President Barack Obama, the war power, and executive orders Essay

President Barack Obama, the war power, and executive orders - Essay Example From this paper, it is clear that executive orders are used by presidents to promote civil rights and in emboldening or discourage regulation by federal agencies. Both Presidents Barack Obama and President George W. Bush have observed that the executive order has progressively become a powerful political weapon. The executive order has been used in pushing through regulations and this may end up being a political worse crisis. President’s executive orders are derived from Article II, section 1 of the America constitution specifies that the president has the executive power "He shall take care that the laws be faithfully executed†. Executive orders in my perception are controversial because the through the executive order the president can make a major critical decision. The excises executive order by presidents run against the general logic of the constitution that says clearly that no one should have the power to act unilaterally. The executive order has a drawback for it undermines the trusted system of check and balance, giving rise to unjustifiable acts by the executive branch which may use it to safeguard their personal interests rather than national interests. For this reason, executive orders are considered too inappropriate in democratic and civilized country like the United States. Therefore, it is essential for the three arms of government to acts as a watchdog of each other thus enabling democracy to triumph without being hindered by the presidency through executive orders.

Dorothy and the Tree Essay Example for Free

Dorothy and the Tree Essay Stanley Fish discusses how we in society base our lives off of assumptions. Using the example of Dorothy and the tree, Fish is able to show how with our assumptions, we as people categorize others and things into what we believe to be correct. Whether or not we have actually taken the time to figure out if we are right is irrelevant. He notes that we should just â€Å"keep trying to expand our sense of ‘us’ as far as we can†, so we can avoid judgments and isolating ourselves from the rest of society. Even though Dorothy realizes her mistake, she doesn’t realize that it is not a failure, but her consciousness assuming the classification of things in the world. Fish later on defines thought as the â€Å"structure that at once enables perception†, meaning that within categories things emerge, limiting perception and nothing can allow one to see everything because that is God’s job. Fish uses many Bible allusions to create justification for his assertions. He uses Genesis 1:26, and Paul’s road to Damascus to show that people can be persuaded to change their placement of things in society. Despite all of his valid points, Fish states that it is nearly impossible for one to change just on realizations. He believes it takes practice to accept the fact that there are things that we cannot comprehend because there is no limit on the conceptual trappings of society.

Malcolm X Essay -- essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"There can be no black-white unity until there is first some black unity.† (Malcolm X, March 8, 1964) Malcolm X was probably one of the most controversial elements in the civil rights movement. Due to his radical views and actions he was detested by many peoples at that time, yet still today he is seen as a key figure along with Rosa Parks and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Malcolm X had become a member of the Nation of Islam in his earlier years. The Islamic faith borrows basic ideas from the orthodox teachings of Islam and combines them with the very racist views regarding whites taught by Elijah Mohammed. Malcolm was a very influential priest for the Nation of Islam. After questioning some of the views and beliefs of the Nation of Islam, Malcolm angered many of its followers. This forced Malcolm to travel on a journey overseas to Arabia to find out what his true beliefs were. When he reached Arabia, he found that it was a different society than that of which Elijah Mohammed had described it. Malcolm discovered that race played no role in determining a person’s status in society. Viewing this made a positive change in Malcolm X’s beliefs and views. This unity of human kind made Malcolm think and change his ideas about the solution to the racial problem in America. This was the most influential turning point in his lif e.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Malcolm first adopted his views and beliefs of the Nation of Islam while he was serving time in prison. By the time he had gotten out of prison, he had undergone a transformation from a drug-dealing thief to a religious priest of the Nation of Islam. Mohammed’s racist teachings were taken in by Malcolm. It was through these teachings that Malcolm X developed his radical views about race in America.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Under the guidance and teachings of Elijah Mohammed, Malcolm had targeted all whites and blamed them for position of African Americans in society. He referred to the whites as devils, which tried making the standards of blacks even lower then they already were. Malcolm X believed that complete segregation was the only way to end racial problems in America. He also said that all actions committed against blacks in history were due to the white race as a whole. Another one of his claims was that all blacks should move to Africa, a... ...was Malcolm Little, he was a drug addict, a thief, and an all around criminal. As Malcolm X, he went from a low life hoodlum to a very influential priest for the Nation of Islam. As Malik El-Shabazz, he went from teaching racial segregation to preaching racial equality and unification. He basically went from one end of the spectrum straight to the other. In the end, he became a good man, who taught what was right in his eyes. Unfortunately, Malcolm Little (a.k.a. Malcolm X, a.k.a. Malik El-Shabazz) was assassinated in the Audubon Ballroom by members of the Nation of Islam in Harlem on February 21, 1965. He was world famous at this time as â€Å"the angriest black man in America.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Having been a significant and prominent figure in the civil rights advancement for blacks from my point of view, Malcolm X was a necessity even though some viewed his actions as flaws. His conversion from a odious black man believing in segregation was the only way, to a powerful leader in civil liberties, proved momentous in his development of becoming that powerful leader. Organizations led by Malcolm at that time united African Americans additionally supporting there movement.

Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur and Monty Python and the Holy Grail Es

Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur and Monty Python and the Holy Grail Professor’s comment: This student uses a feminist approach to shift our value judgment of two works in a surprisingly thought-provoking way. After showing how female seduction in Malory’s story of King Arthur is crucial to the story as a whole, the student follows with an equally serious analysis of Monty Python’s parody of the female seduction motif in what may be the most memorable and hilarious episode of the film. Much of the humor in Monty Python and the Holy Grail derives from the pure absurdity of its characters and situations. King Arthur roams the British countryside on an imaginary horse, evil enemies can only be appeased with offerings of shrubbery, and the knights of the Round Table battle a bloodthirsty killer bunny, to cite just a few examples. The movie contains a great deal of such explicit comedy, but much of its humor works on a more subtle level, plot and dialogue shrewdly satirizing the unjustness of such Arthurian conventions as autocracy, severe social class distinctions, and vainglorious codes of chivalry. The movie also pokes fun at the rather demeaning view of women in traditional Arthurian legend. In Thomas Malory’s Le Morte Darthur women primarily serve as figures of sexual temptation who bring great danger and suffering to the men that interact with them. Monty Python and the Holy Grail,on the other hand, satirizes the idea of the destructive temptress and presen ts women characters in a manner that undercuts this negative Arthurian stereotype. In Malory’s famous account of the King Arthur legend, the most notable example of woman as destructive sexual temptation is, of course, Queen Guinevere. Sir Lancelot’s affair wi... ..., then, Monty Python and the Holy Grail challenges many of the Arthurian conventions that modern audiences consider outmoded and unjust. With their clever exploitation of the role of Arthurian women, Monty Python rebukes the idea of women as manipulative seductresses and effectively exposes the shallowness of this Arthurian stereotype. And on top of all this cultural enlightenment, they still manage to give their audience a good laugh along the way. Works Cited American Heritage Dictionary, 2nd College Edition, 1982. Malory, Thomas. King Arthur and His Knights: Selected Tales by Sir Thomas Malory, ed. Eugene Vinaver (London: Oxford UP, 1975) 124-25. Monty Python and the Holy Grail. Dir. Terry Gilliam and Terry Jones. Perf. Graham Chapman, John Cleese, Eric Idle, Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones, and Michael Palin. Columbia Pictures Home Entertainment, 1975.

