Psychology Essay

1. Describe each of the four kinds of people who intentionally end their lives: death seekers, death initiators, death ignorers, and death darers (about a half-page response). Death seekers are individuals who clearly seek to end their lives.   They are serious about committing suicide; it is not a cry for attention on their parts.   Death initiators are those who believe that they are already in the process of dying.   Some death initiator might be those who are chronically ill or those who have been seriously injured and see no method of cure or healing in their expected life spans.   By contrast, death ignorers do not believe that they will truly â€Å"end† with their deaths.   For such people, dying is merely a step toward another plane of existence upon which they feel that they will be free of pain or illness.   Finally, death darers â€Å"dare† their death to occur through their actions.   They are uncertain about actually committing suicide and take actions that may or may not result in their deaths. 2. Define and Discuss Gender Identity Disorder (about a quarter-page response). Gender Identity Disorder is a rare; it has no single known cause. It may be caused by abnormal chromosomes, hormone imbalances during pregnancy and in childhood, or psychological disorders created by poor relationship formation (WebMD, 2008, par. 2-3).   This disorder results in the individual feeling great discomfort in his or her own body and the desire to live as a member of the opposite sex.   People with Gender Identity Disorder may merely dress as the opposite sex or they may have their bodies surgically altered (WebMD, 2008, par. 2, 4). 3. Describe residual schizophrenia and be very detailed with your response (about a quarter-page response). Residual schizophrenia is what occurs in individuals with chronic schizophrenia, following the disappearance of â€Å"positive† symptoms in which the individual experiences â€Å"heightened† or â€Å"excessive† bodily functions (Epigee, 2008). These symptoms might include hallucinations, feelings of persecution or other â€Å"false beliefs about [their] physical state (somatic delusions) or [they] may feel that [they] have special abilities or powers (delusions of grandeur)† (Epigee, 2008, â€Å"Positive Symptoms†).   Instead, individuals experiencing residual schizophrenia have â€Å"negative† symptoms.   They might refuse to speak or withdraw form social experiences (Epigee, 2008).

Frequent Shopper Program Essay

The objective of this project request is to track purchases of individual customer’s. The customer purchases will be tracked and accumulated as loyalty points for redemption by the customer for gift items, specialty foods and other products or services as made available through partnerships with other external companies. The strategic purpose of the Frequent Shopper Program is described on the Sales & Marketing page of the Kudler Fine Foods Intranet site. Purpose: Kudlers’s new initiative is tracking purchase behavior at the individual customer level and providing high value incentives through a partnership with a loyalty points program. The customer purchase behavior patterns will help Kudler refine its processes and offerings to best satisfy their values customers. Price is not the primary differentiating factor for Kudler consumers; these consumers are focused on quality and finding specialized items. Therefore, rather than providing everyday discounts to the customers for their purchase frequency like lower end markets, Kudler has partnered with a loyalty points program to provide customers with points which can be redeemed for high end gift items, airline first-class upgrades, or other specialty foods. Technology Infrastructure and Architecture The following sections of this document will provide an overview of the hardware, network, software, databases, and security requirements for the frequent shopper program. These requirements are suggestive Hardware Platform: Kudler Fine Foods currently has an elaborate network of hardware that may be used to implement the frequent shopper program. Client-Side hardware: 1. Each store uses NCR RealPOS 82XRT terminals linked to the network through a POS server. (These terminals will be used during purchasing to initiate data collection including customer ID and purchase history data for the FSP)   2.  The nineteen (at present count) corporate management and other admin personnel all utilize Dell Vostro computers running Windows 7 OS. These administration personnel also share 3 HP networked printers. (In relation to the FSP, these computers will be used by management to query and analyze customer purchase history for business service refinement. ) Server-Side Hardware: 1. POS Servers- are used to process orders from the POS terminals and connect to the Kudler network for database file storage 2. HP Blade Server system- c3000 system, Unix OS, SAP Retail SW, Print/File, Communications, Email, Storage, Web. These Servers will be used to store data regarding individual customer purchase history and queried for business analysis as well as loyalty points addition and redemption. ) Network Platform: 1. Each of the three Kudler Stores has a Local Area Network which connects together Via T3 Dedicated high speed lines. 2. Each store’s LAN is connected via 100 base T Ethernet. The communications into and out of the stores is ported through 2 Cisco routers and firewalls. 3. Each Local Area Network is also connected to the internet via 25Mbps high speed business internet connections. 4. Network Diagrams (Shown Below) Software Development Tools: 1. The Frequent Shopper Program is an additional service that will be implemented in conjunction with the existing Information Technology System used throughout Kudler Fine Foods. Because of the complexity and functionality of the existing system, it is recommended that the use of AGILE development methodologies be used to develop the FSP system and merge the application into the existing system. 2. Visual Studio 2012- This Integrated Development Environment will be used to develop the application modules and user interfaces for the FSP development. 3. The code will be implemented in the C# language. (used for module development) b. ASP. NET & MVC – used to develop dynamic, interactive web based application for customers to access, monitor, and redeem loyalty points Databases: 1- Customer Table – The Customer Table contains demographic data for each of Kudler’s customers. The data in this table is used to access the name and address of customers for order processing and for special mailings for anniversaries and/or birth dates, etc. – Order Table – The Order Table is used to record information pertinent to each Order placed with a given store. Each order will have one or more entries in the Order Line Table associated with it. 3- Order Line Table – The Order Line table contains detail on items appearing on an order. One or more Order Lines are associated with each order and each Order Line references an item being purchased with its description, quantity, price, etc. 4- Item Table – The Item Table stores information pertaining to products that may appear on an order. It describes goods that can be purchased from a Store. The current database tables can be re-used and combined to create the FSPoints Table The FSPoints table (Frequent Shopper Points table), will include the Customer ID and all correlating information, Item purchase history, and Item Points Value. The sum of all points’ values will be expressed and added to the Customer’s redeemable points at the end of each FSP period. User Interfaces: Describe the interface for data collection and notification to store personnel and customers. 1. The initial User Interface will remain the same at the point of sale(POS). Additional software will be added to initialize the FSP on applicable transaction.  Software modules will be initialized as needed that will collect the CustomerID as well as the individual items purchased. 2. Web Applications: Through the use of the aforementioned tools including ASP. NET and MVC, an interactive web application will be available to registered customers, and personnel to access, review, and redeem loyalty points. There will be an exclusive page created for the Frequent Shopper Program. Controls: System accuracy checks will be in place to verify unique CustomerID’s at the POS terminals. Every customer that participates in the Frequent Shopper Program will have a unique customerID. Each transaction will begin by entering this identifier which when verified for accuracy will begin collecting item purchase data. Each item is scanned at the POS, and compared to its corresponding FSPoints table to add loyalty points to the Customers FSPoint record. If the CustomerID or any items purchased to not register in the verification processing system, an exception will be returned to notify the customer and cashier at the time of purchase. Each transaction will close with a printed receipt listing the order line information, as well as the points accumulated at that transaction. A points total may be requested via the internet based Frequent Shopper Program Web application on the Kudler Fine Foods website. Security: The necessary security mechanisms need to be in place when storing and moving most data entities, especially Customer personal information. Hashing and encryption techniques will be used when sensitive data is stored in all data stores, and secure data transfer protocols (e. g. , SSL, HTTPS, and WS-Security) will be used when data is Personal Information will be secured through the use of data encryption methods and secure networking protocols when data is transmitted over the network.

Universities: Breaking Down Walls

Do colleges and universities need to change to accommodate students once excluded from the university? This is a powerful question that society needs to know the answer to and the universities need to address. This is also a complicated question that has many facets that need to be addressed. Universities need to accommodate people with the willingness to learn and become educated. The university can†t think that the privileged are the only people that deserve the education they offer; the university has to think on a broader scale and include the once excluded. If this problem were looked at from a financial standpoint, it would hurt the universities, but if this problem were looked at from a social standpoint, it would benefit society as a whole. Mike Rose is a great example of what can happen if the university put some faith in the under-privileged student. The son of an Italian immigrant family, he was placed within the vocational school system. Though placing him within the vocational school system was a mistake due to a clerical error, he played down to expectations beautifully. From those days within the vocational school system to the University of California, Los Angeles were he is now the Professor of Education is a huge testament to the power of education and where it can take someone in life. Education surpasses all boundaries, and education takes someone as far or as high as they want to go, Mike Rose is a shining example of this. Mike Rose also mentions a key aspect of education, which is the support his professors throughout his college and/or entire educational experience. Without help, guidance, and support from your professors, the student, will at times more often than not will feel that education doesn†t want to embrace your efforts, and that is why the support offered from your professors is such a vital part of the education process. Rose also uses great vivid examples in his passage that pertain to the importance of education and shows why it shouldn†t be excluded from anyone willing to accept the challenge of receiving it. The idea of getting an education is the driving force behind anyone and everyone that gets an education. Take for example, Mike Rose†s uncle who came to America from Italy. He came here with nothing, not even an education, and he had to figh(literally) for everything he got, even his education. He was embarrassed in school for not understanding anything that was taught and not being able to read or write, but he overcame these adversities and eventually taught his mother how to sign her name and helped her with everything that she needed from reading flyers to announcements of sales to legal documents. Finally, he took care of all the writing she needed done. This is just one of the many stories Rose used and I use it to show that if education and/or the university embraced Rose†s uncle in his endeavors instead of shunning him, then it would†ve been a much easier transition for him and a richer experience for him and the many others like him. This is an all to familiar place for the underprivileged, but there is a heartfelt story from a brilliant scholar and that person would be Bell Hooks, who came from a poor family that was high on values and family. Hooks decided early on that she wanted more for herself in the was of education, but knew it would be a difficult task to accomplish. When she left her home in the South to pursue her education at Stanford, her parents warned her of the traps and pressures out in the world, but she stood firm with her decision to go to California for schooling. When Hooks arrived at Stanford, she realized that there was a whole other world out there, away from her home in the South. Hooks was tested many times throughout her college experience to change her values to that of the aristocratic values that the university was pushing onto the student body. But Hooks maintained her values that her parents, family, and surroundings had instilled in her, and she moved on to be an educator, not just an educator but also someone that cared about the student†s education. Hooks moved on from Stanford to Harvard and eventually started to lecture all over the country; she even wrote books in a non-academic format so that people of all educational levels could read and understand her message. To look through her eyes the university appears to be a dismal, wrenched place that caters to an affluent, upper class, and white society. Also would you take notice that the university frowned upon black on black relationships and supported a powerful white-supremacist structure. The reason for this outlook is that through her experiences the universities pampered the privileged and didn†t pay attention to the underprivileged. And when the university did let an a underprivileged person walk among them, the university would try to corrupt that individual and have tem change their values to values that were more suited for the university. The aristocratic faculty of the universities would urge people to cut ties to your past and change your values, but all in all, that†s not the way to accommodate the once excluded students; that†s a way to include them but reform them to the university†s way of thinking and to the values the university wants instilled in those individuals. To truly include the underprivileged the universities would have to let them be free: free to think, free to criticize, and free to be themselves. The universities aren†t willing to do that foe the mere fact that they lose their control over the student body. For the university to truly accommodate the once excluded the university would have to change not only its curriculum but also its view on people. It would have to look at a person as just that a person, not as this one†s privileged and this one†s not. Universities have to understand that a person willing to learn is a person worth educating. So in the end the answer to the question do colleges and universities need to accommodate the once excluded students the answer would have to be yes, if the once excluded student is willing to learn.

