Saturday, August 31, 2019

Coach Inc Essay

1) 1. What are the defining characteristics of the luxury goods industry? What is the industry like? A luxury brand may have profound influence on an overall product strategy since its position may determine how the company is going to make its next step. A luxury brand like Coach epitomizes elegance and combines classic beauty with modern design. According to John E. Gamble, not only has Coach become one of the most respected and known brand names in the ladies’ handbags and leather accessories luxury brand industry, it is also one of the most best-selling luxury brand companies in the world, with net sales reaching 2.1 billion in 2006 (Gamble). When a company like Coach decides to set up a product strategy for the next season, the manager will need to take the brand’s established style into account, since their incoming products must fit with the existing brand. When a manager, such as Lew Frankfort, chairman and CEO of Coach, Inc., aims to build a luxury brand like Coach, he invests millions of dollars in setting up a series of business strategies, including advertising on television, organizing fashion shows, and gaining the approval of fashion designers. These actions are decided based on how a luxury brand is built; essentially, the brand will guide the future steps of the company to a certain degree. Coach, Inc. is different from other more expensive luxury brands, such as Hermes, Prada, Fendi, and Louis Vuitton in the sense that Coach focuses more on middle-income consumers who want to purchase their hand bags from a price range of $200 to $500. Coach is the alternative to these competing companies, matching their key luxury products on quality and styling, while beating them on price by 50% or more (Gamble). 2) 2. What is competition like in the luxury goods industry? What competitive forces seem to have the greatest effect on industry attractiveness? The Luxury branding decision will influence an organization’s pricing decisions because its position is related to the product’s price. Take Coca Cola, for example. It is the most valuable brand in the world. The brand makers intend to compel everyone to drink Coca and provide a feeling of happiness. Thus, the price of the product will be cheap, since the brand is aimed at inducing the public’s joy. If the company sets the prices high, people may not be able to afford Coca Cola. Since the brand targets consumers of all backgrounds and income levels, it aims to market itself as a cheap beverage that tastes remarkable. This is how the brand is related to the pricing. Similarly, Coach, Inc. succeeds in maintaining a balance between affordable price and luxurious design. Coach is a less expensive luxury brand compared to its more expensive Italian and French counterparts. The type of brand will directly influence an organization’s distribution system, especially if it is a luxury brand, since the brand may tell people where the product is distributed. According to the website (americanessays.com) â€Å"Coca Cola has its own distribution channel including direct and indirect selling.† By using this strategy, Coca Cola is able to provide Coke all over the world. Coach, Inc. keyed into â€Å"accessible† luxury ladies’ handbags and leather accessories. The brand will influence a company’s promotion decision because of its nature. For a brand like Louis Vuitton, customers barely receive any discounts or find any promotions since it is a very well-known brand with French elegance. The company may not perform any promotions since it may hurt the brand. In contrast, a brand like Best Buy frequently holds promotions, usually every season or every month since this brand is meant to be economic. Thus, the company will execute promotions quite often. Coach, Inc. created its business model, which has different kinds of stores, including full-price stores, factory stores, wholesale department stores, and internet sales stores. Full-price stores sell the newest designer hand bags, leather accessories, fragrances, and women’s knitwear collections. Factory stores sell slightly out-of-season products. Coach, Inc. selects the highest quality materials to produce its products in order to maintain its reputation of exceptional quality. Under the manager’s marketing team, Coach launches new collections every month to attract customers to return and browse its product selection. On the other hand, customers can find their favorite handbags and accessories in factory stores at discounted prices. Coach has become the best-selling brand of women’s luxury handbags and leather accessories in the United States, with a 25% market share. Moreover, Coach is the second best-selling brand of those products in Japan, with an 8% market share. With its successful global business strategy, Coach, Inc. has rapidly grown in the last six years after its initial IPO in 2000 (Paul. 283). It attracts mostly middle-income consumers, who purchase its products rather than those of other name brands on the same price level. The growing desire for luxury goods in middleclass consumers is thought to be a result of a wide range of factors, including effective advertising and TV programming that glorifies conspicuous consumption. On the other hand, the demanding daily rigor of two-income households is thought to be another suggested factor. Additional factor are the rising sales of luxury goods and the growth of big box discounters, such as Wal-Mart and Target (Gamble). Therefore, in the contemporary market environment, should the company want to build its business successfully, the key points are great design, high quality, and luxury styling in an acceptable price range. If the company doesn’t adhere to those key points, it will lead itself to loss of its market share or bankruptcy. 3) 3. How is the market for luxury handbags and leather accessories changing? What are the underlying drivers of change and how might those driving forces change the industry? In the current luxury handbags and leather accessories market, any competing company faces two sets of challenges in continuing the development of its business and succeeding in growing its market share. First, when Coach, Inc. was founded in 1941, it was a small family-owned handbag business in New York City. After 44 years of family management with a steadily set price 50% lower than more luxurious brands, Coach was sold to Sara Lee. Coach continued to grow rapidly until the mid-1990s. Then, in an abrupt change of events, consumers quit purchasing Coach’s handbags in order to focus on French and Italian brands, such as Gucci, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. The company’s market share fell from 40% to a tragic 5%. Reed Krakoff, the top Tommy Hilfiger designer, was hired by Sara Lee to save the business that had more than half a century’s worth of history. In the beginning, Reed did the extensive consumer surveys and held focus groups to get the information of styling, comfort, and functionality preferences. After doing consumer surveys, Reed found that customers wanted handbags with edgier styling, softer leather, and leather-trimmed fabric. After six months, Coach launched redesigned, brand-new handbags to the market. Furthermore, Reed improved the appearance from dark, wood-paneled interiors design to a bring and air ambiance design. Reed planned to launch new collections every month instead of twice a year. Reed introduced the test models and the discontinued models sold at discounted price. After innovation, Coach sales continued to grow from $500 million in 1999 to more than $2.1 billion in 2006 (John E. Gamble). In addition, luxury brand name products face counterfeit goods, which threatened their market sales in current years. In 2006, more than $500 billion worth of counterfeit goods were sold all over the world. As a result, it seriously threatened the profit of name brand companies. Combating counterfeit goods requires the government to take a step to combat and convict intellectual property rights crimes. 4) 6. What are the resource strengths and weaknesses of Coach Inc.? What competencies and capabilities does it have that its chief rivals don’t have? What new market opportunities does Coach have? What threats do you see to the company’s future well-being? Coach, Inc. is the well known luxury brand of handbags and leather accessories which that originated in the United States. It should be more popular and widely-accepted by Americans since it is an American luxury brand. Furthermore, Coach, Inc. continues to attract consumers by launching new collections every month, marking up full-priced new products and over-seasonal products’ low price level. Those business characteristics hardly occur in its chief rivals, such as Hermes, Ralph Lauren, Prada, and Louis Vuitton. Therefore, it creates a long-term relationship with its customers. In recent years, Coach, Inc. has continued to expand and develop its business all over the world. For example, it builds more flagship stores in different countries. Moreover, Coach, Inc. tries to diversity its business. For example, Coach, Inc. now launches women’s knitwear collections, and ladies’ footwear. To the contrary, Coach, Inc. sets up too many stores in the nearby areas, which will hurt the luxury brand name’s reputation. If one can buy Coach’s products anywhere, will one still find Coach to be luxurious? The economy is now getting better and better. Companies will compensate their employees well, and grant them more buying powerful to purchase Coach’s products. However, the challenge of Coach, Inc. is to compete with other luxury French and Italian brand goods and to combat the threat of counterfeit goods (John E. Gamble). 5) 7. What recommendations would you make to Lew Frankfort to improve the company’s competitive position in the industry and its financial and market performance? In conclusion, Coach, Inc. is one of the most successful luxury brands of women’s handbags and leather accessories. Its products match key luxury rivals on quality and styling with pricing level focus on middle-income consumers (John E. Gamble). In the company’s future development, I would recommend that Lew Frankfort focus on market situations and customers’ perpetually-changing desires. It would be to his benefit to do market surveys prior to a new product’s creation. The company should set up stores only in locations where expansion is profitable. The company should follow current business models, such as different price levels, launch new collections every month, continue with high quality production, and provide excellent customer service, which can develop and reach higher level returns on shareholders’ equities. References: 1) Case 5. John E. Gamble. Page 238-97 2) Marketing Management (J. Paul Peter/James H. Donnelly, JR.) 3)http://www.americanessays.com/study-aids/free-essays/education/the-coca-cola-enterprises.php

