Index Number

CPI (Consumer price index) A consumer price index (CPI) measures changes in the price level of consumer goods and services purchased by households. The CPI is a statistical estimate constructed using the prices of a sample of representative items whose prices are collected periodically. GDP deflator In economics, the GDP deflator (implicit price deflator for GDP) is a measure of the level of prices of all new, domestically produced, final goods and services in an economy.GDP stands for gross domestic product, the total value of all final goods and services produced within that economy during a specified period. WPI (whole sale price index) The abbreviation for Wholesale Price Index, which is an index of the prices paid by retail stores for the products they would ultimately resell to consumers. The Wholesale Price Index, abbreviated WPI, was the forerunner of the modern Producer Price Index (PPI). The WPI was first published in 1902, and was one of the more important economic indicat ors available to policy makers until it was replaced by the PPI in 1978.The change to Producer Price Index in 1978 reflected, as much as a name change, a change in focus of this index away from the limited wholesaler-to-retailer transaction to encompass all stages of production. While the WPI is no longer available, the family of producer price indexes provides a close counterpart in the Finished Goods Price Index. PPI – Producers price index Producers price index focuses on prices of goods and services that are received by the producer. This is different from the retail prices, which include shipping costs, taxes and other leviesSensitive Price Indicator (SPI) Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI) is designed to assess price movement of essential consumer items at short intervals (on weekly basis) so as to take corrective measures. Laspeyres . This compares the price of the old basket of goods for the old and new prices. Paasche . This compares the price of the new basket of goods for the old and new prices. variables| price| quantity| CPI| Fixed (Laspyere price index)| | GDP deflator| | Fixed| PPI| Fixed (Laspyere price index)| | SPI | Fixed (Laspyere price index)| | WPI| Fixed (Laspyere price index)| |

Morality and Money Essay

No doubt, Money is an essential, almost indispensable article in the present day world. It is the’ money’ through which we can purchase all the necessary comforts and amenities of life. If you have money, you can obtain what seems impossible to others. It is the money which gives man, confidence, creditworthiness, credentials, capacity, capabilities and courage. In present day materialistic world, money has become very powerful. In the present day corruption, cut throat competition, callous degradation of moral and ethical values, are for the sake of grabbing and accumulating more and more money. The prestige, respect, social status, commanded by a person is calculated per his monetary status. Time has gone, when we valued a person in evaluated of his moral and ethical values. People were earlier known for keeping their words, for donating every thing to a donee. Now people are know in terms of their ranking in the list of rich of the world. Money has become the centre of all activities. Money and muscle power have become essential ingredients of a successful political leader. Money is regarded as omnipotent by a few people, particularly by the poor. As whatever one does not possess, one aspires it badly, and it becomes mono aim of achievement. For the rich, that owe lots of money, still craving to earn more and more, by hook or by crook, with fair or foul means, without caring even for their own health, own family. They are the servants of money, earning money not for the sake of themselves but for the sake of money and a time comes they find themselves unable to use the money for their happiness. They are unable to eat, unable to taste the most delicious dish, unable to move, walk or enjoy because they suffer from many diseases which are the result of their undue craving for wealth at the cost of health. Can one purchase anything with the power of money? No, one cannot. You cannot purchase inner satisfaction with money, you cannot purchase the lost youthfulness with money, you cannot purchase time from the death at any cost. Those who earn money simply to a have more money, more balance in their accounts are no better than the proverbial miser king ‘Midas’. Excessive love for money, make a man slave of money. Money is important for our life, but it is not the most important thing for a human being. Those who use money for fulfilling their necessities, acquiring reasonable comforts and for the welfare of a common good, are the masters of money. But those who earn money just for the sake of increasing its volume and number are slaves of the money. They are the most unfortunate creatures of God who know well that whatever money they are earning, can’t be taken an iota of that when they die even they are minting more and more money. What a paradox Money has become their master and they are just slaves, having no peace of mind, no moral and ethical values, no inner satisfaction. So it is rightly said that money is a good servant but a bad master. Let us use the money for our comfort, not for the sake of money, minting more and more money.

Four Business Types – Pros and Cons

In my opinion, Corporation is the best form suited to venture as intended by Victoria & Quentin because it is separate legal entity distinct from its owners & have well defined registered by laws. These organizations are highly regulated & attract capital even from outside source very easily & existed infinitely. The main issues concerning the Intellectual property rights in providing licensing Marvel's intellectual property to Universal studios are Copyright and Trademark protections to the theme parks which Disney proposed to develop by using Thor, The Hulk, Iron man etc. Law related to copy rights gives the author or creator of work the exclusive rights for limited time span in order to promote creativity & allow control over use of artistic creations. Authors have been given powers to manage the characters (like The Hulk, Iron Man etc) as created by them & any one copying it definitely attract legal provisions (Chapter 17 of the United States Code). However there is the right of public to benefit from the authors work but that too exist on supposition that once copyrightable work enters public domain, others should be allowed to benefit from it and can make make it better for the excellence of all. Where Copyright law protect original writings of an author & dealt with character development and individualization protection trademark laws actually take care trademarks commercial value & designed to safeguard endures against confusion as to source or authorization of an item. Therefore trademark owner has given control over use of the sign or mark in association with those goods and services for which mark symbolizes. The Securities Act of 1933 which originally introduced on account of economic crisis of 1929 and mainly focus on two main objectives: First, to ensure more transparency in financial statements so as to facilitate investors to take informed decisions and second, to establish stringent laws to curb fraudulent activities/misrepresentation in securities markets. Whereas the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 derived to provide for governance of securities transactions in secondary market & to regulate stock exchanges and intermediaries (broker-dealers) to protect public investments. The main purpose of Securities Act of 1933 was to maximize the disclosure of financial through the detailed process of registration of securities. In case investor suffers losses on account of misleading information, they have recovery rights on proving that losses arises due to incomplete or inaccurate information. Whereas by means of Securities Act of 1933, Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was created which has broad powers & authority over all aspects of the securities market inclusive of brokerage firms, transfer agents, and clearing agencies and even nation's securities self regulatory organizations (like New York Stock Exchange, the NASDAQ Stock Market, Chicago Board of Options, Financial Industry Regulatory Authority etc). This act also provides the Commission with disciplinary powers over various regulated entities and persons associated with them & include provisions for periodic reporting of certain information by companies whose shares are publicly traded. A company planning for an IPO must appoint a lead manager (book runner) who helps to determine appropriate price of shares to be issued, which can be done by either of the two methods i. e. ither through lead managers or through analysis of confidential investor demand data, which is to be compiled by the book runner known as book building process. IPO requires effective planning comprising of development of an impressive management and professional team, significant growth of company's business so have known public marketplace, available audited financial statements following Internationally accepted accounting principles, compliance's of various act, good corporate governance practices etc. Victoria & Quentin fund raise not amount to IPO but a private placement/funding in which funds can be raised not directly from public but through private investors/ merchant bankers or private equity firms on which minimum regulations are applicable & statutory provisions of an IPO are not applicable. Patent: Patent protects an invention which is novel, useful, and non-obvious. Whereas invention refers to any new article, new machine, or any process or combination thereof or any new use developed by human being but that invention must not form part of public domain nd not previously known in the public before invented. It must be new. Also that invention must be non obvious to person skilled in art. Copyright: Copyrights usually protect the works of an author like writings, music, artistic work or art work which can be expressed in tangible form. It generally gives protection to software, web, course materials, publications, electronically or non electronically, printed or non printed. Trade Mark: Trademarks gives protection to the words, names, marks, symbols, or colors etc. hich differentiate between the goods and services and direct to the source of those goods or services. Trademarks can be renewed forever to the extent they can be Trade Secret: A trade secret is an information which the organizations generally keep secret or undisclosed so as to give them advantage on their opponents/competitors. In the given instances, there is an infringement claim of patent which is design with respect to chip clip for multiple bags of potato chips & another is an infringement of Copyright & trademark when to use the words â€Å"Astroclaw†Ã¢â‚¬  similar to â€Å"Atomic Claw†. In order to make case their effective Victoria & Quentin must prove that, there is no infringement of Intellectual Property rights. They can give evidence to prove that the designs & music has already been created by them as new without copying and their claims & application filed by Gunnar & Alexander fails to serve the test of patentability. Shareholders defined as individuals or artificial legal person who issued stock/shares in a company with a view to get benefit with the hope of earning of profits by company. It is a sort of investment in ownership of company and get rights to the extent of their investment. Whereas stakeholders are the persons who impacted by the policies, rule, regulations & working of an organization. This is the broad term comprises of whom an organization directly or indirectly associated with. It referred to as somebody who has stake or interest in actions of the company at large or even small scale. This term in connection with a corporation consists of its staff, employees, customers, supplier, vendors, dealers & society in wider context. This is the term generated out of need of suitable corporate governance as well as part of corporate social responsibility. Shareholder owes fiduciary duties to minority shareholders as well as to other stakeholders comprising of society at large, means they must act in their self interest so as to maximize their profits by following corporate governance principles. I support Mr. Garfield as he is the supporter of new ideas of capitalism & believes in restructuring & revival mechanism of capitalism. He believes that instead of running a failing or loss making business, shareholders should accept beneficial proposal so as to evade compulsory winding up which impacted other business. He appears to be an ethical person when denied to take money from a widow. On the other hand, Mr. Andrew seems to be sympathetic towards employees, workers but actually he not grown up as manger & not taken any action to replace discard technology & owing to above reasons I vote in favor of Mr. Garfield as the organization runs to make profits & if an organization not works well, it must be restructured in a manner so as to maximize wealth of shareholders.

America's Age of Imperialism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

America's Age of Imperialism - Assignment Example This policy was for their benefit. The Philippines –American war happened after American shoot down in the Spanish –American war of 1898, Spain surrendered its longstanding colony of Philippines to the united states in the treaty of paris.it reached a time when the US forces were serious in rejecting on enforcing American colonial control over issues such as islands, the first collides as an â€Å"insurrection† instead than accept the Filipinosargument that they were fighting to guard off any strange intruder. The solutions to these issues came when the United States started in the Philippines in 1900 leader being a future president William Howard Taft started a pacification movement that became popular as policy of attraction. This policy was designed to preside over the main elites and other Filipinos included who did not embrace Aguinaldo’s plans for the philipines,this policy allowed a kind of freedom of self-governance, started reforms for economic progress and in addition some social reforms. America opened Panama Canal which joined the two big oceans. This acted as a sign that America had emerged as a global power. America also wanted an easier route to their colonies. This was made possible by Bunau-Varilla who negotiated the Hay-Bunau-Varilla treaty of 1903 which provided the US with a 10 mile piece of land which they built a canal .they did this through payment of 10$million and paid to Panama. Roosevelt Corollary to Monroe doctrine was a policy by President Theodore Roosevelt self-assertive to Latin America approach. The army was the most influential in this period because it had full training on how tackle any war that

