Analysis of Operation Situation and Competition of UK Insurance Essay

Analysis of Operation Situation and Competition of UK Insurance Industry - Essay Example These companies are Aviva Plc., Prudential Plc. and Royal and Sun Alliance Insurance Group. The first part of the paper includes PEST and Porter Five Forces analysis, while keeping in view the industry trends and environment. In addition to this, analysis of financial performance of the selected three insurance companies in UK has also been performed. This activity has been carried out with the help of ratio analysis; comparison of key financial indicators against closes competitors and industry standards. The next part of the paper consists of strategic analysis of the selected insurance businesses by utilizing Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threat (SWOT) model. The SWOT model is considered to be helpful in determining what are the external factors and future prospects that might have an influence on the direction of the business. Additionally, the model also identifies the role of internal factors of a business that might result in effecting the performance of the busines s on strategic and financial grounds. After presenting these analyses, a discussion based on the findings from analysis has been presented, which provides the ratings for selected companies on the basis of their financial performance and SWOT analysis. The insurance industry has been chosen for this project looking at the importance of this industry in terms of its contribution to the economy of UK. The insurance industry has played a vital a vital role in covering the customers from the risks of investment, health and education, etc. This industry have been satisfied the customers in terms of their requirements of general insurance as well as life insurance. Due to the demand of these products in the market, the industry has registered a strong trend of sales and revenue earnings. According to Global Business Browser (2012), the value of UK insurance market increased by 2.6% to $319.7 billion in 2011, which makes

Pizza! the Best Party Food Essay Example for Free

Pizza! the Best Party Food Essay Ding! Dong! â€Å"The pizza’s here everybody†. What do you mostly always eat when there is a party? What do you expect to eat at a party? That’s right! It’s pizza. A party without pizza is like a store without anything to sell. Some reasons that it is the best party food is that everybody eats it and is easy to get. Another reason is that everyone loves it. So why not get pizza the next time you decide to throw a party. First of all, lactose intolerant people aside, who doesn’t love when the pizza guy arrives at the door with, boxes of that deliciousness. Also it is the easiest thing to get for a party is pizza. Its so hard to cook for anywhere from 50-100 people. That would take hours of work and make the house smell bad. Why not just spend 60 dollars and get about seven whole boxes of Pizza Hut, Domino’s, DiGiorno’s, or anything else. Its saves so much time and the trouble of cooking. Also who knows if they will honestly even like the food you cook. When getting pizza you know everybody will eat it because the hosts of parties know people love pizza. Do you want to be remembered as a good host or party thrower? Then go buy pizza. You will probably spend that much on whatever you are cooking any way. So take the easy way out, and also the smart way. Next, everyone enjoys pizza, name one person that just doesn’t enjoy pizza. The perfect blend of cheese, tomato, and bread gets everyone’s mouths watering. Everyone just can’t resist from taking a slice. On the other hand it also tastes very good with drinks such as sodas. You can have all the wings and breadsticks you want but no matter what it won’t be a party without pizza. If I ever met someone who doesn’t like pizza I would interrogate him with questions. Did you ever even try it? Are you crazy? What’s wrong with you? What planet have you come from? Good thing I have never met anyone like that. Pizza is also rated the peoples’ most favorite food worldwide. So at a party you know it’s pretty demanding. If people don’t get pizza then it will make the guests unhappy and unsatisfied in their stomach. Overall there is no way around it. Pizza is the king of the party. It is the stomach filler. It is the most essential ingredient to making a successful party.

