role in my life. Franklin’s words connect to human experiences in various ways. This quote by Ben Franklin does not only relate to personal experience but also connects to the community + world. It connects to the community because people in a community or learning environment could take advantage of a teacher, or appreciate them more when they’re gone. For example, at my dance ministry we have a dance coordinator, Ms. Ferdinand. Sometimes some of the girls don’t really agree with her decisions. But, if one day she decided to leave the ministry in the hands of someone else, they may not like it. That person may be very different from what we are used to. Another example could be some students hating a teacher. These examples have the same concept. If the teacher leaves they might not like the one that replaces them. When I was at dream yesterday, a student said â€Å"Is Mr. Sue, the math teacher, coming back?† The English teacher answered â€Å"Probably not†. The student then went on to say† I like him better than the new teacher†. The class then agreed with him. But, most of the kids in the class didn’t really like Mr. Sue when he was around. They then realized that his method of teaching was more understandable than the one we have now. The English teacher then said† you never appreciate the value of water, until the well runs dry. Think about that† I said to her â€Å"I am analyzing that quote in ELA†. Therefore, they learned that they didn’t really appreciate Mr. Sue until he was gone. â€Å"We never appreciate the value of water until the well runs dry†. The words in this quote written by Benjamin Franklin invite the reader to take a deeper more insightful glance into how possessions and people aren’t appreciated until the realization of their importance or value. A final example could be that when famous singers die, there music gets even more popular. This quote by Benjamin Franklin portrays meaning with relates to grabbing opportunities, appreciation, and taking things for granted.

Elie Wiesel’s “Night”- Journal Entry Essay

Luck is on Wiesel’s Side†I am too old, my son,† he answered. â€Å"Too old to start a new life. Too old to start from scratch in some distant land†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (9)This scene where Elie’s father rejects his son’s request to liquidate everything and flee from the place where the extermination of Jews may occur, reminds me of a vivid conversation I once engaged in, with my two former North Korean grandparents. The Korean War (1950-53) and the Holocaust (1938-45) are in most aspects different, however, there is a heartbreaking similarity existing between the two incidents. That is, the pain of the victims gained from the separation of the family. While reading this novel Night, for several times we questioned the reason why the Jews , despite hearing the Nazi plans of annihilating the entire population dispersed throughout nations, didn’t take chance to flee from the town. As we discussed in class, primarily, the Jews were skeptical that such inhumane incident would take place in the world, until they underwent the incredible agonies both physically and mentally. Secondly, the Jews simply were unable to find some place to leave for. Sure enough, they were unwilling to become homeless even under adverse conditions of life under the hands of the SS officers. (which they didn’t expect to be the holocaust)The first reason pointed above also applies to the families during the Korean War. Subsequent to the outbreak of war, young, strong men were forced to join the army in North Korea. This meant to my North Korean grandfather in his 30s, fighting against the South Koreans was a patriotic obligation. However, he refused to fight, or support the government, and along the group of crowd he realized that the only way of escaping from the ordeal was to abandon his home and flee to the South. Of course, he strongly urged his parents to come along with him. Nevertheless, they responded him by emphasizing him of their old age and their strong will to ensure the safety of the house until the war ends. In spite of my grandfather’s further persuasion, they remained stubborn, and he could do nothing but to leave his parents behind and depart to a distant land. In the novel, I was indeed glad when the Wiesel family encounters their  former maid Maria in Uncle Mendel’s house, Elie refuses her offer of safe shelter in her village. Sure enough, if Elie and his brother went off with her, they might have avoided the terrifying labor camps where their livelihoods were jeopardized. However, I feel that wouldn’t be worse than the guilt of deserting one’s own blood and flesh. Although we must take in consideration of Wiesel witnessing his father’s death, he is aware that keeping silence is the optimal choice that wouldn’t exacerbate the situation, whereas my grandparents made the decision by themselves, to abandon their parents and friends with their own two feet. (though they weren’t aware that North and South would be completely divided)My grandparents have always regretted the decision they’ve made. They felt deep remorse in leaving their parents for their own good. My grandfather, for years, too k alcohol as a catharsis to his mental pains, and my grandmother would frequently break into tears by the tragic separation and the gnawing guilt at her premature decision. For the several decades of their life, they have been hoping to see their loved ones again through the many channels of communication including telephone, letters, the media or family visits that existed in the recent years. Unfortunately, they never reached in contact with them. Bearing in mind the threatens of the authority of its propaganda, the government in Pyongyang is preventing personal exchanges as much as it can, for they are unwilling to permit individuals from the estranged parts of the country to meet in person. For fifty years, they lived a life without hearing from their parents and relatives. My grandfather unfortunately passed away two years ago due to cancer, and his cemetery is located in the closest area to the border between North and South Korea. Luck is on Wiesel’s side for he can stay with his father in the labor camps, which definitely gives him a meaning to his life and thus he gains the hope, support and the reason to survive. If I were put in his shoes at the start of the novel, and had to make a choice between labor camps and abandoning parents, I would have chosen the former categorically.