Friday, August 30, 2019

The History of Chocolate

Chocolate is one of the oldest treats enjoyed by many people. By a show of hands, how many people love chocolate? I have loved chocolate ever since I was a little girl. I have enjoyed the different tastes, textures, and styles of it. Chocolate has been one of the oldest treats enjoyed by many people. I want to share with you the history of chocolate, types of chocolate, and some benefits from eating chocolate. Let’s start with the History of Chocolate! Chocolate's history started over 2,000 years ago. It began in the tropical rainforests of Central and South America from the seed of the cacao tree. This small tree grows best in the tropical atmosphere because it receives the best amount of rain, shade, humidity, wind, and nutrients. According to Susan J. Terrio, the author of Crafting the Culture and History of French Chocolate, the first people known to have made chocolate were the ancient cultures of Mexico and Central America. These people, including the Maya and Aztec, mixed ground cacao seeds with various seasonings to make a spicy, frothy drink. This was the very first way that chocolate was consumed. When the Spanish conquered the Aztecs, they brought the cacao seeds back home to Spain. 1. The chocolate drink was very popular in Spain. It then spread to Europe where new technologies and innovations changed the texture and taste of chocolate. 2. By the mid-1700s, the blossoming Industrial Revolution saw the emergence of innovations that changed the future of chocolate.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Insurance Essay