Value Pricing at Procter & Gamble

Specific assumptions about the relationship between price changes and market share changes Table. 2 Suggested Budget Requirements Fig. 1 Value Price Result Value  Pricing  At  Procter  &  Gamble  (A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  3 Objective 1: Prisoner’s Dilemma The P&G pricing system in the 70s and 80s was oriented towards market share.Please describe the prisoner’s dilemma in which those companies in the P&G’s markets got rewarded that maintained or increased their price promotions. For sake of discussion, let us use a single company (Unilever) as an example to illustrate how all the companies in P&G’s markets experience prisoner’s dilemma. Since Unilever and P&G operate in the same market, a lot of their actions are interdependent on one another. Initially, the two firms were engaged in a prisoner's dilemma. Major moves in product, pricing or policy without providing their intentions to the other would result in losses for both companies.Thus, a surprise move by any firm would yield lead to inefficiency. Ideally, both parties would prefer to escape the dilemma. This desire would give birth to a cooperative set of behaviour between the two players. This cooperation however would cease if Unilever (or P;G) decides to change its behaviour by increasing or maintaining its price promotions when P;G (or Unilever) chooses to cut back on promotions. Such a move by Unilever would lead to the adoption of a sequential games situation by both firms as the traditional cooperation would no longer exist.By looking ahead to the future response of P;G and reasoning back to the present, Unilever decides that this approach would be best for the firm. By increasing promotions without notifying P;G (which is planning to cut back on promotions), Unilever may see an advantage to the firm. This is referred to as opportunistic behaviour. Unilever may have the perception of P;G as being a bullying firm, and Unilever did not want to be left coopera ting only to have P;G cheat. Since the two firms were cooperating, both firms would be expecting the other to react to such a move.P;G now faces a dilemma whether to increase its price promotions, or to devote funds to increase advertising on products, or to go ahead and cut back on promotions (original plan and the riskiest). Although it is uncertain how they respond, there is no doubt that Unilever would have analysed the probabilities of P;G's potential reactions. Since consumers had become increasingly price sensitive, P&G would lose out in market share if they did not react. It is likely that they would choose to respond with a tit-for-tat move through mimicking Unilever in order to penalize them for cheating.This would result in Unilever hitting back, thus causing P&G to deliver a second punishment. There is no doubt that Unilever analysed this position of P&G and decided on the probability of P&G's response. Since P;G has value in other markets, it is likely that they would r espond and react. Though a reaction is likely, Unilever knew that its consumers are risk-averse. Thus by surprising P;G with higher price promotions, consumers would attach loyalty to Unilever products before P;G could come up with a strategy.If P;G reacted by offering similar promotions, consumers would continue to purchase Unilever products till the prices offered by P;G are low enough (resulting in lower profits) to make consumers shift their loyalties. Value  Pricing  At  Procter  ;  Gamble  (A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  4 P;G could; however, do a number of things to overcome the risk aversion involved in Unilever's move. First, they could rely on their reputation to launch similar or better promotions, since risk aversion would be minimal as both firms are well-known national chains.They could advertise against Unilever, or launch ads which compare the prices; something that had not previously been done when the two firms were cooperating. Since this reaction is probable, Unilever has established that this reaction by P&G will result in an economic advantage in at least one of its markets. Perhaps P&G's reaction would allow Unilever to go ahead and capture new markets while P;G counters this initial move. Unilever decided to cease the cooperative strategy and made an opportunistic move by offering higher price promotions without notifying P;G.Before doing so, it was imperative that Unilever analysed the probable reactions; as well as, the results of these actions. Though it would likely illicit a tit-for-tat response, Unilever felt that the probable outcome would be advantageous enough to cease the cooperative strategy. Unilever's approach demonstrates an ability to look ahead and reason backward to select a move that will help them to gain market share at the cost of P&G (or basically any company which chooses to cut back). Objective 2: Organizational ProblemWhich was P&G’s organizational problem that enforced these strong promotional activit ies? Each business category which consisted of a collection of up to 3 brands was headed by a General Manager. The General Manager of each category had ownership of his/her own Profit and Loss statement. Within the category each brand was managed by Brand Managers. Each brand group was responsible for the success of the brand they managed. Hence there was competition within brands for the promotional budgets as well as manufacturing capacity.Promotion up the ranks within P&G was dependent on the sales and profits of each brand in the case of brand managers and for each category in the case of category General Managers. Even though a criteria like the ability to develop the skills and talent pool of the people lower in the hierarchy was present, it was still the sales and market share parameters that dominated the promotion decision within the firm. Amidst the fight for market share among FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) companies, promotional spending increased and soon became a no rm.Brand Mangers in P&G had short stints on a given brand (maybe a year or two) before they moved either horizontally, vertically or out of the organization. Since compensation and evaluation of performance was dependent on growth over previous year’s sales, managers pushed for relatively more promotional spending, in-order to increase market-share and sales irrespective of the cost. The short-stint of managers did not give them any incentive to think about the long term profitability of the brand, since they were not the ones who would beValue  Pricing  At  Procter  &  Gamble  (A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  5 held accountable in the long term. This led to a short-term focus by the manager for their own gain/incentive rather than looking at the broader picture and profits of the company as a whole. Hence strong promotional activities were enforced due this particular organization and incentive structure. Objective 3: Risks of implementing Value Pricing The category manage r for dish care, John Bess, was considering the introduction of value based pricing (= fair price; lower list pricing than before, but less promotions).Please describe the major risks for P&G in 1991 in case of implementing value pricing in the market for light-duty liquid detergents. Following are the main challenges and risks that P & G could face on implementation of value pricing 1. Operational Challenges: Applying and implementing the value pricing across the company shall certainly have the operational difficulties. This shall be complicated considering the large company and category size, various brands in the LDL Detergent Category, 8000-person sales force and thousands of customers. 2.Difficult to maintain Price Stability: Price Stability is critical to build and maintain a strong brand franchise and value pricing aims for the same. The category saw four price changes per year, on average, and there are 64 different price zones across the U. S. making it more challenging to implement the value pricing. Even if executed, it will be really difficult to create and maintain a significant price impression in the consumer’s mind. 3. No cushion for absorbing abrupt changes in raw material prices- These price changes shall have to be passed on to customers thus defeating the purpose of providing value pricing to the customers.This may also lead to fluctuations in prices. 4. Opposition by Distribution Channel Members: Margins and benefits to distribution channel members – retailers, distributors and wholesalers shall be squeezed under value pricing. There are fears that wholesalers and retailers may oppose the move and can either punish P & G in some way so as to deter competition from taking any such moves or can altogether deny passing the lower prices to the customers or at the worse, delist P & G products. 5.Uncertainty about volume and revenue forecast: Value Pricing is very new to P & G and thus there is an uncertainty about the profit of t he company and different members in the distribution channel in case value pricing is adopted by P & G. Besides this is an untested experiment. And the risks are huge (P & G market share for the category is too low (10%), and it will be difficult to lead the remaining 90% market. 6. Promotion and Price Pressure from the Competition: LDL has become a promotion-intensive category and is one of the most heavily promoted categories in the grocery store.P & G’s own research showed that the Value  Pricing  At  Procter  &  Gamble  (A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  6 market share was highly correlated with leadership in major media and feature advertising. Competitors like General Foods and Nestle have been fighting hard on price. So reduction of spending on promotion (as for value pricing) may hit back P & G in future. 7. Impact on customers: Value pricing shall make P & G move away from discounting. Thus, it may lead to the loss of discount-searching customers to the competitors w ho rely heavily on providing discounts and coupons to customers.Value pricing may lead to almost 10-20% price reduction and can altogether reposition the P & G products in the market. Value-based pricing may increase the loyal customers but the impact shall be much slower whereas the loss of the discount-searching customers shall be immediate. Long-Term gains with the increase in loyal customers may probably be well off-set by the loss of discount-searching customers. 8. Loss of Shelf Space: Prominent visibility and placement of a product is an important factor for the customer in order to make a purchase decision.Move to value pricing shall lead to the loss of fair share of shelf space and display allocation as no emphasis on the same is being laid in value pricing. 9. Fall out impact: Introduction of value pricing is a significant decision for P & G and shall require radical changes at the organizational level. P & G had not done anything this radical on such a scale earlier. In c ase of the Value-based pricing not working for P & G, the fall-out effects can put the business at high risk thereby impacting brand and category profitability and customer loyalty at risk.Objective 4: Short Proposal for Value Pricing In the coffee market, P&G’s own research showed that market share was highly correlated with leadership in major media and feature advertising. The responsible managers had many arguments not to introduce value pricing. However, assume you really want to implement value pricing. Please write a short proposal including recommendations for new list prices and budget requirements across the various marketing vehicles. Effects on sales and profits should be included.Please use case exhibit 13 as a basis for your pricing proposal (current, old plan) and calculate changes in the plan due to the implementation of value pricing (new plan). Even though our own research showed that market share was highly correlated with leadership in major media and feat ure advertising, which does not suggest Value Pricing strategy for coffee category, we still think this method can help us to achieve higher profit, based on reasonable assumptions and planning.Therefore, we work out a Value Pricing protocol for the coffee product, which is as follows: Value  Pricing  At  Procter r  &  Gamble  (A A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  7 Part I Basic Assumptions about the ma I: arket reacti towards price changes ion 1. Fr rom the artic we know that the consumers in the coffee segment is highly sens cle, w n sitive to pric Therefore the ce. e, ma arket reactio to price ch on hanges should be remark kable. As price goes down, the market share should incr s m e rease.When the price d n decreased to a certain am mount, which can h att tract the mos sensitive consumers to change, th market sha should in st c o he are ncreased by the largest p percentage. T Then, the increasing rate should be down. e He are the sp ere pecific assum mptions abou the relatio ut o nship betwe price cha een anges and m market share changes Ite ems Unit Price Changes e Market Sha Changes M are s Senario 1 -10% +7% Senar 2 rio -15% % +15% % Sena 3 ario -2 20% +1 18% Se enario 4 -25% +21% + Senario 5 S -30% +23% Senario 6 -35% +24%Table Assumpt e. 1 tions about th relationsh between price changes and mark share cha he hip ket anges 2. As A in value pr ricing strateg the prom gy, motion should be decreas along with the price adjustment, to find the d sed op ptimal list price of coffee we set up a 10% decre e; ease in mark keting expend diture in all scenarios, w which is att tainable base on our co ed ompany’s con nditions. 3. W simply ass We sume the ma arket size, de livered cost are not chan t nging. Part I Value Pr II: ricing Proce Please re the attac ess: efer ched Excel f file. Part I Value P III: Price result: Please refer the attached Excel file. r d Fig. 1 V Value Price R Result Here b Value Pri by icing, we fin the best list price for o coffee, w nd our which is 47. 8 And the d 81. derived prof based on o fit our assum mptions will b 71. 71, wh improve by 28. 75% be hich ed %. Value  Pricing  At  Procter  &  Gamble  (A)  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  8Part IV: Budget requirements From the article, we already knew that feature advertising is important to market share, so we will not cut the Feature display part in total marketing expenditures. We try to control the un-critical part to realize the deduction in marketing. Here are the suggested budget requirements: Total Budget for marketing expenditures Advertising Coupons Off Invoice/Feature display 38. 55 35. 15 265. 67 339. 37 Table. 2 Suggested Budget Requirements

How to Use $_SERVER in PHP

How to Use $_SERVER in PHP $_SERVER is one of the PHP global variables- termed Superglobals- which contain information about server and execution environments. These are pre-defined variables so they are always accessible from any class, function or file. The entries here are recognized by web servers, but there is no guarantee that each web server recognizes every Superglobal. These three PHP $_SERVER arrays all behave in similar ways- they return information about the file in use. When exposed to different scenarios, in some cases they behave differently. These examples may help you decide which is best for what you need. A full list of $_SERVER arrays is available at the PHP website. $_SERVER[PHP_SELF] PHP_SELF is the name of the currently executing script. yoursite.com/example/ /example/index.phpyoursite.com/example/index.php   /example/index.phpyoursite.com/example/index.php?atest   /example/index.phpyoursite.com/example/index.php/dir/test   /dir/test When you use $_SERVER[’PHP_SELF’], it returns the file name /example/index.php both with and without the file name typed in the URL. When variables are appended at the end, they were truncated and again /example/index.php was returned. The only version that produced a different result has directories appended after the file name. In that case, it returned those directories. $_SERVER[REQUEST_URI] REQUEST_URI refers to the URI given to access a page. yoursite.com/example/   /yoursite.com/example/index.php   /example/index.phpyoursite.com/example/index.php?atest   /example/index.php?atestyoursite.com/example/index.php/dir/test   /example/index.php/dir/test All of these examples returned exactly what was entered for the URL. It returned a plain /, the file name, the variables, and the appended directories, all just as they were entered. $_SERVER[SCRIPT_NAME] SCRIPT_NAME is the current scripts path. This comes in handy for pages that need to point to themselves. yoursite.com/example/   /example/index.phpyoursite.com/example/index.php   /example/index.phpyoursite.com/example/index.php?atest   /example/index.phpyoursite.com/example/index.php/dir/test   /example/index.php All cases here returned only the file name /example/index.php regardless of whether it was typed, not typed, or anything was appended to it.

