Oral hygiene Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Oral hygiene - Essay Example Oral care is imperative to promoting a healthy patient, especially in the seriously ill, geriatric and cancer patients. Good oral hygiene is linked to the prevention of somatological diseases in older residents (Ship 2002), as well as periodontal diseases and infections in diabetic patients (Nursing 1993), and oral care reduces pneumonia in older patients (Yoneyama, 2004). However, it stands to be shown that very often nursing staff is unaware of the importance and method of appropriate oral hygiene (Adams 1996). Oral care is very cost effective and when appropriately applied, it can prevent diseases and infections, yet there is very little information on oral care for the intensive care unit and seriously ill patient other than in the geriatric, cancer and diabetic related studies. Currently, the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center is sponsoring a study on Oral Care to Reduce Mouth and Throat Infections in Critically Ill Patients (ClinicalTrials 2005). Their research uses phase three longitudinal studies of one-thousand to three-thousand patients in intensive care units to evaluate a program of oral hygiene that may prevent respiratory infections in patients, which "occur five times more often in critically ill patients compared with patients in general hospital wards and result in longer hospital stays and an increased risk of death" (ClinicalTrials 2005). It stands to be noted that there is a higher likelihood of a patient leaving an intensive care unit with a mouth infection or respiratory infection because of inadequate oral hygiene. This rate of infection, according to ClinicalTrials.gov and Maryland Health Institute is due to the presence of disease causing bacteria in the patient population. Their study is planning to asses oral care effective ness amongst seriously ill patients from Washington DC related areas, and the Maryland Health Institute study sponsored by the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center seeks to define the effectiveness of oral care in patients over the age of eighteen with a focus on: These hospitals have ICUs more representative of ICU's nation-wide. This study will test the effectiveness of a comprehensive and systematic oral care program to reduce the oral assessment scores, mucosal plaque scores, and the amount of pathogen inoculum present in the saliva and plaque. Incubated and non-incubated patients will be compared as well as meticulous care with or without the addition of the oral antiseptic, chlorhexidine. Consistency of practice performance will also be evaluated when nursing staff has dentist/hygienist instruction and monitoring versus the traditional nurse instruction. The following research proposal will come to a slightly different approach in developing mouth care for seriously ill patients. The proposal is to seek the manner in which ICU nurses give oral care and their understanding of method, procedures and guidelines as well as prevention techniques. It is obvious from previous studies that the health care industry as a whole is not entirely aware of preventative measures (Adams 1996) and that there are few studies devoted specifically to the seriously ill pat

UAE Banking Sector Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

UAE Banking Sector - Assignment Example Page 3 Find the ratio of Housing Loans/ Housing Debt in UAE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.. page 4 What are the components of housing loans in UAE†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ page 4 What are the consequences of not paying the housing loans?...................... page 5 Analysis and Valuation†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 6 Current banking policy regarding real estate exposure in UAE †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦... page 6 Stress testing†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. Page 7 Recommendations and Conclusion:†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ page 8 Works Cited†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ Page 9 UAE Banking Sector Introduction: Importance of Banking Sector in UAE In the UAE economy banks exist as either the local banks (21 banks) or the foreign banks (25 banks). The roles of the banks are significant in the development of both the economy and the lives of the people as they play significant roles in the main sectors of the economy (Low 2012 pg 33-5). The banks play major roles in the community development apart from being loan and credit instruments in the economy. In the total Arab banking the UAE holds 11.55 of the total Assets. This makes the banking sector in the UAE the biggest beneficiary of the strong economic growth in the UAE (Terterov 2006 pg 275). The banking assets stand at over AED 750,597,000,000 due to the strong growth in assets experienced. By the end of the year 2 005, the consolidated assets had recorded a growth of 41.9% a value of AED 638.01bn. This makes the bank second after Saudi Arabia in terms of Assets. According to the last economic report in the UAE, GDP has a record growth of 25.6% (AED 485.5 bn) with the real GDP recorded at a growth of 8.2% (AED 357.6bn). The real estate and business services sector contributed to the GDP growth by AED 35,920mn while the financial sector contributed by 28,426mn (Parker 2007 pg 82-8). Concentration of Banks in UAE The banking system in the UAE is mainly of two categories, the local or national and the foreign. There are a total of 46 banks operating in the UAE currently according to the report. Among them 21 are local while 25 are foreign. The foreign banks are restricted from operating more than eight branches while all the 21 local banks are all listed in the Abu Dhabi Securities Market (ADSM) and Dubai Financial Market (DFM). UAE has the second highest number of banks in the GCC countries afte r Bahrain (Parker 2007 pg 64). With the anticipated growth in the real estate sector, this figure is likely to grow resulting in a lot of mergers and acquisitions of the monetary institutions. This will result from a lot of demand for loans and a lot of money that needs depositing hence a boom in the banking industry (Farah 2009 pg 67-9). Importance of real estate in UAE Using the available data, the per capita household debt went up in the UAE due to a rise in real estate borrowing. The most recent recorded debt per household stands at $12,000 with the household debt to household income stood at a highest 10% (Low 2012 pg 48-50). This percentage of household debt in the UAE provides a cushion to support consumption in the event there is rising consumption expenditure. This is very high as compared to those from the other segment economies like the G20 which stand at below 7% in most of the countries within that economy bracket (Parker 2007 pg 127).