Strategies to Increase Client Retention in Personal Training

Strategies to Increase Client Retention in Personal Training Devise and support a plan to increase long-term client retention and reduce turnover in a personal training context. INTRODUCTION Physical inactivity is one of the leading causes of non-communicable diseases such as Conroy heart diseases, diabetes, and specific types of cancer (World Health Organisation (2010). Withthe development of advance technology, transportation, and household tasks that involves less exertion; this figure is expected to increase (World Health Organisation (2010).With and   an large amount of growing evidence suggesting a positive association between physical activity and physical well-being, less depression, increased cognitive function and slowing down in advancement of Alzheumeirs disease( Rolland et al, 2008).Physical activity is used to define any bodily movement produced by skeletal muscles that result in energy expenditure (Caspersen, et al 1985)which involves walking, jogging, and rock climbing for example. With physical activity being a vital determinant of energy balance, and is therefore important to weight-weight and obesity. Regular physical activity is associated with both enhanced social and economic capital (Cadilhac, et al 2011).With Society being faced by the rising health care and economic costs in part as a result of physical inactivity, individuals, business government have a mutual interest in the promotion of physical activity. The Majority of adults are aware of the benefits of engaging in regular exercise, with 70% of adults proposing that they would like to do more physical activity(Craig, et al 2009). Regardless of knowing the advantages associated with engaging in regular physical activity, most individuals do not take sufficient exercise to accrue the physical and psychological benefits of exercise. For example, the Health Survey for England (2008) pointed out that only 39% of men and 29% of aged 16 and over met the governments recommendations for physical activity, based the data.   In children aged 2 to 15 years, 32% per cent of boys and 24% of girls were classified as meeting the government recommendations. Most individuals in 2013 (90%) did not know the existing guidelines for the physical activity in the UK. Certainly awareness and knowledge about the benefits of physical are arguably not enough to influence changes in physical activity behaviour. An example being, an evaluation of the gov ernments Change for life campaign suggests an increased awareness, but little change in attitude and behaviour (Croker, et al 2012). Wide arrays of cognitive and psychological variables have been examined as potential links of physical activity adherence (Trost et al, 2002). Between these variables, previous studies have shown that the following are most consistently associated with greater physical activity levels such as fewer perceived barriers, greater enjoyment of physical activity, greater expected benefits, better psychological health, and greater self-efficacy for physical activity, greater self-motivation for physical activity, greater readiness to change and better perceived health for fitness (Sallis Owen 1999) Self-efficacy for physical activity, is described as an individuals confidence in their ability to be physically active on a regular basis, has been one of the strongest and most consistent cognitive correlates of activity level (Rhodes et al, 1999). Both adoption and maintenance is related to self-efficacy in physical activity(Sallis et al, 2007). It has been correlated with physical activity in a variety of settings, which includeslarge population based community samples, exercise groups healthy individuals, and solid exercise programs (Trost et al, 2002). Previous longitudinal studies on Self-efficacy have been shown to predict future physical activity levels (Sallis Owen 1999).In addition, self-efficacy may be improved through training and Morey feedback and therefore could be particularly a vital target for interventions. Perceived barriers also have relate strongly within physical activity. Lack of time is the most common reported barrier within psychical activity among UK sam ples (Dishman, 1994). Other common barriers include lack of facilities, bad weather, safety, lack of exercise partner fatigue or lack of energy, poor health, and being self-conscious about appearance (Trost et al, 2002).Perceived barriers may include subjective and objective components. Objective barriers such lack of exercise facilities may be modified by policy interventions and subjective barriers may be altered through cognitive interventions that disprove beliefs that hamper activity. Therefore the aim of this study is to encourage behaviour change and to increase participation in exercise in client retention. This will be achieved using the trans-theoretical model and to propose strategies to increase long-term client retention and reduce turnover in a personal training. THE TRANS-THEORETICAL MODEL The Trans-theoretical model has been defined as an integrative and comprehensive model of behaviour change that has drawn from all the important theories of psychotherapy (Prochaska Norcass, 1999).The TTM is made up of five stagesprecontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance. This Figure shows each stage of the changes of stage Model (Prochaska, 1992) STAGES OF CHANGE   Ã‚   Stage 1: Precontemplation stage Precontemplation is the stage in which an individual has no intention of adopting a physical activity program. Majority of the Bedford who are sedentary may not understand the value of introducing physical activity into their daily routine. When working with them at this stage, encourage them to consider thinking about change and the several benefits. This is a time to educate the individual about the health risks of inactivity and the value of being physically active. With a fitness professional, it is important for them to validate that fact that the Bedford citizens are not ready to make a change; however they should offer encouragement and information about the benefits of making positive changes to their lifestyle. Stage 2: Contemplation stage Contemplation is the stage where the individual who is currently not active but who have the intention of adopting a physical activity program. An individual in this stage is still sedentary, but has started to think about how a sedentary lifestyle is negatively affecting their health. This individual is not ready to make a change, but is starting to think about physical activity as an option. It is important f as the fitness professional to encourage the client to weigh the pros and cons of a healthy behavioural change, so they can start to understand the benefits and participate in physical activity and make other positive lifestyle modifications. Stage 3: Preparation stage The preparation stage is the stage where the clients are both mentally and physically preparing to adopt a physical activity program (Marcus Owen 1992). The individual is no longer sedentary. They now have begun to partake in some from physical activity (e.g. walking, going to the gym, however, there is no consistency or commitment in this stage (Prochaska et al, 1994). Its important for the fitness professionals to work with the client to create a plan for adopting healthy lifestyle changes and overcoming challenges. This plan may include how to fit physical activity into a busywork schedule, also making healthy food choices when eating out and identifying and creating a social support system. This stage is about creating plans adopt healthy behaviour changes that specific to the client. Stage 4: Action stage The action stage is where an individual has been engaging in regular activity for less than six months. This individual begins to carry out the plan created during the preparation stage. It is important for the fitness professional to offer continuous support and encouragement while helping the individual focus on the long-term advantages if making positive behaviour changes. This is stage goal setting particularly useful. It is also important to teach the client how to anticipate and overcome obstacles that could deter their motivation adherence. Stage 5: Maintenance stage The maintenance stage is where the citizens have been engaged in regular physical-activity program for over six months (Prochaska et al (1992).This client has progressed from the action stage into the maintenance stage, where they maintaining new healthy behaviour changes. It is important for the fitness professional to offer continued inspiration to the citizens so they can maintain the changed behaviour, and to identify those things that might cause a setback. The fitness professionals should take time to work with individual to identify things that could tempt or undermine the positive changes the individual decided on. Furthermore, helping the client to strategize how to prevent these recently identified causes for a setback. The goal of the fitness professional is to provide the citizens with the tools necessary for maintaining positive behaviour changes. Therefore, keeping in mind that citizens may hesitate back and forth between stages Prochaska et al (1992).The shift back and forth may be caused by internal such as changes in self-efficacy and external such as commitment to family, work factors. APPLYING THE SELF-EFFICACY THEORY TO INCREASE LONG TERM RETENTION Self-efficacy is defined as the strength of a persons conviction that they successfully execute those courses of behaviours necessary to bring about specific outcome (Bandura, 1979). According to(Bandura, 1989) self-efficacy affects thoughts patterns that can aid or hinder the individual. An individual with high-self efficacy within physical activity will feel better that they have the ability to be successful in exercise related activates. For example, Fitness professionals will help their clients be more successful if they can guide clients to higher levels of self-efficacy. Essentially, this theory is specific to individual tasks and situations, rather than general situations (Rhodes et al, 1999).The transferability of self-efficacy from one area to another depending comparable two domains is. (Maddux, 1995). For example, if a client has high self-efficacy in the area of sport, it is likely that they will high-efficacy within a similar domain, such as exercise, However, there clearly be less transfer of efficacy to domain that is less similar , such speaking to large group of people. The issue of the transferability is one that fitness professionals should consider when aiming to improve a clients sell-efficacy. Referring back to (Bandura, 2000),self-efficacy influences activity choices, effort of intensity  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   at a task, and persistence when facing obstacles. For example, is the client has low self-efficacy within exercise, they are more likely to avoid exercise. If they do exercise, they be more likely to pic forms of exercise that do not seem challenging, also when obstacles do occur, the client will lower self-efficacy will give up before the client with higher self-efficacy, moreover a client with high efficacy will put more effort into an exercise and be more determined when obstacles occur Bandura, 1990).This difference between clients who have low self-efficacy within exercise and high self-efficacy within exercise is an important distinction personal trainers should contemplate constructing exercise programs and coaching clients. HOW SELF-EFFICACY IMPACTS EXERCISE BEHAVIOR Self-efficacy has been established to have a strong correlation with intense [physical activity. In a survey of 2,053 randomly tested Adults, self-efficacy was found to be the strongest relation to vigorous exercise  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   (Sallis et al, 1989).Poag McAuley, (1992)found that at any exercise intensity, individuals with higher self-efficacy had a lower perceived exertion during exercise in their study that included 67 adult women, exercise efficacy accounted for 11.1% of variance in womens perceived exertion.   This research has direct consequences for health and fitness professionals trying to promote physical fitness and exercise adherence because effort and persistence are two relevant factors in devising a successful exercise program. HOW EXERCISE IMPACTS SELF-EFFICACY Remarkably, self-efficacy and exercise have a mutual relationship. Even though self-efficacy is a determinant of exercise behaviour, exercise is also a source of self-efficacy (McAuley, 1991). This creates situations because people who need the most encouragement to exercise work out the least, due to low efficacy. However, one of the best ways to increase self-efficacy is through exercise, this will also allow clients to maintain long-term exercise program. For example, in a study conducted by (Mihalko McAuley, 1996)94 middle aged participants who previously did not exercise completed a 20-week aerobic exercise program.   Feelings of self-efficacy during a graded exercise test significantly increased pre-program and post program. Self-efficacy and also be improved during the exercise session.   Moderate exercise can increase self-efficacy in clients when evaluated after a gym session (Treasure Newbery, 1998). A study conducted by (Rudolph and Butki, 1998) found that as little as 10 minutes of aerobic exercise could increase moods of self-efficacy. This has implications for fitness professionals who may deal with a hesitant new client during their first apportionment. If the fitness professional can a get a client to begin exercises that they are comfortable with, this will lead to increases self-efficacy and more willingness to try more challenging exercises later in that session or future sessions. RECOMMENDED STRATEGIES TO INCREASE SELF-EFFICACY WITHIN EXPRESS Fitness professionals and fitness clubs can use several psychological techniques to aid in the development of high self-efficacy with their clients. Because self-efficacy is impacted by mastery experience, vicarious experience, social persuasion, and physiological state, it is logical to develop individual and group strategies aimed at increasing self-efficacy through each of these factors. INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY THROUGH SELF PERSUASION Verbal and social persuasion from respected individuals or from positive self-talk is the third source of self-efficacy (McAuley et al, 1994). As proven through in the studies of Weinberg et al, (1994).Verbal persuasioncan is a powerful way to influence self-efficacy. Exercise professionals should actively look for health promoting behaviours that beginners in exercise are performing and then verbally recognise that behaviour. Personal trainers can also provide behavioural contract that exercise can sign. For example, an individual may sign a contract that they will exercise for at least 30 minutes 3 times per week. Finally, self-talk has recently been shown to increase self-efficacy, decrease anxiety, and increase performance during completion of an athletic skill (Mcauley et al, 1994). Personal trainers can educate their clients on positive self-talk routines to help improve exercise performance. Teaching clients use of affirmation statements such as I can do this and Ive done this before and I can do it again can help the client stay focused on a positive result of their routine. INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY THROUGH VICARIOUS EXPERIENCE Vicarious experience is the second source of self-efficacy, can be targeted through important strategies such ad modelling and imagery (McAuley, et al 1991).Using the idea of modelling, a person trainer could share success stories of people similar to their clients have successfully adopted an active lifestyle.   This would help encourage my clients to implant the idea of I can do it too their minds.   Beginning exercises can analyse the habits of successful exercisers to understand how they reach that level.   Personal trainers, whether recognising it or not, regularly use modelling to increase efficacy within clients. For example, a trainer may use a number of modelling techniques to teach an exercise.   When, discussing an exercise, a trainer may point out another exerciser that is performing the exercise properly, then, the personal trainer demonstrates the exercise (vicarious experience) , finally, the trainer may have the client perform the exerciseà ƒâ€šÃ‚  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   properly in front of a mirror (mastery experience. If the fitness professional finds that the client has family members or a friend who have adopted exercise into the daily routine, this may good model to use to access vicarious experience. It should be noted that the more similar the client is to model, the greater impact that this model should have on the clients Fitzsimmons et al, (1991). INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY THROUGH MASTERY EXPERIENCE The mastery experience stage is the most powerful source of self-efficacy, it is very important to focus on developing the mastery experiences within a clients exercise program. Using past personal successes, goal setting, appropriate exercise program design, and exercise logs are sources of mastery experiences that can increase self-efficacy. Past mastery experiences within domains should be emphasized when increasing a clients self-efficacy for exercise.  Ãƒâ€šÃ‚   Having the mentally of Ive done it once, I can do it again is powerful thought process that should be used. If the person has not experienced many mastery experiences in an exercise-related environment, it is essential use to effective goal setting during the beginning of their exercise program to create mastery experiences. Proper goal setting is widely recognised as a powerful source of improved task, which is critical the first phase of an exercise program (Gould, 2001).Developing realistic short-term goals lea d to early exercise success can have effect on increase exercise efficacy throughout the mastery experience stage Fitzsimmons et al, (1991) INCREASING SELF-EFFICACY THROUGH PHYSIOLOGICAL STATE Educating clients about what is going on inside their bodies and the physical sensations to expect during exercise can help them decrease anxiety that they may be feeling about the gym session. Once the clients understand that the feelings as muscular fatigue, as well as reaching and maintaining a high heart rate, are involved in exercise, they more likely to cope with physiological states more effectively.   If a client doesnt point out that they are highly anxious while thinking of exercise, a personal trainer can teach them to use relaxation methods such as deep breathing and positive self-talk to ease anxiety (Gould Udry 1994). CONCLUSION Self-efficacy is an important factor within exercise behaviour for gym members. It can help beginners keep going in the face adversity. Furthermore, it can help the middle aged push to another level of fitness. Also help advanced gym members overcome dramatic relapses such as injuries. Due to the fact self-efficacy are both a predictor and an outcome of exercise, personal trainers and strength and conditioning coaches should understand the role that self-efficacy plays in behaviour and decision making. In addition, they should implement several research based strategies as discussed in this study. Finally, in effort to get the most effect from way to increase self-efficacy in gym clients, fitness professionals main focus in this regards should be creating mastery experiences that will create the foundation for positive exercise behaviour with their clients which also increase long-term client retention and reduce turnover. REFERENCES Bandura A. Human agency in social cognitive theory. Am Psychol 44: 1175-1184, 1989 Cadilhac, D.A., Cumming, T.B., Sheppard, L., Pearce, D.C., Carter, R. Magnus, A. (2011). The economic benefits of reducing physical inactivity: an Australian example. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 8, 99. doi:10.1186/1479-5868-8-99 Caspersen, C.J., Powell, K.E. Christenson, G.M. (1985). Physical activity, exercise and physical fitness: Definitions and distinctions for health-related research. Public Health Reports, 100, 126-31. Craig, R., Mindell, J. Hirani, V. (2009). Health survey for England 2008: Physical activity and fitness. London: The Information Centre. Croker, H., Lucas, R., Wardle, J. (2012). Cluster-randomised trial to evaluate the Change for Life mass media/social marketing campaign in the UK. BMC Public Health, 12, 404. http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/12/404 Dishman, Rod K. Advances in exercise adherence. Human Kinetics Publishers, 1994. Fitzsimmons PA, Landers DM, Thomas JR, and Van der Mars H. Does self-efficacy predict performance in experienced weightlifters. Res Q Sport Exerc 62: 424-431, 1991. Gould D and Udry E. Pyschological skills for enhancing performance: Arousal regulation strategies. Med Sci Sports Exerc 26: 478-485, 1994. Gould DG. Goal setting for peak performance. In: Applied Sport Psychology. William JM, ed. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield, 2001. pp. 190-205. Maddux JE. Self-efficacy theory: An introduction. In: Self- Efficacy, Adaptation, and adjustment: Theory, research, and application. Maddux, JE, ed. New York, NY: Plenum Press, 1995. pp. 3-33. Marcus, B.H. and Owen, N., 1992. Motivational Readiness, Selfà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Efficacy and Decisionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ Making for Exercise1. Journal of applied social psychology, 22(1), pp.3-16. McAuley E, Courneya K, and Lettunich J. Effects of acute and long-term exercise on self-efficacy responses in sedentary, middle-aged males and females. Gerontologist 31: 534-542, 1991 McAuley E, Courneya KS, Rudolph DL, and Lox CL. Enhancing exercise adherence in middle-aged males and females. Prev Med 23: 498-506, 1994. Mihalko SL and McAuley E. Self-efficacy and affective responses to acute exercise in middle-aged adults. J Soc Behav Pers 11: 216-223, 1996. Poag KG and McAuley E. Goal setting, self-efficacy, and exercise behavior. J Sport Exerc Psychol 14: 352-360, 1992. Prochaska, J.O. and Norcross, J.C., 1999. Comparative conclusions: toward a transtheoretical therapy. Systems of psychotherapy: A transtheoretical analysis, pp.487-528. Prochaska, J.O., DiClemente, C.C. and Norcross, J.C., 1992. In search of how people change: applications to addictive behaviors. American psychologist, 47(9), p.1102. Prochaska, J.O., Velicer, W.F., Rossi, J.S., Goldstein, M.G., Marcus, B.H., Rakowski, W., Fiore, C., Harlow, L.L., Redding, C.A., Rosenbloom, D. and Rossi, S.R., 1994. Stages of change and decisional balance for 12 problem behaviors. Health psychology, 13(1), p.39. Rhodes RE, Martin AD, Taunton JE, Rhodes EC, Donnelly M, and Elliot J. Factors associated with exercise adherence among older adults: An individual perspective. Sports Med 28: 397-411, 1999. Rhodes RE, Martin AD, Taunton JE, Rhodes EC, Donnelly M, and Elliot J. Factors associated with exercise adherence among older adults: An individual perspective. Sports Med 28: 397-411, 1999. Rolland, Y., Abellan van Kan, G. Vellas, B. (2008). Physical activity and Alzheimers disease: From prevention to therapeutic perspectives. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 9, 390-405. Rudolph D and Butki B. Self-efficacy and affective responses to short bouts of exercise. J Appl Sport Psychol 10: 268-280, 1998 Sallis JF, Hovell MF, Hofstetter CR, Faucher P, Elder JP, Blanchard J, Casperen CJ, Powell KE, and Christenson GM. A multivariate study of determinants of vigorous exercise in a community sample. Prev Med 18: 20-34, 1989. Sallis JF, Kerr J. Built Environment and Physical Activity. PCPFS (Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sports) Research Digest. 2006;7(4):1-8. Treasure D and Newbery DM. Relationship between self-efficacy, exercise intensity, and feeling stages in a sedentary population during and following an acute bout of exercise. J Sport Exerc Psychol 20: 1-11, 1998. Trost, Stewart G., Russell R. Pate, James F. Sallis, Patty S. Freedson, Wendell C. Taylor, Marsha Dowda, and John Sirard. Age and gender differences in objectively measured physical activity in youth. Medicine and science in sports and exercise 34, no. 2 (2002): 350-355. Weinberg RS, Hughes HH, Critelli JW, England R, and Jackson A. Effects of preexisting and manipulated self-efficacy on weight loss in a self-control group. J Res Pers 18: 352-358, 1994. World Health Organization. Global recommendations on physical activity for health. Geneva, Switzerland: WHO Press; 2010.

