Constitutional Policing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Constitutional Policing - Research Paper Example stood their duties as far as the constitution is concerned, however, there are instances where they have been seen overstep their mandate in the process of constitutional implementation. When this happens, the individual or party that is offended has the right to take the matter to courts for prosecution or constitutional interpretation of the validity of the action done by the police (Zotti, Dubs & Machado 2005). In this case, the United States Police are said to have overstepped their mandate and failed to follow the constitutional procedure in arresting Weeks, in establishment of this case; the police had entered Weeks home and seized his papers, convicting him later of transporting lottery tickets through mail. What Fremont weeks was not happy about is the search in his house was done without a search warrant, something that he thought was unconstitutional in his thinking. Later, Fremont weeks decided to report and take the police to court, protesting that they searched his house unconstitutionally without a search warrant and confiscated his work documents. In the process, he also decided to petition the court to return his private possession since he relied on them to do his work. In reaching its unanimous decision, the court agreed that the process by which Week’s possession was seized by the police was wrong and unconstitutional. At the same time, the court ruled that the decision by the government to withhold and refuse to hand back Weeks possession was also unconstitutional. Allowing seizure of an individual’s private documents and using them as evidence against him would be interpreted is being of no value, this would make it impossible to protect citizens against such searches and seizures as put forth in the Fourth Amendment. It is important o understand that the first application of this law later became the first of its own, setting precedence in future cases that would take the same path, it was later referred to as the â€Å"exclusionary

Denim (Jeans) Market in the U.K Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Denim (Jeans) Market in the U.K - Essay Example Consumers can now find jeans at  £3 in many outlets including Tesco and Matalan. The supermarkets however, have shifted away from selling the discounted brands and concentrate on building their own labels. Prices in the mass market have fallen due to cheaper imports especially from China, and because other retail brands like Marks & Spencer, Next, and Burtons have reduced their prices. The premium brand jeans are struggling to justify their price tags against the own-label brands at  £20-40. Jeans in the UK market are trying to differentiate themselves with cult connotations, lifestyle images, and distinctive details (Mintel 2005). At the same time, below-cost pricing methods by the super markets and their increasing presence in the convenience store sector have prompted government intervention (BBC 2006). In the clothing industry and in the jeans industry in particular, several factors like innovation and new products have to be introduced frequently. Recently, when there was a shift from bootleg jeans to narrow skinny styles, sales went up remarkably high. This has caused the denim market to reach sales of $15.26 billion ( £8.79 billion) in 2005, an increase of 9.3 percent from the year before (FashionUnited 2006). .At the same time, research suggests that brands continue to play an important role for the purchase of jeans (Jeans1 2006). Standard clothing seems to the major market, with fashion wear taking only about 15% of all sales (Keynote n.d.). Standard women’s wear has the largest share and national players dominate these sectors while fashion clothing also have strong but regional chains. The growth in the recent years has been in the discount clothing market. Jeans are ageless and not outrageously youthful in design, which effectively means that men, women and children of all ages use it. Consumers expect low prices, and increasing incomes are the key to increased economic activity. According to Jones and Hayes

Exploring The Practice Of Supervision

Exploring The Practice Of Supervision Supervision is the practice where a counsellor can talk to a professional who is trained to identify any psychological or behavioural changes in the counsellor that could be due to an inability to cope with issues presented by clients. A supervisor is also responsible for challenging practices and procedures, developing improved or different techniques, and informing clients of alternative theories and/or new practices, as well as industry changes. The supportive and educative process of supervision is aimed toward assisting supervisees in the application of counselling theory and techniques to client problems (Bernard Goodyear, 2009). Supervision is a usually a regular, formal arrangement for counsellors to discuss their work with someone who is experienced in counselling and supervision. The task is to work together to ensure and develop the efficiency of the counsellor/client relationship, maintain adequate standards of counselling and a method of consultancy to widen the horizons of an experienced practitioner (ACA, 2009). Aim of Supervision Generally, supervision has two primary goals: to monitor client care and ensure clients are receiving appropriate therapeutic counselling, and to enhance professional functioning (Bernard Goodyear, 2009). Supervision provides benefits for counsellors such as support, an opportunity to discover new ideas and strategies, as well as personal and professional development. Another benefit in addition to counsellor support and development is learning across the professional lifespan of counsellors life long learning (Borders Usher, 1992). The intention of supervision is to provide a means of support, and ongoing learning and professional development for counsellors who frequently work with difficult and stressful cases. This serves to prevent excess stress and burnout (Haynes, Corey, Moulton, 2003). The educational and encouraging role of the supervisor focuses on creating a secure setting where the supervisee can reflect on their work, get feedback, direction, reassess their capabilities and gain greater understanding about their work, clients and themselves with the aim of protecting the client and offering best possible counselling practices (Powell, 1993). In order to promote counsellor development supervision needs to take place in a safe and appropriate environment. To achieve this, as in a counselling session, empathy, openness, and positive regard are essential (Egan, 2007). Both parties must also trust in the integrity and honesty of the other. An ethical framework is necessary to promote this trust, and there should be an appreciation of the importance of the supervision process, which reduces the pressure on the counsellor to produce an outcome at the cost of the process and the working relationship. The ethical principals of counselling are intended as a guide and framework for the responsibilities of counsellors: showing consideration for the trust of participants, respecting their independence, committing to the promotion of the well-being of all participants and at a minium, to do no harm, to respect each individual and treat everyone justly and without bias, and seeking professional development (Egan, 2007). The obligation to work ethically will improve provision and the reception of services, and allow opportunities for development for both parties to take place. The supervisor has a responsibility to ensure that confidentiality is maintained, and any information obtained in a clinical or consulting relationship is discussed only for professional purposes and only with persons clearly concerned with the case (ACA, 2009). Different ways of evaluating the supervisory process can be important both for the supervisor and the supervisee. Establishing a contract for the supervisory relationship makes evaluation easier. The contract should include the students developmental needs, the supervisors competencies, and supervisory goals and methods (Stoltenberg Delworth, 1987). Ground rules set up at the start are important to clarify the expectations of the supervisor as well as the supervisee, and that the responsibility for success of the process rests with both parties. As part of the contract it is important to discuss what can and cant stay confidential. Throughout the supervision process, the supervisor is responsible for evaluating the quality of the supervisory relationship (Powell, 1993). Occasionally things happen between a supervisor and supervisee that has nothing to do with the individuals themselves, but with what and who the person reminds them of. Feelings can be transferred from other associations onto the supervisor. Also the feelings a supervisor may experiences towards a supervisee can be linked to experiences and associations in the past. In order to ensure the safety of both parties the practitioners must subscribe to a set code of practice and ethics (Powell, 1993). Personal Experience My personal experience of supervision has for the most part been very general, discussing casework and looking for feedback, ideas and strategies, and wide-ranging discussions concerning my personal experiences. My practicum has involved spending three hours a week at a local mens hostel, with some time set aside for discussion, coffee, and exchange of ideas. This time has been most helpful in dealing with feelings of frustration that arise, that can be very challenging for me and could present difficulties if not addressed. The assistance can come in the form of a reminder that it is not really about me, that change cannot be forced from the outside, or just a comment that things move slowly, and a positive outcome may take years. Unfortunately, there are few unique cases at the hostel, even if these cases are challenging and complex. Many of the individuals in residence present with dual diagnosis, and are well known to staff. There are no quick fixes or easy solutions, and staff cannot indulge in irritation or frustration over lack of resolutions. Sometimes, there will be no resolution or positive outcome. One resident was feeling very positive and looking forward to work one week, but was unable to return in subsequent weeks due to drug and alcohol use. I still that he will be able to return at a later date. It is also very distressing to see such young people with permanent impairment from drug and alcohol use, and realise that no amount of counselling or medical treatment will be able to provide them with a standard type of existence. Supervision can be used as a place to debrief, to share experiences, and brainstorm alternatives. It can be very reassuring to have someone to fall back on, and gain support from, in challenging or complex situations. I find it very useful to be able to talk things through, and then come to an individual understanding and acceptance of any given situation. Seeking a second opinion, background information on a resident and discussing approaches seems to make up most of supervision time, and some other functions of supervision have also happened more informally, over a cup of coffee in the staff room, particularly in relation to future employment. Unsurprisingly, as graduation draws nearer, it is also the career development aspect of supervision that has taken up a great deal of my thoughts where to go next, what sort of work would I best be suited to, what type of educational opportunities do I see coming up. This has for me been very valuable, as I can seek advice and tips from people in the field, and get a genuine appreciation for what it means to work in this field. Overall, I think it is generally expected, and helpful, for those who receive supervision to do some preparation before starting supervision, and to build up an awareness of what the supervision is to achieve. Not to consider it an obligation but as an opportunity to develop as a more effective counsellor Reviewing and reflecting on casework is a good way to think through what has happened in the past week, and where it will take us. Preparation can also help with bringing concerns and questions to ask supervisor, with seeking confirmation and clarification, and start the thought processes about what I need from the supervisor. Evaluation Fundamental to developmental models of supervision is the theory that as people and counsellors we are continuously growing and maturing; like all people we develop over time, and this development and is a process with stages or phases that are predictable. In general, developmental models of supervision define progressive stages of supervisee development from novice to expert, each stage consisting of discrete characteristics and skills (Bradley Ladany, 2000). Stoltenberg and Delworth (1987) depict a developmental model with three levels: beginning, intermediate, and advanced. In each level a counsellor may begin in an imitative way and move toward a more competent, self-assured and self-reliant state for each level. Beginning supervisees would find themselves relatively dependent on the supervisor to understand or explain client behaviours and mind-sets and establish plans for intervention. Intermediate supervisees would depend on supervisors for an understanding of more complex clients, but would be irritated at suggestions about more simple cases. Resistance is characteristic of this stage, because the supervisees sense of self cab feel easily threatened. Advanced supervisees function independently, seek consultation when appropriate, and feel responsible for their own choices. For example, at my current beginner stage, I am expected to have limited skills and lack confidence as a counsellor, as I am only starting out as a trainee. With more time on the job, I should develop more skills and confidence, and perhaps conflicting feelings about perceived independence/dependence on my supervisor. In a later developmental stage, I would be expected to show high level communication abilities, good problem-solving skills and be reflective about the counselling and supervisory process (Haynes, Corey, Moulton, 2003). An awareness of these development stages can be very comforting, as I am not expected to be perfect on the first day on the job, or know everything about the field immediately. Rather, the expectation is that I have a capacity to learn, grow and improve, and each day be a little bit better. Supervision and professional development is important as it assists in the maintenance and improvement of my standard of practice. It can incorporate self directed and assisted learning, on the job training and coaching, include education through case discussions and presentations, and learning from our successes and mistakes (Powell, 1993). It is very encouraging to know that supervision can be something in addition to just making things clearer or providing a fresh approach to casework. Something more than focus and insight from a third party, or a sign that I am on the right track, or the opportunity to vent my frustrations concerning clients. In counselling, it has been put forward that supervision be entrenched into a broader discussion of lifelong learning, where supervision is viewed as one of a range of support and learning tools that counsellors may be encouraged to access (McMahon and Patton, 20002). Lifelong learning is being seen as essential for everyone, and, just as supervision in focused on preventing burn out and promoting personal development, lifelong learning is also primarily focused on sustaining longevity and endurance within working life (Holmes, 2002). Learning is the process of individuals constructing and transforming experience into knowledge, skills, attitudes, values, beliefs, emotions (Holmes, 2002), all of which are also sought after outcomes of supervision, and of practical use in counselling. Supervision encourages counsellors to reflect on their knowledge, skills, values and beliefs in order to bring to supervision an account of their experience, and through supervision transform it in such a way that it is significant and substantial, and able to be transferred into their work and personal learning (McMahon and Patton, 20002). Assisting and promoting the supervisees learning and professional development is primarily a matter of providing appropriate teaching and learning environments (Stoltenberg Delworth, 1987) and may involve the supervisor in providing students with opportunities to reflect on their values and to examine the influence of such values in the counsellors work with clients. The aim is to take full advantage of and recognise growth needed for the future, continuously identifying new areas of growth in a life-long learning process (McMahon and Patton, 20002). Conclusion Administrative supervision is something I am very familiar with after working in the public service for a dozen years. More often as peer supervision due to availability of personnel and cost, but also group and one-on-one supervision applied to different kinds of tasks. It was an activity that I found very helpful for my work, as it allowed me to be more efficient, effective, provide a more professional output, and to promote information sharing concerning best practice, improvements and innovations. This kind of supervision was strictly impersonal, and all about work. Unfortunately, there was little attention paid to the workers, and their well being, growth and development. Counselling supervision, on the other hand, has an extra dimension that is not considered when dealing with purely administrative matters. It takes a more holistic view of helping others, and acknowledges that we cannot help others unless we also help ourselves. Counselling supervision acknowledges that the counsellor is a part of the dialogue, and cannot be removed from the equation, and so takes steps to limit harm for all parties, to ensure that prejudices or preconceptions of the counsellor do not impact on any therapeutic relationship. Counselling supervision takes it that extra step to look at supporting the counsellor in their work, and in their development. Egan focuses very well on this when he looks at a certain level of self-knowledge, self-awareness and maturity as an essential requirement to being an effective counsellor (Egan, 2007). Supervision provides a space where counsellors can acknowledge and challenge any blind spots, overcome biases and become better counsellors. An appropriate supervisory relationship can help broaden therapeutic skills. It can be used to develop interventions and provide insights for assessments. Supervision can be used to focus on relational issues in order to cultivate patient/client resources, and to build up and support a counsellors own therapeutic influence. Supervision should enable counsellors to acquire new professional and personal insights through their own experiences.

