Girls’ State Essay

I hope to attend the Rhododendron Girls State Program. My attendance would drastically assist me in all of my future endeavors. It would provide me with an opportunity to join the over 30,000 girls who have already benefited from the citizenship, leadership, and patriotism training. This nationally recognized program would help me academically excel above others. Besides looking great in general on my college application, it could provide me with a chance to receive scholarships. After high school, I currently plan to continue my education at either West Liberty University or Ohio University.I want to take a dual major of biology and chemistry; these majors are important because I want to be Pre-Medicine. Along with a rigorous curriculum, I hope to play collegiate softball. After college, I will again further my education by going to a school of medicine in order to become an orthopedic surgeon. When I apply for admittance into these schools, they will take into account programs such as Girls State causing them to perceive me as a better choice than those who did not attend such programs.Since I will soon be of voting age, I am interested in acquiring a better understanding and deeper regard for my nation’s legacy of freedom and democracy. Running for offices, registering to vote, and delivering speeches will give me first-hand experience for the real world. My nation’s history is unique and the founding fathers of America would be proud to see youth learning about the government they created.

Illusions Brownies ZZ Packer Analysis Essay

The Brownies description of troop 909 â€Å"They were white girls, their complexions a blend of ice cream: strawberry, vanilla in the first few lines it is very clear that racial issues and segregation is a main topic. The author ZZ Packer did a great job stating since the beginning that the stories was going to be confrontational â€Å"Troop 909 was doomed from the first day of camp;† Segregation is also still happening during this time since there is no diversity in the members of the each troop, one is all African American and the other is all Caucasian girls. The girls immediately start being rude and negative with the white girls calling them â€Å"wet Chihuahuas† that they smelled bad. The brownies are not interested in even getting to know the girls. No matter what the white girls would do, the brownies would be annoyed regardless. You can tell that the girls are very unaware color/race since there fourth grade class started using â€Å"Caucasian† as a jo ke whenever the kids felt it fit in. Also stating that â€Å"Whites were like baby pigeons: real and existing, but rarely seen or thought about. During the time this story takes place segregation and racism was still very much alive blacks and whites only understood their own point of views and reacted by being closed minded on the issue. This is apparent in Brownies since the story is told from a child’s perspective and usually kids form certain opinions based on their parent’s reaction of a subject or belief. The confrontation is promised in the part when Octavia commanded that every girl in the brownie troop by no means allow absolutely any one to disrespect any other the members by calling them â€Å"niggers.† Later that day one Arnetta says she heard one of the girls from troop 909 call them a â€Å"nigger.† At first one did not seem too concerned but as the day went on the thought had simmered inside her and she wanted some form of revenge. ZZ Packer showcases the Brownies secret racial hatred for the white girls through ironic humor. She transmits hidden philosophical messages to the reader through her words. While explaining the significance of a secret meeting, she also talks about the meaning of a secret saying, â€Å"A secret meant nothing; it was like gossip: just a bit of unpl easant knowledge about someone who happened to be someone other than yourself†. This is an effectual use of dramatic irony because the definition Packer provides for â€Å"gossip† is the basis of the entire story. The Brownies creates the lie that one of the white girls used the racial slur â€Å"nigger† and this drives the rest of the story. Racism is also very  apparent in the story line at no giving point in the story do you read anything about the scouts doing an activity together or mingling. Its this way it keep the animosity building up. The white girls seemed to always be the first ones doing everything. It demonstrate in a subtle way that they are superior than the black girls to us the reader. Whites are viewed as the better race in an all African American community. Everything about the girls in troops 909 radiate beauties that result in an envy and hatred from the brownies. â€Å"Their long, shampoo-commercial hair, straight as spaghetti from the box† such phrases are triggers that add up to bringing out racism. ZZ packer demonstrates how we are all in a way deprived and unfortunate. The curve ball in the plot where the brownies encounter troop 909 and they discover that the girls are mentally challenged, put out in the open the unfairness and injustice experienced by society. The irony lies in that the brownies are now superior to the white girls because of their condition. It is interesting how from the beginning of the story we are made aware of Laurel feelings towards her father. Laurel was so captivated by Daphne’s poem â€Å"you are my father the veteran†. Laurel probably feels very proud of her father and the positive role he plays in her life. Once she started telling the girls about the story of the Mennonites. â€Å" I now understood what he meant, and why he did it, though I didn’t like it†. As laurel keeps telling the girls about her father’s action. An epiphany happened to her. Her father was doing the same things the Mennonites even though they were painting his porch he was not nice to them. It implies the insensibility people have to chosen to adopt when it comes to living peacefully with other races. Using irony and contrast, ZZ Packer tells us that it is unimaginable to find perfection in our world or an individual. no one is perfect and it is this inevitable imperfection of life that inflicts deprivation and misfortune in human lives.

Unit Paper

There isn't an American citizen in the world ho doesn't know of the painstaking terror that swept through the country as we witnessed the scene via the myriad of media coverage on every channel. Watching these news sources and seeing the aftermath, and watching the government response as they tried to figure out why it happened was actually detrimental to the healing process of the country. Hearing the scientists discuss how the towers fell, and listening as the government talked about how these terrorists gained access to the planes Just worked to spread more fear into the minds of the American citizens.Had the media Just gone dark, had the government Just said, â€Å"k, this happened, we need time to clean this up and discuss options, trust us,† Then the country may have been able to relax a little more. American citizen's now have some level of post- traumatic stress simply from being exposed to what was going on in real time. I will never forget the video of the people Jum ping from the buildings before their collapse, or the ash falling like snowflakes, covering everything around the city. I'll never forget the clouds of thick black smoke, and the exact moment that the towers finally elapsed.And I'll never forget the days after, and the images of the towers missing from that NYC skyline. And yet, Vive never even been to New York. The media showed every horrifying angle as things progressed, making it as though we were all standing on the roadway, gazing up at the horrors as they occurred. The news provided every view point and every option, even though 95% of them were speculative and so far from the truth. The terrorists' goal was to make the US fearful of them in order to make their point, and while they did a decent Job of that, the media Just added icing o the cake.For months afterwards, people were too afraid to fly; people were too fearful to use public transportation. This fear was Just perpetuated by the media's involvement. On the opposing e nd of the spectrum, the media can sometimes have a positive effect in minimizing the effectiveness of the terrorist attack. While flying into Boston in April of last year, I was amazed to hear the news of the city being in Lockwood. Sitting outside of Logan airport, the lack of people was eerie, and I pulled up the news on my phone to follow what was going on.The city was in Lockwood and police were requesting that people stay in their homes and off the roads to make it easier to search for the bombing suspect; a nice way of suggesting that Marshall Law was being imposed, but not exactly. The good thing about the media being involved in this was that people quickly heard that they should stay inside, which cleared the roads and made it possible for the police and government to really focus and search for Tsarina's. Would they have found him if they hadn't put the city on Lockwood?Probably, but you can't be certain, ND it was more effective to do so to ensure that he was located as q uickly as possible. Social networking is almost as bad as the media. Daily, there are posts about a child with cancer or a family whose home burned down that are asking people to like the photo. This is all misinformation and useless. Not to mention the things people post about terrorists or even the government, where you can tell that they have heard one thing and assumed the rest. That being said, social networking has a knack for escalating facts really quickly until they are more lie than truth.It's important to be informed, but when you're getting your facts from a post that's majority misinformation, it Just snowballs and leads to a bunch of confusion and panic. That's not always the case, however. Sometimes, social networking can be a fantastic tool when it comes to terrorist activity. The ability to share posts on Backbone, for example, can be an excellent tool if the police are searching for a particular suspect. A picture or description can be released, and people can spre ad it to millions of others in mere minutes.Not Just relating to terrorism, but crime in mineral, this is incredible and has been known to assist with finding many people, suspects and victims. While the media can be a useful aspect when it comes to terrorist activity, it is generally more of a hassle than an aiding tool. It's our civil right to be kept informed on the events in our country, but in times of an attack, our government should focus on responding before they should worry about letting us bystanders know what happened. A terrorist attack is performed with the objective of instilling fear in the targeted audience, and when facts are misconstrued, this is Just perpetuated.

Coffee and ethical globalisation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Coffee and ethical globalisation - Essay Example This paper is about how the coffee bean is changing the way organizations are doing business all over the world.We use as our basis an article about how a number of companies are working with Fair Trade,a U.S.-based socially-orientated group that lobbies companies to pay fair prices for agricultural products imported from third world countries.As a result, these companies are mobilising their customers, shareholders, and their competitors to behave differently. This transformation of organisational behaviour towards increased social consciousness somewhat goes against the traditional context of running capitalist-based businesses. Several thinkers - economists Karl Marx and Adam Smith, gurus Peter Drucker and Michael Porter, philosophers Friedrich Hayek and Alasdair MacIntyre, and Nobel Prize winners Milton Friedman and Amartya Sen - have opined that the business purpose of organisations drive their behaviour.What drives this behaviour at the centre of which lies the humble coffee be an How is this phenomenon exactly changing the way organisations do business globally This seemingly innocuous set of questions drives us to investigate: First, how do these changes in the purpose of running a business enterprise affect its profitability and, ultimately, its sustainability Second, how should we understand these organisations and the behaviour of the people who manage them so that we learn for our personal advantage. After all, whether these changes are right or wrong - thus falling within the realm of ethical studies - we can certainly learn for our own benefit, acquiring a deeper understanding of organisations that would help us comprehend the purpose and logic not only behind the workings of corporations but also of the global, political, and historical consequences of everyday events. Understanding how business organisations adapt to reality can teach us how to survive and thrive in any working environment and, should we so decide, discover ways of making a personal difference in the world. This paper will use three of five paradigms to analyse the behaviour of organisations and discuss four issues arising from the emergence of the coffee bean as a catalyst of change. The author has selected the classical, critical management studies, and evolutionary paradigms explained in the next section to discuss corporate governance and business ethics, globalisation and internationalisation, organisational change and leadership, and environmentalism and its national policy consequences. Our understanding of these three paradigms, based on the works of Crowther and Green (2004) and Whittington (2001), provide us with models to understand the culture of organisations and how they act and interact. Organisations transform and are transformed, evolve and grow and, depending on how they manage this process, either bloom and continue their existence or otherwise stagnate and die. The manner by which organisations face complex issues depends on the men and women who own and manage them, which includes their shareholders, managers, employees, customers, and what Freeman (1984) refers to as stakeholders. Organisations, after all, begin and sustain their existence through humans, so understanding how organisations behave in the face of issues is a window to the minds of the humans within them. Using three paradigms, we investigate organisational behaviour and find out how coffee is changing the way we live, and how it may continue to transform our future. Paradigms as Analytical Tools There are five paradigms we can use to analyse organisations. This is by no means an exhaustive list, as there are many ways of introducing and discussing the theory of organisations, as Crowther and Green