Canadian National Bank Current Problems Case Study

Canadian National Bank Current Problems - Case Study Example To cope with the pressure of this kind of environment the bank has implemented a system by the name of Customer Service Capacity Management (CSCM). This system has proposed certain parameters for each branch of the bank. The branch managers of each of these branches are expected to implement these recommendations without any exceptions. In such a situation a branch manager expects full support from each and every employee working in his or her branch. But unfortunately the branch manager of Chatham Branch has been unable to get support of one of her senior customer service representative, who is holding her own grudges against the branch manager. This has resulted in a series of ongoing tension situation existing between the manager and the customer service representative. All efforts of the manager to reconcile the prevailing differences have resulted in a failure, and thus a point has been reached where the fate of both these ladies is in the hands of a disciplinary committee. Prob lem Statement: The main problem which is being talked about in this case is one of interpersonal conflict. This form of conflict is arising between a young, inspirational, cooperative customer service manager and an experienced, mid aged, frustrated customer service representative. ... When this lady saw a young woman with just a degree to back her in the shoes of a manager, she decided to make her life difficult. Sub problems in the Bank: Since the bank is currently operating in an environment which is characterized by deregulation, therefore the entire banking paradigm has changed. In this paradigm banks need to be very responsive to customers’ needs with regards to their financial products and services. Banks also need to utilize their resources very efficiently and undertake strategies which help them to reduce their operating costs. In this regards Canadian National bank has implemented a new system by the name of Customer Service Capacity Management (CSCM). The basic aim of this system is to match customer traffic with the number of customer service representatives. In this way the system enables a reduction in cost. Recently, Lesley has been asked by this system to cut the job of a clerk and have the responsibility of this job fulfilled by two custome r service representatives. These representatives will share the work hours and work responsibilities of this job post. The responsibility to carry the task out fell on Pam Stewart and Sarah Wright, both these ladies had vast experience to back them but both these ladies were poles apart when it came to their personalities. Sarah was friendly and cooperative whereas as Pam was stubborn and uncooperative. Sarah had not problems when it came to performing these additional responsibilities, whereas Pam made a fuss about things and requested that she be relieved of these additional duties. She communicated to Lesley by means of a formal letter with a doctor’s certificate, asking her to relieve her of this additional role. Lesley rightfully took up this issue with Sarah asking

APPIAN WAY Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

APPIAN WAY - Research Paper Example The remaining sections were constructed in the course of next few centuries, with the road spanning about 563kms and thereby connecting Rome to Brindisi in southeast Italy. When the road construction process was started, it was mainly leveling the dirt road. After leveling, large stones as well as mortar were laid, which is followed by the laying of gravel. When the basic structure of the road was formed, it was topped with small stones which fitted into the gaps, thereby forming a flat surface. The small stones fitted into the gaps so aptly that historians marveled at how the small stones seem to have â€Å"grown† along with the other components. For instance, historian Procopius said that small stores â€Å"did not look so much fitted together but as grown together†, so much so they led to the formation of a road surface which was smooth, and far better than the jagged irregular roads before. (Kaster, 2012, p. 23). On the whole, the initial construction process of using large stones as the base, and then fitting in with softer gravel as well as small stones gave a proper and also functional look to the road. â€Å"Large stones made up the bulk of its construction and softer gravel that was compacted between the rocks cemented it.† (Appian Way, Rome,† n. d). Then, when the construction began on the stretch between Rome and Lake Albano, the Romans started using lime cement to build better quality roads. Sourced from volcanic rocks, this lime cement was laid over the small stones thereby providing a far smoother road surface. In addition, the Romans crowned the middle portion of the road for the purpose of water runoff, and also built ditches on either side of the road which were protected by retaining walls. It was while extending the road through the Pontine Marshes; the Romans faced number of challenges. Their plan to dry the marshes, build bridges over it and so on did not gave expected results, forcing the Romans to build

HR practices Business Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

HR practices Business - Article Example According to the author evaluating the human resources practices of a firm can help you find way to better employ the talent a firm has (Durkin, 2011). A technique or tool that was mentioned in the article that can help managers evaluate their human resources practice is HR audits. The use of an HR audit can give a manager assurance that the human resources practices of the company meet the current legal standards and uphold the internal policies of the company. It can be beneficial for professionals in the HR industry to belong to professional organizations. An organization that has a lot credibility and power in the industry is the Society for Human Resource Management. The organization’s website has a HR audit tool kit that can be used to perform a preliminary audit of the HR function of a firm. The HR function of a company does not replace the necessity for a legal department. Companies can save money on legal expenses by having a lawyer firm on retainer rather than pay a fixed monthly payment to the lawyers of a department. The implementation of an HR audit can help the firm identify potential legal risks associated with its handling of human resources. The strategy is a proactive approach towards risk management. A problem that is occurring often in corporate America is a lack of knowledge about HR regulations and laws. A lot of companies in the United States are breaking labor laws unknowingly. The fact that many companies do not know the laws does not exempt them from compliance. â€Å"One fundamental human resource function you should inspect is the gathering and filing of employee information, from the application to the termination of employment, and all documentation in between† (Durkin, 2011). A common problem in regards to this type of documentation is proper safeguarding of the information. It all starts with the simple things such as having an employee filing cabinet with a key. The human resource department should separate the per sonal information of employees in various categories. There is sensitive information such as social security number, age, medical record or disability data that should not be in the normal employee file that the managers have access too. Access to such data can lead potential discrimination from the managers towards a specific employee. Companies also have to comply with the Family Leave Act. Employee record retention requirements vary by state law with some common federal laws. Confidential information must be protected to protect both the employer and the employees. The Equal Pay Act of 1963 stipulates companies must keep payroll records up to three years. A topic in human resource that was often discussed in class that I believe should have been talk about more in the article is training and development. The author mentioned that it was important for companies to invest in its human resources, but he did not provide solutions to solve the problem. The performance of employees in a corporation can be improved through training and development. The proper use of training and development can improve the employee retention rate of the company. Investing in training and development should be a company wide initiative, but the firm must also identify talent that deserves advance training because the company determined that the employee has potential. The managers of corporations should receive more training than any other employee since they are responsible for the performance of

John Travolta Takes to the Factory Floor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

John Travolta Takes to the Factory Floor - Essay Example When we look at ETCs progress there are a number of issues, which need to be resolved. When we bring in any kind of a change within the organization, each change would have its own good and bad attributes attached to it. We need to look at all the issues with great concern and plan out the solutions accordingly. Aysar Philip Sussan  and  William C. Johnson (2003) say in their article "Strategic capabilities of business process: looking for competitive advantage" that the organizations need to become fast, flexible, participative and focused on customers, competition, teams, time and process. Lets proceed with the issues that exist and solutions that are available. There is currently a need of innovation within the company as the current sales have dropped and customers are looking for a fresher look within the product line. The Asian market has commended our product quality. Innovation as we know is a multi-faceted process that is going to incorporate creativity, invention and commercialization. Above all, innovation is a social process, where both individuals and systems are important dynamic elements. Hence we will have to think it seriously. Looking from the perspective of our Australian market, Simon Lloyd in his article "A game for the brave" (June 2004) states that Australians love innovation and in 2004 Grey Advertising/Sweeney Research Eye on Australia study found that the most admired companies were those which went for innovation and tried innovative products and brands.

Rewriting an introduction for a chemistry paper Essay

Rewriting an introduction for a chemistry paper - Essay Example This paper, therefore, presents comprehensive guidelines for improving students’ knowledge of the basic writing in chemistry and their abilities to write for chemistry audience. This research focuses on identifying a subset of skills that advanced chemistry students require to write their first professional journals. These skills include writing conventions, audience and purpose, and grammar and mechanics. A sample of more than 300 chemistry students from 16 colleges and universities, between 2004 and 2006, took a writing test to select skills that correspond to the three components. The results indicated that the participants scored 80 percent to skills related to grammar and mechanics, 45 percent to writing conventions, and 40 percent to audience and purpose. In order to improve students’ needs, we suggested a writing exercise that primarily targeted writing convention and audience and purpose. This activity is explained, in the body paragraphs, and the suggested guidelines are also indicated. This paper is concluded by providing recommendations for implementing these activities, in chemistry

Adoption of the Euro and the European Countries Economies Essay

Adoption of the Euro and the European Countries Economies - Essay Example It is evident from the study that the need to achieve a stable monetary and economic stability for these countries, the need for appropriate rule of law and respect for the human rights and the protection for the minorities, the proper and efficient functioning of the market economy, to enhance the capability of all the countries to work together in the face of economic as well as political crises and pressure of the market forces etc. It was also aimed to achieve full cost transparency and price transparency. These were aimed to achieve for the single market for goods and services as well as for labour and capital. They aim was focused on the achievement of the exchange rate stability and economies of scale in the production process and hence on an efficient market mechanism with efficient market allocation and distribution of resources. Among the other major economic goals, the need for an introduction of low inflation and low level of long-term interest rates for the member countr ies. The benefits obtained from the adoption of the euro can be discussed considering two perspectives. One is from the point of view of the economies of each countries and the other from the perspective of the euro zone as a whole. Considering first the entire euro area it can be said that the adoption has helped all the countries to achieve greater economic and monetary stability. It also helped to achieve greater economies of scale as well as greater economies of scope in the production of goods and services. ... g the other major economic goals, the need for an introduction of low inflation and low level of long-term interest rates for the member countries (Tumpel-Gugerell, 2007). Benefits: The benefits obtained from the adoption of the euro can be discussed considering two perspectives. One is from the point of view of the economies of each countries and the other from the perspective of the euro zone as a whole. Considering first the entire euro area it can be said that the adoption has helped all the countries to achieve greater economic and monetary stability. It also helped to achieve greater economies of scale as well as greater economies of scope in the production of goods and services. It also helped in achieving efficient market outcomes with efficient allocation of scarce resources of the economies along with efficient distributions. The biggest benefit from the adoption was the exchange rate stability and the price stability among the member countries. After the adoption, the Euro pean countries experienced low rate of inflation and lower rate of long-term interest rates (Tumpel-Gugerell, 2007). There has been a process of convergences with respect to stable long-term interest rates and low inflation rates. After the adoption of the euro, monetary policies became more credible to the markets compared to the pre-adoption period. This was one of the major benefits that the eurozone has acquired from the introduction of a single monetary authority. The monetary policies were initiated with the major goal of reaching price stability and interest rate stability. The targeted inflation rate was mentioned to be within 2 % in the medium run (Schadler, 2005, pp. 106-110). Events, such as oil price shock in the early 1990s, have created great barriers to achieve this price and

Respiratory Muscle Training for Cervical Spinal Cord Injury Essay

Respiratory Muscle Training for Cervical Spinal Cord Injury - Essay Example Several articles would be used as a way of finding conclusive statement that would be aimed to be a solution to the several problems associated with patient with spinal cord injuries. The other methodology applied in training of patient with spinal cord injury is use of simple breathing device. The effect of these devices would ensure improved respiratory function as a result of the increased strength of the expiratory muscles. The training includes a repeated action by patients through the expiratory muscle training equipment with focuses being laid on the voluntary nature of the patients while in some instances the patients would need to endure a compulsory training session. The focus of the devices according to Roth et al(2010) the training that deploys a low resistance levels would result in improved pulmonary functions which are essential to patients with spinal cord injury. The article also indicate the effectiveness of the resistance training group as compared to the sham model of training The levels of cough according the article are an indicator of the strength of the expiratory muscle which is subject to the training and improvement for the pulmonary fu nctions. Both Silveira et al (2010) and Roth et al (2010) indicates two modes of training with both articles indicating a sitting position to be the preferred method while carrying out the training to people with spinal cord injuries. Roth et al (2010) indicate the effectiveness of the resistance training group as compared to the sham model of training. There is a relationship between trainer and the outcome to quadriplegic patients. The mode of training will involve inspirational training at low loads which would indicate the patient being subjected to conditions of about 30 percent of MIP (Silveira et al, 2010 P 317). The article indicates an improved 20% for the 8 weeks training period for sitting patient Upon attaining the required load

