E-Commerce and Marketing Strategies

As the Magic Kids USA tagline says, â€Å"Stop paying too much on Kids wear,† the online store aims to attract its consumers by the moderately priced products that they offer that starts at the lowest price of $2.65. Apart from the clothes that Magic Kids USA offers, they also offer shoes and footwear for children. They also have branded products, mostly from popular cartoon television shows and comics characters. The aesthetic value of the website resembles the typical online business store. Upon opening the website, you would know you are visiting an online shop and the only thing that you are going to do is browse through their products and decide whether to purchase their products or not. As most online stores offer, Magic Kids USA designed their website so clients may easily navigate through the web pages and browse through their selections of clothing and footwear. Magic Kids USA aims to target all classes of society as their client base, this is because they offer the lowest up to the highest prices, and also provide branded merchandise and popular character based products. Their branded products also range from the popular and expensive ones to the moderately priced branded products. Moreover, they have gift certificates to earn discount rates for consumers to spend less, thus, causing them to continue spending more. Anna Bean Children’s Clothing ::  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.annabean.com/ The Anna Bean Children’s Clothing online store offers an extensive selection of children’s clothes for boys and girls, diaper bags, gift collections and ideas, room decorations, and so much more. As far as uniqueness is concerned, the products that Anna Bean offers are the same selections in other online stores for children such as Web Clothes and Bunny Creek. The service that only Anna Bean offers among the three online stores is the Gift Services and Gift Registry. These services offer an option for gift wrapping with additional payment and an opportunity for people to sign up for an Anna Bean account and sell unwanted and duplicated gifts online for other online clients to purchase. They also have a corporate account wherein people can call and consult them for gift selections and alternatives. The Gift Services, Gift Registry, and corporate accounts services of Anna Bean expands their client base because of the added and relevant service that they provide. The aesthetic value of the website was intended to present a young and artistic feel that suits the personality of children. The color for the background was attractive and the logo and other icons were attractive shapes and colors for children. Navigating through the website was easy because their items were categorized and labeled accordingly, therefore, it was easy to browse through their products and select items to be purchased. Anna Bean utilizes a creative way of marketing their products. They have put together the magazine covers on which they had the opportunity to advertise their products. The magazines were popular for expectant moms, parents, working mothers, and fashion magazines for children. They also offer overnight shipping, which is a good strategy, especially to attract clients who do not want to wait. Bunny Creek ::  Ã‚  Ã‚   http://www.bunnycreek.com/ The outline of Bunny Creek’s website is similar to that of Anna Beans’. They have the same selection of clothing, however the categories were more specific, such as selections by brands, size, season, new arrivals, etc. This means that they have a larger selection of products to offer online. They also cater to the lower class client base because they have â€Å"The $2, $5, $10 Sale.† They also have electronic discount coupons and gift certificates for those who want to cut costs of the products that they are going to purchase. Their products range from the most to the least expensive, allowing them to earn a larger client base that caters to the upper, middle, and lower classes of society. For some of the gift items that they provide, they offer personalization of the products, however, taking more time than the usual duration of delivery. Moreover, Bunny Creek offers substantial information on how to purchase and pay for an order, a list of shipping fees, handling rates and conditions, the delivery time, etc. The online store was more informative and revealed important details for the clients. The physical make-up of Bunny Creek is not as attractive as Anna Bean, for example. The colors were boring, thus, failing to attract online clients who happen to browse through the website. Web sites should offer interactive and creative websites in order to attract consumers to navigate through the web pages and gain potential purchasers. Navigating through the website was easy because their products were neatly categorized and it was easy to select products because numerous products were displayed at once. Advertising and marketing for Bunny Creek is not effective because of its failure to give off a child-friendly or child-oriented image, just by looking at the design of the web page. Clients usually go for online stores, which exert effort in beautifying their web page and offering many services for their clients.

Human Resource Management Case Study Essay

1. Ch 1, page 60-61, question 4: What is â€Å"evidence based HR†? Why might an HR department resist becoming evidenced based? The concept of â€Å"evidence based HR† is using specific tools (key performance indicators) to help clarify course of action, identify errors or omissions, and align HR to corporate strategy. It is a decision-making process combining critical thinking with use of the best available scientific evidence and business information (Rousseau & Barends 2011). It forces HR professionals to measure their efficiency and effectiveness quantitatively. In addition, it presents a clearer way to share information with colleagues in a systematic way. One tool that is used is Critical Path Analysis, which helps illustrate the minimum time needed to complete a process. Another method is process mapping, which can help determine needed steps/tasks and enable users to systematically follow the process outlined. Utilizing these tools helps develop uniform, consiste nt operating procedures, which results in a more efficient system. Two key characteristics of evidence based HR are a focus on business strategy, taking into account financial and organization performance measures that are most critical to the company and then using quantitative methods to identify human capital strategies that drive those outcomes; and standards of evidence, in which criteria is used to determine the importance of various relationships which can be used to better design employee strategies. An example is the measurement of employee productivity and work quality against organizational goals. Evidence based HR forces human resource professionals to systematically gather, utilize and evaluate information based on results. In addition, it causes HR professionals to be precise and utilize valid evidence. To do this, HR professionals must evaluate evidence to determine its’ worth. Furthermore, it involves change and systematic work skills, which often causes resistance. However, at the same time evidence based HR allows HR professionals to be viewed as a source of competitive advantage and as a department that creates value by maximizing the use of the company’s most important resource, its’ personnel. It also elevates the importance of employees as a resource beyond the HR department and increases the value of the department to the entire organization, and most importantly utilizes statistical evidence to â€Å"find the critical human levers for improving business results† (Gibbons & Woock 2007). 2. Ch 2, page 99,-100 question 4: How can strategic management within the HRM department ensure that HRM plays an effective role in the company’s strategic management process? When strategic management within the HRM department is used to ensure that HRM plays an effective role in the company’s strategic management processes, it will basically force HRM to review their mission, their goals and their objectives. These factors will have to be in-line with the strategic processes of the company. The two have to be in-sync when they are handled through strategic management. It integrates HRM into the company and the strategic processes from HRM are then also integrated into the strategic management processes of the company. HRM becomes a more active, effective department and both HRM and management then work as a unified team towards the company’s mission, objectives, and values. It creates the most productive and opportune environment for customers and the company. When we look at it from the opposite spectrum, if strategic management is not in place within the HRM department, it will create a state where the company is less efficient because although strategic management is being used throughout the company, it is not being used within the HRM department. When we strategically manage HR, we become involved with the employees from a strategic basis. By doing so, we are better able to handle the resources needed for the employees and to provide our employees with more, like better benefits, more comprehensive compensation packages, and related items. The employees are encouraged in their work because they are being motivated by the strategic management of HRM and what it’s doing to provide for them – the employees. Due to the greater encouragement, it reduces employee turnover and increases efficiency. This causes the company to be able to fulfi ll their goals and objectives that have been both created and managed through the strategic management process. 3. Ch 3, page 147-148, question 3: Many companies have dress codes that require men to wear suits and women to wear dresses. Is this discriminatory according to disparate treatment theory? Why? The process of establishing if an action/policy is discriminatory can be very challenging. However, a number of theories seek to differentiate actions that constitute  discrimination and those that do not. Disparate treatment Theory is amongst the most commonly used theories that have been used to ascertain whether an act or policy amounts to discrimination or not. The theory argues that one is subject to discrimination if they are treated less favorably than others are in similar situations (Bent, 2011). Many companies have dress codes that require men to wear suits and women to wear dresses. This has raised a debate on whether such policies are discriminatory or not. Based on the Disparate Treatment Theory, such a policy cannot be considered as discriminatory. Men and women cannot be on the same platform in that they both dress differently. Even if people from both sexes were allowed to determine whatever they dress, there is no way that men would dress exactly as women (Belton, 2004). The most important consideration as to whether the policy that commits men to wear suits and women to wear dresses amounts to discrimination would call for the scrutiny of the motive. Many companies that take up such a policy are not inclined to punishing or discriminating against women. Rather, they attribute the policy to the need for sanity and decency at the work place. In a world where dresses for women can expose some of the most sensitive parts of their body, the need for regulation cannot be ignored. Furthermore, one cannot claim that putting on dresses is less fashionable as compared to putting on suits. The design and fitting of the dress and the suit would determine whether one is neat or not. From all these considerations, the disparate treatment theory rules out the possibility of the policy that requires men to put on suits and women dresses as discriminatory to women (Bent, 2011). 4. Ch 4, page 185, question 6: What are the trade-offs between the different approaches to job design? Which approach do you think should be weighted most heavily when designing jobs? There are three major approaches to job design: the engineering approach, human approach, and the job characteristic approach. Each is valuable in its own way, but there are trade-offs that occur depending upon the approach, which is taken. With the engineering approach (also called the task approach), there is a lot of repetition. This can lead to boredom. In this approach, there is specialization to the task, and employees are not encouraged to learn more or improve the job. Because jobs designed using this approach have employees typically set at a  particular station, each employee is basically a wheel in a cog, executing part of a task and passing it on to the next station. There is little interaction between employees and often the job is paced according to a machine (part of an assembly line). It is difficult to take pride in one’s work since there is not a finished product. Employees do not have a say in their work, tools or methods used. However, work is performed accurately, by the best person selected for the job, in a procedural, systematic way. This increases specialization thus leading to higher output. The human approach increases employees’ job satisfaction and emphasis motivators like responsibility, advancement, and recognition. In addition, importance is placed on working conditions, pay, job security, and employee relations. The psychological needs of employees are paramount in designing jobs, which increases employee satisfaction, but does not necessarily guarantee satisfaction or performance. Another approach, job characteristics, is based on the idea that employees will perform better if motivation and rewards are built into the work. As such, the work is designed to offer a variety of activities so employees can use different skills, tasks are executed in a manner that there is completion of an identifiable piece of work, there is work of importance, employees have the ability to work based on their knowledge, not as part of an assembly line, and there is feedback in regards to the work. This is optimal, however, drawbacks of this approach include needing to find people who are motivated to find best practices, who can work independently, and who do find motivation at work. The approach which should be weighted more heavily is dependent on the job. In the case of making an automobile or similar repetitive task, one would want to utilize an engineering approach, since the work is repetitive, precise, and focused on output. In most other cases, the job characteristics approach seems logical since it is likely to lead to better, more satisfied employees. It would be important to give sufficient feedback to help manage the employee toward optimal performance utilizing this approach. Ultimately, efficiency and productivity are key, so motivation must be included in some form to produce better results. The job characteristics approach appears to take in regards more factors (skill variety, task identity and significance, autonomy and feedback) to produce greater results. References Bent, J.R., (2011). The telltale sign of discrimination: probabilities, information asymmetries, and the systematic disparate treatment theory, University of Michigan Journal of Law Reform, 2011, Volume 44, Issue 4, p. 797 Belton, R. (2004). Employment discrimination law: cases and materials on equality in the workplace. Thomson/West Bobinski, D. (2004). The role of HR in strategic planning. Management Issues. Retrieved from: http://www.management-issues.com/2006/5/25/opinion/the-role-of-hr-in-strategic-planning.asp Campion, M.A. & Thayer, P.W. (1987). Job design: Approaches, outcomes, and trade-offs. Organizational Dynamics, 15(3), 66-80. Gibbons, J. M., Woock, C. (2007). Evidence-Based Human Resources: A Primer and Summary of Current Literature. The Conference Board, Retrieved from: http://www.conference-board.org/ Mashete, P. (2008). Approach to job design. Human Resource Knowledge. Retrieved from http://hrknowledge.blogspot.com/2008/01/approach-to-job-design.html Noe, R., J. Hollenback, B. Gerhart, Wright P. (2013) Human resources management (8th ed.) New York: McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Rousseau, D. M., Barends, E. G. R. (2011). Becoming an evidence-based HR practitioner. Human Resource Management Journal, 21(3), pages 221–235.