Process control and inspection Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Process control and inspection - Assignment Example Commercial Viability: 1. We need to ensure that the cost of the parts should lie within the overall target price for the component. 2. Total cost of production need to be worked out taking care of transport, fitment and maintenance at the customer site once delivered, if relevant. Technical viability: 1. The component should fit into the performance specifications that are sought for the product. 2. The component should be well within the physical specifications specified for the part's size and shape. d) Describe four ways in which the supplier's quality performance would be subsequently monitored. 1. A quality plan should be worked out to enable and monitor quality of all delivered components. 2. Quality plan shall consist of random part checking to see whether it fits into both physical and performance checks that has been specified. 3. Production Process establishment and monitoring has to be done at the vendor factory to ensure that all components go through the same production process and there is repeatability of the process. 4. Every stage of the process should be clearly defined so that at the end of every production stage, the component is checked for required quality levels. 2. You are the owner of a small subcontracting engineering company employing 25-30 staff. Your company has a record of supplying quality components. Your products utilize standard items which you purchase from a variety of suppliers. a) Describe: i) how you control the quality of the 'bought-in' standard parts ii) what action you would take if you received sub-standard items. The quality of the bought in items will be checked at the Material receipt if the components involved are... 3. In either of the cases a minimum and maximum level has to be maintained in addition to the reorder level. When the item goes less than the reorder level, orders get released under the Kanban system and under Just-In-time systems. b) In the selection of suppliers vendor rating is used to determine the 'best' supplier. The details given in the following table show the performance of a number of suppliers over a period of time. Use this data to determine the 'best' supplier. The unit has a value of 19. 2. You are the owner of a small subcontracting engineering company employing 25-30 staff. Your company has a record of supplying quality components. Your products utilize standard items which you purchase from a variety of suppliers. The quality of the bought in items will be checked at the Material receipt if the components involved are small, value is small and quantity is large. For larger and high value items, vendor site inspection can be undertaken to check whether the product meets the required specifications. If the sub standard items are received at the Material In gate, then 3. The vendor is marked with the reject quantity and any repeat of the same is tried and at best avoided.

Chronic Condition Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Chronic Condition - Essay Example ferrals the patient needs. The goals of this are established to ensure a thorough assessment of chronic diseases and their impact on patient’s physiology, as well as their psychology. Body End-stage renal disease, according to Patel (2009) is the â€Å"complete, or almost complete, failure of the kidneys to function. The kidneys can no longer remove wastes, concentrate urine, and regulate many other important body functions†. This disease can come about when the kidneys are no longer able to carry out their normal function. It is often seen with the kidneys functioning at less than 10% of normal functions (Patel, 2009). This disease is known to worsen within 10-20 years, before reaching end-stage levels. Patients at this stage require dialysis or a kidney transplant. Mostly, this disease is caused by diabetes and hypertension. In end-stage renal disease, the urine volume may decrease or may even stop, and patients afflicted with this disease require tests to assess the levels of the following: potassium, sodium, albumin, phosphorous, calcium, cholesterol, magnesium, complete blood count, and electrolytes (Patel, 2009). These tests would help establish the general condition of the patient and establish the necessary remedies which must be undertaken to ensure adequate care. Experience of your patient compared with the typical lived experience of those with this condition Donna, 37 years old, was first admitted two years prior to her current admission, with complaints of insomnia and frequent headaches. She expressed that she often woke up in the middle of the night and had trouble getting back to sleep soon after. She also experienced increasing bouts of headaches which could not be relieved by pain relievers. She also described feeling generally weak and easily exhausted. She also complained of hiccupping frequently, sometimes burping frequently, even when she has not eaten anything. Her husband also noted that she seemed to be darker as compared to before when she had lighter skin. She then sought consult with her GP who ordered some initial tests including blood work and urinalysis. Her initial results, prompted more tests to be undertaken until repeated confirmatory tests indicated that she had high creatinine levels which strongly indicated a diagnosis of chronic kidney disease. She was later admitted for AV Fistula (AVF) surgery in preparation for her dialysis. A month after her AVF, she was scheduled for dialysis. A kidney transplant was also recommended for her. Initial cross-matching tests from immediate relatives revealed no organ matches. In the meantime, her name was entered in the waiting list for patients needing new kidneys. Meanwhile, she was required to have weekly injections of erythropoietin, as well as daily medications for a variety of drugs which are meant to manage her potassium, sodium, as well as blood pressure. After one year from her initial consultation, her creatinine levels increased to levels re quiring dialysis.

The History of Chicago House Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The History of Chicago House - Essay Example Chicago house takes disco’s usage of a noticeable bass drum on each beat and establishes a new pattern by blending in a thick electronic synthesizer base, electronic effects, electronic drums, pop and funk samples, and delay-enhanced vocals. Chicago House, after relishing noteworthy club-based and underground triumph in Chicago since 1980s onwards, surfaced into the pop market of the United Kingdom mainstream in the middle to late 1980s. Popularity swiftly ensued in other parts of Europe, and it turned into a global spectacle from the early to middle 1990s onwards. Chicago house evidenced to be a thriving genre, commercially, and beyond pop-based mainstream distinction flourished progressively popular. DJ International with Trax Records released most of the tracks that distinguished Chicago house sound, mostly on vinyl. Both record labels owned distribution channels outside Chicago ensuing to house popularity in other cities including London. House music is associated with thr ee styles of dancing namely: footwork, lofting and jacking. They comprise a range of skills with sub-styles that comprise of stomping, shuffling and skating. House dancing involves the body sensuality and setting oneself free. One key aspect of house dancing is a skill, which derived in Chicago, which encompasses the chest moving frontward then rearward into a flowing movement. A sped-up repetition of the movement totally the rhythm of a track is known as the jack. Artists and groups like Janet Jackson, Madonna, C+ C Music Factory and Bjork.... They comprise a range of skills with sub-styles that comprise of stomping, shuffling and skating. House dancing involves the body sensuality and setting oneself free. One key aspect of house dancing is a skill, which derived in Chicago, which encompasses the chest moving frontward then rearward into a flowing movement. A sped up repetition of the movement to tally the rhythm of a track is known as the jack. Artists and groups like Janet Jackson, Madonna, C+ C Music Factory and Bjork integrated the genre into their music. After relishing notable, thrive in the middle 1990s, Chicago house came to be even more popular in the second eruption of Progressive House (1999-2001). Chicago house is remains widespread besides it is sometimes integrated into other popular subgenres. Today House tunes remain popular in both mainstream pop display and within the clubs, while still maintaining a strong foothold on underground scenes globally (Hanson 66). Similarities and Differences in Chicago House and Disco Both Chicago and Disco music were influenced by funk, soul and Latin music. While house music has an up temple dance feeling with three commonly known dancing styles- the Jacking, Footwork and Lofting. Most disco music has a soaring sound. House music has a snare drum on taps 2 and 4 of each bar. Both house and disco have frequently reverberated vocals above a firm 4 and floor rhythm, a quaver (8th note) and disco has a semi-quaver (16th note) hit hat outline alongside the exposed hat at the off- rhythm, and a noticeable, accented bass line electric occasionally comprising of tones on the eighth degree. The Jazz Fender Bass is frequently connected to bop bass strings, since the device bear a very projecting vocal sound within a melodic blend. In many

Compensation and Benefits Peer Discussion Personal Statement

Compensation and Benefits Peer Discussion - Personal Statement Example The first point is when I read about the â€Å"NAFTA – the North American Free Trade Agreement† (p. 308). I like this system of free trade and in my point of views these kinds of trades system allows multiple countries to execute business with each other in more organized manner. The second point that I found interesting was that in Mexico there is implemented a Federal Labor Law that clearly differentiates between a worker and an employer. I like the idea that both types of labor is identified and treated individually. This thought of differentiation can only be productive for any company if it is managed positively. Otherwise, the same thought can become destructive for any organization. When I compare these two concepts with other countries then I found that Brazil also has a kind of law for its employers and that is â€Å"Consolidation of Labor Laws† (p. 314) but there is no differentiation between an employer and a worker. It treats all of the workers and employees equally. Since, what I think it shouldn’t be like that. There should be a line between the workers and employees of an organization. If we do so then our employees would feel honor and work with more hard work while on the other hand our workers would try to become an employee as well and pitch in their efforts to get a batch of an employee. Now if I apply these concepts in my organization, then I would definitely try to introduce this free trade system between other countries and my country. This will not only ensure good relationship between multiple nations but also we get a good market share from other countries as well. In the end it will be good for the overall growth of my company. Besides that I would surely introduce the second concept as well in my organization but in a positive way. Like a worker is a person who has recently joined our organization while an employee is a person who has been working with us since last two years. An

Hayek's Conception of the Market Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Hayek's Conception of the Market - Essay Example In Hayek’s book Road to Serfdom, he articulated his rejection on the centralized planning of economies. He argued that public ownership of industries that is a characteristic of centralized economies would make the production of goods and services inefficient because of the absence of market dynamics such as competition that would â€Å"perfect† the production of goods and services that would eliminate waste. Hayek also cautioned that centralized planning of an economy is destructive to liberty because the planner would inadvertently tend to extend his or her control to other aspects in society thus becoming more comprehensive to the detriment of liberty.Keynes on the other hand favored government intervention through its fiscal and monetary policy to assuage the impact of recession and depression or financial crisis like the one the United States recently had in 2009. Keynes believe that it is not only the market that can make an economy work at a maximum efficiency bu t such can also be raised to that level by the intervention of the government. Keynes advocated collectivism through international coordination of fiscal and monetary stimulus to deflect and mitigate any downturn in economic cycle. He is also the sponsor of deficit spending to lift an economy from depression in contrast to Hayek’s proposal that it solely the market (free) that can achieve utmost efficiency in an economy. The classic example of this is Obama’s stimulus spending to bail the US economy out of the financial crisis.... nt because of the absence of market dynamics such as competition that would â€Å"perfect† the production of goods and services that would eliminate waste. Hayek also cautioned that centralized planning of an economy is destructive to liberty because the planner would inadvertently tend to extend his or her control to other aspects in society thus becoming more comprehensive to the detriment of liberty (Hayek 1944). Keynes on the other hand favored government intervention through its fiscal and monetary policy to assuage the impact of recession and depression or financial crisis like the one the United States recently had in 2009. Keynes believe that it is not only the market that can make an economy work at a maximum efficiency but such can also be raised to that level by the intervention of the government. In contrast to Hayek, Keynes advocated collectivism through international coordination of fiscal and monetary stimulus to deflect and mitigate any downturn in economic cyc le. He is also the sponsor of deficit spending to lift an economy from depression in contrast to Hayek’s proposal that it solely the market (free) that can achieve utmost efficiency in an economy. The classic example of this is Obama’s stimulus spending to bail the US economy out of the financial crisis (Censky and Riley 2011). Unlike Hayek who asserted that the market dynamics or its â€Å"invisible hand† will make the necessary corrections in the market to make it more efficient, Keynes believed otherwise. Keynes articulated his disagreement with Hayek in his book The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money that market dynamics do not always correct itself. Hayek posited that market oriented economies are not always good in achieving efficiency that would lead to full employment