Church leader enables others Essay Example for Free

Church leader enables others Essay A church leader uses his gifts to enable others to discover, develops, and use their God’s given gifts. A church leader truly enables other people helping them to become God‘s intended persons. This is not a true leadership to just manipulate others to act in a certain manner. A church leader puts aside his or own ego needs and coach others in such a way that help them blossom. The key function of a church leader is to facilitate others by helping them in discovering, developing, and effectively utilizing their God given gifts. Church leaders have five essential components to enable people. These are helping them to gain knowledge, encourage personal growth, assist them in working with others, aid in skill development, and provide appropriate settings. Here the term â€Å"Knowledge† is about information of the Christian traditions, quality Bible study, the nature and mission of the church, and the expert knowledge related to particular areas of services. The personal growth includes people growth as they develop awareness of giftedness, self knowledge, and understanding of purpose, which is firmly stable in a relationship with Jesus Christ. A church leader is able to work well with others; it is an essential element of the leadership. Skills development includes effective communication, managing small group, organization, and having healthy relationships with others that is beneficial for his ministry. A church leader gives importance to people using their gifts in such circumstance that improve potential of their success. The role of a church leader is not always immediate or direct. If a person who provides nurture to young children is providing early enabling for the leadership of others. Therefore, a church leader needs to be seen in his every task in terms of how it enables people for ministry. The Church leadership as a service may be a new perception for some people, so the church needs to have deep study that explores up Jesus’ own servant leadership model. A church leader must provide opportunities and safe places for members to develop and use their God given gifts. Discovering and developing God’s gifts for people is not an end in itself. The ministry for which people are gifted is on a large scale, taking its place within and outside a church, even extends throughout the God’s world. The black church is the one place in our community where people come together and pool their resources to better minister to the church and the community (1993, 54). There are mutual ministries among church members as accepting, loving, available, supportive, and accountable community of faith. Out of the church’s boundaries, church leaders respond to human need by teaching love and hope, empowering the powerless, uplifting the poor, restoring creation, confronting all that harms persons and creation, and reconciling persons to God and one another. People note different implications for churches because the growth of effective leaders is grounded in a churchs vision of its ministry, a declaration of that vision needs not only to be created, but also acted on. Churchs involvements within and outside of the church provides a map of leadership opportunities by providing a starting point for selecting and developing leaders.

Structure Function Of Axial Skeleton

Structure Function Of Axial Skeleton The axial skeleton consists of the 80 bones in the head and trunk of the human body. It is composed of several parts; the human skull, the sternum, the rib cage, and the vertebral column. There are also some major bones included in this skeleton. The skull, which is located on top of the vertebral column, is one. The axial skeleton and the appendicular skeleton together form the complete skeleton. The axial skeleton transmits the weight from the head, the trunk, and the upper extremities down to the lower extremities at the hip joints, and is therefore responsible for the upright position of the human body. Most of the body weight is located in back of the spinal column which therefore has the erector spinae muscles and a large amount of ligaments attached to it resulting in the curved shape of the spine. The 366 skeletal muscles acting on the axial skeleton position the spine, allowing for big movements in the thoracic cage for breathing, and the head, where they control the minute and complex facial movements. Adults have 12 pairs of ribs, which run between the sternum and the thoracic cage. The ribs are flat bones that create a protective cage around the heart and lungs. An individual will have seven pairs of ribs that both attach to the sternum and vertebrae. These are true ribs. They will also have three pairs that attach from the vertebrae to a cartilage attachment on the sternum and two that attach to the vertebrae but are free as they have no second attachment. These are free ribs. The spine is made up of five different areas; cervical (7), thoracic (12), lumbar (5), sacrum (5), coccyx (4). The seven cervical vertebrae make up the neck and run down to the shoulders. The twelve thoracic vertebrae make up the chest area and the five lumbar vertebrae make up the lower back. The sacrum consists of five vertebrae and these are fixed together and they form a joint with the pelvis and the coccyx is four bones joined together, which are remnants of when we had a tail. The appendicular skeleton is composed of 126 bones in the human body. The word appendicular is the adjective of the noun appendage which itself means a part that is joined to something larger. Functionally it is involved in locomotion (Lower limbs) of the axial skeleton and manipulation of objects in the environment (Upper limbs). The appendicular skeleton is divided into six major areas and contains bones such as; shoulder girdle (scapula and clavicle), the pelvic girdle, upper and lower limbs. It is important to realize that through anatomical variation it is common for the skeleton to have many extra bones (sutural bones in the skull, cervical ribs, lumbar ribs and even extra lumbar vertebrae). Their functions are to make locomotion possible and to protect the major organs of locomotion, digestion, excretion, and reproduction. The appendicular skeleton of 134 bones and the axial skeleton of 80 bones together form the complete skeleton of 206 bones in the human body. Unlike the axial skeleton, the appendicular skeleton is unfused. This allows for a much greater range of motion. The bones colored red are the bones in the appendicular skeleton. Fibula Tibia Patella Femur Carpals, Metacarpals, phalanges Ulna Radius Humerus Scapula, clavicle Ischium, illium, pubis Tarsals, metatarsals, phalanges The functions of the major bones of the appendicular skeleton. Clavicle This bone connects the upper arm to the trunk of the body. One end is connected to scapula. The role of the clavicle is to keep the scapula the correct distance from the sternum. Scapula This bone is at the back of the body. The scapula provides points of attachment for many of the muscles of the upper back and arms. Arm This consists of three bones; the humerus (upper arm), the radius and the ulna (lower arm). The ulna forms the elbow joint with the humerus and runs to the little finger. The radius is positioned opposite the ulna and runs to the thumb side. When the hand moves the radius moves across the ulna. Hand The hand has three areas made up with different types of bones. First, wrist is made up of eight bones called carpals, which are small bones made up into two rows of four; the five long bones between the wrist and fingers are called metacarpals and the bones of the fingers are phalanges. There are fourteen phalanges in all with three in each finger and two in the thumb. Pelvis The pelvis protects and supports the lower internal organs, including the bladder, the reproductive organs, and also in pregnant women, the developing foetus. The pelvis is made up of three bones, the ilium, pubis and Ischium, which have become fused together to form one main area. The Leg The leg consists of four bones; the femur is the longest bone in the body and forms the knee joint with the tibia, which is the weight-bearing bone of the lower leg; the fibula is the non- weight bearing bone of the lower leg and helps the ankle; the patella is the bone that floats over the knee. It lies within the patella tendon and smoothes the movement of the tendons over the knee joint. The Foot Like the hand that has three areas, so does the foot. The seven tarsals form the ankle, the five metatarsals travel from the ankle to the toes and the fourteen phalanges which make up the toes. There are three in each toe and two in each big toe. Compact bone or (cortical bone) Cortical bone, synonymous with compact bone, is one of the two types of osseous tissue that form bones. Cortical bone facilitates bones main functions: to support the body, protect organs, provide levers for movement, and store and release chemical elements, mainly calcium and phosphorous. As its name implies, cortical bone forms the cortex, or outer shell, of most bones. Again, as its name implies, compact bone is much denser than cancellous bone, which is the other type of osseous tissue. Furthermore, it is harder, stronger and stiffer than cancellous bone. Cortical bone contributes about 80% of the weight of a human skeleton. The primary anatomical and functional unit of cortical bone is the osteon. Properties of cortical bone studies using MRI and CT scan are the main field of research in recent years. Cancellous bone Cancellous bone, synonymous with trabecular bone or spongy bone, is one of the two types of osseous tissue that form bones. Compared to compact bone, which is the other type of osseous tissue, it has a higher surface area but is less dense, softer, weaker, and less stiff. It typically occupies the interior region of bones. Cancellous bone is highly vascular and frequently contains red bone marrow where hematopoiesis, which is the production of blood cells, occurs. The primary anatomical and functional unit of cancellous bone is the trabecula. Types of Bones There are 5 types of bone found within the human body. These are long, short, flat, irregular and sesamoid. Long Bones Long bones are some of the longest bones in the body, such as the Femur, Humerus and Tibia but are also some of the smallest including the Metacarpals, Metatarsals and Phalanges. The classification of a long bone includes having a body which is longer than it is wide, with growth plates (epiphysis) at either end, having a hard outer surface of compact bone and a spongy inner known as cancellous bone containing bone marrow. Both ends of the bone are covered in hyaline cartilage to help protect the bone and aid shock absorption. The femur a long bone Short Bones Short bones are defined as being approximately as wide as they are long and have a primary function of providing support and stability with little movement. Examples of short bones are the Carpals and Tarsals in the wrist and foot. They consist of only a thin layer of compact, hard bone with cancellous bone on the inside along with relatively large amounts of bone marrow. The carpals short bones Flat Bones Flat bones are as they sound, strong, flat plates of bone with the main function of providing protection to the bodys vital organs and being a base for muscular attachment. The classic example of a flat bone is the Scapula (shoulder blade). The Sternum (breast bone), Cranium (skull), Pelvis and Ribs are also classified as flat bones. Anterior and posterior surfaces are formed of compact bone to provide strength for protection with the centre consisting of cancellous (spongy) bone and varying amounts of bone marrow. In adults, the highest number of red blood cells are formed in flat bones. The scapula a flat bone Irregular Bones These are bones which do not fall into any other category, due to their non-uniform shape. Good examples of these are the Vertebrae, Sacrum and Mandible (lower jaw). They primarily consist of cancellous bone, with a thin outer layer of compact bone. Vertebrae irregular bones Sesamoid Bones Sesamoid bones are usually short or irregular bones, imbedded in a tendon. The most obvious example of this is the Patella (knee cap) which sits within the Patella or Quadriceps tendon. Other sesamoid bones are the Pisiform (smallest of the Carpals) and the two small bones at the base of the 1st Metatarsal. Sesamoid bones are usually present in a tendon where it passes over a joint which serves to protect the tendon. The patella a sesamoid bone Specific uses for specific bones Specific bones in the body are designed for their own purpose. The femur is the largest bone in the human body. The reason for this is that it has a great number of muscles attached to its surface. These muscles are needed in order for the leg to be able to move. It also has to bear some of the weight of the upper body. The shoulder is another bone that has its own purpose. Its purpose is to allow rotational movement of the upper arm. As a ball and socket joint it does this. It is also a surface for the muscles that allow attaching to. Without these muscles this movement would be impossible. The elbow and the knee can be used as an example of bones of the body that have many functions. The knee is made up of two parts the patella is the part of the knee that allows movement and it rests on a bursae. The second part is the joining of the femur and the tibia and the fibula. This is a meeting of many bones and many muscles and all these muscles control things like the movement of the an kle and the foot. The different types of joints A place where two bones join or meet is called a joint or articulation. A joint is held together with ligaments and these give the joint stability. Joints are placed into three categories depending on the amount of movement available. Fixed/fibrous; these joints allow no movement. These joints can be found between the plates of the skull. Slightly moveable/cartilaginous; these allow a small amount and are held in place by ligaments and are cushioned by cartilage. These types of joints can be found between the vertebrae of the spine. Moveable/ synovial; there are six types of this joint all with varying degrees of movement. The six types of joint are: hinge, ball and socket, pivot, condyloid, sliding, and saddle. A synovial joint is made up of several components; Synovial capsule keeps the contents of the synovial joint in place. Synovial membrane releases synovial fluid onto the joint. Synovial fluid a thick oily substance that helps lubricate the joint and allows free movement. Articular cartilage a bluish-white covering that protects the end of the bones from wearing down. Hinge joint This is a diagram of a knee. This joint is a hinge joint. The hyaline cartilage on the end of the femur is used as an articulating surface when rubbing with the medial meniscus. This movement, controlled by the lateral collateral ligament, is what enables us to be able to walk. The movement of walk is the only movement of this joint and it is flexion (when the joint is pulled back by the lateral collateral ligament) and extension (when the leg swings forward to full extension by the lateral collateral ligament). A sporting example of this range of movement is the kicking of a football or rugby ball. Ball and socket This is a diagram of a shoulder joint, which is a ball and socket joint. The humeral head is covered in hyaline cartilage and is used as a rubbing surface against the inside of the socket. The range of movement for this joint is flexion, extension, abduction, adduction, circumduction and rotation. A sporting example of the use of this joint is hitting a serve in tennis. Condyloid joint This type of joint can be found at the wrist. It allows movement in two different planes; this is called biaxial. It allows you to bend and straighten the joint (flexion and extension). A sporting example of this joint is using a foil in the sport fencing. Pivot joint This joint can be found in the top two vertebrae of your neck. These two vertebrae are call the atlas and axis. It only allows rotational movement. For example it only lets you move your head from side to side as if you were saying no. A sporting example of this joint is the heading of a football. Saddle joint This joint is found only in the thumbs. It allows movement in three planes, backwards, forwards, from side to side and across. These plains of movement are called, Sagittal Plane, Frontal Plane, and Transverse Plane. This joint is specific to only humans. It gives us manual dexterity. This enables us to hold a cup or to write, among many other skills. A sporting example of the use of this joint is the griping of a racket handle in badminton. Gliding joint This type of joint can be found in the carpal bones of the hand and the tarsal bones in the ankle. These types of joint occur between the surfaces of two short or long bones. They allow very limited movement in a range of directions. A sporting example of the use of this joint is the applying of spin to a pass in rugby. Contrast and Comparison of synovial joints. All these synovial joints allow different ranges of movement. They are all in different places and the joint that is there is designed specifically for that function. Without that joint the body would cease to be the perfect machine that we all rely on. This happens to us when we suffer an injury somewhere in our bodies. These joints allow us different ranges of movement because of all the different bones that they are made up of and their composition. An example of this would be that a ball and socket joint could take the place of a gliding joint and keep the exact function. All the joints in the body are there for the one purpose that they do. This could be seen as a disadvantage but when you have something that foes its job so well, why would want to replace? Effects of exercise on the skeletal system If we were to train for a period of about three months we will start to experience some adaptations to our skeletal system: an increase in bone density, stronger ligaments, and a thickening of the hyaline cartilage at the end of the bones. The bones become denser if we perform a lot of weight-bearing exercises, which is where we put force through a bone. An example of this is if we did a lot of walking or running, it places force through the tibia, fibula, and femur, and the body will respond by laying down higher amounts of cartilage and calcium to strengthen the bones. Weight-bearing exercise will also increase osteoblast activity, which means that more bone is being built or being laid down. As the ligaments become stronger due to the higher amounts of collagen being laid down, they also increase the stability of the joints and make them less prone to injury. All the following activities can help stave off such specific bone conditions like osteoporosis; running, skipping, brisk w alking, aerobics, tennis. However, there can be some negative long term effects on your skeleton from specific sports. Here is an example from the sport of tennis and the common injury, tennis elbow. The most common cause of tennis elbow is repeated overuse of your arm. Playing tennis three times in a week when you havent played for some time is the sort of overuse that could cause tennis elbow. However, most people who develop tennis elbow havent been playing tennis. A range of different activities that involve repeated hand, wrist and forearm movements is more often the cause. This includes activities like using a screwdriver, using vibratory work equipment (such as a drill), or even using a keyboard. Rarely, tendon damage can happen after a single and often minor incident, such as lifting something heavy or taking part in an activity which you dont do very often, such as painting and decorating. These activities can cause a tear in your tendon. Short term effects of sport on the skeletal system A short term affect of exercise on the skeleton is an increase in the secretion of synovial fluid from the joints. Another effect is that the area of the joint may be warmed up and may be easier to move. The joints ligaments and tendons may also become suppler as a result of this. This affects the skeleton by creating the need to replace this lost glucose and thus regaining the lost energy. As we can see there are some differences between the long and short term effects of doing exercise. You can suffer injuries from both and they can have long or short term effects on your body. A plus side is that your body rebuilds itself quickly and can become healthier and fitter through the use of exercise. Therefore the next time you go to do the sporting activity, you are able to perform better. You should not, though, do to much lengthy exercise for a great period of time as this can also have the undesired affect of stress on the skeleton. You should not do to much light exercise as this can have the affect of your body not benefiting from the exercise. Instead you should try and mix up the exercise routine you do so that you can gain the greatest possible outcome of health and fitness for your body.