Money Language Professor Ramos Blog

Money Language Financial Literacy

The Grassland Biome Habitat

The Grassland Biome Habitat The grassland biome includes terrestrial habitats that are dominated by grasses and have relatively few large trees or shrubs. There are three main types of grasslands- temperate grasslands, tropical grasslands (also known as savannas), and steppe grasslands. Sufficient Rainfall Most grasslands experience a dry season and a rainy season. During the dry season, grasslands can be susceptible to fires which often start as a result of lightning strikes. The annual rainfall in a grassland habitat is greater than the annual rainfall that occurs in desert habitats. Grasslands receive sufficient rainfall to support the growth of grasses and other plants, but not enough to support the growth of significant numbers of trees. The soils of grasslands also limit the vegetation structure that grows in them. In general, grassland soils are too shallow and dry to support tree growth. Variety of Wildlife Grasslands support a variety of wildlife including reptiles, mammals, amphibians, birds and many types of invertebrates. The dry grasslands of Africa are among the most ecologically diverse of all grasslands and support populations of animals such as giraffes, zebras, lions, hyenas, rhinoceroses, and elephants. The grasslands of Australia provide habitat for kangaroos, mice, snakes, and a variety of birds. The grasslands of North America and Europe support wolves, wild turkeys, coyotes, Canada geese, cranes, bison, bobcats, and eagles. Some common plant species that occur in North American grasslands include buffalo grass, asters, coneflowers, clover, goldenrods, and wild indigos. Key Characteristics The following are the key characteristics of the grassland biome: Vegetation structure that is dominated by grassesSemi-arid climateRainfall and soils not sufficient to support significant tree growthMost common at mid-latitudes and near the interiors of continentsGrasslands are often exploited for agricultural use Classification The grassland biome is classified within the following habitat hierarchy: Biomes of the World Grassland Biome The grassland biome is divided into the following habitats: Temperate grasslands - Temperate grasslands are habitats that are dominated by grasses and have lack trees and large shrubs. Temperate grasslands include tall-grass prairies which are wet and humid and short-grass prairies which are dry and experience hot summers and cold winters. The soil of temperate grasslands has an upper layer that is nutrient-rich. Seasonal droughts are often accompanied by fires that prevent trees and shrubs from growing.Tropical grasslands - Tropical grasslands are grasslands that are located near the equator. They have warmer, wetter climates than temperate grasslands and experience more pronounced seasonal droughts. Tropical grasslands are dominated by grasses but also have some scattered trees. The soil of tropical grasslands are very porous and drain rapidly. Tropical grasslands occur in Africa, India, Australia, Nepal, and South America.Steppe grasslands - Steppe grasslands are dry grasslands that border on semi-arid deserts. The grasses found in steppe grasslands is much shorter than that of temperate and tropical grasslands. Steppe grasslands lack trees except along the banks of rivers and streams. Animals of the Grassland Biome Some of the animals that inhabit the grassland biome include: African elephant (Loxodonta africana) - African elephants have a large head, large ears, and a long muscular trunk. The two front incisors of African elephants grow into large tusks that curve forward.Lions (Panthera leo) - Lions are the largest of all African cats. Lions inhabit the savannas of Africa and the Gir Forest in northwest India.Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) - Spotted hyenas inhabit the grasslands, savannas, and semi-deserts of sub-Saharan Africa. Their population densities are highest in the Serengeti, a vast plains ecosystem that stretches from northern Tanzania to southwestern Kenya.American bison (Bison bison) - Millions of bison used to roam North Americas grasslands, boreal regions, and scrublands but the relentless slaughter of bison for meat, hides, and sport drove the species to the brink of extinction.

Tender response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Tender response - Essay Example There are a representation of experts working for Godiva Oil International Company, which ensures efficiency and effectiveness in delivery of services. 1. Billy Charles is the team leader of the project team. He is a qualified civil engineer and has worked for this company for over ten years. In Godiva Oil International Company he works as the chief consulting engineer in relation to construction and installation of oil tanks, oil pipelines and he is the chief designer of pipe lines. Before then, he was working with Legacy Oil Company as device installation expert for three years. He has also served as a chief consultant in an engineering firm for four years. He has recommendable leadership ability and has shown it in some two other teams. 2. Florence Jill is an experienced records manager at Godiva Oil International Company. In the project team, she will serve as the secretary to record all occurrences in the process of supply acquisition and installation of the products in the tender. She will also be in charge of communications and correspondence in the team. She has served in her present capacity for eight years and has proved her capability in her work. She has adapted to the changing technological advancement in the styles of record keeping. 3. Betty Williams is the one in charge procurement in the project committee. She is a qualified economist and a holder of a master’s degree in procurement. She has worked with this company for four years and she has proved her capability to perform perfectly well in assessing quality of products for the company and providing reliable quotation for products. 4. Peter Robertson is a communications officer in the project team. He has wide knowledge and extensive expertise in oil tanks installation services. He has worked in Godiva Oil International for five years and two years in an oil and container trading company. He has a vast knowledge of the operation and

Emotional Appeal in McCarthys On Immortality Article

Emotional Appeal in McCarthys On Immortality - Article Example The paper analyses ‘On Immortality’. McCarthy extensively uses figurative language as an emotional appeal to present immortality as an immature and unwise idea. The author uses the metaphorical comparison, terming it as a highway of immortality, to show the carefree life that immortality would be. With the wideness and the smoothness associated with a highway, the author suggests that immortality does not have checks. Indeed, McCarthy further uses figurative language in arguing that this kind of life does not have a weigh station of wisdom. It therefore portrays the lack of wisdom associated with immortality where humans lack the maturity to handle the challenges that come with it. This has been used to further solidify the author’s stand against immortality. This comes out vividly when McCarthy talks of the possibility of a rise of unstoppable mortal species that would eliminate the immortal beings due to natural selection. The author thus persuades the reader of longevity as being more favored by nature than immortality which is not well thought about. Similes in the essay have been used to discredit immortality as a form of lifestyle that would objectify human life. McCarthy (546) compares immortality to a car, where in order to keep it going, then, there would be the need to keep replacing its parts. This intends to make the reader appreciate that immortality would turn humans into objects. It would make their operations resemble that of objects such that in order to keep them going, then worn out parts of their bodies would be replaced with new ones, just as worn out parts of a car get replaced to enable them keep moving. This, therefore, means that immortality would make humans lose their humanness, an aspect which they treasure, and adopt a new objectified life. It is this loss that the author uses to portray the unattractiveness of immortality. The author’s use of irony enables her convince the reader of the advantage that com es with mortality. It is ironical that humans admire long life more than they seek for â€Å"long healthy life† while they â€Å"want to be 100 years old and dewy fresh† (McCarthy 547). Since aging is inevitable, McCarthy indicates that the immortal life would be a source of pain to humans, who only seek to live without considering the quality of life. Human longevity, on the other hand, considers the duration and quality of life, appreciating the need for human health. After execution of the required assignment, which McCarthy (547) notes is to bring forth the future, they then pave way for the fresher generation, thus creating room for the new generation, space being an important component of quality life. This way, the quality of li

Proposal Assignment ( University Safety System ) Essay

Proposal Assignment ( University Safety System ) - Essay Example Even though keeping student and occupants of Texas Wesleyan University require the effort of the whole community in general, the university is an important piece of the undertaking to keep staff and the students safe. Safe institutions are purposeful and orderly places in which staff and students are free to teach and learn without the threat of psychological and physical harm. The safety systems in Texas Wesleyan University are weak thus Weak safety systems in this institution interfere with learning process. Strengthening safety system supports a proper learning environment that enables achievement of learning goals. Moreover, Weak safety systems reduce effective learning hours of every student. This has an impact on the grades and general life development. Improving safety systems will enhance their quality of education and life. It is therefore important to create a safety system for camps and the other utilities in Texas Wesleyan University Analysis of Texas Wesleyan University safety system shows certain safety loopholes that require an action plan. As Blake (2 May 2014) states through an interview, Texas Wesleyan University do not have a perimeter wall to enhance physical safety, no surveillance cameras within the older dormitories and the students do not use access cards at the gates and the classes to gain access. Other problems he stated are drunk driving and the few call boxes which are necessary to enhance emergency action system. Increasing student population increases demand for safety systems. Unsafe learning environments will affect learning process. Old technology cannot beat with faster changing demands and different student needs. People play a vital role in any safety program. This is because they provide guidelines with respect to safety policies, staffing, training and procedures. Texas Wesleyan University must come up with a clear safety policy. University safety policy is the

America Business History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America Business History - Essay Example Strategically designed and economical office furniture is therefore needed by all organizations. Getting custom built furniture and employing local labor and designers is both cumbersome as well as a painful process. Catering to the demands of office furniture for most organizations by provided prefabricated, custom designed and ready to fit furniture according to space availability and nature of organization is therefore the need of the hour. As mass production of furniture is already well established, particularly in some areas of New York, the company will have its headquarters at New York and will solely focus on office furniture for small and medium organizations, whose demands can be met in a timely and efficient manner. My company will commence operations from a hired shed in an area earmarked for small industry. A small workforce of 25 people composed of skilled and semi skilled carpenters and labor will be hired and their services utilized for designing and preparing small furniture items like office tables, chairs, filing cabinets, and foot rests ideal for small offices. Two engineers will be hired for visualizing and designing the components as per the type of raw material available, the present requirements of the upcoming US industries. The company will utilize only wood as the raw material as it is available in plenty with no resource crunch. Adequate quantity of raw material and hardware will have to be pro cured, stored and maintained by a single logistics manager of the company. The resources needed are wood as the principal raw material, hardware which includes tools and semi automation products, electricity and ideal premises for setting up the factory. Capital for setting up the industry can be procured as a loan from the bank which should be gradually paid off after meeting the initial sales targets. The focus of the company will be to become self reliant in terms of finances within a period of 5 years or even lesser,