Olaudah Equiano Essay Example for Free

Olaudah Equiano Essay A journal is kept to reminisce on experiences people have gone through, also to share with others in the future. In the two narratives â€Å"from The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano† by Olaudah Equiano and â€Å"from The Journal of the First Voyage to America† by Christopher Columbus are both journals about their life experiences. Equiano and Columbus had different encounters with the people they met, and used different imagery. Likewise, they both wrote for the same purpose. The impressions of the people they met were different. Equiano had a horrible encounter with the slave traders on the ship he was on. He mentioned, â€Å"Every circumstance I met with, served only to render my state more painful, and heightened my apprehensions, and my opinion of the cruelty of the whites. † (p. 45) The white slave traders were cruel and horrible. The whites treated them horribly and had no respect for them. In spite of that, Columbus had a different approach towards the natives he met with on his voyage. â€Å"the natives came down to the shore with their calabashes full, and showed great pleasure in presenting us with it. † (p. 64), unlike the whites, the natives are giving and considerate. I ordered more glass beads to be given them, and they promised to return the next day. â€Å" (p. 64) Columbus and his men developed a relationship with the natives and they got along. In addition, the imagery that Equiano and Columbus used were different. Equiano uses imagery to help visualize the horrible condition that him and the other slaves were in. â€Å"The shrieks of the women, and the groans of the dying, rendered the whole scene of horror almost inconceivable. † (p. 45), Equiano explains the agony they were going through, so much pain that many people felt as if they were dying. On the other hand, Columbus analyzes that â€Å"This island even exceeds the others in beauty and fertility. † (p. 62), which shows his admiration towards the island he was on. Although Equiano and Columbus shared many differences, they both had the same purpose for writing. Equiano wrote about his awful experience while being transported to an island as a slave. The reason for writing about his experience was for people to recognize the horrible condition they were in, and how bad they were being treated by the whites. â€Å"at all events I am determined to proceed on to the continent† (p. 4), Columbus wrote in his journal to pass on his experience he had during his voyage to others and to â€Å"deliver the letters of your highnesses† (p. 64) which he will return answers to the King and Queen back home. In conclusion, Equiano and Columbus both lived an unforgettable experience. They both wrote about it and kept it in a journal. They had different experiences and encounters throughout their voyage. Their main purpose for writing was to share their life experiences with others and also to teach about the unknown and undiscovered.