Adolescence: Developmental Psychology and Social Work Practice

Module Title: Human Growth and Behaviour. Assessment Title: What are the advantages and disadvantages of viewing behaviour through the life-span perspective for social practise? ADOLESCENCE The author’s aim is to outline the advantages as well as disadvantages in adolescence behaviour and human development processes across people life span, and particular adolescence. This essay will look at the different models, theories of social work and the factors that may have influence social work practice.The physical, psychological, socio-cultural, environmental and politico-economical are the factors that Bowlby (1999), Erikson (1995), Freud and Piaget (1977) have mentioned in their theories and the author will explore, discuses and examine them. The factors and the theories are numerous to cover in the essay of this size, and with this in mind the author is looking at examining same of them very briefly and same more in depth. In the first part, the author will cover human developme nt through the life span. The reasons why knowledge and understanding of human development throughout the life course are important to social work practice.The author will also outline the importance of our own personal values, and the impact that these may have on social work practice. Understanding the impact of transactions within a person’s life course is important for social work practice in order to understand other people’s lives. However, it is important to remember that although people may experience the same life event, their response to the situation and the decisions that they make will differ. Deferent people have different perceptions of what is happening to them as they move through transitions in their lives.Their response and learning from it might be very different from one individual to the other. For example, one may have enjoyed school, another tolerated it or hated it. Social workers need to recognise in working with people the different transitio ns and may use them as an opportunity in helping the service users to grow, change, or develop. Of course, there are numbers of different perspectives that could be taken into account of how we develop into who ‘we are’. That is why the author will look at some ideas and theories from biology, sociology, psychology, and their assumptions of what influences they may have on human life.Firstly, the author will look at two theories and try to explain the individual’s behaviour namely, ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’. (Crawford, 2003) The nature viewpoint believes that our genes predetermine who we are and the characteristics we have are inherited, for example people’s physical appearance etc. The problem with this believes is that it suggests that the change is impossible, we are who we are and there is nothing we can do about it. The danger in this thinking is the stereotyping people, and thus supporting prejudice and oppression.On the other hand, the nurture’s viewpoint argues that the environment, and the way we are brought up influence our development, giving the evidence in patterns of family behaviour, for example, introverted or extroverted family members. Again, there is a danger in stereotyping people thus contributing towards oppression. (Crawford, 2003) A sociological approach explains human identity by examining the interactions between people and society in which they live. It explores the different classes of society starting from wide perspective then looking at them and the influence it may have on the individuals. (Giddens, 2001)Physiological approach explains human development by examining the physical development and genetic make-up, for example, biological theories explain a child’s growth and development, concentrating on characteristics inherited from biological family. (Crawford, 2003) Psychology is a discipline, which studies people their thoughts, feelings and emotions. There are m any different theories the most relevant to the subject are the developmental psychology and psychosocial theory. Developmental psychology has an approach of how people develop across life course, by exploring their thoughts, feelings and behaviours (Aronson, 2005).Piaget (1977) the author of cognitive development theory believed that the child seeks to understand and adopt into the environment. In doing so, the child undertakes certain actions as it moves through stages of development. Another approach to understand the human life course from a developmental psychology perspective is presented trough theories that focus on behaviour and how behaviour and actions influence our learning. (Piaget, 1977) Skinner’s (1953) behaviourism explained human development as the acquisition of behaviourism that is learned through responses to experiences.Skinner did not see the individual’s thoughts or conscious mind as influencing their behaviours, but rather behaviour as a respons e controlled by the rewards or punishments in the individual’s environment. (Skinner, 1953) Albert Bandura (1977) also emphasised in his social learning theory the importance of behaviour and the environment, but he saw cognition or thoughts as being a significant factor in the person’s development. Therefore, the social learning theories consider the influence of values, beliefs, self-determination, emotions and thought on the learning process.Psychosocial theories arise from a combination of two perspectives psychology and sociology disciplines. David Howe describes psychosocial as being created by the interplay between the individual’s psychological condition and the social environment (Howe, 1998) Erik Erikson (1995) in his model of life stage development saw people building their identity as they move through ‘crisis’ points in their lives. Each person moving through stages by moral excellence, however the successful progression through each st age, by negotiation of the particular ‘crisis’ to a positive outcome, ensures healthy development (Erikson, 1995)All these theories explain human development as being largely dependent upon the impact of the environment, social and cultural influences. They can be criticised or appreciated for their strengths and weaknesses in the way they explain and describe certain aspects of development. For example, Jean’s Piaget’s (1977) theory of cognitive development could be considered as one of the most comprehensive and logical in helping to understand children’s mental