Management Accounting Essay -- Management

Finances Future: Challenge or threat?-Management Accounting Missing Article This article is a bout the changing demands of the business world and the impact it will have on management accounting. According to this article the business role that management accountants play will be significantly different in the future. While this change is inevitable it is unclear how many of today's accountants will be able or willing to adjust to the change and conform to what is being called "New Accounting." Accountants in the future will have to play a much larger role in their organization. Becoming a change agent, someone who can help accelerate change in an organization. This is a problem for most accountants who are used to doing the same job year after year with little to no change. Since the introduction of the computer management has recognized that the PC can perform in much less time many of the tedious number crunching activities accountants spend hours doing. As a result of this accountants are being asked to do more and become analytical and proactive, looking into the future and joining with management in making and taking responsibility for all those tough decisions. Management expects the accounting department in addition to its role processing transactions to serve as the central information hub and purveyor of all sorts of data stored on the computers. Accountants doing the same time that all these changes were happening due to PC were also facing change due to the new idea of "reengineering." This is the idea of going beyond seeking efficiencies and asking is this business process really necessary?. And if it is how can it be designed to better serve the business. If a task is unnecessary then the people who perfor... ... constant as learning should be in order to stay competitive. With the introduction of the PC accountants need to step up and prove that their role is still necessary focusing not only on balancing the books but serving as a center of information for the organization. In the future I think that this is what management accounting will be all about. Crunching number is a job better left up to the computer systems. By integrating all the functions of the finance department, finance becomes a chief driver of the decision making process. Accountants in the future must be able to adapt to change, take risks, and do more thinking and analyzing than number crunching and reporting. The new role of management accountants as the data keeper for the entire organization makes them the backbone of today's organizations which is a far larger job than balancing the books on time.

An Introduction to Reading and Writing Essay

Rounded = lifelike, full, dynamic, reader can predict future behavior because of an understanding of the personality – Protagonist = the hero or heroine, main person in the story, person on the quest, etc. – Antagonist = the person causing the conflict, in opposition to the protagonist, the obstacle, etc. – Flat = no growth, static – Stock = representative of a group or class (stereotypical) – Characters disclosed through †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ Actions Descriptions, both personal and environmental Dramatic statements and thoughts Statements by other characters Statements by the author speaking as storyteller, or observer – Characters need to have verisimilitude, be probable or plausible Point of View †¢ Refers to speaker, narrator, persona or voice created by the author to tell the story †¢ Point of view depends on two factors: – Physical situation of the narrator as an observer – Speaker’s intellectual and emotional position †¢ †¢ †¢ †¢ First person = I, we Second person = You (uncommon) Third person = He, she, they (most common) Point of view may be: – Dramatic/objective = strictly reporting – Omniscient = all-knowing – Limited omniscient = some insight Setting †¢ Setting = a work’s natural, manufactured, political, cultural and temporal environment, including everything that characters know and own (place, time, objects) †¢ Major purpose = to establish realism or verisimilitude, and to organize a story †¢ Setting helps create atmosphere or mood †¢ Setting may reinforce characters and theme, in order to establish expectations that are the opposite of what occurs = irony Tone and Style †¢ Tone = methods by which writers and speakers reveal attitudes or feelings †¢ Style = ways in which writers assemble words to tell the story, to develop an argument, dramatize the play, compose the poem – Choice of words in the service of content †¢ Essential aspect of style is diction – Formal = standard or elegant words – Neutral = everyday standard vocabulary – Informal = colloquial, substandard language, slang Tone and Style (cont’d) †¢ Language may be: – – – – Specific = images General = broad classes Concrete = qualities of immediate perception Abstract = broader, less palpable qualities †¢ Denotation = word meanings †¢ Connotation = word suggestions †¢ Verbal irony = contradictory statements – One thing said, opposite is meant – Irony = satire, parody, sarcasm, double entendre †¢ Understatement = does not fully describe the importance of a situation – deliberately †¢ Hyperbole (overstatement) = words far in excess of the situation Symbolism and Allegory †¢ Symbolism and allegory are modes that expand meaning †¢ Symbol creates a direct, meaningful equation between: – A specific object, scene, character, or action – Ideas, values, persons or ways of life †¢ Symbols may be: – Cultural (universal) = known by most literate people (e. g. , white dove, color black) – Contextual (authorial) = private, created by the author Symbolism and Allegory (cont’d) †¢ Allegory is a symbol = complete and self-sufficient narrative (e. g. , â€Å"Young Goodman Brown†) †¢ Fable = stories about animals that possess human traits (e. g. , Aesop’s Fables) †¢ Parable = allegory with moral or religious bent (e. g. , Biblical stories) †¢ Myth = story that embodies and codifies religious, philosophical and cultural values of the civilization in which it is composed (e. g. , George Washington chopping down the cherry tree) †¢ Allusion = the use of other culturally well=known works from the Bible, Greek and Roman mythology, famous art, etc. Idea or Theme †¢ Idea = results of general and abstract thinking †¢ Literature embodies values along with ideas – In literature, ideas relate to meaning, interpretation, explanation and significance – Ideas are vital to an understanding and appreciation of literature †¢ Ideas are not as obvious as character or setting. It is important to consider the meaning of what you’ve read and then develop an explanatory and comprehensive assertion. †¢ Theme can be found in any of these: – – – – – Direct statements by the authorial voice Direct statements by a first-person speaker Dramatic statements by characters Figurative language, characters who stand for ideas The work itself.