There are many differences between insurance and social assistance programs. They differentiate in administration, financing, coverage and the basis of payments. Insurance is having coverage for the most important and costly things that need to be protected throughout life. Health insurance is used to help cover the cost of routine check-ups, immunization, medications, emergency visits, surgeries, and hospitalization. These costs increase over time due to the increase in the quality of care and prescription costs.Depending on what your income and insurance plan you have you will be opted to pay a deductible before your insurance company will pay their part. Auto insurance protects auto accidents, medical bills from accidents, and repairs such as collision coverage. Social assistance programs are solely for people who have a low income, or are unemployed due to disabilities, maternity leave, or have children and are unemployed.Auto and health insurance have many similarities as well a s differences. When it comes to auto insurance you are paying a predetermined amount to keep a coverage on your vehicle. Whether it be a car accident, theft, repairs or towing and protecting against an accident if you are at fault. Depending on what type of insurance you have and how much you are willing to pay for your coverage is all based on what you receive on your auto insurance.Health insurance is primarily to keep you in a good health. There are more than 51 million people throughout the US that have no health insurance. Having health insurance is so important in order to have routine check-ups, ER visits for illnesses, giving birth, medication and hospitalization which are all very costly matters. The similarity between these two types of insurance is to protect you against the financial hardships the happen throughout life to be able to afford them.

Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Analyse the compromises made in the Vienna Convention between common Essay

Analyse the compromises made in the Vienna Convention between common law and civil law approaches to contract formation - Essay Example Many of the principles of international mercantile law were derived from the early rules and traditions formulated in the Middle Ages.2 However, with regard to the unification of laws and the harmonization of principles that govern transnational commerce and in particular, the international sale of goods, serious efforts were undertaken only in the 1930s. The first draft of a uniform law on international sale of goods was developed in 1935, World political events intervened - in particular, the Second World War - and it was only in 1964 when two conventions were approved in a conference at The Hague. These conventions were the Uniform Law on the International Sale of Goods ("ULIS") and the Uniform Law on the Formation of Contracts for the International Sale of Goods ("ULF"). Unfortuna... Many states were not comfortable with the influence of the civil law traditions of Western Europe3 . The failure of these two conventions made one conclusion inescapable: to achieve uniformity and harmonization of the principles governing the international sale of goods, there must be widespread concurrence from a vast majority of state-actors.4 The road towards a unified law was long and arduous. Two years after the conferences at the Hague, the United Nations established the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL). However, it took ten years before the UNCITRAL released the 1978 Draft Convention. Perhaps the circumstances were a little different than they were in 1968, and there was a growing realization of the imperative to come up with rules that harmonize international trade law. In 1980, 62 countries came together in a conference in Vienna and, after some debate, approved unanimously the Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG). In 1988, the CISG finally came into force. The prefatory statement of the CISG illuminates us as to the overarching goals of the Convention: ''THE STATES PARTIES TO THIS CONVENTION, BEARING IN MIND the broad objectives in the resolution adopted by the sixth special session of the General Assembly of the United Nations on the establishment of a New International Economic Order, CONSIDERING that the development of international trade on the basis of equality and mutual benefit is an important element in promoting friendly relations among States, BEING OF THE OPINION that the adoption of uniform rules which govern contracts for the international sale of goods and take