development. However, Piaget’s (1977) theory is not as useful in understanding how life events and challenges influence growth and development in adulthood. Piaget, 1977) For this area of life, course development Erikson’s model of life stage development is more likely to be relevant. (Erikson, 1995) The human life can be very complex, influenced by interactions of biological , social, psychological and environmental factors. It is therefore, very important to appreciate a range of theories from across disciplines. It may not be possible for anyone’s theory to explain all aspects of human life and its development. Taking one approach would lead to one aspect of someone’s life leaving the other aspects of the person’s ignored (Adams, 2003).The author believes that each of the models and theories introduced within this essay are valuable to our understanding of human development through the life span. Social workers need to develop an understanding of these theories from a range of disciplines in order to take holistic approach in their practice. Very important aspects of social work practice are assessments, planning, intervention and reviews. Parker (2003) describes a number of aids and activities that social workers may use when gathering and analysing information as they make assessments with service users. (Parker, 2003)Before mov ing on more deeply to adolescence, the author will briefly look at the importance of childhood and the implications that it has on adolescence, and the rest of life. One of the most important parts of social worker practice is empowering people to be actively involved in processes and decisions that affect their lives. Social workers need to develop this skill as well as other skills like communication and listening to help those who are unable to speak or express themselves. The right of children to have their voices heard has been enshrined in an international treaty, the convention on the Rights of Children (1999).The Convention on the Rights of Children 1991 is a universally agreed set of standards and obligations in relation to the basic human rights that all children have – without discrimination Grant (1991). Early relationships are often viewed by theorists as having a critical role in the person’s emotional well being throughout their life. Attachment theory i nvolves the study of relationships, in particularly early relationships of infants and children. ( Lindon, 1998) Attachment by Lindon (1998) is described as a positive emotional link between two people (a link of affection).The original concept of attachment has been attributed to the studies of John Bowlby (Howe, 1999). He believed that the source development of personality lay in early childhood and that any trauma of failure in these early relationships could permanently shape the development of the child’s personality thus have a great impact on adult’s life. Dozens of studies shown that children rated as securely attached to their mother in infancy are later more sociable, and more positive in their behaviour towards friends and family.They are less dependent on people, less aggressive and disruptive, more empathetic and more emotionally mature in their interactions in school and other settings. Adolescents are also more socially skilled, have friendships that are more intimate, are more likely to be rated as leaders, and have higher self-esteem and better grades Bee (2002). Attachment theory also provides a sophisticated set of ideas for making sense of people’s feelings and behaviours. (Lindon, 1998)) Adolescence in Latin, adolescere means ‘to grow up’ it usually starts with the physical changes associated with puberty, which begin the physical changes to the body. Carlson, 2000) Whilst these are important, there are other critical processes of development: ‘self’ and the search for identity, the development of relationships, for example with friends, and very important changing nature of relationships within families, that are a central feature of this period of an individual’s life. It is a time of not only biological changes but also, psychological and social. Adolescence as a period of life is often seen as a whole period of transition, the transition from childhood to adulthood, probably the mos t challenging and difficult period of life in terms of development (Herbert, 2002).All adolescence confronts the some development tasks – adjusting to changes in their bodies and the challenge of their developing sexuality and new ways of thinking, as they strive for their own identity, emotional maturity and independence. Consequently, relationships, particularly with the family, will be subject to adoption and change. However, the timing of these changes varies between individuals, influenced by such things as gender, genes and culture (Ackerman, 1958). Adolescence as a period of development maybe considered for a range of different perspectives that focus on biological, psychological and social aspects of development. Davies, 1997) Biological development in adolescence is associated with a whole range of physical changes. Puberty is the period of rapid changes that occur as the person moves from childhood and begins adolescence. Hormones affect every aspect of growth and d evelopment and the level of certain hormones rises naturally during adolescence, primarily causing increased sexual interest and mood swings Numbers of physical changes take place, for example a rapid acceleration in growth and weight. (Bee, 2002) Social development in adolescence is a period of transitions from being a child into being an adult.Adolescents seek greater independence from their parent’s relationships moving more towards their peer relationships (Sugerman, 2001). The peer group and the friendship within it play very important part not only in sharing inner feeling and secrets but also in the development of the individual’s identity, changes in our self-concept and self-image. It provides new ways of thinking about problems, values and relationships. It gives the opportunity to think about themselves and the person they are becoming (Erikson, 1995). Erikson (1995) recognised this as the critical crisis of adolescence in the eight stages of development.He believed that the successful resolution of this depends on how the individual resolved the previous crisis of childhood. This period is critical in making sense of the future. Erikson (1995) believed the key to this is the interactions with peers, families, institutions, especially