Food Safety - Chemical, Microbiology, etc Term Paper

Food Safety - Chemical, Microbiology, etc - Term Paper Example In the wake of the salmonella outbreak, many companies withdrew their peanut butter products from the market. Nearly seventy companies recalled 125 peanut butter products. A large number of adults and children had fallen ill, after consuming the King Nut brand peanut butter. Tests conducted by the CDC and other state health institutions have confirmed traces of salmonella in the peanut butter, manufactured by the King Nut company. This brand is supplied in large containers to organizations, such as nursing homes, schools, and hospitals. However, consumption of peanut butter products of other companies that were sold to customers in retail outlets or grocery stores did not contain salmonella. The contaminated peanut butter was not sold directly to the consumers. It was supplied to food service providers in the States of Ohio, Michigan, North Dakota, Minnesota, Arizona, Idaho, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, and Florida. It was then redistributed to retail sellers. According to the Minnesota Department of Health, traces of salmonella bacteria were found in a container of King Nut brand peanut butter. This came to light on account of preliminary laboratory tests conducted on samples of peanut butter. The E. coli outbreak of 1993 had claimed the lives of three children in Western Washington. In January and February of that year, these children had consumed meat contaminated with the E. coli bacteria. This outbreak also caused 450 people to fall ill; in addition, a few others were rendered ill after being exposed to people who had been infected with these bacteria. Finally, the cause of this infection was traced to the undercooked meat served in the Jack in the Box Restaurants. Acylamide is a carcinogen and neurotoxin that is formed in a number of food products.

Discussion Response Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Discussion Response - Essay Example A comparison of sub cohorts by involvement in physical activity however identified lowest relative risk, in odds ratio, at 0.74 among women who involved in active physical activity and relatively high risk factor of 1.02 among women who engaged in less or no physical activity at all. This led to a conclusion that involvement in physical activity by women reduces their relative risk of postmenopausal breast cancer, though this relationship is not significant. A comparison of the relationship among cohorts by body weigh however identifies a significant difference with lean or normal weights associated with relatively lower risks. The post accurately reviews the article, though the figure 32269 was before the exclusion criteria and the actual participants were 1506. The post’s definition of relative risk is also accurate but restricted to the scope of disease susceptibility (Dishman, Heath and Lee, 2012). Its report on the likely relationship between the type of cancer and women’s weight is also consistent with the research findings (Leitmann, 2008) and is supported by published literature that identifies an indirect proportionality between body weight and a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer after her menopause (Courneya and Friedenrich, 2010; Irwin, 2012). The class of women has also reported an inverse relationship between postmenopausal breast cancer and involvement in exercise (Fritz and Speroff, 2010). Leitzmann, M., Moore, S., Peters, T., Lacey, J., Schatzkin, A., Schairer, C., . . . Albanes, D. (2008). Prospective study of physical activity and risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research, 10(5),

Precis Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Precis - Article Example From the reports, the powerful hurricane caused extensive destruction to communities3. This revealed the inadequacies in federal, state and local preparedness for response to such events. The implication of this surprised many people because of the difficulty that the world’s richest and most powerful nation experienced in effectively managing a disaster that its occurrence had been predicted4. It is also true that predominant international communities were generous and were involved in donations and offers of aid in order to support such devastation. The failure to manage an event predicted accordingly is satire of the US government diplomacy disaster management5. This has generated various forms of conflict worldwide. Therefore the Katrina case study provides an opportunity for examining how disaster –related activities can or cannot yield diplomatic gains6. This induces an international cooperation among countries that have traditionally been

Evidence based practices Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Evidence based practices - Research Paper Example workers concerned in applicant dispensation have been furloughed habitually, and in March, 2009, the Town Council permitted a three-month hiring freeze (Nostrand, 2007). Hence, the LAPD, as well as other law enforcement agencies, can undoubtedly profit from evidence-based approaches to assessing recruitment programs along with reformation the application process. Using the Los Angeles Police Department and city administrative data from financial years 2007 and 2008, this paper will estimate impacts, in line with applicant numbers, for LAPD’s employment efforts and will revise a model for prioritizing candidates established by Lim et al. (2009). Recruitment and maintenance are long-lasting worries for large urban law enforcement agencies (Lim, 2009). Over much of the last couple of years, police departments from San Diego to New York City have gone through considerable difficulty in finding and maintaining police officers. Even though, the number of police officers countrywide increased by 3.4% between 2000 and 2004 employment did not keep pace with population increase and was well underneath the rate of law enforcement development in the 90s. In addition, 20 out of the 50 largest local police groups in the country decreased in size between 2000 and 2004, in some departments by as high as 10 to 15% (Matthies, 2011). The countrywide economic recession, which started late in 2007, has attested to be a double-edged knife for law enforcement employment. Many candidates are applying for the job, but the funds for hiring and recruiting have been cut. Sheriff and Police departments around the nation have reported large increases i n the number of candidates, as is the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). However, financial woes brought on by the economic recession are stopping agencies from taking advantage of the larger applicant pools. A high number of the applications have cancelled due to the lack of available finances to pay the cadets’ incomes. Nowhere else

Buyer behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words - 1

Buyer behaviour - Essay Example iour can be individualized or associated with a group in which friends or even families possess the power to influence the buying and consumption patterns of an individual. A brand is an important aspect of marketing and promotion for any good or service produced. Companies and organizations develop brands that they present to the potential customers and clients around the globe. A brand is a symbol, sign, name or a combination of all of the above used to identify a good or service in the market. Branding enables the customer identifies the product as the only available solution to their problems as compared to other products in the market (Wang, et al. 2014). Understanding consumer behaviours has a number of psychological relevance to marketers or even advertising firms who take upon themselves to design a product advert for a company. Knowledge of consumer behaviour is important in making marketing strategies and decisions such branding, which can enhance the performance of a company within the market (Williams, 2014). Branding is done for particular objectives chief among them helping in the delivery of the message to the potential clients with clarity and precision. A great brand also confirms the viability of a product and the company that presents the brand and connects the target market with the product emotionally. A good brand also motivates buyers and gives them more reasons to identify with the product has made specifically for them. Wanting cannot be done in isolation without understanding the needs and desires of the customers. A brand should therefore integrate the emotions and desires of potential clients with the identity of the product to increase the magnitude of the product (Schiffman et al. 2011). Consumer behavior is defined as a set of human characteristics that can be identified in a product, good or service that is available in the market. Brand personality is a feature that customers and potential clients can easily relate with due to

Researching Consumer Behavior Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Researching Consumer Behavior - Essay Example Consumer behavior research has found out that with people broadening their minds and the urge for doing something different from the rest of the people around them, have let to something termed as clothing optional cruise. Consumer enjoys fun and love to experience new things in their life. Freedom is one of the important aspects which have given rise to this research. The clothing optional cruises allow a member to experience freedom oh seas. These cruises are open to adults so they can strip away the stress of their life when on the cruise and experience something different. Consumer behavior aims to research on the issues that a consumer might face along with the ongoing trends. The main issue prevailing is stress and to avoid the stress people might go to any extend they want. People go for vacations, hangout with their love ones and so on. Freedom is one thing that was missing in the lives of the people and the future trend of enjoying life gave rise to the idea of offering clot hing optional cruises. The most viable data that might be founded out that people do love when the marketers offer something new and different to the audience. People are actually bored of their daily routine so something new and existing would definitely arouse interest on the target audience. Clothing optional cruises have been popular since the 1970s but at recent times it has received a huge popularity. Because of the popularity of such an offering and since it has been accepted by the audience many companies have started to offer voyage on clothing optional. The strategies adopted by marketer were just to offer something that would be a medium of enjoyment for the people. There were already cruises and people were traveling on them but clothing optional cruises did excite the people and thus became a huge success. The cruises offer all the facilities and mostly sail to sunny locations such as Caribbean, Germany, and France where people could enjoy. Seeing people acceptance and

A comparison of black no more by george schuyler and the souls of black folk by w e b du bois Essay Example for Free