International Business Walmart case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

International Business Walmart case study - Essay Example As such, it is worthwhile to analyze the prospective of Wal-Mart in South Africa by first considering the four dimensions of distance between the U.S. and South Africa as well as the disadvantages and disadvantages of Wal-Mart in South Africa using Eclectic Paradigm as it will be delineated in this discussion. The distance between the U.S. and South Africa can be considered through four dimensions: cultural, political, geographic and economic distance. Firstly, the cultural distance deals with the cultural attributes, which are very essential in determining the manner in which individuals will interact with each other as well as with companies (Ghemawat, 2001). Whereas the majority of the inhabitants of the U.S. are whites, blacks are predominant in South Africa. The U.S. is an English speaking nation, whereas South Africans speak isiZulu language to a greater extent in trivial English. Also, in the U.S., the Protestant, and Catholic religions are prevalent while, on the other hand, Protestant and other Christian religions are prevalent in South Africa. Secondly, the political distance between the U.S and South Africa is eminent in the sense that they do not share a common currency: U.S. dollar for the U.S. and the South African rand for South Africa. Thirdly, the geographical distance be tween the two countries exists in terms of geographical size, climate, and population. The U.S. covers a geographical area of 9,826,675 square kilometers (sq. Km) whereas South Africa traces the U.S. with 1,219,090 sq. Km in geographical size. Besides, the U.S. has a temperate climate, which is different from the semiarid climate in South Africa. Additionally, the U.S. has a population of 316,668,567 whereas South Africa has 48,601,098. Lastly, the economic distance between the U.S. and South Africa is apparent from the GDP per capita, $ 50,000 for the U.S and $11,400 for South Africa, the real GDP

America Business History Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

America Business History - Essay Example Strategically designed and economical office furniture is therefore needed by all organizations. Getting custom built furniture and employing local labor and designers is both cumbersome as well as a painful process. Catering to the demands of office furniture for most organizations by provided prefabricated, custom designed and ready to fit furniture according to space availability and nature of organization is therefore the need of the hour. As mass production of furniture is already well established, particularly in some areas of New York, the company will have its headquarters at New York and will solely focus on office furniture for small and medium organizations, whose demands can be met in a timely and efficient manner. My company will commence operations from a hired shed in an area earmarked for small industry. A small workforce of 25 people composed of skilled and semi skilled carpenters and labor will be hired and their services utilized for designing and preparing small furniture items like office tables, chairs, filing cabinets, and foot rests ideal for small offices. Two engineers will be hired for visualizing and designing the components as per the type of raw material available, the present requirements of the upcoming US industries. The company will utilize only wood as the raw material as it is available in plenty with no resource crunch. Adequate quantity of raw material and hardware will have to be pro cured, stored and maintained by a single logistics manager of the company. The resources needed are wood as the principal raw material, hardware which includes tools and semi automation products, electricity and ideal premises for setting up the factory. Capital for setting up the industry can be procured as a loan from the bank which should be gradually paid off after meeting the initial sales targets. The focus of the company will be to become self reliant in terms of finances within a period of 5 years or even lesser,

Walmart. Final project Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Walmart. Final project - Lab Report Example SWOT analysis refers to the evaluation of an organization strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. A SWOT analysis offers an insight into an organization management strategy and the potential for success. Wal-Mart is an international company that provides home-based products at affordable prices. The company utilizes its strength in each of the market distributed worldwide, to meet the demands of their international and regional consumers. This paper seeks to provide a strategic insight of the company and a detailed SWOT analysis. Wal-Mart is a large wholesale distributor in the world that can afford modern construction technologies. For instance, during the year 2011, the company was ranked position one by Fortune 500 (Morse & Glassman, 30-40). Its operations are distributed worldwide and there is no worthy rival. Owing to its large influence on the market, Wal-Mart has the potential to replicate its best architectural techniques in all its stalls across the world (Roberts & Berg, 40). Wal-Mart uses variety of construction materials such as red bricks, steel-iron alloys, and coagulated tiles. In addition, it can suit its construction model with its retail products that cover cuts across different categories including apparels, domestic wares, and grocery. Wal-Mart’s dominant position allows it to benefit from high sales volume. In general, Wal-Mart’s strength includes international operations, scale of operations, wide range of products and cost leadership strategy (Hicks, 20-25). Wal-Mart is large supplier of domestic products and operates vast centers that require large construction space. This acts as a disadvantage as the company limit cannot expand beyond urban areas due to space. Research has shown that Wal-Mart has experienced loss in its store sales for the last eight years due to limited space (Kneer, 24). As such, Wal-Mart is required to develop new stores to accommodate fully its strengths concentrated in urban areas. This is

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Essay Example for Free

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty Essay The Secret Life of Walter Mitty is a short story that deals with the life of a Walter Mitty, a middle-aged, absent-minded man who spends much of his time daydreaming about a fantasy world in which he is at the center of various heroic escapades. During a trip to town with his wife, he dreams about a life filled with images of conquest—he pictures himself as being a Navy pilot commanding a hydroplane in the middle of a storm, a brilliant surgeon about to perform an emergency operation, an adept killer being questioned in court, and a brave soldier on a mission to bomb an ammunition dump. It is an interesting story, which can be interpreted in many different ways. Thematically, it touches on various aspects of social, psychological, as well as existential issues that afflict the common man and that many can relate with. One of the main and prevalent themes in the story is about escapism. Mitty is a timid and henpecked husband who appears to live a mundane and colorless life. He represents the average American middle-class man whose real experiences are dull and conventional. Through his depiction of Mitty, the author suggests that the life of an average, middle-class man offers little opportunity for an exciting existence. Because of this, Mitty tries to escape life through his imagination. This way, he is able to get away from the defeats of his life as well as the conflicts posed by his wife and society in general. The story shows how that for some people, fantasy is a welcome alternative to reality. In his mind, Mitty takes on the characteristics he would like to embody. Not only is he brave and heroic, he can hold quick and witty dialogues in his fantasies. In contrast to real life, he is meek and mild-mannered—in scenes wherein he parks his car and shops for puppy biscuit, it is seen that his real nature is the reverse of that of the characters he imagines himself to be. Another theme deals with failure and the feeling of helplessness in one’s life. Throughout the story, Mitty is shown passively taking orders from his overpowering wife. He wanders into his alternate reality even as his wife gives out orders. It can be speculated that Mrs. Mitty is one of the sources of his frustrations. While in his daydreams he is controlled and â€Å"masculine†, in real life, he lets himself be dominated and ordered around by his wife. His fantasies represent his inner character which he is too afraid to actualize in real life. The fact that Mitty does not complain is a sign that he feels powerless and that he is already resigned to his fate. Therefore, the only way he is able to survive his lackluster life is through his fantasies. Mitty also appears to have issues with self-fulfillment. One can deduce that he is not successful and thus re-creates himself as an accomplished man (i. e. being a celebrated doctor or a dazzling naval commander). Not only does his life lack excitement, it seems that his very existence is deplorable—his wife constantly nags him, park attendants and cops talk down to him, women on the street laugh at his actions. Mitty’s last fantasy can be interpreted a number of ways, one is that it evokes the feelings of helplessness Mitty feels about his real-life situation. He imagines himself facing a firing squad an this shows that he feels tired living his life and that he’d rather not live it.