Punishment And Crime Essay Example for Free

Punishment And Crime Essay â€Å"An eye for an eye† The standards by which individuals and society subscribe to where being done wrong and seeking retribution, or in the general scope, where crime and punishment is concerned, can be summed up and approximated in the aforementioned line. Our view of justice, the resolution of a violation, and the prevention thereof doesnt stray far from the said concept either. While other countries, particularly those in the middle eastern region, tolerate and employ the said ideology in the literal sense, mutilating the arms and limbs of people caught guilty of thievery, for instance. In the much more civilized and developed nation that is our country however, the instance of Retribution, Deterrence, Rehabilitation, and Societal Protection exists as corresponding forms of punishment to violations against humanity and against societys prescribed laws. Its effectivity in terms of deterring crime, however, remains subjective.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The concept of retribution or retributive justice exists under the premise that people are, or should be dealt with a punishment which fits in proportion to their respective crimes. The concept of merit and desert are introduced as factors central to retributive justice (Maiese). The simplest explanation would be that if a person where to do good and work hard, his or her actions will be met with an equal amount of goodness, or reward. Conversely, a person who commits to doing the opposite, who breaks laws and violates aspects of humanity, are to receive a form of punishment equal to what they have inflicted. Where the instance of merit and desert is concerned, justice is defined by dealing a person the corresponding reward or punishment which he or she deserves based on the instance of good and bad, right and wrong courses of action which a person chooses to pursue.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Punishment in retributive justice constitutes the previously quoted line in the introduction of this paper, albeit not as literally; which, in the context of almost every justice system, and to put it quite crudely, people are to be treated in the same manner by which they choose to treat other individuals. This much is evident in the amount of community service, jailtime, and other forms of punishment which an offender is obliged to fulfill depending on the gravity of the crimes or offenses he or she has committed. Crimes and offenses which may range from driving without a license to armed robbery, rape, and perhaps even murder, will determine whether the offender in question will receive a simple reprimand, a ticket or a fine, a day in a jail cell, or be committed to minimum or maximum security, and to the most grave of offenses, receive capital punishment or death penalty.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The theory of deterrence on the other hand, departs from the seeming reasonable sensibilities afforded by the concept of retribution and runs under the idea that if a corresponding consequence or punishment of a crime outweighs the possible benefit or significance of committing it, the person who intends to commit the said crime may be deterred from pursuing it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Deterrence turns to the instance of heavier consequences to criminal acts and offenses as opposed to punishments proportionate to actions which have been committed, as a more effective way of preventing individuals from committing crimes. The theory of deterrence runs under the premise and assumption that every individual is conscious of his or her actions, that people are consciously aware of what constitutes good and evil and that peoples action, be it of deviance or conformity, subscribing to rules or breaking it, results from free will. Under the said assumptions, people who are inclined to break the law or commit to similar acts of violations are aware of the consequence and gravity of the situation. Knowing that the corresponding consequences will have a greater negative impact than the deviance and offenses they may choose to commit will advise them to do otherwise. In the instance that people are blamed or convicted for crimes and offenses they did not commit, punishments would appear greater than they already are. For most people, this appears to be the most effective way of deterring crime, but it also appears to be the least humane and insensible where offenders are concerned.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   On the subject of relatively humane methods of punishment, the concept of rehabilitation seems to effectively apply. A term which probably closesly identifies with drug abuse, excessive smoking, eating disorders, and other behavioral problems, the concept of rehabilitation applies to more than the said destructive behaviors and relates to a type of punishment which confines an individual to a place where he or she is unable to repeat offenses and untolerated acts which he or she has previously committed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Rehabilitation turns to a less immediate and much lengthier process of punishing the criminal or offender in question. Doing time in prison cells and rehabilitation centers may appear the most tame and seemingly weak or ineffective forms of punishment, but the reality of incarceration, of being put away and shut out from the rest of society, and rotting away in a period of time which appear to span indefinitely, bears it own share of torment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The said form of punishment has the capacity to affect the offender in question on a psychological level, as he or she is forced to contemplate the nature of his or her actions and its consequences in the course of the said persons confinement and rehabilitation, at the end of which the individual in question is released and deemed fit to continue his or her life and start anew. Crimes are supposed to be deterred by keeping people away from society at large, who may choose to repeat the said crimes or influence others from doing the same.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Societal Protection concerns itself with the rights and needs of the society as a whole, as opposed to individuals which comprise it, and turning to forms of punishment such as the previously mentioned rehabilitation, among others, as a means of protecting and preserving roles, function, structures, and procesess within society.