school, society and so on. Erikson(1995) also suggests that the search for identity is ongoing process during adolescence. He says that they may adopt identity based on parents or society they live in, or opposite to that in which the adolescent adopts rebellious, negative stereotype.There can be a situation where a child does not know or care for their identity may explore different alternatives without making any choices. Another one may achieve their identity through assimilation of the experiences and the future plans. Two important parts of identity in social context are gender and ethnicity. Few studies had explored the issue of possible gender differences in relation to social context, with no tren ds apparent. In sum, there has been little evidence of gender differences regarding questions of identity structure or developmental process (Adams, 2003).For young people who are not part of a dominant cultural group, there is concern to establish their cultural identity. They must develop a sense of individual identity and ethnic identity that includes self-identification as a member of their specific group, commitment to that group and its values and attitudes (Bee, 2002). For some young people from an ethnic minority group this may be an issue. However, the critical issue is the decisions they may have to make in operating in a culture of racism and in dealing with negative and racist situation.As a social worker, we need to make sure that our practice is anti-racist and anti-discriminatory with promotion of positive images of people from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Moving on to the end of this piece of work the author will look at the complexity of human life in context of sexual exploration, usage of substances and some of major events and their influences upon adolescence life. Herbert (2002) says that homosexual and lesbian experimentation are ordinary in adolescence however longer term attraction to the some sex or both sexes is reported in fewer than 10 per cent of the population.The way of how others see ‘us’ and think of ‘us’ is of vital importance to the way ‘we’ perceive ‘ourselves’ – our self image. This has particular bearing on how adolescents deal with their dawning realisation of the permanence of homosexual feelings of identification. (Herbert, 2002) Our society relies upon various kind of drugs and substances for every day living. It has become a ‘drug culture’. There is a huge increase of drugs and alcohol usage among young people. For the majority of young people this may be a serious issue.Young people who use substances may demonstrate low self-estee m and self-worth, rebelliousness and lack of aspiration in relation to academic achievement. A distinction needs to be made there are those young people who present with a range of anti-social behaviour, such as criminal activity, aggression, and so on. (Coleman, 1990) This might be difficult but social workers need to know how to balance the rights of young people and their responsibility to society. It might be very difficult to understand people’s life course, especially the influences and the complex events that they may have been through.Recognising the impact of life events is very important, their complexity and the effects, they can have not only on people’s lives but on social work practice too. The impact of parental conflicts, for example being exposed to verbal and physical violence will have an impact on children’s behaviour. Children are generally the losers when their parents’ marriages end in divorce or their long-term partnerships are ter minated. Boys and girls are both equally vulnerable says Herbert (2002). Divorce is usually a lengthy process, not simply a single incident in children’s lives.Parental conflict has been associated with poor academic performance, depression and antisocial behaviour (Carlson, 2000). Although not all children will be affected by parental conflict, this behaviour has clear and negative effect on children and their future behaviour. Children who loss their mother before age 11 are more vulnerable to depression and suicide thoughts. Suicide attempts are very much a late adolescent phenomenon, the peak being among 15-19 years old. The rate of attempted suicides for adolescent girls far exceeds that for boys.Frequently the action is unplanned, impulsive and undertaken in a manner that is likely to be discovered. Teenagers sometimes have fantasies about their own death, which involve their ‘ending it all’, and yet surviving the event by ‘attending’ their own funeral where they are able to savour the grief and guilt displayed by errant parents or boyfriend/girlfriend. These fantasies indicate how, in some adolescents, the finality of death is not fully comprehended, or at least not while in a depressed or hysterical state. Herbert, 2002) Other young people may present emotional issues, such as depression and anxiety. A distinction also needs to be made between those that might be associated with development issues and those that may be more serious. For example, small portion of young people will present with psychiatric disorders such as the author mentioned above suicide attempts, schizophrenia, anorexia or bulimia nervosa. (Barker, 2003) One in five children and adolescents suffer from moderate to sever mental health problems.A significant number of sever problems in childhood, if not adequately treated can lead to lifelong mental illness in adulthood Children whose parent have mental health illness are known to be at higher risk of developing the same difficulty of their own. (Barker, 2003) The cognitive explanation of children’s and young people’s behaviour is concerned not only with what is actually happening but also with their understanding and a mental representation of what is going on. That is why it is important for social workers to have an understanding of ‘normal’ child growth and development.This will allow comparing, and assessing the development of a child that needs to be assessed. Additionally it would help to judge the role of parents, or carers and their ability to meet the demands of the different stages of the child development, their ability to respond to good parenting, their values, attitudes, and the impact that this can have on the child. (Herbert, 2002) Throughout this essay, the author tried to attempt to identify issues that may specifically affect the individual’s experience of adolescence, namely issues of gender, race and culture.Social