Constructivism in International Relations

Constructivism in International Relations Explain and discuss how constructivism in IR attempts to re-shape discourses on security away from materialistic conceptions of power politics and towards a conception that takes account of power of ideas. Since the end of the Cold War, security studies in international relations have witnessed an overwhelming emergence of new academic literature reflecting the changes in international political environment. Concept of global security has evolved throughout the history going back as far as ancient Greece but arguably never been challenged and re-structured to the extent that it was in post Cold War era. Critical theories in general and constructivism specifically added a new dimension to the international relations studies with focusing on influence of social elements such as norms and ideas and rejected the notions of purely materialistic approach to world politics and security.  [1]  Collapse of the Soviet Union, following the suspension of the activities of the Communist Party by Supreme Soviet, the parliament of the U.S.S.R on August 29 1991, validated and renewed the International relations scholars concerns about the methodology of the international relations study and the ex tent in which it had played a role in the production of international powers.  [2]   The aim of this essay is to identify and discuss how constructivism influenced the concept of security in international relations with emphasising on the role of social elements and the extent in which constructivism has criticised the materialistic approach. In doing so this paper explores the structure of global security from the standpoint of constructivism and its core elements regarding the power of idea in response to the materialistic view of power politics. Furthermore, it will analyse the constructivist response and effort to alter the discourses of security in international politics theory by studying the process of social interaction in forming identity and role of norms and ideas in global security. Finally, concepts of Human Security and Collective Security will be looked at from both viewpoints. The end of the Cold War came as a surprise to the classical dominant scholars, who failed to predict or explain the changes in global politics, whilst simultaneously providing the opportunity for further development of critical thoughts, which were around since the mid 1980s. Realist theory and positivist methodology in international relations were criticised for their materialistic approaches by constructivism, which quickly flourished and was recognised as a theory that emphasised on the social dimension of international politics. This advance towards the possibility of change equipped the theory to capture important features of the worlds relations  [3]  .Among the many aspects of mainstream presumptions and beliefs in world politics, which were challenged by constructivism, was the pessimistic view towards peace and over-deterministic nature of these theories about the conflict, threat and the world security. Constructivism challenged the theory of power politics, dominant pe rception of the threat and struggle in global politics and took a completely different approach in studying the transformation of the security dilemma by focusing on subjects such as evaluation of security factors, construction of the threat, and appropriate responses.  [4]   Constructivisms approach to the subjects of threat, conflict and security in global politics originated from their fundamental emphasis on the social dimensions of international politics, thus it defined them as socially constructed elements in the process of identity formation under the influence of the norms and shared values of society. Over the years and especially after the Cold War, constructivism positioned itself as a major critique of the dominant theories in international politics by addressing issues such as balance of power, democratic peace and the re-introduction of the phenomena of collective security, security community, human security, human rights and many other social elements to the field of security studies of international politics. One could argue that most of the constructivists work was formed around their aim in explaining the changes in world politics in the period towards the end, and after the Cold War when dominant international relations theories failed to predict the sudden change in the global politics and old security regime. These changes to the international political environment, which occurred in the 1980s, raised questions about social construction and the methodology of international relations theories and their involvement and effects in the production of international power. The term constructivism was introduced by Nicholas Onuf in 1989 and identified simply as people and societies construct or constitute each other.  [5]  According to Wendt, constructivism assumes that the fundamental structures of international politics are social and these structures shape actors identities and interests.  [6]  World in constructivists term is constituted by both knowledge and material factors and moreover as a social theory, it is concerned with the relationship between agents and structures. Furthermore, all constructivists share a common concern when explaining how international structures are defined by ideas and how identities and interests of the states and non-state players are shaped by the structures.  [7]  It is at this juncture when a comparison is needed to understand the differences between mainstream international relations theories and constructivism in security studies. As a result, it is crucial to see global security from realisms point of view to fully understand the role of the elements such as threat, response and survival in constructing the realists approach to the security dilemma. Likewise, it is necessary to analyse constructivisms view of ideas and knowledge and to study the relationship between structure and agency as well as the construction and identification of threat. Security studies is a multidimensional subject in the field of international relations and has changed and evolved throughout history. This evolution was impacted, probably more than any other subject in international relations, by recent technological advancements and historical events. However, as far as history goes the core concern of security studies has centred on the states strategy to defend and protect its borders against external threats. Attempts to understand security and provide an answer to security dilemmas can be traced back to Greece in fifth century BC when Thucydides theorised the violence and war and describe the security dilemma based on Peloponnesian war. Many centuries later Carl Von Clausewitz and Thomas Hobbs devoted much of their time and work to define these contemporary security dilemmas. By following the work of these scholars we reach the conclusion that despite the differences in language, economical development, social and political intuitions, religio us and cultural beliefs, states faced almost identical threats and suffered from the same security dilemmas throughout history. Here a comparison is needed to understand the differences between mainstream international relations theories and constructivism in security studies. It is crucial to see the global security issue from realisms point of view to fully understand the role of the elements such as threat, response and survival in constructing the realists approach to security dilemma. Similarly, it is necessary to analyse constructivisms analysis of idea and knowledge in order to study the relationship between structure and agency as well as construction and identification of threat. In recent decades critical schools and other theories of international relations have challenged the traditional materialistic approach to security study, which focused on politics and power. Among them constructivism played an important role in developing an ideational approach that emphasised the effect and role of norms and ideas in global security.  [8]  Norms are produced through social practice as intersubjective beliefs about social and the natural world that defines the identity of the players, their roles and the possibilities of their actions.  [9]  Thus actors and their meaningful actions are constituted by the norms on the basis of their social roles and environments. These norms could also balance the actors behaviour by defining the appropriateness and effectiveness of their action.  [10]   Constructivisms approach differs with regard to the actors and social structures of the international politics in comparison with the rationalists view. The political environment in the Realists and Neo-liberalists view is comprised of rational actors, whose actions are self-interested in order to maximise their ultimate goal of survival and relationship between these actors, and is structured by the balance of material power.  [11]  In contrast, constructivism focuses on the actors and structures in a dynamic context, where actors are influenced by the environment and social elements and structures and are produced and reproduced by the actors.  [12]  On the other hand, in the constructivists view idea plays an important role in forming the actors and their actions.  [13]  This means that when ideas become norms, they can constrain the actors behaviour and reactions but at the same time they constitute actors and legitimise their action by opening the space for them to a ct and influence the social structure.  [14]   In essence, constructivism criticises the rationalist approach of ignoring the role of social factors in interaction between players in International relations. The constructivists critique of neo-realists and neo-liberalists concerns not what these scholars do and say but what they ignore: the content and source of state interests and social fabric of world politics.  [15]  According to Paul Kowert, rationalist theories explain how states should choose or how they should bargain. They offer answers to some important questions about when states should cooperate and when they might be expected to fight. Yet they say nothing about who the actors are or how their interests were constituted.  [16]   Constructivism believes in the dynamic nature of international politics and promotes the vision of change. In doing so it criticises the rationalist view of static material and considers the system of self- help, power politics and threat as socially constructed elements of international politics. Alexander Wendt notes, that self-help is an institution, one of the various structures of identity and interest that may exist under anarchy.  [17]  In examining the subject of security in international politics, constructivism concludes that threats are constructed in the process of social interaction in the process of formation of identity and interests. In such an environment therefore, norms and shared values play a role in improving the cooperation between actors by forming the economical and political structures that promote peace between the actors in international politics.  [18]   The constructivist account of identity formation in the process of social interaction in security studies attempts to answer the important question of how threats are formed and how international actors act against this threat. Both traditional and defensive realists share the view that threatening forces are formed around the phenomena of the balance of power, and states reactions are determined and guided by the state-centric system of self-interest and the anarchic nature of international politics. However, they engage in a different view when defining the kind of reaction states portray, as traditional realists believe that states balance their power against threatening forces whilst the defensive realists maintain the view that states form allies to increase their capability and security against the common threat. In contrast to this opinion, constructivists developed the idea of legitimacy and demonstrate that states reactions to threatening forces are influenced by social elem ents such as norms and shared values in the process of interaction, and are directed by the logic of appropriateness. In other word, norms and shared values define the legitimacy and appropriateness of states actions, as opposed to the traditional view of logic of consequence. Another aspect of global security is the phenomenon of security dilemma, which can be defined as a states uncertainty in evaluating and assessing the intentions of others. Hopf argues that while the security dilemma is an important factor to understand the conflictual relationship between the states, it may not be relevant to many others which face less or no conflict and have many common interests.  [19]  The constructivists account of security dilemma is quite different to that of the realist. In constructivisms view the reality of the world, which includes the world of international relations, has been socially constructed via a complex of inter-subjective understanding . In other words, anarchy as the prime structural feature of the international sphere around which all considerations of security and insecurity revolve is not an autonomous phenomenon that generates its own inescapable logic. This also means that the security dilemma, for example, does not exist before any int eraction between states but is in fact a product of social interactions of states.  [20]  In addition, Hopf notes that norms can reduce uncertainty: by providing meaning, identities reduce uncertainty. Enabling states to recognise their enemy may not result in security, but identity can replace the uncertainty with certain insecurity.  [21]   Constructivist security theory has also addressed the absence of war between liberal democracies or namely, the concept of democratic peace. Here liberals believe that democracies do not oppose each other since norms of compromise and cooperation prevent their conflicts of interest from escalating into violent clashes.  [22]  This can be interpreted in various ways first; it could be argued that these norms are bound to competition and constituted by domestic democratic principles,  [23]  or second, that they can be seen as the product of domestic institutions and their effect on states behaviour.  [24]  One could also argue that domestic principles and practice work together and therefore are mutually constituted. In constructivist ideology, the important aspect of peace or absence of conflict among the democratic states is the role played by norms within this context. Thus without accepting or rejecting any of the above arguments it could simply be stated that democrati c peace could be made possible with the concept of norms playing an important role in preventing conflict.  [25]   Constructivist interpretation of global politics as a socially constructed structure provides the necessary means, for the theory under examination, to respond to another important subject in international security study namely that of security community. The concept of security community was introduced by Richard Van Wagenen  [26]  in the early 1950s and further developed in a study by Karl Deutsch and his associates in the same period.  [27]  Theories and ideas evolved around this concept by attempting to explain the states actions in the face of a security threat from a different perspective than the rationalist view of balance of power. One theory included the idea of formation of a security community developed around the concept of collective security with the focus on the states effort to strengthen their own security by acting together. The distinctive feature of the security community idea, which set it apart from the traditional concept of democratic peace, was in it s emphasis on the states security and not on the democratic structure of the states. Lawson commented on this approach by adding that in a constructivist approach the idea of community is not limited to democracies.  [28]   The study of collective security and the constitution of the security community aim to explain how states react when facing threat and insecurity in the international political environment. In other words, a group of states identify a common threat and form a relationship to defend themselves by acting as a unified whole. Formation of such communities, based on a collective knowledge of a common threat not only improves the security of the states against the threat, it also results in peace between the members of such a community. More succinctly, those who are acting as one against the common threat would not fight each other for the same reason. As Deutsch illustrates, the security community as a group of states come together to the degree that they feel real assurance that members of the community will not fight each other physically, but will settle their disputes in some other way.  [29]  He identifies the states sovereignty as the point of differentiation in formation of tw o types of security communities and explains that a pluralistic community forms when states retain their sovereignty, whereas in an amalgamated type states formally unify in order to form a community security. Despite the earlier references to collective security by traditional international relations theories such as liberalism, the modern concept of collective security and states acting as a community against a common threat is a relatively new idea and has only been seriously considered subsequent to the Cold War in both academic and practical senses. The fact that the Cold War almost ended without serious confrontation between the two blocks has positively changed the international political atmosphere. A move towards a more peaceful future has been attained as well as an enhancement of the influence of theories, which have emphasised the role of identity, norms and social basis of the structure of international politics. Moreover, states once again saw the opportunity for constructing a new foundation to achieve a peaceful and stable international order.  [30]  Meanwhile, the social elements of international politics have received much more attention accompanied by friendlier treatment from politicians and Deutschs original ideas of shared understanding, transnational values including the possibility of peace, which were brought back to attention again.  [31]  In his observations Adler tried to address the issue of the circumstances where states are more likely to agree on forming a security community in the face of thre at, and noted that, those who realise the devastating effects of the insecurity of war on the economical, political and social aspects of a democratic system will agree on coming together in order to defend themselves and promote peace and stability. He believed that such an agreement was founded on shared values and actors identities and notes: security communities are socially constructed because shared meaning, constituted by interaction, engenders collective identities. They are dependent on communication, discourse and interpretation, as well as on material environment.  [32]  Almost all the literatures about security community agreed on the critical and centric role of identity, and identity formation processes in the construction of the collective security and formation of a security community. Identity in this case, is the distinctive characteristic of one group against another. Unlike the mainstream theorys approach to actors identity as a static and pre-defined status of the states, constructivism defines identity as a variable factor, which changes with time and is associated with cultural, political, historical and social contexts. As stated before, the introduction of collective security and security community can be traced back to the 1950s. However, despite Van Wagenen and Deutschs efforts to develop the idea, it did not receive much attention until the end of the Cold War. It can be argued that the dominance of the realist paradigm during the Cold War in the realm of global politics on the one hand, and the hostile circumstances of bi-polar structure of global security on the other hand are to blame for the states lack of interest in any security arrangements other than one which could guaranty their survival. The United Nations failure in bringing the sovereign nations together from both sides in order to form a pluralistic security community at an international level also added to the uncertainty of the nations in considering any order other than a bi-polar system. Following the Cold War, international politics has witnessed a new wave of ideas and theories which have found a voice in an attempt to theorise the new world order in global politics. At this time it can be said that the concept of security community and collective security has benefited from the critical theories emphasis on social dimensions of international politics and their special attention to social norms, culture, identity and shared values. For many decades realism and neo-liberal institutionalism were dominant forces in global politics and security studies and consequently played a major role in defining international politics. Whilst both of these theories assume that war is inevitable and always expected, realism identifies the distribution of material power as the defining element of global politics and relationships between states following with the conclusion that, factors such as the balance of power, the role of superpowers and alliances are only the means for preve nting war and not for creating peace. Neo-liberal institutionalism shows more interest in finding the means to encourage cooperation between the states and focuses on the role of institutions in enhancing cooperation between self-interested states in order to prevent conflict. As it appears in both paradigms, war and material capability remains inevitably at the centre of these theories about war and conflict, which continues to dominate global security in both theory and practice until the end of the Cold War.  [33]   Peaceful change and the idea of achieving long term peace and global security, not on the basis of material capability and deterrence but based on the concept of identity-formation processes and the role of norms and values, became the feature of critical theories in the mid 1980s. This notion was developed further with the rise of constructivism as an international relations theory. Constructivism explained how ideas and identities are created and how norms and shared values shape the states affairs, strategies and reactions to global security. Since it is unrealistic to ignore the power of material in the backdrop of international relations and security studies, constructivism complemented the existing theories by adding the social dimension to the international relations field and emphasising the importance of collective identities and shared values in developing security in particular, and the idea of collective security in general.  [34]   Human security is a relatively new subject in international relations and has dominated an integral portion of international security studies after the Cold War. Human security in its current form is the product of the shift from state-centric views of security and power politics towards accepting the role of social elements in global security.  [35]  The phenomena of security in the area of international relations has traditionally been limited to the military defence where states compete with each other for gaining or improving their security and survival in an anarchic system with their focus on military power. In such an anarchic structure national security becomes equally as important as defending the territory against external military threat.  [36]   The more modern approach in security studies accepts the crucial role of traditional views in protecting the states but does not believe that it is sufficient to protect human welfare, whether within the states borders or internationally. Basic human needs are the focus of modern security studies in the context of human security and as such the 1994 Human Development Report of the UN Development Program stressed that: for most people today, a feeling of insecurity arises more from worries about daily life than from the dread of cataclysmic world events. Job security, income security, health, environmental security, security from crime these are emerging concerns of human security all over the world.  [37]  The changing context of state security, especially after the Cold War, opened the space for the critical ideas to challenge state-centric, power-based systems of global politics that gave priority to high politics. It has also increased the opportunity to address transnational issues around the globe such as HIV/AIDS, the control and management of weapons of mass destruction, illegal arms and rug trades and environmental and population problems.  [38]   Widening the boundaries of security studies following the introduction of social and economical elements, which were not traditionally considered as part of the field of security, was not received well by the mainstream classical theorists and attracted criticism from traditionally dominant theories in international relations. The key argument against the critical thinkers and constructivists was that security should only engage with issues centred around the use of force and threats thus, elevation of the social and economical issues to the study of security and the promotion of non-military issues to the same level of real security elements is a threat to the coherence of the subject. Therefore, the broadening of security studies was criticised by a wide range of traditional scholars. On one side of the spectrum were those who believed that only military power and threatening force were subject to the field of security studies, and on the other side were scholars who could see the need for change. Furthermore, while they endorsed the conventional view that the military is the primary factor in security studies they also accepted the fact that especially in post Cold War era there is a need for opening the international studies to non-military cases of conflicts as well.  [39]   For traditional thinkers such as Chipman, opening the concept of security to non-military issues was only acceptable if they played the role in a context of utilised force and threats between political actors. He noted: the structuring elements of strategic analysis must be the possible use of force.  [40]  The essential point in Chipmans hypotheses is that he acknowledges the role of non-military aspects of security but at the same time emphasises that the use of military force should remain at the core of strategic analysis. Despite the shift among the traditionalists of moving away from the state-centeric system towards the wider approach to security, some traditionalist thinkers never accepted the idea of social elements playing a role in security and strongly argued against it. One of the most strongest traditionalists Stephan Walt, defines security as studying the threat and use of military force and opposes the widening of security fields and the inclusion of issues outside the miliary domain into security studies. He argues that, (it) runs the risk of expanding security studies excessively; by this logic, issues such as pollution, disease, child abus