What Is An Information Society Media Essay

What Is An Information Society Media Essay It is definitely hard to nail down the definition of an information society as one may argue that its definition is rather abstract and requires one to locate it in the context of time and space. Are we now still considered an Information Society? How do we quantify a shift to an information society? All these are problematic questions to consider.   1.1 Definitions First, I will list down a few definitions by scholars and see if there is a fundamental basis for the term Information Society: A society that organizes itself around knowledge in the interest of social control, and the management of innovation and change (Daniel Bell, 1976). A society where [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] information is used as an economic resource, the community harnesses/exploits it, and behind it all an industry develops which produces the necessary information (Nick Moore, 1977). A new type of society, where the possession of information is the driving force behind its transformation and development [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] where human intellectual creativity flourishes (Yoneji Masuda, 1980). The information society is an economic reality and not simply a mental abstractionThe slow spread/dissemination of information ends [à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦] new activities, operations and products gradually come to light (John Naisbitt, 1984). Societies that have become dependent upon complex electronic information networks and which allocate a major portion of their resources to information and communication activities (Melody, 1990). It is evident that the above definitions are based on preconceptions regarding which areas of life change significantly: some are centered on resources, others around products, industries, activities, or society and people. As such, in general terms, an  information society  is a  society  where the creation, distribution, diffusion, uses, integration and manipulation of  information  is a significant economic, political, social and cultural activity. 1.2 The Birth of the Concept The expression post-industrial society was first coined in 1914 in Great Britain by Ananda K. Coomaraswamy and Arthur J. Penty. It was later revived from 1958 in America (primarily by Daniel Bell) and from the end of the 1960s in French social sciences (by Alain Touraine). However, the collocation information society as it is now used first emerged in Japanese social sciences in the early 1960s. The Japanese version of the expression  (Joho Shakai)  was born during a conversation in 1961 between Kisho Kurokawa, the famous architect, and Tudao Umesao, the renowned historian and anthropologist.  In regard to technology, which forms the basis of production, the term automation (later cybernation), introduced by the automotive engineer of the Ford company D. S. Harder in 1946, facilitated the discussions for decades. Dozens of evocative terms were originated to designate the sweeping changes generated by the hurtling development of information technology; of these the most well-kno wn were the various manifestations of the computer and the scientific-technological revolution. A common characteristic of the above proto-concepts is that they isolated one of the components, i.e. a part of the rapidly changing socio-economic complex and suggested that it was sufficient to describe in both a descriptive and metaphorical sense the whole. As a result of this, several terms, each with a different approach, proliferated between 1950 and 1980. Around 1980 these terms merged into a comprehensive, joint umbrella term combining the concept of information and society: this new concept included and encapsulated all the previous partial concepts and preserved the expressive power, approach and attitude they represented.   1.3 Generic Timeline (1960s- Present) In the mid-1960s, when computing was known as data processing and the economies of the most advanced industrial nations were shifting from manufacturing to services, theorists proposed the emergence of an information society. This new society idea, based on the notion that the production of knowledge was replacing industrial production, was believed to have strong social implications.  With the introduction of the personal computer in 1981, the concept of the information society received new impetus. The computer and electronics industry went through a period of rapid restructuring and global growth as it promoted the notion of a computer in every home. These developments influenced the restatement of visions about a new kind of post-industrialism in which societies with high levels of knowledge skills, or the capacity to develop those quickly, held competitive advantage and the capacity to transform themselves into more open and responsive societies. From the early 1990s, the rapid convergence of computers with private and public telecommunications networks placed a new emphasis on instant and universal access to vast banks of information and on rapid information exchange across geographic, social and cultural boundaries. The intensified commercialization of the World Wide Web from 1994 appeared to have given the information society a specific shape and form.  In the past few decades we have seen various scholars debating on the concept and in recent years, other scholars and politicians have discussed more on the implications and the uses of ICTs; bringing in the political dimension. The  International Telecommunications Unions  World Summit on the Information Society  in Geneva and Tunis (2003 and 2005) has led to a number of policy and application areas where action is required. These include promotion of ICTs for development; information and communication infrastructure; access to information and knowledge; building c onfidence and security in the use of ICTs; cultural and linguistic diversity; and ethical dimensions of the information society. 2. Information Society Debate Among researchers and scholars, there is no consensus about what the information society is or even that it exists. For instance, Daniel Bells theories have numerous critics among others like Webster, 1995; Marvin, 1987; and Schiller, 1981 (Susan Trench, 1999). In particular, Bells claim that an information society exists when the information workers (clerks, teachers, lawyers and entertainers) outnumber the other workers is highly contentious because every occupation involves information processing of one kind or another. On the basis of the growth of information flows and technologies, information society theorists argue that the changes underway represent not just quantitative but qualitative social change transforming almost every realm of social life, including households, communities, education, health, work, surveillance, democracy, and identities. Together, these changes are seen as constituting a new form of society, comparable to the shift from an agrarian to an industrial society. Rather than tightly defined, the scope of information society debates ranges widely and overlaps with other approaches to understanding contemporary social change. Information society theorists can be broadly categorized in terms of those who see technology as the driving force behind the change, versus those who see social factors as shaping technology and history. This debate, technological determinism versus the social shaping of technology, lies at the heart of the sociology of technology. While sociologists have been concerned to refute technological determinism, countering the common, everyday way of conceiving of the relationship of technology to society, much work on the information society remains at least implicitly technologically determinist, while in the sociology of technology there is a growing interest in the constraining capacity of technology. Another key issue in the debate is whether and when quantitative changes (e.g., increasing flows of information, a larger information sector of the economy, or growing levels of ownership of IT devices) constitute qualitative change (the emergence of a new form of society, even an IT revolution). In other words, there is a debate about whether the situation is radically different from the past, or merely the continuation of long-running phenomena or tendencies. A further distinction is between optimists and pessimists, on which count the debate is remarkably polarized: for some (notably Daniel Bell), the information society is a progressive development, characterized by greater freedom and  fulfillment   whereas others (Herbert Schiller, Frank Webster) point to the continuation or exacerbation of long-running inequalities and patterns of control. Some contributors to the debate are normative in their writing, slipping into a mode of endorsing the changes that they identify as underway. Different theorists focus on different strands of the debate, notably the growth of technology, the transformation of the economy, the changing nature of work, new patterns of connection across time and space, and the coming to the fore of mediated culture.   2.1 Closely Related Concepts Post-industrial society (Daniel Bell) Post-Fordism Post-modern society Liquid modernity (Zygmunt Bauman) Knowledge society Network society (Manuel Castells) New Information Society (Frank Webster) The above terms and concepts carry similar and often overlapping meanings; while for some social theorists, different labels like late modernity, post-modernity, or globalization better characterize contemporary social transformations. Even those who focus on the information society use the term to refer to different social processes. In this Wiki-project, I will not attempt to cover all the various discussions on information society but will focus on a few scholars instead. 3. Alvin Toffler- Future Shock (1970) and the Third Wave (1980) In 1970, the futurist Alvin Toffler, without explicit reference to the information society, painted a dramatic transformative theory based on the power of new technology. Technology was changing society, as it had done historically, from the agricultural revolution to the industrial revolution. But the pace of change had accelerated beyond anything previously experienced or imagined. New social, economic and political relations were rising as rapidly as old ones were falling. In advanced societies, he argued, many people were suffering from future shock the disease of change, caused by the stresses and disorientation of too much change too quickly. Future shock was not an abstract condition; it was real and had actual psychological and biological effects on its sufferers.  Those who felt it most acutely were people who tried to cling onto the old ways and resist the new. Technology was driving changes, and people had to adapt to them. A decade later, during which time his confidence in the transformations had swelled, Toffler presented the notion of the third wave. The first wave of social transformation was the agricultural revolution; which prevailed in much of the world after the  Neolithic Revolution, which replaced  hunter-gatherer  cultures. The second wave was the industrial revolution which began in Western Europe with the  Industrial Revolution, and subsequently spread across the world. Key aspects of Second Wave society are the  nuclear family, a factory-type education system and the  corporation. The third wave was still in its early phase. It was characterized by a move away from manufacturing to the provision of services and information. Around this, new social, political and economic relations were forming. Toffler argued that distance was becoming irrelevant in the third wave, mass production was giving way to customization, and national borders, cultures and identities were being eroded . Many of these ideas have re-emerged in the much later discussion of information society. Toffler left open both the question of what the outcome of the transformation of the structure of democracy was to entail, as well as the question of what kind of world order would supersede the order of nation-states. 4. Yoneji Masuda The Information Society as Post Industrial Society, Johoka Shakai (1980) In Japan, Yoneji Masuda likened the impact of information technology on the modern economy to that of steam power in the industrial revolution. The book published by Yoneji Masuda in 1980 refers to a higher stage of social evolution- from post-industrial society to information society. Masuda tells of the birth of an era of information; focusing on computer technology, which operates in conjunction with communications technology. He  hypothesizes that the future information society would be a highly integrated society, like an organism. It would be a complex multi-centered society in which many systems are connected and integrated by information networks. Overall, the innovative technology would change the social and economic systems through the following three phases: Phase 1 technology does the work previously done for humans based on automation. Phase 2 technology enables the possibility of work that man could never do before, i.e. knowledge creation. Phase 3 socio-economic s tructures are transformed into new social and economic systems, a result of the first two phases of development. The information society will form a new societal model with a different framework from the industrial society, which is keen on the exploitation of information as a resource fundamental to the development of new innovations. The table below summarizes Masudas work. Table 1: Comparison of the characteristics of the industrial and information society by Yoneji Masuda Source: Masuda, 1980 5. Daniel Bell The Coming of Post-industrial Society (1973) Genealogy of the information society concept is usually traced to a term post-industrial society- a term first used by sociologist Daniel Bell (1973). He states: In the pre-industrial society life is a game against nature where one works with raw muscle power (Bell 1973 126); in the industrial era where machines predominates in a technical and rationalized existence, life is a game against fabricated nature. In contrast to both, life in the post-industrial society based on services, is a game between persons. What counts is not raw muscle power or energy but information (127).  Bell formulates that the main axis of this society will be theoretical knowledge and warns that knowledge-based services will be transformed into the central structure of the new economy and of an information-led society. He argued that western economies had de-industrialized, by which he meant that they had a declining percentage of the workforce working in the manufacturing sector and growing employment in the service and information sectors.  Figure 1  indicates the transformation which lies at the heart of his thesis. Figure 1:  Four-sector aggregation of the US workforce, 1860- 1980 Source:  Bureau of Labor Statistics, cited by  Bell (1980: 521) The dominant mode of employment was crucial to explaining economic, social and political changes, and technologies were crucial to explaining changes in the dominant mode of employment. Society had evolved through two distinct phases, agricultural and industrial, and was evolving into a post-industrial phase. In the postindustrial phase came new forms of innovation and social organization and practices. By the 1980s, Bell was using the terms post-industrial society and information society interchangeably. He surveys the characteristic differences reflected by the social- historical phases simplified into three main periods along nine distinctive aspects. The table below shows the distinctions. Table 2: Dimensions of the information society according to Daniel Bell (1979) Source: Bell, 1979 Daniel Bell is remarkably optimistic, seeing the post-industrial society as one in which everyone will enjoy access to the worlds traditions of art, music, and literature. Post-industrial society means the rise of professional work, professionals are oriented towards their clients, and society becomes transformed into a more caring, communal society. While Bells analysis fuses data and argument about the economy, employment, and knowledge, underlying his work is a clear technological determinism. He epitomizes the information society literature by according technology a central role in social change: technological innovation is seen as resulting in social change.   