Analysis on Ordinary People by Judith Guest

Ordinary People by Judith Guest is the story of a dysfunctional family who relate to one another through a series of extensive defense mechanisms, i. e. an unconscious process whereby reality is distorted to reduce or prevent anxiety. The book opens with seventeen year old Conrad, son of upper middle-class Beth and Calvin Jarrett, home after eight months in a psychiatric hospital, there because he had attempted suicide by slashing his wrists. His mother is a meticulously orderly person who, Jared, through projection, feels despises him. She does all the right things; attending to Jared's physical needs, keeping a spotless home, plays olf and bridge with other women in her social circle, but, in her own words â€Å"is an emotional cripple†. Jared's father, raised in an orphanage, seems anxious to please everyone, a commonplace reaction of individuals who, as children, experienced parental indifference or inconsistency. Though a successful tax attorney, he is jumpy around Conrad, and, according to his wife, drinks too many Conrad seems consumed with despair. A return to normalcy, school and home-life, appear to be more than Conrad can handle. Chalk-faced, hair-hacked Conrad seems bent on perpetuating the family myth that all is well in the world. His family, after all, â€Å"are people of good taste. They do not discuss a problem in the face of the problem. And, besides, there is no problem. † Yet, there is not one problem in this family but two – Conrad's suicide and the death by drowning of Conrad's older brother, Buck. Conrad eventually contacts a psychiatrist, Dr. Berger, because he feels the â€Å"air is full of flying glass† and wants to feel in control. Their initial sessions together frustrate the psychiatrist because of Conrad's inability to express his feelings. Berger cajoles him into expressing his emotions by saying, â€Å"That's what appens when you bury this junk, kiddo. It keeps resurfacing. Won't leave you alone. † Conrad's slow but steady journey towards healing seems partially the result of cathartic revelations which purge guilt feelings regarding his brother's death and his family's denial of that death, plus the â€Å"love of a good woman. Jeannine, who sings soprano to Conrad's tenor†¦ There is no doubt that Conrad is consumed with guilt, â€Å"the feeling one has when one acts contrary to a role he has assumed while interacting with a significant person in his life,† This guilt engenders in Conrad feelings of low self esteem. Survivors of horrible tragedies, such as the Holocaust, frequently express similar feelings of worthlessness. In his book, â€Å"Against All Odds†, William Helmreich relates how one survivor articulates a feeling of abandonment. â€Å"Did I abandon them, or did they abandon me? † Conrad expresses a similar thought in remembering the sequence of events when the sailboat they were on turned over. Buck soothes Conrad saying, â€Å"Okay, okay. They'll be looking now, for sure, just hang on, don't get tired, promise? In an imagined conversation with his dead brother, Conrad asks, â€Å"‘Man, why'd you let go? ‘ ‘Because I got tired. ‘The hell! You never get tired, not before me, you don't! You tell me not to get tired, you tell me to hang on, and then you let go! ‘ ‘I couldn't help it. Well, screw you, then! ‘† Conrad feels terrible anger with his brother, but cannot comfortably express that anger. His psychiatrist, after needling Conrad, asks, â€Å"Are you mad? When Conrad responds that he is not mad, the psychiatrist says, â€Å"Now that is a lie. You are mad as hell. † Conrad asserts that, â€Å"When you let yourself feel, all you feel is lousy. † When his psychiatrist questions him about his relationship with his mother, Calvin says, â€Å"My mother and I do not connect. Why should it bother me? My mother is a very private person. † This sort of response is called, in psychological literature, â€Å"rationalization†. We see Conrad's anger and aggression is displaced, i. e. vented on another, as when he physically attacked a schoolmate. Yet, he also turns his anger on himself and expresses in extreme and dangerous depression and guilt. â€Å"Guilt is a normal emotion felt by most people, but among survivors it takes on special meaning. Most feel guilty about the death of loved ones whom they feel they could have, or should have, saved. Some feel guilty about situations in which they behaved selfishly (Conrad held on to the boat even after his brother let go), even if there was no other way to survive. In answer to a query from his psychiatrist on when he last got really mad, Conrad responds, â€Å"When it comes, there's always too much of it. I don't know how to handle it. † When Conrad is finally able to express his anger, Berger, the psychiatrist says to Calvin, â€Å"Razoring is anger; self-mutilation is anger. So this is a good sign; turning his anger outward at Because his family, and especially his mother, frowns upon ublic displays of emotion, Conrad keeps his feelings bottled up, which further contributes to depression. Encyclopedia Britannica, in explicating the dynamics of depression states, â€Å"Upon close study, the attacks on the self are revealed to be unconscious expressions of disappointment and anger toward another person, or even a circumstance†¦ deflected from their real direction onto the self. The aggression, therefore, directed toward the outside world is turned against the self. † The article further asserts that, â€Å"There are three cardinal psychodynamic considerations in epression: (1) a deep sense of loss of what is loved or valued, which may be a person, a thing or even liberty; (2) a conflict of mixed feelings of love and hatred toward what is loved or highly valued; (3) a heightened overcritical concern with the self. † Conrad's parents are also busily engaged in the business of denial. Calvin, Conrad's father, says, â€Å"Don't worry. Everything is all right. By his own admission, he drinks too much, â€Å"because drinking helps†¦ , deadening the pain†. Calvin cannot tolerate conflict. Things must go smoothly. â€Å"Everything is jello and pudding with you, Dad. Calvin, the orphan says, â€Å"Grief is ugly. It is something to be afraid of, to get rid of†. â€Å"Safety and order. Definitely the priorities of his life. He constantly questions himself as to whether or not he is a good father. â€Å"What Beth, Conrad's mother, is very self-possessed. She appears to have a highly developed super-ego, that part of an individual's personality which is â€Å"moralistic†¦ , meeting the demands of social convention, which can be irrational in requiring certain behaviors in spite of reason, convenience and common sense†. She is furthermore, a perfectionist. â€Å"Everything had to be perfect, never ind the impossible hardship it worked on her, on them all. † Conrad is not unlike his mother. He is an overachiever, an â€Å"A† student, on the swim team and a list-maker. His father tells the psychiatrist, â€Å"I see her not being able to forgive him. For surviving, maybe. No, that's not it, for being too much like her. † A psychoanalyst might call her anal retentive. Someone who is â€Å"fixated symbolically in orderliness and a tendency toward perfectionism†. â€Å"Excessive self-control, not expressing feelings, guards against anxiety by controlling any expression of emotion and denying emotional investment in a thing or person. She had not cried at the funeral†¦. She and Conrad had been The message of the book is contained in Berger's glib saying that, â€Å"People who keep stiff upper lips find that it's damn hard to smile†. We see Conrad moving toward recovery and the successful management of his stage of development, as articulated by Erikson, â€Å"intimacy vs. isolation†. At story end, his father is more open with Conrad, moving closer to him, while his mother goes off on her own to work out her issues. Both trying to realize congruence in their development stage (Erikson), â€Å"ego integrity vs. despair†.