The Norton Introduction to Literature Essay Essay Example

The Norton Introduction to Literature Essay Essay Example The Norton Introduction to Literature Essay Paper The Norton Introduction to Literature Essay Paper â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† was written by Theodore Roethke in XXXX. Many critics believe that â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† lacks the strength of Roethke’s subsequently works like â€Å"The Lost Son† and â€Å"The North American Sequence. † However. this peculiar verse form is one of Roethke’s most good loved. read. and discussed pieces of poesy. The narrator’s equivocal relation of his father’s walk-in causes drastically different readings of the exact significance of the verse form. Many people claim that it is a stamp verse form of a positive interaction between a male parent and boy and a joyful childhood memory. While still others believe that it is a sad retelling of the maltreatment of a kid by his drunken male parent. â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† is a solid illustration of how poesy can be greatly influenced by the reader’s yesteryear. It was Roethke’s end to make a piece of prose which was non his alone but belong besides to the reader and his/her personal experience. He leaves the verse form unfastened for reading by the usage of several literary devices. The fraudulence of significance in â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† is supported by Roethke’s usage of metre. initial rhyme. and apposition of images. â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† offers such strikingly different responses from readers that frequently the proficient grace of Roethke is overlooked. This verse form is short in length it is rich in several traditional and rigorous attacks to poetry. Alliteration is when the initial sounds of words are similar and topographic point together. In line 4. â€Å"Such waltzing was non easy. † Here the repeat of the soft â€Å"w† contrasts the simile of decease used in line 3. The initial rhyme gives the feeling that the walk-in peaceable nevertheless when combined with the thought of decease. it is clear that the walk-in is â€Å"not easy† . â€Å"My mother’s visage / Could non unfrown itself† ( lines 7-8 ) has the initial rhyme of the difficult â€Å"c† sound. Compared that difficult sound to the joyful stanza it is found in. The â€Å"c† becomes a mark of cautiousness and caution. In lines 9-10. â€Å"The manus that held my wrist / Was battered on one metacarpophalangeal joint ; â€Å" the arrangement of the words manus and held together make a soft sound which contrasts the image of the â€Å"battered metacarpophalangeal joint. † The usage of initial rhyme allows the reader to construe the actions within the verse form as blithe or opprobrious. Image is another literary device used to make fraudulence of significance. The images of â€Å"dancing† together. a positive interaction. juxtaposed by the bruised brass knuckss is implicative of force. This negative reading is farther supported by the image of the male parent keeping non the son’s manus but his carpus. This is a much more aggressive act than manus keeping and gives the feeling that possibly the kid is being forced to dance. In lines 13-14. â€Å"You all in clip on my caput / With a thenar caked hard by soil. † is one time once more an image of force. It is obvious that the storyteller could intend â€Å"keep time† alternatively of â€Å"beat time† . In which instance. the image suggest a male parent playing the membranophones lightly on his son’s caput. However. the debut of the word â€Å"beat† creates a unsmooth tone to the lines and mentions in sound the word â€Å"battered â€Å" from line 10. Meter allows the reader a pick of what the verse form genuinely means. The true accomplishment of Rothke’s metre is frequently missed if â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† is non read out loud. Roethke uses forms of syllables to parallel the existent motion of the walk-in. For illustration in line 1-2. â€Å"The whisky on your breath / Could do a little male child dizzy ; † but should be read with the following emphasizes â€Å"The whisky on your breath / Could do a little male child dizzy† . The metre continues as above and rime strategy traditionally known as iambic trimeter. However. in line 11. mid manner through the verse form and go oning throughout the remainder of the verse form the metre is somewhat different from the walk-in. Roethke here is seeking to mirror the visual aspect of a rummy adult male seeking to make the walk-in. In line 14. there is a complete interruption in the beat of the verse form because there is an excess syllable. The word â€Å"hard† is non necessary at all. Remove hard from the line. and it still makes sense. The break of metre which mirrors the units of three that compose the walk-in draws attending to that line. The reader must oppugn why is the writer giving that line particular attending. One decision is that the verse form is non about a boy dancing with his tipsy male parent but with a kid digesting regular physical maltreatment. Another point of view is that it represents another cockamamie trip by the male parent that the boy enjoys. Through the usage of several literary devices Roethke creates a piece of poesy which is technically perfect and thematically equivocal. Alliteration was used to make double significance by partner offing soft sounds with rough images. Images of stamp minutes between male parent and boy were juxtaposed with violently aggressive words. The verse form parallels the existent stairss of the walk-in which contrasts striking with the thick actions of a rummy male parent. With the usage of initial rhyme. images. and metre. Roethke allows the poesy to be ill-defined which forces the reader to do up his ain head about the content and subject of the verse form. One of the ends of modern literature and hence modern writers was non to simply depict their environments or their emotions. But to animate. evoke. and allure the reader. Roethke’s wanted to non merely make his audience but include his audience in the creative activity of the poesy. Surely. by composing â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† which offers double significance. he allows for all his readers to derive a different apprehension of his authorship. He effects readers with a great childhood by composing a verse form which is lighthearted and nostalgic for their younger old ages. He besides effects readers who have some signifier of maltreatment in their childhood’s by guaranting them by the retelling of his narrative that they are non entirely in their experiences. The most of import influence of â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz† is it’s ability to excite conversation and argument between different readers. It is in the absence of pick by the writer that allows the freedom of pick for the audience. Roethke’s breathes new life into the oldest subject in literature – visual aspect versus world. In life really few things are of all time as they appear. Peoples. relationships. and memory are multi-layered and highly complicated. Possibly Roethke’s true purpose was to make a piece of composing which explores the equivocal nature of memory and suggests that retrieving is neither good or bad and but a simple combination of both. Plants Cited Roethke. Theodore. â€Å"My Papa’s Waltz. † The Norton Introduction to Literature. 6th erectile dysfunction. Ed. Carl E. Bain. et al. New York: W. W. Norton and Company. 1995. 769.

President Andrew Johnson essays

President Andrew Johnson essays It is said that President Andrew Johnson was one of the worst presidents in American History, being the first of only two presidents to have been impeached by the House of Representatives. But was the impeachment of Andrew Johnson justified? Andrew Johnson was proof that anyone has a chance at making it in life, regardless of your families status or wealth. Born in Raleigh, North Carolina to nearly illiterate parents, Johnsons dad died when he was very young leaving his mother to support him and his brother. At the age of 14 Johnson and his brother were working as apprentices for the local tailor. After moving to Greeneville, Tennessee in 1827 he opened his own tailor shop. (www.impeach-andrewjohnson.com) Johnson became very involved in politics. In 1829 he was elected to his town council, and as mayor in 1831. He spent time on the Tennessee state legislature, until he was elected to congress in 1843. Johnson was elected to the US senate in 1857 to represent Tennessee. (www.impeach-andrewjohnson.com) During the Civil war Johnson did not return to the south, instead he stayed and joined the republicans. In 1862, Lincoln named him the states military governor. Abraham Lincoln chose Johnson as his vice-presidential running mate in the election of 1864. When president Lincoln was assassinated in 1865, Johnson was sworn in as the new president. (www.crf-usa.org) While Johnson was president he came up with a plan to reconstruct the south and readmit them into the Union. During the elections for the new southern government representatives the black freed men were not allowed to vote, Johnson agreed with this saying It would breed a war of races(www.crf-usa.org) In December when the congress met they were outraged that the men who had played large parts in leading the rebellion were once again in the power of the South. Making matters worse the southern governments were making ...

Same Sex Marriages and Society essays

Same Sex Marriages and Society essays Is it appropriate for homosexuals to share the rest of their lives together? Marriage is intended for a male and female. Same sex marriage is not constitutional. There are many morals and values, when marriage is approached between two individuals. There are some traditions you do not change. Homosexual marriage is one of them. I do not agree with homosexuals marrying each other. Homosexuals in relationships get talked about in a bad way already. Society does not say too much about the situation. Marriage is beyond the other matter, so society has a major problem with that. Society feels their lifestyle would not be complete. Homosexuals will not receive the respect heterosexuals couples get. Homosexuals will find themselves making their life harder than what it already is. Homosexuals are not worried about their future. What about when it comes time to have children? What about living their life peacefully? Letting a homosexual couple get married is one big step. It would be impossible to have children. They would have to try to adopt children to make a traditional family. Homosexuals are denied the right to marry. Yes, it is a violation of religious freedom. (Jacoby 3). I feel someone does need to speak up on the situation. According to the first Amendment a persons religious views must be protected. Homosexuals trying to get married shows no type of religious belief. Besides they are already breaking the rules by trying to attempt to marry. Why do they have to show America they want to get married? They can live their lifestyles together peacefully. But, taking a homosexual relationship to the next level is crazy. There are numerous of different ways they can act. Their behavior is not accepted. Seeing two people of the same sex kissing is distasteful. How do you explain to a child who sees this? They might think its okay. What will happen if children decided to kiss the same gender in school? They would probably ...

The Course Of Entrepreneurship.Self Reflection Essay

The Course Of Entrepreneurship.Self Reflection - Essay Example In an academic field of study, the student is constantly involved in a learning process. The process of academic education allows individuals to constantly come across new skills and techniques and this learning enhance and polish the respective skills and techniques for the individual. This report discusses on the reflection I have while I was developing the plan for a new venture from the perspective of an entrepreneur. This was a group project and all the group members had certain roles and duties to fulfill for accomplishing the desired task. Throughout the project I came across different course contents that allowed me to relate things to real life and hence this project was a good learning experience for me as well as my group members. This project helped me to develop a good insight about the professional business world and how entrepreneurs need to deal with the various business circumstances they come across in their daily business activities. Summary of New Learning The ent repreneurship module allowed me to gain hands on knowledge and skills regarding the theories involved in the area of entrepreneurship as well as the practical applications required for entrepreneurship and initiating new business ventures in the business world. This course allowed me to understand that the requirements of becoming a successful entrepreneur and it also requires the individual to possess certain intellectual and physical skills along with have strong emotional skills so that the new business can be initiated in a successful manner. After learning about the importance of emotional skills, I developed a mindset that I need to work upon improving my emotional and social skills so that this helps me to become a successful entrepreneur. The course gave me a deep insight regarding the activities of an entrepreneur and also allowed me to understand the importance of the small and businesses that are operating in the country. The support that these small and medium businesses give to the economy is really remarkable to know and understand. Each and every business, be it small or big, plays a vital role towards the economy of any country, hence all entrepreneurs need to start up businesses for which there is a demand in the economy. I was able to evaluate my skills and abilities at the end of the course and planned out on the areas on which I need to improve for my future professional career. Entrepreneurship Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities This course taught me the various entrepreneurship skills that are possessed by entrepreneurs. Starting up new businesses by an entrepreneur can be a very challenging task. The entrepreneur needs to carefully devise the business plan and also allocate resources accordingly. Businesses require investments, while starting up the business the entrepreneur needs to analyse the investments available so that the business strategies can be planned accordingly. Financial aspect of any business is a very crucial part that nee ds to be given a strong consideration by all entrepreneurs. By analysing the financial position of the business the future decisions can be taken as businesses that are low on investments cannot implement financial strategies to a large extent on the firm. I am not that good in numbers therefore after learning about the importance of finance for entrepreneurs; I will be working towards my financial subjects. Keeping a strong and check and balance are also important for entrepreneurs as they can plan business expansion and diversion based upon their level of profitability with the business. Targeting new market segments also requires good investments and financial stability