Youth Prostitution In Canada Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Youth Prostitution In Canada - Essay Example They believe they had to run as they find home life intolerable. None of these push factors alone; explain why they turn to prostitution. How and why they turn to be prostitutes is not that important as the importance of independent street life to them. What is attractive about street life is that it allows the runaway or disaffiliated youth a sense of belonging, a feeling of autonomy, and a means of financial independence. Most important of all, street prostitution provides a means of subsistence. And the fast and substantial money that it does bring to a core group of prostitutes symbolizes much that is cherished in mainstream materialist Western culture. (Davis, 1993, p. 72) According to the Canadian Women's Health Network, Prostitution and sex business in Canada is a multi-billion dollar market, which is developed annually on the basis of maintaining prostitution business at the rate of $400 million. (CWHN, June 2006) Prostitution alone does not refer to the social international issues, which are at continuous ignorance since 1980s in Canada, but it includes the involvement of male as well as females as customers, pimps and prostitutes. The dilemma is that after 20 years of implementing the policies for prostitution, it is still on a growing trend, where youth is deeply influenced by this profession. The matter of concern is what attracts the younger generation to get involved into sex trade and entering and exiting of youth into this profession are those facts, which are also responsible for health issues. According to factbook on Global sexual exploitation in Canada, "Most of the young girls that are trafficked and forced into prostitution in Canada are transmitted from city to city, from Seattle to San Francisco to Oakland to Phoenix to Honolulu and Portland. The pimps move them every 3-4 weeks". (Portland Police Officer Doug Kosloske, The Province, 19 December 1997) Statistics According to a report by Duchesne D., fluctuations are seen every year in the prostitution trend, which highlight the implementation of law and order according to jurisdiction. While giving example, she concludes, "between 1994 and 1995, the total number of prostitution incidents in Canada rose 29%, largely due to a substantial rise in communicating offences in Vancouver. But this increase followed two years of steep declines, mainly traced to Toronto, Edmonton and Calgary (in 1994), and Vancouver (in 1993)". (Duchesne, 2006) Due to the leniency of Canadian jurisdiction towards penalizing men in prostitution, since 1980s Canadian men are more motivated towards working in this profession either in the form of pimps, customers or male young prostitutes. Street Prostitution There are many concerns related with "sex work on streets" among which the major problem, which the public is confronted to, is its elimination from the public areas. Most of the people consider it private and so they support the view that "street prostitution" should not be in public places. Of course there are many reasons affiliated with the concern. Street Prostitution has been the most common problem in Canada since the actions, which were taken in 1980s. Those actions were not taken keeping in view the major reasons for as to why youth is getting involved into the

Abnormal Psychology- Psychosis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Abnormal Psychology- Psychosis - Essay Example Atypical anti-psychotic drugs are commonly used in treating acute mania, bipolar disorder, borderline personality disorder, psychosis, and schizo-affective disorder. (Leslie, Hankey, & Lean, 2007) In line with the adverse health effects of these drugs, several studies show that atypical anti-psychotic medications particularly the Olanzapine and Clozapine; anti-depression drug such as Nortriptyline, Doxepin, and Amitriptyline; Lithium; Valproate; as well as beta-adrenergic blocking agent like Propranolol highly contributes to the excessive weight gain or obesity. (Science Daily, 2008; Leslie, Hankey, & Lean, 2007; Czobor et al., 2002; Rossner et al., 1990) Obesity is a serious health and social problem since it could cause a person to deal with social adjustment disorders or social discrimination. (Pearce et al., 2002) As a common knowledge, obesity could also increase the risk of a person to suffer from a wide-range of serious health concerns such as diabetes particularly the Type 2 diabetes or the non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (Alberti et al., 2007; Wilding, 2004), cerebral hemorrhage and coronary heart diseases (Nanchahal et al., 2005; Montaye at el., 2000), high blood pressure, athersclerosis and high cholesterol (Yuan et al., 1998; Berenson et al., 1993), atherosclerosis (Nazario, 2007), osteoarthritis (Lau et al., 2000), sleep apnea (Ballington, 2002), as well as cancer (Vainio & Bianchini, 2002) related to colon (Murphy et al. 2000), rectum (Giascosa et al., 1999), post menopausal related breast cancer and uterus (Vainio & Bianchini, 2002; Friedenreich, 2001; van den Brandt et al., 2000; Goodman et al., 1997), kidney (Yuan et al., 1998; Goodman et al., 1997), gallbladder (Lowenfels et al., 1999; Moerman & Bueno-de-Mesquita, 1999), ovaries and pancreas (Vainio & Bianchini, 2002). Suicidal tendency is considered a major complication that has been associated with the withdrawal from anti-psychotic drugs like

Were the Anti-Federalists Correct Was the 1787 Constitution a Betrayal Essay

Were the Anti-Federalists Correct Was the 1787 Constitution a Betrayal of the American Revolution - Essay Example The push and the predicted effects of the constitution however created opposing forces to the ratification of the U.S. constitution. The federalists strongly supported the constitution and its formation of the central government because the formerly relied confederation articles were ineffective, and a strong national government would be able to control uncooperative states and excess powers of foreign policies that affected the U.S., and protect the right of its people who had delegated their powers back to the government. The anti-federalists had raised several objections over the approval of the constitution by the states and their population with respect to the envisioned ramifications, arguing that it would burden Americans in their future. Earlier on, the anti-federalist warned that State power would be threatened by a strong national government, where the centre of gravity would shift to the national government (â€Å"Antifederalists† gps.edu). Although power sharing be tween the national and States’ government was supported by both, the risk of giving too much power as supremacy to the national government at the expense of the States would be high. Considering the challenges facing the new republic, federal opposition â€Å"insisted that the freedom won by the Revolution would be best preserved not by expanding the power of the national government but by tightly circumscribing its power† (Mooney 51).... The anti-federalists objections pushed federalists to include a bill of rights to guarantee civil liberties to the people. The aim of the opposition on the bill of rights was to limit the powers of the central government to prevent intrusion into the state powers. To both of the parties’ achievements, the bill was later adopted and the few states which were reluctant to ratify the constitution became convinced. First of all, the 10th amendment of the constitution only clarified the existing enumeration powers of the federal government, but refused to adjust its powers to make a change. As a result, the States felt obliged to support the constitution, due to the assurance of the tenth amendment, which confirmed that powers not delegated to the central government would reside with the respective States (Mooney 58). In other words, it was a meander to achieve support of the states by limiting the federal government the right to interfere with individuals and not the state. Nothin g was new because individuals were already protected by the bill of rights in the respective States constitutions; the only change was its further inclusion in the national constitution, yet the federal powers over war, taxes, commerce, and implied powers were not restricted by the amendment (Dry 5). Today everyone realizes and sympathizes with the anti- federalist opposition for their fear of constitution to leave out the bill of rights that turned out to be very essential. Even with the 1st enactment of the bill of rights, suppressive scenarios like the approval of the Alien and Sedition Acts that threatened foreigners’ liberty, and seriously limited freedom of speech and especially of the press affirmed anti-federalist argument. The inclusion of the bill of

Financial Statement and Operating Indicator Analysis Essay

Financial Statement and Operating Indicator Analysis - Essay Example The current ratio is a liquidity ratio and indicates the extent to which an organization can cover its short term liabilities by its liquid assets. It is calculated by dividing the total current assets in the organization with the total current liabilities.This ratio seeks to examine the revenue of the organization as a function of its expenses. It includes the revenues of the organization from all sources in its calculation. The ratio is usually derived by dividing the net income of the organization with the total revenue. A high ratio means that the organization can cater for its costs efficiently, and indicates profitability. On the other hand, a lower ratio indicates that an organization could be experiencing financial difficulties, and may not have the ability to give viable returns to investors (Chandra, 2010).A major challenge concerned with financial statement analysis relates to the inability of the statements to recognize the seasonal qualitative changes, which occur in the course of normal business. These changes include changes in management, government policies, as well as labor strikes. Such changes affect the financial position of the business, thus including them in the financial analysis is significant. Therefore, users of analysis should require financial analysts to assess the implications of such factors on the organization’s profitability, and report to them (â€Å"Foundation of the American College of Healthcare Executives†, 2008).

Describe the most challenging obstacle you've had to overcome Essay

Describe the most challenging obstacle you've had to overcome. Discuss its impact on your life. What have you learned from the experience How has overcoming this obstacle shaped who you are today - Essay Example According to me, I had answered the question right but the laughter that came from the student directly told me that something had gone a mess. Hands were up; so I was wrong. For long in my new school, I was not able to get any answer right even in Mathematics that I had always been on top in my former school. The life of embarrassments continued, and I was always the laughing stock in my class. Everybody was convinced that I was a minor. The only thing I ever enjoyed at my new school was the evening sound of the bell. It meant going home, and a burden is lifted. My mother later realized my problem in school, and she always told me that I can do much better and be on top of everybody. I had always known my mother to be right, and I was convinced I could be on top of everybody. I never wanted to be the cause of laughter in class. I never wanted to be embarrassed again. All these instilled hard work in me. My ‘motto’ was to do more than what was expected in me so that I be a free man. By extra reading and consultation with teachers and fellow students, everything started working my ways. At one point I could answer a question that no student could. I started making friends even with those who could not even greet me when I was thought to be at the bottom of the class. Even the brightest in the class wanted me to explain a concept for them. I have learnt that when you do the best and excel, you be the center of admiration. Everybody will want to hang out with you just to borrow the simple ideas you have. Additionally, I have also come to realize that with determination and hard work one can be the best and be on top of everybody (Mathews & Amazon.com (Firm), 2009). I have again realized that no hard work go unrewarded. Lastly, I have come to believe that anybody can be the best when he wants. I am a proud doctor today just because I learnt that if I do things