Analysis of Psychosocial Development Theory Essay

The psychosocial theory provides a theoretical structure that highlights the constant assimilation and communication of individual competencies with resources, difficulties, and culture. Development is seen as a product of genetic, social, maturational, and autonomous dynamics. For this assignment, I am analyzing personal development using Erickson’s psychosocial theory of development. Erickson believed that development follows the epigenetic principle, that anything that grows has a ground plan (Vander Zanden et al., 2006). Simply stated, each stage of Erickson’s theory ascends according to an innate plan with each stage building upon the previous stages and focuses on a challenge that must be resolved during that stage in order to move effectively onto the next developmental stage. Erickson’s psychosocial theory draws our attention to the continual process of personality development that takes place s throughout the life span. Erickson believed each part each part of the personality has a particular time in the life span when it must develop if at all (Vander Zanden et al., 2006). Psychosocial Stages of DevelopmentThe first stage in Erikson’s theory begins in infancy, with the conflict of trust versus mistrust. In this stage an infant is dependent upon others, specifically their parent or caregiver to meet their basic needs. If these needs are meet, the infant will develop trust in self, parent’s caregivers, and their surroundings, if not mistrust will develop. Trust versus mistrust is present throughout a person’s life span. Consequently, if the conflict is not positively resolved within this developmental period, the person maybe affected negatively and only partially immerses themselves into society. As a mother, I understand that my daughter’s need for nourishment, comfort, care, and familiarity, must be met by me. In order for her to develop a loving and trusting relationship with me, I remained responsive and consistent. As my daughter grows older, she will become more knowledgeable and understanding with her peers and begin investigating her surroundings with persistence and eagerness. Stage two picks up at toddlerhood, usually starting around age 2 and continuing through age 3, with the conflict autonomy versus shame and doubt. During this stage children become mobile within their environment. This new found mobility is like a since of freedom to a child. If parents consistently encourage their children’s mobility, they will aid the children in developing a sense of autonomy, self control, and self confidence. If parents do not reinforce their child’s new freedom then the child will experience shame and learn self-doubt. My toddler is currently within this stage and she has started to undertake the responsibilities of feeding, dressing, bathing, and toileting. As a parent I have the tendency to be protective, thus assisting her without her approval. Nonetheless, I realize that I can do more harm than help to her development if I am overbearing and overprotective during this stage. I could positively or negatively influence my daughter’s ability to reach autonomy through my level of covetousness. Stage three of Erikson’s psychosocial theory begins at age 4 and continues through age 5, with the conflict initiative versus guilt. Initiative is the readiness to embark on new ventures whereas guilt is a sense that they have done something wrong. During this stage children are eager for responsibility and look to their parents for conformation. As parents the duty is ours to validate to our children, by proving that their initiative is valued no matter the size of the deed. Sadly, when parents are restrictive and do not allow their child the chance to be responsible and independent, the child may develop a sense of guilt and disapproval in the eyes of their parents. As a child my father always allowed me to help with projects around the house, by allowing me to pass him tools. My mother always allowed me to assist her in kitchen with dinner, by letting me mix the batter, oil the pan, break the egg, and pass her various kitchen utensils. I cherished my parents for this freedom and always viewed them as my unsung heroes. Today, in my daily life and work, I take the initiative with projects, chores, packing, and much more. It times I do feel guilt over some actions, but I am assured that it linked to my beliefs of achievement rather than my parents restrictive actions on occasion. From age 6 to age 12 a child is considered to be in the fourth stage of the psychosocial theory with the conflict industry versus inferiority. During this stage a child is learning to read, write, and how to create things by themselves. During this stage my educators became increasingly key figures in my life. They gave me many tasks and taught me many skills. I was always determined to master the tasks and skills (i.e. math and science) set before me. At this point in my life my peers became more momentous in my life because I was learning to work with them in order to complete tasks. I have never much of a follower, nonetheless school opened the door to new social roles therefore, gaining the approval and acceptance of my peers and teachers was important. I worked hard in all my classes and extracurricular activities to be the best by obtaining the top grades, best batting record, most assists and points, most volunteer hours, and more. The skills I developed along throughout this stage gave me confidence that others saw and appreciated, which showed approval and acceptance. I believe that when a child does not develop the necessary skills needed for school, home, and other cultural task that it can lead to the child developing a sense of inferiority because their acceptance is based on competent performance. Erikson’s fifth stage is the conflict identity versus identity confusion. Stage five typically starts at age 12 and continues to age 18. At this stage, adolescents are striving to find their identity and place in the world that will lead them into young adulthood. At some point in this stage I was struggling to find out what to with my life and remember asking myself this question, â€Å"Who Am I?† I wanted to separated myself apart from my parents and siblings, so I made a conscious search for identity and found things I enjoyed (i.e., school, softball, basketball, tutoring) an excelled. At the end of my high school career I had discovered my cultural, communal, and personal identity as a member of society identity and was ready to face the new challenges of college. My childhood friend, Amelia struggled during this stage with identity development by gender. In her parents eyes, she was a girl and should behavior as such, therefore sports and other male related activities where  frown upon within her home. It was not until Amelia reached the age of sixteen that she made a conscious decision to make her own choices, in spite of her parent’s viewpoints. Woolfolk, (1987), notes that if adolescents are unable to make conscious choices and decisions, especially as it pertains to their career and sexual orientation, then their role confusion becomes a threat. Success at this stage is dependent upon the child’s resolution of conflicts in earlier stages. If past experiences are integrated and past conflicts resolved, there will be a strong ego identity. Conversely, identity confusion will arise if the ego is weak. Stage six is the beginning of the developmental period of young adulthood. This is a period when most of us finish college, find a career, and create a family of our own. During this time most of us are changing cognitively, physically, and socioemotionally. In this stage the conflict is intimacy versus isolation. According to Erikson’s stages of development, I am in this stage. During this stage one either gets involved in an intimate relationship or retreat into isolation. In the initial stage of being an adult individual’s seek one or more companions and love. As individual’s try to find mutually satisfying relationships, primarily through marriage and friendships, they generally also begin to start a career and family, as have I. An example of my success in this stage is my giving and sharing within my marriage and friendships without feelings of obligation or asking for anything in return. The age in the stage has been pushed back to the mid thirties because today many couples wait until then to start families. My belief is that if a person has not resolved the conflict of identity in stage five, that they will fear a committed relationship, thus causing them to retreat into isolation. Lastly, when people have difficulty creating lasting and satisfying relationships, they may isolate and distance themselves from others due to feeling of inferiority. Stage seven of Erikson’s psychosocial theory begins around age 40 and continues through age 65, with the conflict generativity versus stagnation. Generativity, refers to an adult’s competence to care for another human  being (Newman & Newman, 1991). A personal example is my older sister Deloris, who had settled into a stable career, marriage, church, family, and other numerous responsibilities. Our mother was diagnosed with Alzehemier’s Disease (AD) during this stage and because Deloris was the closet and oldest, she was expected to give of herself by adding the responsibility of caring for our mother. The responsibilities were overwhelming, but she overcame because of her willingness to be flexible and adaptable, which allowed her to rely on her environment and family to help her deal. If Deloris had remained inflexible and enabled the responsibilities to overwhelm she would have become stagnate. The debilitating state of our mother’s AD forced my siste r to be flexible, by reducing church activities, additional work duties and ultimately changing the way she dealt with her world. Integrity versus despair is the eighth psychosocial stage of development. The developmental period for this stage is age 65 to death. This stage occurs when many of our parents are up in age and must come to terms with the approach of death. At this period in my parent’s life, both where retired and had time to analyze what they had accomplished and accumulated throughout life. They had come to accept their entire life with a positive outlook and even decided how their estate would be divided up amongst 21 children, thus leaving them with a sense to integrity. According to Newman and Newman, (1991) if my parents had been unable to accept responsibility for their life’s outcome and resolve conflict in earlier stages, they may have experienced despair and regret. Sadly, many older adults feel as if their life was filled with disappointment and failure, thus making it hard for them to handle life and the probability of death at this stage. Despair versus hope and faith is the final stage of Erikson’s psychosocial theory. The developmental period for this stage is late 80s and beyond. During this stage person are faced with a new sense of self over failing bodies and need for care. The favored outcome of this stage is to achieve a new sense of wisdom and transcendence (Vander Zanden et al., 2006). Comparison of Erikson and Kohlberg TheoriesErikson’s psychosocial theory  holds that developmentproceeds throughout nine developmental stages that are distinguished by a specific conflict. Kohlberg’s moral development theory holds that moral reasoning has six developmental stages with three distinctive levels. Erikson and Kohlberg theories each focus on a particular facet of maturation, such as social, moral, and psychosocial. It has been stated that psychosocial development and moral reasoning are influenced by factors such as socialization and gender identity. When a person is born they are identified by their gender as either a boy or a girl. It is my belief that the title of boy and girl or man and woman influence how children respond to psychosocial developmental challenges and resolve moral dilemmas. These titles provide a structure around which role and behavioral expectations formed. Brief Analysis of Kohlberg’s Model of Moral DevelopmentWhen people talk about moral development, they are referring to conduct and attitude towards other people in society. They look to see if societal norms, rules, and laws are being followed. In terms of children, it is their ability to distinguish right from wrong. Moral development, embraces pro-social behaviors, such as philanthropy and emotional development. Kohlberg stressed that moral development is based primarily on moral reasoning and unfolds in stages. On the basis of his research, Kohlberg identified six stages of moral reasoning grouped into three major levels (preconventional morality, conventional morality, postconventional morality). Each developmental level represented a fundamental shift in the social-moral perspective of the individual. As a child and now adult, I have at one point and time, fallen within each level and stage. My parents always stressed honesty, trust, and respect. They also give consequences when I was disobedient to the rules. In order to avoid punishment I obeyed the rules. During church and school, I behaved properly by obeying the teachers, completing assignments on-time, returning lost items (i.e., pencils, fans, and money), and repenting when needed in order to gain approval from my peers, teachers, pastor, and administrators. At other times, in my life, I have been concerned with my rights as a citizen, student, mother, and wife, while at other times I have been guided entirely by my conscience. My  conscience always gets the best of me no matter the circumstance. When I was five years old, my brother Rico took candy from my father’s private stash and shared it with me. I knew it was wrong, but I wanted the candy so I keep my mouth closed. I thought I could just put it behind and move on, but I had a sense of wrong come over me and I could not sleep until I told my father the truth. Once, the truth was revealed I was freed and felt good within. My view of moral development aligns with Kohlberg’s theory of moral development which was actually based on Piaget’s cognitive theory. He believed young children’s cognitive thinking develops along with their moral development. Young children are ego centered and their moral judgment is based on their own perspectives, not others and they follow rule because they are afraid of punishment. As children grow they understand values, rules, and their obedience is not out of fear, yet is based on their moral development. ReflectionAccording to Erikson’s nine stages of development, I am in the sixth stage with conflict intimacy versus isolation. Erikson’s psychosocial development theory aligns with many of my viewpoints. His theory stresses that children are curious, active explorers who are adaptive, impacted by social and cultural influences, and rational. The theory emphasizes that individuals continue to develop and change throughout their lives, and that personality is not solely shaped during early childhood. The theories framework is a tool that can aid individuals in understanding self-awareness and self-improvement. Erikson’s stages of development enabled me to better understand the connections between my behavior and personal experiences. As a parent, it has opened my eyes to how I can help rather than hinder my daughter’s development into mature, well-rounded, and emotionally stable individual. Lastly, each stage has a vital conflict that the child, adolescent, and adult can resolve positively or negatively. The nature of the resolution depends mainly on relations and associations with others, although the individual’s choices also play a key role. The conflicts and resolution of conflicts within each stage gave me hope that people can obtain personal growth and  change. Resolving the conflicts within each stage allows for progress and future success by building upon the knowledge gained within the preceding stage(s). Conversely, I believe that not all is misplaced if an individual has an unconstructive and depressing occurrence within a particular stage and conflict. As people live they learn therefore, lessons can recur and be effectively resolved when identified, acknowledged and received. â€Æ'References Hamachek, D. E. (1998). Evaluating self-concept and ego development within erikson’s psychosocial framework: A formulation. Journal of Counseling and Development, 66(8), 354-360. Newman, B., & Newman, P. (1991) Development through life: A psychosocial approach (5thed.) Palisades, CA: Brooks-Cole. Vander Zanden, J. W., Crandell, T. L., & Crandell, C. H. (2006). Human development (8th ed.). New York: McGraw-Hill. Woolfolk, A. E. (1987). Educational Psychology (3rd ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Foundations of the U.S. Federal Government Worksheet