A comparison of black no more by george schuyler and the souls of black folk by w e b du bois Essay As African Americans who lived around the turn of the 20th century, both George S. Schuyler and W.E.B. Du Bois encountered the issue of race in the United States in the intimate fashion. The identity of the African American was an unresolved question during this period, and as prolific writers and social commentators, these two men constructed solutions to this matter through their respective literary approach. Schuyler composed a provocative narrative entitled Black No More, which offered an answer to the issue of race through satire. Du Bois alternatively held a more practical approach to dissolving racial barriers in the United States, which took into account the identity of the modern African American within a series of essays entitled The Souls of Black Folk. To the same extent that their literary styles differed, so too did their perspectives on race. Through fictional example, Schuyler regarded race as a quality among human beings which served to mislead, allowing it to be wielded as a tool for separation and disparity among the groups which is defined, while Du Bois’ insight into the Afro-American condition, both past, and present, uplifted race as being a stronghold of community and therefore a source of individual empowerment. In Black No More, Schuyler presented the quality of race as an obstacle that stood between African Americans and realizing their true identity. Schuyler understood, as did all African Americans in the 1930s, that the problem with race is the social pressure that being of a certain race can impose. Being of an inferior race, it can barricade an individual and a group’s collective aspirations. Race can be reminiscent of a smokescreen that hangs before one’s actual identity. If this is the case, race becomes something that we want to escape and to transcend. Given this confinement, Black No More presents the idea that if we were able to change our race, we should. As compared to finding a way for the black community to assimilate into the white community through social reform, Schuyler proposed an end to the color line by assimilating African Americans visually. Through Dr. Junius Crookman’s technological creation, known as Black No More, Inc., the skin of blacks ca n miraculously be turned white. In the book, the process is tremendously effective because the black people who undergo the Black No More process are not only white in color but become virtually indistinguishable from whites in physical appearance as well. This provided an avenue for many people to live a life of increased privilege without the anxiety of racial discrimination. In spite of all of the promise that this business scheme presented, by erasing the black population in the United States, Crookman effectively erodes the significance of race along with it. The dynamic of race changes from an inherent, inborn quality that all human beings possess to something that is constructed and we, therefore, have a choice in deciding. As the birth of black babies from seemingly white couples within the novel indicates, the race is still defined to be a genetic characteristic. In such a world where the color of one’s skin is mutable, however, the race has meaning only as something socially constructed. In alignment with the selfish views that many of Schuyler’s characters possess, we would all choose to be white because it is the race that is in the majority and provides the greatest personal advantage. In this context, the race is a fiction. Given this notion that race resembles a smokescreen that clouds our true identity, Black No More shows how race can be very misleading. African Americans living during the early 20th century felt their culture to be inferior to that of whites and the attitudes of black characters within the book are a reflection of that sentiment. Instead of promoting an inferior culture, the normative choice for them was to look for ways to become white. This ability to fully enter into white culture is what made Black No More such a lucrative business. Schuyler, however, was convinced that black culture was equal to that of white culture, and articulated this lack of difference through the intelligence that many of his black, or previously black characters possess in contrast to the white characters. Dr. Crookman, for example, is clearly very intelligent to have created such a powerful force behind the Black No More operation. Additionally, Max, the guinea pig of the operation, lives in a world tha t has convinced him that he is inferior by his skin color alone, yet he becomes a white man, who goes out to exploit droves of white men for his own personal gain. The setbacks which Max faced as a black man were not innate, but were imposed by society. Max is a smart individual, and the only factor that played into his social disparity before and after his transformation was the color of his skin. Yet, undergoing such a seemingly simple transition from black to white indicates the lack of a black culture. This lack of a black culture was seen through Max’s lack of self-evaluation when undergoing the Black No More process. There is no regret that Max encounters by turning his back on his kind, and neither do the individuals that follow him in the process. The only thing Max realizes is the lie that white culture perpetuates. For as much freedom and as many liberties as being white provides, the superiority of white culture in comparison to a black culture within the United States has misled him into thinking that white people are more interesting than they truly are, while that is simply not the case. Even though Max finds the black culture more interesting, he still does not think twice about turning his back on his kind in exchange for greater prosperity and happiness. Considering that race can be manipulated to change one’s appearance and consequently, their liberties, race exists as a tool. One would imagine that the abolition of blackness in Black No More would result in an end to racism, the solution to the race problem in the United States yet, in a paradoxical twist, a color line must be fabricated. It becomes known that the extremely pale people are the black people who turned white. Pale individuals become the target of discrimination, which influences all people to collectively desire a darker skin color. Instead of being a bastion of values that has the ability to unite groups of people, the race is acknowledged as something divisive. This is signified by the droves of African Americans who turn their back on their kind with little thought and pay for the Black No More process day after day. In a capitalist society, the race ultimately matters more than class. As compared to a world where race is indicative of something beneath the surface, Black No More creates a reality in which race is controllable, and at the fee of $50, it is a tool accessible for all black people, even in a post-Depression society. To use race as a means of providing an underclass is a problem that is deeply rooted in our economic system, and cannot be purged without great social change. Schuyler conveyed the absurdity of this system through the public lynching of the book’s political figures. This event shows that even at a time when there is great social change, humans still possess a fundamental desire to discriminate against others based on the color of their skin. As a former socialist, Schuyler may have been making a point about the flaw of the capitalist system, but the oppression of others is an ethical matter that undoubtedly falls upon the shoulders of the American people. Instead of intending to fabricate a panacea to the tune of Black No More, Inc., Du Bois’ intent within The Souls of Black Folk was to flesh out the impediment that being black provided for the African American individual. Du Bois’ main concern in his essays rested in what he called the â€Å"veil.† This veil is a symbol of the ignorance of America towards the problems of blacks. It blocks insight into the problems of African Americans and serves to prevent blacks from taking their place in society as full American citizens. Until the veil is removed, argued Du Bois, the continuing schism between the two races will grow wider and wider. Closely tied to the concept of the veil is that of double consciousness, or the process by which blacks have two identities within one body. Du Bois historically charts the development of the ‘World Spirit’ through its many peoples: Chinese, Egyptians, Indians, Greeks, Romans and Germans. Of this 7th type, the African American, Du Bois conceives sort of the seventh son, born with a veil, and gifted with second-sight in this American world—a world which yields him no true self-consciousness, but only lets him see himself through the revelation of the other world†1 It is this seventh son, who possesses a distinct â€Å"twoness.† For Du Bois, the African American possessed no direct vision but was measured only by the tape of the white world that oppressed him. This seventh son lives as both an American and an African American. The trouble with this was not the possession of two identities, but the possession of two contradictory identities. To survive i n America, the black man must assimilate, yet he has bound to a unifying sense of community that his color provides. This duality of serving as a kind of self-alienation for the black individual. Although the African American alone shares this crisis of identity, Du Bois expressed that this uniqueness of boring a united community that was empowered by their shared experience. Du Bois noted that the black community was signified by a number of defining cultural developments. In particular, he gave credit to the African American church as an institution that served to bind the souls of black folk. He described the church as â€Å"a real conserver of morals, a strengthener of family life, and the final authority on what is Good and Right.2 While some churches had simply become places of business that aimed to avoid unpleasant questions both within and without the black world,†3 they still remained a place where social, political, and economic inequity could be addressed in a public forum. The development of African American spirituals, or â€Å"sorrow songs,† also spoke to a development in which hope and community had been forged from despair. Sorrow songs had a gr eat depth of meaning to them and were written at the intersection of history, poetry, celebration, sadness, and soul. They had been refined through years of repetition and were songs that brought together a group through the collective spirit that is embodied within the song. The ability for spirituals to reinforce the value of preserving a distinctly black culture may have been the reason for why Du Bois called this music â€Å"the greatest gift of the Negro people.†4 Both the church and sorrow songs provided an avenue for African Americans to turn angst and frustration regarding their racial barriers into strength through numbers. Only other African Americans could truly empathize with their struggle and this public recognition of their shared plight served to channel negative emotions into an atmosphere of hope. According to Du Bois, the mutual understanding of the black community did not only serve uplift the African American; it defined him. The solution to many of the problems that afflicted African Americans emerged for Du Bois in the form of education. Du Bois was an impassioned advocate for higher education. While Booker T. Washington focused on educating blacks for the trades and manual labor, Du Bois insisted that blacks should have access to intellectual education rivaling that available to whites. It was through enlightened public schooling that education would not only reach blacks but whites as well. Only through this mutual knowledge could this veil and consequently the affliction of the black individual be lifted. Although Du Bois received a classical education, as the numerous Greek and Roman allusions within his essays display, he did not believe every black should receive a classical education. He recognized that many are not up to the task, but a â€Å"talented tenth† could receive this type of education. These blacks would then go out and spread education and culture within the black community. Du Bois himself is an exemplum of his own ideas, by showing how a black can benefit from education and provide a common ground between black and white. During a speech which addressed the death of Martin Luther King, Jr., Robert F. Kennedy advised that we â€Å"tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world.† This quotation serves to characterize the relationship that these two works share. Schuyler’s Black No More provides as a normative view for how people and the idea of race functions in a society, while Du Bois’ The Souls of Black Folk offers a prescriptive view for how all groups in the United States should behave with respect to the presence of race. By virtue of a sweeping and seemingly brilliant solution to the African American identity, Black No More serves to show that there is no immediate solution to problems of race. The most common trait among the characters within Schuyler’s novel, regardless of their race, is the materialist sentiment that they possess. The reality is that individual interests and aspirations of dominance over others will always motivate people. Even in a society with one race, there will always be an effort for individuals to stratify themselves through class. In light of these constants within society, we must uphold the ideals that Du Bois espoused. Whether race is a social construction or it is indicative of something more essential about who we are, its effects on society are very real. Du Bois provides us with a manner of dealing with the ubiquity of the color line, whether black or white. While African Americans may struggle to live with this twoness of identity, race can be an important quality to embrace because it provides the support of a specific community. Guided by the collective good of both races, Du Bois’ proposition for the availability of higher education would ease the social afflictions of black folk by allowing them to achieve greater prosperity and to provide white individuals the ability to better understand and appreciate their position within society. Works Cited 1Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 3. Print. 2Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 128. Print. 3Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 149. Print. 4Du Bois, W.E.B. The Souls of Black Folk. Oxford Univ Pr, 2009, p. 181. Print.