Cost of Capital Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 5

Cost of Capital - Essay Example Nevertheless, for the companies operating in the high risk industries, it becomes necessary to consider not only the equity-to-debt ratio, but also the ratio of the liquid cash held versus the debt held by the company. The consideration of the debt to cash ratio is important, owing to the fact that it enables such high-risk industry companies to plan on how to insure their R&D projects, depending on the nature of risks that is posed by the research. Balancing the cash that a company should hold in liquid with the debt owed by the company also presents some disadvantages to the high-risk companies, owing to the fact that there is always an opportunity costs (Eilenberger, 2010). For example, a company deciding to insure its R&D for its high risky projects requires to maintain a lot of liquid cash to pay for the insurance premiums, while that cash could have been invested elsewhere by the company, and generated some financial returns. The other notable challenge faced by companies in their determination of the cost of capital and how to apply the capital, is related to the prioritization of projects. Companies require to determine which projects are most likely going to generate high returns compared to others, and then invest in them. The major challenge associated with such prioritization is when a company predicts that a certain project is likely to generate more returns than others, only to find that in reality the case is different. This is a high risk of opportunity costs, because it means that the company will have already foregone the benefits it would have obtained from the foregone project (Eilenberger, 2010). Additionally, companies are also increasingly faced by the challenge of balancing between investing in projects that have a high potential for generating returns for the company, versus the projects that may not generate as much returns, but that are capable of benefiting a large number of people in the society. All these

The Invention of the Perspective In the Renaissance Essay

The Invention of the Perspective In the Renaissance - Essay Example The first 'book' refers to the 'diminution of plane surfaces' (6), the second explains the trial of ' diminution of square bodies' and those having a number of faces positioned at right angles to the planes'(7) and the third one 'the diminution of bodies' (8), that seems more difficult to realize. Analyzing Francesca's different ways of perspective, Kim Veltman notices 'geometrical proportion using diagonals' (9) a 'surveying type using a rod or a plane' (10) and 'a diagonal' (11) to determine the distance. There are also new 'perspective views' considered by Francesco in his book 'The Geometrical Method' ,these were basically used in the context of pavements, ceilings, facades and buildings and. He also used 'The Window Method' that had more elaborate details and was represented in architecture. Duccio di Buoninsegna was an Italian painter (1278-1319) who demonstrated the use of perspective in architectural forms. His style seems to be different in his tendency of giving his figures more volume. His 'perspective 'infuses elements from Byzantine style with more dramatic scenes and specific figures. In his 45 panels representing scenes from the Bible and saints he inspired from primitive Christian style regarding the outlines of figures, gestures, and clothes. In this way he tried to create a more natural visual impression. His art of 3 D perspective created a special spatiality, a type of 'breathing space' (17) around the persons and objects. The artist used a special technique of registering in his paintings intricate details (for example

Is the private sector creating sustainable housing developments within Dissertation

Is the private sector creating sustainable housing developments within the UK - Dissertation Example Various methods are also employed to determine the needed approach for sustainability including Wackernagel and Rees’ (1996) ecological footprint which measures the given area’s sustainability with the total goods, services, energy and land which it consumes as appropriated against its carrying capacity. Two models have been proposed by Whitehead (2011) based on the priority: balanced and hierarchical. The balanced sustainability model proposes for an equal treatment and role of the ecological, social and economic forces whereas the hierarchical proposes a strong priority on ecological forces as followed by social and lastly economic (Appendix A & B). The issue on sustainability stemmed from the realisation that the natural environment is easily exploited for consumption benefits but great economic output does not always relate to possible restoration of the degraded ecosystem back to its original condition (Ayres, van den Bergh and Gowdy, 1998). When notable changes to the natural environment as well as the devastating effects of production and consumption from climate change to loss of biodiversity, and failure to meet basic human needs were realised, the debate on sustainability began. ... The good news was that UK was not alone in this lack of solid action with sustainability as other major post-industrial countries also exhibit failed initiatives (Hobson, 2004). Importance of the UK private housing industry: private/public accounts for ...percentage The UK Housing Social housing in the United Kingdom is characterised by private funding of housing associations mediated and guided by appropriate government agencies. It is further described by Oxley (1998) as facing many challenges including the low income of tenants relying mainly on state benefits; macroeconomic reasons led to reduced government support; continued pressure to reduce public spending on housing; substantial backlog of housing repair and maintenance work by council; and a high demand for more social housing (673). The most apparent view was that there were affordability and investment problems as the government encouraged private finance and not-for-profit organisations to become Registered Social Landlo rds. Local authority housing was transferred into owner-occupation and to housing associations or organisations wherein companies are formed from a local authority to newly created organisation which owns and manages housing at â€Å"arms length† from the local authority (674). In 1981, 28% of English housing stock was managed by local authorities but this has since decreased since 1988 when the government shifted role from housing providers to strategic enablers. By 1994, only 18% of the housing stock remained under local authority and council house building reduced to only one per cent by 1994. This was a result of the housing investment programmes or HIPs of the government. It reviews bids for the use of resources as well as permits borrowing

Contemporary responses by the criminal justice system towards victims Essay

Contemporary responses by the criminal justice system towards victims and witnesses of crime - Essay Example Because most of the documented crime reported to the police by victims and/or witnesses, they evidently have a crucial role to play in the process of dispensing justice, especially in those cases where in the accused denies any culpability. Maybe unexpectedly, considering its reliance on the eagerness of victims and/or witnesses to cooperate, the response of the CJS towards victims and/or witnesses has beforehand been described, at least in common law systems, by disregard and every so often by careless and unsympathetic treatment. Nevertheless, recently, a string of victim-oriented programmes has been launched in the United Kingdom. This essay argues that victims and witnesses nowadays enjoy a much greater role and importance in the criminal justice system than in the earlier periods. The investigation by the Victims’ Champion for the Ministry of Justice of the response of the CJS to the victims and witnesses emphasised in its statement: â€Å"A great deal of positive work h as been done to improve the support available for victims and witnesses but there is still a disparity between policy and reality for victims† (Easton & Piper, 2012, p. 188). ... n three phases: the years related to the growth of compensation, 1960-75; the years related to the growth of particular programmes to assist victims and witnesses, 1975-80; and the era from the 1980s when victim assistance initiatives were established and a greater participation of victims and witnesses in the CJS was called for (Easton & Piper, 2012, pp. 188-189; Hostettler, 2009). The support for victims and witnesses in recent times has had two quite distinct features: first, it may be considered a victims’ welfare model, while the other procedure is to grant victims importance to affect results. Victims’ needs were firmly highlighted in Criminal Justice: The Way Ahead. Victims have been granted the opportunity to give a personal report to the court describing the impacts of the crime on their lives. In April 2006, a Code of Practice for the Victims of Crime was ratified (Easton & Piper, 2012, p. 189; Wahidin & Carr, 2013; Dignan, 2005). Nevertheless, in order to dem onstrate how the response of the criminal justice system to victims and witnesses within the criminal justice system has improved in the contemporary period, it is important to look at the victims’ status within the CJS during the earlier periods. In particular, the ‘era of victim disenfranchisement’ emerged in the 19th century, roughly at the same time as the state started to take on the prime obligation for the trial of criminals instead of handing over the task to prosecution bodies, or to victims and witnesses themselves, as in the earlier period (Dignan, 2005, p. 63; Comwell, 2008). According to Comwell (2008), this reassignment of duties co-occurred with the launching of specialised law enforcement, whose duty was to investigate crimes and put alleged criminals on trial. Theoretically,

Hip Hop Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hip Hop Music - Essay Example The term hip hop was coined by a rapper known as Keith Cowboy who was a group member of the Grandmaster flash and the Furious five band. He did this when he was teasing a friend who had joined the U.S. army by singing these words i.e. hip hop hip hop in a manner that imitated the rhythm of marching soldiers. He then used the hip hop rhythm in a part of his performance on stage from where other artistes picked. The word first appeared in print form in a book titled Village Voice that was authored by Steven Hager. Hip hop music is a music genre that is comprised of two major components, which are, rapping which is also referred to as MCing or it also goes by the name DJing; and record scratching. Rapping utilizes vocals where the performer speaks rhythmically to supportive beats which are in most cases generated from some bits of other songs. The history of hip hop has it that it has evolved through two main eras; the era of old school hip hop that ranged from the year 1970 and lasted till the year 1985. The new age or golden era of the hip hop school began in 1985 and lasted till the year 1993 Rappers are also known to recite poems in the course of making the hip hop performance. The other components include graffiti which is usually made on the clothing wore by the performers, and break dancing. Some instrumentals played in the version or trend that depicts hip hop are also categorized into this group hence regarded as hip hop. It is worth noting that hip hop music is part of the larger hip hop culture that comprises of fashion, music and art. Hip hop is characterized with a drum beat that regularly takes up the 4/4 time signature. It might be accompanied with vocal bit of the music which might also be ignored. The hip hop music might be presented by a live band or as produced music Roots of hip hop lyricism The roots of hip hop can be dated back to the 1970's. They can be found in music that was played by the West African and African Americans that were living in this era. These West African hip hops fore fathers also known as the griots played songs and made poems that had a musical style that was suggestive of hip hop music. They were composed of a group of singers and poets and they were engaged in much traveling and singing as their career. This group of singers also forms part of an oral tradition that existed hundreds of years past (Flores 2000P24). The other fore fathers of rap were found in the New York City who made their performances in a similar manner as the griots. They gave performances of a poetic nature as well as music that suggested hip hop. They held the traditions known as talking blues; signifying the dozens and jazz poetry- all of which makes part of oral tradition. Some other groups of people who made great contributions to the roots of hip hop include a group popular for poetry and that was known as the last poets, and a poet known by the name Jalal Mansur Nurridin who was vocal even in the 1960s The popularization of the block parties in the New York City during the 1970s led to the greatest development of the hip hop music. This can be attributed to the fact that music especially of the funk and soul music nature was often played heavily in these parties. Frequent playing of this music led to the discovery of a means of playing the percussion breaks in songs that had formed part of the most popular hits during those days. This was after it was realized that the parts that were isolated were the most danceable parts that entertained crowds the most. DJ Kool Herc has been famed as