workers r esponse to different behaviour issues has to depend of an assessment of the individual, and the range of factors, planning a response and supporting children, young people, parents and others to understand and manage their behaviour problems. Understanding of the theories of human development is necessary in establishing effective partnership with people who use social services. In conclusion, the author presents in this essay some of the advantages and disadvantages of viewing behaviour across the life span.Social workers need to look at the particular individual behaviour in context of life span perspective because only then they can make the right judgement of that person. However, it is very important for social workers to have a holistic approach in understanding someone’s behaviour. This means taking to account every aspect of the individual’s life. In other words, building an understanding of the whole person’s life, not only physical or psychical but als o social, cultural, historical factors that may have influence their life.Looking at human behaviour gives also a wider perspective, and it takes the social worker beyond his own particular life experience giving a ‘bigger picture’, understanding of people’s behaviour. However, it is important again to be careful to not stereotyping or labelling people. Finally, social workers need to remember that they are dealing with human beings, unique individuals that is way they need to make sure that when they talk to them they must listen carefully and try to understand them from their perspective. 3,228 words Reference: Ackerman, N.W. (1958) Psychodynamics of family life, Imprint Adams, G. R. (2003) Blackwell's handbook of adolescence, Blackwell Publishing,   Adams, R (2002) Social work, Themes issues and critical debates. Palgrave, New York. Aronson, E (2005) Social psychology 5ed. Upper Saddle River,  Pearson Education,   Barker, P (2003) Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. The craft of caring. Arnold, London Bee, H. (2002) Lifespan development  3ed. Allyn ; Bacon,   Boston. Carlson, N. R. (2000) Psychology, The science of behaviour,  Allyn ; Bacon   Coleman, J.C. (1990) The nature of adolescence,  2ed. Routledge. Crawford, K. (2003) Social work and human development, Learning Matters,  Exeter. Davies, M. (1997) Blackwell companion to social work, Blackwell Publishers, Erikson, E. H. (1995) Childhood and society, Vintage. Giddens, A. (2001) Sociology, 4ed. Polity Press,  Cambridge. Grant, J. P. (1991) The state of the world’s children 1991,  Unicef. Herbert, M. (2002) Typical and atypical development. From conception to adolescence. BPS Blackwell,  Oxford. Howe. D. 1999) Attachment theory, Child maltreatment and family support, A practice and assessment model. Macmillan Press. Lindon, J. (1998) Understanding child development, Knowledge theory and practice. Macmillan Press. Parker, J. (2003) Social work practice . Assessment, planning, intervention and review. Learning Matters, Exeter. Piaget, J. (1977) The origin of intelligence in the child,  Penguin Books, Harmondsworth. Skinner, B. F. (1953) Science and human behaviour, Macmillan Press. Sugarman, L. (2001) Lifespan development, Frameworks, accounts and strategies. 2ed. Psychology Press,  Hove. Adolescence: Developmental Psychology and Social Work Practice Module Title: Human Growth and Behaviour. Assessment Title: What are the advantages and disadvantages of viewing behaviour through the life-span perspective for social practise? ADOLESCENCE The author’s aim is to outline the advantages as well as disadvantages in adolescence behaviour and human development processes across people life span, and particular adolescence. This essay will look at the different models, theories of social work and the factors that may have influence social work practice.The physical, psychological, socio-cultural, environmental and politico-economical are the factors that Bowlby (1999), Erikson (1995), Freud and Piaget (1977) have mentioned in their theories and the author will explore, discuses and examine them. The factors and the theories are numerous to cover in the essay of this size, and with this in mind the author is looking at examining same of them very briefly and same more in depth. In the first part, the author will cover human developme nt through the life span. The reasons why knowledge and understanding of human development throughout the life course are important to social work practice.The author will also outline the importance of our own personal values, and the impact that these may have on social work practice. Understanding the impact of transactions within a person’s life course is important for social work practice in order to understand other people’s lives. However, it is important to remember that although people may experience the same life event, their response to the situation and the decisions that they make will differ. Deferent people have different perceptions of what is happening to them as they move through transitions in their lives.Their response and learning from it might be very different from one individual to the other. For example, one may have enjoyed school, another tolerated it or hated it. Social workers need to recognise in working with people the different transitio ns and may use them as an opportunity in helping the service users to grow, change, or develop. Of course, there are numbers of different perspectives that could be taken into account of how we develop into who ‘we are’. That is why the author will look at some ideas and theories from biology, sociology, psychology, and their assumptions of what influences they may have on human life.Firstly, the author will look at two theories and try to explain the individual’s behaviour namely, ‘nature’ and ‘nurture’. (Crawford, 2003) The nature viewpoint believes that our genes predetermine who we are and the characteristics we have are inherited, for example people’s physical appearance etc. The problem with this believes is that it suggests that the change is impossible, we are who we are and there is nothing we can do about it. The danger in this thinking is the stereotyping people, and thus supporting prejudice and oppression.On the other hand, the nurture’s viewpoint argues that the environment, and the way we are brought up influence our development, giving the evidence in patterns of family behaviour, for example, introverted or extroverted family members. Again, there is a danger in stereotyping