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

'French argues that 'An awareness of the impact of (national) culture Essay - 1

'French argues that 'An awareness of the impact of (national) culture on people in work organisations' is important in tod - Essay Example According to Samovar et al (2009), culture has been subjected to numerous and often-complex abstract definitions as writers labored to incorporate and explain array of cultural components and objectives. They continue to say that, what was considered earliest definition of culture by British anthropologist Sir Edward Burnett Taylor in 1871, explained culture as â€Å"the complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by a man as a member of society (Tylor, 2007) Blad (p. 7) explains that, it is important to note that the characteristic that define state autonomy and global market integration are found in both cases. He continues to say that, the comparison of inter-related state-building projects allows us to not only understand the role of distinct national culture but also how sub-state autonomy is enhanced through global political economic integration. According to Entezar (2008, p. 24-25) ‘culture ca n be studied in two different ways. One can either study specifics in order to determine the general patterns (inductive) or study the general patterns to identify the specifics of a culture (deductive). The second approach is adopted by Hofstede in his dimensional analysis of culture.’ She continues to explain that, ‘every culture deals with power ambiguity, individualism, and gender that are universal and exist in all cultures. Here again these dimensions are filtered through the value systems of various cultures.’ In the argument that, â€Å"awareness of the impact of national culture on people in work organizations and its importance in today’s world†, I will argue for it. Theories of National Culture Ernest Gellner’s theory of nationalism, initially articulated in a chapter of Thought and Change in 1964, rigorously questioned the putative casual power of a pre-existing culture in formation of nations and nationalism. In what is now a fam ous reversal of commonsensical understandings of the relationship between culture and nationalism, he insisted no â€Å"the nation†, a bounded national culture that creates nationalism, but the other way round. (Hall et al 2010, p. 516) Lussier & Achua (2010: pp 391) explains that whether organizational or national, culture is a product of values and norms that people use to guide and control their behavior. Culture affects the relationship between members and leaders of a nation based on shared values. They continue to explain that, on national level, a country’s values and norms determine what kinds of attitude and behaviors are acceptable or appropriate. The people of a particular culture are socialized into these values as they grow up, and norms and social guidelines prescribe the way they should behave toward one another. From the above explanation by Lussier and Achua, we can see that, in a nation, a specific conduct that people should relate to each other, ther e is a specific way that people in management position should relate to their subjects. These codes of conduct dictate how they relate and behave. For instance, the eastern countries, they have a unique dressing manner. In that, all women should be in a certain type of cloth. The same is seen in other countries with Islam religion. Another example is the African countries; the traditional Africans had a unique way of dressing their leaders with different types of clothing. The leaders could be donned with animal skin, to

Social Psychology Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Social Psychology - Assignment Example The people of different races are provided equal access to education and job opportunities. It is largely believed that the provision of equal opportunities would increase the tolerance level and a feeling of fraternity between different races. However racism and discrimination is realities that do exist at some level till date. We still have a long way to go. The results of the Clarke and Clark study demonstrated that young African American children in segregated school gave priority to the white dolls over the black dolls as opposed to children in integrated schools. It is said to reflect the low self esteem, self depreciation and self-hate amongst the children as a function of the segregation. This experiment practically demonstrates that the young children are taught from the beginning to accept and endorse the separation and inequality on the basis of their skin color alone. The children by choosing to opt for the white doll negated the principle of humanity that should be followed at all costs. The young and impressionable minds learned from an early age that they were inferior to their white counterparts. The effects of discrimination in the personality development and the over all perception of on life is drastic because they happen at such an early influence able stage (Killen and Levi, 2010). The black people who tend to face discrimination have such low self esteem that they are known to settle for jobs which pays inadequately. On top of dealing with the inner demons, the black people also have to overcome many a mental stereotypes and a substandard preformed ideology about them at the societal level. Their feelings of self worth is further depreciated and infringed when they are discriminated and segregated at a larger scale. According to the experiment of Clarke and Clark the segregation and discrimination at an early point in life

Monday, August 26, 2019

Telecommunications and Networking (cloud computing) Essay

Telecommunications and Networking (cloud computing) - Essay Example As a result of this, the most notable changes are visible in the applications and approach of the Web servers. The web servers’ functions have undergone new definition in manner in which they facilitate the clients directly or indirectly (Terry, 2010).Cloud computing is defined as a scalable infrastructure on which the servers rely their operations. The data available in the remote networks and remote infrastructure allowing ease of access and rapid transmission (ACM, 2009). Cloud computing has number of characteristics to it which make it more distinctive and unique compared to the conventional form of web servers that were in practice in past. It also provides various applications and functionalities that separate them from their predecessors. These features include software as a Service feature, platform as a service feature and finally, infrastructure as a service feature. These three factors are the characteristic attributes of the cloud computing. Other features include advanced algorithms, service oriented architecture availability, massive broadband availability. New Functionality: Virtualization is another factor characteristic of cloud computing which differentiates it from the earlier technologies that were present in the market for the purpose of clients-servers operations (Josyula, et al., 2012). Cloud computing has an edge relevant to the capital expense as well and no major deployment is needed prior to the operations. It rather targets Operation expenses. The need for internally purchased servers is also eliminated with the help of cloud computing concept. More servers’ installation is another edge which can be enjoyed in the case of incumbent technology (Terry, 2013). Advantages: Other advantages include: economic advantages, reduction in the variable costs, ease of operations, scalability, disaster recovery and handling costs control, further enhanced automated network, data security, all these are few of the advantages served by Cloud computing technologies. 2-A central challenge of cloud computing is providing scalable, secure, self-managing, and fault-tolerant data storage for long-running services. What data models are supported by existing cloud-based storage systems? What are the technical trades-offs between the key-value stores commonly provided and relational databases? How do application developers choose a particular storage system? How does one design cloud-based storage systems to ensure that a user's data survives for 100 years, even as companies come and go? The data models employed ensure scalability and flexibility enabled infrastructure. Various models are in practice for these purposes which include one dimensional vs. multi dimensional models, access path optimization, and multi data centre models. Cloudy is another model designed for the purpose of bringing about more flexibility in the cloud mechanism and system. Relational model is another model in existence that is being used by Clou d computing technique for the purpose of service providing to the clients. Key value, queue, xml are few other models being incorporated (Weiss, 2007). Tradeoff: Consideration of the pricing, service level agreements, and Application program Interface are few of the technical tradeoffs. Performance trade off is a serious factor in Read Optimized data base. Limitations in the existing setups: Allowing for