By contrast, sociologists of technology reject the notion that technology is somehow outside society and that technological change causes social change. Rather, they have been concerned to explore how particular social formations  give rise to  (or shape) the development of specific technologies.   6. Manuel Castells The Information Age: Network Society (1996, 1997, 1998) Castells description of the new information age attempts to show the way out of the theoretical maze of the value driven, intricate information society. He proposes a conceptual model of a network with which the most recent phenomena of modern societies can be explored. At the end of the 1990s he finally legitimized the information society as an academic field of research. Manuel Castells three-volume opus (1996, 1997, 1998), as reflected in the title -The Information Age, is a comprehensive scientific work supported by secondary sources and one which originates new concepts. Castells attempts to surpass traditional reasoning by offering a compact and multilayered foundation linking economic-and political, as well as cultural theory. His concern is to provide a cross-cultural theory of economy and society in the information age, specifically in relation to an emerging new social structure. While Castells uses a different term, his work resonates with the tenor of information society debates. Like Bell, Castells documents the demise of traditional, labor-intensive forms of industry and their replacement by flexible production. His account fuses the transformation of capitalism (the growth of globalization) with changing patterns and forms of identity. He argues that, with the rise of the informational mode of development, we are witnessing the emergence of a new socioeconomic paradigm, one with information processing at its core. For Castells, the issue is not information as such, but the informational society the specific form of social organization in w hich information generation, processing, and transmission become the fundamental sources of productivity and power, because of the technological conditions (Castells 1996: 21). In other words, the issue is not simply that information is central to production, but that it permeates society. 6.1 Networks In the informational economy, networks are the new social morphology. Organizations are transforming from bureaucracies to network enterprises, responding to information flows, with economic activity organized by means of fluid project teams. Economic activity becomes spatially dispersed but globally integrated, reducing the strategic significance of place, but enhancing the strategic role of major cities.  Manuel Castells explains the origins of ICT from the perspective of social developments. He argues that the network is the dominant structure of society in the information age: power, money, information and society itself is reproduced in networks. ICT enabled the management of these network structures. In the last quarter of a century, three independent processes came together, ushering in a new social structure predominantly based on networks: 1) the need of the economy for management flexibility and for the globalisation of capital, production and trade; 2) the demands of society in which the values of individual freedom and open communication became paramount; and 3) the extraordinary advances in computing and telecommunications made possible by the micro-electronics revolution. Under these conditions, the Internet became the lever for the transition to a new form of society the network society and with it to a new economy.  Networks have extraordinary advantages as  organizing  tools to coordinate and manage because of their flexibility and adaptability, which allows them to survive and prosper in a fast changing environment. Networks are proliferating in all domains of economy and society. The new economy is based on unprecedented potential for productivity growth as b usinesses use the Internet in all kinds of operations. Within a network society there are territories where valuable nodes of wealth and knowledge tend to form. Innovation tends to be territorially concentrated, and major cities throughout history have been important in cultural creativity and technological innovation.   6. 2 Time and space In contrast with earlier time-space arrangements, there is in terms of flows no distance between nodes on the same network. In other words, geographical distance is irrelevant to connection and communication. So there are fundamental changes to the nature of time and space, with time compressed and almost annihilated; and space shifting to the space of flows: places continue to be the focus of everyday life, rooting culture and transmitting history, but they are overlaid by flows. The network of flows is crucial to domination and change in society: interconnected, global, capitalist networks organize economic activity using IT and are the main sources of power in society. The power of flows in the networks prevails over the flow of power which might be read as some kind of flow determinism. The Internet and computer-mediated communication are seen as transforming the fabric of society though Castells explicitly rejects technological determinism. 6.3 Identity and culture The other main strands of Castellss argument are about identity and culture. The transformation of economies has been accompanied by the decline of traditional, class-based forms of association, particularly the labor movement. At the same time, state power has been eroded and new forms of collective resistance have emerged, notably feminism and environmentalism. The explosion of electronic media, specifically the development and growth of segmented audiences and interactivity, means the growth of customized cottages (as opposed to a global village) and a culture of real virtuality. Although he acknowledges growing inequality, social exclusion, and polarization, Castells, rather like Bell, sees at least the possibility of a positive future, of new forms of communication and the network society offering democratizing possibilities. 6. 4 Discussion on Bell and Castells While Bell focuses his analysis very much on the economy, and Castells provides a remarkably wide-ranging account, the work of these two key analysts of the information society addresses what can be seen as the four core themes of the information society, or of information society debates.  First is the new patterning of work and inequality. This includes debates informed by Bell regarding the decline of manufacturing in western economies, and the growth of information and service sectors; the deskilling debate and the restructuring of work; and the growth of e-commerce. It also includes debates about the growing gulf between the rich and the poor, and social exclusion the digital divide. There is debate about the extent to which lack of access to information is a cause, rather than merely a reflection, of social exclusion. Second is time-space reconfiguration, compression, or convergence different authors use different terms. The shrinking of time and space, examined by Castells, is facilitated by instantaneous electronic communication. Globalization and digital information networks lie at the heart of information society debates. Some invoke McLuhans (1992) notion of the global village and develop this in relation to the Internet, and a large and growing body of literature examines Internet communities, for example those of national diasporas. Multi-channel television and global television flows are key components of global cultural communication. The erosions of boundaries between home and work and public and private are other aspects of time-space reconfiguration. Third is the huge growth of cultural activities, institutions, and practices. Culture has become increasingly significant in contemporary society, and with new ICTs the means to produce, circulate, and exchange culture has expanded enormously. The media and communications industries have a huge economic significance today, paralleling that of physical plant in the industrial era. Far from simply a matter of business and flow, culture connects closely with the constitution of subjectivity, with identity. Fourth, there is a set of issues about the transformation of state power and democracy with the growth of technologies of surveillance. Behavior in public space is routinely observed and recorded on video, while computer systems map personal movements, conversations, e-mail traffic, consumption patterns, networks, and social activities. At the same time, democracy is facilitated by the capacity for many-to-many communication (as opposed to the broadcasting model of one-to-many) and the increasing accessibility of growing amounts of information, with the development of the Internet. New patterns of communication across time and space enhance communication possibilities, and state control of the media is challenged by new technologies satellite but especially the Internet that easily cross national borders. 7. Webster Theories of the Information Society (1995) Frank Webster has a long-standing interest in the effects of new technologies and changes in information and communication. His teaching interests span contemporary societies, social change, sociology, and information, communication and society.   He notes that the information society advocates do not distinguish between quantitative and qualitative measures; they assume that quantitative increases (in information, information industries and occupations, and information flows) transform into qualitative changes in social systems. Webster believes the concept of information society is flawed as a description of the emergence of a new type of society. The criteria for distinguishing an information society are inconsistent and lack clarity, the use of the term information is imprecise, and claims that increases in information lead to significant social changes are based on faulty logic and inadequate evidence. His central objection is that these distinctions are an over-simplification of the processes of change. There are no clear grounds for designating what is an information society or when we will have reached it. If there is just more information, it is hard to suggest why the information society is something radically new. All societies and nation states can be called information societies in so far as they all even pre-Internet have had routines and procedures and means for gathering, storing and controlling information about people. Therefore, more information cannot in itself be held as a break with pr evious social systems.  Ã‚   As such, Webster does not believe we have entered a new information age even as he concedes various points that there have been big changes in society because of changes in technology, networks, and information flows. As a result of his stated biases, he sometimes comes across as more critical of other scholars who he does not agree (Bell, Castells, etc.). However, Frank Webster developed a typology to understand information society theories: five main distinctions have been put forward to characterize an information society: technological, economic, occupational, spatial and cultural.   7.1 Technological vision   From the technological perspective, we live in an information society since information and telecommunication technologies play a constantly expanding role in all fields of social existence, which has shaken the foundations of social structures and processes and resulted in massive changes in politics, economy, culture, and everyday life. Most of the attempts made to define information society approach the idea from a technological point of view hence the central question of such explorations sounds like: What kind of new information and communication technology was constructed in recent decades that determined the infrastructure of information society? The key idea is that the breakthrough in information processing, storage and transmission led to the application of information technologies (IT) in all societies, e.g. sale and usage of computers, cell phones, etc. Awed by the pace and magnitude of technological change, there is an assumption that the computer revolution will have an overwhelming impact on every human being on earth. Computer technology is to the information age what mechanization was to the industrial revolution. New technologies are one of the most visible indicators of a new age, and therefore are often taken as signals of an information society. The rapid growth of the Internet especially the information superhighway, and the spread of national, international and global information networks has been held as a key development. Many government studies have tried to track the growth in volumes of communication and information across these networks. They contend that ICTs represent the establishment of a new epoch , which despite short-term difficulties will be economically beneficial over the longer term.  The most important question, however, is the one that focuses on the relationship between technology and society. What is the optimum technological impact on social life that can achieve a qualitative change? Are we justified in relying on modernizing political initiatives and the theories of futurologists who claim that technology is the only means to change social procedures and the functioning of society, when their objective is to expand the use of technology in the public sphere? 7.2 Occupational vision Many OECD and EU documents on the information society focus on the occupational aspect of the information society. An emergence of an information society is measured by the focus on occupational change: the shift is towards the information work. Information society is seen in overwhelming members of clerks, teachers, lawyers, etc. vis-à  -vis the manual labours, such as mine workers, builders, farm labourers, etc. Labour market is today dominated by information operatives who possess the information needed to get things done. A clear emergence of white-collar society (Information work) and a decline of industrial labour (blue-collared workers).  Occupational change is often taken as another indicator of an information society. The occupational structure is examined over time and patterns of change are observed. Arguments here are based on the assumption that if most forms of work involve information we have achieved an information society. The decline of manufacturing or industria l work is taken as a further signal of change. This conception of the information society is quite different from the one based on technologies, since it suggests that it is the transformative power of information rather than of information technologies that is spurring change. 7.3 Economic vision   Technological innovation is central for increasing productivity and thus for growth of economics and competition between economies. It is commonplace today to contend that we have evolved into a society which accepts that knowledge had become the foundation of the modern economy. We have shifted from the economy of goods to a knowledge economy. The assumption is that knowledge and organization are the prime creators of wealth. Economy-based approaches track the growth in economic value of information-r