Complete the chart below by identifying the three branches of government and their entities.U.S. ConstitutionTrue or False1. The Tenth Amendment limits the power of states. FALSE 2. The Constitution signed in 1787 contained the Bill of Rights. FALSE 3. The Constitution created a system of dual sovereignty, meaning the federal government has exclusive power in interstate commerce. True 4. The president and vice president are part of the legislative branch. FALSE 5. Congress can impose federal mandates, which require the state government to comply with its orders. True or FalseMultiple Choice6. The concept of dual federalism D: viewed federal and state power as fixedd. The Bill of Rights isC: the first 10 amendments to the Constitutione. The legislative branch is composed of which of the following:a. The House of Representatives and Senatef. The First Amendment of the Constitution regards which of the following:D: Freedom of religion, of speech, of the press, to assemble, and to petiti ong. The modern-day structure of categorical federal grants-in-aid came into being D: in the mid-1960sShort AnswerRespond to each question in 75 to 100 words.h. What are some of the historical events that shaped the formation of the U.S. federal government? Select one event you think had a major effect on the federal government. How does this event affect U.S. citizens today? A historical event would bei. Who were some of the early philosophical contributors to U.S. government? How did their ideas help shape the current government of the United States? Some early philosophical contributors were Thomas Hobbes, John Locke, that believed all men were created equal and jean-Jacques Rousseauj. Describe the historical role of the Supreme Court in federalism cases and the direction it has taken since 1990. The historical roles the Supreme Court took on federalism cases was changing the tenth amendment and revamping it so that it would be fair to all involved. It challenged both state and f ederal laws and eased out mixed signals and confusion brought on by the tenth amendment. Because of the Supreme Court, it reaffirmed laws such as limiting the Congress’s power over the interstate commerce and Gun Free Zones Act of 1990 that banned the possession of a firearm within feet of a school.k. What is the main function of the legislative branch? What role does the executive branch play in the formation of laws? Summarize how these two branches work together.The main function of the legislative branch is to pass laws and it also oversees the execution of these laws, while the executive branch main function is to execute laws created by Congress. The Executive branch is made up of the President and the Vice President and their main purpose is to execute the laws created by congress. The legislative branch is composed of the House of Representatives and the senate, these two make up Congress, who creates the laws.l. What is the role of the judicial branch? Who elects mem bers of this branch? Briefly describe the judicial process. The Judicial branch is made up of courts: the Supreme, Circuit, the magistrate, which is local, and Municipal (city) courts. This branch interprets the laws. State judges are elected by the citizens, rather than being appointed. Their duties include interpreting state laws, settling legal disputes, punishing violators of the law, hearing civil cases and protecting rights granted by the state constitution. They also determine the guilt and innocence of those accused of violating criminal laws of the state and they act as a check upon the legislative and executive branches of government.Short Essaym. In 250 to 300 words, define federalism and summarize its role relative to the current U.S. political climate.Federalism is a political system allows states united under a central government to maintain a measure of independence. This basically means that it allows each state to have their own set of laws but everyone follows the laws of the nation. There are certain things that can be done in Louisiana that are illegal in Texas. In some states it’s legal to have medicinal marijuana but not in Louisiana and in other states a man can be legally married to a man but in Louisiana their marriage is not considered legal. This among other things is made possible because of federalism

Anthropology Assignment Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Anthropology Paper - Assignment Example Linguistic anthropology, the third sub-discipline, is concerned with the origin of the human language and speech with particular emphasis on some specific languages. Through comparing various languages, this sub-discipline is critical in making out relationships between different peoples. The fourth sub-discipline is social-cultural anthropology that entails the study of the three core aspects of a living population—social, economic, and political organization with a view of contributing to community development (Lakeside University, 2012). Question Two Chapter 2 discussed the attempts by early anthropologists to describe race biologically. Describe the typological and population models Typological model is an approach that anthropologists developed to classify people during the 19th and 20th centuries. This idea of classification was anchored on what is today known as race today as it classified people according to parameters like geographical regions and traits like skin col or, stature, and form of hair among others. However, this model of classification was noted to be less biological and more culture-related (O'Neil, 2011). Population model, on the other hand, sheds light on human population patterns from a genetic point of view. In this regard, this model focuses on the patterns of breeding among the human populations and look for traits such as physiological ones that can help put them apart. Although history is clear that humans do not mate as a group for a long time, this model is viewed in good light from a theoretical perspective (O'Neil, 2011). Question Three Describe the impact of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution on studies of divisions of humans The Darwinian Theory greatly influenced the studies of divisions of human in that it brought forth a new platform of scientific thinking in addition to generating numerous controversies. One, the Darwinian theory in a great way clashed with the long-held and widespread view of Creationism that encompassed the intervention of God in the existence of the universe and its creations—plants and animals. In this regard, this theory replaced the idea of divine creation with one that talked of evolution of man through a process he referred to as natural selection. In light of this, the Darwinian Theory gave new meaning to the study of anthropology by coming up with an alternative perspective on the possible origin of man (Tuazon, 2008). Question Four The scientific racialism experiment of the 18th and 19th century resulted in the concept of eugenics. Describe this term and its social consequences Eugenics is a science that focuses on controlling genetic traits of the human race with a view of improving it. Eugenics alleged that those people who belonged to the lower class possessed inferior genes compared to the ones who were socially well off. As such, a reproduction with this group with poor genetic traits would lead to a degraded society. Ignoring the social condit ions that characterize the marginalized in the society; eugenics suggested that the upper class in the society possessed quality skills like artistic and intellectual abilities. Eugenics led to many injustices across societies in the

The Affordable care act negatively impacts small businesses' tax Essay

The Affordable care act negatively impacts small businesses' tax liability and their ability to expand and hire new employees - Essay Example The act intends to offer all citizens of America a health insurance policy that can be easily affordable. This is in line with the main goal of achieving better health care in the United States. Employer is required to sign and implement the new act. This is supposed to affect companies with 50 or more staff members. The staffs are supposed to be given the health insurance. Failure to adhere to the new rules will see companies getting stiffer penalties. The act comes as a reprieve to the employees but serious issues still arise on the side of employers (Tammy, 2013). These challenges that have led to the delayed implementation of the act include:- 2. Tax Liability. Employers with the threshold of 50 or more staff are legally required to give health coverage to their staff. Failure to adhere to this they are to pay tax penalty which will increase annually. Estimates indicate that in 2014, the penalty will amount to $47.50 per child and $95 per adult or 1 percent of the household income that is taxable. In 2015, the penalty will be $ 162.50 per child and $ 325 per adult or 2 percent of household income that is taxable. In 2016, the penalty will amount to $347.50 per child and $695per adult or 2.5 percent of household income that is taxable. In each case, whichever option is highest will be considered. After 2016, there will be an increase annually in the penalty centered on the increase in living cost (Tammy, 2013). The penalties impacts negatively on small business that might be forced to go through severe losses and even shutdown. 3. Hiring. Research indicate that there will be a less of approximately two million people employed on full time basis in 2017 as compared to the number working in the nonexistence of the new law. Big and small companies are likely to reduce the rate of hiring, the small companies being the most affected. ACA can hasten the deterioration in employment in small business by reducing both the need of

Is Justice for All Possible in America Research Paper

Is Justice for All Possible in America - Research Paper Example The civil war paved the way for slaves to be freed so that they receive just and equal treatment; while the feminist movement has been slowly working towards changing the way women are viewed in the home and at the workplace (Kessler, 304). The Gay-Pride movement has been fighting for the acceptance of gay and lesbian people and has been gaining acceptance slowly. Inclusion of Different Groups The laws of a state or country are developed in order to provide a fair and just treatment to all citizens. An important issue that needs to be considered is the definition of the term ‘citizen’. Historically, women, slaves and the lower classes have rarely been considered as citizens, and the rights of these groups have not been considered when evaluating the extent to which the legal system is just. This means that often, even the most effective of justice systems did not represent a large portion of humans living in the country (Schmidtz, 110). Before the civil war, the inhuman treatment of slaves and other people of color was not addressed by the justice systems; and for a long time, women suffered in the workplace and at home because they were deemed inferior. Homosexual persons still find it difficult to gain acceptance in some parts of the country; and find it difficult to enter the army or share a bond of matrimony in some states. Although American laws restrict the unjust treatment that can be meted out to minority groups; this does not ensure that implicit forms of discrimination against minorities have been dealt with. From a philosophical perspective, minorities often do not experience just treatment from the majorities even in America. Kessler (174-176) provides various examples of how the well... Although American laws restrict the unjust treatment that can be meted out to minority groups; this does not ensure that implicit forms of discrimination against minorities have been dealt with. From a philosophical perspective, minorities often do not experience just treatment from the majorities even in America. Kessler (174-176) provides various examples of how the well meaning individuals of minority status are discriminated against under the guise of concern for them. He also raises concern about the manner in which ‘Affirmative action programs’ are carried out. The often cited rationale behind these programs is that they provide compensatory justice to groups that have been denied opportunities in the past (Rawls, 160). While these programs report admirable growth and development for members of minority groups, in principle they are unfair to Caucasian males who are less likely to be chosen when all other factors are equal.Issues in Providing JusticeInstances like the one cited above highlight the limitations in providing justice to all. One central issue is that the concept of justice and the manner in which it is practiced is heavily influenced by the perspective, opinions and principles of individuals and groups. Groups that are considered ‘different’ are rarely afforded an equal status with others as it is believed that this would be ‘unjust’ to all concerned. This argument has been used to keep individuals of homosexual orientation out of the military, rarely targeted as effectively.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 46