Sunday, August 25, 2019

Positive Behavior Intervention Plan Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Positive Behavior Intervention Plan - Case Study Example His mother referred the boy to me after he started portraying a lot of aggressiveness especially towards his friends as well as older brother. Collins is of Asian origin and is extremely attached to his iPad. He is always on his iPad, which he refuses to give or share with anyone. He turns extremely aggressive when anyone gets near him particularly when he is using his iPad. This boy has both parents and one brother who is older than he is. His belligerence is characterized by recurrent verbal outbursts in addition to offensive actions towards his friends, brother, or at times to his parents. Additionally, when the iPad is taken from him, he breaks everything he gets hold of. Collins demonstrates aggressiveness mainly when prevented from doing what other considered wrong or when he wanted to get something forcefully from others, particularly his iPad. To assess Collins, I together with his mother used indirect assessment. A number of strategies were used to assess the boy. One of the strategy entailed cross-examining the mother. Additionally, the mother filled the Functional Behavioral Assessment Screening Form (FBASF). Moreover, the assessment entailed use of Functional Assessment Interview Form (FAIF). The forms helped get information regarding the settings, circumstances, and the extent of aggressiveness displayed by Collins. Additionally, direct behavior observation was done on Collins. Functional Assessment Interview Form (FAIF) results revealed that Collins have a tendency to be more aggressive when bothered specifically when using his iPad. On several occasions, he would go to the extent of breaking anything within his reach especially when anyone tried to take his iPad from him. Direct behavior observation showed that he was more likely to get aggressive when his brother who attempted to take the iPad. On some occasions, he would yell loudly and kick at anyone close to him.

Saturday, August 24, 2019

Health Care Delivery System Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Health Care Delivery System - Essay Example As governor, she brought down the percentage of uninsured by 25 percent in just two years by expanding Medicaid benefits to the near poor. She knows full well that previous national efforts to reduce the number of uninsured have failed. Just last year Congress failed to reach agreement in establishing legislation that would have increased the number of people who would qualify for Medicaid. The governor supports a move toward a single payer system in the health care industry as a vehicle to help pay for people to have access to health care insurance, but does not understand all of its components. You are the governor’s best friend and happen to  be enrolled in the bachelor’s degree program in health management  at a University. She asks you to inform her of your thoughts of implementing a national single payer system. Include in your discussion the likely effect this type of system would have on the administrative costs, delivery of services, and payment for service s rendered. Don’t forget to tell her about the possibility of pent-up demand and what may happen to availability of and access to services. Will her plan to use administrative savings cover the 16 percent of Americans who are uninsured? Why or why not? Experiences in Canada and UK have proven the effectiveness of the single payer health system, as both countries have covered large percentage of their population and have a lower cost of health care per capita than US. Implementing this same system in the US would cover most of the uninsured Americans and would provide better availability and access to services to the entire population, as the 25 % of health expenditures spent on administration would be allocated toward better health services, however, one most meanest the financial problems that arise from merging the various insurance factors as Medicare and Medicaid, as they would in united into a single health care system,

Friday, August 23, 2019

Molecular Biology and Molecular Diagnostics Essay

Molecular Biology and Molecular Diagnostics - Essay Example The magazines are always aimed at the general public, therefore the language employed is standard and can be comprehended by any age group, individual. This paper aims at exploring the form and nature of molecular biology with the particular interest in understanding the interactions between the distinct systems of a cell. The paper will look at the interaction between RNA, DNA, protein biosynthesis, and how the interaction can be used in the diagnosis of a named disease. Molecular biology is concerned with the development, structure, and function of macromolecules critical to life (Carson, Miller, and Witherow, 2012, p. 19). The field digs deeper to explore the role of macromolecules in cell replication and how genetic information is transmitted from one stage of life to another. Basically, molecular microbiology aims at analyzing how the DNA can be manipulated in order to mutate or sequence it. A mutat3d DNA is usually inserted into the genome of a living being to offer some mutation effects caused by the phenomenon. Of late, there has been an increase in the study of molecules (Carson, Miller, and Witherow, 2012, p. 59). The studies have either been direct or indirect in their approach to the study of molecules. Direct studies have focused on the interactions of molecules (cell biology and developmental biology). Other indirect studies have focused on inferring historical attributes of species/masses (populations). A molecular diagnostic is a method that is employed to assess biological markers in an individual’s genetic code (in the genome and proteome). This aspect of cellular microbiology focuses on how the cells of individuals express their genes in the form of proteins. Molecular biology is applied in medical testing to monitor and diagnose diseases, identify risks, and decide on the kind of therapies that will achieve the maximum results (Clark, 2010, 170). ). Molecular biology has contributed to the detection and characterization of the management of disease-causing micro-organisms.  Ã‚  