Change within Organizations Essay -- Business Environment, Organizatio

Word Count 3000 Why are there different perspectives on change within organisations INTRODUCTION Organizational Change In an ever-changing business environment, for organisations to remain competitive in this fast-moving world of technological development and globalization, organisations must examine frameworks regularly and manage change and their working practices and systems if they are to remain competitive. â€Å"It is becoming increasingly important for organizations to gain competitive advantage by being able to manage and survive change † â€Å"Organizational change has become synonymous with managerial effectiveness since the 1980s (Burnes, 1996; Wilson, 1992). A definition given by Mark Hughes (2006 ) in his book Change Management defines ‘ Change’ as â€Å"The leadership and direction of the process of organizational transformation – especially with regard to human aspects and overcoming resistance to change† (Hughes, 2006). Change is a constant feature of organizational life and the ability to manage it is seen as a core competence of successful organizations (Bumes, 2004b). The ability of organizations to manage and survive change is becoming increasingly important in an environment where competition and globalization of markets are ever intensifying (Cao and McHugh, 2005: 475). Organizational change involves, by definition, a transformation of an organisation between two points in time†. It is crucial for organizations to â€Å"Accept that undertaking change is a natural part of business life in order to keep in line with the need for improvements or customer or fashion demands†. The IBM report (2008 ) on Making Change Work states the ``effects of globalization , technology advances, complex multinational organizations , enable... ...e-fits-all approaches. For example, they attempt to combat resistance to change by involving employees in the initiative’s design even when employees don’t have the information needed to provide useful input† We need to beware of pat formulas or off-the-shelf improvement packages. Improvement tools, techniques, and approaches must be customized to fit our unique personal, team, and organizational circumstances. That's why trendy programs like quality circles, excellence, customer service, quality improvement, teams, empowerment, re-engineering and the like have failed or fallen short in so many organizations. They're often sold as a one-size-fits-all, step-by-step process that we can drop right into our organization. When that doesn't work, some managers or consultants try to alter the organization to fit the program rather than the other way around. Change within Organizations Essay -- Business Environment, Organizatio Word Count 3000 Why are there different perspectives on change within organisations INTRODUCTION Organizational Change In an ever-changing business environment, for organisations to remain competitive in this fast-moving world of technological development and globalization, organisations must examine frameworks regularly and manage change and their working practices and systems if they are to remain competitive. â€Å"It is becoming increasingly important for organizations to gain competitive advantage by being able to manage and survive change † â€Å"Organizational change has become synonymous with managerial effectiveness since the 1980s (Burnes, 1996; Wilson, 1992). A definition given by Mark Hughes (2006 ) in his book Change Management defines ‘ Change’ as â€Å"The leadership and direction of the process of organizational transformation – especially with regard to human aspects and overcoming resistance to change† (Hughes, 2006). Change is a constant feature of organizational life and the ability to manage it is seen as a core competence of successful organizations (Bumes, 2004b). The ability of organizations to manage and survive change is becoming increasingly important in an environment where competition and globalization of markets are ever intensifying (Cao and McHugh, 2005: 475). Organizational change involves, by definition, a transformation of an organisation between two points in time†. It is crucial for organizations to â€Å"Accept that undertaking change is a natural part of business life in order to keep in line with the need for improvements or customer or fashion demands†. The IBM report (2008 ) on Making Change Work states the ``effects of globalization , technology advances, complex multinational organizations , enable... ...e-fits-all approaches. For example, they attempt to combat resistance to change by involving employees in the initiative’s design even when employees don’t have the information needed to provide useful input† We need to beware of pat formulas or off-the-shelf improvement packages. Improvement tools, techniques, and approaches must be customized to fit our unique personal, team, and organizational circumstances. That's why trendy programs like quality circles, excellence, customer service, quality improvement, teams, empowerment, re-engineering and the like have failed or fallen short in so many organizations. They're often sold as a one-size-fits-all, step-by-step process that we can drop right into our organization. When that doesn't work, some managers or consultants try to alter the organization to fit the program rather than the other way around.

The Importance of Diet and Nutrition Essay example -- Health Nutrition

The Importance of Diet and Nutrition A child's diet and nutrition is a growing concern. Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and often times parents struggle just to get their children to eat. Most parents assume that as long as their children eat something, it is fine to let them eat what they want. The wrong approach to food can give children mixed messages about proper nutrition and lead to serious problems later. Parents are solely responsible for children's poor eating habits. "Children today, more susceptible than any to propaganda, are eating an increasing amount of sweets, lollipops, crisps and refined carbohydrate food." (Mount 23) To know what children are eating these days, one must simply watch Saturday morning cartoons. Children are targeted by advertisement after advertisement with bright colors and toys. From sugary cereals to new and improved cookies, children decide the types of food they want to eat from commercials and select those products when grocery shopping with mom or dad. With fun characters and special toys in every meal, fast food restaurants lure children in. Though children may be taken in by advertisements, their parents are the ones who buy the products and ultimately have the power to say "no." Parents unfortunately do not take a stand. They give in to avoid temper tantrums and get their children to eat something, but more lies at stake than a public scene. "Sweets, lollipops and crisps with the help of television ad vertising have eroded what innate good nutritional sense remained... and the stage is set fair for widespread subnutrition." (Mount 67) A movement away from fruits, vegetables, and grains towards fats and sweets has become increa... ...as a child, chances are the same bad eating habits will carry over into adulthood. Parents must realize their own struggles with obesity, high blood pressure, and heart problems are linked to their diet. In order to prevent their children from going through the same issues, they must plant the idea of nutrition now. Parents have ultimate control over the health and growth of their children. It is time they faced that responsibility. Works Cited Environmed Research Inc. homepage. pp. 1-2. http://www.nutramed.com/children/index.htm (Retrieved November 5, 1998) Martin, H. Darlene. "Dietary Guidelines for Children Age Two to Five". pp. 1-4. Issued On-Line January 1996. <http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/Foods/g1249.htm (Retrieved November 5, 1998). Mount, James Lambert. The Food and Health of Western Man. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1975. The Importance of Diet and Nutrition Essay example -- Health Nutrition The Importance of Diet and Nutrition A child's diet and nutrition is a growing concern. Parenting is one of the most difficult jobs in the world, and often times parents struggle just to get their children to eat. Most parents assume that as long as their children eat something, it is fine to let them eat what they want. The wrong approach to food can give children mixed messages about proper nutrition and lead to serious problems later. Parents are solely responsible for children's poor eating habits. "Children today, more susceptible than any to propaganda, are eating an increasing amount of sweets, lollipops, crisps and refined carbohydrate food." (Mount 23) To know what children are eating these days, one must simply watch Saturday morning cartoons. Children are targeted by advertisement after advertisement with bright colors and toys. From sugary cereals to new and improved cookies, children decide the types of food they want to eat from commercials and select those products when grocery shopping with mom or dad. With fun characters and special toys in every meal, fast food restaurants lure children in. Though children may be taken in by advertisements, their parents are the ones who buy the products and ultimately have the power to say "no." Parents unfortunately do not take a stand. They give in to avoid temper tantrums and get their children to eat something, but more lies at stake than a public scene. "Sweets, lollipops and crisps with the help of television ad vertising have eroded what innate good nutritional sense remained... and the stage is set fair for widespread subnutrition." (Mount 67) A movement away from fruits, vegetables, and grains towards fats and sweets has become increa... ...as a child, chances are the same bad eating habits will carry over into adulthood. Parents must realize their own struggles with obesity, high blood pressure, and heart problems are linked to their diet. In order to prevent their children from going through the same issues, they must plant the idea of nutrition now. Parents have ultimate control over the health and growth of their children. It is time they faced that responsibility. Works Cited Environmed Research Inc. homepage. pp. 1-2. http://www.nutramed.com/children/index.htm (Retrieved November 5, 1998) Martin, H. Darlene. "Dietary Guidelines for Children Age Two to Five". pp. 1-4. Issued On-Line January 1996. <http://www.ianr.unl.edu/pubs/Foods/g1249.htm (Retrieved November 5, 1998). Mount, James Lambert. The Food and Health of Western Man. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1975.