people thus contributing towards oppression. (Crawford, 2003) A sociological approach explains human identity by examining the interactions between people and society in which they live. It explores the different classes of society starting from wide perspective then looking at them and the influence it may have on the individuals. (Giddens, 2001)Physiological approach explains human development by examining the physical development and genetic make-up, for example, biological theories explain a child’s growth and development, concentrating on characteristics inherited from biological family. (Crawford, 2003) Psychology is a discipline, which studies people their thoughts, feelings and emotions. There are m any different theories the most relevant to the subject are the developmental psychology and psychosocial theory. Developmental psychology has an approach of how people develop across life course, by exploring their thoughts, feelings and behaviours (Aronson, 2005).Piaget (1977) the author of cognitive development theory believed that the child seeks to understand and adopt into the environment. In doing so, the child undertakes certain actions as it moves through stages of development. Another approach to understand the human life course from a developmental psychology perspective is presented trough theories that focus on behaviour and how behaviour and actions influence our learning. (Piaget, 1977) Skinner’s (1953) behaviourism explained human development as the acquisition of behaviourism that is learned through responses to experiences.Skinner did not see the individual’s thoughts or conscious mind as influencing their behaviours, but rather behaviour as a respons e controlled by the rewards or punishments in the individual’s environment. (Skinner, 1953) Albert Bandura (1977) also emphasised in his social learning theory the importance of behaviour and the environment, but he saw cognition or thoughts as being a significant factor in the person’s development. Therefore, the social learning theories consider the influence of values, beliefs, self-determination, emotions and thought on the learning process.Psychosocial theories arise from a combination of two perspectives psychology and sociology disciplines. David Howe describes psychosocial as being created by the interplay between the individual’s psychological condition and the social environment (Howe, 1998) Erik Erikson (1995) in his model of life stage development saw people building their identity as they move through ‘crisis’ points in their lives. Each person moving through stages by moral excellence, however the successful progression through each st age, by negotiation of the particular ‘crisis’ to a positive outcome, ensures healthy development (Erikson, 1995)All these theories explain human development as being largely dependent upon the impact of the environment, social and cultural influences. They can be criticised or appreciated for their strengths and weaknesses in the way they explain and describe certain aspects of development. For example, Jean’s Piaget’s (1977) theory of cognitive development could be considered as one of the most comprehensive and logical in helping to understand children’s mental development. However, Piaget’s (1977) theory is not as useful in understanding how life events and challenges influence growth and development in adulthood. Piaget, 1977) For this area of life, course development Erikson’s model of life stage development is more likely to be relevant. (Erikson, 1995) The human life can be very complex, influenced by interactions of biological , social, psychological and environmental factors. It is therefore, very important to appreciate a range of theories from across disciplines. It may not be possible for anyone’s theory to explain all aspects of human life and its development. Taking one approach would lead to one aspect of someone’s life leaving the other aspects of the person’s ignored (Adams, 2003).The author believes that each of the models and theories introduced within this essay are valuable to our understanding of human development through the life span. Social workers need to develop an understanding of these theories from a range of disciplines in order to take holistic approach in their practice. Very important aspects of social work practice are assessments, planning, intervention and reviews. Parker (2003) describes a number of aids and activities that social workers may use when gathering and analysing information as they make assessments with service users. (Parker, 2003)Before mov ing on more deeply to adolescence, the author will briefly look at the importance of childhood and the implications that it has on adolescence, and the rest of life. One of the most important parts of social worker practice is empowering people to be actively involved in processes and decisions that affect their lives. Social workers need to develop this skill as well as other skills like communication and listening to help those who are unable to speak or express themselves. The right of children to have their voices heard has been enshrined in an international treaty, the convention on the Rights of Children (1999).The Convention on the Rights of Children 1991 is a universally agreed set of standards and obligations in relation to the basic human rights that all children have – without discrimination Grant (1991). Early relationships are often viewed by theorists as having a critical role in the person’s emotional well being throughout their life. Attachment theory i nvolves the study of relationships, in particularly early relationships of infants and children. ( Lindon, 1998) Attachment by Lindon (1998) is described as a positive emotional link between two people (a link of affection).The original concept of attachment has been attributed to the studies of John Bowlby (Howe, 1999). He believed that the source development of personality lay in early childhood and that any trauma of failure in these early relationships could permanently shape the development of the child’s personality thus have a great impact on adult’s life. Dozens of studies shown that children rated as securely attached to their mother in infancy are later more sociable, and more positive in their behaviour towards friends and family.They are less dependent on people, less aggressive and disruptive, more empathetic and more emotionally mature in their interactions in school and other settings. Adolescents are also more socially