Motor Neurone Disease Health And Social Care Essay

Motor Neurone Disease Health And Social Care Essay sensory neuron and motor neuron. Sensory neuron brings the signal from the target organ to brain in the form of electrical impulses and motor neuron has just the opposite function i.e. it brings the impulses from brain to target organ to respond against the particular stimulus. In MND these motor neurons are get affected that control voluntary muscle including speaking, walking, breathing, sawalloing and general movement of body. Skeletal muscle are innervated by a group of neurons (lower motor neuron) located in the ventral horn of spinal cord which projectout the ventral roots to the muscle cells. These nerve are innervated by corticospinal tract or upper motor neuron that project from motor cortex of brain. In microscopic pathology there is degeneration of ventral horn of spinal cord as well as atrophy of ventral roots. Introduction: Motor neuron disease (MND) are the group of neurological disorder. It affects the motor neurons. Motor neurons have main function in bringing the signal in form of impulses from brain to the effectors organs (target organ) and in this way control the voluntary activity like walking, speaking, swallowing and other general movements. A French neurologist, Jean Martin Charcot, first suggested club together all conditions that affect the lateral horn of spinal cord in 1869. The other common name for MND are- ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), primary lateral sclerosis (PLS), progressive muscular atrophy (PLS). The cause of MND is sporadic. Genetic factor and environmental factor are responsible for it up to some extent. The motor system mainly consist of four parts: pyramidal system, basal ganglia, cerebellum and neuromuscular system. The lesion in any of them can lead to neurodegenerative disease. There may be several reason associated with lesion like intracellular hemorrhage, stroke etc. There is not much scope available for treatment of this disease permanently. Medical science still does not have any effective and permanent cure. Here I am trying to use stem cell technology approach for the treatment of this disease. As stem cells are the master cells of human body and can have capacity to derive all kind of cells. Because of its versatile nature, these cell can generate the motor neuron cells which get degenerated in MND. Here some stem cells cell approach is being consider and technique involved for its treatment are neural stem cell approach, the delivery of stem cells into multiple site and affected area, induced pluripotent cells approach, glial restricted precursor approach, cell therapy approach etc. The motor system: The motor system consist of: Pyramidal system (upper motor neuron) The basal ganglia (extrapyramidal system) The cerebellum Neuromuscular system The normal motor pathway contain upper motor neuron that synapse in the brainstem and spinal cord with lower motor neuron. The nerve cell bodies of of upper motor neuron (UMNs) lie in the precentral gyrus of the cerebral cortex and in several brainstem nuclei, their axon synapse with motor nuclei in brainstem (cranial nerve nuclei) and the spinal cord (peripheral nerve). Lower motor neuron (LMNs) have their cell bodies in the anterior horn (AHC); their axon transmit impulse through their anterior root into peripheral nerve terminating at neuromascular [junction Rosa-Eva Huettl et al, Feb 2011]. Skeletal cells which are voluntary in nature are innervated by group of neurons (LMNs) which are located in the ventral horn of spinal cord and these nerve cells are innervated by corticospinal tract(UMN) which project from motor cortex of brain. Three kinds of motor pathways impringe on the anterior horn cells ; the corticospinal tract, the basal ganglia system, and the cerebellar system. These are additional pathway originating in brainstem that mediate flexor and extensor tone in limb movement and posture most notable in coma. All these higher motor pathways affect movement through the LMNs- so called the final common pathway. C:UsersGUDDU-SUDDUDesktoppari2.gif Fig 1: representation of motor cortex and internal capsule. The principal motor pathway (pyramidal tract) is depicated. The movement whether initiated voluntarily in the cortex, automatically in the basal ganglia or reflexly in the sensory receptors, must ultimately be translated into action via anterior horn cells. A lesion in any of the above mentioned area will affect movement or reflex activity. The three principal motor pathway are: The corticospinal (pyramidal) tract: the cortiocospinal (pyramidal) tracts mediate voluntary movement and integrate skilled, complicated, or delicate movement of selected muscular actions and inhibit others. They also carry impulses that inhibit tone, hence, their lesion results in hypertonia. The corticospinal fibres originate in the cerebral cortex (precentral mortex cortex) pass through corona radiata and condense in the internal capsule, pass through its posterior limb and travel own through mid brain, pons and comes down into lower medulla, where they form an anatomical structure resembling a pyramid. There most of the fibres cross to the opposite or contralateral side of the medualla, pass downwards and synapse with the anterior horn cells or with internuncial neurons. Tracts synapsing in the brainstem with motor nuclei of the cranial nerves are termed corticobullar fibres (tract). The basal ganglia system: it included motor pathways between the cerebral cortex, basal ganglia, brain stem and spinal cord. It controls tone, posture and body movement especially gross automatic movement such as walking. The cerebellum: it receives both sensory and motor inputs and controls the co-ordinates the motor activity, maintains equilibrium and control posture. Body part representation in motor cortex and internal capsule: The body part are represented in contraleteral hemisphere in a characteristic fashion i.e. lower limb occupies upper position, face occupied lower most, arm and trunk occupy a large area. Similarly, the parts of the body capable of performing delicate movements have largest cortical representation. In internal capsule, the representation of the part is reserved. The upper limbs, trunk and lower limbs occupy upper middle and lower parts of posterior limb of the internal capsule. Change in the posture and alteration in the tone of many muscles requires for the movement of body. Some quite distant from the part being moved. The motor system consist of hierarchy of control mechanism that maintain body posture, baseline, muscle tone upon which a specific movement is superimposed. The lowest order of the hierarchy lies in the gray matter of spinal cord which control the muscle tone in response to stretch and the reflex withdrawl to noxious stimuli. Above the spinal cord, circuits between basal ganglia and motor cortex constitute the extrapyramidal system which control background muscle tone and body posture and gate the initiation of movement. Cause of MND and symptoms associated with it: Almost 90% of MND cases are sporadic [Leyanx Xu et al, April 2009] i.e. the patient have not family record of this disease. Genetic factors and environmental factor is important in determing individuals sucettibility. Some genes linked to ALS are: Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase SOD1, ALS2, NEFH, SETX and vesicle associated with protein B (VAPB). SOD1 mutation is responsible for about 20% of the MND case among in a family. The main product of SOD1 gene is superoxide dismutase enzyme. It act as a free radical scavenger and function as to reduce the oxidative stress of cells throughout body [Gurney ME et al, April 1997] . Till now about more than 100 different kinds of mutation in SOD1 gene have been found, which account for development of MND and its some other forms as well (ALSOD database). AV4 is the most commonly mutation occurring in North America and occur in up to 50% of SOD1 cases. In such a way different region and countries have different mutation which directly or indirectly affect SOD1 gene. For instance, in Japan the most common mutation is H46R. D90A mutation is associated with the slow progression of ALS is found in the people of Scandinavian [Gurney ME et al, April 1997]. As SOD1 gene is involved in the reduction of oxidative stress so its mutation confers a gain in toxic and affect the nerve cells. Rather than this aspect lesion in various parts of the motor system produce distructive pattern of motor deficit. These can induce negative symptoms of weakness, lack of coordination, lack of stability and stiffness or positive symptoms such as tremor, dystonia, chorea, athetosis, hemiballism, tics and myoclonus. When the lower limbs are affected, characteristic pattern of gait disorder may result. Lower motor neuron lesion: It consist of anterior horn cells, nerve roots, peripheral nerves and myoneural junctions. Groups of muscle fibres innervated by single anterior horn cells (LMN) from a motor unit, hence, it will cause loss of function of these motor unit and muscle fibres innervated by them result into weakness, flaccid, paralysis, atrophy and wasting the muscles and these muscle fibres depolorise spontaneously producing fibrillation. Sign and symptoms of lower neuron lesion: Weakness or loss of movement. Decrease tone (hypotonia-flaccid paralysis). Loss of tendon and superficial reflexes. Wasting of muscle leading to atrophy. Fasciculation. Trophic change in skin and nail in neutropathies. Contractures of muscle. Upper motor neuron lesions: The corticospinal tract (UMM) extended from the cortex to spinal cord, when damaged or destroyed, its function are reduced or lost below the level of lesion. When UMNs are damaged above the crossover of tract in medulla, motor impairment develops on opposite or contralateral side. In damage below the crossover, motor impairment occur on same or ipsilateral side of body. A UMN lesion manifests clinically: Weakness of limb or limbs. Brisk tendon stretch reflexes and loss of superficial reflexs. Hypertonia i.e. spastic increase in tone greater in the extensors of lower limb and flexors of upper limb which is a characteristic pattern of hemiplegia. Extensor plantar responses. The weakness is more pronounced in extensors of upper limbs and flexors of lower limb. Little or no wasting of muscles. Extrapyramidal lesions: Disease of basal ganglia or extrapyramidal system does not cause paralysis but produce an increase in tone, disturbance in posture and gait, a slowness or lack of spontaneous and automatic movement termed bradykinesia, and a variety of involuntary movements. Cerebellar lesions: it leads to: Lack of coordination on the same side of body. The initial part of movement is normal but as target is approached and accuracy of movement deteriorates resulting in intention termor. Impairment of gait, equilibrium and postures. Lesions involving the cerebellar hemisphere lead to ataxic gait; while involvement of central vermis leads to truncal ataxia (patient has difficulty in sitting up, or standing). Decrease in muscle tone due to involvement of red nucleus. Paralysis is not a feature of cerebellar disease. Except all these stroke is also one of the commonest cause for motor neuron disorder. Diagnosis: Clinical diagnosis established by neurologist on the basis of neurological examination. Investigation such as blood test, EMG (electromyography), MRI (magnetic resonance image) and sometime genetic testing to diagnose the disease. The other way to diagnose the disease is by concentrating on symptoms and body condition. Treatment: Riluzole is the only drug that affect the course of disease [Theiss RD, et al, mar 2011]. This drug function by blocking the effect of neurotransmitter glutamine and is extend the life spain of an an ALS patient by only few months. Still there is no total cure of MND. The other treatment is being used are acute stroke management, as stroke is one of commonest cause of development of this disease. Stem cell approach for treatment of motor neuron disease: As mention above the main cause of this disease is degeneration of motor neurons. So application of stem cell technology in the generation of motor neuron can be very useful technique to treat this disease. Stem cells are the master cells of the human body. Because of versatile nature, stem cells have potential to repair or replace the degenerated cells. There are many issue which are important to be consider if we translate the current knowledge of stem cell into the treatment of neurodegenerative disease. First of all the clinically competitive and risk to the patient acceptable is necessary to be define. One of the important issue is that the proliferation and differentiation are difficult to control. Animal model may not fully predict their toxicity and risk involve for development of tumor formation after implantation [ Olle lindvall et al,4 jan 2010]. The disease pathology has to be determine that which cell be generating from stem cells. Different cells will be needed for different disease in replacement therapy. Prior to the clinical application, it must be demonstrated in animal model that stem cell based approach induce substantial improvement of function deficits that resemble the debilitating symptoms in patient. It is also important to determine biological mechanism involved the observed effect of stem cell treatment in animal model. Motor neuron cell has been developed invitro from different stem cells sources including mouse and human stem cells [Roy et al, year 2005]. Neural stem cells (NSCs) has been derived from fetal rat spinal cord [Lee H, et al. year 2007] and human forebrain and some other cells like iPS cells. These stem cell derived motor neuron precursors and neuroblast inviro. The motor neuron have extended axon to ventral roots. After transplanting into spinal cord of adult rabbit having the motor degeneration problem, form the neuromascular junction and it give rise to partial recovery from paralysis. after transplantation into the affected area of adult mice and maturation, the stem cells derived motor neuron and attend muscular atrophy. C:UsersGUDDU-SUDDUDesktoppari.jpeg Fig 2 : stem cell based therapeutic approach for motor neuron disease (ALS). ALS leads to degeneration of motor neuron in the cerebral cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord. The stem cell based approach can be induce neuroprotector or dampen detrimental inflammation by implanting stem releasing growth hormone. Finally stem cells derived spinal motor neuron precursor or neuroblast could be transplanted into damaged area to replace damaged or dead neurons. [ Olle lindvall et al,4 jan 2010] Still this approach has not been successful totally to cure MND in case of human. There a several experiment hurdle which must have to overcome so that the cell replacement therapy to become successful. To achieve this goal we must know the specificity of the cell target, homing and special markers. The stem cell must be delivered at multiple site along the spinal cord . the upper motor neuron formed must be innervates to the lower motor neurons the other important aspect is that differential of spinal motor neurons can be directed to the correct cervical, thoracis or lumber phenotype and finally cell project at axial or limb muscles . The central motor neuron like corticospinal neuron also can be replaced which gate degenerated in motor neuron disease. The life Spain of new motor neuron generated should be appropriate. It should also be determine weather the environment in the spinal cord of patient with ALS, which hostile to motor neuron, can be altered [ Olle lindvall et al,4 jan 2010]. The genetical factor is one of the important factor to be consider. The person having ALS carrying genetic mutation in the glial cell so modification of the microglial cell or astrocyte for long term survival of transplanted motor neuron. Stem cell transplantation to counteract motor neuron loss by releasing neurotrophic molecules or modifying the inflammatory environment, play a major role in disease progression. It is more near term clinical goal for ALS [ Olle lindvall et al,4 jan 2010]. Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells approach: Induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell as indicated above in the previous section, can be one of the important approach to treat motor neuron disease. These iPS cells are derived from epigenetic reprogramming of somatic cells through the exogenous expression of transcription factor. These iPS cells are also having the characteristic property like to that of embryonic stem cells and hence can have the major impact on disease like neurodegenerative disorder and regenerative medicine. These iPS cells are also self renew and retain potential to be differentiated into all cell type of body [Evangelos kiskins et al]. The another approach to treat MND is directed differentiation of human induced pluripotent (iPS) cell to functional neural phenotype is unknown. Human embryonic stem cells, specified to neural lineage, this cell could be differentiated to form motor neuron with similar efficiency [S karumbayaram et al, July 2010]. Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is also one of the common type of neurological disorder leading to infant mortality. This cause selective loss of lower motor neurons which finally result into muscle weakness, paralysis and often death. In this iPS cells were used. iPS cells were taken from skin fibroblast from the child with SMA. These cells expanded robustly in culture, maintained the disease genotype and generate motor neuron that showed selective deficits compared to those derived from childs unaffected mother. This was very essential in many other aspects like it can be used to model the specific pathology seen in a genetically inherited disease, study disease mechanism, screen drug compounds and develop new therapies [Allison D Elbert et al, 15 jan 2009]. Recently human neural stem cells (NSC) graft ameliorate MND in SOD1 transgenic model [Leyan Xu et al, April 2009]. One of the important stem cell approach for treatment of MND is that stem cells derived motor neuron may not survive when exposed to the harsh microenvironment in spinal cord of ALS. Rather than this stem cell may be used for studying glia- mediated toxic mechanism and other therapies in ALS [Jason R Thonhoff et al, June 2008]. Cell therapy may be a promising new treatment for MND. Recently it has been shown a single low dose (106 cells) of mononuclear human umbical cord blood cells administrating intravenously to mice delayed symptoms progression and modestly prolong life span [Svitana Garbuzova Davis et al, 17 June 2010]. Conclusion: Motor neuron disease is due to degeneration of motor neurons. The reason associated with it may be several like genetic factor, environmental factor etc. lesion in the parts of motor system is also one of the important cause of motor neuron disease. Although still there is no permanent cure of this disease. Medical science is concentrating on controlling the factors which are responsible for account of this disease to cure this disease like stroke is one of the common cause for MND so medical science is concentrating to overcome this stroke. Except this, medical science is also concentrating on lesion cure this disease. The main problem with medical science is that it is unable to activate the degenerated cell. Once the cell is dead or degenerate is impossible to make active. The only possible way is replacement of those degenerative and dead cells. Studies are being done to replicate the function of the neuron in term of MEMS (microelectromechanicalsystem) which can be used to replicate the degenerated neurons with these MEMS based microdevices. Apart from all these aspect according to me, stem cell technology approach is the best way to cure this disease. Because the cell which gets degenerated are being replaced here by the new cells produced by stem cells. So the biological environment is being maintained and the normal physiology can be retained by development of same cells which gets degenerated. Still this approach is not being successful because of the experimental hurdle. There is need of more study specially in specificity of the cell target, homing and special markers so that the transplantation is appropriate and it produce the degenerated cells. The various clinical trials are in progress in USA and hopefully as in other animal models it will be also work on human.