Thursday, August 22, 2019

Magnifying and Obscuring Essay Example for Free

Magnifying and Obscuring Essay The stories of John Updike’s â€Å"AP† and William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose for Emily† both make use of the first person point of view in narration but with very different and quite powerful effects that also affect other elements of the story. The ways in which these two stories play with the individual elements of a piece of fiction show just how important it is to make sure that these individual elements are all taken cared of and built-up with equal care and attention, because a problem with one element can result into a problem with the entire story; the elements must all be able to work together to support each other and to weave a tight story. â€Å"AP† uses the first person, non-omniscient, singular point of view (POV) narration to build rapport with the main character, Sammy [for example: â€Å"Im in the third check-out slot, with my back to the door, so I dont see them until theyre over by the bread; I could see Lengel in my place in the slot, checking the sheep through. † (Updike 560)]. This connection with Sammy is a very important one because it is pretty much the driving force of the story; learning of what’s going on in a teenage boy’s head while there are half-naked girls walking about can make an interesting read. This point of view is really what helps push the reader on along as she or he plods through the â€Å"AP† plot. With â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, on the other hand, we are given the first person, non-omniscient, plural point of view. Obviously, because it is plural it cannot be the view of the main character, Miss Emily Grierson. Instead we seem to have the entire story narrated to us by the entire town [â€Å"When Miss Emily Grierson died, our whole town went to her funeral; for a long while we just stood there, looking down at the profound and fleshless grin† (Faulkner)]. This works to increase the mystery that surrounds Miss Emily and her house because we never really knew what she is thinking or feeling. This point of view, giving an air of mystery, again, helps push the reader on to discover what happens throughout the story. Relating with the use of the POV are the different story plots. Here, we can see a great difference between â€Å"AP† and â€Å"A Rose for Emily† because we find that one is mainly character-driven while the other has a strong plot that keeps the readers going through the story. It is â€Å"AP† that is, obviously, character-driven because of its simple plot of a boy wanting to elicit the attention of some pretty girls, which is quite common. Even the events in the story and the simple chronological way that it folds are quite ordinary; it is really Sammy – his thoughts and his feelings – that make a reader interested in the story. And, even up to the ending, readers are all interested only in Sammy’s fate and no one else’s [â€Å"I felt how hard the world was going to be to me hereafter† (Updike 564)]. In â€Å"A Rose for Emily†, on the other hand, we have a story with a strong plot, aided by the effective point of view narration, which moves the story along. The story hooks readers into the plot by making them curious about who Miss Emily Grierson is from the very beginning – readers are wondering why she is a â€Å"fallen monument† and what is so interesting about the â€Å"inside of her house† (Faulkner). The non-linear timeline that the story follows also strengthens the mystery of Miss Emily because the building block to her life must be pieced together slowly and with a certain amount of intuition, at first. Now, the characters of the two stories are also very different – one is as open to us as a book laid flat-open, while the other is mystery to the very end. With Sammy of â€Å"AP†, we never seem to see a concrete glimpse of in terms of physical appearance but the readers would all know him if they met him. The first person narration lets us in on all the things that makes Sammy think and tick with that little grocery stop. In his observation of the girls, we find a young man with a keen eye and, also, an eye for beauty. He also shows us the ability of a good imagination when he imagines how the girls behave and how their relationships with each other must be like as when he describes the tall girl as: â€Å"a tall one, with black hair that hadnt quite frizzed right, and one of these sunburns right across under the eyes, and a chin that was too long you know, the kind of girl other girls think is very striking and attractive but never quite makes it, as they very well know, which is why they like her so much. † (Updike 561) Sammy, as we can surmise, is a boy that is very much in-touch with his surroundings and his imagination. The characterization of Miss Emily, in contrast, is one that is left murky and shadowy. Because we only see her through the townspeople’s eyes, we never really see her clearly; we can only watch her through the stories, the memories, and the patchwork guesses that these observers give us. But even from this blurry view of Miss Emily through a window, we can see how guarded and closed-off she is from her environment [as when she acted ignorant of Colonel Sartoris’ death (Faulkner)] – the total opposite of Sammy. In â€Å"AP†, we are set-up in a small grocery store that effectively concentrates our attention on no one and nothing else but Sammy and his current preoccupation. The AP grocery store acts as the perfect magnifying glass to help us focus on our main character and how he deals with the current situation. â€Å"A Rose for Emily† is set-up up throughout decades of a life and in different places of the town; this manner of a setting makes for even more mystery as the reader tries to fill in all the gaps between the years that the narrators had no contact nor any knowledge of what went on in Miss Emily’s life. The vast setting diffuses the readers’ minds and it wanders across time and space, searching for a complete picture of Miss Emily Grierson. These two stories, perhaps more different than alike, prove that good stories don’t need to follow a certain pattern to mold in order to be good; it is in the writer and the dedication to his work that makes a story count. Works Cited Faulkner, William. A Rose For Emily. 16 February 2008. Fu Jen University: Department of English Language and Literature. 26 June 2009 http://www. eng. fju. edu. tw/English_ Literature/Rose/el-text-E-Rose. htm Updike, John. â€Å"AP†. The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature Eighth Edition. Ed.