Philosophy - Essay Example In spite of the fact that the argument which was described may be rather convincing at first sight, if one carefully analyzes it, one may come up with various fallacies that can be found in its logic. To begin with, one should note that the very first premise is faulty. It is an exaggeration to state that all bodies act to a certain end. Indeed, there is a vast array of objects that do not perform any specific function and, therefore, are not able to have a suitable end for its activity. Of course, it is possible to state that inanimate object should be rejected and the analysis should be limited to animal; however, life of the latter also does not strive to achieve a certain end. While there may be some goals which can be identified, from a general perspective, life of a person, life of a lion, life of a plant and even life of a rock (meaning its existence in one piece before it crumbles) does not serve any purpose or are designed to achieve a certain goal. They might find one is th e process of living, but it surely was not predetermined. The second premise is faulty because it operates with a notion that is rather difficult to design. On the one hand, intelligence is truly a characteristic of a highly developed creature which draws a line between humans and other animals. However, one can not dismiss the fact that even the simplest microorganisms feature some kind of intelligence. Of course, they are not able to think or consider abstract matter, but they are surely active and independent from their perspective. In addition to that, there is no single agreed mechanism of identifying intelligence as the latter might manifest itself in different forms. That is why claiming that some natural bodies are not intelligence is oversimplification. If we accept the validity of the above mentioned statement then the third premise should also

Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 9

Case study - Essay Example On the pricing side, it is necessary to know what the prices should be, and what the price customers are willing to pay is. The company should be in a position to offer value addition to products and services, in order to enhance sustainability, and sustain a strong and consistent customer base. Products need to be designed according to the requirements of the customers, and the materials should conform to quality and pricing standards. After the transformation of the raw materials into finished goods through the manufacturing processing, these are packed and shipped to the various customers. It is important that the company receive relevant feedbacks from the manufacturing, suppliers, logistics and most significantly from the customers. It is necessary to offer the most economical and competitive prices to the customers, by reducing costs and increasing margins to the optimum level and also ensuring high quality products through satiation of the demands of the customers. The demand and supply aspects of the company should be continually increased, so as to be able to offer enhanced supplies for catering to a large demand for the products and services offered to the customers. (Produce best product, lowest cost). The Manugistics views are that there should be an integrated approach to the supplier relationship management and the supply chain management by strengthening pricing and optimizing revenue generation. It is therefore to be ensured that increased levels of demand side and the supply side of marketing are aimed at; thereby the pricing and optimization aspects could be taken care of. However, it is necessary to have complete knowledge about the customers’ profiles, including segmentation of markets based on the ‘ability to pay’ concept. (Produce best product, lowest cost). The best product mix provided to product locations

Prompt Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Prompt - Essay Example Owning stuff is important in life for example you own a house. If one owns a home they are high chances of moving in that house and living in it as long as one likes. I am able to control myself and am able to install anything I want in the house since a got no limitation and I fill safe. The other advantage of owning a property is that the cost is reduced since in get it does not need to rent it from other people. The most things that make me grateful is that my friends made me who I am by motivating me. Spent most of their time with me until I realized my dream they were with me the time I needed them the most am grateful for they are friends with a purpose. Generally opposite does not attract it is just a believe for the most of the people. Most of the successful relations are not between the people who are polar opposite of each other. The people you are likely to meet and make friends with are not of the opposite your social circle is going to be made of people who have something in common between them. Mostly the behaviors most friends are of the same behavior and they are only comfortable when together. I would tell him to start a program that would enable the youths to realize their dreams and see their dreams come true. I would also tell him about starting a program of funding the youth and giving that will equalize all the youths in no matter the color. Discrimination among the youths is bad since it affects most of the youths life and they fill hated making them fill worthless in life. I had a friend who really inspired me in my school life I can’t say that he was perfect but all I can say is that he was right he made sure that he full filled his goal and achieved what was best for him he was ahead of me in school but I followed his steps. All I wanted in my entire school life is to live just like him he was my role model. He was not discriminative despite the color he was an inspiration

Is Ethical Soucing Souce of Competitive Advantage Literature review

Is Ethical Soucing Souce of Competitive Advantage - Literature review Example This discussion declares that  evironmental friendliness and its protection are also considered an essential element of ethical sourcing of goods and services.   Ethical sourcing is all about making right decisions at right time. Infact, it is regarded as an integral part of Corporate Social Responsibility in the modern business regime.This paper discusses that  after analyzing the various aspects of implementing ethical sourcing in various organization such as Starbucks, Nike etc the common benefits that one can attain from adopting the means of ethical manufacturing sourcing generally relate to a wider market audience and conformance with pre-defined ethical standards and principles that facilitate an organization to create brand image and adhere to the corporate social responsibility. Risk management is better managed through ethical sourcing right at the source or the grass root level that creates a sense of responsibility among the suppliers in terms of organizational comm itment towards ethical challenges and future goals.  Ethical sourcing saves an organization from the anguish of its customers and negative image that it can create in future, for instance Nike hires child to saw the football, because they simply have no consideration for social ethics but only profit. Such kind of an attitude certainly has a negative impact on the customers. Adopting ethical norms and protocols can save the organization of such embarrassment.... acilitator in reducing exorbitant costs by adopting supply chain sources that focus on developing supplier relationship management and attain benefits of compliance management. Moreover organizations are self motivated to monitor their actions and carry on regular self assessment. Ethical sourcing is an effective medium to reward positive and constructive suppler behavior that consistently drives for growing business and at the same time a means to penalize negative and unpleasant conduct as well. Disadvantages of Ethical Sourcing Ethical sourcing however is a hindrance that suppliers face in their normal course of business for instance organizations hold varied perception issues that suppliers hold in terms of the tools and equipments that might need for ethical sourcing, thus they prefer to avoid it. Organizations find it expensive to adopt ethical supply chain and distribution networks thus generally face lack of coalition among business and individual objectives (Wrobleski & Oza 2011) Many authors have given varied viewpoint regarding ethical sourcing. For instance Cathy Mejia said that it is highly important for an organization to adopt ethical sourcing as it helps in communicating the strong ethical values an organization upholds for its stakeholders. Economists like Davies and Crane, 2003, Wadha (2009), have also commented on the significance of Ethical sourcing saying that fair trade policies of an organization can actually help to shape up the organization structure to achieve long term goals and positive company image. For instance in a research done by Gennarwilson (2009), it was found that child slavery exists in cocoa industry where children are made to work for long hours and parents avoid sending them for education. Almost 90 million bunnies, 27 million

Copyright Essay Example for Free

Copyright Essay A Copyright it the sole privilege of the owner to duplicate or allow someone else to duplicate their work. Items that can be copyrighted are anything that one creates including but not limited to literary work such as articles, stories and even computer programs. Along with any graphics, pictures, music, song lyrics, screenplays and movies can also be copyrighted by their owner or creator. If there is a question if something is copyrighted it more than likely is copyrighted and you will need permission to use it if not that is considered copyright infringement which is wrong and punishable by law. Something as simple as printing a Web page, downloading a picture, printing and image even copy the HTML, JavaScript is considered infringement and against the law. If you chose to copy code from a Web site you must show the original author respect by properly citing the material and following necessary steps. You do so by asking for permission to use their material. To use text or an image from a Web site you just need to contact the owner and explain what you would like to use the text or image for and then ask to use it. No matter if an image or text does not have a copyright notice or not it is still covered by the copyright laws, (J Kyrnin 2012) It is important to protect your own images and text as well. To protect your images and text create a copyright notice for you Web site. Images can have watermarks among different copyright details using a unique software program. Companies such as Digimarc have created a technology that enables you to watermark images and the back ground for text. The watermark cannot be adjusted or changed by the user of the image or text. Even though browsers all for the copying of information it is important to never use another person works without notifying them and receiving their consent to use their material. It is crucial that you ask for the permission to use anything created by someone else on the Web and that you properly cite your sources for the information.