Effect of Social Policy on Personal Life

Effect of Social Policy on Personal Life ‘Discuss the claims that social policy constructs personal lives   In evaluating the evidence that social policy constructs personal lives, it is necessary to explain the terms ‘social policy’ and the ‘personal’ as they are both imbued with ambiguity and complexity. For example, the meanings inherent in social policy can be understood two-fold as both sets of government policies which have specific aims or intended outcomes as well as the academic study of such policies in relation to their causes and consequences. Thus the ‘policy’ and the ‘social’ can be separated to determine greater understanding when discussing the interaction between personal lives and social policy. The complexity of the ‘personal’ lies in that it is not simply the intimate aspects of someone’s life but that it is a multi-layered reflection of wider influences, such as sexuality, age, emotions, friends, family, social networks and societal expectations. Thus while it will be argued that social policy cons tructs personal lives, evidence will be produced to illustrate that it is not a one-way top-down process, but a multi-directional interplay of interactions between the two as they collide at different times and locations at the three levels of mutual constitution; the individual/psychic level; the service user level; the national level. As a result, by means of resistance, challenge or negotiation, the ‘personal’ both, individually or collectively not only impacts upon, but also has consequences for, social policy in ways that partially shapes or constructs the other thus forming new or different policies. This complex process of mutual constitution, will be expanded upon in context to reveal this relationship at the individual and psychic level, the service-user level whereby it effects the ‘personal’ of welfare professionals, and the national level. The primary focus of this discussion relates children and young people and their issues in the context of ‘sexuality’ and ‘care’ although this will inevitably overlap with ‘work’ and ‘citizenship’ as multiple sets of relationships and sites of policy intervention are revealed such as the family, health and social care. Further to this, I will apply evidence from my own qualitative research which was compiled from two interviews with an adult care-giver (Brennan, 2008b) and a young care-recipient in a children’s residential home (Brennan, 2008c). The focus on children and young people will also be further analysed through the lens of poststructuralism and feminism although again, there will be overlapping elements of Marxism and psychoanalysis imbedded within the discussion. These perspectives when viewed through their various theoretical lenses help to provide a more multi-dimensional view of how social policy is experienced in its mutual constitution with more diverse subject-positions occupied by ‘personal’ lives. In taking on a more subjective view it reveals how and in what ways social policy is inclusive to some and exclusionary to others triggering challenges, negotiations and resistance. The conclusion will indicate that while there is evidence that social policy constructs personal lives, the challenges, negotiations and resistance or what Lewis and Fink conceptualise as ‘excess’, ensures that the ‘personal’ both collectively and individually also constructs social policy thus ensuring that the dynamic processes of society are constantly evolving and producing what one hopes will be positive and equal social change (Lewis and Fink, 2004, ‘Course Companion’, p.22). When conceptualising care from a poststructural perspective, its meanings become fluid and unstable as continuity and change informs the mutual constitution of care policies and the ‘personal’ of both caregivers and receivers. As Fink (2004) argues, the normative assumptions about care practises, identities and locations are challenged because care is dependent upon the discursive properties inherent at the various levels of care both as a provision and as a recipient (Fink, 2004, ‘Care’, p.3). Care is relational and reciprocal and often perceived as an unspoken, unwritten taken-for-granted aspect of the everyday on many levels. In reality however, the giving and receiving of ‘care’ can be a burden to some, a source of discomfort for others, and a site of oppression for many. This is because levels of care vary in different situations and for different actors as the overlapping dualisms of male/ female, adult/child, private/ public, paid/ unpaid , deserving /undeserving inform political agendas that shape ‘care’ policies. Such dualisms are explained by Foucault’s (1970) poststructural analysis in how language is utilised to define the differences between the dominant norms and those which stand outside the accepted criteria (Fink et al. 2004, Course Companion, p.62). In other words, something is defined by what it is not – for example, it is light simply because it is not dark. Similarly this is exacerbated and utilised discursively in relation to class, ‘race’, gender, age and disability. Thus a suitable place to commence a discussion about the mutual constitution of policies surrounding care and its interaction with the ‘personal’ of children and young people lies within the home – the family. Poststructuralism reveals how the normative assumptions surrounding the caring identity is gendered and subsequently ‘naturalised’ into a traditional female role. Thus the dominant identity of carer of children within the family is generally the mother – an unpaid, taken-for-granted given role based upon the essentialist model of the biological attributes and ability to give birth. As Foucault (1979) argues the subject-position of mother is not rooted in biology, but discursively rooted in culture and history. Similarly, a feminist analysis argues that the so-called ‘natural’, ‘caring disposition’ of women is a myth stemming from the post-war Beveridgean welfare state which claimed to privilege married woman by enabling them to stay at home full-time and raise the children while caring for their husbands. If they do not fit with the these norms then they are deemed as bad mothers as expressed by one of my interviewee’s in my own research when he declared that in four months; â€Å"I have only seen my mum once since I moved in here, and then she just dropped in last February, it was not an arranged visit or anything† (Brennan, 2008c). Here, the mother is negatively perceived, thus it is with certain irony that despite no mention of his father, the status of men remains greater than that of women. For example the construction of the homemaker/carer/ within the nuclear family norms was enabled based upon their husband’s contributions to the state. However, feminists argue this served only to restrain and subordinate women further by extending their dependency. The home became the site of oppression and struggle which the second and third wave feminists have sought to ameliorate as subordinate female positions shifted ‘paid’ work to one that is ‘unpaid’ ‘work’ within the construction of the nuclear family. However, when those dominant nuclear family norms and values are destabilised, the assumption is that it is anything but ‘normal’ and considered a threat to the welfare of children and young people. This demonstrates how the ‘personal’ in its c ollective form as inherent in all New Social Movements of ‘race’ and disability among others, produces social change as it impacts on social policy in the implementation of excess against these norms and values. Demonstrating the psychic element of the ‘personal’, a poststructural analysis argues that such normative assumptions of childcare are internalised which is evident when Carabine (2004) draws on the personal narrative of Max, for whom, a heterosexual marriage stood outside of his comfort zone. However, social policy dictated his public heterosexuality based upon learned expectations which relates to what Lewis Fink (2004) argue are processes of non-identification, are commonplace within both racialized and sexualised discourses, as they subsequently trigger the expansion of the ‘personal’ to wider social relations in a bid to find a collective socio-cultural identity and meaning outside of the psyche. Closely related to postructuralism, a psychoanalytic lens reveals that being physically in but not of the imagined community negatively affects the ‘personal’ in lacking any sense of belonging (Carabine, 2004, ‘Sexuality’, p.5). Meanings produce assumptions which, in identifying Max as a homosexual ensured he exercised what Lewis conceptualised as passing, as deviating from the heterosexual ‘norm’ is problematized indicating the inequalities of citizenship and social power derived from the ‘hierarchical ordering of difference’ (Lewis, 2004, ‘Citizenship’, p.20). This demonstrates how social policy produces normative assumptions that identified the signifying practices that placed Max outside of the hegemony of heteronormative nuclear family. Marriage is an expected trajectory in life’s path, which he obligated through denial of his own private emotions and self-identification. While, his dream of becoming a fathe r was realised, the marriage ended upon meeting a man and embracing his homosexuality. This dispels two myths, as Max resistance to the dominant norms ensured that heonly became full-time carer to his children but also his wife had not taken to motherhood so enthusiastically and therefore became the part-time mother with fortnightly access (Rice, 2002:p.27, in Carabine, 2004, p.5). Max states that even in 2002 it remains unusual for men to be the primary care-giver. Carabine (2004) argues that the notion of sexuality maintains the heteronormative assumptions that heterosexual intercourse occurs in the private sphere, within the legally binding contract of marriage. Children born out of wedlock or the victims of divorce are therefore excluded from certain social policies such as decent housing and education or simply enough money to lead a life similar to their peers which negatively impacts on their ‘personal’. Despite this, marriage is historically and socially specific and therefore continues to discursively subordinate the personal lives of women and children in the private sphere in the policies made by men, for men, in the male dominated public sphere. One such policy ‘Every Child Matters’(2003) focuses on a different element of private and informal methods of care within the home and unpaid, which are an ongoing concern for many British families. While the policy pledges to reward informal carers as being an asset to society, parents of disabled children are, it claims, not using local authority direct payments. However, the policy then states that many local authorities are reluctant to administer direct payments. The ambiguity of direct payments is evident when used by the middle classes who already possess the cultural capital to secure the best care and the ability to cover any financial shortfall. In contrast, the working class, direct payments would be frugal to prevent over-expenditure, thereby potentially excluding their child from all the care available. This again indicates a poststructural perspective as it demonstrates how knowledge is in fact power. When coupled with issues of guilt about hiring a strange r to care for their disabled child, psychoanalytic issues re-emerge in this mutual constitution at the individual level and at the service-user level because for the carer, inflicting pain on a child in need of treatment triggers a defence mechanism that blocks awareness of their pain, which, Mawson argues, prevents job satisfaction. As such, as well as infantalizing clients, many caring practises deny dignity, privacy, and autonomy to the client, affecting their ‘personal’, as care becomes a public issue(1994, p.68, in Fink, 2004, ‘Care’, p.22).. Similarly, the feminization of care is embedded in discourses of sexuality as male carers doing ‘women’s work’ are assumed to be gay; therefore they are considered to possess ulterior motives – a gender differential that affects the ‘personal’ of men with potentially serious consequences. This no doubt was an issue that underpinned my first interviewee’s lack of success in his attempts to work with social care; â€Å"It was something that always interested me I suppose, while I was working I decided to do some volunteer work and liked it, so decided that I would like to continue in the care area (Brennan, 2008b). â€Å"I went for an interview and thought I did well, () to be honest I was very pleased with myself and thought I had a good chance of getting the job, unfortunately (laugh) that was not the case, they phoned me to say that I was unsuccessful but they did offer me relief work instead which I took, from there I got my foot inside the door of Social Care† (ibid). Indeed it has recently been mediated that there is a stark absence of male teachers within the primary education sector, but with assumptions such as these ensuring that the negative thinking surrounding the mutual constitution of male teachers and current policies then it is not surprising. However, it is apparent that social policies on for example discipline, falls to the male teacher who is often isolated by gender due to the vast majority being female. To be the sole person administering punishments to naughty boys has a negative impact on the ‘personal’ of both the male teacher and the one being punished in this unofficial mutual constitution (new.bbc.co.uk). However, the feminization of care is turned on its head when adults needing care are the focus as young people and children are conveniently situated to take on the caring role – free of charge (Fink et al., 2004).The policy highlights their plight and insists local authorities must assist, but in reality they are merely enable without any form of advertisement to ensure awareness of the provision, therefore little assistance is forthcoming as local authorities are keen to maintain low budgets which they depend on young carers to ensure. Furthermore, the likelihood of benefit dependency maintains material inequalities that further exclude young carers from the lifestyles of their peers. Their caring duties also impinge on education and leisure – deemed by the Green Paper as essential for their future in terms of growth, socialization, mental health and their future. However, veiled threats for parents of truants and offenders are revealed if they fail to accomplish this end as the mutual constitution of social policies and the personal of young carers renders them at risk and vulnerable to attack, by definition which serves to facilitate the intervention of Social Services, the irony of who, although not universal – are mostly women. The issuing of compulsory parenting orders that claim to halve re-offending, can also remove children from the family home – thus echoing the past. Indeed my own qualitative research indicates how this works in practise and demonstrates how