THE BLACK PRINCE Essay -- Essays Papers

THE BLACK PRINCE Edward was born the eldest son of Edward III, king of England. For most of his life he was know as Edward of Woodstock, but we know him as the Black Prince. He was created duke of Cornwall in 1337, the first duke to be created in England, and prince of Wales in 1343. In 1355, he joined his father in the campaigns of the Hundred Years War, as his father's lieutenant. He established his reputation for valor at the battle of CrÈcy (1346) for his command of the right wing of the English army. At this time he was only the age of 16. It was probably the French who called him the Black Prince, because he wore black armor. This is assumed because the name was not recorded in England until the 16th century. In 1355 the Black Prince led an expedition into Aquitaine, and in 1356 he defeated and captured John II of France in the battle of . Edward became ruler of the newly created English principality of Aquitaine in 1363. In 1367 he went to the support of the Spanish king and temporarily restored him to his throne by the victory of NÂ ·jera. However, the expenses of the wa...

CoCa-Cola MagiCan essay

My understanding of the magi can promotion was that It was a new and Innovative way of promotion by Coca Cola which should have brought In more fans but Instead created a negative perception towards Its product and attracted bad publicity towards its campaign. It was bold on Coca Cola's part to go ahead with such a costly advert but what it failed to do was make the necessary corrections to its campaign during its test marketing phase where the company decided to go ahead with the full blown promotion in spite of the mechanism failure rate's.Also compounding the robber was the mismatch in the number of cans that had the money versus the ones that did not have it. Its competitor Pepsi took a far simple yet similar style approach towards its promotion where instead of a mechanism to give money the cans had at the bottom a number that corresponded to a winning amount. Coca Cola should have taken the feedback its test customers gave seriously and make the necessary changes but being the first to try such a form of marketing there was bound to be some Issues but later on the same principle was adopted by other firms In a much simple format that was still appealing.Do you think longer test marketing should be done with promotions like magi cans? Mans According to me Coca-Cola had conducted a test marketing campaign for their magi cans in Iowa & Illinois for 3 months and therefore there was no need for extending it as they had identified potential problems in the application of the device. They should have gone back and reworked on the device based on initial feedback and then reliance it.What consumer behavior principles should Coke have considered before launch? Mans Coca Cola should have considered the psychological aspects of the consumer because the consumer Is under the impression they will win meeting that Is tangible has value to It. The campaign and the subsequent mage can was totally mismatched In Its reach to the audience. Coca Cola should have instead put numbers inside the can and customers can then check with customer care to see if they have one something.Should marketers put prizes in packages that contain food product? Would your answer depend on the type of packages? Mans Yes, putting prizes inside food products enhances the appeal of the food itself even if it does not taste or look good. The type of package is not the Issue but it's the prize Itself which should be able to fit Inside he food package. It should not compromise the quantity of food that goes In nor should It be easily damaged by the food around It.Do you think should Coca cola bring back mage cans? Mans I would say no because it's a promotion that went bad due to the misguided use the device vs.. The ones that did not have it. Coca Cola should understand as an FMC company, any misguided promotion on a product can dent its image for a long time and it takes even longer time to get the consumer confidence back. Hence, Coca Cola should instead learn from such mista kes and create new and safer campaigns.

School Discipline

No school administrators in their right mind would ignore school discipline as one of their most important responsibilities. Nearly every survey of school administrators in recent years lists school discipline and school safety as one of or their most important areas of emphasis. Although serious acts of crime and violence are relatively rare in schools, fighting, bullying, acts of disrespect, and insubordination still remain as problems faced by school administrators every day. A study by Public Agenda (Johnson, 2004) indicated that seven in ten middle and high school teachers surveyed say their schools have serious problems with students who disrupt classes. Most experienced school administrators in charge of school discipline would say that students who continually disrupt classes make up less than 5% of students enrolled, but that 5% of enrolled students can take 90% of their time. School Discipline Introduction The word discipline is a strong word for most of us. It carries with it some preconceived description words such as â€Å"weak,† â€Å"strong,† â€Å"good,† and â€Å"bad†. It is a word that has serious ramifications for all those who are engaged in the field of education. Having â€Å"good† discipline is a goal of every classroom teacher. Principals never want the reputation of having â€Å"weak† discipline at their schools. The public demands that schools be places of effective discipline that create environment where teachers can teach and students can learn. Discipline; From the Latin term disciplina, meaning: 1. A branch of knowledge or learning; 2. Training that develops self-control, character, orderliness or efficiency; 3. Strict control to enforce obedience; 4. Treatment that controls or punishes; 5. a system of rules. It is interesting that the definitions of the term suggest that discipline can have quite different implications for schools. The component of the definition that relates to teaching seems much more positive than the components that include the negative expressions such as punishment and strict control. Rosen, 5) The Strict Control to Enforce Obedience There is no doubt that someone needs to be in charge of our schools. As long as schools are composed of hundreds or thousands of students who are required by law to reside in an institutional setting for several hours a day, several times a week, there must be someone in control. Control does not mean being a warden at a prison. It means maintaining order and discipline. One needs only a short time at a school campus to d etermine whether or not someone is in control. Someone is in control of school when: 1. Students are where they are supposed to be at any given hour the school day. 2. There are few interruptions of class time. 3. The campus is clean and free to graffiti. 4. Campus visitors are screened and required to wear a visitor's badge. 5. Communication devices are visible and readily available. 6. Supervisory personnel are visible. 7. Students, teachers, and administrators have a good working relationship. Discipline: Ex-pupils' observations. There are many views about school discipline, varying from those held by the freedom advocated like A. S. Neil and his discipline to the grinding regimentation of Mr. M'Choakumchild and his factotum Mr. Gradgrind. It would, however, be agreed that a good discipline in a school would be such as to be accompanied by reasonable orderliness, respect for others and their property—not forgetting school property—and a pleasant atmosphere, which means among other things that there is no feeling of rebelliousness against what are felt to be unnecessary regulations. There will sometimes be conflict between the head's idea of what is satisfactory discipline and that of the pupils; if he pushes too hard to reach unreasonable and maybe unattainable standards of obedience, the school either starts to resemble a prison or his most unreasonable laws are broken by all sundry, and later his reasonable rules are also endangered; if alternatively he is too lax the pupils are educated into wrong attitudes to the school, to schoolwork and even to society, and poor educational progress is one of the least of the prices to be paid. So the head and staff have to steer a middle path between the extremes, and this is concerned with whether this is more easily attained—for whatever reason—in a co-educational school rather than a single-sex one. For the most part it presents the point of view of mature and responsible ex-pupils, especially of those who have attended schools of both types and can look back and compare their experiences in the two schools. Their conception of discipline will not only be that of pupils, because they are all learning how to teach in schools themselves, and their views will certainly be colored by what they as beginning teachers consider to be good discipline. (Dale, 156,616) Research indicated that more teachers leave teaching because of discipline problems than any other reasons. Losing good teachers is a serious problem for all schools, be they public or private. A troublesome student can cause many a good teacher a loss of sleep and aggravation. Teachers enter the teaching field because they are interested in teaching not wrestling with students who continually disrupt classroom time. School administrators need to be a supportive tool of teachers in their classroom management routines and practices. Helping teachers to have good classroom management practices has become an important part of the school disciplinarian's role. Disciplinary Traditions It is difficult to generalize about the differing models of discipline applied within schools throughout the world. Taking a very broad perspective, it could be argued that discipline models reflect the way a society sees education as meeting either collective or individual needs. For example, in china there has been a tradition that child should be socialized as early as possible to confirm the cultural expectations. This meant that in China, not only was attendance compulsory but so also was achievement. Disciplinary practices have been undertaken in a collectivist spirit with the intention of forming â€Å"good† behaviors. In countries such as China and India there are strong masculinist traditions in the teacher-pupil relationship, and yet this field of research, school discipline and gender, is still to be fully developed. (Kramarae, Spender, 395) As Treatment to control or Punish The term punishment is usually related to some type of suffering or derivation. To be realistic, people must admit that punishment exists because of the expectations of society. This is particularly true in schools. When students misbehave, adults expect them to be punished. The degree of punishment may depend on the community in which the school is located. For example, in the southern part of the nation, corporal punishment is much more acceptable than in other parts. In 1993, there were 613,514 instances of paddling reports in United Stated. Most of those paddling cases occurred in southern states. Corporal punishment is still legal in 26 states. Corporal punishment may not only be accepted but expected in Deep South, but in Rhode Island, administrators can lose their credentials if they strike a student for any reason. (Rosen, 5) Conclusion â€Å"Discipline is not the art of rewarding and punishing, of making pupil's speak and be silent; it is the art of making them perform, in the most appropriate, easy, and useful manner, all the duties of the school. † The definition of â€Å"school discipline,† by the Conference Society of Capelian, is evidently too broad. â€Å"The elementary school ought, by the spirit ruling within, and by its instruction, so to operate upon the children that they shall receive a preparation, adaptation to their ages and capacities, for temporal and eternal life. † (Sabin, 181)