Final Project Paper Essay Example for Free

Final Project Paper Essay Competitive Strategies and Government Policies Paper Learning Team Competitive Strategies and Government Policies Management has recognized the effect of changes in the real-world competitive environment and government policies on other industries and anticipates similar events occurring in their industry, so they ask you for a report considering the following points. Write 1,400 ?1,750-word paper of no more than in which you describe how each of the following are or potentially will affect your industry or one with which you are familiar: New companies entering the market, mergers, and globalization, on pricing and the sustainability of profits: Identify the type of merger activity in your industry or one with which you are familiar?horizontal, vertical, or conglomerate and explain why you made that choice. Current and expected government policies and regulations, including taxes and regulations in place to address issues related to externalities Global competition on the decisions made by management with regards to change in labor demand, supply, relations, unions, and rules and regulations in your chosen industry Recommend how the industry you chose may respond to each of the previous points. Format your paper consistent with APA guidelines Business General Business Focus of the Final Project Students will write a Feature Story (800-1,000 words) on a topic and for a magazine of their choice. This project requires students to incorporate the major concepts discussed during the course, such as applying various media communication tools, identifying audience, gathering information and research, and understanding the editing process. The Feature Story should  demonstrate a student’s comprehension of the readings and class discuss A+ tutorial you will find here https://bitly.com/12Cn79p Set yourself up for success in college by taking your habits and ideas into consideration. For example, think about whether you are a morning person or an afternoon person. If you arent a morning person, dont even think about signing up for an early class. Schedule courses later in the day so you wont be tempted to skip. Business General Business Focus of the Final Project Students will write a Feature Story (800-1,000 words) on a topic and for a magazine of their choice. This project requires students to incorporate the major concepts discussed during the course, such as applying various media communication tools, identifying audience, gathering information and research, and understanding the editing process. The Feature Story should demonstrate a student’s comprehension of the readings and class discussions as well as the implications of new knowledge in the field of media writing and editing.

The Sorites Paradox And The Epistemic Philosophy Essay

The Sorites Paradox And The Epistemic Philosophy Essay Soritic thinking that is based on reasoning, which is entailed in the sorites paradox plays an important role in some forms of weakness of will. Such reasoning based on soritic thinking leads to failures of behavior, however, these behaviors cannot be revealed to be irrational by ordinary means. Logical paradoxes are not expected to be important to the psychology of everyday life. However, the sorites paradox unlike other paradoxes actually leads to defeat and confusion, and plays an important role in some forms of weakness of will. I will illustrate a representative version of the sorites paradox, and in the conclusion obtained in this example, I will argue that the epistemic response runs into numerous difficulties, and as a result, does not successfully diagnose the problem with the paradox. Discussion The sorites paradox is a term given to several paradoxical arguments that arise because of the indeterminacy surrounding restrictions of the application of the predicates entailed. The following is a representative version of the sorites paradox. If we are to judge the height of four basketball players, observing them from a distance, which makes a difference in height invisible as long as it amounts to less than one inch. Tim Duncan is 7 feet tall. Shaquille is 71. He is also tall. Amare is 610. He is tall. Kevin is 611. He is tall. Rudy is 69. He is also tall. LeBron is 68 and he is tall. Using this sequence of reasoning, specifically, that if I deduct an inch off any persons height, it would not make much difference since somebody will only be one inch shorter than a tall individual would, supposedly, be tall himself. Thus, as I use this sequence of reasoning, I can keep creating more premises, namely that Jordan is 66, Kobe is 67 and so on till I reach somebody like Nate who is 5 9. Many individuals would hesitate to call Nate tall, because when compared to the other people like LeBron and Kobe, he is short. I can also reason to conclude that Bogues whose height is 53 and Boykins 55 are tall. However, most reasonable people would not classify these players as tall. The reasoning in the above case is a good example of the sorites paradox that results from common vague predicates such as tall. The sorites paradox can also be constructed using other predicates such as 100, 000 grains of sand is a heap of sand, thus 99, 999 grains is still a heap of sand, as is 99, 998 and so forth, till I am forced to conclude that one grain of sand is still a heap of sand. It is possible to also reconstruct the tall version of the sorites paradox to work the conflicting way. For instance, if I reason that Bogues whose height is 53, is short, then an individual who is just one inch taller would also be considered short, and I would also use this reasoning to work my way up LeBron, who at 68, would be deemed short. Thus, the paradox in argument form is: Premise 1: LeBron is 68, he is tall. Premise 2: If LeBron is tall, then someone else who is one inch shorter than LeBron is tall. Premise 3: if somebody one inch shorter than LeBron is tall, then someone one inch shorter than LeBron is tall. The conclusion is that Bogues whose height is 53 is tall. Such a conclusion is paradoxical if we are to consider our common notions about expressions like short and tall to be correct. In addition to this, if we have a common agreement that Bogues who is 53, is short, then the conclusion that stems from the sorites argument, to be precise, that Bogues must be tall, leads to a contradiction, since Bogues cannot have the properties tall and short at the same time. Therefore, there are three alternatives if we are to steer clear of this paradox of vague predicates: we can refute the primary premise that LeBron is tall; we can refute one of the other premises in the argument that anyone who is a certain height is tall if an individual an inch taller is tall, or refute the notion that the conclusion follows from the argument. I will discuss one approach to solving the paradox; the epistemic solution. I will also discuss difficulty in accepting the epistemic solution. The epistemic solution entails refuting one of the other premises. For instance, given the argument: (1) LeBron is tall for a person, (2) if LeBron is tall for a person, then someone who is 69 is tall for a person, and (3) if someone who is 69 is tall for a person, then someone who is 68 is tall for a person. Conclusion: Bogues who is 53 is tall for a person. We can refute one of the premises that will grant us a way out of the paradox. For instance, we can refute the premise that will ultimately result from the above argument that if Nash whose height is 63 is tall, then Ellis whose height is 62 is also tall. Or we can reject the premise that if Chris who is 60 tall, then Damon who is 511 is tall. The epistemic solution entails forming a hard line division, dividing people into two groups (not tall and tall). There would look as if there would be a cutoff point, if somebody who is nn is tall, and it would not follow that someone who is nn-1 is tall. So, if this dissimilarity was to be in place, it would provide an obstacle that the reasoning that led me in the first place to conclude that Bogues was tall. And if this dissimilarity was in place, then the group of tall individuals would have stopped before we got to Bogues. I think that this solution runs into a lot of difficulty. First and foremost, the dissimilarity would seem to be wholly illogical and dependent on a certain individuals idea of tall. For instance, I may want to specify that all individuals who are 60 and above, are tall. My younger brother who is 56 may want to stipulate that all individuals 57 and above are tall. In the same way, Kobe may want to stipulate that all individuals 68 and above are tall. All of these illogical lines are wholly logical, relative to each individual. I do not think that the epistemic solution successfully diagnoses the problem with the paradox as shown in the example of height. One can argue against arbitrariness by specifying that people should consider those above the average height for people as tall and those below this average height as shorts, and therefore, a fixed point would solve the problem. But this provision also runs into hypothetical issues. First of all, the average height for human beings is always changing. Today, human beings may be taller than people were 20, 000 years ago. Therefore, it would seem, a person would have been tall 20, 000 years ago would be short now. However, if can correctly guess, no one wants to accept that a person who is tall can become short without shrinking. Secondly, if are to refute one of the premises, then we should do reject it with good reason. We should give a reason why, for instance, it is better to refute the premise that if Amare who is 610 tall, then Kobe who is 67 is tall, instead of the premise that if Shaquille who is 71 is tall, then Duncan who is 70 is tall. Is there a logical reason why we should refute the former premise instead of the latter? Assume, for the sake of science fiction, the case of a shrinking person. Suppose the shrinking man was Shaquille, who shrank one inch each month, from a starting height of 71. If are to refute one of the premises, then we should also acknowledge that there is an exact spatiotemporal location where Shaquille changes from someone who is tall to someone who is not tall. Where is the point? 63? 64? 55? 511? Is there a good reason to dispense one of these heights over another height? If the answer is yes, then we should give an account for which particular moment in time, this change occurs, and why it is logical to opt for this moment instead of another one. It appears that nobody can practically choose of these moments over another one, and so, it appears, the epistemic solution runs into a barrier. The response that would probably successfully diagnose the problem would be the degree of truth solution that takes a modern approach towards the notions of falsity and truth, and seeks to annul the sorites argument. With the degree of truth solution, a person can make the claim that Nash is 63 tall. I can state the degree of truth for the claim that Nash is 63 tall is about .70 because he appears to be closer to the model for human tallness than the paradigm for shortness. The sorites paradox started by hypothesizing that if Shaquille is tall, and we reason that Bogues is also tall, we are stating that these two men have equivalent property of tallness and the truth of such statements are true to the similar degree. Thus, this theory appears to have the strength of removing all contradictions entailing vague predicates unlike, the epistemic approach, and thus would be more appropriate in explaining the sorites paradox example of who is tall and who is short. Conclusion The epistemic solution does not seem to be the closest solution to the example about height discussed. One can argue against unpredictability by specifying that people should consider those above the average height for people as tall and those below this average height as shorts, and therefore, a fixed point would solve the problem. It is clear that the epistemic solution is counter intuitive in nature, and this becomes a purported problem. From the example discussed, it is evident that there all kind of things that people do not know, however, ignorance in the case of indistinctness appears to be necessary ignorance. It is not that we do not know if someone is tall and another is short, we simply know it. But, for the person seeking the epistemic solution, the problem is harder, for there is something to know and it is simply that we cannot know it. Thus, the epistemic solution does not successfully diagnose the problem.