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ultimately, society and individuals within it do what they can to ensure security, peace and stability from ensuing and taking hold. Not every form of punishment that has been discussed can be deemed rational and effective in every aspect, and they can vary in meaning and translation from one individual to the next. But as far as opinions apply, it exists as the least of surprises how certain forms of evil cant be countered and put off by other forms of evil. Retribution will not solve people and societys problems, and forms of punishment, however necessary, unfortunately only reflect societys capacity to inflict pain and suffering to people who may or may not truly deserve them. References   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Keel, Robert. â€Å"Rational Choice and Deterrence Theory.† 14 July 2005. Retrieved 18 January 2008 from http://www.umsl.edu/~keelr/200/ratchoc.html   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maiese, Michelle. â€Å"Types of Justice.† July 2003. Retrieved 18 January 2008 from     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/types_of_justice/   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maiese, Michelle. â€Å"Retributive Justice.† May 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2008 from   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.beyondintractability.org/essay/retributive_justice/   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Summerfield, Morgan. â€Å"Evolution of Deterrence Crime Theory.† 18 May 2006.   Retrieved   Ã‚   18 January 2008 from  Ã‚   http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/32600/

Why does organisation undertake market research?

Why does organisation undertake market research? 1) Why does organisation undertake market research? What methods could they use? 1) The collection, analysis and communication of market to assist decision making in marketing is market research. Methods of market research: 1) Primary research: primary research includes getting such data that is not already used by any other organisation. It is especially made to get answer of some specific question that an organisation wants to procure. To get primary data a business should carry out field research: Face-to-face interview- Interviewer gets information from people. (Example-by visiting different houses on different streets) Telephone interviews- Same question like face-to-face interview are asked although often shortly. Online survey- Using internet is prominent way of getting primary data and it is also less expensive than other sources to get primary data. Questionnaires: Questionnaires are sent in post to get the information. Advantage of primary search- A) up to date B) Specific to the purpose C) No other business has access to collected data Secondary data- includes data that is already available. This data has been collected by someone else for another purpose. Secondary research involves exploration of secondary sources of data. Source of secondary data can come from within the firm itself. This is also known as internal secondary data. External secondary data is data that has been published by other firm. Advantages of secondary data: A) Ease of access B) Low cost of acquire C) May answer research question Types of market research: 1) Quantitative research- Statistical basis gathers statistically valid, numerically measurable data Usually related to data on market-size, market shares and growth Sampling plays a key role Data is gathered through surveys Concerned with obtaining hard copy 2) Qualitative research Subjective and personal Concerned with finding out soft information Main purpose is to understand consumer behaviour, perceptions and attitudes Obtained by methods designed to get detailed responses e.g. interview Research topic are usually explored in some depth There are two main qualitative methods- A) Depth interviewing: In most business markets depth interviews are very important form of qualitative research. B) Depth discussion: Focus groups are the main stay of consumer research. Here several customers are bought in discussion. These groups encourage creative ideas from participants. Purpose of market research To gain an understanding of markets To identify changes in the market To improve market answers To gain an understanding of customers needs To reduce the risk and uncertainty To forecast market trends To provide a sound basis for marketing decision To support marketing planning Importance of market research Research is not only used for learning. It is also used to make good decision. While research is key to Decision Making. It does not always to be effective. Some time small efforts such as doing research on internet provide needed information. Marketing research is becoming more important day-by-day by which the firm can get more profits. By market research firm get know about their customer taste what the customer want how much they can pay for the product. By doing market research we get information about other products their pricing and what needs to be done for a good promotion. Conclusion: From above discussion we can say that market research is way to get information about the product, customer and market. There are couple of method for market research such as discussed above primary research and secondary research. In primary research data is collected by face-to-face interview, telephone interview, online survey and questionnaires.   Secondary research is data which is already gathered by someone for another purpose. There are two types of market research as discussed above quantitative research and qualitative research. There are two type of qualitative method depth interviewing and depth discussion. With help of market research firm can procure a lot of information about the market, products, promotion, and distribution and so on that can be very helpful in taking marketing 2) What are they major factors affecting the pricing strategy of firms? What is pricing? Pricing is a method adopted by firm to set price of their product. It usually depends on average cost of product. Different pricing methods place varying degree of emphasis on selection, estimation and evaluation of costs and market situation. What is pricing strategy? Pricing strategy is activities aimed at finding products optimum objectives, consumer demand, market, economic trend and product price, typically including overall marketing. 