How to Write a Dissertation in Statistics the One Guide You Need to Achieve Success

How to Write a Dissertation in Statistics the One Guide You Need to Achieve Success Writing a dissertation or any other kind of research paper in statistics is quite different from almost any other discipline, for a variety of reasons. Firstly, statistics is not exactly an independent discipline; it is more of a research approach that can be used in many different fields. This means that you have to be ready to operate with many different kinds of information. Secondly, statistics all but dictates the type of approach you have to use in your writing: your dissertation has to be a quantitative research put into words, which means that the verbal part of your paper is going to be heavily dependent on numerals, tables, graphs and other similar elements. Thirdly, the fact that you are dealing with a dissertation does not make things easier, because it is an extremely complex type of academic assignment. Unlike an essay or a typical research paper, a dissertation is much larger (while an essay is rarely longer than 2000-3000 words, there is no real upper limit on the dissertation’s size) and is based on your original research. Differently from most other academic assignments, you have almost complete freedom on the choice of a topic (you have to get it approved by your supervisor, but otherwise can write whatever you want). All this can be the source of many problems, especially for the students who are not used to independent research. In our guide, however, you will find all the information you need to successfully write an assignment of this type. Choosing a Rewarding and Interesting Topic for a Statistics Dissertation Statistics is a peculiar subject that is different from most other disciplines because it often plays a supplementary role in other researches and can be used in virtually any line of work, from sociology and marketing to history and biology. This opens up almost unlimited prospects for different types of research; here are just some examples of what you may write about: Statistical Data Analysis Using Regression Models in Marine Biology; The Use of Approximate Causality in Machine Learning’s Medical Applications; Use of Regression Analysis in the Study of Kenya Population Increase and Its Influence on the Economic Situation in the Country; Effectiveness of Tilted Importance Sampling when Compared to the Classical Monte Carlo Simulation; Effectiveness Evaluation of Hotel Chain Websites Based on the Fuzzy Analytical Hierarchy Model. But how does one find a suitable topic for oneself? Here are a few suggestions: 1. Look for a Topic That Promises Enough Data for Research Information sources and raw data are the lifeblood of any research, but it is doubly so for statistics. In other disciplines, the information your research is based on is important – it serves as a foundation for your work, it backs up your theories, it helps to create a context for your research. However, it is always your original research that takes precedence. In statistics, it is the other way around – the data is at the forefront, and your own writing simply shows what you have found out by studying the sources. In other words, you should look for a topic that not just has some data on it, but a lot of it. Even if you know there are viable sources of information, check if you will be able to access them beforehand. Alternatively, choose a topic you are sure you can gather enough data about through fieldwork. 2. Do Data Collection before Finalizing the Topic In other disciplines, it may be alright to leave the part of data collection for later. When you deal with statistics, this approach means pushing your luck. Collect the vast majority of necessary information before you submit the final version of your topic to the supervisor. 3. Do not Feel Obliged to Choose a Topic You Are in Love With One can often hear that students should strive to write such a big and important assignment as a dissertation on a topic they are genuinely passionate about. After all, you are going to spend months (at the very least) working with the subject, and it is better to write something you are genuinely interested in. However, it may not be the best idea to take this advice at face value. Yes, you should have some interest in what you write about, but it does not have to be an abiding, all-consuming interest. If you choose such a topic, especially for your first truly independent research, you will be too tempted to treat it as your magnum opus and spend too much time perfecting both the topic itself and the paper based on it. Treat the dissertation as a stepping stone, not the most important thing in your career. 4. Make Feasibility Your Primary Criterion of Choice When choosing a dissertation topic, make sure the research will be doable first and consider everything else later. Of course, your paper will have to fill a gap in the existing research on the subject, but this should not be your primary concern. It may sound contrary to everything you have heard before, but you should worry about writing a complete and viable dissertation, not achieving a breakthrough in your chosen field. Once you have found a doable topic, you can virtually always find a gap in literature associated with it and justify doing research on it. Is there already existing research on the subject? You can, among other things: Build your research on a different sample; Use a different method; Use a different analysis tool; Pick a different location. In other words, pick a feasible topic and find a rationale for using it later. 5. Work Backwards from the Available Data Once you have determined the general area you would like to work on, it is often worth looking at the available data and asking yourself ‘Can I glean a viable topic from it?’ It is especially true for the situations in which you have easy access to the sources of information that are not readily available to the general public. How to Properly Structure a Statistics Dissertation: The Necessary Sections Unlike an essay, whose structure is usually the same, a dissertation can be vastly different even within a single discipline. Therefore, we will not provide a detailed description of how you should organize your dissertation – the instructions you receive from your college and instructor will override it anyway. Nevertheless, we will give some recommendations on how you should write certain sections that are normally present in most dissertations. Abstract An abstract is a short (usually no more than a few hundred words) summary of your research. It should mention: Why you chose the topic; How you did the research; What did you achieve; What are the implications of your research. Despite its size, one usually dedicates a lot of time and work to writing it, because you have to condense thousands of words’ worth of data into less than a page. An abstract should be enough on its own to represent your research, and if your dissertation ever gets registered with a database, it is going to become an independent document detailing the contents of your research. Introduction Although it is located at the beginning of the dissertation, it is better to write your introduction after the rest of the paper is already done and you know what exactly you are introducing. The primary purpose of this section is to introduce your topic and research question, provide basic context for the research and lead up to the general direction of your work. Literature Review This section is supposed to show that you know where your own research fits into the existing body of literature on the subject. Here you should do the following: Summarize the current state of research and knowledge on the subject; Point out any spheres of knowledge that are relevant for your research question so that you can refer to them later; Identify the gap in the existing knowledge and provide a rationale for your work, i.e., explain why your research is necessary; Describe how you intend to fill in this gap. The order in which it is to be done is not set in stone. Feel free to experiment and see what works best in your case, so that you can build a logical and coherent structure. Methodology Methods of data collection and analysis are extremely important in statistics, so make sure to be as clear and meticulous as possible in this section. Mention any tools, equipment, processes, and methods you used to carry out your research. Make your description detailed enough for other scholars to be able to replicate your work. Results Here you give a detailed description of all results and findings of your work. Separate them into individual points and be as straightforward as possible. Discussion In this section, you turn back to the context of your work, this time considering the results of your research. Refer to the reason you did it, dwell on whether you have managed to answer your research questions and whether you expected the results you have received. Elaborate on what your research added to the literature on the subject. Conclusion This short section enumerates the main points that emerged as a result of your research and analysis of its results and tries to define what they mean for the discipline in general. You can also point out promising venues for future research uncovered by your work. Writing a Statistics Dissertation: General Recommendations 1. Make Use of Interpretations The sources providing statistical data often accompany it with interpretations. If the interpretation contains the conclusions that are relevant for your research, do not waste time redoing the calculations and use the interpretation as is (at least if you believe the source is trustworthy). 2. Use Visuals Liberally Statistics is a discipline that makes heavy use of visuals, so make sure you introduce a fair share of them into your dissertation. Whenever a graph, a chart, a diagram or a table is appropriate to prove your point, do not hesitate to add one. 3. Plan for Length Maybe you have received a word limit from your instructor, maybe you have decided upon the length of your dissertation on your own. Anyway, you should plan for length before you write the first word. A typical dissertation is at least 5,000 words long, and it is much harder to estimate such quantities by eye than with much smaller essays. Therefore, you should decide how long each section is going to be at the outset. You can alter these values later on if necessary, but this rough estimate will help you see if you are going in the wrong direction if any individual section turns out to be too long. 4. Start Writing Right Away A dissertation, especially a dissertation in statistics, is a type of academic work that is heavily dependent on finding, processing and analyzing the sources of information. To write a high-quality paper of this type you will have to read dozens of books, magazine publications and other sources, scour multiple samples of statistical data. With the impressive amount of time you have to write a dissertation, it is very easy to get into a trap of going overboard with reading up for it. As a result, you can end up with too little time to do the actual writing. To prevent this, start writing as soon as you get a basic idea of your dissertation’s structure. You will have to rewrite and edit huge swathes of this preliminary text, but having it ready will add security to your position. 5. Study the Instructions Carefully Whatever you read in this manual or anywhere else, the instructions received from your instructor and college take precedence. Take time to read and reread them multiple times before you start writing. Make sure you understand everything. If you have any doubts, ask your instructor directly – it is better than to find out you have to rewrite half of your dissertation later on. 6. Do not Try to Make Your First Draft Ideal Like any other type of writing, a dissertation is not written in one go. In fact, if you are satisfied with your dissertation after finishing the first draft, you are doing something wrong. To write a good paper, you have to do at least four drafts: The first one is a rough approximation of what the dissertation will look like. You organize your ideas and put them under appropriate sections without worrying too much about the details. Having this draft in front of you will allow you to better understand where your arguments are lacking, what additional sources you should find and use; In the second draft, you analyze your writing to see if it makes a cohesive whole. Remove or alter sections that do not drive your argument forward, see if there are any logical errors, check if your argument is consistent; Now that you are satisfied with the overall shape of your paper, the third draft is more concerned with individual sections of the dissertations. Check if each of them contains all the necessary material, if they are logical and consistent within themselves, add or remove parts as seems necessary. See if sections are naturally connected to each other. It is also time to pay attention to the stylistic and grammatical errors; The fourth draft is what is usually called proofreading. With the dissertation almost ready, now you have to check it for typos, spelling and punctuation mistakes. You can make your job a bit easier by using online spellchecking tools: they can point out some of the more obvious mistakes, although do not trust them to root out everything. Pay special attention to the page and formatting your quotations – make sure you use the necessary style. Follow these principles, and you will be able to write a top-notch dissertation on statistics even if it is the first time you do it!

Restless Leg Syndrome essays

Restless Leg Syndrome essays Imagine not being able to sleep through the night, being tired in the morning, going to a ton of doctors, and not getting any answers for years. About 12 million Americans go through this all the time, what they have is restless legs syndrome. What this is a creepy, unnerving, tugging, and crawling sensation in your legs. Some ways to relieve yourself of such pain is to walk around, massage your limbs, or to take a bath. Many people who have this syndrome have parents or siblings that have the same thing. The average age of people who suffer from this is 50-60 years old. There have been no medical studies that show what causes this but what experts are saying though, is that it is associated with kidney failure and anemia. There are also sleeping disorders that branch off of RLS, an example being PLMS or periodic limb movements With RLS it's hard to fall asleep, and if you do, you awake with pain in your legs. Your sleepy all day, and most likely irritable, as well as your bed partner who was kicked through the night. Many pregnant women develop RLS, and for many it disappears, but some are not so lucky. If you have RLS you may find that you also consume a sufficient amount of caffeine. Reducing sodas and coffee, could reduce RLS symptoms. There could be causes for certain cases of RLS. Having an iron deficiency, being pregnant, caffeine, or sitting down for long periods of time. For the most part though, doctors can't put an exact reason for it. . Having a good diet, an exercise plan, and regular sleeping habits, could all tribute to either avoiding RLS or diminishing it. Painkillers, and tranquilizers could help the severe cases. ...