Management, Organisations and People Module Report Essay Example for Free

Management, Organisations and People Module Report Essay Introduction: The aim of this report is to provide an explanation to ‘Mimi Vasquez Hair and Beauty’ managers’ approach to leadership and go on to explore his relationship to his work group and how they have developed over time. It will first outline the methodology used to conduct this report and then go on to introduce the managers and workers and explain how their current work roles have developed over time. Subsequently, the report will provide an explanation to ‘Mimi Vasquez Hair and Beauty’ managers’ approach to leadership and go on to explore his relationship to his work group. To conclude the report, there will be a quick summary of what has already been mentioned and some limitations of the findings, methodology and related theories used in the report. The beauty salon which was named after its manager is privately owned and located in Chiswick in West London. In addition, it has two other branches located in Ealing and Hammersmith, both also within the West London area and owned by the same manager. All three of the beauty salons are relatively small in size making satisfactory profits and located just off the high streets in quieter areas. The first branch was opened in 1999 in Chiswick and the others followed on 5 years later, the Hammersmith branch being the newest. Method This report was conducted using both primary and secondary research. The primary research was collected directly from the manager and team members by interviewing them. By so doing, the research collected was new and wasn’t research that had already existed. Secondary research was collected through the use of books, the internet and articles and hence looking at existing data. Findings and discussion Behavioural theory As the manager, Mimi Vasquez, supervises and manages the overall performance of his staff and the business. His current work role is to analyse and recommend developing strategies on how to improve the quality of their services e.g. more speed and efficiency in cutting hair and accuracy with mixing colours of hair dye. These two examples are some of Mimi’s main targets and he wishes to have met these goals by July 2011. Mimi also examines ways to achieve his business goals of maximising profits and acknowledges that compensations and rewards have worked well in the past as they motivate and encourage staff to work better: Every year he elects 2 people as the most improved and most enthusiastic team members and rewards them in the form of bonuses and HMV vouchers. His work role also involves instructing his team members and allocating them to different parts of the salon when the day gets busy Moreover, this has played a great role in the development of Mimi’s leadership within the business. Yukl (2006, p5) defines leadership as- Leadership is the process wherein an individual member of a group or organization influences the interpretation of events, the choice of objectives and strategies, the organization of work activities, the motivation of people to achieve the objectives, the maintenance of cooperative relationships, the development of skills and confidence by member, and the enlistment of support and cooperation from people outside the group or organisation. Yukl’s definition very closely matches Mimi’s approach to leadership in the sense that it emphasizes the importance of ‘people skills’ and the social influence that leadership can have. One theory to provide evidence for this is the behaviour perspective. This theory claims that people become leaders because of what they do and this can be split into two different categories: task behaviour and relationship behaviour. Task behaviour places the main focus on the degree to which a leader emphasises productivity targets, goal accomplishments and maintaining standards. These behaviours can also be called ‘production-centred’ and it can be seen in Mimi’s leadership style when he uses HMV vouchers to motivate his staff to work harder and faster. Mimi has also said that rewards gave his staff an incentive to work and this played a crucial part in keeping them happy and full of energy, even towards the end of the day. Furthermore, relationship behaviour focuses on manager’s actions that show concern for their staff and their welfare as opposed to behaviours that concentrate on completing tasks. Although this contrasts to task behaviour, this can also be seen in Mimi’s leadership approach in the sense that he aims to improve his staff’s skills and help them gain more confidence in their job role. Trait perspective The controversy in defining leadership has enabled many different theories to be developed in an attempt to explain the meaning of a leader within a business or an organisation. Bratton (2010, p363) cited that ‘individuals who occupy leadership positions possess superior qualities or attributes compared with the traits possessed by non- leaders’. This view is known as the trait perspective and its’ theories such as the ‘great man theories’ focus mostly on positive characteristics such as stamina, intelligence and fluency in speech. Research in 1974 by Stogdill showed that socioeconomic factors also played a great role for example, very few corporate leaders had fathers who held a low class position or who were paid quite poorly. Stogdill also found that intelligence and fluency in speech were very closely related to leadership and used these traits to differentiate leaders from followers. He then concluded that there were ‘specific patterns’ of traits that occurred in some people which gave them an advantage when seeking a leadership position. Shabina and Mario also described their manager to hold very positive characteristics such as friendly, talkative, enthusiastic and organised and wasn’t like the other staff members at ‘Mimi Vasquez hair and beauty’ in the sense that he was much more determined. This therefore justifies why Mimi is a leader. In addition, research into ‘substitute’s for leadership’ claim that there should be a distinct difference between the leader and the followers in a business and there should be inflexible rules and formalized areas of responsibility in order to prevent the followers from being guided by their peers and replacing their existing leader. This would occur if the followers realized that their peers had the skills equivalent to their leader and they decided to follow them instead. Keith Grint (2005) also argues that successful leadership- Is not a list of innate skills and competences, or how much charisma you have, or whether you have a vision or a strategy for achieving that vision, but whether you have a capacity to learn from your followers. This again, provides evidence against the trait perspective stating that this is not what makes an effective leader. The shared/super leadership theory The founding of Mimi’s other branches, helped him gain experience which developed his role even further as he had to identify problems, make choices and provide alternatives actions to his initial plans. His role development throughout the years has been quite significant and his responsibilities have duplicated allowing him to improve his time management and organisation. Mario and Shabina are two team members of the salon who were also interviewed. Mario is a professional hair stylist whose work role involves restyling and cutting clients’ hair, dying, permanent hair straightening, Brazilian hair blow drying etc. His work role is crucial to the business as he has qualities and skills that require a lot of training and experience in order to gain. Mario’s work role has developed over the years as his experience has allowed him to move up the ladder in regards to the styles and haircuts he can confidently perform. The number of clients he reserves on a daily basis has also increased over the past 6 years of working at the salon showing an improvement in his abilities. He is now responsible for his own clients as before he would only deal with Mimi’s clients and help around. However, he is still in a lower position to Mimi and is usually responsible for making sure that Mimi’s clients are booked in for the dates and times they requested, making sure none of the time slots clash with one another. The Shared/super leadership theory suggests that excellent leaders are those who help their followers develop by acting as their teacher rather than keeping all of their knowledge to themselves. To add, Peter Senge(1990) also stated that ‘leaders are designers, stewards and teachers’ which supports the view. Mimi has constantly trained his team members, in particularly Mario and this also adds towards the statement that Mimi is an effective leadership. Fiedler’s leadership contingency theory Shabina is the only beautician at ‘Mimi Vasquez Hair and Beauty’ and her role involves taking care of her own customers and making her own bookings as well as offering all of the services; waxing, laser hair removal, threading, massages etc. Her role doesn’t involve anything to do with hair, and she works in her own room downstairs. However, Mimi is her manager also and so it is her responsibility to follow all of his guidelines and instructions. Her role has developed over the past 3 years as she first started out as an assistant, cleaning around and helping the beautician. She then worked her way up by gaining experience and qualifications and developed her role into a full-time professional beautician. Fiedler’s leadership contingency theory proposes that the effectiveness of the leader depends on whether the leadership style is matched with the followers and the environment. It is based on 3 main assumptions: 1) leader-member relations, which relate to whether the leader receives support, respect and trust of the followers; 2) task structure, which relates to how structured the tasks performed by followers are; 3) position power, which relates to the formal authority that the leader can exert through the use of punishment and rewards. This theory can explain Mimi’s leadership style as it explains why Mimi’s leadership is effective and hence how he has been able to successfully run the business for so many years. In relation to this theory, Mimi is placed to be known as a relationship-orientated leader and so it explains that his team members have been able to develop throughout the years because of his concern for them. The situational leadership theory Mimi’s relationship to his group is fairly hierarchical where he would force influence upon others to do something that they otherwise wouldn’t. This hair and beauty business is a good example as it shows how Mario takes responsibility for making bookings for both, his and Mimi’s clients. The group itself had developed over the years as they have slowly started to work as a team, helping each other and finishing each other’s jobs off when the salon gets busy. In 1999, manager Mimi’s Vasquez’s main roles were to simply open and close the salon, receive payments for the service provided and order raw materials such as; hair dye, scissors, wax etc. Now, with the growth of the business, all of the team members in the salon have developed their roles as they have had to cover for each other and enhance coordination skills. The situational leadership model is where the leaders’ leadership style depends on the maturity of the followers; it can explain that why Mimi trusts his staff to look after his salon whilst he is in a different branch. The friendly nature of the business also allows Mimi to be less formal and more flexible with rules and procedures. Bratton (2010, p.370) states that ‘Follower maturity is determined by the ability and willingness of the followers to accept responsibility for completing their work’. The fact that each team member has their own set of responsibilities proves that their levels of maturity are very high and hence can explain why Mimi’s rules are quite flexible, according to Mario and Shabina. Conclusion The report has explored Mimi’s approach to leadership using the behavioural, trait, shared/super leadership, contingency and situational theories and it can clearly be seen that leadership is not easily defined and its effectiveness isn’t easily measured. It has also outlined the work roles of the manager as well as the team members and explained how their roles have developed. To conclude, although the report gives a sense of idea of what Mimi’s leadership approach may be, in reality it is very hard to accurately describe using only one theory. Appendix Bratton, J. (2010) Work and organisational behaviour. 2nd edn, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan Grint,K.(2005) Leadership: limits and possibilities, Basingstoke: Palgrave Senge, P.M.(1990) The Fifth Discipline. New York: Currency/Doubleday Yukl, G.(2006) Leadership in organizations.6th edn, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall

Health Promotion in Adult Nursing: Adult Asthma Case Study

Health Promotion in Adult Nursing: Adult Asthma Case Study This essay will address how to help a 20 year old asthma sufferer bring to an end his recurrent admissions to hospital because of acute exacerbations in his asthma. Asthma is a common and chronic inflammatory disorder of the airways, associated with marked health and economic consequences. It is estimated that approximately 5.2 million people in the United Kingdom (UK) suffer from asthma, making the condition the most common long term illness in this country. Asthma accounts for 1,400 deaths per annum, with a third of these being among individuals under 65 years of age. Similarly, asthma also accounts for about 69,000 hospital admissions a year. It is estimated that more than half of the 5.2 million people with asthma in the UK do not have adequate symptom control. While 500,000 of these have asthma that is difficult to control with available medication, and are thought to be resistant to corticosteroids, asthma is not well controlled in approximately 2.1 million people for reasons s uch as non-concordance with medication (Asthma UK, 2004, pp3-7). As already mentioned asthma is a long-term chronic condition (LTC) and although chronic illness is not a newly-recognised phenomenon, the incidence and prevalence has significantly increased over the second half of the 20th century and continues to rise in the 21st century (Howie, 2005, p318). This is not least because of the aging population and advances in medical science diminishing the impact of infectious diseases. In addition, the emergence of unhealthy lifestyles is arguably the trigger for many non-communicable diseases such as chronic heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to which asthma has similar pathophysiology. (Nissinen et al, 2001, p963). It is estimated that in the UK over 17.5 million people are affected by a LTC and 8.8 million have long term illness that severely limits their day to day ability to cope. It is proposed that those aged over 65 affected by a LTC are more likely to have multiple long term conditions, which makes care particularly complex. Debatably, unhealthy lifestyles and an aging population are the reasons for the high prevalence of LTCs contributing towards the large financial costs in caring for these patients who occupy up to 42 percent of all acute hospital bed days (Department of Health (DH), 2005b, p10). Arguably, these issues indicate that these patients are not receiving the care in ways that meet their needs or the needs of the health system. It is proposed that this is why management of LTCs is of specific importance to current Government health strategies. To this effect, numerous policy documents have been published that define the present philosophies for the management of LTCs. One particular policy; The National Service Framework (NSF) for Long Term Conditions was published by the DH in March 2005 (DH, 2005b, p24). The NSF predominantly concentrates on individuals’ with long-term neurological conditions. However, it is anticipated that to a great extent the guidance presented could be relevant to all long-term conditions. The document has outlined 11 â€Å"quality requirements† and among others there are various ones that are particularly pertinent to Steven Williams’s case. These include the provision of person-centred care and choice, the offering of information and support for the safe and effective use of medicines, the supporting of self care and the consideration of health promotion needs. It is suggested that in order to meet Steven’s needs he will require support and education so that he can make informed choices. Metcalf (2005, p60) suggests that informed choice for those with LTCs is the key to success and a means of examining issues pertaining to non-concordance, risk taking behaviours and patient choice. As already mentioned, Steven began to smoke when he started attending university. Cigarette smoking is implicated as a health-risk behaviour and there is evidence to suggest that active smoking in adults with asthma increases asthma severity. A study by Siroux et al, (2000, p470) on the relationships of active smoking to asthma and asthma severity, found that current smokers with asthma had more asthma symptoms, more frequent asthma attacks (≠¥ 1 attack per day) and scored higher on the asthma severity scores, compared to those asthma sufferers who had never smoked and ex-smokers. Other trigger factors that can exacerbate asthma symptoms include house dust mites, pet allergens, pollen, moulds and fungal spores, certain drugs such as asprin and beta blockers, occupational triggers and viral respiratory tract infections (Roberts, 2002, p46). Arguably, in Steven’s case, alongside his lack of concordance with his asthma medication, it is suggested that his smoking habit is a key factor in his acute asthma exacerbations. Therefore, it is proposed that Steven needs help with smoking cessation and education on the side effects and concordance of his medication. Numerous approaches are presently being utilised for smoking cessation. These approaches incorporate pharmacological methods, such as nicotine replacement therapy or antidepressants, hypnotherapy, and exercise supported interventions. Behavioural approaches include stage based interventions, which mainly use the transtheoretical model (Prochaska, DiClemente Norcross, 1992, p1102-14) and this model divides people into five different stages. These are the precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance stages. The justification behind â€Å"staging† people, as such, is to fit the therapy to a person’s need at his or her particular point in the change process. Succession through the stages is in order, although relapses to previous stages can happen. The model also recognises 10 processes of change, the theory being that the effectiveness of the different processes of change will vary according to the patient’s stage. Arguably, however, this h as not repeatedly been defended in empirical research (Sutton, 2000, p31). It is proposed that it would be necessary for health professionals to recognise precisely an individual’s stage of change, or readiness to change. This is so that an intervention based on â€Å"stage specific processes† of change can be employed. It is important that the stage of change is re-evaluated regularly, and that the intervention should reflect changes in the individual’s willingness to change. These elements of the intervention can be continual until the person accomplishes and sustains the change in behaviour. In this way, stage based interventions develop and adjust in answer to the individual’s progression through the stages of change. Therefore it is debated that stage based models recommend that interventions that take into account the existing stage of the individual will be much more successful and efficient than one size fits all interventions (Prochaska, DiClemente Norcross, 1992, p1103). Having said this however, the stages of change t heory does not take into account any outside influences that might have an impact on a person’s ability to change. It is proposed that Steven recognises that he has a problem and has asked for help. Therefore, it is suggested that this places him in the contemplation stage. It is suggested therefore, that Steven needs to be given help and advice that will lead him to the preparation for action stage. In doing this, debatably, it will be necessary for Steven to assess his feelings regarding his smoking behaviour. It is important therefore that health professionals who are using behavioural change models for smoking cessation are thoroughly trained in the procedure or at least are aware of the availability of a smoking cessation nurse. Ethically, it is argued that health professionals have a duty of care to help patients like Steven live healthier lifestyles. However, ethically Steven has the right to autonomy in his lifestyle choices (Tschudin, 2003, p151). It is proposed that inhaled corticosteroids are still the most effective preventer drug for attaining treatment objectives (British Thoracic Society, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (BTS, SIGN, 2004, Chapter 4, p2). Steven has voiced concerns about the effects of steroids and this has stopped him taking his preventative inhaler. Similarly, he only uses his reliever inhaler when he becomes extremely wheezy. This is in accordance with Bender’s (2002, p554) suggestion that one of the reasons people do not take their medication is because they are worried about side effects. It is argued that this could be because their initial concerns might have not been fully addressed by health professionals (Carter et al, 2003, p27). It is proposed that nurses are ideally placed to educate patients on the benefits of medication concordance. It is important that a nurse thoroughly explains the necessity of the treatment and any subsequent side effects. Inhaled corticosteroids are t he main preventative treatment for asthma sufferers. When taken twice daily at a low dose, corticosteroids are highly effective in reducing asthmatic symptoms, improving lung function, and reducing cellular inflammation. Systemic effects are rare on a low dose and most asthma patients are extremely well controlled on a low dose inhaler. Adverse local effects can include dysphonia and oral candidiasis. These symptoms can be relieved by either gargling or rinsing the mouth with water after inhalation (Roberts, 2002, p48). It is proposed that if Steven regularly takes his preventative inhaler then his asthma will be better controlled and he is much less likely to need systemic corticosteroids that can have adverse side effects such as weight gain and thinning of the skin when taken long-term. The NSF quality requirements of person-centred care and choice, and the offering of advice on the use of medication are relevant to the case mentioned, as is the consideration of health promotion needs. The patient will require help in giving up smoking as this is a major factor contributing to his repeat admissions to hospital. Help in the correct use of his medication is also required if he is to remain free from episodes of acute asthma. Nurses caring for patients like Steven will need to know what help is available with smoking cessation and the various options that can be offered to individuals who want to cease smoking. The Prochaska and DiClemente model of behaviour change is commonly used in smoking cessation; however, its effectiveness is questionable. References Asthma UK (2004) Where do we stand, http://www.asthma.org.uk/how_we_help/publishing_reports/index.html (last accessed: June 25th 2007) Bender BG (2002) Overcoming barriers to nonadherence in asthma treatment, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 109 Supplement 6, S554-559 British Thoracic Society, Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (BTS, SIGN) (2004) British Guideline on the Management of Asthma: A National Clinical Guideline, revised edition, Edinburgh, http://www.sign.ac.uk/guidelines/published/support/guideline63/download.html, chapter4, (last accessed: June 26th 2007) Carter S, Taylor D Levenson R (2003) A Question of Choice: Compliance in Medicine Taking, Medicines Partnership, London Department of Health (2005b) The National Service Framework for Long-term Conditions, http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Healthandsocialcaretopics/Longtermconditions/index.htm (last accessed: June 25th 2007) Howie K (2005) Long-term conditions, Practice Nursing, 16, 7, 318 Metcalf J (2005) The management of patients with long-term conditions, Nursing Standard, 19, 45, 53-60 Nissinen A, Berrios X Puska P (2001) Community-based noncommunicable disease intervention: lessons from developed countries for developing ones, Bulletin of the World Health Organisation, 79, 963-970, http://www.who.int/bulletin/archives/79(10)963.pdf (last accessed: June 25th 2007) Prochaska JO, DiClemente CC Norcross JC (1992) In search of how people change: Applications to addictive behaviors, American Psychologist, 47, 1102-14 Roberts J (2002) The management of poorly controlled asthma, Nursing Standard, 16, 21, 45-51 Tschudin V (2003) Ethics in Nursing: The Caring Relationship, Third edition, Butterworth Heinemann, London Siroux V, Pin I, Oryszczyn MP, Le Moual N, Kauffmann F (2000) Relationships of active smoking to asthma and asthma severity in the EGEA study, European Respiratory Journal, 15, 3, 470–477 Sutton S (2000) A critical review of the transtheoretical model applied to smoking cessation. In: Norman P, Abraham C, Conner M, eds. Understanding and changing health behaviour: from health beliefs to self-regulation. Amsterdam: Harwood Academic Press

Puritan effect on Literature Essay -- essays research papers

Literature has always revealed a great deal about the attitudes and beliefs of different cultures. Puritan authors in the late 17th and early 18th centuries wrote poems, persuasive speeches, stories, and first hand accounts that reveal their thoughts, feelings, and beliefs. Described especially was the Puritan’s deep regard for religion and their fear and love of God. William Bradford’s Of Plymouth Plantation was written in 1630 as a description of Bradford’s experiences in the New World. The main purpose of his account was to persuade those who remained in England to come to America. He described in detail the benefits of religious freedom. Religion played an extremely important role in the lives of early Puritans. Bradford described how God helps the Pilgrims make their way safely across the perilous waters to safety. He wrote: â€Å"†¦they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of Heaven who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean†¦again to set their feet on the firm and stable earth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Bradford was appealing to the high interest in God’s divine intervention amongst the people. Bradford also described in his documentation the sickness and famine faced by the people and the communal effort to help the suffering. Bradford said: â€Å"†¦in the time of most distress, there was but six or seven sound persons who to their great commendations, be it spoke, spared no pains night or day, but with abundance of toil and hazard of their own health, fetched them wood, made them fire...