Wednesday, August 21, 2019

Annual parent meeting Essay Example for Free

Annual parent meeting Essay Each year, Title I programs are required to host a meeting for parents to explain what the Title I program is and how parents can become involved in the Title I program. (This is different from the Annual Review meeting, which is also a requirement). At this meeting, the following issues must be addressed: Explain their school’s participation in Title I (whether they are schoolwide or targeted) Explain the Title I requirements (schoolwide or targeted, whichever is applicable) Explain what participation in Title I programming means, including: o A description and explanation of the school’s curriculum; o Information on the forms of academic assessment used to measure student progress; and Information on the proficiency levels students are expected to meet. Explain the district parental involvement policy, school parental involvement policy, and school-parent compact. Explain the right of parents to become involved in the school’s programs and ways to do so. Explain that parents have the right to request opportunities for regular meetings for o parents to formulate suggestions and to participate, as appropriate, in decisions about the education of their children. The school must respond to any such suggestions as soon as practicably possible. In order to keep parents informed, schools must invite all parents of children participating in Title I Part A programs and encourage them to attend. In a schoolwide program, this means ALL parents should be invited; in a targeted assistance program, just those parents with children participating in Title I should be invited. Schools must also offer a flexible number of additional parental involvement meetings, such as in the morning or evening so that as many parents as possible are able to attend. You must be able to document this meeting with minutes, agendas, sign-in sheets, etc. You may want to do more than the law requires for this meeting, especially if you often have problems with attendance. Below are a few things to keep in mind regarding the Annual Parent Meeting: This can be an introduction to the Title I program, a workshop, a welcome night, etc.; the format is up to you. Preferably, this meeting occurs at the beginning or in the fall of the school year. This meeting, whatever form it takes, must be documented with minutes. Is there two-way communication at this meeting, or is it the teacher/administrator giving information to parents about the program? Do you involve parents in the agenda? Do you try to get ideas from them on what this meeting should involve? Annual Title I Parent Meeting Requirements 8/2010 Page 1 Training Opportunities The Title I program should provide parents with opportunities to become partners with the school in promoting the education of the child at school and at home. This should include information about specific methods parents can use at home to complement their child’s education. The Annual Review Each year, schools must hold a meeting to review their entire Title I program. This meeting typically takes place in the spring of the school year. Therefore, if there are programmatic changes to be made, they can be implemented the subsequent school year. Questions to be considered include: â€Å"What worked well this year?† and â€Å"What changes would we like to make for next year?† Student Eligibility Targeted assistance Title I programs must inform parents that their child is eligible to receive Title I services. This notification must be sent home on an annual basis. Parents must be given the opportunity to decline services if they so choose. Below are a few things to keep in mind regarding informing parents of student eligibility: Documentation of parent notification for eligibility must be maintained. Be sure to retain copies of parent permission signatures, especially if parents decline services. Informing Parents of Student Progress Parents must be kept informed of their child’s progress. In targeted assistance programs, some type of progress report must be sent home to the parents to show their child’s progress with Title I services. This report may be sent home during conferences, with other report cards, or any other time a Title I teacher wishes. It is very helpful to send suggestions as to how parents can help their child with skills and areas in which the child may be struggling. Below are a few things to keep in mind regarding informing parents of student progress: The method used to notify parents must be documented. This notification must be disseminated at least twice a year, ideally more often. The notification must contain assessment results from at least three different assessments in the various areas the child receives Title I services. For instance, if a child receives services in reading and math, three reading and three math assessment results must be documented. Annual Title I Parent Meeting Requirements 8/2010