Jomon Culture Hunter Gatherers of Japan

Jomon Culture Hunter Gatherers of Japan Jomon is the name of the early Holocene period hunter-gatherers of Japan, beginning about 14,000 B.C.E. and ending about 1000 B.C.E. in southwestern Japan and 500 C.E. in northeastern Japan. The Jomon made stone and bone tools, and pottery beginning at a few sites as early as 15,500 years ago. The word Jomon means cord pattern, and it refers to the cord-marked impressions seen on Jomon pottery. Jomon Chronology Incipient Jomon (14,000–8000 B.C.E.) (Fukui Cave, Odai Yamamoto I)Initial Jomon (8000–4800 B.C.E.) (Natsushima)Early Jomon (ca 4800–3000 B.C.E.) (Hamanasuno, Tochibara Rockshelter, Sannai Maruyama, Torihama Shell Mound)Middle Jomon (ca 3000–2000 B.C.E.) (Sannai Maruyama, Usujiri)Late Jomon (ca. 2000–1000 B.C.E.) (Hamanaka 2)Final (1000–100 B.C.E.) (Kamegaoka)Epi-Jomon (100 B.C.E.–500 C.E.) (Sapporo Eki Kita-Guchi) The Early and Middle Jomon lived in hamlets or villages of semi-subterranean pit houses, excavated up to about one meter into the earth. By the late Jomon period and perhaps as a response to climate change and a lowering of sea levels, the Jomon moved into fewer villages sited mainly on the coastlines and there relied increasingly on river and ocean fishing, and shellfish. The Jomon diet was based on a mixed economy of hunting, gathering, and fishing, with some evidence for gardens with millet, and possibly gourd, buckwheat, and azuki bean. Jomon Pottery The earliest pottery forms of the Jomon were low-fired, round and pointed-based forms, created during the Initial period. Flat-based pottery characterized the Early Jomon period. Cylindrical pots are characteristic of northeastern Japan, and similar styles are known from mainland China, which may or may not suggest direct contact. By the Middle Jomon period, a variety of jars, bowls, and other vessels were in use. The Jomon have been the focus of much debate concerning the invention of pottery. Scholars today debate whether pottery was a local invention or diffused from the mainland; by 12,000 B.C.E. low-fired pottery was in use throughout East Asia. Fukui Cave has radiocarbon dates ca. 15,800–14,200 calibrated years BP on associated charcoal, but Xianrendong Cave in mainland China so far holds the oldest pottery vessels discovered on the planet, by perhaps a thousand years or so. Other sites such as Odai Yamomoto in Aomori prefecture have been found to date the same period as Fukui Cave, or somewhat older. Jomon Burials and Earthworks Jomon earthworks are noted by end of the Late Jomon period, consisting of stone circles around cemetery plots, such as at Ohyo. Circular spaces with earthen walls up to several meters high and up to 10 meters (30.5 feet) thick at the base were built at several sites such as Chitose. These burials were often layered with red ochre and were accompanied by polished stone staffs which may represent rank. By the Late Jomon period, evidence for ritual activities is noted at sites by elaborate grave goods such as masks with goggle eyes and anthropomorphic figurines accompanying burials placed in ceramic pots. By the Final period, farming of barley, wheat, millet, and hemp developed, and the Jomon lifestyle diminished all over the region by 500 C.E. Scholars debate whether the Jomon were related to the modern Ainu hunter-gatherers of Japan. Genetic studies suggest that they are likely biologically related to the Jomon, but the Jomon culture is not expressed within modern Ainu practices. The known archaeological correlate of the Ainu is called the Satsumon culture, who are believed to have displaced the epi-Jomon about 500 C.E.; Satsumon may be a descendant of the Jomon rather than a replacement. Important Sites Sannai Maruyama, Fukui Cave, Usujiri, Chitose, Ohyu, Kamegaoka, Natsushima, Hamanasuno, Ocharasenai. Sources Craig OE, Saul H, Lucquin A, Nishida Y, Tache K, Clarke L, Thompson AH, Altoft DT, Uchiyama J, Ajimoto M et al. 2013. Earliest evidence for the use of pottery. Nature 496(7445):351-354.Crawford GW. 2011. Advances in Understanding Early Agriculture in Japan. Current Anthropology 52(S4):S331-S345.Crema ER, and Nishino M. 2012. Spatio-temporal distributions of Middle to Late Jomon pithouses in Oyumino, Chiba (Japan). Journal of Open Archaeology Data 1(2).Ikeya N. 2017. Group migration and cultural change following the Akahoya volcanic ashfall: Identifying the pottery production centers at the beginning of the Early Jomon period of Japan. Quaternary International 442(Part B):23-32.Moriya T. 2015. A Study of the Utilization of Wood to Build Pit Dwellings from the Epi-Jomon Culture to the Satsumon Culture in Hokkaido Region, Japan. Journal of the Graduate School of Letters 10:71-85.Nakazawa Y. 2016. The significance of obsidian hydration dating in assessing the integrity of Holocene midden , Hokkaido, northern Japan. Quaternary International 397:474-483.

Defending Slavery Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Defending Slavery - Essay Example Despite this, opinions regarding slavery varied widely, and the abolition of slavery purely on moral grounds was argued against especially in the Southern states of the US, since slavery had become part of the economic, social, cultural and political life of the South (Chapter 12). For the most part, it was suggested that slavery was part an established way of life in the South. Slaves, it was claimed, were treated well, in most households, and even when slaves were not necessary labor on vast sugar or cotton plantations, they were being taken care of by the white, civilized society of the South. The fact that the two races – whites and blacks – existed together but were so different was used to justify the institution of slavery: â€Å"†¦ distinguished by color †¦ other physical differences, as well as intellectual †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Calhoun, 1837). In the stereotypical argument of the Colonizer, or in this case, the slave-owner, it was argued that the â€Å"s uperior† race had a responsibility to educate, look after and protect the â€Å"inferior† other races. Calhoun (1837) goes further than even this to claim that it was better to be a slave in the South than a poor worker in Europe.

Performance Management for Human Resources Essay

Performance Management for Human Resources - Essay Example The task involved three people playing the role of HR staffs and three people playing the role of employees. The staffs were initially trained to fold two patterns in paper - a pop gun and a shuriken. The trained staffs were then instructed to teach and coach the employee-trainees, one on one. Each coaching staff was to teach one employee-trainee regarding the proper folding of papers to produce the two patterns. During the class presentation, the trained audiences show their learning by performing the task requirement. The performance of each employee was then assessed with regards to quality of work and time consumed through a 360-degree approach. After the presentation, the three audiences and three staffs were given feedback forms to evaluate the performance of one another. An effective performance management for human resource defines the goals and objectives of the program. Management by objectives, or MBO, is employed in most performance management systems where a set of goals or deliverables are put together (Drucker, 1986). The goal of the class task is to evaluate and improve the performance outcomes of each staff and each member. Goal-setting draws employee into the performance management process and gives them a blueprint for improving performance. The class presentation is a simple task that involved folding two patterns of paper. The task specified key requirements which are folding a pattern of a pop gun and a shuriken. The pop gun served as a standard measurement of performance while the shuriken served as a bonus. Defining the job requirements would guide the audience on the tasks and on the assessment criteria on how their performance will be measured. The class task had demonstrated clear job descriptions and responsibilities. The manner of training employed utilises the coaching approach. The trained staffs served as coaches for the audience. In order to maximise the learning of the audience, the number of coaching staff employed were with the same number of audience to be trained. Coaching is a way of learning that is highly personal, flexible and individualised. The approach enhances and develops the performance of individuals. Coaching is a direct means of increasing the competency of the trainee. (Caplan, 2003) The performance appraisal of the tasks is directed with three objectives. First is to establish a systematic way of evaluating performance. Second is to provide constructive feedback. And third is to enable the audience to improve their job performance. (Messmer, 2007) With regards to the class task, it has established a systematic way of evaluating the performance of the audience through minimum criteria for evaluations of performance. The performance outcomes of each audience or employee are evaluated using defined criteria. The criteria include following the folding instructions correctly; folding done neatly; testing the finish product; and measuring the time to finish. The criteria such as following instructions, quality of folding and testing of finish product were evaluated by the staffs using a performance protocol; whether it were performed good, moderate or poor. Time consumption standards were established beforehand. The standard time for creating the pop gun pattern was 2mins and 15secs. The standard time that would be consumed for making the shuriken pattern was 4mins and 50secs. Assessment of

ITEC 9 activity Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

ITEC 9 activity - Assignment Example The essay will explain about one of the many known security breaches. There are various security breaches, which needs to be understood for one to be able to secure a computer system. One of the main security breaches includes physical breach. Physical breach regards the physical theft of equipments or documents that contains cardholder account data like files, cardholder receipt, and point of sale terminals or personal computers. The second type of breach is the electronic breach. Electronic breach denotes the deliberate attack or unauthorized access on a network or system environment where the cardholder data is stored, processed or transmitted. Electronic breach is as the result of gaining access through web sites or web servers to a vulnerable system via application level attacks. The final attack is Skimming. Skimming is the recording or capture of magnetic card stripe data with the use of an external device that is sometimes installed on the customer’s system point of sale. The data obtained from skimming is used in the manufacture of cou nterfeit debit and credit cards (Roebuck, 2012). Electronic breach is the common security breach as a result of the increased internet access. However, there are steps that can be used to prevent from electronic breach. The various ways of preventing from electronic breach includes the use of a secure database or web server. The use of secure database or web servers guarantees that all system, including database and web servers are regularly modernized with the present merchant security patches (Roebuck, 2012). The use of a strong, up-to-date anti-spyware or antivirus and anti-malware software is a way of preventing the security breach. Users should also use passwords that are not easily guessed to prevent from unauthorized persons (Dark, 2011). One of the physical security breaches that hit the news was the white house attack, which can be accessed via www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPU3ia7Zaog