Naïveté in Flannery OConnor’s Good Country People Essay -- OConnor G

Naà ¯vetà © in Flannery O'Connor’s Good Country People In "Good Country People," Flannery O'Connor skillfully presents a story from a third-person point of view, in which the protagonist, Joy-Hulga, believes that she is not one of those good country people. Joy is an intelligent and educated but emotionally troubled young woman, struggling to live in a farm environment deep in the countryside of the southeast United States, where she feels that she does not belong. Considering herself intellectually superior to the story's other characters, she experiences an epiphany that may lead her to reconsider her assumptions. Her experience marks a personal transition for her and constitutes the story's theme--the passage from naà ¯vetà © to knowledge. O'Connor crafts the story so that the plot does not actually begin until insight into the characters has been provided. The limited omniscience persona of the narrative voice alternates between Joy and her mother, Mrs. Hopewell. The exposition provides an understanding of how the characters have developed the personality traits they possess when the drama begins to take place, which is on a Friday evening during the Spring sometime during the mid-1950s. The exposition demonstrates how Joy develops the social and philosophical assumptions that deeply affect the way she sees herself and relates to others. A view into Joy-Hulga's past reveals why she has so much internal conflict and needs to empower herself through the constant judgment of others. What most strongly sets her apart from others is her prosthetic leg, which she has been wearing since her real leg was shot off at ten years of age in a hunting accident. Enduring teasing and other social hardships caused by her disability has led... ...she has also lost the foundation of her identity, her leg. She is faced with the realization that she has been naà ¯ve all along. In her pattern of being quick to make assumptions to build her own self esteem, Joy-Hulga has not used her intelligence in a socially beneficial way. The results of her shocking experience could be one of many, but considering Joy-Hulga's personality, she is likely to become even more defensive, hostile, and antisocial. She might become less willing to trust others, especially those who come across as "good country people." One would hope, however, that Joy will continue to recognize and admit her own naà ¯vetà © and to make fewer assumptions about the naà ¯vetà © of others. Work Cited O'Connor, Flannery. "Good Country People." Literature: Reading Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Ed. Robert DiYanni. 5th ed. New York, NY: McGraw, 2002. 181-194.

Entrepreneurship for Social Change Essay -- Social Issues, Business, O

Entrepreneurship for social change: Is the U.S. doing enough to encourage and support sustainable social innovation? Introduction: Throughout U.S. history the nonprofit and government sectors have addressed needs that are not being met by the marketplace through the provision of a variety of social goods and services ranging from health and human services to environmental conservation. In response to increased demand for these services, the number of nonprofits has grown by 59% over the past 20 years (Powell and Steinberg, 2006; NCCS, 2010). There are now over 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the U.S. which account for 5 percent of GDP, 8.1 percent of the economy’s wages, and 9.7 percent of jobs (Wing, 2008). Over the same time period, government social programs also rapidly expanded in number and per capita cost (OCED, 2010) . While the social sector contributes significantly to societal well-being, traditional approaches have proven unable to fully address critical social problems or deal effectively with increased need. In the past, good intentions were enough; however, the recent push towards increased organizational transparency and accountability left stakeholders – politicians, government contract administrators, leaders in the social sector, and service recipients – demanding more. This created a paradigm shift, both internal to and external to the sector, in the expectations for social sector providers. Not only do organizations need more entrepreneurial approaches to provide innovative and more efficient ways of tackling difficult social problems, but also a commitment to increased outcomes-based program performance assessment. In light of the current fiscal situation, the sector is also experienci... ...nefits that SEs offer because the sector still lacks sufficient government and public awareness and support. The OSICP and SIF establish a framework for federal involvement in the social innovation process; however, they are merely a launching point for continued discussion. Countries like the UK provide an example of the positive impact that government support for SE can have in building the necessary bridges between business, nonprofits, and the government. As the government gains a better understanding of the capabilities and challenges associated with social innovation, it will be better positioned to establish the institutional structures and environmental conditions for SE to flourish. When supported appropriately, SEs can provide a self-sustaining, inclusive opportunity to strengthen the national economy while simultaneously serving a social need.

Epic Conventions Essay

1. The story beings in medias res. In Medias Res is Latin for â€Å"it begins in the middle of things† and then has flashbacks to explain action leading up to that point. In Paradise Lost, for example, the story begins after Satan and his fellow rebellious angels have been cast from heaven, by God, into Hell. The war in heaven has taken place and Satan is making plans for the ruination of the coming realm of men, Earth, particularly Eden and God’s new creatures, Adam and Eve. 2. The story begins with an invocation (prayer) to a god or gods. The poet, Milton, attempts to recapture the Homeric tradition of reciting an epic poem to an audience, say at a feast. To that end he begins by calling for a blessing – for the Christian god whom he refers to in pagan terms as the â€Å"Heav’nly Muse,† Milton invokes the pagan ideology that the called upon god or muse came into the man therefore it was not the poet who recited, but the god in the poet’s body. Poet’s, then, were considered very sacred, for they could call down a god and have the god in them, at least temporarily. We continue to have the remnants of this belief, of course. We often think of poets or of any true artist as being different or touched by a special hand. In the case of the beginning of Paradise Lost, the poet says something like â€Å"Sing Heav’nly Muse†¦ say first what cause moved our grand parents in that happy state †¦ to fall off from their creator† 3. The story begins with a statement of theme. Always, because these poems are so long and so complex, although the basic stories would have been familiar to the audiences, the poet would begin with announcing what the recitation was to be about. That way, everyone could focus on and appreciate, not so much WHAT was being said, but the WAY THAT IT WAS PRESENTED. In essence, Milton’s Paradise Lost retells the story of Genesis but presents it as an epic poem. We are no stranger to that concept; we go to concerts where we may already know all of the song. So, we go to hear the presentation of the songs, which add to our concepts of the meaning and significance of those songs. 4. The story has many epithets. These epithets are re-naming of the characters, gods, or things by stock phrases. An example is the renaming of Satan as â€Å"th’ Arch-Enemy†, â€Å"th’ apostate angel†, â€Å"O Prince† or â€Å"O Chief of many throned Powers† and even â€Å"fall’n Cherub. † It is important for us to notice these epithets, first, because they add description, and second, because we get confused about who is doing what if we do not recognize the epithets as well as the names. 5. The story uses catalogues of things and characters; there are many lists, both long and short. Just as the Old Testament has catalogues of genealogies – you remember all those begets – just so do ancient epics keep track of the lists of history. In both Book One and Book Two of Paradise Lost, for example, there is a list of the principal angels who fell from grace as Satan’s compatriots. Also listed are their various names and places where they will be worshipped as gods of pagan faiths. 6. There are long formal speeches by many characters. You will not have any trouble spotting these. Sometimes they happen in the heat of battle and other seemingly inappropriate times, but more often they occur at various kinds of meetings, as in an assembly of chieftains. Book One of Paradise Lost is filled with such formal speeches, key among them Satan’s with his famous line â€Å"better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav’n. † 7. Gods intervene in the affairs of human beings in these stories. For example, in Book Seven of Paradise Lost, Cherubim, Ithuriel and Zephon, sent by God to Eden, find Satan, â€Å"squat like a toad, close at the ear of Eve. † They confront him before more damage is done in terms of corrupting Eve. 8. Epics frequently have epic digressions. These are passages that do not further the action of the story because they are asides or because they are repetitions. Remember that these recitations did not have TV replay shots. The audience had to remember a vast amount of material, so redundancy or reminding them of background material would have been helpful to them. For example, In Book Seven of paradise Lost, Adam’s conversation with the angel Raphael becomes, in some instances, a recounting of Genesis and even digresses into the topic of angel’s mating habits. Yet another use for the digression is to provide a prologue of sorts, as an introduction seems overlooked due to the epic convention of beginning the poem in medias res. Also this aside more firmly orients the poem’s audience, given its vast setting, the cosmos. 9. The settings of these stories are vast. Paradise Lost is concerned with the mortal geocentric universe, from Hell to Chaos to the Earthly and Heavenly planes. The stories use the epic simile. An epic simile is a long comparison of two things that are in different classes. They make vivid an image and describes or clarifies. An example can be found in the extensive comparison of Satan, a fallen angel formerly the epitome of celestial light and beauty, to one of the Titans Briareos, whom led the revolt of the Titans against Zeus. Like Briareos, Satan is a vast creature covered in darkness. He is likened to Leviathan, a sea-beast, concealed in the ocean’s dark depths, or an illusory island hidden in the dark. But the great Leviathan, possibly the whale in Jonah’s unfortunate encounter, can rise from the imprisoning dark or return to it after becoming beached upon shore. Satan rose from the depths of Hell to enter Eden, though he could not of course remain. 10. The heroes embody the values of their civilization. In Milton’s time the medieval practice of physiognomy was still much employed. After Chaucer’s example in the Canterbury Tales, physical facade’s, particularly the face, are believed expressions of a person’s internal moral state. For example, much is made of Satan’s former beauty, an expression of the former purity of his ethical and moral internal being. His former beauty and grace, expressed in terms of light and luster become dim in his confrontation with Ithuriel and Zephon, Cherubim, formerly of a lesser angelic order than Satan, who still in the service of God retain that luminosity of his grace. Paradoxically, the description of Satan as a monstrous, leviathan-like figure is juxtaposed in the poem with his nearly angelic appearance. Fittingly, since Milton’s time, physiognomy has fallen out of usage, as many accept evil and malicious intent often has a comely facade.