skilled, have friendships that are more intimate, are more likely to be rated as leaders, and have higher self-esteem and better grades Bee (2002). Attachment theory also provides a sophisticated set of ideas for making sense of people’s feelings and behaviours. (Lindon, 1998)) Adolescence in Latin, adolescere means ‘to grow up’ it usually starts with the physical changes associated with puberty, which begin the physical changes to the body. Carlson, 2000) Whilst these are important, there are other critical processes of development: ‘self’ and the search for identity, the development of relationships, for example with friends, and very important changing nature of relationships within families, that are a central feature of this period of an individual’s life. It is a time of not only biological changes but also, psychological and social. Adolescence as a period of life is often seen as a whole period of transition, the transition from childhood to adulthood, probably the mos t challenging and difficult period of life in terms of development (Herbert, 2002).All adolescence confronts the some development tasks – adjusting to changes in their bodies and the challenge of their developing sexuality and new ways of thinking, as they strive for their own identity, emotional maturity and independence. Consequently, relationships, particularly with the family, will be subject to adoption and change. However, the timing of these changes varies between individuals, influenced by such things as gender, genes and culture (Ackerman, 1958). Adolescence as a period of development maybe considered for a range of different perspectives that focus on biological, psychological and social aspects of development. Davies, 1997) Biological development in adolescence is associated with a whole range of physical changes. Puberty is the period of rapid changes that occur as the person moves from childhood and begins adolescence. Hormones affect every aspect of growth and d evelopment and the level of certain hormones rises naturally during adolescence, primarily causing increased sexual interest and mood swings Numbers of physical changes take place, for example a rapid acceleration in growth and weight. (Bee, 2002) Social development in adolescence is a period of transitions from being a child into being an adult.Adolescents seek greater independence from their parent’s relationships moving more towards their peer relationships (Sugerman, 2001). The peer group and the friendship within it play very important part not only in sharing inner feeling and secrets but also in the development of the individual’s identity, changes in our self-concept and self-image. It provides new ways of thinking about problems, values and relationships. It gives the opportunity to think about themselves and the person they are becoming (Erikson, 1995). Erikson (1995) recognised this as the critical crisis of adolescence in the eight stages of development.He believed that the successful resolution of this depends on how the individual resolved the previous crisis of childhood. This period is critical in making sense of the future. Erikson (1995) believed the key to this is the interactions with peers, families, institutions, especially school, society and so on. Erikson(1995) also suggests that the search for identity is ongoing process during adolescence. He says that they may adopt identity based on parents or society they live in, or opposite to that in which the adolescent adopts rebellious, negative stereotype.There can be a situation where a child does not know or care for their identity may explore different alternatives without making any choices. Another one may achieve their identity through assimilation of the experiences and the future plans. Two important parts of identity in social context are gender and ethnicity. Few studies had explored the issue of possible gender differences in relation to social context, with no tren ds apparent. In sum, there has been little evidence of gender differences regarding questions of identity structure or developmental process (Adams, 2003).For young people who are not part of a dominant cultural group, there is concern to establish their cultural identity. They must develop a sense of individual identity and ethnic identity that includes self-identification as a member of their specific group, commitment to that group and its values and attitudes (Bee, 2002). For some young people from an ethnic minority group this may be an issue. However, the critical issue is the decisions they may have to make in operating in a culture of racism and in dealing with negative and racist situation.As a social worker, we need to make sure that our practice is anti-racist and anti-discriminatory with promotion of positive images of people from different cultures and ethnic backgrounds. Moving on to the end of this piece of work the author will look at the complexity of human life in context of sexual exploration, usage of substances and some of major events and their influences upon adolescence life. Herbert (2002) says that homosexual and lesbian experimentation are ordinary in adolescence however longer term attraction to the some sex or both sexes is reported in fewer than 10 per cent of the population.The way of how others see ‘us’ and think of ‘us’ is of vital importance to the way ‘we’ perceive ‘ourselves’ – our self image. This has particular bearing on how adolescents deal with their dawning realisation of the permanence of homosexual feelings of identification. (Herbert, 2002) Our society relies upon various kind of drugs and substances for every day living. It has become a ‘drug culture’. There is a huge increase of drugs and alcohol usage among young people. For the majority of young people this may be a serious issue.Young people who use substances may demonstrate low self-estee m and self-worth, rebelliousness and lack of aspiration in relation to academic achievement. A distinction needs to be made there are those young people who present with a range of anti-social behaviour, such as criminal activity, aggression, and so on. (Coleman, 1990) This might be difficult but social workers need to know how to balance the rights of young people and their responsibility to society. It might be very difficult to understand people’s life course, especially the influences and the complex events that they may have been through.Recognising the impact of life events is very important, their complexity and the effects, they