Contemporary issues in development finance Essay - 1

Contemporary issues in development finance - Essay Example Income inequality is described as the uneven distribution of individual or household income/earnings across the several participants in the economy. It is the sign of how the material resources are generally distributed across the society. High degree of earnings/income inequality is considered as undesirable. Measures of the earnings inequality relies on the data of disposable income of the household. The key indicator of earnings distribution is employed in ‘Gini coefficient’. The values of Gini coefficient scope between 0 (in perfect equality case) and 1 (in perfect inequality case). Poorer countries generally have elevated level of income inequality (Oecd, 2011). The main purpose of this paper is to empirically examine the connection between the financial growth and the income inequality by taking the example of Vietnam from the period 2000-2008. In the previous two decades, country like Vietnam has applied various economic and social reforms in order to encourage economic growth. The entrance of Vietnam into ‘World Trade Organisation’ in the year 2006 has concerned large inflows of foreign capital under the projects of foreign direct investment. Free trade and market-oriented financial system helped in releasing the capabilities and potentials of enterprises and individuals. Due to this, the economy achieved efficiency, higher productivity, and economic growth (C.M. Hoi and L.Q. Hoi, 2012). The connection between financial progress and the income inequality is a searched topic lately. Till now, two strings of notion, of which one pursue linear hypothesis and other follows non-linear hypothesis, are under exploration for the empirical evidence. Linear hypothesis: An overlapping model has been offered by Galor and Zeira (1993), who concentrated on the significance of the investment of human capital. They believe that there exist two sectors in

Job Advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Job Advertisement - Essay Example Furthermore, this job entails not only skills in accommodating guests and making reservations but also certain personal qualities that would be endearing to the guests. The importance of having good skills in cross-cultural communication is a great advantage. Usually, hotel guests are foreigners having a vacation or attending a seminar. According to Blanford ( 2009): â€Å" International businesses are increasingly aware of this fact and assist their employees with learning, adopting, and adapting to cultural norms when doing business in other countries†. ( suite101.com) This opportunity is for those who love to deal with people and make necessary arrangements that would afford the best possible service to a Hotel guest. The person who would fit this job must preferably be : Aside from the aforementioned characteristics, the applicant must be a graduate of a four-year course related to the Hotel industry or its operations. Moreover, the candidate must be outgoing and willing to handle customer complaints tactfully. Applicants with work experience related to this position is an advantage. He/she must be willing to work on a shifting basis. Compensation package would be discussed with the successful applicant. However, since our company is a leader in the industry, we offer higher than industry standard pay as well as fringe benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Application for the position will close on Jan.30,2010. Blanford, K. (2009) Suite101: Cross Cultural Communication: Understanding Human Communication in the Context of Culture. Retrieved from http://international-cultural-affairs.suite101.com/article.cfm/cross_cultural_ communication on Jan 12

Consumer Behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Consumer Behaviour - Essay Example In this respect, it is especially important in determining its characteristics. In addition, there is also insight it provides with regards to the consumer behavior and likely actions, which allow for the identification of problems and opportunities in marketing the product afterwards. There are at least five stages/steps by which the consumer makes his or her purchases: 1) need recognition; 2) information search; 3) evaluation of alternatives; 4) purchase; and, 5) postpurchase behavior (Lamb, Hair and McDaniel 2008, 140). Some experts add some stages in the process, such as with the model developed by Engle, Kollat and Blackswell, which divided the consumption stage into two - consumption and post-consumption - and adding a unique element in the form of divestment (Verma 2007, 178). All in all, the stages are pretty straightforward and speak for themselves. For instance, need recognition pertains to the actual desire, want or need of a consumer. This is usually the first stage in th e process, but the rest of the stages do not strictly follow the order by which they were outlined here in this paper. The stages as outlined by this paper highlight the fact that consumer purchase decisions are influenced by several factors - both external and internal influences. Personal desires, wants and needs as well as the available information and influencers are just some of these variables. They have to be understood in order to make sense of the complexity of the process. Finally, there is also the fact that consumer decision-making process does not end with the purchase of the product. For product developers, it may as well be an endless cycle that is why understanding the process is crucial in order to identify some semblance of pattern and coherence and make use of it in product development and in marketing. Theory 2: Family Roles influence on decision Making   Certainly, the motivating factors behind each consumer's purchase behavior are unique and different. Howeve r, the role of the family as a single most important variable in the decision-making process for all consumers is the same for most consumers in most purchase decisions. This powerful influence, according to Blythe (2006) is due to three reasons: 1. the parental influence in the case of the children is deeply embedded because it started the earliest and therefore impact the children's perception of everything that follows; 2. the parental desire to do what is best for the children and the family; and, 3. the influence of siblings as role models, particularly when the sibling is older or in some cases the carer or the adviser (138). The above reasons were just the fundamental ones especially when considering the fact that in some families, membership is not confined to the parents and their offspring. Rather, there are also the extended family such as aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents. Finally, it must be underscored that within the family or within household, a relationship ex ists, wherein each member has a role and participates in every decision-making process. This relationship, role and participation are underpinned by other issues such as gender and other variables that characterize the interpersonal relations within. Collectively, they can define who

Job Advertisement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Job Advertisement - Essay Example Furthermore, this job entails not only skills in accommodating guests and making reservations but also certain personal qualities that would be endearing to the guests. The importance of having good skills in cross-cultural communication is a great advantage. Usually, hotel guests are foreigners having a vacation or attending a seminar. According to Blanford ( 2009): â€Å" International businesses are increasingly aware of this fact and assist their employees with learning, adopting, and adapting to cultural norms when doing business in other countries†. ( suite101.com) This opportunity is for those who love to deal with people and make necessary arrangements that would afford the best possible service to a Hotel guest. The person who would fit this job must preferably be : Aside from the aforementioned characteristics, the applicant must be a graduate of a four-year course related to the Hotel industry or its operations. Moreover, the candidate must be outgoing and willing to handle customer complaints tactfully. Applicants with work experience related to this position is an advantage. He/she must be willing to work on a shifting basis. Compensation package would be discussed with the successful applicant. However, since our company is a leader in the industry, we offer higher than industry standard pay as well as fringe benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. Application for the position will close on Jan.30,2010. Blanford, K. (2009) Suite101: Cross Cultural Communication: Understanding Human Communication in the Context of Culture. Retrieved from http://international-cultural-affairs.suite101.com/article.cfm/cross_cultural_ communication on Jan 12

Song Modern Western Philosophy Essay Example for Free

Song Modern Western Philosophy Essay Your ideas are discrete autonomous and have grown with time. Long reign Geertz influential notion and thick description to the right of virtue ethics Your pursuit for a 21st century, commonly known as the Geertzian mechanics Geertz semiotic notion of culture improves the context-sensitive theory Your exploration to moral identity has a significant methodological relation This has an importance reference to historicism and cultural materialism (Cefalu, 89) Chorus *3 References Cefalu, Paul.Moral Identity in Early Modern English Literature. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. Print. Source document