lived experiences of personal lives is impacted upon by social policy as they become mutually constituted. For example, the sixteen–year-old resident of a care home was clearly unhappy with the way policies were implemented stating his distaste of social work intervention and his disappointment of his mother when stating; â€Å"Yeah well the Social Worker found where I was staying and refused to allow me to stay there.. My mother agreed to a voluntary Care Order because they [social workers]are interfering so and sos who think they know what is good for me† (emphasis added)(Brennan, 2008c). However, upon critical analysis of my research methods I also realise that my role as a residential care worker shaped the outcome in negative ways firstly by declaring that employed subject-position and then by offering advice: â€Å"All I can say is that you should take what ever is out there in the way of help and make it work for you† (Brennan, 2008c). Also in response to my question on the adequacy of care he stated; â€Å"What care? Staff dont f..g care† (Brennan, 2008c). I replied with: â€Å" Now W I am sure that is not true, perhaps you feel that staff dont care maybe because it is not the type of care that you are looking for† (Brennan, 2008c). While this demonstrates the need for reflexivity in terms of ensuring an objective approach is implemented by the researcher putting their own feelings to one side, it is illustrative of the difficulties of conducting qualitative research through semi-structured interviews to produce an empirical and valid contribution about the social world. Even classic sociologists such as Durkheim (1964), who once claimed that an experiment produced social ‘fact’ if the experiment when repeated twice produced the same outcome, was later reflexive about this upon the realisation that no research whether quantitative or qualitative can ever be value-free (in Churchill, 2004, RAAB; Part 3, 2004, p.55). Similarly, in my semi-structured interviews with a residential care manager his responses indicated that he was responding only in ways that did not reflect negatively on himself. This indicates that despite the best efforts of the researcher, the interviewee will only impart with what he he/she wants you to know, and not necessarily what the researcher should or wants to know. Despite this, measures are taken to prevent subjective shaping of the researcher such as in Goldson’s research – although again, it can never be deemed as value-free despite his lengthy experience. Nevertheless, Goldson (2004) argues these mixed messages by the social workers and by the spoken word of children in care reveals that childhood is socially constructed towards legitimizing the control of children. Again, this is discursively produced as two centuries ago, children were treated as adults until philanthropists’ and reformists’ reconstructed the childhood discourse through interventionist methods that removed children from the streets and ‘dysfunctional’ families. They were then institutionalized, until reforms by the self-proclaimed ‘public mother’ Mary Carpenter, orchestrated the emergence of ‘institutional schools’ (2004, ‘Care’ p.88). Prior to this there was little distinction between ‘deprived’ victims in need of care, and ‘depraved’ threats in need of control, as they were placed together often within adult prisons (Carpenter, 1853, in Goldson, 2004:p.88). Similarly, the G reen Paper targets families deemed unable to care adequately for children revealing how the earliest reformers constructed the idealized image of the family as a self-regulating entity. As Goldson argues, children today are constructed via inter-generational differentiation from adults, but are then further differentiated on an intra-generational level in terms of social divisions (2004: ‘Care’, p.81). The pluralism of British society problematizes any generalization of children in ways that the Green Paper states – instead they are categorised according to class, gender, and ‘race’. Goldson places the care and control theory in the context of Victoria Climbà © who was represented as a deprived victim who was in need of care (2004, ‘Care’, p.83). However, the language employed surrounding children shifts as textual connotations mediated in another headline constitutes children as depraved ‘thugs’ in need of control (ibid). This shapes public opinion, constructs negative identities and stereotypes that legitimize the dichotomy of deserving/undeserving and subsequent punishment. Thus, as Cohen argues, the ove rlapping parameters of care and control are inseparable (Cohen, 1985, p.2, in Goldson, 2004, ‘Care’, p.85). Continuing the poststructuralist view of Goldson’s research argues that the institutional fix is equal for both for victims and threats in contemporary Britain (2004, ‘Care’, p.87). He focuses on the gender differentials as a disproportionate number of boys are incarcerated within youth offender’s institutions towards protecting the community, whereas girls tend to go into secure accommodation towards protecting themselves, which is evident in the extracts reference the provision of childcare for teenage parents returning to education implicating that in their premature maturity resulting from caring for parents is evidence of embarking prematurely on sexual relationships (ibid). This again is discursively constructed as historically girls were locked up for sexual misconduct, revealing the heteronormative continuity and protectionist discourses. This is closely examined in Thomson’s (2004) research on sex education within schools which takes a feminist view that girls are responsible for avoiding pregnancy as well as ensuring the sexual health of both herself and her partner (Thomson, 2004, ‘Sexuality’, p.103). The study revealed that the power imbalance between the genders discouraged the female’s insistence on using condoms for two reasons – not wanting to gain a bad reputation; and admitting that the transition to sexual activity was taking place (ibid.). Thus risks were taken all too often. Goldson’s study of secure accommodation reveals contradictory personal narratives of both those being cared for, and their adult carers. One girl admitted she would not be alive now if she had not be taken into care, while another declared she could look after herself thus they had no right to lock her up as she had coped alone for years. While this demonstrates Higgins’ (1988) claim that while the personal is unique, it is also mirrored and experienced by others, thus not an individualistic phenomenon (Higgins,1998, pp.3-4 in Lewis Fink, 2004,p.22). Nevertheless, both accounts were mirrored by their respective care workers (Goldson, 2004, ‘Care’. pp.99-101). Here, control is paramount to care. A Marxist analysis of teen pregnancy would argue that lone mothers are both the consumers and producers of welfare in their provision of the future child-bearers and workforce of Britain. However, the restrictions imposed on young women today is discursively imbedded in the past as the Poor Laws of 1838 dictated in its claims that illegitimacy was indisputably the fault of the young female because â€Å"continued illicit intercourse has, in almost all cases, originated with the mother† (Extract 1.16, The New Poor Law View, 1938, in Carabine, ‘Sexuality’, 2004, p.39). For example, qualitative research data on teenage conceptions linked poverty to teenage pregnancy (Thomson, 2004, p99). However, there was no consideration of what Bourdieu (1977) termed the ‘logic of practice’ for these teenagers, as the choices they make, which make sense to them, were influenced by local cultural and social class values which may see parenthood as a sign of maturity and in many ways the only route to adulthood (cited in Thomson, 2004, p96). While the ‘logic of practise’ is a convincing argument, it fails to mention how the rate of abortion for middle class girls far exceeds that of working class girls. Nevertheless, these values provided teenagers with the resources to resist, or apply ‘excess’ to the powerful effects of normalising social policy and their subject position within it (Lewis Fink, 2004, p23). Thus, these teenagers are active agents rather than passive recipients of policy discourse, and do not recognise this d iscourse that views teenage pregnancy as problematic, as being applicable to them (Carabine, 2004, p33). In contrast to the control of girls, care for boys is constructed in ways that control as Goldson’s research into young offender’s institutions embraced a different discourse – fear. Rape, beatings, extortion, and suicide were prevalent according to all the boys. This represents what Higgins’ (1988) claims that collective understanding is viewed both socially and historically which were evident in the interpellation that provided understanding of their sense of self. However, the narratives of the prison officers revealed a language shift in that child abuse claims was redefined as bullying. The mutual constitution of new social policies and the personal lives of these boys were negatively impacted, exacerbated by the resistance of staff to implement the new policy that all new inmates require proper care and counselling upon arrival. That it was never met, shows how the mutual constitution at the service-user level can become complex and dangerous as the staff’s ability to detach themselves from the caring role protected their own ‘personal’ by activating their defence mechanisms before crossing the public/private boundary to freedom at the end of the working day(ibid. pp.101-5). However, as Goldson (2004) argues, a Marxist element is more than present in the discourse of ‘care’ relating to children as all prisons in the last decade have been built by private corporations. Similarly the adult interviewee in my research stated that: â€Å"In the last year the number of Residential Homes have doubled, mmm new homes are opening every week, so therefore it will take longer to get around to inspecting all of the homes† (Brennan, 2008b). This could explain the need for Goldson to bring to our attention the U-Turn regarding Tony Blair’s pledge in 1999 to â€Å"eradicate child poverty†, which shifter two years later to how we must â€Å"catch, convict, punish and rehabilitate young offenders† (Blair, 1999/2000, quoted in Goldson, 2002d: p.687). This being a complete U-turn also on the Children’s Act 1989 which claims that every child has the right to a happy and loving childhood within the care of their families. In conclusion, it is evident that the mutual constitution of social policy and personal lives concerning sexuality and care is experienced in vastly differing ways when applying it to children and young people. This is made more apparent through the use of theoretical perspective as it provides multi-dimensional perspectives of how policies are experienced according to various levels of diversity showing therefore how this impacts upon status and citizenship. While all these critical approaches have been applied to a variety of care and sexuality discourses, they can only produce a snapshot of the social world, however, the value of research in collective forms help us to understand in part, the epistemological and substantive nature of how social policies are constantly challenged by personal lives at the psychic, individual and collective levels including by welfare professionals at the service-user level. Social policy, within the content of this essay seeks solely to enforce soci al control and economic gain by defining and redefining the shifting boundaries of power in its mutual constitution with personal lives. However, the claim that social policy constructs social lives is not as substantive as the very fact they are constantly evolving is due to the continuing challenge, negotiation, resistance and excess employed by personal lives – no matter how miniscule. Reference List Bourdieu, P. (1977) Outline of a Theory of Practise, Cambridge University Press. Brennan, A. (2008b) Unpublished TMA05 submitted in partial completion of DD305 Personal Lives and Social Policy, The Open University Brennan, A. (2008c) Unpublished TMA05 submitted in partial completion of DD305 Personal Lives and Social Policy, The Open University Carabine, J. (Ed) Sexualities: Personal Lives and Social Policy Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Carabine, J. (2004) ‘Sexualities, Personal Lives and Social Policy’, in Carabine, J. (Ed) Sexualities: Personal Lives and Social Policy Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Carabine, J. Newman, J. (Ed’s) (2004) Course Companion: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Churchill, H., Fink, J. and Harris, F. (2004) Research Analysis and Assessment Booklet. Part 3 DD305 Personal Lives and Social Policy, Copyright  © 2004 The Open University Cohen, S. (1985) Visions of Social Control, Cambridge, Polity Press. Fink, J. (Ed) (2004) Care: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Fink, J. (2004) ‘Care: Meanings, Identities and Morality’, in Fink, J. (Ed) (2004) Care: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Fink, J. (2004) ‘Questions of Care’, in Fink, J. (Ed) (2004) Care: Personal Lives and Social Policy Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Goldson, B. (2002d) ‘New Labour, social justice and children: political calculation and the deserving-undeserving schism’, British Journal of Social Work, vol.32, no.6, pp.683-95 Goldson, B. (2004) ‘Victims or threats? Children, Care and Control’, in Fink, J. (Ed) (2004) Care: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Government Green Paper (2003) Every Child Matters, The Stationary Office, 2003, Cmnd 5860. Higgins, P.C. (1988) ‘Introduction’, in Higgins, P.C. Johnson, J.M. (Eds) Personal Sociology, New York, Praeger. Lewis, G. (2004) (Ed) Citizenship: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Lewis, G. (2004) Do Not Go Gently†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢: Terrains of Citizenship and Landscapes of the Personal. In Lewis, G. (Ed) Citizenship: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Lewis, G., Fink, J. (2004) Themes, Terms and Concepts. In Fink, J., Lewis, G., Carabine, J., Newman, J. (Ed’s) Course Companion: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Lewis, G., Newman, J., Carabine, J., Fink, J. (2004) Theoretical Perspectives. In Fink, J., Lewis, G., Carabine, J., Newman, J. (Ed’s) Course Companion: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Thomson, R. (2004) ‘Sexuality and Young People: Policies, Practices and Identities. In Carabine, J. (Ed) Sexualities: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol, Policy Press, in association with The Open University Other Sources: The Open University (2004) CD-ROM 1: ‘The Children’s Act 1989’, DD305 Personal Narratives and Resources [CD-ROM], Milton Keynes, The Open University. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/4336092.stm 4,707 words with 700 extra words to assist the client with greater understanding of the wider aspect of mutual constitution.