Is the private sector creating sustainable housing developments within Dissertation

Is the private sector creating sustainable housing developments within the UK - Dissertation Example Various methods are also employed to determine the needed approach for sustainability including Wackernagel and Rees’ (1996) ecological footprint which measures the given area’s sustainability with the total goods, services, energy and land which it consumes as appropriated against its carrying capacity. Two models have been proposed by Whitehead (2011) based on the priority: balanced and hierarchical. The balanced sustainability model proposes for an equal treatment and role of the ecological, social and economic forces whereas the hierarchical proposes a strong priority on ecological forces as followed by social and lastly economic (Appendix A & B). The issue on sustainability stemmed from the realisation that the natural environment is easily exploited for consumption benefits but great economic output does not always relate to possible restoration of the degraded ecosystem back to its original condition (Ayres, van den Bergh and Gowdy, 1998). When notable changes to the natural environment as well as the devastating effects of production and consumption from climate change to loss of biodiversity, and failure to meet basic human needs were realised, the debate on sustainability began. ... The good news was that UK was not alone in this lack of solid action with sustainability as other major post-industrial countries also exhibit failed initiatives (Hobson, 2004). Importance of the UK private housing industry: private/public accounts for ...percentage The UK Housing Social housing in the United Kingdom is characterised by private funding of housing associations mediated and guided by appropriate government agencies. It is further described by Oxley (1998) as facing many challenges including the low income of tenants relying mainly on state benefits; macroeconomic reasons led to reduced government support; continued pressure to reduce public spending on housing; substantial backlog of housing repair and maintenance work by council; and a high demand for more social housing (673). The most apparent view was that there were affordability and investment problems as the government encouraged private finance and not-for-profit organisations to become Registered Social Landlo rds. Local authority housing was transferred into owner-occupation and to housing associations or organisations wherein companies are formed from a local authority to newly created organisation which owns and manages housing at â€Å"arms length† from the local authority (674). In 1981, 28% of English housing stock was managed by local authorities but this has since decreased since 1988 when the government shifted role from housing providers to strategic enablers. By 1994, only 18% of the housing stock remained under local authority and council house building reduced to only one per cent by 1994. This was a result of the housing investment programmes or HIPs of the government. It reviews bids for the use of resources as well as permits borrowing

Hip Hop Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Hip Hop Music - Essay Example The term hip hop was coined by a rapper known as Keith Cowboy who was a group member of the Grandmaster flash and the Furious five band. He did this when he was teasing a friend who had joined the U.S. army by singing these words i.e. hip hop hip hop in a manner that imitated the rhythm of marching soldiers. He then used the hip hop rhythm in a part of his performance on stage from where other artistes picked. The word first appeared in print form in a book titled Village Voice that was authored by Steven Hager. Hip hop music is a music genre that is comprised of two major components, which are, rapping which is also referred to as MCing or it also goes by the name DJing; and record scratching. Rapping utilizes vocals where the performer speaks rhythmically to supportive beats which are in most cases generated from some bits of other songs. The history of hip hop has it that it has evolved through two main eras; the era of old school hip hop that ranged from the year 1970 and lasted till the year 1985. The new age or golden era of the hip hop school began in 1985 and lasted till the year 1993 Rappers are also known to recite poems in the course of making the hip hop performance. The other components include graffiti which is usually made on the clothing wore by the performers, and break dancing. Some instrumentals played in the version or trend that depicts hip hop are also categorized into this group hence regarded as hip hop. It is worth noting that hip hop music is part of the larger hip hop culture that comprises of fashion, music and art. Hip hop is characterized with a drum beat that regularly takes up the 4/4 time signature. It might be accompanied with vocal bit of the music which might also be ignored. The hip hop music might be presented by a live band or as produced music Roots of hip hop lyricism The roots of hip hop can be dated back to the 1970's. They can be found in music that was played by the West African and African Americans that were living in this era. These West African hip hops fore fathers also known as the griots played songs and made poems that had a musical style that was suggestive of hip hop music. They were composed of a group of singers and poets and they were engaged in much traveling and singing as their career. This group of singers also forms part of an oral tradition that existed hundreds of years past (Flores 2000P24). The other fore fathers of rap were found in the New York City who made their performances in a similar manner as the griots. They gave performances of a poetic nature as well as music that suggested hip hop. They held the traditions known as talking blues; signifying the dozens and jazz poetry- all of which makes part of oral tradition. Some other groups of people who made great contributions to the roots of hip hop include a group popular for poetry and that was known as the last poets, and a poet known by the name Jalal Mansur Nurridin who was vocal even in the 1960s The popularization of the block parties in the New York City during the 1970s led to the greatest development of the hip hop music. This can be attributed to the fact that music especially of the funk and soul music nature was often played heavily in these parties. Frequent playing of this music led to the discovery of a means of playing the percussion breaks in songs that had formed part of the most popular hits during those days. This was after it was realized that the parts that were isolated were the most danceable parts that entertained crowds the most. DJ Kool Herc has been famed as

Honda Swot Essay Example for Free

Honda Swot Essay In 2012, the company owned 42,000 patents and had pending applications for 29,000 more patents. 3. Strong brand image. Honda has a reputation for producing the best quality engines around the world. The company’s brand was the 21st most valuable brand in the world valued at $17 billion and was only behind Toyota, Mercedes-Benz and BMW, according to Interbrand. 4. Motorcycle market share in Asia. In 2012, Honda sold 80. 5% of its motorcycles in Asia, the market that has greatest growth potential. Having the largest motorcycle market share, Honda is well positioned to compete with other companies for the sales and profits. Weaknesses 1. Product recalls. Over 2011 and 2012, Honda recalled more than 1,000,000 vehicles to fix various faulty parts and manufacturing defects. Car recalls severely damages firms brand reputation and future sales. 2. Weak position in Europe automotive market. Honda holds a very weak position in the Europe’s automotive market and has maintained only 1. 1% market share in 2012. Although, Europe’s market share is declining at the moment and many companies experience losses, the market is huge and firms can benefit from the economies of scale. 3. Decreasing sales. In 2012, Honda’s revenue hit the lowest point in 4 years to ? 7. 948 trillion. Honda sales were down by 11. 2% in North America, which represents more than 40% of total Honda revenues. Revenue from Asia and Europe also declined by 21. 3%, 15. 5% respectively, signaling poor firm’s performance globally. Opportunities 1. Increasing fuel prices. Honda’s strong emphasis on engineering fuel-efficient vehicles (Honda Insight and Honda Civic) with flexible fuel, hybrid and hydrogen engines will pay off due to increasing fuel prices. 2. Positive outlook for global motorcycle industry. Motorcycle industry grew by 4. 2% from 2011 to 2012 and is expected to grow by at least 6% to 2016. Honda is the world’s leading producer and seller of the motorcycles having more than 29% of the market share. Growing demand for the motorcycles is a great opportunity for the company to expand its global market share and grow sales. 3. Growing global demand for environment friendly vehicles. The declining levels of fossil fuel sources and the rising CO2 emissions became a major concern for many people and many governments. Therefore, ecologically friendly cars, powered by hybrid, hydrogen or flexible fuel engines became very popular. The market for such cars was $33 billion in 2010. Honda’s focus on hybrid and hydrogen fueled engines is a great opportunity to capture the market share for this new demand. 4. Growth through acquisitions. Honda could greatly benefit from strategic partnerships or acquisitions of smaller competitors. The business would add new brands to its portfolio, achieve greater economies of scale and would benefit from synergies between different firms. Threats 1. Intense competition. Honda faces more intense competition than ever. New small entrants are disrupting the market with their capabilities in producing electric vehicles or alternative fuel engines. Big companies are restructuring themselves to become more efficient. As a result, firms like Honda are suffering from competition from both big and small players. 2. Decreasing fuel prices. Some analysts forecast that future fuel prices will drop due to extraction of shale gas. This would negatively influence Honda because the company is focusing on hydrogen fuel, hybrid and flexible fuel engine cars, which are not so attractive to consumers when fuel prices are low. . Rising raw material prices. Metals are the main raw materials used in vehicle and motorcycle manufacturing and the rising price of the raw metals raises overall production costs for Honda. 4. Natural disasters. Honda has manufacturing facilities in Japan, Thailand, China and Malaysia. These countries, including others, are often subject to natural disasters that disrupt manufacturing in the f acilities and decrease Honda’s production volumes. 5. Strong yen. Honda earns most of its profits outside Japan and appreciating yen poses a great threat to Honda’s profits.