Essay on Lack of Meaning in Catch 22 -- Catch-22

Lack of Meaning in Catch 22 Â   Â   Â  Most of what we say has no meaning. This idea is supported on every page of Joseph Heller’s Catch 22. Almost every scene in the novel contains dialogue where the people speak aimlessly and have no explanation for why they are talking. Â   Colonel Cargill addresses his men by saying, "You're American officers. The officers of no other army in the world can make that statement. Think about it."Â   Even though the remark is true, it has no meaning. These type of random statements and dialogues occur throughout the whole book. Another situation when two people speak without making any sense is when Clevinger is being questioned. "I didn't say you couldn't punish me," said Clevinger. "When?" asked the colonel. "When what, sir?" "Now you're asking me questions again." "I am sorry, sir. I'm afraid I don't understand your question."Â   Later in the interrogation, the colonel is so twisted in his conversation that he no longer wants to know when Clevinger said that he could not be punished. He now wants to know when Clevinger did not say that he could not be punished. Clevinger quickly rebuts and states, "I always didn't say you couldn't punish me, sir." Finally, the colonel is satisfied with that answer even though Clevinge r's statement did not answer the question and has no meaning. Â   Major Major often spoke with a lack of meaning. He simply did not make sense. For instance, he told Sergeant Towser, his assistant, "From now on, I don't want anyone to come in to see me while I'm here."Â   According to this statement, when would anyone be able to see him if they could only go to his office when Major Major was out? When Appleby once went to see Major Major, he started to talk to Sergeant Tows... ...ent wave lengths. This is seen when Clevinger is being questioned. The colonel and Clevinger are thinking so differently at the time, that there is no way they would be able to understand one another. This book definitely makes one realize how difficult it is to communicate, the problems people have trying to understand one another, and realizing that sometimes what we say has no meaning. Â   Works Cited: Â   Frank, Mike. "Enos and Thanatos in Catch-22." Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Roger Matuz. Vol.11. (77-87) Â   Heller, Joseph. Catch-22. Detroit: Gale, 1990. Â   Kennard, Jean E. "Joseph Heller: At War with Absurdity." Contemporary Literary Criticism.(75-87) Ed. Roger Matuz. Detroit:L Gale 1990. Â   Pearson, Carol. "Catch-22 & the Debasement of Language."Contemporary Literary Criticism. (277)Matuz . Detroit: L Gale 1990. Â  

The Peoples Princess Essay examples -- essays research papers

Diana Frances Spencer was born on July 1, 1961 in Sandringham, Norfolk. Her parents, John and Frances Spencer, were hoping for a boy to carry on the Spencer name. It took them nearly a week to come up with a name for the baby girl. Eighteen months earlier, her mother had giver birth to a baby boy, but he was so sick that he only survived for ten hours. Lady Frances, twenty three at the time, was sent to many specialists to find out the reason why she could not have a little boy. Three years after Diana was born, Lady Frances gave birth to a healthy baby boy, Charles. Diana had been christened in Sandringham Church with well-to-do commoners for godparents. Charles, on the other hand, was christened in Westminster Abbey with the Queen of England as his godparent. As a child, Diana spent most of her time playing outside. Close to her home were many woods, horse stables, and they owned a heated swimming pool. The woods were filled with rabbits, foxes, deer, and other animals. As she grew older, she also grew a great love for animals. She also had a love for children. At age eighteen, she became a teachers assistant. She taught dance, drawing, and painting to kindergarten students. When she was six years old, her mother left her father for another man. She went between her mother's townhouse and her father's country estates. Both parents got re-married, so she had two step-parents to please. Because of Diana's royal background, she earned an invitation to Prince Charles's thirtieth birthday party. This is were the two met for the first time. There were hundreds of people at the party, but Charles couldn't take his eyes off of Diana. A few months later, the two became a couple. "The news about Charles and Diana's love soon spread. The shy young teacher's aide quickly became famous. Everyone wanted to know if the Prince had finally found his Princess. "The answer came in February 1981. Prince Charles asked Lady Diana to be his wife. Blushing with happiness, Diana accepted. The fairy tale had begun-and Diana's life would never be the same."1 During their engagement, Diana frequently visited Buckingham Palace, and the Queen of England for roya... ...imply immersed by duty and tradition but can sing openly as you planned. We fully respect the heritage into which they have both been born, and will always respect and encourage them in their royal role. But we, like you, recognize the need for them to experience as many different aspects of life as possible, to arm them spiritually and emotionally for the years ahead. I know you would have expected nothing less from us. William and Harry, we all care desperately for you today. We are all chewed up with sadness at the loss of a woman who wasn't even our mother. How great your suffering is we cannot even imagine. I would like to end by thanking God for the small mercies he has shown us at this dreadful time; for taking Diana at her most beautiful and radiant and when she had so much joy in her private life. Above all, we give thanks for the life of a woman I am so proud to be able to call my sister: the unique, the complex, the extraordinary and irreplaceable Diana, whose beauty, both internal and external, will never be extinguished from our minds."

Kant or Mill

Instructor Gallup Kant or Mill 14 November 2011 The topic of Kant and John Stuart Mill produces much debate. Both scholars have their own beliefs that they deem to be appropriate point of views in the way man should view a moral life. In this paper I plan on elaborating on both Kant and Mill’s point of views. This paper will first talk about John Stuart Mill’s beliefs on morality and what he deems appropriate. Then in the next segment of the paper, Kant views will be dissected and discussed.Only after careful consideration of both men points of view, will I take a stance on the philosopher that I deem to be the more just. In concluding my results I will state my closing remarks on the topic of Mill and Kant. John Stuart Mill believed in what he called Utilitarianism. I want to say utilitarianism was the belief in doing what is good solely for the greater good of the masses. Now with that definition of the term being stated. I asked myself how could that be achieved. Mil l’s belief is that happiness of the masses should result in happiness throughout.That happiness should be attainable because of his belief that we were all born with a clean slate and all we had in our heads are sense perceptions (Mil –block 1Page 3 Paragraph 4). Okay, if that is true all we would have to do is teach our kids that we should do the right thing and the world would be fixed. Unfortunately, the block material states that man has had these problems from the dawn of philosophy. So unfortunately we would not be able to fix the problem that easy. If the world could be fixed that easily I would not have had to take this class.Mill’s theories stuck out in comparison, especially when he gave his thoughts on utilitarianism in a systematic view. This was when he gave his ideas of pleasure and pain. That morality is grounded—namely, that pleasure, and freedom from pain, are the only things desirable as ends; and that all desirable things (which are as numerous in the utilitarian as in any other scheme) are desirable either for the pleasure inherent in themselves, or as means to the promotion of pleasure and the prevention of pain (Mill-Block 2/page 3/paragraph 1). After I read this passage.It made me think of laziness in people. Good come from pain. The old saying is nothing easy is good and good things require hard work in order to be attained. The second theory of John Stuart Mill that I would like to point out is on quality and quantity. In my opinion, Mill use deductive reasoning to justify the claim of quality being something that you have or you don’t have. On the other hand he talked about quantity and how some act gave a large amount of pleasure and how some act gave a small amount of pleasure. The best example of this theory is money.Yes, if you have a large quantity of cash. Your quality of life does improve and your happiness could either improve or decrease. Depending on your moral worth. If you take a person t hat is not moral at heart the quantity or quality of his possessions will not bring him to the happiness that Mill was theorizing on. Kant is my next subject matter of discussion. His views are more convoluted and difficult to explain. Kant views were that on, what he would believe to be, the base of altruistic good. The first axis on Kant’s theory that I would like to present is his take on rational good will.What I got out of the reading on his rational good will theory was even if you do a good deed it still might not possess characteristic of determinism or egoisms. That qualification was being true and just. In Kant’s block on metaphysics of morals (Block-1/page-2 /Paragraph-1) states; Nothing can possibly be conceived in the world, or even out of it, which can be called good, without qualification [good without qualification], except a good will. The text tells us that happiness cannot be the purpose of humanity. Yet good will brings happiness.Kant argues that we can have happiness without reason and reason without happiness. Because we are instinctive people and our morals should be based upon our instincts not on our prejudged beliefs of a particular or accidental outcome. Acts done â€Å"from duty† are the truly altruistic ones; act that simply â€Å"accord with Duty† are those that appear to be altruistic but actually have self-serving motivation (Kant- Block 2, Paragraph 7). Duty is another coined term in Kant’s arsenal that required a lot of thought on what he really meant when he used the term.My breakdown of duty is doing an unselfish act while helping others in the process while doing what right for nature under their own free will. Between the two great philosophers there are many differences in there beliefs. Yet the one belief that they do have in common believes that their view was the more just for morality. In conclusion Kant’s philosophy is undoubtedly the more just and moral. Mill’s work w as more understandable as I was reading to text. Yet Kant’s theory’s just made more sense to me end the end. When you look at Mills view on utilitarianism.The examples that he gives would only work if a person were a Saint. There are not a number of people that will put other people in front of themselves. Kant’s views are more based around real-life instances that would occur in the real world. Kant’s View on law was really the turning point in my decision on which side to take. The term â€Å"law† in Kant’s usage meant of natural being. I took it as being free to make decision on you own free will. These laws he spoke of were the basic of life. It refers to what I called the golden rule. Those Golden rules were what he uses to judge morality.In Kant (Block 4 / paragraph 17) states; and should I be able to say myself, ‘Every one may make a deceitful promise when he finds himself in a difficulty from that he cannot extricate himself? à ¢â‚¬  Then I presently become aware that while I can lie, I can by no means will that lying should be a universal law. Kant wanted to base results of actions on the action, while Mill wanted to base his results on the outcome of the action. In both cases you can have just cause. Yet, I tend to be more on the side of Kant’s views. I too feel that an act can be good without having a good end result.For example, if a man goes to jail and the bailiff forgets to fingerprint you it would be a goo deed to go back and get fingerprinted. Which is truly an altruistic deed. If I were to use that same example and base it off of Mill’s theories it would have a different end result. Under Mill’s laws more that likely a person would not even consider the thought of going back to a jail to be fingerprinted because it does not produce any happiness. The reason I chose Kant’s views’ is because he make a better argument on the bases that morality can bring pain and still be just with or without a happy ending.