International Law Essay

An international legal order is not just a matter of prudence; it is a requirement that derives from a rather essential moral obligation, the (limited) obligation to help ensure that all persons have admittance to institutions that protect their most essential human rights (DJ Harris, 1991). Though, offered international legal order gives a prominent role to states need not consequence in overly conservative conclusions[1]. International law whose major elements must be justice rather than politics based in two senses: (1) justice, understood mainly as respect for basic human rights, serves as the basic vantage point from which to assess the existing international legal system and to originate proposals for improving it; and (2) a recognition of the moral compulsion to help ensure that all persons have access to institutions of justice understood as institutions that care for their basic human rights—supplies the chief moral cause for trying to develop an international legal system directed by the ideal of justice. International law can be stated in the form of four basic theses. (1) Justice has to to be a primary goal of the international legal system, where the major content of justice is supplied by an outset of basic human rights. (2) Legality, both for states (understood as long-term institutional structures) and governments (understood as collections of agents inhabiting key institutional roles) requires a convincing effort to please at least a minimal threshold standard of protection of basic human rights by means that value those same rights. (3) Rights of autonomy are constrained by the claims of legitimacy, and therefore eventually by justice. The right to pull out, understood as the unilateral right or nonconsensual entitlement to seek autonomous statehood by groups currently within the jurisdiction of a state, is a corrective right only, a right that a group comes to have by virtue of importunate and serious violations of the human rights of its members, or of rights given on them by intrastate autonomy agreements, or by virtue of infringement of the rights of legitimate states (as when one state unfairly annexes another). Hence there is no right to separate from a legitimate state with a legitimate government, unless secession is by mutual agreement or constitutional provision. (4) Groups can have legitimate interests in diverse forms of self-determination short of secession without having a right to pull out, and the international legal order ought to give active support for democracy (Katzenstein, Peter, 1996). Recognizing that we ought to use our domestic political resources to hold a system of international law intended to ensure that all persons’ rights are respected is quite companionable with a clear recognition that government has no independent moral status and no independent legitimate interests, but is to be considered strictly as a fiduciary, and that the state is formed for individuals rather than vice versa (Martin Dixon & Robert McCorquodale, 2003). However, the trick is to understand how popular sovereignty in a system of states can be made well-suited with state policy in support of a more just international legal order. The means to seeing how this compatibility can be attained is to realize that popular sovereignty does not mean unlimited sovereignty[2]. Instead, popular sovereignty means simply that the people of a state are the definitive source of political authority within the state and that government is primarily to function as their agent. The degree of the peoples’ sovereignty—including the limits placed on it by international law and the moral limits on how it might be exercised that are imposed by the natural duty of justice—are another matter. According to moderate cosmopolitanism, we do have moral compulsions beyond our own borders, but these are seen as being well-suited with giving special priority to the requirements and interests of our fellow citizens. The view is cosmopolitan as it distinguishes genuine moral obligations to those outside our own polity, and that for this reason the special precedence given to our own polity cannot be absolute. It is reasonable because it rejects the extreme cosmopolitan position that all of our particular obligations, together with our obligations to our fellow citizens, are severely derivative upon our obligations to humanity at large. The shift from the optional association view to recognition of the justice understood as a restrained cosmopolitanism does not end debates concerning whether and how to use our state’s resources to sustain efforts to achieve moral progress in and through international law; it only makes it probable to engage in them. For one thing, there is the exceptionally difficult issue of how much priority we might give to our own interests and how great the costs are that we should bear in helping to protect the rights of those who are not our fellow citizens (Martin Dixon, 1993). One of the most reflective changes that have occurred in the international legal system since the 1960s is that partaking in the processes that specify the content of human rights has been deeply broadened, as membership of the UN became open to all countries, including former colonies. In contrast, all through most of the history of the international legal system, membership was restricted to a handful of Western states. Perhaps even more significant, the significant growth of transnational, nongovernmental organizations increasingly allows for meaningful participation in the development of specifying norms that is not completely controlled by states[3]. There are two motives to welcome these developments. First, broader participation can be apparent to reduce the risk of parochial biases in moral reasoning concerning which rights are truly human rights and how their content is to be tacit The specification of human rights norms that would consequence from a process of operationalization in which the simply participants were Westerners or representatives of Western states might be quite diverse from one in which a broader sampling of humanity participated. Second, quite excepting the fact that broader participation is, other things being equal, more probable to capture effectively the content of norms that are supposed to apply to all human beings, not just to Western Europeans, subjectively restricted participation impugns the legality of the process of operationalization and thereby threatens to weaken the effectiveness of appeals to human rights in the international legal order as a whole. The first benefit of extensive participation is epistemic, the idea being that a system that features broad participation is more expected to result in an accurate requirement of the content of human rights norms; the subsequent concerns procedural justice and its contribution to professed legitimacy, not the quality of the outcome of the process. By attributing the right to be renowned as a legitimate state to a new political entity, the international legal order signals that it is all set to take its place in the system of states, fulfilling the functions that only states have and enjoying the rights, liberties, privileges, and immunities atypical to states. By uncoupling the legitimate interests that diverse groups can have in self-determination from the independent right to secede, and by extrication self-determination from nationality, the international legal order can and must encourage creative departures from the centralized-state; â€Å"unbundled† autonomy paradigm that fuels secession yet virtually never solves the problems that give rise to it. Limitation of the unilateral right to secede to a corrective right would liberate states to consider intrastate autonomy arrangements without getting on a slippery slope toward their own dissolution[4]. Discontent minorities would be expectant to opt for intrastate sovereignty as an alternative to secession by reassuring them of international monitoring of and support for conformity with autonomy agreements in high-risk cases. Dangerously broad references in international legal documents to an international legal right to autonomy should be replaced by clear statements of the independent right to secede as a remedial right only and by language that uncouples the right to pull out from legitimate interests in autonomy and uncouples self-determination and nationality. International law must support the legitimate interests of national minorities by intensification human rights against discrimination and by encouraging states to search forms of intrastate autonomy, rather than by recognizing a â€Å"right of autonomy of peoples† that legitimizes secession by such groups (Samuel Barkin and Bruce Cronin, 1994). International recognition of a unilateral right to intrastate independence in certain special, rather narrow circumstances. First while international law recognizes a group’s right to secede, it must also distinguish the right of the group to opt for intrastate autonomy if it so chooses. Second, while a group (whether it is a nation or not) qualifies on corrective grounds for a unilateral right to disaffiliate but opts instead for intrastate autonomy, the international legal order must recognize its legal right to independence and play a positive role in negotiations to originate an appropriate intrastate autonomy arrangement and must apply appropriate measures to monitor conformity with it. Third, international law must recognize and support intrastate autonomy for indigenous groups when they are desired to rectify serious injustices suffered by such groups. Fourth and finally, where establishment of an intrastate autonomy establishment for a minority is the only way to avert it from suffering large-scale violations of basic human rights, an intrastate autonomy regime can be imposed upon a state through a proper international legal process (Ruggie, John Gerard, 1993). The international legal community must construct a more ethically defensible and practicable international legal practice regarding involvement for the sake of protecting basic human rights, one that does not need Security Council authorization in every instance (under the current arrangement in which each undying member of the Council has a veto). A new practice of intervention, so far as it pertains to secessionist conflicts, should be shaped by and consistent with the remedial right only approach to an international legal right to unilateral secession. Subject to apt constraints that apply to justified humanitarian interventions usually (proportional force, protection of noncombatants, etc.), states must be allowed under international law to mediate to support groups that are known in international law as having the unilateral right to secede, if other means of restoring the group’s grievances have failed or offer little viewpoint of success in a timely manner[5]. Generally speaking, international law must prohibit states from intervening militarily to support secession by groups that are not renowned under international law as having the independent right to secede and should support legitimate states in their efforts to resist illegal secessions. Exceptions to this overview could include cases where the state has endured in using unlawful means of war to restrain an illegal secession (for example, indiscriminate and/or inconsistent military force or efforts to suppress the secession that amount to genocide). References: DJ Harris, Cases and Materials on International Law Fourth Edition, (London: Sweet and Maxwell, 1991). J. Samuel Barkin and Bruce Cronin, â€Å"The State and the Nation: Norms and the Rules of Sovereignty in International Relations†, International Organization 48, 1 (1994): 107-8. Katzenstein, Peter J., ed. The Culture of National Security: Norms and Identity in World Policies. New York: Columbia University Press, 1996. Martin Dixon & Robert McCorquodale, Cases and Materials on International Law (4th ed., Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press/Blackstone Press, 2003). Martin Dixon , Textbook on International Law, 2nd ed. ( London: Blackstone Press, 1993). Ruggie, John Gerard. â€Å"Territoriality and Beyond: Problematizing Modernity in International Relations.† International Organization 47, no. 1 (1993): 139–174. Foot Notes Slaughter, Anne-Marie, ‘International Law and International Relations Theory: A Dual Agenda’, American Journal of International Law 87 (1993). Teson, Fernando, A Philosophy of International Law (Westview, Boulder, CO, 1998). Rubin, Alfred, Ethics and Authority in International Law (Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1997). Scheffler, Samuel, ‘Conceptions of Cosmopolitanism’, Utilitas 11 (1999). Kingsbury, Benedict, ‘Sovereignty and Inequality’, European Journal of International Law 9 (1998). [1]   Slaughter, Anne-Marie, ‘International Law and International Relations Theory: A Dual Agenda’, 205-39 [2] Kingsbury, Benedict, ‘Sovereignty and Inequality’, 599-625. [3] Scheffler, Samuel, ‘Conceptions of Cosmopolitanism’, 255-76. [4] Teson, Fernando, A Philosophy of International Law, 78-79. [5] Rubin, Alfred, Ethics and Authority in International Law, 122.