1) Internal factors- A) Marketing objective- There are some marketing objective given below- To set a price in aim to cover just variable and fixed cost of a product. To set such price that cultivates optimum profit. To decide the price of product in such a way that they can procure leadership in market share. To set high prices in order to get quality leadership in market. B) Marketing mix In marketing mix, there are especially two alternatives as given below 1) Price positioning- In this, an organisation decides the price of any particular product first and then they take other decisions of marketing mix. 2) Non price positioning- In this process,organstions dont decide price first they opt different kind of marketing mix tools because they think customers dont always go for products of low prices. They opt high prices product in aim to get optimum quality and to show prestige and dignity. 2) External factors: Market and demand factors- In this, the price of a particular product depends on demand of product in the market. If products demand is higher than price can be kept higher but on the other hand if demand is lower than price must be lower to attract a certain range of customers. Competition: Almost all marketing decision including pricing will include an evaluation of competitors offerings. The impact of this information on actual setting of price will depend on the competitive nature of market. Government regulations; There is some governmental regulation that applies in deciding the price of any particular product. Marketers cant be price dictators they have to follow some rules and regulations made by government. Government have decided a certain level of price limit that cant be crossed or overcome by any marketer. Conclusion:- From the above discussion we can conclude that pricing is method to set a price of product by a firm to get higher profit or to survive in market. Pricing strategy is activities finding product optium, consumer demand and market needs to set a price. There are several factor affect price decision internal and external factor. Internal factor include marketing objective and marketing strategy. External factors include nature of market, demand competition and government regulations. All these factors play a vital role in pricing strategy of firms. 3) What are the main criticisms against marketing? To what extent are these criticisms valid? Marketing have thousands of benefits but even after that it is criticized due to some reason. There are some common criticisms against marketing. Marketing encourage people to purchase what they do not need: Possibly the criticism most frequently made about marketing is that marketers are only concerned with getting customer to buy whether they want the product or not. As we will discuss, while many marketers are guilty of manipulating customers into making their mind to buy products which they dont need. The vast majority understand that undertaking such method will not lead to loyal customers and is unlikely to lead to longer term success. Marketers adorn product claim: Marketers are often criticized for exaggerating the benefits offered by their product. This is especially the case with part of marketing that engages in customer communication. Such as advertising and sale people. the most serious problems arise when product claim are seen as misleading customers into believing a product can offer a certain level of value but it was not. But few times there is a fine line between what a rational person should accept as a ‘reasonable exaggeration and which is considered as downright deceiving. Fortunately, many countries offer customers some level of protection from misleading claims since such business practise may subject the marketer to legal action. Again using this method is likely to lead to marketing failure as customers dont like anything and will likely not return the product. Yes I think criticism is valid in marketing because marketers only wants to sell the their products they dont want customer to satisfy with the product their mean of selling product is only selfishness they only want profit nothing more than it. In some countries customer cant claim product if he/she is not satisfied with product this is because in some countries people buy products for occasionally use after that the occasion they claim the product and get money   back due to this marketers dont want be loss so they kicked claim policy in some countries but by this customers are always think twice before buy product in that country where we cant claim product so by this some real claim are disclosed due to no claim policy by which customer are dissatisfy so criticism is valid up to   high level in marketing I think so. Conclusion:- From the above discussion we can say that market is seen as benefits to firm and society there are a number of criticisms against marketing like to create a need where there is no need, so much exaggeration about products and false promises to the customers in aim to just increase the sale. So up to some extent these criticisms are valid but not all are alike. Has Feminism Achieved its Goals? Has Feminism Achieved its Goals? This essay will assess the question: has feminism achieved its goals? The essay will outline the three strands of feminism. The first section focuses on Liberal feminism which asserts the idea that in order for feminism to achieve its goals it must create equality among men and women. The second section turns to socialist feminism that believes that the only way feminist goals can be achieved is with the overthrow of the capitalist system and that of patriarchy. The Third and final section analyses radical feminism that advocates the goal of political lesbianism. This essay will conclude that feminism has not achieved its goals, however Liberal feminists believe their aim for equality is achievable in the near future. Has Feminism achieved its goals? Feminism as an issue first became prominent in the 17th and 18th century in France and America. It was not until the suffragette movement of the 19th century that feminism was seen as important in Britain. The scholar Estelle Freedman compares first and second-wave feminism saying that the first wave focused on rights such as suffrage, whereas the second wave was largely concerned with other issues of equality, such as ending discrimination.  [1]  Feminism is a contested issue, therefore difficult to define, due to the fact that feminism has a directory of meanings, however the term feminism can be used to describe a political, cultural or economic movement aimed at establishing equal rights and legal protection for women. Within feminism there are many strands, the most important and commonly known strands are Liberal, Socialist, Radical and more recently Post-modernist. Within these strands there is an on-going argument of whether or not feminism has achieved its goals. Early feminism was heavily influenced by liberalism. Liberal Feminists main goal comes from the liberal idea of equality of opportunity, freedom for the individual. The idea that everyone, both men and woman deserve to be considered to be of equal worth. However these liberal feminists take into consideration that this is not the case in society. Their goal thus being to create a society consisting of a culture of equal rights. They believe that womans subordination is a product of stereotyping, for instance seeing a woman as a mother only. It is often implied that feminine behaviour is a weakness meaning that men are seen as the stronger part of society, creating this inequality. Friedan sees this as the feminine mystique which she refers to as a cultural myth.  [2]  This is the idea that woman see certain things as more important; for instance the need for security and love is typically seen as feminine, whereas success and superiority is typically seen as masculine. This assum ption thus disadvantages women and separates them from entering employment. Liberal feminists therefore dismiss the notion that biological differences make women less competent than men, and believe that societies socialisation patterns need to change, so that gender socialisation does not occur, in other words males and females need to distance themselves from stereotypical roles. As both men and women our humans, they should have the same type of freedom and rights. Wollstonecraft asserts this view claiming that the distinction of sex would become unimportant in political and social life  [3]   Liberal Feminists believe that they can achieve this goal of equality through reform, for instance laws against sex discrimination in employment secures equal opportunities for woman. Added to this, they have the belief that society should not be organised by gender, but as Mill puts it: according to the principle of equality  [4]  and that accidents of birth like the sex of the child should be irrelevant, thus suggesting that women should be open to all the aspects of society, just like men, having all the rights and liberties that men enjoy such as the right to vote. Liberal Feminism is an optimistic theory, and overall believes that the goals of feminism are progressing and that over time gender equality will become the norm. This progression can be seen through different rights such as the right to initiate divorce proceedings and the reproductive rights of women to make individual decisions on pregnancy. Thus they believe that the goals of feminism may not be achieved at this moment in time, but the changes in society mean that soon they will be. Liberal feminists have been criticised for this over optimism, they see the obstacles to equality as simply the prejudices of individuals or irrational laws, ignoring the possibility that there are deep seeded structures causing womens oppression, such as patriarchy. Socialist and radical feminists criticise liberal feminists stating that one needs to recognise the underlying causes of female subordination, and that it is naive to believe that changes in the law will be enough to bring equality. Instead, they believe that revolutionary changes are needed. Socialist feminists connect the oppression of women to Marxist ideas about exploitation, oppression and labour. They think unequal standing in both the workplace and the domestic sphere holds women down. Socialist feminists see prostitution, domestic work, childcare and marriage as ways in which women are exploited by a patriarchal system that devalues women and the substantial work they do. They focus their energies on broad change that affects society as a whole, rather than on an individual basis. They see the need to work alongside not just men, but all other groups, as they see the oppression of women as a part of a larger pattern that affects everyone involved in the capitalist system. Socialist feminists dismiss the liberal feminist view that womens subordination is due to stereotypes. They see womens subordination as rooted in capitalism; although men may benefit from women, the main beneficiary is capitalism. For them the tension between men and women is due to the economic structure of society and only by overthrowing capitalism will women be equal to men. Thus their goal is: a revolution- that is they believe that the subordination of women can only be understood in terms of economic factors, for instance the idea that women are unpaid workers in the home. This subordination performs a number of functions for capitalism: women reproduce the labour force; women absorb the anger of men. Ansley for example describes wives as takers of shit  [5]  . It is for these reasons that womans interests and thus their goal should be the overthrow of capitalism. If this is their goal, then it is quite clear that feminism, according to the socialist feminist side has not achieved its goals. However modern socialist feminists refuse to look at the status of women in terms of economic factors and instead focus on the cultural roots. Mitchell suggests women perform four functions in society: 1) members of the workforce, 2) reproduce the human species 3) responsible for socialising children 4) sex objects.  [6]  Looking at this, the only way according to modern socialist feminists to achieve their goal is if they separate themselves from each of these areas, not just the idea of capitalism being replaced by socialism. This has yet to be achieved. Many criticisms have been made of socialist feminists. For some, they fail to explain womens subordination in non-capitalist societies. As womens subordination is also found there. Unpaid domestic labour may benefit capitalism, but it does not explain why it is women and not men who perform it. They place insufficient emphasis on the ways in which men and not just capitalism oppress women and benefit from their unpaid labour. Radical Feminism dismisses both liberal and socialist feminism, focusing on gender as the reason for all social divisions. They consider the male controlled capitalist hierarchy, which it describes as sexist, as the defining feature of womens oppression. Radical feminists believe that women can free themselves only when they have done away with what they consider an inherently oppressive and dominating patriarchal system. For them the key concept is Patriarchy: which literally means rule by fathers and is seen process of gender oppression. Patriarchy has come to mean a society where men dominate women, that there is a male-based authority and power structure and that it is responsible for oppression and inequality. As long as the system and its values are in place, society will not be able to be reformed in any significant way. Patriarchy is universal, existing in all societies. According to Firestone the origins of patriarchy are in biology; women bearing children makes them more dependent on men. However this is criticised by De Beauvoir who believes that the position of women is based not on natural factors but social factors, showing a critique of patriarchal culture. The basis of radical feminism is the idea that sexual oppression is the biggest feature of society and that other forms of inequality for instance class exploitation take a back seat. For radical feminists patriarchy is the biggest form of inequality, men are womens main enemy. Most radical feminists advocate the idea of separatism and Political lesbianism. Separatism refers to the idea of living apart from men creating a culture of female independence. Political Lesbianism is the idea that women become involved in lesbian relationships for political reasons. Many radical feminists argue that lesbianism is the only non-oppressive form of sexuality; feminism is the theory; lesbianism is the practice  [7]   The relationship between men and women must be transformed if women are to be free. Radical feminists argue that women and men should be separate, women should raise their consciousness about womens oppression in women only groups and they stress that political lesbianism is the only non-oppressive form of sexuality. Thus, this means that the goal of radical feminists is to live separate lives from men. However they recognise that this will not solve all the problems of the patriarchal society. Some radical feminists see no alternatives other than the total uprooting and reconstruction of society in order to achieve these goals. These goals have clearly not been achieved as heterosexual relationships are still the norm, although having said this there has been a rise of homosexual relationships in the last thirty years. Socialist feminists argue that class, not patriarchy, is the primary form of inequality. They also argue that capitalism is the main cause and beneficiary of womens oppression, and not men. Radical feminism offers no explanation of why female subordination takes different forms in different societies. It assumes that all women are in the same position and ignores class, ethnic differences. Liberal feminists argue that womens position has improved greatly and that women are now more equal to men. These three strands represent the different views and ideas of different feminist theorists. Although they all have different opinions, having considered all the arguments it is clear that they all believe that feminist goals have not been achieved. Liberal feminists believe that they are well on their way to achieving equality, whereas both socialist and radical feminists disagree. Socialist feminists asserting the view that an overthrow of capitalism is needed, whereas radical feminists assert the view that in order to be free they need to live separate lives from men.

Essay on Uniting People in The Color Purple -- Color Purple Essays

Uniting People in The Color Purple Red, a color of hatred, a color of anger, a color of oppression. Purple, a color of pride, a color of love, a color of triumph. The clashing of colors, and the uniting of a people. Think of how much more we would see if we did not have eyes. Physical appearances rule the world; the spiritual and emotional gifts emanating from within each individual are left to live an empty existence of incessant, smother-some abuse and to die a tragic and appalling death. Through colloquial diction, emotionally and spiritually turbulent episodes, and an uninhibited, straight-forward writing style, Alice Walker's The Color Purple, astonishingly displays society's alienation of the African-American woman. Celie, a homely woman, lived a life of penetrating violence. At an early age the man thought to be her father shamelessly soiled her fourteen year old body for his own carnal satisfaction; she did "what her mammy wouldn't". With one forceful act of violence a childhood ended and a life-time of pain began. The only reason for Celie's existence was to fulfill the needs of a vile and abusive congregation of men. The white man destroyed the black man, the black man destroyed the woman. An endless cycle of rancor and insecurity dominated the lives of women who knew not of their own talents and self-worth. Bare-foot and pregnant, was the only way of life for these abandoned souls. "She ugly. But she ain't no stranger to hard work. And she clean. And God done fixed her. You can do everything just like you want to and she ain't gonna make you feed it or clothe it." Celie, sold, like a slave, into an unloving marriage, represents the indifference and ignorance of society. Celie's marriage to Mr.__... ...ug, Squeak, and Celie fled from their oppressors to the North. Celie utilized her talent of sewing to create new fashions. A talent, once employed only at her husband's call, gave her the self assurance necessary for her attainment of a better future. The death of her father served as a drastic realization. An era of abuse and vulgarity finally ended. His hold on Celie and Nettie no longer existed, they were truly free. Awaiting Nettie's return and escaping the emotional turmoil of Shug's departure, Celie ventured home. Respect from Sofia, Harpo, and even Mr._____ shocked and rattled Celie's mind. Standing up for her rights destroyed an aura of weakness and pushed her ahead to redeem a dormant spirit. Nettie's, Olivia's, Adam's, and Shug's return finalized the uniting of a family, of a town, of a nation, proving in the end we are one . . .a nation of purple.