The Policy Process, Part II Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

The Policy Process, Part II - Essay Example Policy evaluation can be limited to the long term care policy to give a vivid explanation and meaning of policy evaluation. First is the assessment or judgment of quality, program effectiveness and impact of the policy. As a health care policy, the best judges on the quality of the program would be healthcare recipients. For this reason, an effective quality evaluation can be undertaken by implementing a quality assurance system. Preferably, the quality assurance system should e external; meaning that the assessment should be done by stakeholders outside the policy implementation process. A suitable example will be patients. In a pilot survey research, patients who receive treatment under the long-term care policy can be made to give their impression on the quality of the policy. Data collected in this manner can be analyzed to give policy makers a fair idea of the quality of the policy. On goal attainment evaluation, this can be left with the policy makers themselves as they are the goal setters. By definition of the strategic plan that was used in drafting the policy, policy makers should be in a policy to tell whether or not the policy has reached its goal. This assessment should, however, be done based on the timelines set for the policy. ... Data collected in this manner can be analyzed to give policy makers a fair idea of the quality of the policy. On goal attainment evaluation, this can be left with the policy makers themselves as they are the goal setters. By definition of the strategic plan that was used in drafting the policy, policy makers should be in a policy to tell whether or not the policy has reached its goal. This assessment should however be done based on the timelines set for the policy. For example if it was stated that one million people must join the policy by the end of the first year, it will be easier determining if this goal has been achieved because of the timeline and quantitative measure. Finally, assessment of the cost can be done by specially employed finance experts and consultants. The consultants will judge the cost effectiveness of the policy based on the strategic plan on cost used in drawing the policy. Analysis stage The policy analysis stage is synonymous to the evaluation stage but dif ferent in one specific way. Whereas the evaluation has the strategic plan as its focus and therefore judges only on the success of the policy, the analysis takes a step further to look into the failure of the policy as well. In the policy analysis therefore, the strategic plan is not the basis for judgment but the environmental outcome – that is how best it has influenced the world around the policy or how worse it has devastated the world around the policy. In this regard, the IEA Training Manual Module 5 (2011) explains that the policy analysis â€Å"provides baseline information, points out major linkages between decisions and environmental outcomes, and provides a starting point for consideration of more sustainable policy options.† An outstanding concept at the analysis stage

Non-cash expenditure Essay Example for Free

Non-cash expenditure Essay CASE 1 The effectiveness of the conceptual framework for the Financial Accounting Standards Board is high. Unfortunately, its effect to outsiders is limited. As already stated, the conceptual framework will aid in the setting of accounting standards. However, only internal persons of the Financial Accounting Standards Board are involved in the standard setting process. Therefore such yardstick will only beneficial to them, because outsiders like accountants will have to abide with the standard issues. Indeed it is a normal trend that standards issued are adjusted in the future due to industrial factors that they omitted to consider or did not tackle properly. An argument in favor of the conceptual framework with respect to outsiders is that it enhanced the credibility of financial statements through the issue of objectives and concepts in such framework (Foster M. J. et al 2001, p 2). CASE 2 a) The cash basis of accounting is based on the premise that a transaction is recorded once cash inflow or cash outflows arises on cash and cash equivalents (Randall H 1999, p 247). On the contrary the accrual basis of accounting is based on the concept that revenue and expenditure are recorded once incurred and not when the cash receipt or payment arises (Randall H. 1999, p 191). For example, if license of a motor vehicle of $1,200 is paid in the beginning of November and the financial year-end is 31st December. Under the cash basis $1,200 is deducted. However, under the accruals basis only expenditure of $200 is recorded representing the expense incurred in November and December. b) The bank should always lend money in good faith. That is the money ought to be lend to persons who are financially capable to repay it in a given time frame. We should bear in mind that the money lent by the bank is coming from the depositors’ funds, which have in turn trusted the bank with their money. A fundamental principle of the code of ethical conduct of professionals states that the decisions taken by such parties should deter from providing harm to other parties and ought respect the rights of others (Association of Accounting Technicians 2007, p 7). Therefore if the bank manager of Ernest Banks knows that if the financial reports of the firm at hand are prepared on an accruals basis, which will eventually lead to lower profits. There is the risk that the financial ability of the company to pay the interest and capital commitments concerning the loan diminish. They should therefore take remedial action in order to mitigate such risk and thus safeguard the resources entrusted by depositors. c) The problem at hand identified in the previous question necessitates that the owner is informed of this issue as soon as possible. They ought to explain that the cash balance reported in the monthly bank statements does not represent the actual profit made by the business enterprise. Such illustration should be made in light of the weaker financial ability of the company to pay interest and capital commitments on the present loan that the firm will face in the nearby future. Since the business is experiencing growth there is still potential for the firm to mitigate the problem at hand. This stems the importance of informing the owner of such issue, who will take remedial action to solve it. However, the bank should refrain from providing specific solutions, since liabilities may arise if such solutions do not solve or possible even worsen the present financial performance of the company. CASE 3 1) The net increase in cash and cash equivalents originating in the cash flow statement is different from the net income portrayed in the income statement due to the different principles followed that where contrasted in the previous question of the former case. The reason for such disparity stem from a number of factors. For example, in the cash flow statement only the cash received from cash sales and debtors is recorded. In the income statement, all the sales incurred are taken into account. Similarly the cash payments for purchases, expenditure and to creditors are shown in the cash flow statement. However, in the income state all expenditure and purchases incurred in that time frame are taken into account (Lewis R. et al 1996, p 317). Non-cash expenditure like provision for depreciation and provision for slow moving stock are deducted from the profit figure. These are omitted from the cash flow statement since they do not represent cash outflows. Further more, capital expenditure incurred and paid during the period is recorded under the investing activities of the cash flow statement. This even though incurred is not portrayed in the income statement, but is recorded in the balance sheet due to its materiality and long-term effect. Hence it will affect cash flow but not net income. This thus clarifies the reason why the net income of $100,000 significantly differs from the actual cash flow balance depicted in the cash flow statement. 2) The operating cash flow, which eventually portrays the cash inflow or outflow from operating activities is very important for the organization, since it should the net cash generated/lost from the firm’s operations. From the differences noted previously it is important that a company not only makes profit but also generates sufficient cash from its operations to be able to meet its financial obligations (Weetman P. 2003, p 185-186). The operating cash flow should be considered as the lifeblood of the firm. Without cash from the operating activities the firm cannot operate for long. It is therefore important that a consistent net cash inflow from operating activities is shown in the financial statements. 3) The sources of cash flow that can be replaceable by new growth are long-term debts that mature and are taken back to finance new growth prospects. Fixed assets classified under investing activities can also be renewed once they finish their possible economic benefits by purchasing similar or better ones. Redeemable share capital, both ordinary and preference can also be renewed by another issue of such finance instruments (Lewis R. et al 1996, p 321). 4) The first basic solution of improving cash flow in view of the cash issue outlined is by focusing on sales and inventory management. By increasing the inventory turnover and diminishing the money tied up in stock by reducing stock levels can be useful remedies in order to free up some cash and enhance the liquidity of the James Spencer Corporation. Cash sales can also be boosted through the introduction of cash discounts. It is also pertinent that present debtors are properly chased by the credit control department to ensure that cash is collected on time (Bernabucci B.2005). Financial managers can also alleviate cash by reducing the debtors collection period through effective credit control policies and procedures put in practice and increase the creditors collection period from the present and potential suppliers. The factoring services provided by factor companies can be another viable solution to enhance cash flow from debtors. Factoring basically comprises the forwarding of a debt to a factor company at a reduced rate than the face value of such debt in exchange of a cash receipt of that account receivable (Ccassociates). For example a debtor of $10,000 of Company A is transferred to a factor company at 85%. Company A will receive $8,500 from such account receivable and then it is the responsibility of the factor company to collect the $10,000 from the trade debtor. James Spencer Corporation can also cushion its cash by either opting for an overdraft facility or increasing the present overdraft. This will act as a buffer against any unforeseen events that may weaken the cash flow of the firm. Even though bank overdraft is payable on demand by the bank, such debt medium is extremely flexible. This is due to the fact that the company can utilize how much of the debt it seems fit (Washington State University). For example if the overdraft facility is of $50,000, the company may take only $20,000 of such overdraft. References: Association of Accounting Technician (2007). Professional Ethics. Berkshire: Kaplan Publishing. Bernabucci B. (2005). Improving you Cash Flow Problems, Entrepreneur. com (on line). Available from: http://www. entrepreneur. com/money/moneymanagement/financialanalysis/article79084. html (Accessed 15th November 2007). Ccassociates. The Factoring Solution (on line). Available from: http://www. ccassociates. com/factoring_solution_accounts_receivable_factoring_explained. html (Accessed 15th November 2007). Foster M. J. ; Johnson L. T. (2001). Why does the FASB have a Conceptual Framework? Financial Accounting Standards Board (on line). Available from: http://www. fasb. org/articlesreports/conceptual_framework_uti_aug_2001. pdf (Accessed 16th November 2007) IAS 17 (2000). Leases. London: International Accounting Standards Committee. International Accounting Standards (2000). Framework for the Preparation and Presentation of Financial Statements. London: International Accounting Standards Committee. Lewis R. ; Pendrill D. (1996). Advanced Financial Accounting. Fifth Edition. London: Pitman Publishing. Washington State University. Short Term Sources of Finance (on line). Available from: http://cbdd. wsu. edu/kewlcontent/cdoutput/TOM505/page36. htm (Accessed 15th November 2007). Weetman P. (2003). Financial and Management Accounting. Third Edition. Essex: Pearson Education Limited.