A Summary Of Women In Prison Criminology Essay

A Summary Of Women In Prison Criminology Essay Womens segment is one of the fastest growing segments of prison population all over the world, but especially in the United States. The increasing amounts of women are locked in prisons due to different reasons. A lot of women in prisons are drug addicts who originally took drugs to escape a life of difficulty and childhood trauma. A lot of were caught being as mules in drugs trades. Also the main part of women in prison has been victims of domestic violence some time in their lives. Nearly all of imprisoned women are from poor and working class families. Here are average demographics of women in prison, presented by Anti-racist group Committee to End the Marion Lockdown. During the years 1980 and 1993, the female population of prison increased nearly 313%, at the same time men increase 182% during the same period. In 1993 the number of women was 5.8% of the total prison population and 9.3% of the whole jail population. Women prisoners are divided like this: African American women 46%, White women 36%, and Hispanic Women 14%. The majority of incarcerated women are poor. So 53% of women in prisons and 74% of women in jails were unemployed before incarceration. The imprisoning of women has a bad influence on her family. 67% of women in prisons are mothers of children who are under 18. 70% of these women (and only 50% of men) had custody of their dependent children before imprisonment. Statistics shows that 6% of women are pregnant at the moment when they go to prison. A big amount of incarcerated women had domestic violence. 32% of imprisoned women (nearly 4,000 women) are in prisons because of murders of their husbands, ex-husbands or boyfriends. http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~kastor/walking-steel-95/ws-women-in-prison.html Women in prison suffer from violence, discrimination and other kind of injustices. It is known that 57% of imprisoned women have had severe and prolonged sexual and physical abuse. (3 Cristina Rathbone, A World Apart, Random House, May 2005, p. 22.). Being in prison, women are objects of sexual misconduct from correctional staff and other prisoners. (4 GAO report Women in Prison: Sexual Misconduct by Correctional Staff June 1999, p.9). Men and women are alike subjected to imprisonment but little attention has been given to the various needs and problems of imprisoned women as opposed to those of men. This omission may reflect the fact that women prisoners are a very small minority of the overall prison population: only four percent worldwide. Throughout the world, the regimes in prison are nearly always created for the majority male prison population and that is why they dont provide for the women needs. Female prisoners have different mental, physical, and emotional needs, not the same as men have. Prisons may be unable to offer adequate maternity and ante-natal care, or appropriate access to feminine hygiene products. Women can have different needs relating to problems such as substance addiction, mental health, and anger management, sexual or physical abuse. Women in prisons have a higher level of mental diseases and are more likely to have been victims of all kinds of abuse than the general population and are at higher risk of self-harm and suicide. They may respond differently to security regimes and require less harsh forms of physical restraint. In mixedsex prisons the security regime may be disproportionately harsher for women because it is designed for men. Most women in prison are mothers and/or the main carer for children, thus it is particularly important that ways be found of helping them to maintain family ties. Research shows that custodial sentences are not appropriate for many women and not effective in reducing offending or reoffending. The experience of imprisonment can have damaging effects for both mothers and their children and can exacerbate mental health issues or problematic drug or alcohol addiction among women in prison. So, here is a description of all levels of imprisonment, the description of womens life in prison and the destiny of children of women in prison. 1. Arrest of a woman. Police officers may not ask whether the woman they are arresting has children or allow her time to explain to the children what is happening or make arrangements for their care. This increases the anxiety of both children and mothers and makes the arrest more difficult for the officer. 2. Pre-trial detention. Women may be more likely to be placed in pre-trial detention than men. This is because on the indicators used to determine a persons likelihood of absconding before trial (such as secure employment and owning or renting property in ones own name) women tend to come out lower. Factors such as caring responsibilities are not taken into account. Even if a woman is acquitted at trial, she may have lost her job, her home or her place on mental health or drug rehabilitation programs in the meantime. For children, having a mother placed in pre-trial detention has many of the same effects as having a mother imprisoned following conviction. 3. Sentencing. Despite their statistically small proportion in the overall prison population, the rate of imprisonment of women is increasing rapidly. The reasons for this appear to be changes in sentencing policy and law enforcement priorities, rather than a change in the amount or severity of crime in which women are involved. Severity of sentence. Attitudes towards women criminals may lead to harsher sentences, including imprisonment for offences for which men would not be imprisoned. Some discrimination against women reflects the social culture rather than specifically the criminal justice system: thus contravening social mores may lead to women being criminalised. Type of crime. In most countries, women are in prison for non-violent, property or drug offences. Generally, women have a lower involvement in serious violence, criminal damage and professional crime. Length of sentence. In many countries, a relatively high proportion of female prisoners appear to serve fairly short prison sentences. It should be borne in mind that a short sentence, for example six months, may be just as disruptive as a longer sentence for a woman prisoner, who may lose her children, her job, and her home as a result of the sentence. 4. Prisons. The number, type, geographical location and distribution of national prisons will affect the quality of womens imprisonment. The provision in a country is usually a practical matter of the resources available, and also reflects the penal philosophy of that country. Some factors are outlined below. Location. Because there are fewer female prisoners there are fewer single-sex prisons for women. Women who are held in single-sex prisons are therefore more likely to be held long distances from their families and communities than men, making visiting and the maintenance of family ties more difficult. This is especially problematic for women who were the sole carers of dependent children before their imprisonment. It also affects other specific categories of female prisoners, such as juveniles, whose numbers are even smaller. Level of security. Levels of security in prison are generally put in place to stop men escaping, which may mean that prisons are disproportionately harsher for women. In addition, the smaller number of womens prisons compared to mens means that there is less opportunity to provide institutions of different security classifications. The prisons regimes will be determined by the maximum security requirement, meaning that many women will be held according to a security classification that is stricter than could be justified by any assessment of the risk that they pose. Shared facilities. Women with diverse needs and a history of offending may be inappropriately held together under the same security regime. Sometimes women awaiting trial are held with women who have been sentenced, which is contrary to best practice. Women who are detained in prisons which also hold men may be required to share facilities and attend classes with male prisoners. This is not a suitable environment for women who have experienced abuse or require strict separation from men. Overcrowding. Prisons are often overcrowded and offer reduced exercise facilities, and time spent out of cells. This pressure may also reduce the numbers of available rehabilitative programmes educational, vocational, counselling as well as of drug and alcohol dependency programmes. Education, training and work. Prisons may offer a range of educational and work opportunities compulsory work or voluntary work (either paid or unpaid). In single-sex prisons where there are few women, access to education, training and work opportunities may be severely limited. In mixed-sex prisons women may be required to attend classes or work with male prisoners. This may be unsuitable and even threatening for some women. In some countries, women prisoners are given traditionally feminine jobs, such as catering or sewing. This is not a problem if there is a market for such skills outside the prison but jobs should not be allocated simply because of the gender of the prisoner. Women whose children live with them in prison may not be able to work or take education courses if there are no childcare facilities. Opportunities for prisoners awaiting trial and sentenced prisoners may also differ significantly. 5. Physical health health care General health and health care. Women prisoners suffer poor physical and mental health at rates and with a severity far exceeding those of male prisoners or of women in the general population. Some of this may be related to the reasons why they have been imprisoned, for example drug use and hence drug dependency and associated health problems. Sexual abuse and exploitation of women before and during imprisonment can lead to gynaecological problems, HIV and other sexuallytransmitted diseases, pregnancy, child-birth or abortion. Disease in prisons. Diseases and infections associated with overcrowding and poor health and hygiene conditions such as tuberculosis, hepatitis and HIV/AIDS, are additional risks for women in prisons. Drug alcohol addiction. Prisoners are more likely to suffer from drug/alcohol addiction than in the community at large. Existing research indicates that 75% of women who go to European prisons are already drug and alcohol users and that female prisoners are more likely to be addicted to harder drugs than male prisoners. Health care provision. Standards of medical care within prisons vary greatly both from country to country and from prison to prison. When health care facilities are outside the prison they may offer better standards of provision, but they may create other problems such as: â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The shame and discomfort for women of being taken there in prison clothing or in handcuffs, particularly if they have to wait in public areas within the hospital. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Shortages of prison staff reducing the availability of escorts for women to attend hospital. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Male prison staff accompanying female prisoners and being present during medical consultations and examinations. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Perceived lack of security in civilian institutions leading to women being shackled to beds, even during child-birth. Sexual health. Universally HIV among women prisoners is higher than in the general population. HIV positive women risk passing the disease onto their babies and unborn children. Womens high rates of drug addiction expose them to the risk of catching HIV through sharing needles. Female health hygiene. The prison may not provide for the sanitary needs of women or women may have to pay for their own sanitary provision. Women who are menstruating or going through the menopause need regular daily showers. It is humiliating for women to have to use washing and toilet facilities in the presence of others, most particularly during menstruation. They should also be able to change their bed linen frequently. Older women may go through the menopause while imprisoned, and their medical and/or psychological needs need to be identified and met at this time. They may also have particular health care needs such as hormone replacement therapy or food supplements. Pregnancy and childbirth. Pregnant women in prisons need special resources and attention to diet, exercise, clothing, medication and medical care. Prison is not an easy place to be pregnant and the inflexibility of a prison regime is incompatible with the needs and care of a pregnant body. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  It is more difficult to catch up on missed sleep and missed meals and hard to take baths or showers as often as needed. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  It may be difficult for the prison to transport prisoners to health care checks and scans, ante-natal classes and post-natal care. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ante-natal and post-natal care may not be seen as medical priorities by prison staff. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  It may be difficult for a prisoner to see a midwife. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Alerting staff to a medical problem, even the onset of labour, may be difficult, particularly at night. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The stress of imprisonment can have a deleterious impact on the development of a pregnancy. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Restraining pregnant women in the same way as other women prisoners may endanger both the woman and the fetus. 6. Mental health. Mental health problems are more spread among women prisoners than in the prison for men or in the general prison. A lot of women have problems with lower-level of mental health, such as personality disorder, which do not qualify them for a psychiatric bed. Such women may need access to treatments and therapy designed specifically for them, and even in women-only prisons conditions may not be ideal. Women can be extremely worried about what will happen to their children, especially in the early stages of detention. Research has suggested that this can exacerbate or bring on mental health problems. Depression, self-harm and suicide. Doctors are more likely to diagnose depression in women than in men (even when they have similar scores on standardized measures of depression) and more likely to prescribe mood altering psychotropic drugs to women than to men. Outside prison men are more likely to commit suicide than women but the position is reversed inside prison, and self-harm in prison is a huge problem and more prevalent among women in prison. 