The Benefits Of Implementing Effective Hse Policies Commerce Essay

The Benefits Of Implementing Effective Hse Policies Commerce Essay This report highlights the benefits of effective health and safety policies and practises. It presents a case study company that outlines the importance of implementing a good and effective HSE policy which can be initiated in other small to medium sized oil companies. The major result of the case study is that the case study company believed that improving health and safety was vital to operational risk management and business growth and as such went further to implement it. The key motivator for this initiative was the cost incurred by the company involving an oil spill incident in 2004. It was also discovered that the case study company did not keep a systematic nor comprehensive record of the costs or benefits of the companys operations prior to the 2004 incident. This prompted a change of HSE policy that benefited the company in terms of increased productivity and reduction of employee absence. 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Personnel absent due to ill health and injuries % 35.00 32 28 20 10 Hospital bills incurred by company $ 55,000 50,000 42,000 30,000 20,000 Company productivity% 55 58 62 69 74 The implementation and constant supervision of HSE practices within an organisation will always be of benefit to the management and stakeholders as seen in the case of the CNC Oil Company; the case study company for this report. NOTE The CNC Oil Company, which is the case study company in this report, DOES NOT EXIST. This company was made up to highlight the benefits of implementing an effective HSE policy, demonstrating that good HSE practices are essential to the growth and productivity of businesses involving small to medium sized oil companies. ABBREVIATIONS SMOCs Small to Medium sized Oil Companies HSE Health, Safety and Environment SMO Small to Medium sized Oil ASSUMPTIONS ALL FIGURES AND TABLES IN THIS REPORT WERE ASSUMED FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS REPORT. 1.0 INTRODUCTION Operational risks are associated with our everyday business lives in the oil and gas industry. Sometimes we take risks knowingly and other times, unknowingly. The likelihood of operational harm and disasters are influenced by the attitude to risk taken by employers and employees alike. BACKGROUND This case study have been prepared to help promote the responsibility for health, safety of lives and environment within the small and medium-sized oil companies (SMOC). The report will be taking a look at some of the positives that result from good and effective management of health and safety in the workplace. This report cuts across- The necessity to raise a case for health and safety improvements in order for the present day SMO companies around the world to become aware of the benefits in putting in place good and effective health and safety management Reaching a whole lot of other small to medium-sized oil companies, making them aware that health and safety is infact good for business. It is as important to see and plan for accidents, work related ill health and environmental hazards and destruction, as well as enjoy the benefit of effective health and safety management. Many oil and gas companies classified as small to medium sized fail to see this because they think it is too high leveled and are mainly concerned about the cost of risk management and prevention. Owing to this factor, there is a tendency to see a handful of fully worked up examples of cost and benefits of health and safety within the small to medium sized oil or gas companies. AIMS AND SCOPE OF THIS REPORT The aim of this report is to produce a case study that emphasizes the benefits of implementing health and safety policies and practices to small and medium sized oil and gas companies. A persuasive case study is subsequently put in place to highlight the management of specific risks and improved employee involvement in SMOCs. 2.0 DISCUSSION It is extremely important to establish a business case for managing health and safety standards both for policy and practical purposes. Publishing clear business cases would very much make other companies try to implement and keep up safe and desirable working conditions. Looking at most major accidents occurring with the small to medium sized oil companies (SMOC) it is visible that these accidents happen due to ignorance of HSE policies and procedures and due to the low priority given to health and safety issues in these SMOCs. In Nigeria, the major cause for alarm is the increasing rate of poor occupational health and environmental hazards. These companies tend to neglect the importance of preserving the environment and turn their eyes from the effect this will have on the health of personnel and locals alike. Highlighting the oil spill in a village called Oloibiri, in the Niger Delta region which occurred in June 2004 spilling approximately 20,000barrels of crude it shows clearly how much importance is given to this sector. The village of Oloibiri and its surrounding neighborhood have yet to recover from this spill which was actually an abandoned project of a major oil company but subcontracted to CDC oil company; a smaller contractor oil company for well shut-in (name of major oil company with-held for security reasons). The CNC Oil Company had failed to make use of standard shut in equipments and they had failed to carry out maintenance on their project neglecting simple HSE practices thereby subjecting this entire village and its surrounding neighborhood to this catastrophic condition. During investigation into the cause of the spillage, it was discovered that the subcontractors failed to use standard piping materials and also failed to carry out regular maintenance on the operation. The Niger Delta region is constantly under incessant oil spill threat resulting from rusty sub-standard pipes that are being used by the contractor companies all in order to make more profit while neglecting their responsibilities in the department of health and safety and the June 2004 incident highlights this. While the negative impact caused by CNC Oil Companys lack of responsibility is very visible, it is important to take note that there was not a committee that kept the company in check. It is either they did not exist or their Authority and power was perhaps, greatly undermined. Operational and industrial accidents create a lot of distress and grief to all parties involved, from huge financial costs to negative publicity to which the subcontractor company can testify to. The suppliers, managers, local residents, shareholders employees and all other stakeholders are all interested and concerned when these industrial accidents occur since the oil company has to strike a balance between the different interests of these stakeholders. Lessons are sometimes learnt the hard way. It may take a lot of reduction in employee work rate, increase in recorded absentees from work, reduction in clients, and bad publications to ring the wakeup call for the implementation of effective HSE policies which was the case with the subcontractor company. 3.0 LESSONS LEARNT AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE FUTURE It is never enough to carry out extensive investigations on the safety records of most SMOCs. Many of these small to medium sized oil companies usually adopt general health and safety methods which can only be demonstrated by management systems but cannot be proven due to poor record keeping. They fail to review these general methods and tend not to improve their HSE policies as it affects their companies, or they may just choose to ignore safety standards like the case involving the CNC Oil Company in June 2004. 3.1 NATURE OF THE BUSINESS CASE SMOCs do not generally do full quantitative cost benefit analysis and it is therefore not clear if they need it to be convinced of the case in difficult financial terms (Antonelli, Baker, Mcmahon and wright, 2006). An interesting and significant point that unites the SMOCs and the larger oil and gas companies is that the smaller companies also take risk management very serious. They are motivated to improve the health and safety of their personnel when the benefits are presented before them but are not always in the position to invest heavily towards this. The general key motivating issues are: maintaining good reputation; higher productivity especially reduction in absence of personnel; Containing cost of insurance; Abiding by the HSE laws, hereby preventing the likelihood of local HSE organizations taking any kind of actions against them; Meeting the demands of the clients; Avoiding the cost of accidents and remedial approaches. The case study company operates as a contractor company for larger oil companies. They provide services including well abandonment and shut-in operations. The perception of low health and safety risk in a company can drive clients to other companies with better track record in the HSE department to carry out their operations thereby increasing the need to implement good HSE policies in companies while bearing in mind that adequate time and finance is needed to achieve this in higher standards. The case study company in this report implemented new HSE policies which are regarded by organizations as an appropriate course of action to bring business benefits and health and safety improvement. (See appendix). IDENTIFYING THE BENEFITS AND THE COSTS. In any business, there is need to keep a sound record of company operations and HSE policies, as this is very essential to further improvements and growth of the company. The CNC Oil Company failed to keep this kind of record before the incident occurred in 2004 and were faced with the consequences. Many of the SMOCs in Nigeria do not have a predefined budget for health and safety in their initial stages because they did not feel the need to justify such information. This makes it difficult for them to track back how much have been spent or gained in relation to good and effective HSE practices and how to improve further their reputation in this aspect. The Table below depicts the record of CNC Oil Company after the 2004 accident. 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 Personnel absent due to ill health and injuries % 35.00 32 28 20 10 Hospital bills incurred by company $ 55,000 50,000 42,000 30,000 20,000 Company productivity% 55 58 62 69 74 Table 1. Summarised record of CNC Oil Company in 4years As represented by the table above, CNC Oil Company benefited from the introduction of a new HSE policy and strict adherence to the policy by both the employers and the employees played a vital role in the success they have incurred as at 2009. Therefore, Presenting the financial benefits in terms of reduction in absence rates, business interruption by locals due to accidents and operations that impact negatively to the health and environmental safety of their lands and families, productivity, better reputation, more clients etc, may help alter the attitudes towards health and safety, showing that it is not simply a compliance or personnel welfare issue (Antonelli, Baker, Mcmahon and wright, 2006). CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE FUTURE HSE contractors and departments in various companies must emphasize the importance of improving the health and safety standards of employees and also work out policies to safeguard the surrounding environment in order to contribute to the growth of the company and the community where they are situated. With this in mind, considerations can be given to the following in the future: In the case of the Nigerian oil spill in the Niger delta region, a health, safety and environment governmental body should be put in place and given adequate tools and power to clamp down on companies that do not regard or follow health and safety rules and regulations in their operations inside the Nigerian border; Small to medium sized oil companies should evaluate the impact of the case studies who they work for, who they dont work for and, Baker, why (Antonelli Mcmahon and wright, 2006); Educate and train staff and company contractors about the influence that good or effective and bad or in-effective health and safety practices may bring to the company; Consider the potential for drawing on the extensive knowledge and experience of the health and safety inspectors to identify small to medium sized oil companies who manage health and safety well (Antonelli Mcmahon and wright, 2006); Keep track of the costs or benefits that health and safety has on the operations of the company and try to improve the values from previous years; It is essential that the communities where these companies carry out their operations are well taken care of. The livelihood of the locals usually depends on their environment and health; hence it is essential to take into consideration ways to improve the lives of the people while identifying possible hazards that may harm their lives. 4.0 CONCLUSION SMOCs should operate effective HSE policies to help them meet safety objectives, productivity targets and improve business opportunities. Regular records should be kept to help identify areas of improvement in the company and provide a track record for clients and all shareholders. Investing in effective HSE policies should be one of the major businesses of SMOCs so that they can attain set standards and objectives, and enhance their reputation. There are lots of business benefits associated with implementing effective HSE policies and encouraging strict adherence to these policies. These benefits should be exploited by the SMOCS. REFERENCE A. Antonelli, M. Baker, A. Mcmahon, M. Wright Six SME case studies that demonstrate the business benefit of effective management of Occupational health and safety. Crown, 2006. BIBLIOGRAPHY BOC Operating an effective health, safety and environment policy. Further reading can be found at http://businesscasestudies.co.uk/boc/operating-an-effective-safety-health-and-environmental-policy/conclusion.html#axzz2Cz7sRYST. (Website assessed 18/11/2012) Frank W Bond, Paul E Flaxman, Sharon Loivette A Business case for the management standards for stress. Crown, 2006. H. Hoel, K. Sparks, C.L. Cooper. The cost of violent/ stress at work and the benefits of a violence/stress- free working environment. Geneva: International Labour Organization 2006.

Changes in Eliza in Pygmalion :: George Bernard Shaw Pygmalion Essays

Changes in Eliza in Pygmalion Before Eliza first encountered Mr. Higgins, she was simply a dirty, yet caring girl in the gutter of London. During her time with both Mr. Higgins and Colonel Pickering, Eliza did change, for the fist few weeks of her stay in Wimpole Street, she questioned everything that Higgins asked her to do, and generally couldn't see how they would help her. Later, Eliza begins to understand that Higgins, as harsh as he is, is trying to do his best to teach her, and therefore should be respected. After the ambassador's ball, we see more of the old Eliza resurfacing. She starts to worry again, and since she has grown attached to Higgins and Pickering, is devastated to see their finding her so trivial. Eliza's basic character remains relatively unchanged. We can still observe the old Eliza, under the upper-class persona. The play, "Pygmalion" brings out the message that looks can be extremely deceiving, while touching on the issue that self presentation really does change the way peop le look at you. Act I of the play first introduces the reader to the rich of London. The author, Bernard Shaw, uses these well moneyed citizens to display the contrast between them and Eliza. In this act, Eliza has yet to be introduced to the world of the rich, and is portrayed by Shaw as in innocent dreamer. Eliza is concerned for her own safety, in making sure that it was know that she only wanted to sell a flower to the gentleman. She is persistent in a kind way; the reader sees this when she tries eagerly to sell to the gentleman without change. It becomes apparent that she is very poor, and needs success from her flower selling to live a life at all. Eliza shows great pride in her line of work, and that she stays above the law, not resorting to illegal prostitution or stealing. The introduction of Higgins taking down Eliza's speech gives the author a further chance to display Eliza's will to stay innocent and good. Another way that Shaw shows us the real Eliza is in the way that she starts crawling over the dirty ground to locate the money thrown down at her by Higgins.

Gender Roles in Shakespeare Essay -- essays research papers

It is a peculiar feature of Shakespeare's plays that they both participate in and reflect the ideas of gender roles in Western society. To the extent that they reflect existing notions about the 'proper' roles of men and women, they can be said to be a product of their society. However, since they have been studied, performed, and taught for five hundred years, they may be seen as formative of contemporary notions about the relationships between males, females, and power. Derrida was right in asserting that "there is no 'outside' to the text." His claim is that every text is affected by every other text and every other speech act. As an instance, most of Shakespeare's plays have traceable sources for their central plots. Representations of gender in Renaissance drama are tied to their original presentation: "bearing the traces of their history in a theatrical enterprise which completely excluded women, (these texts) construct gender from a relentlessly androcentric perspective" (Helms 196). It is the ways in which these texts reflect or distort the gender expectations of society, either Elizabethan or contemporary, that is so important. Comedy that centers on the relationship between conventional couples rather than on resolution of the situation that keeps them apart is really quite difficult to find in Shakespeare. Ferdinand and Miranda are so uninteresting as a couple that their chief function seems to be as an excuse for Prospero to exhibit his art. The lovers in Midsummer Night’s Dream are certainly at their most entertaining when they're in love with the wrong person. It is the exaggerated character--Falstaff, Petruchio, Paulina, or Cleopatra--or those who step outside th... ...sp; Works Consulted Bamber, Linda. Comic Women, Tragic Men: A Study of Gender and Genre in Shakespeare. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1982 Belsey, Catherine. â€Å"Desire's Excess: Edward II, Troilus and Cressida, Othello." In Erotic Politics: Desire on the Renaissance Stage. Susan Zimmerman, ed. New York: Routledge,1992 Cook, Carol. "Unbodied Figures of Desire (on Troilus and Cressida)." In Performing Feminisms: Feminist Critical Theory and Theatre., Sue-Ellen Case, ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1990 Dollimore, Jonathan. Subjectivity, Sexuality, and Transgression: The Jacobean Connection. Renaissance Drama n.s. 17 (1986), 53-81 Evans, G. Blakemore ed. The Riverside Shakespeare. New York: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1974 Kahn, CoppÃ… ¾lia. Man’s Estate: Masculine Identity in Shakespeare. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1981 Traub, Valerie. Desire and Anxiety: Circulations of Sexuality in Shakespearean Drama. New York: Routledge 1992

Buried Child Essay

It represents the fragmentation of the American nuclear family in a context of disappointment and disillusionment with American mythology and the American Dream, the 70s rural economic slowdown and the breakdown of traditional family structures and values. It reflects the universal frustrations of American people. The postmodern style of this play incorporates surrealism and symbolism. Surrealism is part of the play. The use of symbols such as the rain and the corn give the play a symbolist element. The humor is also an essential element. All these stylistic elements give the play a postmodern feel. Eclecticism and skepticism have also to do with postmodernism. Dodge + Halie = Tilden and Bradley Tilden has son Vince whose girlfriend is Shelly The character of Ansel: he is the son that Halie idolizes as an All-American hero despite his death. Tilden and Bradley: both failed their parents’ expectations. Both are expected to take over the farm or at least care for their parents in their old age. However both are handicapped: Tilden emotionally and Bradley physically. They are unable to care for their parents and thus unable to carry out the American Dream. Tilden: he has no purpose, no direction in his life. He had sex with his mother. (Vince) Bradley: aggressive, lost his leg. He Is emasculated by the removal of his leg. Dodge: felt the failure of the farm and the family. He failed to make the farm successful. He is an alcoholic. He has been emasculated by his son and the infertility of his fields. The Priests reflects the breakdown of morality and ethics in America. The act of incest and the murder breakdown the family values. It’s a dysfunctional family.