The Mayan Civilization In Mesoamerica

The Mayan Civilization In Mesoamerica This area is geographically varied, ranging from volcanic mountains to limestone, to rainforests. Often, these extremely varied geographic areas are divided into areas known as the Highlands, and the Lowlands, both important to the presence of trade in the Mayan civilization. The lowlands were a beautiful location, surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico to the north and west, and on the east was the Caribbean Sea. This was an area that was essential in the planting and production of crops such as maize, squash, beans, cotton, and sisal. As you can believe, the lowlands climate was very warm, and even in Rain season provided little rain. The Southern lowlands were home to rainforests and savannahs, where lakes were present and fed by the Usumacinta River. Rainfall was much higher in this area and drained towards the seas, creating essential rivers, (the Usumacinta and the Grijalva) for the Mayan people. These large rivers also provided a means for transportation. The Northern Lowlands were relatively drier, and home to small trees. This area was often an area of slash and burn agriculture. The Highlands were a more dangerous area, composed of mountains and valleys, and were shouldered on the south by the Pacific. This area was home to dangerous animals, such as Jaguars and poisonous snakes. Even though this area was more prone to natural disasters like earthquakes and volcanoes, the highlands were the Mayans source of precious metals such as obsidian, jade, hematite and cinnabar, which were extremely important in trade relations, as well as value for themselves, as burials of wealthy individuals contain items such as head dresses, necklaces and other items of value made from metals. The Mayan civilization had many advanced methods of food production. It is now thought that raised fields and terracing, field managing, and wild harvesting were needed in order to support the large populations, which can be seen through aerial photographs, and appear to be connected by man-made canals. Most commonly, maize was their primary staple, but Mayans also grew beans, squash, as well as sisal and cotton for textiles. The wax and honey production from bees was also obtained, and various alcoholic drinks were made from corn. The Mayan people are most commonly known for their development of a complex writing system, as well as the construction of large, dramatic urban centres for their people past and present. Out of all the Mesoamerican civilizations, Mayan architecture may be the most highly recognized. Definitely the most dramatic, Mayan architecture is known for its huge step pyramids, which were adapted from earlier nearby civilizations. These pyramids were built for honouring gods and past leaders, who are commonly found deep within. Often, these great pyramids were built over with new structures. Other significant buildings of the Maya were often related to religion, administration, observatories, or high ranking citizens. Buildings were created with large, careful stone placement, as well as highly decorated. Understanding this architecture allows us to understand the customs and ways of the Maya civilization. Building materials often consisted of Limestone, lime stucco, plaster, flint, and cement; as they were readily available and fairly easy to produce. Often, buildings were adorned with murals, sculptures, and short script which expressed activities that were related to the building, often presenting mythological features or impressions of their gods. This was all done through man-power, as there were no metal tools, large domesticated animals, or even wheels to move all of these materials for building. The houses of the Mayan people were located within the city limits, and are often referred to as compounds. These areas consisted of wide open parts in the middle, in which religious ceremonies were held, usually on raised platforms right in the middle, allowing all to see. Also located near the middle were administration and ball courts. Often, people higher on the social ladder were located on the inner parts of the city, closer to amenities, and had much more spacious living quarters then those of commoners. The Maya people were very interesting in their sense of keeping track of things. Large numbers of administration related buildings, their invention of the calendar, as well as their recordings on stone stelae were the evidence of progression to a real organized state. This helps with the decipherment of how the population lived in every aspect of their lives; who they worshiped and the importance to respect (often in the form of bloodletting), how they were organized as a civilization, as well as their forms of communication. A lot of the historical record of the Mayans was lost during the Spanish rule, which resulted in the burning of Mayan books. These books would have provided a lot of insight into the way they lived, as well as helpful information to deciphering hieroglyphs. The Mayan Collapse To this day, there is still a lot of debate on what actually happened in the fall of the Mayan civilization. Around 870 Ad, the southern part of the lowlands began to collapse. There was no new construction beginning, and the cities gradually became deserted. This was a result of a combination of events, and is still today not definitely answered why this happened. There are many different opinions readily available, but these were some of the most convincing I came across. One point of view was that warfare was the last string pulled in the collapse. Warfare had become widespread, and some argue that the increasing power of royalty lead to a revolt. Another view was that environmental issues led to the collapse. Over harvesting to feed the growing populations damaged the small area of land that was workable, and eventually draining the nutrience of the land. This put a huge strain on the stability of the community, and the possibility of a few droughts made it inevitable. Stanley believes that the à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã…“Maya centres were abandoned, not because of burgeoning managerial costs, peasant revolts, or invasions from the outside, but because of erosion of the systems economic baseà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  (Santley 149), Basically stating that over-harvesting of land for food every year left unfertile soil, in which nothing would grow. Another view I found interesting was by Crist, where on page 29 he suggests that with a civilization as large as the Mayan come issues such as epidemics such as malnutrition and disease which could be triggered by the infertile land not being able to produce for the ever-growing population of the Maya. I could see this to also be a contributing factor, as they really did not have any way to treat disease, or any solutions to malnutrition when you combine it with the potential environmental issues at the time. I believe that any of the previous situations could have easily dispersed if not ended the Maya civilization, and a combination of the proposals out there would have definitely been detrimental In my opinion, the Maya people were extremely advanced people. As a group, they were very knowledgeable farmers, and used their land to their advantage. Their ability to extract gems and metals and create semi=precious pieces that were highly valued really put them on top with trade relations. Although we have seen substantial structures in the past, the Maya structures were enormous, and highly decorated. The power and respect that Nobelà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â€ž ¢s had to construct these types of structures must have been amazing, as well as the respect required for the cooperation needed for the labour of these cities. The Mayan were highly intelligent, as they were able to build on Olmec civilization and come up with their own original calendar system, hieroglyphic writing, as well as astronomy. These three areas are still very much a part of our education today, and I believe that even though it may seem farfetched, that the Maya had a significant impact on how our calendars and interpret ation of astronomy was constructed to be what it is today.