7. Violence and vulnerability. In those countries where all prisoners are vulnerable to torture and inhuman and degrading treatment, women (and juvenile female) prisoners are particularly at risk, both from male prisoners and from male prison guards. The power imbalance between prisoners and guards together with the closed nature of prisons provide opportunities for harassment, exploitation, abuse, prostitution, rape and indecent assault of female prisoners by staff, both male and female. They may also be subjected to abuse and exploitation from other prisoners, both male and female. Even in countries where this is not the case, such as in the UK, women prisoners are vulnerable to other prisoners. A high proportion of UK women prisoners tell that they feel unsafe. The issues about safety and security of female prisoners include: â‚ ¬Ã‚  Location of female cells in mixed prisons. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Location and use of shared facilities, in particular showers and toilets. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Whether male prison guards hold contact positions over female prisoners (posts which permit or require them to be in physical proximity to the prisoners, sometimes unsupervised by other, female, staff). â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Strip searches: women prisoners as a group are more likely than other women generally and/or male prisoners to have experienced sexual assault: this makes strip-searching especially traumatic for them. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The existence or lack of effective supervision and complaints mechanisms which enable prisoners to complain without exposing them to intimidation or further abuse for example, seeing a doctor in the presence of guards means that violence towards and abuse of prisoners by guards is less likely to be reported by the prisoner. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Women who are subject to sexual abuse or exploitation face the added problems relating to the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases, the questions of pregnancy and child-birth or abortion, and all the associated physical, mental and emotional health issues. 8. Mothers in prison. Most women in prison around the world are mothers. Women are more likely to be the sole or primary carer for children and this factor makes the prison experience significantly different for women. The effects of maternal imprisonment on their families are generally more disruptive than the effects of paternal imprisonment. This is not adequately recognized by the criminal justice system. Since the numbers of women who are sent to a prison are rather low and the tendency to send women to prison for lesser nonviolent offences is increasing, so the woman herself can not understand the possibility of imprisonment as the outcome of her deeds. That is why the woman doesnt have the opportunity to make any preparations or provision for her kids before being taken into custody. Such fact can be a cause of additional stress for her and her kids. Prison visits from children. Visiting prisons can be a difficult and frustrating experience for children. So, traveling for a long distance, entering a grim building, being searched, spending time in a harsh adult environment with a mother that one might not even be able to touch may be extremely distressing to a child. This in turn may make the childs carer less inclined to undertake this arduous task, as well as leaving the mother distraught and reluctant to have further visits from the child. Furthermore, the new carers may have their own family responsibilities, as well as financial constraints, which put strains on taking in additional children (leading to children moving from one carer to another) and in particular adding to the financial, time and emotional burdens of taking children to visit their imprisoned mother. Evidence suggests that the children of imprisoned mothers, and particularly those who are taken into state care during the mothers imprisonment, are at significantly greater risk of developing criminal behavior in adulthood than other children. 9. Children of imprisoned mothers. The rights and best interests of the children of women prisoners are rarely considered during criminal justice processes, even though parental imprisonment has a major impact on their lives. There are three options: â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The child has to go to prison with the mother, and the consequence of that. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  The child is separated from the mother, and the consequence of that. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Where there is more than one child and they are treated differently; i.e. one goes to prison with the mother, the other is separated, and the consequences of that. Within each of these, there are then a number of matters to be considered which are encapsulated in the table overleaf. Children separated from their mother. Children left in the community may be looked after by their father, grandparents, other relatives or friends of the family, taken into state care or left without carers. Siblings may be separated from each other in order to make the situation not to difficult, or they may be taken into State institutions. A prisoner living in insecure or rented accommodation will usually lose this when s/he enters prison and getting accommodation when released is often difficult. A mother whose children have been placed in the care of the state or another person usually cannot reclaim custody without appropriate accommodation, so even a short prison term may lead to permanent separation of families. Registering details of prisoners children is not part of the reception procedure in many countries. Some prisoners may not disclose this information voluntarily for fear that their children will be permanently taken away from them. As a result, governments do not make social provision or policies which address the problem of children with incarcerated parents. The imprisonment of the mother has a great impact on the children; it affects every aspect of their lives and not just the relationships with their mother. It feels the same as while the bereavement, but with less support, from the new carer, teachers, and other people. Children of imprisoned parents have an increased tendency to exhibit aggressive and anti-social behaviour compared to the general population. Researchers have found that the effects of parental imprisonment can be serious. Studies of prisoners children consistently report that children experience a range of psychosocial problems during the imprisonment of a parent, including: depression, hyperactivity, aggressive behaviour, withdrawal, regression, clinging behaviour, problems with sleeping and eating, running away, truancy, low school grades and delinquency. The impact on the children will, of course, vary according to their age, surrounding family and community response, environment and individual character. Babies and children in prison. Some women may spend part or all of a pregnancy in prison and give birth while still serving their sentence. The bonding of an infant with her/his primary carer is essential for her/his long term emotional development and should be given high priority. If mothers give birth while serving their sentence, or are imprisoned when they have a baby or young child, that baby or young child may come into the prison to live with them. Special resources and facilities available to mother and babies in prison varies, but usually consist of accommodation within a specialized Mother and Baby Unit (MBU). Toys are sometimes provided for the children and the mother may have more freedom in terms of staying in an unlocked room, having access to a kitchen in which she can prepare food for the child etc. Because of the small number of women in prison who have children living with them, the number of MBUs is low, meaning that a mother may be imprisoned a long way from the rest of her family. This creates problems regarding prison visits and maintaining contact with any older children in the family. Additional concerns about babies and children living in prison are the effect this has on their development physical, mental and emotional. How long babies or young children can reside in prison with their mothers or even whether they can do so at all varies considerably across countries. The separation of mother and child can be a very traumatic experience for them both. Some countries try and make the separation process as gradual as possible, in order to ease the pain and trauma of separation. Babies and young children who are living in prison with their mother also require specialized health care. Women who know that their children will be removed from them shortly after birth may exhibit mental health problems and/or reject the baby or fail to bond with it. 10. Maintaining links with family. When imprisoned mothers are the primary carer of children, separation from their mothers is usually more traumatic than if the father is incarcerated; this is of course much worse where the mother is the sole carer. Research has shown that if family ties are maintained, the chances of prisoners re-offending upon release are lowered, so it is important to take measures to try to preserve these ties. Problems in maintaining these links include: â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Doing so through letters is hard for those with low literacy skills, and self vidently problematic in relation to young children. â‚ ¬Ã‚ ­Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚  Overcoming what is often a greater distance between the woman and her family. 11. Specific groups of prisoners. Foreign nationals. Foreign national women prisoners may be either resident or non-resident in the country where they are imprisoned. Common difficulties may be faced by both male and female foreign national prisoners, such as problems relating to language and misunderstandings surrounding the customs and cultures of the host country, which may lead to isolation. In prisons where the prisoners are dependent on external assistance, whether for basics such as food, hygiene products and clothing, or for small luxuries, women without family at hand to visit not only face the direct problems of not having such items, but are vulnerable to exploitation by other prisoners or prison guards in order to receive the necessities for living. Foreign national women who are not resident in the country of imprisonment may often be very far away from their children and families, causing them anguish and anxiety. Their children may not have the financial means to come and visit them. Telephone calls may be prohibitively expensive for both the mother and her children and difficult to arrange because of time differences. If the children are too young to read and write, then communication via letters is not an option. Many women foreign nationals in prison are there for drug smuggling and may have left their children in the temporary care of friends or family, expecting to return in a few days. Imprisonment may put a womans family (children and others) in significant danger from the people who employed her to smuggle drugs. Resident foreign national women can face deportation when they have completed their sentence, which means further separation from their families, or their having to relocate as well. Transgender prisoners. Transgender prisoners face particular difficulties and pose special challenges to the prison system precisely because of the question as to their classification as male or female prisoners. Racial minorities/ indigenous prisoners. In many countries with indigenous populations, indigenous women represent the fastest growing segment of the prison population. Their double minority status within the prison system, being both indigenous and women, means that where training and other programmes exist they may have to choose between those intended for indigenous men or for non-indigenous women. They may also have different needs from other women prisoners. 12. Post-release issues. Women leaving prison receive varying degrees of support from the prison and social services. They may face many problems in addition to the pressures which may have caused them to commit their initial crime, such as: getting a job, finding accommodation, staying drug or alcohol free and regaining custody of children who have been in state care during their imprisonment. Even a short prison term may lead to the mother losing the rented accommodation in which she had been living, and it is common for a mother to be unable to regain custody of her children if she does not have anywhere to live. This makes it very difficult for women to resume normal lives outside of prison, and may be a factor which contributes to re-offending. Although all released prisoners face issues surrounding their efforts to reintegrate into society, for parents these may be compounded by the need to reconcile with children who may have changed (as well as grown up) during their absence. These children may have taken on new roles in the family and developed close relation-ships with alternative carers, both of which can cause tension if the returning parent tries to go back to the way things were. Reoffending by parents can also have a devastating impact on their children, as they lose their parent for a second time. As it was written above, the female population in the U.S. prison is escalating faster than the male population. According to statistics, the U.S. has 10 times more women in prison than the combined nations of Western Europe. (http://www-personal.umich.edu/~lormand/agenda/0107/womenprison.htm. Phillis Engelbert, Women in Prison, Agenda, July/August 2001). Women are sent to prison for different crimes, but there they need a specialized care and treatment. A lot of women have drug and alcohol problems and need to be treated accordingly. A lot of women in prison have children and this is one more reason for special treatment.