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Unit 1: Narrative Essay Feeling complete with your own personal mental and physical standpoints is essential if you ever want a fulfilling relationship. Knowing your own ability to live vigilantly day to day, being gratified with the prospects of how you are living your life up untill this point. This is what determines wether your ready to take the step into entering a relationship. Every point in ones life is a learning experience. Treating past relationships as learning experiences help to better your understanding of what your really looking to gain out of future relationships. The following paragraphs discuss a story of my past. This story revolves around a relationship taking place at a negative point in my life. So my lesson to you is one I learned the hard way. Being happy with yourself is vital before attempting to by happy with someone else. To mentally set the scene for my story, I will give some background into my mental and physical standpoint. During the time of this story, I was under a lot of stress from various circumstances. I had just recently lost my job at Subway and had no source of income. Becouse I lost my job, I had no longer the money nor the resources to continue with athletic training. Taking the three months off from athletic training had a negative effect on my physical appearence. With a noticable loss of physical appearence, my self esteem began to drop slightily. So all together, threw one run of bad luck into another, i was spiraling down into a depression like state. It all started the first week of grade 10. I was walking to math class and i met up with a few of my lunch crew friends. I noticed my friend Ashlea talking to Erin Berring. Erin was an attractive, smart and fashonable girl. I always had a thing for smarties. In school she had straight A's, and was also the leader of the female wrestling team. I felt a little up on myself that day for some reason. I figured there was no better time then the present to chat it up a little. The conversation went quite well, which was different from what I expected. She even asked for my number so we could continue our talk later that night. "Why would she be interested in me?," I said to myself. After all, she seemed way out of my league.

Economic Networkingâ€Exploring Alternatives for Promoting Sustainable De

Economic Networking—Exploring Alternatives for Promoting Sustainable Development in Africa INTRODUCTION The history of European aid intervention in the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) states has traditionally acted to reinforce the hierarchical distinction between the â€Å"developed† and the â€Å"developing† world. The series of Lome Conventions which granted preferential trade agreements between these groups of countries have proved ineffective in encouraging economic sustainability in the ACP states, and although the ACP includes most of the Least Developed Countries (LLDCs) in the world, the agreements have been criticized as being unfair in the global context. Under pressure to negotiate a new ACP-EU agreement that would be consistent with World Trade Organization (WTO) regulations, and improve on the limitations of the previous Lome Conventions, the Cotonou Convention was signed in 2000, after arduous negotiations. Despite this agreement, the future of ACP-EU relations is somewhat vague. Particularly with respect to Africa, this uncertainty leaves room for eva luation of the effectiveness of the past agreements and an objective analysis of the motives behind previous economic ties. Furthermore, by analyzing the problematic history of European aid to Africa, there emerges a basis for shifting away from the neo-colonialist relationships that characterized most of the past agreements, and exploring the benefits of creating alternative partnerships. Ultimately, the possibility of forming partnerships amongst individual ACP countries and between other developing countries is an overlooked idea that should be further explored. A Historical Perspective African economic development is a subject of wide interest. Amongst the ... ...2 October 2003 Kwarteng, Charles O. Africa and the European Challenge. Vermont: Ashgate Publishing Company. 1997. The New Partnership for Africa’s Development. October 2001. Overseas Development Institute. Reshaping European partnerships: what future for the ACP? Meeting September 2003. http://www.odi.org.uk/speeches/edc_2010/meeting_report_17september.html The World Bank Group. World Development Indicators Database: Country Profile Table. 11 March 2004 . The World Bank Group. 2003 World Development Indicators. 11 March 2004. . Economic Community of West African States. About ECOWAS. 11 March 2004. .