Ho families are changing :: essays research papers

How Families Are Changing†¦ For the Better The present structure of the average family in America is changing, mainly due to the growing number of mothers who now work outside the home. The current mark of dual-earner families stands at 64 percent, making it a solid majority today. This alteration of the â€Å"traditional† structure of the family is a catalyst for other changes that may soon occur. One of the changes that recently have been evident is the increased participation of men in the family’s raising of children. Of course, this is almost essential considering nearly two-thirds of all women now work out-side the home. Among other changes, women’s new economic gains have made marriages increasingly egalitarian. This leads both spouses to have more flexibility in choosing careers and balancing family life. Children today are increasingly being taught new values about the roles of men and women. Day care is becoming increasingly prevalent and is becoming somewhat of an extended family. Also, institutions outside the family such as the workplace and schools are creating the biggest stresses for parents. The biggest reason for all the changes at home are that women demand them, and their new economic resources carry a lot of weight in the decision. This has also led for the young men of today to increasingly accept this new domestic structure. Often, they choose wives which seem as their equals, as opposed to someone who â€Å"does not bring home the bacon.† Though, men today often feel threatened because they no longer solely own the breadwinner role. This leads to increased stress for men, who not only want to remain breadwinners, but also want to increase the time spent with their children. Yet, today’s families have come to face some big stresses dealing with institutions that have not advanced as far. Workplaces often do not offer flexible schedules to employees, while schools are still structured as if mothers still solely remained at home. Work schedules also provide a very difficult time schedule that often conflicts with domestic responsibilities. This has lead to inflexible schedules being on of the top sources of stress for parents.

Stone Finch Inc. Case Study Analysis

Stone Finch Inc. is a business in trouble. The organizations top producing division is losing talent and market share because of an innovative company revision that inspires and supports innovative subsidiary groups to sprout up within Stone Finch and then be decoupled from the organization in their infancy but remain tethered by a contract to merge the subsidiary after a period of time. The idea to innovate and grow is an effective one but in this case, does not consider the large differences in corporate team management style, team building characteristics or esprit d' corps. This case report will discuss background, pertinent issues, recommendations and conclusions. Falcons and Buzzards Understanding how to build and lead teams successfully is an ever-changing and full time job. Matching people to different types of employment is very challenging when the reasons for employment are varied. Many organizations use a Myers-Briggs personality analysis or similar tool as a consideration in hiring and making job assignments that consider the strengths of an individual. Finding a job for more money, or location, or to live a certain lifestyle are three possible reasons why a person might pick a specific job. The missing reason should be the most obvious: Job! Many times people sign on to an organization specifically because of the job. Of course other factors might be considered but if the primary reason for employment is job-related, some personal factors need consideration by the employer and the employee. The premise of this case is that Jim Billings has a mandate by the Board of Directors through his selection as CEO to grow and develop Stone Finch Incorporated (SFI). He, after one night of number-crunching, developed this idea of innovative subsidiaries. The concept is sound in theory but in application, requires a deft managerial touch to ensure the right people are in the right places. Objective Relevant Facts Falcons is the term used in the case to describe those entrepreneurial-spirited employees that would be branching out to develop innovative ideas and structures and bring them to the market. One of the falcons, Beth Suarez was made Vice President of the Solutions division, the division where the merged subsidiaries were to be reassigned (Hamermesh 2010). Stone Water Products, the original company, was renamed Water Products (WP) Division under the new parent company, Stone Finch Inc. Water Products was headed by Eli Saunders, a long-time employee who had been with Stone Water for 25 years. A buzzard. Eli provides a great deal of tacit knowledge (Keitner 2010) and now try to convey his concerns to Billings. Water Products is the division that originally produced the financial wherewithal that enabled the solutions division to fund the innovative offshoots (Hamermesh 2010). Financial reports indicate the solutions division is growing and surpassing the income generated by the WP division (Hamermesh 2010). From the open communications exercise, there is a disconnect between personnel of the older WP division and the newer entrepreneur-like structure. The indicators are that three top WP salespeople are leaving and a perceived gap between the â€Å"have's† and the â€Å"have-not's† thus creating an in-group-out-group mentality (Krietner 2010). Subjective Relative Comments The plan to innovate and grow is put in place by the former President/CEO and Founder, Mr. Stone. The idea to hire Billings was specifically to take the risks that he (Stone) was incapable of engineering. The financials indicate growth and improvement with the present system and while that is encouraging, the unintended consequence might actually be the demise of the WP division. WP's ability to produce should not be overlooked and especially now, that expressions of a growing divide appears to exist. Billings is doing the right thing by thinking strategically and seeking to understand what is happening in the corporate culture. In Kenneth Shaw's Intentional Leader, Shaw discusses