Awareness of low self esteem

Awareness of low self esteem Ever since Sigmund Freud made forays into study of Human Psychology, the study of different patterns of human behaviour, abilities at different individuals in different individuals, different outlooks and different responses to the same situations by different individuals involved great inquisitiveness in the minds of the psychological researchers. What was initially categorized under a comprehensive term individual nature later proved to be an effect of various underlying factors. As the psychological research dug deep into these factors that mould the human mind and behaviour, self esteem and confidence emerged to be two of the two important factors that influence the outlook and behaviour of a person (Baum 2005). The two concepts began commanding intense interest from psychological researchers and voluminous researches naturally followed (Skinner 2005). Self Esteem Self Esteem in simple words is ones own estimate and evaluation of ones worth (Friesen 2005, Moxley 2004, Baum 2003, Catania 2003). Self Esteem is something internal for a personal and is not expressive. It is manifest in social behaviour and responses to certain situations. Whether one has high self esteem or low self esteem is indicated by behaviour and situational response.While high self esteem in a person is desirable, low self esteem is a cause for concern. The reasons behind such low esteem can be many starting from childhood experiences and surrounding environment, its manifestation in persons behaviour can be varied. The study of the reasons behind ones low esteem, the methods to retrieve him/her from the State of low self-esteem to normal situation and his/her behavioural aberrations because of the low self esteem are interesting concepts for psychological research (Skinner 2005). Confidence is basically an attitude which enables one to have a realistic perception of oneself and ones abilities. It is displayed by manifestations like optimism, enthusiasm, assertiveness, pride, independence, trust, emotional maturity and the ability to handle and withstand criticism (Ward, Eastman Ninness 2009,Skinner 2005, Fantino, Stolarz-Fantino Navarro 2003). However talented one may be, confidence is the basic attribute which enables one to achieve or perform potential. It is normal to come across many talented people perform very poorly, repeatedly and continuously in their chosen field of activity and we also hear that they are lacking confidence (Catania 2003). Confidence is not inherited, but it is acquired. Lack of confidence is not permanent and can be driven away if addressed properly. Apart from being a personal attribute, confidence is also inspired by such factors as religion, culture, parents, gender and social class. While these are the normal factors which mould the confidence of a person, we also come across a handful of legendary persons, who brave many odds in life, but never allow their confidence to wane (Skinner 2005). The article attempts an exhaustive study of confidence and self esteem particularly from the angle of personal experience and literary research available on the concept. 2. Personal Journal During my interaction with my students and persons from diverse fields, I didnt come across a person who confessed that he is suffering from low self-esteem. People are scared to admit it. However the manifestations of low self-esteem exhibited through their action, deeds and behaviour reveal this facet of their personality. I came across three types of such manifestations. The first category of people is the straight forward type. They appear quite clearly as the underdogs and underachievers. They seem to be always with a negative emotion or delusion exaggerating limitation in capacity nature and opportunities for growth. Statements like ,I cannot, I should not ,I have to and I have no other alternative are quite frequently uttered by them. They appear as if they are in need of sympathy from others, but that does not mean that they are intent on revealing their handicap. Certain behavioural aspects and qualities are explicitly discernible in them .These people are unable to open themselves up before others and also unable to trust others. They are afraid of committing mistakes and as a result are indecisive in action. They are always anxious in the face of a change. They are unable to participate in spontaneous fun and frolic. They face problems in establishing intimacy with others and consequently go through troubled interpersonal relations. They are chronically affected by the necessity of acceptance and approval by others and are often affected by the fear of rejection or disapproval by others. Complicated judgements are not their cup of tea and they suffer from lack of objectivity and transparency in a host of options for solution to a problem. They are afraid of conflict and discord and try to mash their feelings with exaggeration and lies. They try to avoid caring for people for whom they are to be responsible. They usually overreact to things and act impulsively getting into trouble which requires strenuous efforts to get out from. These are all straight cases of people who are afflicted with self help. There is a second category of people, who appear to be very confident superficially and also appear to be in control of situations around them. They appear to have firm opinions and often appear to be in commanding positions. But this is usually a mask for low self-esteem. When things go away all this exterior disappears giving way to seriousness and anxiety. They are usually self-centered, highly demanding and very independent. They try to assume leadership without actually deserving or having leadership qualities. The third type is that of fun-seekers, who always try to seek fun and happiness at the expense of others. Laughter is a mask for these people to hide their low self-esteem. They try to do everything with an emphasis on fun to corner recognition-either giving fun or seeking it. They are sensitive and thick skinned and try to hide their anxieties and low self-esteem behind a mask of superficiality. The fun-seeking people are non-committal in their relationships because of haunting social fears. The only thing they try to churn out is fun which loses its sheen and becomes routine after sometime. Since their effort to gain recognition I through fun but not by accomplishment of something meaningful, they dont command much importance in their peer group. I had the occasion to observe many people with different backgrounds, suffering from the handicap of low esteem. When the reasons for their handicap are looked into, they reveal startling diversity. But mostly it is the childhood experiences that sow the seeds of low self-esteem in a person. The handicap sails with his childhood into his adulthood and afterwards also. Unless a conscious effort is done to drive out this feeling of low-self esteem, it persists with the person. The person may achieve fame with his accomplishments or my even achieve a celebrity status, but unless a conscious effort is made to conquer the handicap, they always tend to become superficial in their relations. It is really astounding that there can be so many childhood experiences to infuse a feeling of low esteem into children. Some children had verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse behind their low esteem. Some children were denied affection and acceptance either at home or at school or in the community. Parental condition was also found to be one of the reasons for breeding self esteem among children. Parents who were dependent on drugs and gambling, workaholic parents and mentally-ill parents were also reason for low self esteem among children. Similarly, brought up by divorced parent or where there is death of one of the parents during childhood also contributed to low self esteem. Brought up in environment which did not give scope for free expression of feelings and absolutist or fundamentalist environments are also responsible for low esteem among children. In case of adults, relationships are sometimes responsible for low self esteem. Relationship or marriage with a person, who is workaholic or comes from a dependent family or suppressive atmosphere are also prone to suffer from low self esteem. Also chronic ill health to a member of a family sometimes was the reason for low self esteem. Members of a family which has a child born with a developmental disability and members of a family where chronically ill patient is cared for are also often victims of low self esteem. Personal experiences in coming into touch with people are very useful in understanding the behavioural pattern of others afflicted with the problems and counsel them to get rid themselves of low self esteem. Knowledge about low self esteem is particularly useful in dealing with children who because of circumstances beyond their control are victims of low self esteem. Particularly for me, my personal experience in this field is of immense help since I am in the field of educational instruction to special needs children. 3. Literature Review 3.1. Key issue 1 Reasons for negative self-esteem 3.1.1. Low Self Esteem Vs Healthy Self Esteem Self -esteem relates to how well a person thinks about oneself in comparison to the people around him like, his friends, peers and colleagues at work. Self-esteem can be said to be the essence for living a positive life and helps a person to respond to various situations and difficulties in his life efficiently and realistically (Plotnik 2008). Self-esteem of a person can make a persons life (both professional and personal).Low self esteem can result in a person due to few untoward events that might have taken place in his life from his childhood. This makes the person live in a shell and stay aloof. This deprives the person of rational thinking and confidence and finally leads to self degradation (Scherer 2005). A person with low self-esteem feels that he is inferior in capabilities as compared to others. Generally the roots for this lie in the childhood where the person will be abandoned, ridiculed or feel that he is not receiving enough love or attention. This can lead to depressi on in long run (Craig 2008). Low self esteem can cause serious consequences and influence the emotions of people to a greater extent(Baum 2005). The person starts living life with negativity outlook and shows indifference in activities of his daily life. There can also be cases where persons with sensitive nature cannot cope with the issue of negative self esteem and subsequently can go to the extent of destroying their own life. Low self esteem can result in causing extremity in emotions and can result in depression, mental disorders, physical disorders, child delinquency and suicide attempts. This low self-esteem is the reason for violent behaviour in adolescents and can result in irreparable physical and mental damage (Baum 2003). 3.1.2. Reasons for Low Self Esteem Various factors like environment in which the person stays or is brought up, a persons background, status, his age, surroundings can be taken as reasons for low self-esteem. For successfully dealing with this problem, one has to understand the causes for the low self esteem in a person (Craig 2008,Denzin Lincoln 2008). A prime was suggested is to review the mistakes made by the person in the past. The following can be taken as possible reasons and situations causing low self-esteem. Negligence in childhood can be termed as one of the reasons for low self esteem. Children brought up in environment lacking affection and love feel that they are insignificant and abandoned when they grow up with age. They mix up with people very less and find it difficult to trust others (Dalgleish, 2004). Excessive criticism and rebuke in childhood can have devastating effects on a childs psyche and this influences his confidence in his life. Repeated chiding and pointing the child that he is incapable or no-good at studies or behaviour can result in depression and subsequently there will be loss of self-confidence in the child. This makes the child hesitant to start anything new and makes him pessimistic while doing things. He will be enveloped by a feeling of worthlessness (Harmon-Jones et al. 2004). Parents tend to pressurize their children to follow their dreams and fulfill their unfilled ambitions and dreams. They do not give choice to their children to choose their own career and in most cases forcibly land them in careers that they are not happy with. This leads to low self-esteem (Drake Myers 2006). When people experience failure after putting their efforts, in most cases they treat this failure as the final one and eventually it results in loss of confidence and self-esteem. Physical appearance in some people results loss of self-esteem. People with bad looks feel that they are inferior as compared to good looking people. This in most cases results in isolation from active social life(Wacker et al.2008). Negative experiences in childhood can cause low self esteem in a person and children easily absorb such negativity and it leads to lasting impact in their minds, Negative experiences influence adults too but the impact is more pronounced in children (Ward,Eastman Ninness 2009). Child Abuse in many people is the reason for their low self-esteem. Most people experience a history of mental and physical abuse in their childhood. Physical abuse can include sexual abuse and can be treated but with mental abuse, it gets deep-rooted and treatment for the same is extremely difficult. People who indulge in child abuse can be relatives, family friends, neighbours, step parents or strangers (Sigelman Rider 2008). An unemployed person feels helpless and incapable. His failure to earn a job and provide income to family creates low self-esteem in him (Drake Myers 2006). 3.1.3. Characteristics of People with low Self-Esteem People with low self-esteem have the following behavioural traits which cannot be noticed vary easily. People with low self-esteem lack self confidence and social skills. This makes them avoid people and social life (Baum 2005). People with negative self-esteem show depressed appearance most of the times and will be disturbed (Skinner 2005). These people can suffer from problems like obesity which arise due to eating disorders. These disorders can be harmful for their health (Skinner 2005). They fail to identify their strengths, capabilities and potential and suffer from negative thoughts (Skinner 2005). Most of the time they take compliments in a negative way and often fear criticism for their acts or work (Baum 2005). They have problem in starting a new task and do not go for taking up new responsibilities. Generally they do not make any effort to do a task as they have great fear that things will be messed up by them (Plotnik 2008). They do not form their own opinions and are afraid to do so for they lack the required confidence (Plotnik 2008). They outlook is pessimistic and life does not in any way enthusiastic for them(Baum 2005). They are not assertive and mostly very timid (Baum 2003). Some of them lose temper quickly and pick up fights (Cantania 2003). Some people with low self-esteem blame others for their problems. They often pick quarrels on trivial issues (Cantania 2003). Short-term cognitive therapy and couselling are helpful for many people to overcome negative self-esteem. 3.2. Key Issue 2 -How negative Experiences are overcome Negative experiences result in lack of self esteem. Life without self-esteem confines a person to a life with less money, less desirable employment, lesser interactive nature and less socialising. Issues leading to low self-esteem are abuse, influence of friends, influence of media and health issues. For this there should be a fair analysis of a persons strengths and weaknesses, support from family and friends apart from church or community affiliation (Skinner 2005). Sometimes negative experiences can influence a person to a greater extent that issues with self esteem become greater. In such a case, professional help is needed for sorting out the persons behaviours, thoughts and feelings. The therapist can provide aid to some extent but change needs to come from within the person. A person should analyse as to why he is feeling so and effort should be made by him to come out of the same (Sigelman rider 2008). A person has to release the negative experiences of his past to experience a higher level of living. Whatever regrets are there in the past, whatever has hurt the person or whatever might be the disappointment, it is time for the person to release these and go ahead. A 5 step procedure can adopted for the same to overcome the negative experiences of ones past (Wacker etal. 2008). Decision making Letting go of the thoughts consciously Shifting thinking from past to present. Practising on focusing on present and living with positive thoughts. Living in the present. Making decision properly is important in a persons life. For every change that happens in life, the change starts with a decision. A person can decide on letting the negative experiences of the past take hold of his life and dictate his present condition or else the person can take control of his decisions and become master over his emotions. Once the person decides on this, the next thing to be shaped is the mindset (Plotnik 2008,Friesen 2005). In the second step, the person should reiterate to himself that he need to release the negative thoughts from his heart and mind and embrace feelings of joy, peace and love. When a conscious decision is made to release the impressions of the negative experiences of the past, a positive energy can be experienced by the person in his body. This makes the person position himself to receive and attract more positive emotions(Plotnik 2008,Friesen 2005). In the third step, the person needs to find positivity in a situation and shift his focus to it. The thinking has to shift from negative experiences in the past towards embracing more positivity. Just like every cloud has a silver lining, one needs to needs to introspect as to what lesson life has taught at that time in past and how one can come out of the imprints from the past. The person should also think of the good this activity does and go ahead (Moxley 2004). In the fourth step, this activity of trying to come out of negative thoughts should be reinforced again and again till it becomes a practice. Just like a toddler learns walking by trying again and again, the person should have a Try again and again, Never give up attitude in driving away the imprints of negative experiences from mind. Let us compare this with learning a new skill like painting. Regular practice improves ones skill at art and hones up his skills. This is because it has become a habit to think of negative experiences with the person ,so it requires determination and regular practice to see positive out of every situation(Drake Myers 2006). The person should say to himself that past cannot be changed and this fact has to be experienced consciously. Many a time there is difficulty on a persons part to differentiate between present and past. We relive over our past experiences by bringing them to present.We relive on these experiences again and again even though the root cause for the negative emotion does not exist anymore or is not currently relevant. One procedure to dealing with these emotions is to conscious understand that these experiences are not happening to oneself immediately and its high time that this is released from mind and should go ahead for a more positive life. It is easier said than done. All that is needed is will power and strong desire to come out of the situation(Denzin Lincoln 2008). In case the emotions from these experiences are too very overwhelming and it is not possible to be away from them, the person can just receive the thought, acknowledge it and release it. This will be difficult at first but if practised regularly becomes a habit. All he needs to do is acknowledge the thought and release it. He should not obstruct it and at the same time he will not think of it. He will simply acknowledge it consciously(Dalgleish, 2004). A person can start writing down about what he likes or dislikes about himself and analyse his list of likes and dislikes. He needs to figure out which one is longer and if his dislikes are realistic and if he has exaggerated his flaws(Cantania 2003). He should also analyse if all his positive points and personality traits, achievements, good physical features and capabilities are honestly listed.Most of the negative thoughts are not consciously noticed by the mind. So it is necessary for the person to slow down the thoughts deliberately and scan them to know what thoughts make the person feel negative. He can question himself as to why he is feel this way at present and what his negative thought is. He should question and introspect as to what triggered the negative thoughts and if the reason for the same is good enough(Skinner 2005). A correct measure as to how genuine the thought is can be the persons answer to the last question. It is suggested that the person should share his fee lings with people close to him or his best friends (Dalgleish, 2004). After this introspection and self questioning it is suggested that the person starts to volunteer and gets himself busy in group work or community program. He can join community events or organizations that interest him. This involvement reduces the time spent on negative ideas. This way the person can start flooding his life with things very positive and with activities which involve interaction. The person can start feeling better in due course(Baum 2005). The person can take interest in personal health and fitness. This reduces time spent on thoughts relating to negative experiences. The person can start reading books on personality improvement and confidence(Baum 2005). 4. Implications of Practice: for Special Needs children 4.1. Review of Research findings on students with Down Syndrome. This part of the article concentrates on review of research findings by Catriona Wilson (2010) as given in her article Self Esteem in Children with Down Syndrome in the Mainstream Classroom apart from inputs from other researchers. The article By Wilson(2010) focusses on self-esteem in children having Down syndrome in mainstream schools compared with a group of developing children in a chronologically age control group and also by comparing with group of children having problem of Generalised Developmental Delay. The perceptions of teachers regarding self-esteem in children were also considered while writing this article. A multi-dimensional scale was used for measuring self esteem. The subscales in this scale were tapped academic competence, social acceptance, physical competence, physical appearance, maternal acceptance. The results showed that children having Down syndrome have good levels of self-esteem which are in some cases at higher level than their developing peers. Also wit h physical indicators of the condition, children with Down syndrome showed increased levels of social acceptance than children with problems of developmental delay. It was found that teachers overestimate self-esteem of children having Down syndrome seeing their peer acceptance. The findings of this research are transformed into various recommendations designed for schools and there were suggestions for future research as well (Wilson 2010). 4.1.1. Self Esteem of Pupils in main stream school The first year at the school is important for the self-esteem development and also adds that if students have low self-esteem, they cannot learn properly. This leads to their consistent failure and underachievement (Lawrence 1996 as cited in Wilson 2010).As a result, schools have good potential to influence students self esteem. Positive feedback by a teacher boosts the self-esteem of the student while negative feedback pulls down the students self esteem (Cosden et al. 2002 as cited in Wilson 2010).As such a teachers primary goal is to build self esteem in the student. This issue which was given insufficient attention earlier were given due recognition in the latest National Curriculum Framework for PHSE. This needed standardisation across schools. More specifically children having Special Educational Needs (SEN) are found to have considerably lesser self-esteem than their peers (La Greca Stone 1990 as cited in Wilson 2010).But apart from mentioning this finding, the issue was not a ddressed by the National curriculum. 4.1.2. Self Esteem for SSEN children Students with learning disabilities have to receive lot of negative messages from their childhood right from the time of their birth and that continues even in their school life as they have to bear with stereotypical and negative attitudes towards them. This makes life tough for children with learning disabilities. The SSEN students have to face with problems of social acceptance, awareness of differences with other students and academic failure (Cosden et al.2002 as cited in Wilson 2010). Also placing these students in special classes may have negative effect on their self esteem. But Beltempo Achille(1990 as cited in Wilson 2010) found that a combination of mainstream and special education will be very benefic for the SSEN students. Apart from this, there are differences in self-esteem for children falling the group of learning disabled and the chances that this group is homogeneous are very less (Denzin Lincoln 2008,Sigelman Rider 2008, Cosden et al.2002 as cited in Wilson 2010) . Down Syndrome is a genetic condition that arises with the presence of an extra chromosome 21 and can be said to be the perceptible reason for learning disability in both children and adults (Roizen Patterson 2003 as cited in Wilson 2010).Children with Down syndrome (DS) can be easily identified by their physical features and the children with DS develop slowly than their peers and tend to stay at each step in development for a longer time. This leads to an expanding gap with children with DS and their peers. The problems with learning range from mild to severe and also students have problems with language, speech, memory and reading (Liptak 2008).As against the common notion that individuals with DS are good-natured and cheerful, there are serious problems like impulsivity, hyperactivity and attention seeking (Parens Asch 2003).Earlier, there used to be notion that the problem with Down syndrome is genetic and recognizing the same helped to eliminate the outlook that children with DS should be sent to separate institutions and led to the concept of inclusive education for these students. 4.1.3. Modification of Classroom For younger children with DS, chairs and desks are needed to be evaluated for ensuring good posture. Platforms and stools can be provided so that childrens feet can rest on them and do not reach the ground. Cushions can be used in chairs in case more height is needed for the child to raise to the table. For ensuring proper grasp with writing, pencil grips can be used. Modification of scissors with springs is needed for these students to help them operate easily. Also there should be modification to recess activities and physical education for these pupils (CarrolAnnMc5 2010,Wilson 2010). 4.1.4. Location of DS children in the Classroom The placement of children with DS in a classroom assumes significance because these children often suffer from hearing loss which ranges form mild to moderate. It is necessary to ensure that these children are located nearer to para educator or teacher for listening to lectures and instructions. The pupils can be placed at a place where they can concentrate well without distraction. This place should be used rarely to improve concentration of the child. Greater use of this area for classroom can make the child feel isolated, so this place should be used cautiously (Wilson 2010). 4.1.5. Helping students with DS to understand Classroom Instruction The vocabulary that the child requires for classroom participation to understand and interpret the lessons should be introduced. It should be ensured that the child learns the key concepts well before the lesson is taught and is provided with the required learning tools. The level of the childs knowledge should be assessed and the vocabulary and curriculum should be modified accordingly. Students with DS learn more visually. Also students should be taught concepts and instructions orally apart from teaching through diagrams, pictures and visual cues. Children can be made to repeat instructions so that they can understand lessons. Students with DS might be given shortened assignments or they can be given extra time for the completion of assignments to help them complete the assignments (CarrolAnnMc5 2010, Wilson 2010). 4.1.6. Making children with DS to learn from their peers Children with DS are friendly and sociable and learn well by imitating their peers. So inclusion of these pupils as part of a peer group can thin down their feeling of isolation. This way peer modelling can help students with DS. It is always helpful to let the child observe their peers and learn doing a difficult task and reduces their isolation. Children without DS are also benifitted with this interaction as they start learning to accept their peers with DS and it increases their awareness (CarrolAnnMc5 2010, Wilson 2010). 4.1.7.Behaviour Management of Children with DS Positive feedback can work wonders with children with Down syndrome. Effort should be made to provide positive feedback for good behaviour and the results of negative behaviour should be clearly explained to students. Also there should be good communication between the childs parents and school in case of children with DS and a daily report can be submitted to parents with daily activities, progress, behaviour and lessons taught recorded in the journal (CarrolAnnMc5 2010, Wilson 2010). 4.2. Music Education to Children with Handicaps Handicapped children are referred to as special needs children. Music enriches their lives. With the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the subsequent amendments made under the Section 504(CarolAnnMC5 2010),the issues pertaining to the learning environment of special needs student have to be addressed by the district schools. Additionally assistance through technology was to be provided for pupils under the Disabilities Act for providing response to consumers through a delivery system in every State and also to the families with these pupils. Assistive devices are prepared and Individualised Education Plan (IEP) for each special needs child is to be prepared by greater interaction between educators and parents. All educators working closely with Special Needs Children including the music educator are to be part of IEP meetings (CarrolAnnMc5 2010). Equal benefits are not offered by Music Education and Music Therapy for the special needs child though both of them play significant role in overall development and growth as per the views from professionals in these fields. While music therapy aims to improve the pupils health, music education focuses on teaching music. In some school settings, music programs are used for getting positive goals. Inclusion of various adaptive instruments such as switches enables these students to work at their own level and also work in a group setting. Velcro bands and assistive computer program