Does Water Hyacinth Affect The Ph Level Environmental Sciences Essay

Invasive aquatic works species are doing a turning menace in South Africa, every bit good as the whole universe. These workss threaten the fresh water organic structures doing a broad spread debasement on the environment. This survey aims to see if Water Hyacinth can assist the environment in which it inhabits by neutralizing the pH degree of acerb H2O. As H2O jacinth is a fast turning invasive species that can be controlled by weevils and pesticides[ 1 ]which can be used to help in the purification and neutralization of South African H2O beginnings. South Africa ‘s H2O beginnings are limited and in high demand. As 76.5 % of the Earth H2O is polluted[ 2 ], this survey can enable the possibility of neutralizing acerb H2O. Purpose Does H2O jacinth affect the pH degree of H2O contaminated with an acidic pH? Research Question Water jacinth will impact the pH degree of acidic H2O as it will be tested in controlled environments where comparings between acidic and impersonal H2O can be drawn as H2O jacinth will be placed in both conditions and over clip, the pH degree of the H2O will be tested to detect the alteration of pH degree of the H2O due to the H2O jacinth. Hypothesis. Water jacinth will change the pH degree of the acerb H2O and do the H2O go more impersonal, closer to 7. Rationale This research is of import as H2O taint and pollution is a turning job in South Africa. As H2O jacinth is able to turn at rapid rates, by make up one's minding where one needs to pollenate their seeds, we can engender the works in contaminated H2O to decide the pH degrees of the H2O. The H2O degrees have a great consequence on the ecosystems in and around it so with acidic H2O, ecosystems will be destroyed and the environing home grounds and ecosystems near the H2O will be lost or destroyed. The subject is of great importance as there are terrible jobs refering imbibing H2O in the universe and this can help to repair the pollution of H2O around the universe. Literature Review This undertaking shows great importance as Water jacinth is a job on a planetary degree. The job of over population of this works causes decease of H2O life as Sun visible radiation is restricted by the H2O jacinth and therefor the workss at the underside of the dike supplying nutrient and nutrition to the life start do dice and add to the pollution as they do non have sunshine for photosynthesis. When these workss have died, the dead fish ( for illustration ) Begin to break up which adds to the pollution of the already contaminated H2O. There have been legion surveies around the universe into the usage of H2O jacinth as a pollutant proctor.[ 3 ]Water Hyacinth has been tested to detect the soaking up of arsenic, cadmium lead and many other metal compounds.[ 4 ]The workss can be tested to analyze the per centum of the compounds absorbed by looking inside the roots and roots and carry oning trials to look at the compounds absorbed by the workss while life in the solution.[ 5 ]With all workss being made up of chemical constructions, an instability of chemicals can do workss to deform and in some cases die. There have been experiments to turn out how the concentration of the chemical affects the growing of the workss. In this survey, the workss are being tested whether or non the H2O jacinth can better the pH degree of acidic H2O. Plants are really sensitive to high pH degrees – acetum and dish rinsing liquid as a old trial conducted to see the endurance of the workss at different pH degrees resulted in the decease of the workss after merely one hebdomad when placed in solutions with high pH degrees – and normal garden workss flourish at a pH degree of between 6.3 and 7.8[ 6 ]. Water jacinth is a works with easy entree and grows in specific conditions which could change the consequences as workss are sensitive to the conditions in which they grow. Beginnings of pollution are direct – pouring waste into H2O and rinsing apparels in fresh H2O streams – and indirect – leaking oil pipes and overflow from eroded lands[ 7 ]– which both add to the pollution degrees every bit good as set uping the pH degrees of the H2O as there are harmful substances being added to a sensitive ecosystem. As H2O jacinth is non autochthonal to South Africa and originated in Brazil where their ecosystems were equip to command this works and guarantee it did non take over the H2O subdivisions. South Africa ‘s H2O does non hold the methods in topographic point to get by with the passing of this works as it is choke offing up H2O ways, cut downing the rate of H2O flow and adding to the pollution of the H2O[ 8 ]. If this works could hold a positive map, it could be controlled by worlds and used for merely that map. Method I ) Label 9 little plastic bags ( 3 x control, 6 x acid ) with a lasting marker. two ) Using an electronic graduated table, weigh 24grams of fertiliser and repetition 9 times. three ) Place each 24g of fertiliser into a separate bag. four ) Using an electronic graduated table, weigh 8grams of Iron chelates and repetition 9 times. V ) Place each 8g of Iron chelates into one of the bags. I ) Topographic point 3 sets of 3 baths in an enclosed country two ) Measure 80ml of H2O and pour the H2O into each bath. three ) Draw a line with a lasting marker at the semilunar cartilage on the bath. four ) Label three of the baths Control and the other six Acid V ) Add one of each of the little plastic bags of the fertiliser and chelates to each of the harmonizing bath six ) Add 3 workss of Water Hyacinth into 3 of the bath seven ) Measure 5ml of a java solution to each of the six acidic baths iix ) Place one of each bath in a row and do 3 rows of 3 baths. nine ) Record the pH degree of each bath utilizing HP pool proving strips in the tabular array. ten ) Take images of each of the strips next to which tub it is. eleven ) Record the information one time a hebdomad for 8 hebdomads. The aggregation of the pH degree of each bath one time a hebdomad for 8 hebdomads will let one to detect the consequence of H2O jacinth on H2O with irregular pH degrees. Week 1 Bathtub pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 2 Bathtub pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 3 Bathtub pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 4 Bathtub pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 5 Bathtub pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 6 Bathtub pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 7 Bathtub pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 Week 8 Bathtub pH Control Acidic 1 Acidic 2 A tabular array demoing the mean pH degrees of the three bath over eight hebdomads. Bathtubs Average pH degree Control 1 2 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 7 Week 6 Week 8 pH degree A line graph demoing the alteration in pH degree of the control bath over 8 hebdomads Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 7 Week 6 Week 8 pH degree A line graph demoing the alteration in pH degree of acidic bath 1 over 8 hebdomads Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 Week 7 Week 6 Week 8 pH degree A line graph demoing the alteration in pH degree of acidic bath 2 over 8 hebdomads Plan for Data Analysis Using the collected information of pH degrees from each of the nine baths, after the 8 hebdomads, 3 separate line graphs can be drawn to demo the neutralization of the acidic H2O. The information will be collected from the 2nd of March to the 20th of April. Bibliography African Entomology vol. 19 No. 2 2001. J.A Coetzee hypertext transfer protocol: //www.chemistryexplained.com/Va-Z/Water-Pollution.html. Dan M. Sullivan Invasive Aquatic Plants. Lesley Henderson and Carina J Cilliers. 2002. Science direct: hypertext transfer protocol: //www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/0143147182900605 hypertext transfer protocol: //www.plantea.com/pH.htm