Muhammad Ali: Hero or Villain? Essay

Muhammad Ali will be remembered long after his death. Considered by many to be the greatest boxer ever to step in the squared circle, Ali was blessed with the speed, power and stamina to become the world’s heavyweight champion. Ali was also no stranger to controversy throughout his career as many have praised him for his actions whilst many have criticised and condemned him. Ali, even over twenty years after his retirement from the sport that gave him fame, he is still one of the most recognised figures in the world today. Countless books, articles, documentaries as well as blockbuster films have featured the great boxer. The fact that Ali will be remembered is undisputed. How he is remembered varies greatly. Some view Ali as a great champion not only inside but also outside the ring. Other views see Ali as an arrogant, unpatriotic, outspoken racist. The different views create an historical debate, which is affected greatly by context. In the case of Muhammad Ali, the responder witnesses how traditionally he was mostly viewed from a very negative perspective but in a contemporary society he is now seen, by the majority, in a positive light. These conflicting views can be seen through a number of historical texts and how they interpret events and areas of Muhammad Ali’s life. Through analysing these texts as well as the events in Ali’s life this essay discusses and decides whether Ali truly is a hero or villain. Muhammad Ali was born as Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. on January 17, 1942, in Louisville, Kentucky. As a young boy Clay was always more interested in boxing than his studies. This passion for boxing began when Ali’s bike was stolen as a young teenager. Clay reported the crime to a policeman who referred him to boxing trainer Fred Stoner. This would be the beginning of Clay’s passion for the sport that brought him to prominence. Clay became a star boxer during his high school days, where Ali won 6 Kentucky championships, 2 national Golden Glove championships and 2 Amateur Union championships. From this Cassius Clay went on to win a gold medal, representing USA, in the 1960 Rome Olympics in the light-heavyweight division. Clay had established himself as an American hero. Clay on return to the United States turned professional and successfully  began to rise through the ranks. Clay soon fought Archie Moore to be #1 contender to Sonny Liston’s world title. Over 16,000 fans paid money â€Å"in hopes of seeing Archie Moore button the brash kid’s lips†. They were disappointed as the young boxer went on to defeat Moore with ease. Ali was on his way to his world title bout with Sonny Liston. Promoter Bill McDonald briefly cancelled the Clay-Liston fight, as concerns grew over Clay’s safety as well as the saleability of the fight. Clay, in reality Cassius X due to his belief that Clay was his ‘slave’ name, had affiliations with  Malcolm X and the anti-white Black Muslims. This was already seeping into the news but the scheduled fight still went ahead despite concerns. On February 25, 1964, Clay took the title from Liston as the public was stunned. The public was even more stunned as Clay announced his conversion to Islam. Cassius was soon renamed Muhammad Ali by the leader of the Nation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad. Whilst the newly named Muhammad Ali seemed convinced of the righteousness of his cause, few at the time accepted the religious message of the Nation of Islam. Its racial rhetoric, preposing radical if not violent solutions to domination by white people, betrayed hatred that in turn provoked widespread hostility against its leaders and followers. This went against American values and extreme measures would be taken to recapture the title from the hands of the Black Muslims. This worried ‘White America’ along with the growing strength of the Civil Rights Movement. History as recorded by the sportswriters of the time would have us believe that, in February of 1964, Islam itself struck a blow against the character and sanctity of America. As a result of Ali’s conversion to Islam the WBA threatened to strip him of his title for what they considered â€Å"conduct detrimental to the spirit of boxing†. In March 1964 the WBA stripped Ali of his title for a brief period of time. The majority of the media and public of the time due to their opinion of Ali being a racist viewed this positively. However the Senator of Georgia, Richard Russell was highly critical of the WBA’s decision. Russell believed the decision and the acceptance of it as evidence of â€Å"the grip of  intolerance on this country†. The fact that Ali was being discussed in the senate was evidence that the heavyweight title was an instrument of symbolic power beyond the sport. Ali’s conversion to Islam and becoming a member of the Black Muslims is one of the events in his life in which there is much conjecture. This event is still debated in today’s society as to whether Ali was a racist. The Black Muslims and Nation of Islam had a poor reputation due to their image of hatred that solidified by Mike Wallace’s documentary â€Å"The Hate That Hate Produced† (1959). This however may have been unfair as they were trying to change their image to a new, economically orientated, more religious Nation of Islam. Their religious and believed potentially violent values, compounded by the social context of the era led to the huge push to rid Ali of his title. Some believed that Malcolm X negatively influenced Ali whilst others believed that Ali had simply hidden his true feelings of racial anxiety from the public. The Michael Mann film, â€Å"Ali† (2001), doesn’t show the supposed violent beliefs of the Black Muslims and Nation of Islam but briefly features Malcolm X’s violent standpoint. Malcolm X was soon out of favour with the Nation of Islam with comments about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Despite being good friends with Malcolm, Ali supported the party’s view. This pivotal moment in Ali’s life is essential in analysing who Ali really is, villain or hero. The WBA were without the support of various athletic commissions and reinstated Ali with his title. The popular opinion was that the heavyweight champ shouldn’t be preaching what was considered a â€Å"hate religion†. Ali’s popularity nose-dived. The nation was intolerant of Ali’s religious beliefs as many continued to call him Clay and the bid to find a champion with â€Å"American† values continued. Floyd Patterson arrived as a suitable candidate to take the title off the unpopular Ali. Whilst Patterson talked a good fight he was no match for Ali who was in his prime. Patterson liked many others showed a lack of respect for Ali and his religion by refusing to name him by his correct name. As is discussed in the documentary series â€Å"Muhammad Ali: The Whole Story†, many believed Ali had tortured Patterson for twelve rounds, but the documentary comes to the conclusion, as Howard Cosell does  that Ali â€Å"carried† Patterson out of admiration for the former champion. Most people at the time did believe Ali kept Patterson in the ring out of spite, which added to the negative profile that the majority of the public held of him. During Ali’s prime years as a fighter, America was battling communism and was doing so in the Vietnam War. In 1963, at a time when Ali was largely considered charmingly obnoxious, he had been classified 1-Y for draft purposes – mentally incompetent to serve in the armed forces. However, in February 1967, Ali was reclassified by the Selective Service, making him draft eligible for Vietnam with 1-A status. The government sought to have him imitate the role Joe Louis played in World War II supporting and serving in the war. Ali refused entry into the army and this brought angry replies from the highest levels. Representative of Pennsylvania, Frank Clark, came close to branding Ali as a traitor, â€Å"as unthinkable as surrendering to Adolf Hitler†. Clark was not alone in his feelings on Ali’s stance as the majority of the public were outraged by Ali’s refusal to serve. Ali was finally stripped of his title, as boxing asserted its patriotism and view on the war. The New York Athletic Commission stripped him of his title, declaring his conduct â€Å"detrimental to the best interests of boxing†. Other athletic commissions soon followed and refused to recognise him as the heavyweight champion, relinquishing his boxing license and evidently denying him the right to earn a living. On June 20, 1967, the federal court found Ali guilty of draft evasion, sentencing him to five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. It was believed that if Ali had escaped without punishment then many other blacks wanting to be Muslims would follow. As there were a large percentage of blacks fighting in Vietnam this was a real concern for the government. Another Ali critic said â€Å"If any one individual contributed to the contagious disrespect for law and love of country, then it would have to be our disposed [sic] fighting king†. Ali, although heavily outnumbered, did have support from protestors of the war. This is the most fiercely debated topic when accounting for who Ali truly is,  hero or villain. Many people at the time and still today believe Ali was wrong, cowardly and unpatriotic in his refusal to serve in the Vietnam War. Over time though, support has grown for his decision to avoid the draft. Many respect his protest against the war and commitment to his religion. He stood firmly by his decision as he faced imminent incarceration, revocation of his passport, unfavourable press coverage, and hostility from much of the American public. Many also believed, and still do, that he deserved whatever he got. Thousands of others had been conscripted, fought and died for the United States. The same nation that gave Ali opportunity, fame and fortune and Ali was too ungrateful to pay her back. Ali persevered in his pursuit for freedom and his right to earn a living as a boxer. Eventually in 1970, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of Ali and he was given that freedom. He also had his boxing license reinstated as he set out to regain his heavyweight championship. In October 1970, Ali successfully made his come back by defeating Jerry Quarry. His next aim was to defeat the new champion Joe Frazier. Ali got his wish but was eventually beaten over fifteen rounds in a close decision by Frazier. Over the next few years Ali continued to challenge and beat other contenders for the title. Ali reasserted himself as a title contender and beat Frazier in a rematch in 1974. Unfortunately this was not for the world title as Frazier had previously lost it in a devastating loss to a young George Foreman. Ali would go on to fight Foreman in what is arguably Ali’s greatest triumph in the ring. Seven years after his title was taken from him he would recapture it against all odds. Ali used his experience to outwit and outsmart the younger and stronger Foreman. â€Å"The Rumble In The Jungle†, as it is affectionately known completed the comeback for Ali. This fight is glorified in â€Å"Ali†, which added to the feeling that this was Ali’s greatest moment inside the ring. Ali went on boxing for another five years, losing and regaining the title to become the first three-time world heavyweight  champion. Ali retired in 1979 but was to come out of retirement twice in the pursuit of another title reign only to be denied. After he retired Ali became politically active, with involvement in Jimmy Carter’s campaign in 1980. Unfortunately he was diagnosed Parkinson’s syndrome in 1982. The once quick-witted and sharp-tongued Ali is now a shadow of his former self with his speech slurred and muffled, his way of walking slow and unsteady. The public’s perspective of Ali had greatly changed since his objection to the Vietnam War now felt pity. Ali became a victim of the sport that many believed he saved. Ali also successfully negotiated the release of fifteen soldiers being held captive during the Gulf War in 1990. Ali also founded WORLD, the World Organisation for Rights, Liberty and Dignity. Ali has also been involved numerous charities adding to his increasing popularity. Muhammad Ali is undoubtedly a hero in the ring. His efforts for over twenty years are evidence for that. What has been disputed is whether Ali is a hero or villain outside the ring. Through the controversies, bad and good times it can be said that Ali should be considered just as much of a hero outside the ring as he was inside it. Though there was much controversy over Ali’s conversion to Islam and the potentially threatening Black Muslims, Ali never displayed any hatred towards others that wasn’t provoked. He was committed to his religion no matter what obstacle he faced, or the ramifications it would bring. His criticism of the white treatment of blacks inspired many people involved in the Civil Rights Movement. Ali was criticised heavily for many of his actions including this. However as time has passed and the social attitudes and tolerance of America have changed the general perspective of Ali also did. A great deal has changed between the social context of the time during Ali’s fighting career and the modern society. This along with Ali’s attempts to â€Å"avoid controversy† and his eventual illness has lead to a vastly different view of Ali today. Ali is now seen as a heroic figure and remembered mostly for his better moments. Ali always stood up for what he believed in and despite what others thought remained committed and stayed true to himself. Despite what the majority of the American public thought of him Ali also had many supporters and his actions earned their loyalty. The scene in â€Å"Ali† where Ali witnesses a mural in Zaire is symbolic of what he truly meant to people. The mural featured Ali fighting tanks and planes and symbolically fighting against war. Ali gave these people hope and inspired them, as he did to many people especially his own. Whilst many, ridiculed Ali for his decision not to go to Vietnam, it was his decision and he stuck with it. The manner, with which he acted, may not have always been appropriate but Ali was always honest and the public always knew where he stood on issues. His manner also entertained and delighted his audiences and was a major factor in his eventual popularity. Ali was not perfect but will deservedly go down in history as not only an incredible boxer, but as a humanitarian, political activist, witty humourist and an inspiration to millions of people from all over the world.