John Keats To Autumn Essay -- John Keats Autumn Essays Poem Poetry

John Keats' "To Autumn" Life is a beautiful thing that should not be wasted. Life must be lived without warning; it is not to be taken for granted. We will never fully understand life, not even in a million years. The theme of John Keats' "To Autumn" is to enjoy life, even as you grow old and it begins to move away from you. He spreads his message through the time frame, imagery, and diction of the stanzas. To begin with, the time frame of the stanzas begins to prove the theme. By itself, it doesn?t prove the theme, but, when added with the imagery and diction, it gets the job done. The second and third proofs build off of the time frame. The time frame of the stanzas progresses through autumn and a day as a person?s life does. It shows that autumn and a day are being paralleled to a person?s life. The first stanza is set in early autumn and the morning. This is shown is passages from the poem. For example, season of mists and warm days will never cease show this time setting. Season of mists prove morning because mist forms in the early morning. Warm days will never cease proves early autumn because this is the hottest and most humid time of the year. The first stanza clearly takes place during the morning in early autumn, and those are paralleled to childhood in life. The second stanza is set in mid-autumn and the afternoon. This is evident in the poem. In example, while thy hook, gleaner, and on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep show the time frame is mid-autumn and afternoon. While thy hook and gleaner show mid-autumn because these quotes deal with the harvest, which happens in mid-autumn. On a half-reaped furrow sound asleep proves afternoon because the furrow is half-reaped, thus half way through the day, or the afternoon, and naps are usually taken during the afternoon hours. Obviously, the second stanza is set in the afternoon during mid-autumn. Mid-autumn and afternoon compare to adulthood in life. The third stanza is set in late autumn and the evening. The proof is in the poem. For instance, gathering swallows and hedge crickets sing prove the time frame is late autumn in the evening. Gathering swallows proves late autumn because that is the time when birds gather to migrate to warmer climates. Hedge crickets sing proves evening because crickets produce their patented sound in the evening hours. Certainly, the setting of stanza th... ...s fullest. The first stanza contains active imagery, while the second uses passive. The third stanza is expected to contain even more passive diction, but instead uses a mix of both active and passive. The active diction is used a little bit more. The diction in the third stanza is what makes this poem so great. If you add this proof to the first two, you get life slipping away as it progresses, with the individual being active even as he is dying. In other words, the person is enjoying his life as it slips into death?s hands, which is the theme of the poem. The theme of John Keats? ?To Autumn? is to live your life actively until darkness consumes your body. The time frame, imagery, and diction of the stanzas prove this. The time frame shows that life is progressing, while the imagery is paralleled to life being taken away from the individual. The diction proves that the person is active during childhood, passive during adulthood and slightly active during the elderly years of life. The proofs clearly show what the theme of the poem is, proving every part of it thoroughly. This was a wonderfully written poem, and it gives a great message that everyone should learn and live by. John Keats' To Autumn Essay -- John Keats Autumn Essays Poem Poetry John Keats' "To Autumn" Life is a beautiful thing that should not be wasted. Life must be lived without warning; it is not to be taken for granted. We will never fully understand life, not even in a million years. The theme of John Keats' "To Autumn" is to enjoy life, even as you grow old and it begins to move away from you. He spreads his message through the time frame, imagery, and diction of the stanzas. To begin with, the time frame of the stanzas begins to prove the theme. By itself, it doesn?t prove the theme, but, when added with the imagery and diction, it gets the job done. The second and third proofs build off of the time frame. The time frame of the stanzas progresses through autumn and a day as a person?s life does. It shows that autumn and a day are being paralleled to a person?s life. The first stanza is set in early autumn and the morning. This is shown is passages from the poem. For example, season of mists and warm days will never cease show this time setting. Season of mists prove morning because mist forms in the early morning. Warm days will never cease proves early autumn because this is the hottest and most humid time of the year. The first stanza clearly takes place during the morning in early autumn, and those are paralleled to childhood in life. The second stanza is set in mid-autumn and the afternoon. This is evident in the poem. In example, while thy hook, gleaner, and on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep show the time frame is mid-autumn and afternoon. While thy hook and gleaner show mid-autumn because these quotes deal with the harvest, which happens in mid-autumn. On a half-reaped furrow sound asleep proves afternoon because the furrow is half-reaped, thus half way through the day, or the afternoon, and naps are usually taken during the afternoon hours. Obviously, the second stanza is set in the afternoon during mid-autumn. Mid-autumn and afternoon compare to adulthood in life. The third stanza is set in late autumn and the evening. The proof is in the poem. For instance, gathering swallows and hedge crickets sing prove the time frame is late autumn in the evening. Gathering swallows proves late autumn because that is the time when birds gather to migrate to warmer climates. Hedge crickets sing proves evening because crickets produce their patented sound in the evening hours. Certainly, the setting of stanza th... ...s fullest. The first stanza contains active imagery, while the second uses passive. The third stanza is expected to contain even more passive diction, but instead uses a mix of both active and passive. The active diction is used a little bit more. The diction in the third stanza is what makes this poem so great. If you add this proof to the first two, you get life slipping away as it progresses, with the individual being active even as he is dying. In other words, the person is enjoying his life as it slips into death?s hands, which is the theme of the poem. The theme of John Keats? ?To Autumn? is to live your life actively until darkness consumes your body. The time frame, imagery, and diction of the stanzas prove this. The time frame shows that life is progressing, while the imagery is paralleled to life being taken away from the individual. The diction proves that the person is active during childhood, passive during adulthood and slightly active during the elderly years of life. The proofs clearly show what the theme of the poem is, proving every part of it thoroughly. This was a wonderfully written poem, and it gives a great message that everyone should learn and live by.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings: Cages :: Know Why the Caged Bird Sings Essays

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings:   Cages  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Maya Angelou wrote an amazing and entertaining autobiography titled I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, about her hard life growing up as a black girl from the South.   Among the hardships are things known as "cages" as stated as a metaphor from Paul Dunbar's poem "Sympathy."   "Cages" are things that keep people from succeeding in life and being everything they want to be.   Some of Maya Angelou's cages include being black in the 1940's and her overbearing grandmother.   In my life, a "cage" is my young age, this causes problems with adults.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   A major "cage" from Maya Angelou's youth was that she was black in a prejudice southern town.   Maya has recounted in her book the times when she was discriminated against.   When she was working for a white woman named Mrs. Viola Cullinan, Mrs. Cullinan started calling her Mary, "That's [Margaret] too long.   She's Mary from now on."(pp.91) One of the most important aspects of a person is their name.   It is a great insult for someone to change your name, without your consent.   If Maya was white Mrs. Cullinan would not have changed her name and she did it only because of her racist friends and attitudes.   Even some of the white adults who supposedly supported her had hidden their racist messages in seemingly nice speeches.   Maya conveys the words of Mr. Edward Donleavy, one of the people in the masquerade, "The white kids were going to have a chance to become Galileos and Madame Curies and Edisons and Gauguins, and our boys (the girls weren't even in on it) would try to be Jesse Owenses and Joe Lousises."(pp.151)   Maya was forced to listen to Mr. Donleavy's stereotypes of how white children could be thinkers and black children can only be athletes.     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What was supposed to be an encouraging speech, which Mr. Donleavy probably thought was sincere, turned out to be just another racist and stereotypical speech.   Perhaps it was not so much Mr. Donleavy's fault, because he was trying to be nice, but more of his upbringing.   Racism was the most prominent of Maya's "cages" and it is probably due to the society and ignorant ideas.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The second major cage of   Maya Angelou was that she has a very strict, religious, and overbearing grandmother.   It is important that a child's guardian be caring and strict but that guardian should not be too strict.