Bullying & Statement of the Problem

Bullying is an issue that has been affecting many in the world today. It takes place in many forms some of which are direct and include physical harm on the victim. Verbal bullying involves name calling and insults or threats being directed at the victim and may also involve emotional bullying where the victim’s emotions are targeted by the bully. Other forms of bullying may be indirect where the harm is not caused on the person directly but it still ends up affecting the person. Bullying is termed as a form of abuse that uses power and dominance to those that are weaker and less powerful.Bullying has been taking place in various areas but it is mostly common in schools and workplaces. It exists in various social groups, social classes and is found all over the world. The behavior is usually repetitive and aggressive and it is based on the sole intention of hurting the victim. Bullies carry out the behavior to harm the other person as a way of gaining power over the other pers on. It is normally a behavior that is planned and purposeful. Bullying in schools has become very common and it has led to some very serious consequences.It has led to physical violence in forms of fight and in some extreme cases deaths by suicides. Cases have emerged of some forms of bullying in the schools that have led to some of these severe consequences. Children who are victims have had to live with short term and long term consequences of the behavior. Some of the other effects include poor performance in their studies, depression, bedwetting, being withdrawn, changing schools regularly and is some cases suicides among others (Norfolk, n. d). Over 7% of children especially in the 8th grade tend to stay at home once a month since they are bullied in schools (Banks, 1997).Reports have also shown that about 15% of students are bullied on a regular basis with some being initiated into the bullying practice. Direct bullying is more common among boys than with the girls. However ph ysical abuse in boys tends to reduce as they progress in age. The victims of bullying sometimes carry these effects such as depression and low self esteem into their adulthood. b) Historical Overview Bullying in schools has been on going for a long time now and is experienced in very many areas of the school.It occurs in some specific areas in the school compound and environment which include the School Bus Park, hallways and bathrooms and even during recess (Banks, 1997). It normally consists of a group of bullies who like isolating a student and bullying them by teasing and taunting the student. Some of them pressure the student to perform various tasks that humiliate the student. Teachers and school administrators have also been known to perpetrate bullying in the schools. They target a particular student and humiliate or abuse the student aggressively. The causes of bullying arise from the social setting of the bullies.The bullies usually get the trait from the family setting or from experiences from home. Studies have shown that most bullies emerge from families that experience physical forms of punishment and where the families are undergoing some form of abuse. School bullies tend to lack warmth from their parents and they then strike back through bulling other children in order to handle their problems. They may also acquire the behavior by learning it from friends and peers (Banks, 1997). There are several characteristics that bullies have in common especially in the schools.Most of the students who feel the need to bully others are usually looking to gain control since they normally feel more powerful than their intended victims. They tend to get satisfied once they see their victims suffering and they do not feel empathetic at all towards the victims (Stanffordshire, n. d). When defending themselves they sometimes use the reasons that the victim provoked them to bully them. Most bullies usually have high self esteem and they rarely perform the bully ing act since they feel bad for themselves. They are however antisocial, defiant and badly behaved.They tend to break rules and display a lot of arrogance and opposition in schools. Victims of bullies on the other hand are usually very insecure, cautious and they suffer from low self esteem (Olweus, n. d). They rarely confront the bullies to defend themselves. They are insecure and anxious and may lack social skills needed to make friends. They tend to come from families where their parents are overprotective. The major characteristic that is found with victims of bullying is that they are weaker than the bullies and this makes it difficult for them to fight the bullies back.The purpose of this paper is to advocate for laws to be passed across the U. S to ban bullying in schools and teachers and administrators being given more authority and responsibility to intercept and deal with bullying. This paper discusses bullying as a problem in schools n regard to how it has evolved in the past, its effects on the victims and how it can be stopped. The role of teachers and school administrators in the prevention of bullying is also highlighted together with their views and those of parents and legal sources.The various laws that have been passed by the U. S states are discussed and how important they are in relation to the increase in suicides cases among children and long term psychological impacts on victims. Finally the state of Massachusetts’ stand on bullying laws is discussed. 2. 0 Methodology This research paper is an insight into an in-depth analysis of a review of literature with respect to bullying and why laws should be passed across the United States on the same in an effort to curb this vice.Moreover, studies related to the giving of teachers and administrators more authority and responsibility to intercept and deal with bullying rather than ignoring it has been adequately studied. It bears noting that the focal point of the study is mainly on book s and other scholarly materials which tackle bullying from all aspects. This is particularly bent on the fact that much as many students go through this, some of the experiences they pass through in the process affect them adversely later in life. All the scholarly materials that were selected are either published books, certified websites and prestige journals.Moreover, these cover a wide range in terms of years because bullying is not an issue that began recently but has been there for quite some good time. It equally bears noting that all the articles analyzed were specifically from credible websites. Additionally, the research was limited to substantial secondary sources in order to employ studies already carried out by others on the same topic, primary sources were unavailable. To better analyze the whole idea, the paper was divided into categories based on the approach used to handle the whole research. 3.0 Literature Review Several studies have been done with regard to bullyi ng but the main points highlighted include the effects that come with bullying. Norfolk (n. d) puts it that children who are victims end up performing poorly in school, being depressed and some may even commit suicide. To back up this argument Banks (1997) points out that more than 7% of children in the 8th grade tend to stay at home once a month due to being bullied in school. On the same note, Stanffordshire (n. d) depicts that it is more satisfiying for the bullies to see their victims suffer.Further research indicates that victims of bullies are usually very insecure (Olweus, n. d), similarly Wright adds to the bargain by pointing out that th victims tend to have very low self esteem (2003). Moreover, Digizen (n. d) brings in a new perspective to the issues by incorporating the environment in the technological world creating anxiety among the children where children use the same for purposes of bullying. The legal view of the whole issue as pointed out by Antibullying ( n. d) is that the legal system should be efficient in weighing the matter and any cases brought forward.Likewise, authors such as Rota (2010), GLAD (2010) and O'Dowd ( 2010) have given specific suicide cases which are worth considering. Another noteworthy matter depicted in the studies of Dombeck (n. d) is that the primary outcome of the whole ordeal to the victims is to do with be loneliness being part of their life through to adulthood. It comes with relief that â€Å"Chapter 92 of the Acts of 2010,†(2010) is a law which has made it vital for anti bully policies to be posted on school websites and be made available to any student or parent if need arises. 4. 0 BullyingBullying is a serious problem that is affecting the academic and social lives of the school going children. In order to understand the problem and develop an intervention plan that can be used to stop it, it is important to identify the various forms of bullying that are going on within the schools and the trends they are taking. It is also important to understand how they are carried out and the effects that arise from the practice. This will help develop a plan that will be able to establish a safe and secure environment in the schools for all children. i) Evolution of BullyingBullying behavior has been continuously changing over the years. Different forms of bullying have emerged and they continue to develop and be used in the schools. Technology has played a very big role in the evolution of the behavior. The first forms of bullying that have existed over the years included both direct and indirect methods that were used in the practice. The methods continue to be in use till today but have been evolved by the use of technology. Name calling was one of the types of bullying that were used by the bullies on the victims (Stanffordshire, n.d). The victims were given certain names that were intended to humiliate them and lower their self esteem. The method has since evolved and is in use in more places rather than just in schools. Physical bullying has also evolved from the physical injuries that were inflicted on the victims and it has included theft as a method that is used to involve threats and lead to the violence. Social isolation that was once used to make the victims stay alone without friends and was experienced by children of all age groups has evolved to also include homophobic isolation.Homophobic isolation is the type of isolation that is practiced by the bullies on the children who are termed as gay or they are seen to be gay (Stanffordshire, n. d). It also includes those seen to be bisexual or they portray characteristics that make them seem to be associated with the opposite sex. It is being practiced in the secondary schools and higher levels of education. The method is normally spread through the social websites through gossip and in other websites. One form of bullying that has emerged in schools involves the abuse that is directed on children who are of different races and cultures.This form of bullying has been growing over the years with cases being reported that show the increase. The cases also show that the bullying is also changing according to the different age groups. 25% of children of age 8 were seen to be bullied more compared to the children who were 5 years who only made 20% of the overall cases in that age group (Stanffordshire, n. d). Cyber bullying is the latest and most commonly used form of bullying in the schools today. It continues to evolve with the changes in technology. It uses text messages, emails and various posts on websites as a way of bullying.Studies show that over 20% of young people in schools who are between the ages of 11 and 19 have been bullied through this form of bullying (Stanffordshire, n. d). The children in the schools today are growing up in a different technological world that is very different from that of the adults. They have experienced information and technological developments that they are now using to evolve the bullying practice. The environment in the technological world is becoming threatening and is creating anxiety among the children. They are misusing the technology especially the mobile and internet to bully others.Over 22% of young people have been reported to carry out cyber bulling (Digizen, n. d). They are able to carry out the whole practice remaining anonymous to the victim. This form of bullying has made it possible for the bullies to carry out the practice at any time or place (Digizen, n. d). ii) Effects of Bullying There are various consequences that are seen to arise from the practice of bullying. Students who are seen to bully others tend to carry the practice out of school and they tend to get involved in criminal activities and they experience a lot of legal trouble in their adulthood.They maintain this behavior even in the workplaces negatively affecting their ability to develop relationships that are positive. A study has proven that 60% of the students who were bullies when they were in grade 6-9 were convicted of a crime by the age of 24 (Banks, 1997). The bullies are also prone other problematic behaviors such as smoking, alcohol and drug abuse. Victims of bullying tend to be very unhappy while in schools and they end up getting depressed and have low self esteem (Wright, 2003). Their school work is affected and they may choose to remain at home instead of going to school.They tend to isolate themselves from social activities that involve the schools and this makes them even lonelier. The loneliness and depression may lead them to commit suicide. This is particularly in the cases of emotional bullying where the emotions are targeted by the bullies. The victims also have difficulties when forming relationships in the future. The by standers who witness the bullying also get affected by it. They are not able to stop the bullying or help out the victim even though he or she may be their friend. Some are usually afraid of becoming the next victim so they end up avoiding confronting the bully.Others on the other hand may be of the opinion that the victim deserved the bullying (Sampson, 2002). They may actively get involved by teasing and ostracizing the victim and motivating the bully. They may also feel less accountable for the actions that are going on when they are in a group. Hence they do not feel the urge to help the victim. iii) Role of Teachers and School Administrators Teachers and school administrators have a role to play in preventing bullying in the schools and making the schools a safe haven free from any bullying activities.They should first be aware of the existence of the problem so that they can develop measures to intervene. The teachers can help detect the existence of the practice and encourage the victims of bystanders to speak out. The interventions that are developed should be able to include the whole school and not intimidate the bullies or the victims either (Olweus , n. d). Teachers and the school administrators can also help identify the areas that are used by the bullies to attack the victims since they mostly do so in private and hidden areas. They should therefore eliminate the existence of such areas within the school’s compound.They can also involve the students to develop rules within the classrooms that are against the behavior. To increase awareness of the problem to the parents, the school administrators should develop parent teacher days to make the parents aware of the problem’s existence and the importance of the parents to get involved in the whole process (Sampson, 2002). iv) Views on Bullying in Schools a) Legal View The legal system rarely deals with cases of bullying though there are some laws that have been set up to fight against it. This is mainly because there are many cases of bullying that are not very serious.The legal system hence allows the school to deal with these small minor cases. Schools and the pa rents are given a chance to work together to come up with strategies that help prevent and stop it. It is important for the bullying cases to be handled quickly and efficiently before they bring more damages when they become too serious (Antibullying, n. d). This however does not eliminate the chances of legal action being used to stop the bullying. There are circumstances