Successful Management of the Diverse Workforce Essay -- essays researc

When a person thinks of diversity in the workforce, they think of cultural differences. In most cases that is true but diversity in the workforce can be many things not just cultural differences. Dictionary.com says that diversity is the fact or quality of being diverse; difference and a point or respect in which things differs. We are going to look at the diversity of a job facility for the developmentally disabled adult. Working in a job facility for the developmentally disabled (DD) adult has diversity that you would not find working in a regular job. There are federal and state regulations that have to be followed and there is continues training for the employees of the facilities on how to work with the clients on a daily basis. There is also training on how to deal with the emotions of the clients. I. Diversity in the workplace According to sacsconsulting.com, The United States is a "melting pot". Our American backgrounds are richly diverse. We each approach the world differently and our personality reflects our background. These diverse worldviews spill over in the workplace and can cause troublesome issues! The U.S. Department of Labor has found that 51% of conflicts and confrontation in the workplace are due to employees and employers not accepting or understanding individual differences. With an adult job, facility for the DD if the staff and the company as a whole do not accept that each DD adult is different and has a personality different from someone else there will be conflict and the conflict could lead to abuse. These reasons are why in an adult job facility for the developmentally disabled there is a lot of diversity that goes into making it run. There is the board of directors, the president, site coordinators, job developers, and regular staff. The Board of directors decide if it is feasible to open more day faculties or not to. Susan the president of Phoenix Alternative Incorporated (PAI) an adult job facility for the DD has been working in the DD field for 32 years. Susan has seen it all she has seen the demise of the institutes and the conception of PAI where she is the president in 1989. According to the company web site, it states that Leadership is provided by the Board of Directors and the president, who set the agency's overall direction. The programs continue to diversify to meet the grow... ...le have to have special feelings for the DD and have patience for the clients. It takes a diverse staff and company to work with the different personalities of the clients. Where one client does not get along with one staff, they will get along with another staff member. According to Volman, it is neither productive nor accurate to solely attribute the mental disorder to the actual functioning intelligence level. The different intelligence levels of the clients make for a diverse work experience and whoever chooses to work with the DD needs to be prepared for change in their lives. Diversity in the Workforce. (N.D.). Sacs consulting & Investigation Services, Inc. Retrieved December 8, 2004. From http://www.sacsconsulting.com/diversity.htm Phoenix Alternatives Inc. Phoenix Alternative Inc. (n.d.). History of Our Company. Retrieved December 8, 2004. http://www.phoenixalternatives.org/PAI%20History.htm Volman, Steven M., PsyD. (2003). Working With Developmentally Disabled Clients. In Continental Connection. Retrieved December 8, 2004, from http://www.chnpartnerships.com/provider_info/CHN-NewsletterSpring2003.pdf#search='working%20with%20disabled Phoenix Alternatives Inc. Successful Management of the Diverse Workforce Essay -- essays researc When a person thinks of diversity in the workforce, they think of cultural differences. In most cases that is true but diversity in the workforce can be many things not just cultural differences. Dictionary.com says that diversity is the fact or quality of being diverse; difference and a point or respect in which things differs. We are going to look at the diversity of a job facility for the developmentally disabled adult. Working in a job facility for the developmentally disabled (DD) adult has diversity that you would not find working in a regular job. There are federal and state regulations that have to be followed and there is continues training for the employees of the facilities on how to work with the clients on a daily basis. There is also training on how to deal with the emotions of the clients. I. Diversity in the workplace According to sacsconsulting.com, The United States is a "melting pot". Our American backgrounds are richly diverse. We each approach the world differently and our personality reflects our background. These diverse worldviews spill over in the workplace and can cause troublesome issues! The U.S. Department of Labor has found that 51% of conflicts and confrontation in the workplace are due to employees and employers not accepting or understanding individual differences. With an adult job, facility for the DD if the staff and the company as a whole do not accept that each DD adult is different and has a personality different from someone else there will be conflict and the conflict could lead to abuse. These reasons are why in an adult job facility for the developmentally disabled there is a lot of diversity that goes into making it run. There is the board of directors, the president, site coordinators, job developers, and regular staff. The Board of directors decide if it is feasible to open more day faculties or not to. Susan the president of Phoenix Alternative Incorporated (PAI) an adult job facility for the DD has been working in the DD field for 32 years. Susan has seen it all she has seen the demise of the institutes and the conception of PAI where she is the president in 1989. According to the company web site, it states that Leadership is provided by the Board of Directors and the president, who set the agency's overall direction. The programs continue to diversify to meet the grow... ...le have to have special feelings for the DD and have patience for the clients. It takes a diverse staff and company to work with the different personalities of the clients. Where one client does not get along with one staff, they will get along with another staff member. According to Volman, it is neither productive nor accurate to solely attribute the mental disorder to the actual functioning intelligence level. The different intelligence levels of the clients make for a diverse work experience and whoever chooses to work with the DD needs to be prepared for change in their lives. Diversity in the Workforce. (N.D.). Sacs consulting & Investigation Services, Inc. Retrieved December 8, 2004. From http://www.sacsconsulting.com/diversity.htm Phoenix Alternatives Inc. Phoenix Alternative Inc. (n.d.). History of Our Company. Retrieved December 8, 2004. http://www.phoenixalternatives.org/PAI%20History.htm Volman, Steven M., PsyD. (2003). Working With Developmentally Disabled Clients. In Continental Connection. Retrieved December 8, 2004, from http://www.chnpartnerships.com/provider_info/CHN-NewsletterSpring2003.pdf#search='working%20with%20disabled Phoenix Alternatives Inc.