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No PSYCHOLOGY REVISION- MRS DAWSON Models of addiction There are different models of addiction, these are the biological model, the cognitive model and the social learning model. Initiation – this refers to the process where individuals start to become addictive Maintance – this is the process whereby people continue to behave addictively even in the face of adverse consequences Relapse – this is the process whereby individuals who have managed to give their addictive habit start to show signs and symptoms of the behaviour again. BIOLOGICAL MODEL They say that it is an illness.Addiction is an illness therefore the problem is within the person. Because it is an illness, it can be cured. We are born with something and that something is triggered off. More likely to be addicted to it. If a person quits their addiction, a biological predisposition makes relapse more likely. The role of dopamine in addiction Initiation- Research shows addiction always stimulates the r eward circuit in the brain. Rewarding experiences triggers the release of dopamine and effectively tell the brain to ‘do it again’. Maintance – Drugs eventually result in a reduction in the activity of positive reward circuits in the brain.The negative state then become in dominant driving force in the drug calling. The individual doesn’t take the drug for pleasure, but takes it to avoid unpleasement. Because of this, they need more of the drug. Relapse – Eventually the desire for the drug may assume more importance than more other desires. The frontal cortex has become less effective at making decisions and judging the consequences of action. Imminent reward that forces the addict to take the drugs. The endogenous opiod system This is a type of addiction. It also includes the brain. Transmitters in the brain include enkeohain and the endorphins.They are activated in pleasure. Naltexrexone – this is an alcohol treatment, which prevents opiod receptors, and this also prevents effects of alcohol. Neurodaptation KOCH AND LE MOAL says drugs dependence is to do with neuroadptations. They state that psychoactive drug’s change the brains wiring. If stopped, the changes are no longer needed and causes disruption. Genetics Good way to research this is to study twins. Family studies then to illustrate environmental factors in the development of addiction as well. Need to see if it is environmental or genetic.Agravel & Lynsky 2006 – genetic influence with heritability estimates ranging between 45% -> 79% Kender et all (1998) – 1934 female twins. Drug addiction was mainly due to genetic factor. Blum et al (1991) – addictive off springs had the A1 gene showed that they had fewer dopamine receptors. Those who have these gens are more likely to be addicted to drugs which will produce more dopamine. But this could be because they have fewer dopamine. EVAULATION OF BIOLOGICAL MODEL X range is too wide X an imals are not humans so cant verify. v explains why some people are addicted X BUT sometimes it depends on the environmentX neurotransmitters have complex effects. Not fully understood X neglects social situations X too reductionalist – US soldiers took drugs while they were away but once they were home they didn’t. X some people may be experimenters ? chicken or the egg X very correlation. Can’t connect them in a cause and effect way. X need more research in to it X people may indulge but not addicted X animal studies LEARNING THEORY OF ADDICTION Acquires habits, which are learnt according to the principles of SLT. Things can be unlearned. There are different degrees of addiction. Bandura – Bobo doll Children learnt via observationSome one who is reinforced (operant) their behaviour is more likely yo be limited Vicarious reinforcement – reinforcement received indirectly by observing someone else and being reinforced Imitating someone we admire Cog nitive labelling model An alcoholic walks pass a pub. The cue, associated with the drinking gives a psychological response and actives a memory of drinking. The sign of a high heart rate tells the person they need a drink. Outcome expectancy model Someone who has an addictive behaviour, when they are confronted with a cue for the drug, it might trigger thoughts of excitement and would do it againClassical conditioning Addictive behaviour is also seen as being explained by classical conditioning. Drug abuse became associated with certain environmental factors until these factors alone produce a high. Intuition, maintance and relapse are due to learning experiences involving environmental. The cue-reacting theory Carter and Tiffany (1999) – addicts associates things, which were similar to their addiction. Explained via classical conditioning. The cues become able to elite conditioning responses even in the absence of the action smoking or gambling behaviour. Operant conditionin gPositive reinforcement Pleasant consequences Negative reinforcement Something unpleasant (likely to be repeated) Punishment Unpleasant consequences. Less likely to be repeated. Addicts change their behaviour in response to rewards and punishment. Bring about change in mood and material changes. Skinner – worked with animals. Greater behaviour changes when he gave less reinforcement or when they are unpredictable. Can explain why gamblers may get addicted. They are not winning all the time, makes compulsion strange. Learning Model Initiation – initial rewards shapes future behaviourMaintance – continues rewards reinforce and maintain behaviour Relapse – person giving up, relapse might be less likely if they have ‘relearnt’ the addictive behaviour all individuals are equally suspicious EVAULATION X animals X learning theories are reductionalists v can explain differences COGNITIVE MODEL OF ADDICTION Cognitive is thinking. This emphasises the h abitual ways people deal with life events may lead to addicitive behabviour. A person can rely on drugs or even gambling as a way of coping with life's problems. But these may create more problems than causes.Beck et al ‘the vicious cycle' Low mood -;gt; using smoking/ gambling -;gt; finacial, medical or social problem -;gt; the cycle continues Low mood can be relieved by addictive behaviour. Addiction can lead to problems. These problems lead to low mood. The cycle begins again. Coping : self mediciation model Initation – indivduals uses the addicitive behaviour to copy with stress/psycholoigcal problems. It is not choosen at random, it has been selected to help with a particular problem. Helps fulfil the 3 main functions – mood regulation – performance management – distractionMaintance and relapse – many smaller mention stress relief as a major reason why they keep to their habit Self efficacy theory BANDORA – This refers to one bein g organised and control any actions required to meet particular goal. This plays an important part in whether or not a person will start to engage in addicitive behaviour (initation). Whether they believe they can do anything about it once established (maintance and relaspe) FAULTY THINKING – Addicters lie to themselves because they think that it may bring them luck. But not all things are luck but people believe that whhat they are doing is correct.EVALUATION OF COGNITIVE MODEL Strenghts. – v cognitive explanations help explain individuals differences. Not everyone is addicitive X relative success of cognitive treatment of addicition support there is some cognitive basis Weaknessess – X publication bias – studies show a link between positive expectations and drinking behaviour. But not all studies are publlished so we get an unrepresentative view EXPLANATIONS FOR SPECIFIC ADDICTIONS Smoking – Smoking produces a phsyical addicition to nicotine, inf luencing dopamine production and the brain reward system. The WHO (world health organisations) estimates there are 1. billion smokers worldwide and they smoke 6 trilliopn cigarettes a year. Bad for you Smoking leads to high blood pressure, heart disease, lung disease, cancer and strokes. Pregnant women who smoke are more likely to have premature babies. The fact peoe still smoke knowing the facts shows how addicitve it is. Nicotine There are about 3000 chemical components in cigarette smoke but nicotime is the addicitve chemical. HILTS (1994) compared nicotine with heroin, cocaine, alcohol,m caffeine and cannabis. He ranked nicotine lowest in terms of effect but highest in terms of dependence.Smokers why try to give up have a relapse rate of 70%. Quickly Addictive DIFRANZA (2007) found teenage smokers had strong craving cigarettes two days after staring, suggesting how quickly people became addicted. Reasons to smoke – biological model Nicotine in cigarettes is seen as affect ing production of the neurotransmitters dopamine and acetylcholine, producing a reward effect. Genetics have more vulnerabilty to smoking addicition. SHIELDS (1992) looked at 42 twins pairs who had been reared apart. Only 9 wre discordant for smoking (one was and was a non smoker, which suggests that genes may play a part) Social FactorsMost people start smoking in their childhood or adolescence. Operant conditioning does not explain this because the first few cigarettes taste horrible. So OC says that they get rewards from peers. Social Learning Theory Children copy their role models because they think it is all right to smoke. Parents But one main influence is the parents. LADER AND MATHESON (1991) said if parents smoked, children were twice as likely to smoke. Cognitive model The cognitive model suggests that teenagers have strategies for not smoking even when pressurised by peers.But there was a group who were ready to smoke (MITCHELL and WEST 1996) Individual differences In a U S study, it suggests strong links between smoking and poor school records, low self-esteem no sport, and other illegal drug taking. Cognitive factors Smokers are seen as possessing irrational thoughts for instance that smoking improves cognitive functionoing or calm nerves. Such dysfunctional ideas can be self-fulfilling AO2 The fact that biological therapies help people quit supports the biological theory. Many people quit nicotine replacements suggesting social and cognitive factors. Supporting evidenceNIDA (2005) found that 90% of American smokers started as teenagers, mainly as a result of copying peers, suggesting SLT as a cause of initiation of smoking. A recent Canadian study (Khaled 2005) found that there was a link between depression and nicotine where depression was higher in smokers and even higher in smokers who wanted to give up. PATHOLOGICAL GAMBLERS Need to meet 5/10 to be problem gamblers. More than 5, you are a pathological gambler. 1/ preoccupation with gambling 2/ need to gamble with increasing amount of money in order to achieve the desired excitement 3/ repeated unsuccessful efforts to control/out back or stop gambling. / restlessness or irritability when trying to out down on gambling. 5/ use of gambling as means of escaping from problems or relieving dysphonic mood. 6/ return to gambling even after losing money, in the hope of winning it back 7/ lying to family members, therapists or others to conceal the extent of gambling 8/ committing illegal acts such as forgery, fraud or theft to financial gambling 9/ jeopardising or losing significant relationships/jobs/educational opportunist as a result of gambling 10/ reliance on others to produce money to relieve a desperate situation caused by gambling Getting a ‘high’One of the motivators is the ‘high’ they experience when they are close to winning. Raised levels of dopamine and noradrenalin have been found in people after episodes of gambling and in serious gamblers . These neurochemicals can be raised with the thought of gambling. Biological Stopping gambling seems to result in the same kind of withdrawal symptoms associated with stopping drugs. ROSENTHAL ET AL (1992) found that over 60% of pathology gamblers, reported physical withdraw and these could be compared with withdrawal of drugs. A number of studies have shown a link between potential brain abnormalities.It is linked between front lobe dysfunction and problem gambling (CAVEAINI ET AL 2002) Genetics There is evidence from studies that gambling could be inherited. Results of a twin study from SHAH (2005) found evidence of genetic transmission of gambling in men. Behavioural/sociocultural factors You are more likely to gamble if you are near a gambling area Alcohol It has been suggested that drinking increasing gambling, particularly in problem gambling. Young, game-machine gamblers stay on the machine longer when drinking. (POLS ET AL 1991). However, regular casino gamblers drink less when they are gambling.Behavioural SLT says that people copy from others. Operant says that people do it for rewards and getting high. Classical says that people associate the winning with the pleasure. Cognitive ZUCKERMAN (1979) claimed there are individual differences in the need for sensation seeking. They look for varied and new experiences. They have a low appreciation of risk and look forward to the ‘buzz’ more than low sensation seeks. Vulnerability of addiction Self esteem Teenagers are more likely to be linked with low self esteem and have addictive behaviours. Higher rates of depression and suicide – DEVERENSKY 2003LEVY 2009 – low self esteem increase the chances of developing addiction. Genetic vulnerability. Several factors might be required have an addiction. AO2 – Cause and effect – addiction because of low self esteem or low