Overcoming Barriers to Change

The external environment in which businesses operate is continually changing. Businesses must respond to these changes to remain competitive and continue to meet the needs of their customers. They need the commitment and support of key stakeholder groups, such as employees, in order to ensure changes are embedded to shape the organization for the long term. Corus was formed in 1999 when the former British Steel plc merged with the Dutch company, Hoogovens. Corus is now a subsidiary of the Indian-owned Tata Group. Corus has three operating divisions and employs 40,000 people worldwide:Corus Strip Products UK (CSP UK) is based at Port Talbot and Llanwern, Newport in South Wales. CSP UK makes steel in strip form. This is used in markets such as vehicle manufacture, construction, electrical appliances, tubes and packaging. Corus aims to be a leader in the steel industry by providing better products, higher quality customer service and better value for money than its rivals. In 2005 CSP U K introduced a cultural plan for change called ‘The Journey’. The company wanted to address a wide range of business challenges, but the common theme was the fundamental way that people at all levels went about their work.The Journey focused on the values and beliefs of its people. Vitally, this was not limited to employees, but it included contractors, suppliers and other partners. This community of people together re-defined eight core values. These provided the guiding principles by which Corus people would work. By early 2007, all employees had been provided with a booklet outlining the CSP Journey values and the behaviors the company expected them to follow. The new values encourage individuals to be accountable for their actions.For example, previously, there had been tragic accidents on site and other health and safety issues, such as poor driving behaviour. This needed to change. The Journey program has taken a positive approach so that it now steers everything CSP UK does and underpins the culture of the organization. This case study focuses on how Corus Strip Products UK has overcome barriers to change in order to secure a more prosperous future for the business. Reasons for change Organizational change is a planned and ongoing process and follows clearly structured elements:Identify the key drivers for change. These are forces outside and within the organization, for example, the growing strength of competitors (external) or health and safety issues within the organization (internal). Corus employees were encouraged to understand what was happening in the business (the ‘As Is’) and identify any flaws in the existing way of working. Identify the barriers to change. This often involves people’s attitudes. They may want to continue to work as before or cannot see the need for change. Create and implement a plan for change.This focuses on winning the commitment of all employees, identifying specific solutions to problems areas (for example, cutting staff or investing in new systems) and setting out ways of measuring improvement. Employees were encouraged to envision what the ‘To Be’ position for CSP UK looked like and make plans to bring it about. Measure the effectiveness of the change. CSP UK is prepared to make further changes based on the outcomes of the actions. Examples of internal drivers for change (inefficiencies within the business) at CSP UK included: Poor delivery – rather than delivering steel to customers on time there were delays, leading to loss of business. †¢ Competitiveness – steel produced in the UK could be more expensive than from some other countries. †¢ High wastage – failing to make products right first time meant that they had to be reworked or scrapped. †¢ Low staff morale – employees were committed but were not motivated by the environment in which they were carrying out their jobs. External drivers (pressures for c hange outside the business) came from: New competitors – low cost producers in Eastern Europe and the Far East were taking business. This could lead to reduced demand with higher costs. †¢ Changing customer requirements – for example, the fall in demand for steel for the automotive industry meant that Corus needed to find different types of customers or develop different products. †¢ New technology meant customers expected higher specifications. †¢ Perceptions of the steelmaking industry within the community tended to be negative – for example, the industry was seen as having a poor record on environmental issues.Total Quality Management (TQM) initiatives had previously been implemented to great effect at CSP UK to improve productivity and improve competitiveness. CSP UK had also previously reduced manpower for the same purpose. However, Corus Strip Products is a business with deeply committed people and a relatively low staff turnover. Total payr oll costs are low compared with its other costs such as energy and raw materials. Labor costs at CSP UK account for around only 13% of total costs. This is considerably less than, for example, an assembly line process where they might be around 40-50% of total costs.It therefore made better sense to enable employees to work more efficiently rather than cut the number of staff. Barriers to change Change may challenge peoples’ abilities, experience, customs and practice. It may even be seen as a threat. This can create resistance or barriers to change. For example, if job roles are changed, employees and managers may feel that they lose status or power. If jobs are cut, remaining employees may feel insecure. This can cause low morale and lead to poor productivity.Although Corus Strip Products as a company supported the principles of change and innovation, not all previous programs had delivered the required results. GLOSSARY Corus is an established business in a traditional ind ustry. This meant that it had set patterns of doing things in some areas of the business. This attitude of ‘this is the way we do things around here’ made it more difficult to make necessary changes. Some Corus employees had a fear of the unknown and saw new initiatives as a possible threat to their existing teams and positions.Job reductions had been a major theme in the steel industry since the 1970s and some of Corus’ previous change initiatives had led to job cuts. Other people did not see a threat to their job because the business had previously survived difficult times. This complacency made change difficult for Corus. Another issue facing Corus was its ageing workforce. There is a considerable degree of expertise in the company and long-term high rewards kept people within the industry. Older employees with high technical skills stayed because these skills were not easily transferable.Fewer young people were attracted to the industry because of reduced job opportunities and reductions in apprenticeship schemes across the UK. The company also had a history of rewarding ‘long service’ rather than ‘distinguished service’. This means that employees who had been with the company a long time (but who had lower productivity) could be gaining greater rewards than newer employees who were producing more. Corus felt that this was an area that needed major change so that those employees with higher output were suitably rewarded. Overcoming barriers We cannot solve our problems by spending; we cannot solve our problems by cutting back. The only way to meet our challenges is to change how we go about things†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ (quote from the Managing Director of CSP UK). One of the key techniques Corus has used to overcome resistance to change has been to work closely with employees and get them involved as much as possible in the program. From the start it was important for the company to share with employees what might hap pen to the business if it didn’t change. Corus put emphasis on getting everyone to take ownership of the new values by physically signing up to the program.This helped them ‘buy-into’ the new ways of working. Workers are now more involved in decision making and their contributions and experience are recognized. Through a range of direct and indirect communications, for example, weekly newsletters and workshops, Corus ensures that all employees understand what behaviors it expects of them. As part of implementation, Corus needed to highlight how people were behaving (the ‘As Is’). It created a program with ‘shock tactics’ to show managers and employees the condition of the plant, to identify weaknesses and encourage employees to make changes.For example, 150 senior managers were invited to the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. This impressive venue raised expectations. However, they were served cold tea and given a presentation on a ripped p rojector screen. The fact that attendees did not comment on this demonstrated that people did not see they had a ‘right to challenge’. It also highlighted that employees had become accustomed to working with limited resources and were willing to accept low standards. This would be an important aspect to work on during the culture change.Managers were also shown videos of poor working conditions and interviews with local schoolchildren in which they said they would not work at the plant because of their perception of a poor outlook and a poor working environment. Around 150 workshops were held to spread the messages. Fortnightly newspapers clarified these values and repeated the key messages through articles on various activities, such as employees taking part in the redesigning of a control room to improve layout and safety. Billboards, intranet, video programs and most of all, direct one-to-one conversations all reinforced the messages.The Journey also raised important questions about how the company managed key issues, such as alcohol or drug misuse. The new values Due to the high standards of safety associated with Corus processes, all working sites are alcohol-free. Understandably, before the change program, anyone offending in this way was likely to face disciplinary action and this is still the case in most working environments. The new CSP UK values focus on helping employees who are willing to accept assistance to improve their performance, rather than taking disciplinary action against them for poor behaviour.This approach, with support and guidance from the company and counseling services, has resulted in over 50 employees that previously would have lost their jobs being retained in work. Measuring the outcomes of change The Journey change program at Corus Strip Products contributes to sustainability for the business. By facing up to its internal weaknesses, Corus Strip Products has improved efficiency, increased output, lowered costs an d reduced waste in an increasingly competitive steel market.This has enabled the business not just to survive but also to grow – even during the economic recession of 2008 and 2009. Thanks to the Journey program, CSP UK expects to reduce costs for the 2009/10 financial year by around ?250 million. To make sure that actions delivered results, Corus established clear targets and standards. Milestones (intermediate steps) were set so everyone would know how far CSP UK had gone to achieving the targets. This made it easier to review and measure progress and achievements or to set new deadlines.There have been a huge number of ‘quick wins’ which add up to a great gain overall. Key performance indicators have shown significant progress and include: †¢ production capacity has increased by 4. 5% to a run rate of 5 million tones †¢ the plant is on track to achieve a 20% reduction in the cost of producing steel †¢ 5,000 employees have signed up to the values and beliefs of the business †¢ a reduction in absenteeism †¢ measurable improvements in levels of quality and service for customers †¢ tighter targets for Health and Safety – new safety teams contribute towards accident-free production carbon dioxide emissions have reduced by 10%. CSP UK now exceeds government standards †¢ measurable improvements in the company’s impact on the local community. Individuals, teams and departments all support the improvement culture and are more engaged and committed to achieving company values and targets. This culture shift is of critical value as it will enable further improvement. For example, Corus has implemented top-level security with controlled access for the 5000+ vehicles which enter the Corus site each day.This provides a new enhanced ‘entry experience’ for employees, contractors and suppliers and demonstrates that Corus Strip Products is now seen as an organization that is proud of itself. Co nclusion All organisations need to manage change. If they fail to do so they may be left behind by the competition. Change management at Corus Strip Products UK involved bringing the issues out into the open, confronting barriers to change, winning the commitment and support of all employees and delivering an effective plan for change.The Journey has helped CSP UK to ‘weather the storm’. The company is now exploiting the benefits the program has given. The results of the change management program show that Corus Strip Products is a company that is sustainable and can continue to make profits in spite of the recession. Demonstrating ongoing improvement has the additional benefit of winning government grants to support the important economic sector of steel production. Overcoming Barriers to Change The research aims to identify barriers that exist in education on the way to changing students’ learning environments in a positive way. The literature review has revealed that current practices often demonstrate new opportunities willingly embraced by teachers.However, in many cases, teachers are not as susceptible to practices that threaten to have negative effect on their customary routines, in particular exemplified by collaborative teaching. Using teacher survey, the study will determine to what degree such reluctance can stand in the way of the teaching innovation.IntroductionTeaching collaboration is an idea that has gained prominence in contemporary educational establishments. Although at first a really unusual practice, collaboration in teaching has been shown to deliver great benefits.For educators themselves, â€Å"collegiality breaks the isolation of the classroom and brings career rewards and daily satisfactions† (Inger, 1993). It also helps beginners and e xperienced professional learn from each other for improved results and relieves young teachers of the trial-and-error process they are usually immersed in. bringing teachers closer together in a coherent effort, collaborative teaching helps foster cooperation and friendliness between teachers. Collaboration can also go beyond the level of a single school, helping extend new methods to other areas.At the same time, collaboration is not always compatible with school culture and practices and character of an individual teacher; hence come barriers to collaborative teaching. A teacher can be resistant to collaboration in general, being averse to any form of joint efforts in the same classroom. On the other hand, the teacher’s attitude can embrace collaboration between vocational and academic teachers or those coming from other schools. Therefore, the research problem is as follows:What obstacles do teachers most often face on the path of innovation in their school curriculum that involves collaborative teaching?The study will be focused on teacher perceptions and aim to find material so as to substantiate improvements in collaborative practices.Literature ReviewCollaboration can occur at any stage of the educational process. Teaching can engage in joint preparation of materials for the classroom sessions or engage in team teaching, or â€Å"organizational and instructional arrangement in which two or more teachers work in the same classroom† (Price et al, 2000-2001). Thus, in special education teachers can use a variety of models including the resource room, itinerant, and consultation models (Price et al, 2000-2001).In the process of realizing collaboration models, teachers face barriers that have been categorized by Welch and Sheridan (1995) into four main groups: conceptual barriers, pragmatic barriers, attitudinal barriers, and professional barriers. Conceptual barriers are caused by differences in the definition of roles by different educators, their difference in the processing of material, approaches etc.When teachers face challenges in working out the exact schedule or joining resources for joint effort, this is described as a pragmatic barrier. Attitudinal barriers are the result of fear to try a new approach. Professional barriers arise when teachers cannot cooperate on effective methods of problem solving, lacking adequate skills of working together as a team.Teachers can benefit from the administration’s effort to introduce additional measures so as to reduce the possibility of conflict among teachers.For this purpose, it is necessary to introduce concrete rules and procedures that will define the boundaries between their roles and help them establish working relationships. In case of team teaching, â€Å"the problem is getting a balance between enough specificity in prescribing roles so that a bureaucratic rule book is not created† (Price et al, 2000-2001). Most researchers believe that conflict is un avoidable, and therefore strategies for coping with it should be worked out by the administration in advance.A lot depends on the organizational culture as school culture can either stimulate or defy the efforts of teachers to work together. Peterson (2002) identifies two types of culture: cooperative and toxic. Within toxic cultures, individuals are striving to work together for common goals. As a result, teachers can reach effective collaboration more easily than in other organizations. In toxic cultures, on the contrary, individual effort is frustrated because of the lack of common framework.In addition, organizational resources can also be a barrier to innovation that should be represented in teaching communities. Many schools lack adequate programs that can accommodate the participation of two or more teachers. There are even fewer resources available for attracting outside professionals that can participate in collaborative projects. This can serve as a motivator for teachers to desire the continuation of the routines currently present in education.Cooperation between academic and vocational teachers can be prevented by the organizational design of the academic environment in which â€Å"the social and organizational isolation of most vocational teachers is exacerbated by the physical separation and programmatic fragmentation in secondary schools† (Inger, 1993).The difference in their social status further contributes to the rising walls between these two groups of professionals. Since academic teachers generally have a higher status, they tend to marginalize their vocational colleagues, a situation that discourages cooperation.