suicide Essay -- essays research papers

Suicide Suicide is a significant cause of death in many western countries. Attempts at suicide, and suicidal thoughts or feelings are usually a sign indicating that a person is not coping, often as a result of some event or series of events that they personally find prostrating traumatic or distressing. Most people who attempt suicide are confused about whether or not they want to die. They usually are desperate to find a way to remove or stop emotional pain. A suicide attempt is often a cry for help that ends in a tragedy. In eight out to ten suicides the person has spoken about their intent before killing themselves. In many cases, their impact can be mitigated, or their prostrating mind will gradually decrease if the person is able to make constructive choices about dealing with the crisis when it is at its worst. In some cases exceeding deaths by motor vehicle accidents annually. Many countries spend limitless amounts of money on safer roads, but very little on suic! ide awareness and prevention, or on educating people about how to make good life choices. They need someone to take them and their emotional pain and discouragement seriously. What is usually most helpful is to encourage them to express them-selves without telling them how they should feel or think. In the vast majority of cases a suicide attemptor would choose differently if they were not in great distress and were able to evaluate their options objectively. Most suicidal people give warning signs in the hope that they will be rescued, because they are intent on stopping their emotional pain, not on dying. Suicidal people need friends who will listen patiently and show they care, and referral to a professional if possible. Since this can be extremely difficult, so we may be better able to recognize and help other people in crisis, and also to find how to seek help or make better choices ourselves. People usually attempt suicide to block unbearable emotional pain, which is caused by a wide variety of problems. A person attempting suicide is often so distressed that they are unable to see that they have other options. We can help prevent a tragedy by trying to understand how they feel and helping them to look for better choices that they could make. Suicidal people often feel terribly isolated because of their distress, they may not think of anyone they can turn to, fu... ... taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone. God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The church prays for persons who have taken their own lives. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, Page 608) Suicide is an issue which should be examined at by all angles. Not just from the angle that it is â€Å"wrong". End of debate. Rather it should be looked at from the point of view that â€Å"yes" for some people, they should be allowed to die in peace. Attempted suicide is also relatively rare in children under the age of 12. After that the rates increase constantly with age especially among girls, who are far more at risk of making attempts than boys. A considerable amount is known about the characteristics of adolescent suicide attempters, especially the disturbed care and family problems and the factors that reckless their suicide attempts. Prevention of child, adolescent and adult suicidal behavior is an urgent task. Doctors, other health professionals and teachers play an important role in identifying those most at risk, but this is often difficult because their characteristics are shared by many more individuals who will not carry out suicidal arts.

Native Americans-White Relations

AP US History DBQ: Native Americans-White Relations, 1800-1850 In the time period of 1800-1850 white Americans expanded across the vast lands on the western side of the continent and regularly encountered conflict with various Indian nations. In these documents, interactions for the various Indian nations were subjected to different cultivation between each tribe per say that there were responses that filled different needs and demands. Some tribes provided benefits such as agriculture and household manufacture and produced the idea that settlements to be blended and conform into one people.Other interactions created conflict because some of our land purchases were not 100% in compliance with the constitution. Yet some Indian nations were highly influenced by leaders such as Tecumseh for which they understood his implied meanings with obedience and respect. These primary sources of information give a great insight to the goals of the whites and their encounters The businesses to furn ish clothing and subsistence to the Indians became highly insufficient however the promotion of agriculture and household manufacture were essential.The goals of the whites were to settle as uch land possible for their nation called for it with an exponentially increasing population. Acting upon a coincidence of interests these promotions will â€Å"enable them to live on much smaller portions of land, and, indeed, will render their vast forests useless† ex Doc. A. These forests found useless and disadvantageous for they are â€Å"learning to do better on less land, our increasing numbers will be calling for more land† ex Doc. A. In Ultimate concession the best possible outcome would be to â€Å"blend together, to intermix and become one people† for that we can continue xpansion without conflict.Another response of the interactions was the idea that the Indians could be granted an annuity to guarantee growth towards the cultivation of their lands. The governor w ished for the Native American populations to â€Å"become more civilized† ex Doc. B which called for grants from the government. Such examples would include an â€Å"annuity of five hundred dollars to procure the necessary articles for the purpose of enabling them to cultivate their lands† ex Doc. B. However these promotions and ideas were only a cover-up of that the â€Å"governor got them to ign a deed for their land without their knowledge†.The chiefs considerer it out of consideration to that it was not in their power to do any such thing without consent from other nations. . The Chickasaw, Cherokee, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole nations were the only 5 major tribes that were highly affected from the Indian removal acts and were forced into Indian reservations ex. Doc D. The Indians were highly influenced by Tecumseh and gave him immediate obedience and respect for he was an â€Å"uncommon genius, which spring up occasionally to produce revolutions or verturn the established order of things† ex Doc. C.Yet due to the want vs. need for land the vicinity of the United States when Tecumseh died in the Battle of Thames from American forces. Tecumseh's goal of establishing a independent Indian nation Mississippi river. In conclusion, the time period of 1800-1850 white Americans expanded across the western side of the continent encountered conflict and different interactions with various Indian nations. Popular belief believed that that to achieve an ultimate point of rest and happiness that they should share their settlements and lend together and become one people ex.Doc. A. Chiefs would be shown imaginary annuities of five hundred dollars a year only to be fooled with the signing of the deed for their lands without their knowledge ex Doc. B. One of their only leaders Tecumseh, controlled implicit obedience and respect for when he died the Indian nations would not be represented into a independent nation west of the Mississippi river e x Doc C ; D. These interactions between whites and Indians in the time period were various for the needs and demands for the Indian nations so that we would continue the westward expansion.