how a leaders ability to connect with diverse groups is critical in the group-lead process and how effective communications methods are key elements in corporate success (Shaw 2005). Billings reinforces those concepts through his thought process. These are diverse groups. WP personnel are successfully entrenched in their way of doing things. Their mode involved building and maintaining those relationships critical to their divisions success. At one time, they were the only division and their culture was the company's culture. The integration of the newer divisions and their corporate persona were not considered which contributes to the alleged divide that appears to exist. Losing eight personnel in the solutions division should be a planned for and intended consequence of having that many â€Å"birds of prey†. My analogy for what I read in the Stone Finch case is that once the kill is made, the carcass is not nearly as interesting and a new chase must be mounted. These people learned how to design, develop and plan a new business from conception to implementation. It should be obvious that many will look to develop their own niche after already successfully having done it. Beth Suarez was making things happen as the entrepreneur and not as a corporate administrator. There are many other subjective snippets in the case that by themselves are insignificant but as part of a big puzzle, indicate to me that the corporation changed from a team-oriented and focused business to a multi-faceted organization without the appropriate organizational preparation. The time for damage control is now. Recommendations These recommendations are a mix of what I would do along with Jim Billings' way forward. This is a pretty sizeable problem. Trying to combine water and oil does not work no matter how much stirring is done. The ingredients simply reconstitute when the stirring stops. In this case, there needs to be an additional ingredient where the two opposites can bond. It might be a new corporate mission and vision statements along with guiding principles that are jointly developed by the differing corporate philosophies. In the case, there are differing philosophies; one is a traditional corporate design and the other is a progressive, free-wheeling bastion of innovation. Everyone needs to understand the risks that the others are taking and how the end result is a benefit to all concerned and not just a select few. I'm curious to know if there are any falcons in WP's structure that are just dying to help WP make the leap into innovation? Jim Billings has done a good job at this point in realizing there are issues of concern. Mainly, these issues are connected to people and not to numbers. In fact, the numbers presented in the appendices of the case are reasonable and indicate current and projected growth as it pertains to development of the strategic subsidies idea. Billings' task list should include: ? Communicate immediately to the entire corporation the success of the open jam and the number of submissions and thank them for the number of great comments and suggestions. Also communicate a timeline for future communications about issues and suggested improvements and stick to it! ? Conduct follow on interviews and additional data analysis before developing new action plans. Pay specific attention to WP and Strategic Solutions. Also make personal contact with cancelled WP accounts and try to win back their business or at least gain data points on why the business is lost. ? Communicate globally. ? Place special emphasis on the perception of corporate division and determine the if one perception takes precedence over another as an end state or if the corporate culture can be successfully mended and combined. Then determine how to communicate that as policy going forward. ? Interview Suarez and see if she is happy as an administrator. It is apparent from past performance that she is highly competent and successful. If she desires to excel in her current position, she will if given the proper tools. If she is unhappy not soaring like a falcon, set her onto a new project or set her free to soar again elsewhere. At least after the discussion, it might be a relief for all concerned. ? Look into the IT capabilities of WP. If lacking, bring them up to speed with current technologies and knowledge sharing software (Krietner 2010). If they are unwilling because â€Å"this is the way we've always done it†, make them willing through providing a compelling rationale. If the WP culture is unable to adapt and retraining is unsuccessful; that is an indication that WP has outlived its usefulness and as unromantic as it may seem, Billings might have to consider selling off the asset. Personally, I don't think that is the case here. I think WP feels used and abused and could probably use an infusion of capital resources to show they are still important to the organization. Perhaps an IT upgrade and training will show them a more efficient way to work and improve the morale of the group. Or looking for any WP personnel to work in the up and coming subsidiaries if they are so inclined. This could help ease the differences or at least help with understanding. Billings is on the right track because he recognizes there is an issue. Albeit a strongly worded email from SVP Eli Saunders seems to have helped strike a nerve with Billings; the fact is, that it did make an impact. Conclusions The describe Billings to have crunched the numbers in one night and developed his strategic solutions concept. It might be that I misunderstand the context of the case but coming up with a plan like this in a short period of time does not consider the unintended consequences of corporate division as it appears in this case. I conclude that with appropriate planning and communication, many of these problems could be have been avoided. In the recommendations section of this paper, bringing together the affected parties to jointly develop mission and vision would have helped both sides (WP and Solutions) understand the perspectives of their corporate brothers and sisters. As Billings himself is a falcon, he may not have seen that type of collaboration as necessary but at least he has the foresight now to correct the current situation.