that call for legal intervention as a last resort due to the seriousness of the incident.The parents, victims and other bystanders have the responsibility to report the incident to the police. Legal action can also be carried out if the other methods that have been used to intervene by the parents and the teachers have failed. It is also encouraged when there is a possibility that the bullying will reduce once the case is reported. When the bullying also takes place outside the school compound, the parents and teachers together with the community can cooperate with the police to prevent and stop it. Bullying is tr eated as an offence that is against the law when it becomes too serious and the consequences are very damaging.It is seen to affect the rights of other individuals and their freedom. When it is carried out against other students on the basis of race and cultural differences it is termed as being racism (Antibullying, n. d). b) Parents, Teachers and School Administrators View Despite the seriousness of the matter, some views exist that portray the behavior of bullying as acceptable. Parents have been known to have views on bullying that encourage the practice even further especially if it is their child who is bullying others. Some parents hold the view that boys will be boys.This view tends to imply that physical bullying is an acceptable behavior and hence they encourage the children to be more aggressive and physically abuse other children. Research has proven that the aggressive behavior to bully is learnt and it is not a natural response (The National ALLIANCE for Parent Centers , 2003). Some other views that are used by parents include the view that words cannot hurt. This view is argued that even though the words do not leave any physical marks or bruises on the children they are able to leave emotional scars that are more damaging than the physical bruises and words.The words spoken tend to have long term consequences and effects on the victims as they affect the self esteem and confidence. Some bullies are able to learn this from an early age and they use this approach to intimidate other children (The National ALLIANCE for Parent Centers, 2003). Bullying by some parents is viewed as a natural part of childhood and they tend to dismiss their children when they disclose the fact that they are being bullied in schools (The National ALLIANCE for Parent Centers, 2003).Parents normally take up this view since the occurrence of bullying is so common hence it looks like a normal thing to occur to children when they are in school. The truth of the matter is tha t the aggression that is both physical and emotional should not be taken to be a normal part of childhood and action should be taken against it. Some parents are of the view that bullying is carried out to make the children become tougher. They hold the opinions that the more that the children are bullied the more they are able to toughen up and become strong emotionally and physically.The truth however is that bullying lowers their self esteem and makes them more afraid. It also lowers their self worth and affects their academic and social life even in their adulthood. Bullying is normally carried out with an intention to harm the victim and inflict a sense of power among the bullies (The National ALLIANCE for Parent Centers, 2003). v) Stopping Bullying in Schools It is sometimes difficult to understand how schools can provide the environment for bullying to take place yet they are very well supervised.Bullying however is carried out secretly and in hidden areas and adults includin g parents and teachers are not able to notice when it is going on. Other reasons that make it hard to detect is the fact that the school staff may see it as harmless play and therefore decide not to intervene. There may also be lack of enough supervisory settings that could lead to detecting the behavior in its likely occurrences (Wright, 2003). a) Laws on Bullying Anti bullying legislation has been developed to help curb the rise and spread of bullying within the school environment.The legislation provides for firm and fair enforcement of discipline within the school and security measures that provide for a climate that does not allow for bullying and threat making. The laws have been developed to help the school administrators’ deal with the issue. They require the schools to develop anti bullying policies and programs (Clabough, 2010). A national legislation that is against bullying has been proposed to make it mandatory for all schools to have these programs and policies that will help reduce the bullying incidents.The laws have been developed to emphasis to the schools that much is not being done to deal with bullying and that more needs to be done since bullying is an important issue that is affecting the schools. The laws are allowing for various legal actions to be taken up against the bullies who are reported to have bullied a fellow student. The legal action to be taken depends on the type of offence that has been reported (Clabough, 2010). For example where the offence reported involved included threatening the victim, legal action can be taken for threatening behavior and this is treated as a criminal offence.When the bullied acts involve sexual assault towards the victim, the legal action can be taken against indecent assault which is also treated as a criminal offence. An offence of common assault is charged against the bully when the victim was physically abused. Legal action may also include applying for an injunction against the bullies to prevent them from bullying the victim. The injunction can be used to instill fear upon the bully and hence stopping them from bullying the victim. Legal action however is only carried out if the actions of the bully are in more that two separate occasions and they are constant and ongoing.Evidence has to be gathered to prove the harassment and it must show that it led to severe damages to the victim (Clabough, 2010). The two offences of indecent assault and common assault can also be carried out without touching the victim. b) Their importance The anti bully legislation is very important in reducing the cases of bullying in the schools when everything has failed. The law can help sensitize the issue and teach the parents and teachers the need and importance of stopping the bullying behavior as it leads to severe consequences that are long term in some cases.The teachers and staff at the schools are taught how to identify and deal with bullying cases and establish effective strat egies that enable the children report the cases of bullying within the school (Antibullying, n. d). The laws can also be used to teach and educate the children on bullying the strategies and types of bullies that are in existence and how they can deal. The laws can also help curb the spread of the practice to other areas like the work places and other environments outside the school environment.Bullies can also be helped since most of them end up committing other crimes in the adulthood (Dombeck, n. d). The consequences of bullying can also be reduced especially where they are long term and severe like in the cases of suicides and psychological impacts on the children. c) Suicides by Children The need for these laws has been necessitated by the increase in the number of suicides cases that have been reported. One case in particular is the case of Phoebe Prince, a 15 year student who committed suicide after she was continuously bullied by her new classmates for over 3 months (Rota, 2 010).She had continuously been harassed verbally and physically by nine of her classmates, six of whom have been charged in court since the incident happened (O'Dowd, 2010). She had been a student of South Hadley High School located in Massachusetts, and had endured a lot of cyber bullying through popular websites like facebook, Twitter, Craigslist and Form spring and she also received threatening messages on her cell phone (Clabough, 2010). In school things had been thrown at her, while her face had been scribbled in her photographs that were hung on the school walls.The parents and the school officials had not done enough to stop the bullying even though they knew of the extent it had gone into. They had instead turned away and assumed a mentality of kids will be kids that led to the suicide. This was one of the cases that led to the Massachusetts anti bully legislation that was to curb such incidents from occurring (GLAD, 2010). d) Long Term Psychological Impact Bullying has been known to lead to long term effects that affect the victim’s psychology. Some of the effects of bullying include self esteem problems that may cause the adult to think lowly of them selves (Dombeck, n. d).They also tend to avoid social situations due to the interpersonal difficulties that they experience. Some of the victims of school bullying have reduced occupational opportunities since they do not get the chance to perform well in school. They have lingering bitterness and desires to seek revenge against the bullies. Some tend to have a lot of difficulty trusting people and they do not make many friends. They therefore tend to be lonely even in their adult life. In some cases the victims of school bullying continue to be bullied even in their work places and in other areas even in their adult life (Dombeck, n. d).e) Helping the Victim Overcome Victims of school bullying are usually very sad and deeply unhappy when they are in school (Banks, 1997). They suffer from low self esteem since they are usually self rejected by the classmates. There are various that the school can help the victims overcome the bullying and prevent it from occurring to them again. The first step of intervening is to ensure the victims safety. The victims are usually weaker than the bullies and hence they are not able to face the bullies on their own. The victims can be monitored when they are in schools to identify the times that they are bullied (Wright, 2003).The victim can also be encouraged to make friends with other students who will influence him or her positively. This will help increase the self esteem and confidence of the victim. As the victim makes more friends they may be able to help him when they are being bullied. They can be taught basic social skills to enable them make more friends. Mentors can also be allocated to the children who are bullied to be able to monitor them and protect them from the bullies (Wright, 2003). Victims can also be taught some skill th at can they can use to stand up to the bullies especially when they abuse is verbal.The parents of the victims can help the children to overcome the effects of bullying. The parents can become more involved in the lives of the child to ensure that they are able to notice the instances of bullying. They can help the child speak out when they are being bullied. Counseling can also help the child deal with the psychological effects of bullying such as depression, low self esteem and anxiety. They can therefore be able to deal with the anger that they may feel against the bullies and the need to seek revenge (Dombeck, n. d). f) Helping BulliesBullying is normally carried out in a secretive manner and can be difficult to identify within the schools (Wright, 2003). Teachers and school administrators may not be aware of how it is carried out. They must therefore assess the seriousness of the behavior and ensure that the students are aware of the seriousness of the matter. They should also be aware of the consequences of bullying and the charges that exist for bullies. If the bullies continue threatening the lives of the other students the teachers and the school administrators should now come up with ways to help the bullies turn around their behaviors.They can confront the bullies in a firm and fair manner that will not provoke them. They can communicate to the bullies without threatening them and give stern warnings that their behavior will not be tolerated. More stern measures can be put up if the bullies do not change their behavior. The confrontations should be carried out in private to ensure that they bully does not become defiant and refuse to compliance (Wright, 2003). To encourage them to change their behavior they can be rewarded if the cases for bullying reduce.Parents can be involved in the process to establish the reasons that lead the children to bully others. Where the reasons are based on the environment at home the parents can be involved in the pro cess of reforming the behaviors of the bullies. Counseling can be used to help the children deal with the issues at home and reduce their chances of taking out their problems or anger on other students (Banks, 1997). g) State of Massachusetts Stand The State of Massachusetts has become the 42nd state in the U. S to develop anti bully laws that are to be putt up in the schools (Clabough, 2010).The anti bully laws are one of the strongest laws that are against the bullying behavior being carried out in schools. The law which was developed in May of this year is very strict and requires all the schools within the state to protect their students from bullying and they must abide by this law (GLAD, 2010). This law applies to all the school regardless of whether they are private or public. It clearly defines the behavior of bullying and includes any repeated hostility that is directed to a student whether written, verbal or even if it is technologically spread.The technological methods in clude mass communication form of media that the victim can access directly or indirectly. It has taken into consideration the use of social media like facebook that are used to bully victims by writing on their walls. The law has made it compulsory for every school in the state with the exception of some private schools to have an anti bully policy that should be posted on the websites of the schools and made available to any student or parent that may need it (â€Å"Chapter 92 of the Acts of 2010,† 2010).The law also states that the policy should among others have procedures that should be followed whenever a bullying case is reported by a student. Disciplinary actions should also be stipulated in the policy clearly according to the law together with the procedures for notifying the parents of any cases that may involve their children bullying or being bullied. It further stipulates that the schools should offer counseling services to the victims of the bullying as well as t he bullying themselves.According to the Massachusetts law, the teachers and the school administrators should undergo some training to be in a position to handle the bullying cases in the schools and also come up with ways of preventing them from happening (GLAD, 2010). The training should also make them aware of the causes of bullying and various types of incidences that make up cyber bullying. The law has also given the teachers the mandate to report the cases of bullying once they notice them to the relevant authorities. School administrators should also be in able to investigate the reports of bullying and carry out disciplinary action on the students involved.Students within the state are required by the law to know and understand the behavior of bullying. The schools should be able to teach them this information and make them understand. This includes the children who are in between the ages of kindergarten and those that are in grade 12 (GLAD, 2010). The students should be tau ght how to prevent bullying and how to handle the bullies appropriately. They should also know the differences that exist among the children who bully them and why they bully them.The law has been very effective in the region and cases of bullying have been seen to have reduced significantly. 5. 0 Conclusion Bullying is a serious issue that is affecting very many children in the schools and has been going on for a very long time now. There is need to come up with a method that will help eliminate its existence especially the new form of bullying that has emerged that is the cyber bullying. Anti bully laws can help eliminate this kind of bullying together with the other forms of bullying that have been in practice. Cyber bullying is hard to detect but its conseque