Clinical Decision Making Skills for the Integrated Worker Essay

This assignment will define and analyse the need for a chosen service improvement within the pathway of mental health, as well as evaluating the suggested service. Demonstrating how this service can inform and benefit integrated practice, discussing the ways in which the agency’s statutory obligations and responsibilities impact on both individual and group decision making. The chosen service improvement for this assignment is the introduction of a mental health nurse into primary care services, for example, a GP Surgery. Focusing on service users with mental health issues in the community and therefore in the care of the local Primary Care Trust (PCT). There is an obvious need for movement towards better health and social care for individuals with mental health illnesses in primary care. No Health without Mental Health: A Guide for General Practice (Department of Health, DoH, 2012, online), sets out what General Practitioners (GPs) can do to improve mental health and enhance care and support offered to those with mental health conditions in the community. This document also states that one in four GP consultations account for mental health problems (DoH, 2012, pg8, online). Treatments for those with mental health issues cost the NHS in the United Kingdom approximately  £105 Billion per year (DoH, 2012, pg8, online). Primary care plays a pivotal role in caring for those with mental health illnesses in the community and in most cases this falls into the responsibility of the local GP surgeries. Therefore GPs are ideally placed to identify signs of distress and those with risk factors for poor mental health (NHS Confederation, 2011, online). Primary care providers, more specifically GPs are usually the first point of call for an individual experiencing some form of psychological distress (DoH, 2012, pg13, online). It is essential there is early recognition and referral to any specialist mental health services required, saving time, money and individual distress in the long-run. An area which remains problematic is the treatment of physical health care needs for those with mental health illnesses. Research continues to  highlight that the physical health of those with mental illnesses is frequently poor and people with long-term physical conditions experience higher levels of mental health issues (Nash, 2010, pg2). It is ironic that a great deal of the research carried out is with individuals that are currently in contact with either health or social care services (Nash, 2010, pg2). This issue could be tackled within primary care services, as GPs especially can treat the whole person linking rather than separating physical and mental health (Knapp, 2011, pg3, online). Professionals within the primary care sector could experience problems when trying to identify their role in relation to meeting the health needs of those with mental health issues, as well as offering interventions and support to those identified as high risk of developing mental health problems, such as, individuals with long-tem physical conditions (Nash, 2012, pg 10). Yamey (1999) found that a number of patients had actually been removed from GP registers at some point prior to accessing secondary mental health services. This causes suspicion that some mental health illnesses could be construed as a reason for being excluded from GP surgeries (Yamey, 1999). MIND (1996) carried out a survey which also showed that a large majority of individuals felt they had been treated unfairly by their GP due to their mental illness. This could be a consequence of lack of understanding and minimal training in the area of mental health in the primary care sector. Although this research is dated, it is relevant as Government white papers and initiatives currently being introduced are still recommending that more specialised training in mental health is required for professionals throughout the primary care sector. Each of the initiatives aim toward improved integrated working and lower hospital admissions due to deteriorating mental health by providing early access to services and early recognition of mental health issues in primary care. This highlights the importance of the chosen service improvement, not only for individuals with mental health issues but for those at risk of developing mental illness and the NHS as a whole. These recommendations are present in No Health without Mental Health: A Guide for General Practice (DoH, 2012, online), The NHS Outcomes Framework 2012/13 (DoH, 2011, online), and numerous others. It remains clear that professionals within the primary care sector are not  receiving adequate training in mental health care. They do not have sufficient knowledge of mental health and many do not possess the general skills required day to day when working with mental health service users (DoH, 2012, pg5, online). This is supported by Good Medical Practice (2006),(General Medical Council, GMC) which sets out the principle guidance for GPs offers no mention of individuals with mental health issues, suggesting that this document is based solely on the general population and does not taking into account the differing needs of those with mental health issues. A programme that was introduced in Wales in 2011 provides Mental Health First Aid Training to a large group of service providers including primary care. It teaches them to provide initial help to someone experiencing mental health problems, deal with a crisis situation or the first signs of someone developing mental ill health and guide people towards appropriate help (MIND 2011, online). This shows some progress towards increasing knowledge and awareness of mental health illnesses in a wider range of healthcare providers. There is evidence to show that in GP practices without mental health professionals, brief training for primary care providers have substantial benefits for patients who are mentally ill (Ross et al, 2001). This supports the need for specialist training and the chosen service improvement, as a mental health nurse in a GP surgery would be specially trained to work with individuals with mental health illnesses and would have an awareness of the difficulties service users may face when accessing services. There are many aspects that could present a barrier to mental health service users when accessing services. Communication difficulties can cause problems for individuals with mental health issues as they may not feel able to make themselves understood by healthcare professionals. They may suffer anxiety or panic disorders making it more difficult to communicate effectively. One of the most problematic areas in mental health and for those suffering mental health illnesses is stigma (Nash, 2010, pg10). Discrimination is not just confined to the general population as research has shown that healthcare professionals can hold stereotypical views towards their clients (Nash, 2010, pg10). This could prevent individuals from seeking help and support for both physical and mental health problems. Some service users  with mental health issues may have previously experienced some form of discrimination and had a negative experience when accessing primary care services. For example, experiences involving reception staff with bad attitudes or individuals being made to believe the physical symptoms they are experiencing are part of their mental illness (Nash, 2012, pg12). This shows that individuals with mental health issues suffer from inequality and discrimination regarding their healthcare reinforcing the need for improved access to primary care services. Previous negative experiences can cause individuals to fear returning causing them to avoid seeking help for a physical condition. Furthermore, if a person believes the may be mentally ill, they may avoid accessing any kind of support as they fear being labelled and discriminated against due to the stigma attached to having a mental health illness. Employing a mental health nurse in a GP surgery can bring services closer to eliminating barriers between primary care services and mental health, improving the healthcare of those in the general community suffering from some sort of mental illness. The proposed service improvement supports the need for reducing health inequalities and barriers to those with mental health issues wishing to access services. Barriers to healthcare specifically Primary care services can include communication difficulties, lack of understanding from both service user and professional perspective and there may be inadequate support available to mental health service users when accessing their local GP surgeries. GPs may lack the interpersonal skills required to manage some symptoms of mental illnesses. Such as inappropriate sexualised behaviour that can be expressed during psychotic episode (Norman & Ryrie, 2009, pg711).The professional may feel uncomfortable and embarrassed when examining an individual and unaware of how best to deal with this situation. Symptoms of mental illnesses can themselves often prevent individuals with a barrier to accessing services. An individual suffering depression will most likely lack motivation and volition (Norman & Ryrie, 2009, pg429) making it extremely difficult for them to self-refer or even care about their mental and/or physical health. Further supporting the need for the chosen service improvement as families, carers and friends of such individuals could support them in attending their local GP surgery enabling them to access specialist help at an initial stage of their illness. It may be necessary for a mental health nurse in a GP  surgery to be advertised; as individuals cannot access services if they are unaware they exist. Booklets and leaflets could be made available to raise awareness of mental health issues and the support available to individuals, their friends and families’ informing the community that specialist help is available first hand within their local GP surgery. Another barrier that is present in the provision of care by primary services and GP surgeries is the use of the medical model. The health professionals within a GP surgery adopt a medical approach when treating their patients. This aims to treat the medical illness and reduce the total number or patients attending the surgery. Although this is necessary within a GP surgery setting there remains a need to consider social factors when adopting the medical approach (Barbour, 1995, pg2). There are limitations when using the medical model, however as it can prevent healthcare professionals from treating patients individually in a person centred manner, treating only the obvious medical condition (Barbour, 1995, pg10). This could have a serious detrimental effect on an individual’s health and well-being, resulting in increased appointments with their GP causing more distress and prolonging their suffering. This in turn increases the likelihood of an individual requiring crisis intervention and ultimately costs the NHS more in the long-run (Norman & Ryrie, 2009, pg172). The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCPG) ‘Roadmap’ (2007) document supports the need for adopting a model in which health and social care needs are considered in general practice (RCPG, 2007, pg1). There has been confusion around which professionals role it is to provide physical health care to the mental health population for many years (Phelan et al, 2001). Government policy recognises the importance in considering physical health care needs of those with mental health illnesses in both primary and secondary care settings (Newell & Gournay, 2009, pg 322). General practice has transformed significantly over the past decade and current government policy is aiming to improve access to and the choice of services available to patients, expanding the role of a GP and improve quality of care overall (Gregory, 2009, Pg3, online). Government policy is implemented in the structure of clinical governance and is important in  highlighting improvements that are required in a wide range of services within the NHS including mental health and primary care (NHS Direct, 2011, pg12, online). Clinical governance is described as ‘a system in which NHS organisations are accountable for continuously improving the quality of their services’ (Scally & Donaldson, 1998, online). It is a framework that ensures professionals continuously develop and improve the quality of the services they provide. Clinical governance involves the research and development, risk management, promotion of openness, education and training for staff, clinical effectiven ess and clinical auditing of services within the NHS. It is extremely important that high quality care is provided in healthcare and clinical governance ensures professionals are individually accountable for the quality of care they provide (South Tees NHS Trust, 2013, online). Buetow and Roland (1999, pg184, online) suggest ‘there is a barrier between managerial, organisational and clinical approaches to quality of care’ denoting that the aim of clinical governance is to bridge the apparent gap by allowing all professionals within an organisation involvement and ‘freedom from the control of managerialism’ (Buetow & Roland, 1999, pg189, online). Although this suggests the aim is to promote equality throughout organisations when it comes to quality of care. There remains a need for one individual or a small group of people to accept the role and responsibility and become the clinical governance lead or team (Buetow & Roland, 1999, pg189, online). In a primary care setting such as a GP surgery this would entail being responsible for a large number of professionals who may have had little reason to communicate with each other previously. This could cause conflict within an organisations culture if the quality of care professionals provide is questioned. The Department of Health (2008) stated ‘the current system of NHS primary care does not ensure a consistent level of safety and represents insufficient quality across the