can have not only on people’s lives but on social work practice too. The impact of parental conflicts, for example being exposed to verbal and physical violence will have an impact on children’s behaviour. Children are generally the losers when their parents’ marriages end in divorce or their long-term partnerships are ter minated. Boys and girls are both equally vulnerable says Herbert (2002). Divorce is usually a lengthy process, not simply a single incident in children’s lives.Parental conflict has been associated with poor academic performance, depression and antisocial behaviour (Carlson, 2000). Although not all children will be affected by parental conflict, this behaviour has clear and negative effect on children and their future behaviour. Children who loss their mother before age 11 are more vulnerable to depression and suicide thoughts. Suicide attempts are very much a late adolescent phenomenon, the peak being among 15-19 years old. The rate of attempted suicides for adolescent girls far exceeds that for boys.Frequently the action is unplanned, impulsive and undertaken in a manner that is likely to be discovered. Teenagers sometimes have fantasies about their own death, which involve their ‘ending it all’, and yet surviving the event by ‘attending’ their own funeral where they are able to savour the grief and guilt displayed by errant parents or boyfriend/girlfriend. These fantasies indicate how, in some adolescents, the finality of death is not fully comprehended, or at least not while in a depressed or hysterical state. Herbert, 2002) Other young people may present emotional issues, such as depression and anxiety. A distinction also needs to be made between those that might be associated with development issues and those that may be more serious. For example, small portion of young people will present with psychiatric disorders such as the author mentioned above suicide attempts, schizophrenia, anorexia or bulimia nervosa. (Barker, 2003) One in five children and adolescents suffer from moderate to sever mental health problems.A significant number of sever problems in childhood, if not adequately treated can lead to lifelong mental illness in adulthood Children whose parent have mental health illness are known to be at higher risk of developing the same difficulty of their own. (Barker, 2003) The cognitive explanation of children’s and young people’s behaviour is concerned not only with what is actually happening but also with their understanding and a mental representation of what is going on. That is why it is important for social workers to have an understanding of ‘normal’ child growth and development.This will allow comparing, and assessing the development of a child that needs to be assessed. Additionally it would help to judge the role of parents, or carers and their ability to meet the demands of the different stages of the child development, their ability to respond to good parenting, their values, attitudes, and the impact that this can have on the child. (Herbert, 2002) Throughout this essay, the author tried to attempt to identify issues that may specifically affect the individual’s experience of adolescence, namely issues of gender, race and culture.Social workers r esponse to different behaviour issues has to depend of an assessment of the individual, and the range of factors, planning a response and supporting children, young people, parents and others to understand and manage their behaviour problems. Understanding of the theories of human development is necessary in establishing effective partnership with people who use social services. In conclusion, the author presents in this essay some of the advantages and disadvantages of viewing behaviour across the life span.Social workers need to look at the particular individual behaviour in context of life span perspective because only then they can make the right judgement of that person. However, it is very important for social workers to have a holistic approach in understanding someone’s behaviour. This means taking to account every aspect of the individual’s life. In other words, building an understanding of the whole person’s life, not only physical or psychical but als o social, cultural, historical factors that may have influence their life.Looking at human behaviour gives also a wider perspective, and it takes the social worker beyond his own particular life experience giving a ‘bigger picture’, understanding of people’s behaviour. However, it is important again to be careful to not stereotyping or labelling people. Finally, social workers need to remember that they are dealing with human beings, unique individuals that is way they need to make sure that when they talk to them they must listen carefully and try to understand them from their perspective. 3,228 words Reference: Ackerman, N.W. (1958) Psychodynamics of family life, Imprint Adams, G. R. (2003) Blackwell's handbook of adolescence, Blackwell Publishing,   Adams, R (2002) Social work, Themes issues and critical debates. Palgrave, New York. Aronson, E (2005) Social psychology 5ed. Upper Saddle River,  Pearson Education,   Barker, P (2003) Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing. The craft of caring. Arnold, London Bee, H. (2002) Lifespan development  3ed. Allyn ; Bacon,   Boston. Carlson, N. R. (2000) Psychology, The science of behaviour,  Allyn ; Bacon   Coleman, J.C. (1990) The nature of adolescence,  2ed. Routledge. Crawford, K. (2003) Social work and human development, Learning Matters,  Exeter. Davies, M. (1997) Blackwell companion to social work, Blackwell Publishers, Erikson, E. H. (1995) Childhood and society, Vintage. Giddens, A. (2001) Sociology, 4ed. Polity Press,  Cambridge. Grant, J. P. (1991) The state of the world’s children 1991,  Unicef. Herbert, M. (2002) Typical and atypical development. From conception to adolescence. BPS Blackwell,  Oxford. Howe. D. 1999) Attachment theory, Child maltreatment and family support, A practice and assessment model. Macmillan Press. Lindon, J. (1998) Understanding child development, Knowledge theory and practice. Macmillan Press. Parker, J. (2003) Social work practice . Assessment, planning, intervention and review. Learning Matters, Exeter. Piaget, J. (1977) The origin of intelligence in the child,  Penguin Books, Harmondsworth. Skinner, B. F. (1953) Science and human behaviour, Macmillan Press. Sugarman, L. (2001) Lifespan development, Frameworks, accounts and strategies. 2ed. Psychology Press,  Hove.