Culture Theory and Popular Culture Essay

The study of culture has, over the last few years, been quite dramatically transformed as questions of modernity and post-modernity have replaced the more familiar concepts of ideology and hegemony which, from the mid-1970s until the mid-1980s, anchored cultural analysis firmly within the neo-Marxist field mapped out by Althusser and Gramsci. Modernity and post-modernity have also moved far beyond the academic fields of media or cultural studies. Hardly one branch of the arts, humanities or social sciences has remained untouched by the debates which have accompanied their presence. They have also found their way into the ‘quality’ press and on to TV, and of course they have entered the art school studios informing and giving shape to the way in which art practitioners including architects, painters and film-makers define and execute their work. Good or bad, to be welcomed or reviled, these terms have corresponded to some sea-change in the way in which cultural intellectuals and practitioners experience and seek to understand the world in the late 1980s and into the 1990s. Storey claimed that â€Å"postmodernism has disturbed many of the old certainties surrounding questions of cultural value. † This work will consider the issues of postmodernism versus modernism mostly from the perspective of the critics of postmodernism with reference to ‘good’ and ‘bad’ taste. Post-modern cultural movements first emerged in the 1960s in painting, architecture, and literary criticism. Pop art challenged modernist art by experimenting with new cultural forms and contents that embraced everyday life, radical eclecticism, subcultures, mass media, and consumerism. Sociologist Daniel Bell was one of the first to take up the challenge of postmodernism. In The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism (1976) he identified a moral crisis in Western society bound up with the decline of Puritan bourgeois culture and the ascendence of a post-modern culture that he described in terms of an aesthetic relativism and a hedonistic individualism. Yet the most formidable critic of postmodernism and defender of modernity has been German philosopher and heir to the Frankfurt School tradition of critical theory — Jurgen Habermas. There are two problems with postmodernism. The first problem comes into focus around the meaning of the term fragmentation. This is a word which, through over-usage in recent cultural debates, has become shorn of meaning. Post-modernity has been associated by Fredric Jameson (1984) with the emergence of a broken, fractured shadow of a ‘man’. The tinny shallowness of mass culture is, he argues, directly reflected in the schizophrenic subject of contemporary mass consciousness. Against Jameson, Stuart Hall (1981) has recently said that it is just this decentring of consciousness which allows him, as a black person, to emerge, divided, yes, but now fully foregrounded on the post-modern stage. ‘So one of the fascinating things about this discussion is to find myself centred at last. Now that, in the postmodern age, you all feel so dispersed I become centred. What I’ve thought of as dispersed and fragmented comes, paradoxically, to be the representative modern condition! This is coming home with a vengeance’ (34). These are, then, two perspectives on the problem of postmodern fragmentation. There is Jameson, who looks back nostalgically to the notion of unity or totality and who sees in this a kind of prerequisite for radical politics, a goal to be striven for. And there is Hall, who sees in fragmentation something more reflective of the ongoing and historical condition of subaltern groups. Jameson’s unified ‘man’ could be taken to be a preFreudian, Enlightenment subject, and thus be discredited by those who have paid attention to Lacan’s notion of the fragmented subject. But the endorsement of post-modern fragmentation is equally not without its own problems. Have ‘we’ become more fragmented than before? Can we specifically name a time and a place for the moment of fragmentation? Is fragmentation the ‘other’ of ‘humanity’? Or is the representation of fragmentation coincidental with political empowerment and liberation? Christopher Norris (1990) has argued that post-modernity (and postmodern fragmentation) stands at the end of the long line of intellectual inquiry which starts with Saussure, works its way through post-structuralism and Lacanian psychoanalysis and ends with Baudrillard. In Norris’s terms fragmentation is to be understood as marking an absolute and irreparable break with the unified subject, a break which is now writ large in culture. Present-day fragmented subjectivity is captured and expressed in post-modern cultural forms, a kind of superficial pick-and-mix of styles. According to Jameson, however, unfragmented subjectivity, by contrast, produced great works of uncluttered ‘heroic’ modernism. There is a degree of slippage in the connections being made here. The problem lies, at least partly, in the imprecise use of the word ‘fragmentation’. There is a vacillation between the ‘high’ psychoanalytical use of Lacan and a much looser notion, one which seems to sum up unsatisfactory aspects of contemporary cultural experience. Modernists, however, also felt confused and fragmented. Fragmentation, as a kind of ‘structure of feeling’, is by no means the sole property of those living under the shadow of the post-modern condition. Bewilderment, anxiety, panic: such expressions can be attributed to any historical moment as it is transposed into cultural and artistic expression over the last a hundred and fifty years. The category of fragmentation seems to have become either too technical to be of general use (i. e. in Lacan’s work) or too vague to mean anything more than torn apart. The second question which might be asked of neo-Marxist critics of postmodernity, concerns determination, and the return to a form of economic reductionism in cultural theory. Fredric Jameson argues that postmodernism is the cultural logic of capital, but his argument, as Paul Hirst writing about trends in both New Times and post-modern writing, has suggested, ‘slips from a rigid causal determinism into casual metaphor’ (45). Jameson, going back to Mandel’s Late Capitalism, has argued that the kinds of cultural phenomena which might be described as post-modern form part of the logic of advanced or late capitalism. This does away, at a sweep, with the difficult issue of explaining the precise nature of the social and ideological relationships which mediate between the economy and the sphere of culture and it simultaneously restores a rather old-fashioned notion of determination to that place it had occupied prior to Althusser’s ‘relative autonomy’ and his idea of determination ‘in the last instance’ (67). Quoting Lyotard, Harvey (1989) takes up the notion of the temporary contract as the hallmark of post-modern social relations. What he sees prevailing in production, in the guise of new forms of work, he also sees prevailing in emotional life and in culture, in the temporary contract of love and sexuality. Like Jameson he decries this state and looks forward to something more robust and more reliable, something from which a less fractured sense of self and community might emerge. He views postmodern culture disparagingly, as aesthetic rather than ethical, reflecting an avoidance of politics rather than a rising to the challenge of a politics posed by new or changing conditions of production. Despite their sweeping rejection of post-modern writing, both Jameson and Harvey take advantage of the conceptual and methodological breadth found in these theories to circumvent (or short-circuit) the key problems which have arisen in cultural studies in the attempt to specify and under-stand the social relations which connect culture to the conditions of its production. Their conceptual leap into a critique of postmodernism allows these writers to avoid confronting more directly the place of Marxism in cultural studies from the late 1980s into the 1990s, a moment at which Marxism cannot be seen in terms other than those of eclipse or decline. Postmodernism exists, therefore, as something of a convenient bete noire. It allows for the evasion of the logic of cultural studies, if we take that logic to be the problematizing of the relations between culture and the economy and between culture and politics, in an age where the field of culture appears to be increasingly expansive and where both politics and economics might even be seen, at one level, as being conducted in and through culture. Structuralism has replaced old orthodoxies with new ones. This is apparent in its rereading of texts highly placed within an already existing literary or aesthetic hierarchy. Elsewhere it constructs a new hierarchy, with Hollywood classics at the top, followed by selected advertising images, and girls’ and women’s magazines rounding it off. Other forms of representation, particularly music and dance, are missing altogether. Andreas Huyssen in his 1984 introduction to postmodernism draws attention to this ‘high’ structuralist preference for the works of high modernism, especially the writing of James Joyce or Mallarme. ‘There is no doubt that centre stage in critical theory is held by the classical modernists: Flaubert†¦in Barthes†¦Mallarme and Artaud in Derrida, Magritte†¦ in Foucault†¦Joyce and Artaud in Kristeva†¦and so on ad infinitum’ (Huyssen, 1984:39). He argues that this reproduces unhelpfully the old distinction between the high arts and the ‘low’, less serious, popular arts. He goes on to comment: ‘Pop in the broadest sense was the context in which a notion of the post-modern first took shape†¦and the most significant trends within postmodernism have challenged modernism’s relentless hostility to mass culture. High theory was simply not equipped to deal with multilayered pop. Nor did it ever show much enthusiasm about this set of forms, perhaps because pop has never signified within one discrete discourse, but instead combines images with performance, music with film or video, and pin-ups with the magazine form itself’ (Huyssen, 1984:16). In recent article, where Hebdige (1988) engages directly with the question of postmodernism, he disavows the playful elements in Subculture†¦and, more manifestly, in the new fashion and style magazines. In contrast with what he sees now as an excess of style, a celebration of artifice and a strong cultural preference for pastiche, Hebdige seeks out the reassuringly real. He suggests that the slick joky tone of postmodernism, especially that found on the pages of The Face, represents a disengagement with the real, and an evasion of social responsibility. He therefore insists on a return to the world of hunger, exploitation and oppression and with it a resurrection of unfragmented, recognizable subjectivity. He fleetingly engages with an important characteristic of the post-modern condition, that is, the death of subjectivity and the emergence, in its place, of widespread social schizophrenia. Hebdige seems to be saying that if this rupturing of identity is what postmodernism is about, then he would rather turn his back on it. The position of Clement Greenberg in his 1980 lecture entitled The Notion of the â€Å"Post-Modern† could be summarized in the following terms: modernism in painting has been, since its inception with Manet and the impressionists, a heroic struggle against the encroachment of bad taste or kitsch in the domain of art; postmodernism is only the latest name under which commercial bad taste, masquerading as sophisticated â€Å"advancedness,† challenges the integrity of art. Any deviation from modernism, then, involves a betrayal or corruption of aesthetic standards. Seen from this vantage point, the â€Å"post-modern† cannot be much more than a renewed â€Å"urge to relax,† particularly pervasive after the advent of pop art, with its deleterious effects on the art world. This type of argument (modernism’s self-conscious mission, to exorcise bad taste from the domain of high art, is today as urgent as it ever was) appears in a variety of forms and shapes in the writings of the defenders of modernist purity against the infiltrations of commercialism and fashion. This realized art, however, is not in a harmonious universal style as Mondrian was envisaging. It consists mostly in forms of art considered banal, sentimental, and in bad taste by most in the Fine Art artworld. Further, because so many people have no interest in Fine Art, it is often thought that visual art has somehow lost its relevance and potency. People ask what the point of art is, and whether it is worthwhile spending public money on art. When people think of art, they think of Fine Art, and the influence of Fine Art seems to be in decline. However, although Fine Art seems to be in decline as a cultural force, visual art has more power in culture now than it ever had. Visual art is not all Fine Art. There is a diversity of kinds of art in contemporary culture. Besides Fine Art, there is also Popular Art, Design Art, and advertising. What Fine Art does for us is just a small part of the total cultural value we get from art. As traditional culture recedes from memory, and technology changes our lifestyles, people look for new values and lifestyles. These new values and lifestyles are carried by the art broadcast over the mass media and on the products we buy. The mass-media arts define our heroes and tell us about the good. Advertisements define pleasure and lifestyle. With mass-market goods we dress our bodies and houses in art, thus using art to define who we are. These contemporary visual arts play a large part in shaping our values, fantasies, and lifestyles. However, conventional art histories tend not to treat the other powerful visual arts of our own time beyond Fine Art, namely, Popular Art, Design Art, and advertising. Advertising is not considered â€Å"art† because it is not functionless beyond being aesthetic. Also, the advertising does not typically show personal expressive creativity. So, the Design Arts are typically considered mere decoration. Popular Art is thought of as in bad taste, banal, sentimental, and so not worthy of consideration either. Since art histories are only looking at â€Å"good† art, they tend not to consider these other arts. Standing as they most often do within the Fine Art art world, art historians use the ideology and sense of artistic value of Fine Art to evaluate all art. From the perspective of the contemporary art world, Popular Art is thought of as a kind of Fine Art; that is, bad Fine Art or Fine Art in bad taste. It seems hackneyed and banal to the Fine Art art world. From their perspective, popular taste is bad taste. For example, Osvaldo Yero, an artist who emerged in the 1990s, has based his work on the technique and poetics of the plaster figures. These figures, mostly decorations, but also religious images, were perhaps considered the last gasp of bad taste. They constituted the epitome of â€Å"uncultivated† appropriation of icons from the â€Å"high† culture as well as from mass culture, done in a poor and artificial material par excellence, worked clumsily in a semi-industrial technique and polychromed with pretentious attempts at elegance. They symbolized the triumph of â€Å"vulgarity, † the failure of the â€Å"aesthetic education of the masses† proposed by socialism. By the 1920s business and advertising agencies had realized that putting style and color choices into the products they made increased consumption. Through the use of advertising and by designing stylistic variety into their products, manufacturers elevated things into the category of fashion goods that had before just been utility goods, like towels, bedding, and bathroom fixtures. Previously these items did not have any style component, but now designers added decoration to their functional design. This meant that now consumers could choose products not just for function, but also for style. People could now have pink sheets, green toilets, and blue phones. There is a tension in design style between aesthetic formalist styles like the international style, and design styles that are figurative. Those favoring figurative design tend to think of products as coming in a great variety and designed to appeal to the various tastes of consumers. Here the style of the products are not dictated by function, but by market pressures. This is a further development of design for sales. This gave rise to what is known as niche marketing, where the styling is targeted to a smaller, more specific group than mass marketing is. Thus, they shun the idea of a unified worldwide machine aesthetic. For example, a razor can be pink with flowers on it to target it to female users, and black with blue accent lines to target it to male users. The razor is the same, but the razor is packaged with different styling to sell the product to different markets. In designing for niche markets, the styling reflects the class, age group, profession, and aspirations of the target group. This goes hand in hand with advertising, and requires a great deal of research to discover what these values are and what styling motifs succeed in communicating them. The exemplary text or the single, richly coded image gives way to the textual thickness and the visual density of everyday life, as though the slow, even languid ‘look’ of the semiologist is, by the 1980s, out of tempo with the times. The field of postmodernism certainly expresses a frustration, not merely with this seemingly languid pace, but with its increasing inability to make tangible connections between the general conditions of life today and the practice of cultural analysis. Structuralism has also replaced old orthodoxies with new ones. This is apparent in its rereading of texts highly placed within an already existing literary or aesthetic hierarchy. Elsewhere it constructs a new hierarchy, with Hollywood classics at the top, followed by selected advertising images, and girls’ and women’s magazines rounding it off. Other forms of representation, particularly music and dance, are missing altogether. Huyssen argues that â€Å"Pop in the broadest sense was the context in which a notion of the post-modern first took shape, and the most significant trends within postmodernism have challenged modernism’s relentless hostility to mass culture. High theory was simply not equipped to deal with multilayered pop. † References Bell, Daniel. (1976). The Cultural Contradictions of Capitalism. New York: Basic Books. C. Norris, ‘Lost in the funhouse: Baudrillard and the politics of postmodernism’, in R. Boyne and A. Rattansi (eds) Postmodernism and Society, London, Macmillan, 1990. Hall, Stuart, Connell, Ian and Curti, Lidia (1981). ‘The â€Å"unity† of current affairs television’, in T. Bennett et al. (eds) Popular Television and Film, London: BFI. Harvey, David (1989). The Condition of Postmodernity, Oxford: Blackwell. Hebdige, Dick (1979). Subculture: The Meaning of Style, London: Routledge. Huyssen, A. (1984). ‘Mapping the postmodern’, New German Critique 33. Jameson, Fredric (1984). ‘Postmodernism, or the cultural logic of late capitalism’, New Left Review 146.