self esteem causes addiction. GREENBERG ET AL (1999) found that in a sample of 129-addiction student, no ne had issues with low self esteem. Psychological therapies based on realizing self esteem levels in addicts may stop them relapsing. Attributions Explanations people give for their own behaviour. Cognitive behaviour can play a part in addictive behaviour.MOORE ET AL (1999) says that young male problem gamblers sometimes have unrealistic ideas about their chances of winning and of their ability to make things happen. People with addictive behaviour often have poor self efficacy (blame the outside world) and an external locus of control. They don’t blame their selves. SENEVITNE ET AL (2000) used a questionnaire and 70 alcoholics. The found that alcoholics saw other relapse because they have poor will power while their own relapsed were beyond their control and not their fault. AO2 May have more to do with responsibility of the addict.Therapies focus on positive beliefs on the addicts own power can lead to better success rates. Fast successful quitters in clinics often relapse on the outside as they blame outside cues to starting again. Personality EYSENCH (1997) – psychological resource model which has 3 dimensions which are inherited P (psychoticism) Aggressive, coldness, impulsivity and egocentricity N (neuroticism) Moodiness, imitabilty and anxiety E (extraversion) Optimums, liveliness and sociability There is little evidence to support a link between E and drug dependence. N and P have links with addiction to heroin, alcohol and nicotine.There is a correlation between alcohol addiction and anti social personalities. Gender Men are more likely to gamble because they are more competitive. Recent evidence has shown that there is an increase of women gamblers. With females, they are more likely to be addicted to smoking because of the risks of the consequences. (FOX 1994) However, in gambling more boys are regular gamblers than girls. JACOBS 2001 says boys start gambling earlier, spend more money and enjoy competitive skill based games. Social con text Social context can influence vulnerability to dependency in many ways.Parents can be influenced through their own names to addictive behaviours. Drinking and to a lesser extent, smoking are not seen as sociability acceptable behaviours. CICCHETTIC 1999 states getting drunk and being anti-social can lead to drug abuse as can being depressed or anxious as a teenager. WAGNER ET AL 2002 found cannabis users were more likely to take cocaine so the social context can act as a ‘gateway’ to harder drugs. AO2 LESHNER 1998 believes that treatment must include social context otherwise if cue addict returns to the same social context, they will relapse.KUENTZEL 2008 found that pathological gambler give socially acceptable answers in self reports, playing down their addiction, suggesting data could be invalid. Family influence Teenagers copied off other – SLT. It also shows that a liberal attitude to drugs, poor bonding and dysfunctional relationship can lead to addictiv e behaviour. Parents are unconcerned about their children. Sociocultural background HALL 1990 found people in lower socio economic backgrounds were more likely to take drugs. Poor education + live in areas = high crime VITARA (2001) linked between alcohol abuse and problem gambling particularly in males.The role of media in addictive behaviour The media has influence on addictive behaviour. Advertising This can be used to encourage sales of alcoholic drinks and the lottery etc. or by the government to start anti-smoking campaigns etc. Alcohol and cigarettes CHAPMAN ET ALL 1982 found underage smokers preferred the more adverting brands. ATKIN ET AL 1984 found that 12-17 years old who had watched more adverts on drinking alcohol were more likely to approve of underage drinking. Banned on advert for cigarettes Cigarettes’ adverting is now banned in the UK as evidence as shown people are influenced by the advert they see.Role models Alcohol seems acceptable because of TV and film s. SLT suggests we learn what we see which means TV characterises may influence the audience. Smokers, gamblers or drinkers as long as they are ‘loveable rogues’ could be seen as role models. CHARLTON 1986 seeing adverts made children associate smoking with looking grown up GUNSEKA 2005 found that drug taking in films to be portrayed in positive fashion with little reference to negative outcomes. AO2 Media can be positive influence on addictive behaviour. Media create moral panics which would stop addicts.The impact of media on addictive behaviour is hard to assess as research is correlation so don’t know what other variables are in place. Models of prevention of addiction Addiction = bad for a person and society Behaviour can stem from biological behaviour and cognitive factors with the addictive behaviour/addiction. It is in our interest to help prevent them before they even being or help to stop someone intending to begin an addiction TRA – THE THEORY O F REASONED ACTION AJZEN AND FISHBEIN 1975 There are three general components, attitude, subjective norms and behavioural intention.This theory states the factors that are involved when people decide on their actions. People behave based on their attitudes of the behaviour and the interaction of what others will think of their behaviour. Essentially this model believes that if you have an intention to engage in a behaviour it can predict that you make a decision to carry out the behaviour. CRANO ET ALL 2008 used TRA to estimate teenager’s vulnerability to inhalant abuse, by assessing intention to use or avoid drug taking and actual behaviour. The model was found to be accurate as a predictive toll and thus useful in helping addicts to abstain.AO2 of TRA Critics see TRA as deficient in explaining behaviour of those who have little control over their behaviour, such as addicts. TRA does not consider personality and cultural factors or demographics that shape addictive behaviour. Addicts are often aware of their behaviour and that it is not rational but they cannot help their addiction. THEORY OF PLANNED BEHAVIOUR – TPB TRA was modified to produce TPB, adding a new component, the influence of perceived control. The theory of planned behaviour ‘perceived control’ – this is similar to Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy.According to TPB behavioural intentions are the outcome of the following beliefs. Attitude this can be a positive or negative evaluation of behaviour combined with beliefs about the outcome (e. g giving up smoking will be hard but will improve health). Subjective norms, perception if social norms ‘my friends will approve of my attempt to give up smoking’. Perceived Behaviour Control: a belief that someone can give up. AO2 of TPB The model assumes behaviours are conscious reasoned and planned, which may not be the case with addicts.As with TRA, TPB often used questionnaires to gather data, which can have issues with self report and social desirability. Most research is western countries cultural bias as individuals might not be as important in eastern cultures. Types of intervention Stages of changes model PROCHASHA AND DICLEMENTE said there were 5 stages that have to be overcome to beat addiction Pre-contemplation – before you start thinking about quitting the addiction. Contemplation – when you start to quit your addiction. Preparation – seek methods to stop addiction. Action – is starting the stopping to the addiction Maintance.People sometimes switch backwards and forwards and this is called ‘the revolving door phenomenon’. People in the preparation stage were more likely to attempt to give up an addiction than those in the contemplation stage. Psychological interventions Aversion therapy Contingency contracting Cue exposure self management technique Aversion therapy Punishment rather than reward. Been used to break smoking and alco hol addiction. Electric shocks every time the individual took addiction but was not successful. The addicts have been given a drug called Antabuse, when they drink alcohol, they are sick. They will link between the two.LANG AND MARLETT – TWO LIMITATIONS X not everyone was willing to take the drug. X doesn’t explain why they become addicted to the behaviour. With smoking, therapy was successful. Had to puff every 6 seconds, made the individual feel ill and nausea, assisted the two – SPIEGLAR AND GUEVREMONT. However, not been consistent across studies and a higher risk associated with this treatment for people who have heart problems. Didn’t focus on the act of smoking rather than causing the underlying addiction. Contingency contracting Individual to identify the environmental factors that are associated with smoking/drinking.The therapist aim to gradually expose the client to different cues and helps them to develop coping strategies to deal with the cues without resorting to smoking/drinking. Reduces the patients physical dependence on alcohol. but it does not teach them to deal with cues when they return to every day life. Cue exposure Addictive behaviour are often caused in the pressure of various stimuli. Cue exposure involves presenting the cue to the individual and helping them t control their reaction to it. In this way the response of ‘smoking’ in the pressure of alcohol fades away or exiting wishes.This is thought to be more effective than simply trying to avoid the cues. For example more drinking. Self-management technique This involves a variety of behavioural techniques. The individual is usually monitored by a therapist. The individual is asked to keep a daily record of their addictive habits and the changes to try and become aware of the things that make them become addictive. The individual should question the effects of the addiction. HALL ET ALL said that techniques can be used as a broader treatment pr ogramme, but they do not seem to be particularly effective on their own. EVAUALTIONWhile these behaviours based can be effective, they all share the problem that they do not really address the underlying reason why people have become addictive in the first place. Often short term With all therapies for addiction, they work better if they are mixed with other therapies based on other treatment. Different ways/treatment to smoking/drinking/drugs Biological interventions have been widely used to help people give up on smoking. There have been different way of tackling with people’s smoking addiction. There are different types of treatment†¦ Nicotine replacement therapy (NRT)This type of treatment involves nicotine gum, patches and nasal spray and others. These are effect because they help smokers stop their addiction in several ways. While the smoker take one of these replacement therapies, they are helping to withdraw the symptoms of smoking. These have also shown that the se can have positive reinforcement with the person who is trying to give up. this meaning that the person is more likely to not do it again because they have something to distract them from the actual smoking. With this the client will used varies of different formulations and will slowly used smaller formulations as gum.Even though the client will have an urge to have a cigarettes, there are other ways to come about this. Nicotine patches help because they gradually emit nicotine throughout the day. If the client has a cigarette during the treatment, they are more likely to not repeat this again because the cigarette will be less satisfying. Bupropion Another way of helping with the addiction of smoking is bupropion. This drug works by increasing the brain levels of dopamine and norepinephrine, this simulates the effects of nicotine of these neurotransmitters. This is an effect treatment because it helped to block out the nicotine receptors.This means that the client is less likely that the client will relapse and have a cigarette. It has also bee proven my psychologists WATTS that it is successful. Varenicline This type of drug released dopamine in the brain. It also blocks effects of any nicotine added to the system. Trials have found that varenicline is superior to bupropion in helping people to stop smoking. Also it has helped smokers reduce the amount of cigarettes they have after a 12-week trial. Nicotine vaccines This is a new clinical trial, which is still undergoing at the moment.The type of trial is trying to help produce anti-bodies to the nicotine. The anti-bodies bind the nicotine so it takes longer to go to the brain. This therefore reduces the effect of the cigarettes smoke. EVALUTION Nicotine replacement therapy delivers nicotine into the bloodstream much more slowly than cigarette smokers does. But then it doesn’t satisfy the smoker completely ad maybe the client will give up on the therapy and relapse. Other research has shown that it ’s the nicotine rather than other components that underlines the addiction and this maintains the cigarettes smoking.This therefore doesn’t rid the client the nicotine addiction. There also have been issues with health and safety with the nicotine. Some research has shown that it could cause cardiovascular, cancer, reproductive disorders and delayed wound healing. Because the body is still being supplied with nicotine, this could increase heart rate, coronary blood vessels and temporarily increase bloody pressure. There are quite a few side effects to take just nicotine and because of this, it is advised not to take it during pregnancy but then again it is safer to take nicotine than to smoke in pregnancy.