country’. Resulting in GPs becoming required to hold a licence which is reviewed and renewed every five years and to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) from 2011 (GMC, 2009, online). This ensures up to date practice, competence and assures the provision of quality care. Clinical governance enables services to show how targets have been met within their organisation and how they meet the needs of their patients, supporting the decisions made by professionals and teams within the organisation (Buetow &  Roland, 1999, pg187, online). All organisations have what is known as an organisational or agency culture. Agency culture is made up of numerous aspects including, values and beliefs, language and communication, policies and procedures and rituals and routines within an organisation. Each organisation has a varied culture with a different set of beliefs and norms. It could be a result of these norms that staff members may not be willing to embrace change or take time to attend extra training for specialist service user groups such as the mental health population. It may appear that the service gains results and targets are met therefore may not want to change anything. This places organisations at risk of neglecting areas for improvement. Changes within agency culture can become a challenging process especially when there is disruption to traditional working routines (NHS Direct, 2011, online). Staff within a GP surgery may have been led by one individual or a small group of the same GPs for a long period of time and may feel the services they provide are sufficient. Newly qualified members of staff joining the workforce may feel their opinions and ideas are underappreciated or not even considered because the routines and procedures are already in place. An unwillingness to accept change could have detrimental effects on the mental health service user population. This is reflected in recommendations by government policy. No Health without Mental Health (DoH, 2012, online), Making it Happen (DoH, 2001, online) and Call to Action (DoH, 2011, online) each suggest recommendations for primary care services to develop the services provided to those with mental health illnesses and stress the importance of mental health promotion within primary care. The culture within a GP surgery may appear to be more superior to other NHS services as most GP surgeries are independently contracted and are not direct employees of the NHS (Gregory, 2009, pg 8, online). This enables them to provide enhanced services such as extended opening hours and specific services fo r those with learning difficulties (Gregory, 2009, pg 8, online). The above are components of General Medical Services (GMS) whereas Personal Medical Services (PMS) enable GP surgeries to cater for the specific needs of the local population (Gregory, 2009, pg 5, online). This could include drug and alcohol services or mental health services if there were a large number of the local  community presenting to their GP surgery with these issues. The cultures within each of these types of GP surgeries could be different completely. In a PMS GPs could have received specialist training in the areas large numbers of patients require support, resulting in patients feeling more valued and respected as well as staff members. GP surgeries can be seen as ‘providing a gateway to specialist care’ (Gregory, 2009, pg8, online). This view could be difficult to change. However by offering a wider range of services and treatment options, the gap between primary and secondary services as well as both an individual’s health and social care needs ca n be filled (Gregory, 2009, pg8, online). This service improvement aims to improve the health and social care needs of individuals with mental health illnesses in the community. However, not only are there barriers in place that service users must overcome to access primary care services there remains a lack of collaborative working between health and social care services. This has consequences on the service user and other professionals involved in their care denying the individual of adequate holistic care. Professionals from different areas such as nursing and social work may be bound by differing statutory obligations which can affect their decision making and the care they provide. Starting with the professional body they are registered with as a professional such as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC), these give professionals a value base they must work from and develop continuously. Legislation also has a huge impact on a professional’s decision making, for example the Mental Health Act (MHA, 2007). The law determines what a professional can and cannot do in a crisis situation. If a mental health nurse was based in a GP surgery they will have specialist training and awareness of the limits of their role determined by the MHA (2007), such as a patient being sectioned. They will be aware of who to contact if a patient is causing danger to themselves or others and need more suitable mental health care. If the mental health nurse was an Approved Mental Health Practitioner they could even have a role in detaining patients especially if a GP within the surgery was specially trained under the MHA (2007). This would save a lot of time and distress to individuals in crisis, members of the public and staff members. There are other noticeable difference between health and social care and the  standards of care provided. Social work would traditionally take a service-led approach to care whereas nursing has become more person-centred and individualised (SCIE, 2010, online). By using a person-centred approach the specific health and social care needs of patients with mental health issues are addressed (Hall et al, 2010, pg178). The service user is the centre of focus and care and support is planned around their specific needs. This is essential when caring for an individual with mental health issues as each condition, symptom and experience is different. Enabling an individual to be fully involved in every aspect of their care and make fully informed decisions regarding their treatment and social options. Continuity of care and positive therapeutic relationships are essential when making an individual feel valued and at ease, allowing them to feel comfortable and more willing to engage with professionals. An individual with mental health issues may feel anxious about attending their GP surgery and may need motivation or encouragement to do so. Having a therapeutic relationship with a particular professional within that surgery could reduce a person’s anxiety levels (Kettles et al, 2002, pg64). The chosen service improvement would be useful for this purpose as a mental health nurse based within a GP surgery could build positive relationships with patients enabling them to develop trust and engage with services and professionals. The mental health nurse would also take into account both the health and social care needs of the patients, decreasing the GPs workload and saving the practice money in the long run. They would also ensure the needs of the individual are fully met as satisfactorily as possible within primary care services or id required could refer them to the most suitable services available to them for their condition and needs. Whether they be health or social care needs. However this service improvement would only be successful with the cooperation and collaboration from GPs within the surgery. Joint decision making would be required as well an equal partnership between GP and mental health nurse. The Personalisation Agenda (Social Care Institute for Excellence, 2010, online) (SCIE) emphasises the need for integrated working, and the need for involvement from a wide range of services, such as; health, social care, housing, transportation and leisure, to ensure service users receive a  holistic, consistent and continuous care package (SCIE, 2010, online). The service user is put first rather than the service. This creates a person-centred rather than a service-led approach. A priority of the Health and Social Care Bill (2011) is improving integration within services. The Bill strives to provide better partnership, integration and collaboration across the government and all NHS services (DoH, 2011, pg1, online). There is evidence to suggest that integrating health and social care services saves a substantial amount of money (DoH, 2011, pg2, online). However in the current government climate there are financial pressures which may cause a barrier to effective integrated working (DoH, 2011, pg1, online). All aspects of the patient journey could benefit from effective integrated working resulting in a positive experience and all needs being met. The suggested service improvement of a mental health nurse in a GP surgery supports integration as there would be a variety of professionals within one building making multi-disciplinary team meeting easier to arrange and joint decisions could be made quickly. However there are barriers to integrated working including the breakdown of communication between staff and different organisations having a detrimental effect on patients (Trevithick, 2009, pg123). However by working in partnership there is a reduced need for specialist services ultimately cutting costs and having a positive effect on many other aspects of an organisation. Such as boosting staff moral and enhancing patient experience (Erstroff, 2010). If barriers to integrated working can be overcome more adequate care can be provided overall. A dual qualified practitioner in a GP surgery would be ideal allowing both health and social care needs to be addressed working in partnership with outside agencies and with patients to gain the best results, without the need for two professionals. It has been stated that services need to detect early signs of individual distress by working closely with primary care (Norman & Ryrie, 2009, pg172-173). By integrating the skills required in a mental health nurse and a social worker a more holistic approach can be taken. The introduction of community care impacted on various professions including general practitioners, social workers and nurses (Malin et al, 1999, pg158). Nurses have become increasingly empowered over time and have become more involved in commissioning alongside GPs. Within General practice more of a  purchase/provide relationship has been established (Malin et al, 1999, pg 159). GPs now have more power and control with funding and choice in the care they provide. However social workers may have felt deskilled by the purchase/provide divide (Malin et at, 1999, pg 159). The cultures of each professional’s organisation could cause conflict among a team. Employing a dual qualified social worker and mental health nurse in a GP surgery would eliminate the chance of conflict. It would become the responsibility of the dual qualified worker and the GP to work in partnership. There is evidence to support the need for the chosen service improvement. Mental health services are improvin g and developing continuously despite government cuts to funding, reflected in No decisions about us without us (DoH, 2012, pg6, online). The document states that primary care services, specifically GPs who play a part in supporting those with mental health issues are not making a difference to the mental health of their local communities. This creates an opportunity for the role of a mental health nurse to develop. The Care Services Improvement Partnership (CSIP, 2006) suggest that nurses are capable of delivering services within primary care settings as they have acquired the specialist knowledge to do so (Norman & Ryrie, 2009, pg 651). There is a need to modernise, develop and integrate services, primary care being a target area. The suggested service improvement would be cost effective and would provide early community intervention also lowering individual and family distress. Integrated working is an essential component in developing health and social care services (Trevithick, 2009, pg109). In conclusion there remains a need for improvements in the health care provided by primary care services to those with mental health issues. Statistics show that primary care services are the first point of contact for many individuals developing a physical or psychiatric condition (DoH, 2012, pg 6, online). The introduction of a mental health nurse into a GP surgery promotes integrated practice and modernises NHS services (DoH Factsheet, 2011, pg1, online), enhancing patient experience. There is evidence to show that this is an already effective role. Primary mental health workers have been introduced in Children and Adolescent Mental Health Teams (CAMHS) supporting colleagues in primary care services providing crisis intervention and contacts to specialist services (Norman & Ryrie,  2009, pg543). Primary care mental health Graduates have also been implemented in parts of London providing a range of interventions (Norman & Ryrie, 2009, pg 457). The suggested service improvement of a mental health nurse in a GP surgery would benefit the mental health service user population enormously. If the National Service Framework mental health standards (NSF, 2012, online) are to be met mental health promotion within primary care must be a focus (Newell& Gournay, 2009, pg 257). References Barbour, A. (1995); Caring for Patients: A Critique of the Medical Model. California, Sanford University Press. Estroff, J. (2010); Effective teamwork: Practical; lessons from organisational research. London: Blackwell Publishing. Hall, A. Wren, M & Kirby, S. (2010); Care planning in mental health: Promoting recovery. Blackwell Publishing. Oxford. Kettles, A. Woods, P & Collins, M. (2002); Therapeutic interventions for forensic mental health nurses. London: Jessica Kingsley Publications. Malin, N. Manthorpe, J, Race. D & Wilmot, S. (1999); Community care for nurses and the caring professions. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Nash, M. 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