A Brazilian Fashion Model’s Death Due to Eating Disorder

For Ana Carolina Reston Marcan was from kleinsaf been her dream to be supermodel, this dream became reality. At 21, in 2006, she made the headlines around the world. Not for her modeling career, but for her painful death, attributed to â€Å"complications due to anorexia. Jundiai town, Sao Paulo, Brazil. A brown-haired teenage girl walks on to the stage at the local beauty contest. Below, her parents, wedged at the front of a cheering audience, clap enthusiastically as a judge slips a green and white sash over their daughter's head and pronounces her the Queen of Jundiai, 1999.Her mother wasn't surprised: ‘The other girls were podgy and had bottoms,' she said later. ‘She won because she was slim and elegant. ‘ It doesn't seem an earth-shattering achievement. But for 13-year-old Ana Carolina Reston Marcan it was one step nearer her dream of becoming a supermodel. It would take Reston (who dropped Marcan from her professional name) seven years to ‘arrive', by w hich time she would be working as far afield as Hong Kong and Japan, for designers as well known as Giorgio Armani and Dior.But it was on 14 November last year that she finally crossed over from being a successful catwalk model to appearing on the cover of every magazine and newspaper in Brazil, and making headlines around the globe. Not for her modelling, but for her agonising death, attributed to ‘complications arising from anorexia'. In a year in which both ‘skinny chic' (wearing oversized clothes on tiny body frames) and the American size 00 (an emaciated UK size two, or a waist the same as a typical seven-year-old's) was the height of fashion in celebrity-land, Reston's demise seems all the more poignant.She was also the second model to die from an eating disorder during 2006. In August, at a fashion show in Uruguay, 22-year-old Luisel Ramos suffered a heart attack thought to be the result of anorexia. Although anorexia isn't the preserve of the fashion industry, it 's hardly surprising that Reston's death has shone a spotlight on the way the business treats its models, and more significantly, on how destructive our current perception of female beauty can be. Reston's short life began in Pitangueiras private hospital in Jundiai on 29 May 1985.She was born into a comfortable, middle-class family; her father, Narciso Marcan, worked for a German multinational while her mother, Miriam Reston, sold jewellery. They were neither desperately poor nor offensively rich and lived in a small but elegant bungalow on the outskirts of town. From an early age Reston wanted to be a model, partly in order to provide her family with a better life. It's not clear why she felt such responsibility, but in the early Nineties her father was diagnosed with both Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease and was later made redundant.Even before then, though, her mother remembers the young Reston spiriting bras and high heels from her closet and pirouetting around the house in them, asking people to take her photograph. Then one day in 1999, on the school bus home, she spotted a sign announcing a beauty contest for the Queen of Jundiai. She leapt off and signed herself up. A few weeks later she took her mother on an all expenses-paid luxury trip to Rio – her prize for winning the competition. When they returned, a fashion agent offered to introduce her to Ford, one of Brazil's top modelling agencies, for a fee of ? 100. The family accepted.Reston's career took off almost immediately and it soon became apparent that she had her eye on the big prize – becoming a supermodel, like fellow Brazilian Gisele. Reston's friends thought that for the more glamorous catwalk and editorial modelling she was, at just over 5ft 6in, too short. But she wouldn't be put off; she altered her height on her publicity shots and claimed she was just over 5ft 7in. And she seemed to get away with it. In July 2003, after four successful years at Ford, she signed to Elit e, one of the biggest agencies in Brazil, a move which catapulted her from teenage wannabe to serious model.Still Reston wanted to work abroad, and in January 2004 she finally made her first trip overseas. She was sent to Guangzhou, a Chinese city not far from Hong Kong, for three months. But although no one can pin an exact date on when she began to suffer from anorexia, one former booker, who refuses to be named, believes that it was here things started to unravel for the then 18-year-old. Reston, like so many other teenage models, travelled unaccompanied by either a personal friend or family member, someone who could help her negotiate a way through the lonely castings, where personal criticism came as standard. She arrived in China,' explains a booker, ‘and the guys looked at her and said, â€Å"You're fat. † She took this very personally. ‘ Her unhappiness was evident in the letters she sent home. In one to her mother, Reston describes arriving in ‘that big place'. She goes on: ‘I [felt] so small, the city so big. I didn't understand anything†¦ It didn't go right. I failed. ‘ Her confidence was being destroyed. Back in Brazil, Reston's descent into anorexia (which ultimately resulted in her shrinking from 8st to 6st) became all too obvious.When Laura Ancona, a journalist at the Brazilian fashion magazine Quem, befriended Reston towards the end of 2004, she sensed immediately that something was wrong. Reston, she says, only ever drank fruit juice, and after her death was found to have survived on a diet of apples and tomatoes. As Ancona recalls: ‘She said, â€Å"I can't eat any more. † She told me she tried to eat but felt like vomiting. She knew she had a problem, but didn't know what she was suffering from. I think I was the first person to explain it to her – I knew she was anorexic, because someone in my family had suffered in the same way. According to Ancona, Reston's condition was common knowledge. ‘Everyone knew she was ill,' she says. ‘The other girls, the agencies, everyone. Don't believe it when they say they didn't. ‘ Reston's aunt, Mirtes Reston, who plans to present a petition to the government demanding steps to monitor the modelling industry, is more direct. ‘These girls are white slaves,' she says. ‘We want models to have rights. At the moment they are given no pension, no support†¦ They just take the person away from their family and abandon them far away. ‘In his private clinic in Jardins, a leafy, upmarket neighbourhood of Sao Paulo, psychologist Dr Marco Antonio De Tommaso, who voluntarily runs a fortnightly drop-in clinic at two of the city's largest modelling agencies, Elite and L'Equipe, is preparing some notes on eating disorders. Tommaso has spent 11 years working with models and given consultations to nearly 2,000 of them, including some of the country's most famous faces. He also treated Reston. Tommaso's take on the fashion industry, and what he calls the ‘dictatorship of beauty', is bleak.He regards Reston's experience as typical, citing in particular the way in which ‘new faces' are parachuted into the most demanding and adult of worlds when they are unable to cope. ‘They experience lots of changes all at the same time,' says Tommaso. ‘They move city, they move state, they start living alone, and the work is very demanding. Everything happens very quickly, and it is all so unpredictable. ‘ There are no official studies to prove the link between the fashion industry and eating disorders, but many experts point to a clear correlation between the two.In a letter from 40 doctors at the Eating Disorders Service and Research Unit at King's College London to the British Fashion Council last October, Professor Janet Treasure wrote: ‘There is no doubt there is cause and effect here. The fashion industry showcases models with extreme body shapes, and thi s is undoubtedly one of the factors leading to young girls developing disorders. ‘ This is borne out by Tommaso's experience. ‘If someone is just a tiny bit bigger than the industry demands,' he says, ‘they are treated as if they were morbidly obese.This encourages a pattern of beauty that is absolutely unreal. ‘ Such pressures, he continues, lead many such women to build up what he calls ‘an arsenal of anorexia': special diets, prescription and illegal drugs, starving themselves. He remembers one young model even using pills for fighting intestinal worms in order to lose weight. Journalist Laura Ancona is not surprised: ‘I've lost count of how many times I've seen models vomiting in the toilets [at fashion events], or sniffing cocaine, or 13-year-old girls fainting because they're not eating properly. Anorexia is obviously not an illness exclusive to the fashion industry, or Brazil. According to the Norwich-based Eating Disorders Association, bet ween one and two per cent of young adult women worldwide suffer from the eating disorder and most, like Reston, are 15-25 years old. It kills somewhere between 13 and 20 per cent of its victims. It's not known exactly what causes anorexia, but Tommaso asserts that, for young models at least, professional demands can be a ‘very strong factor'. There are other pressures, too.As Tommaso points out: ‘Often, low-income families begin to see their offspring as the chicken that lays gold eggs and expect them to support the entire household. The models, in turn, begin to push themselves harder and harder, placing greater demands on their bodies in the hope they will earn more money. ‘ Certainly Reston faced problems at home. The family's life savings had been stolen in 2002 and because they only had her sick father's pension of around ? 250 a month to live on, Miriam Reston looked increasingly to her daughter's income. She was my crutch,' she explains, sitting in the break fast room of her sister's pousada, or guesthouse. By 2004, the 18-year-old Reston was supporting her entire family. And despite her experiences in China, she continued to dream of travelling the world modelling, in order to earn more money to help her mother build a new house. In August 2005 Reston called her employers at the Elite fashion agency and told them she was leaving – she had received an offer from an agent to work in Mexico.They urged her to stay, arguing that the Mexican modelling market required voluptuous girls, whereas Reston was now an increasingly skinny model. ‘She wasn't listening to anyone any more,' says her former booker. In Mexico things went from bad to worse. On her second day there Reston emailed home that she was sharing an apartment with 17 other models and was very unhappy. Other Brazilian models who bumped into an increasingly miserable-looking Reston at castings began to worry about her emotional state. One of them, Cynthia, left a note fo r her: ‘Girlie, we're very worried about you.Please come out with us or stay at home and eat something – eat whatever you want, OK? ‘ Eventually, Reston became so unhappy that Lica Kohlrausch, the owner of L'Equipe, was persuaded by some of Reston's concerned friends and colleagues to pay for her to fly back to Brazil. ‘We brought Ana back after she did some work for Giorgio Armani and a representative rang me to say she was too thin,' Kohlrausch told the press after Reston's death. ‘It worried me and I acted immediately, but I didn't see any physical signs of anorexia when she came back. On her return, Reston went to work in Japan for three months. When she came home again, in late 2005, she was barely recognisable – gaunt and colourless. As Miriam Reston recalls, ‘I looked at her and said, â€Å"My daughter, what have they done to you? † I wish these people could see what they have done to her. She didn't deserve this. ‘ Now seriously worried about her health, Reston's family sent her to stay with an uncle on the Sao Paulo coast. He, too, knew that something was very wrong. On a note dated 19 January 2006, he set out a daily routine for Reston to follow as part of her recuperation.It read: 1 Wake up, pray. 2 Strong, positive thoughts. 3 Pray. 4 Always feed yourself. 5 Pray. Despite the family's intervention, Reston continued eating less and less, and work opportunities began to ebb away. By the middle of last year, her career as a model had virtually ground to a halt. Instead, to try and make ends meet, she was handing out fliers advertising nightclubs in Sao Paulo, earning just over ? 10 a night. But there was some comfort – she fell in love with a 19-year-old model from Sao Paulo, called Bruno Setti. I didn't know what love was until you kissed me,' she wrote to him, just over a month before her death. ‘Thank you for giving me the hugs that make me secure and the conversations that comfo rt me. ‘ On Friday 29 September, Dr Tommaso sat waiting in a room at L'Equipe, with a list of six models he was due to see that afternoon. Reston was booked in for her second appointment. But as the minutes ticked by, Tommaso got the feeling it would be another no-show. ‘I thought it was a shame,' he sighs. ‘The agency contacted her and she said she'd forgotten.Maybe it was true, maybe it was the anorexia. We can't be sure. ‘ In Jundiai, meanwhile, Reston complained to her mother that members of the agency were pestering her to see a doctor. ‘She told me they were going mad [saying she was ill],' recalls her mother. ‘Everyone was telling her she was ill†¦ But, like all these girls, she denied it was a problem. ‘ But her mother was pretty sure by then that Reston's health problems needed to be addressed sooner rather than later. And then suddenly, it was too late. At home on Sunday 22 October, Reston began to complain of a pain in her ki dneys.Miriam Reston didn't know it, but for the last couple of months her daughter had been taking a cocktail of potent prescription drugs, for pain relief and slimming. Reston was admitted to the Samaritano Hospital in Sao Paulo and two days later, on 25 October, she was moved to the Hospital Municipal dos Servidores Publicos, where almost immediately she was admitted to the intensive care unit, where she spent her last 21 days. Her demise was agonising, a plastic tube inserted down her throat, unable to tell anyone how she felt, although the tears in her eyes must have made that pretty obvious.Patches of her once long brown hair had fallen out, too. Her death certificate, for which relatives paid around 50p, cites her time of death as 7. 10am and lists the cause of death as ‘multiple organ failure, septicaemia, urinary infection'. Coldly it adds: ‘Leaves no children. Leaves no property. Leaves no will. ‘ Within hours of her death Ana Carolina Reston Marcan was fa mous across the world. Her death made her a martyr in Brazil – her image was splashed across the front pages of virtually every newspaper and magazine, and across the international media.Jundiai's teenage beauty queen had become the emaciated model who had starved herself to death. Debate raged. There was an outpouring of emotion from other anorexic girls who saw in Reston a piece of themselves; and, simultaneously, a bitter rebuke from pro-anorexia communities, whose members see anorexia as a lifestyle choice. Reston's boyfriend requested her page on the popular Brazilian blog site Orkut be deleted after her death because it was targeted by anorexia supporters posting offensive comments.Critics of the fashion industry, on the other hand, held her up as an example of how it was destroying the lives of young, would-be models, and in the weeks that followed, the deaths of two further Brazilian girls in similar circumstances, one a fashion student, brought further calls for the regulation of this notoriously mysterious business. Already, changes seem to be taking place. Following Uruguayan model Luisel Ramos's death, models with a body mass index (BMI) of less than 18 – classified as underweight by the World Health Organisation (between 18. and 25 is considered healthy) – were banned in September from Madrid Fashion Week. In the wake of Reston's death, Brazilian models now require medical certificates in order to take part in catwalk events. The Italian fashion organisation Camera Della Moda Italiana is also considering introducing measures to prevent any catwalk models at risk appearing at Milan Fashion Week in February. More recently, the British Fashion Council, which organises London Fashion Week, has prepared similar guidelines that it will eventually send to all designers and modelling agencies.It is late afternoon and in the cobbled centre of Pirapora do Bom Jesus, Miriam Reston Marcan pulls up the shutters of her new jewellery shop â €“ recently named ‘Ana Carolina Metals' – and goes inside. Weeping, she picks up a letter written by her daughter shortly before her death, but which was never sent. ‘†If I could, I'd like to go back to being four, clinging on to you as if I were still in your womb, so that nobody could harm me,†Ã¢â‚¬Ëœ it reads, in curly, teenage handwriting. â€Å"But God wanted my life to change. â€Å"‘ Reston sighs. ‘I didn't know what my daughter had could kill, but I knew it had to be treated. But my daughter rejected me, she said she was OK. ‘ She stares up at a portrait of Ana hung at the back of the shop – part of an advertising campaign which has now become a sort of shrine to her deceased daughter. ‘Do you know what I think at night time? ‘ she asks. ‘I think that she's in the ground and the ants are eating her. I don't know how I'm