Tuesday, August 20, 2019

The Blackburn Report | Analysis

The Blackburn Report | Analysis 1. Introduction The tragic death of thirteen year old Aliyah Ismail, caused by a methadone overdose in 1999, created waves of anguish through the United Kingdom. The resultant media uproar, the revelations about her life in care and descent into prostitution, and the specially commissioned report by social care worker and legal activist Maddie Blackburn, laid bare the heartbreak and misery of abused and distraught British children who live and grow up in care, away from their natural parents. The incident led to widespread distress, intense soul searching and a resolve by the British people to take better care of their young. Even today, seven years down the line, late evening visits to King’s Cross station and Camden Town, the sleazy centres of London’s grim underbelly where Aliyah lived out the last days of her short life, throw up sights of young waifs, barely into their teens, propositioning customers or melting into the shadows. Some progress has been made but much still needs to be done. Maddie Blackburn’s report on the incident was prepared on the express instructions of the Harrow local authorities, the body that functioned as Aliyah’s â€Å"corporate parents†[1], and had complete responsibility for giving her parental care. Her study focussed on Aliyah’s distressing life under the supervision of the UK’s programme for children in care and was largely an indictment of the functioning of the social care system. Soon after, Liz Davies of the London Metropolitan University carried out a serious case review of Aliyah’s case. It is the objective of this assignment to study the Blackburn report, in conjunction with other governmental and independent findings, and analyse the causal factors behind the still grim circumstances in which children in care live in the UK. The assignment covers the role of committed social workers, the essentiality of partnering between various agencies, and the individual and collective commitment need ed by citizens as well as corporate and governmental institutions to bring about a sea change in the situation. British society has to do a better job of looking after its brood. 2. Commentary The Blackburn report, in its entirety, covers the ten agencies involved in Aliyah’s care including the police, the probation services, the local health authority and the council. While it makes 18 recommendations, the gist of the report can be distilled into four main messages. These are as follows. The need for child care agencies to listen to childrens allegations of abuse and to improve staffs hearing and listening skills The need for closer inter-agency working on cases The creation of suitable strategies for managing older children who are beyond the control of their parents, such as secure accommodation, particularly for girls over 12 The urgent need for a way of analysing all information on a child in care so there is a clear plan on how they should be looked after.[2] Sixty one thousand young children, living in care in the UK are evidence of the likelihood of history repeating itself, of the chances of new Aliyahs emerging from the doors of foster care homes and children’s institutions. A stable home environment, free of elements like discord, abject poverty, and physical, mental or substance abuse, is particularly important for the development of children. It provides security and delineates boundaries within which young people can grow and flourish. The majority of children placed in care come from environments of poverty, domestic violence and substance abuse. They are far more likely to have mental disorders and behavioural problems compared to children raised in normal private homes. Aliyah, for example, came from a broken and extremely poor background. Her father had left home when she was a baby and her mother suffered from long term mental illnesses. [3] The following excerpt provides some disturbing facts about the extent of emoti onal disorders that exists in children living under the care of local authorities. A study of the prevalence of mental disorders in children aged 5 to 10 who were looked after by local authorities showed that they were five times more likely to have a mental health problem than children in private households. Eleven per cent had emotional disorders (compared to 3 per cent of children in private households/with their own family), 36 per cent had a conduct disorder (compared to 5 per cent), and 11 per cent had a hyperkinetic disorder (compared to 2 per cent).[4] These disquieting facts largely explain the enormous challenges faced by local authorities and social care workers in taking care of the children placed in care. Parents know the terrible anguish and feelings of helplessness that overtake families when children go astray and get involved in violence or substance abuse. The problems faced by the most committed of foster care families and institutions in looking after children with scarred psyches and histories of intense trauma become easy to imagine. Grave concern has been voiced about the high rate of psychiatric disorders among children in the care system. This concern is based on observations of children who have been looked after and accommodated for a considerable length of time. McCann and colleagues, for example, looked at the prevalence of mental illness in adolescents who had been in care on average for 2.9years. Little is known, however, about the mental health of children at the time they enter local authority care.[5] Children who come into care have to necessarily live either with foster parents or in children’s homes. They are mostly too young to recognise their feelings, let alone express them, and need urgent and competent psychiatric care. While these children need expert treatment for mental disorders as well as supportive, comfortable and safe home environments, the current situation is often unable to provide them with either. A number of social research studies have pointed to the very significant need for making available good psychiatric care and commented on the gap that exists between actual and desired conditions. Mentally disturbed children need coordinated help from a number of quarters including counsellors, teachers and social workers. The childcare mechanism needs to be truly multidisciplinary to be effective. This is not easy, especially when three vital requirements, funding, people and infrastructure, are scarce. Efforts to provide help obviously become disjointed and ad hoc, even if they do not lack sincerity and compassion. A multidisciplinary team, comprising of social counsellors, paediatricians and psychologists, analysed the condition of available psychiatric help in 1999 and concluded that the level of assistance available for children in care had significant shortcomings. These findings show a worrying gap in mental healthcare provision. The study shows that a considerable proportion of young children have a serious psychiatric disorder at the time they enter local authority care but are not being referred for psychological help. We believe that these findings strongly indicate the need for early intervention policies to help this vulnerable group. Furthermore, the complex needs of these children can only be assessed effectively through multidisciplinary discussion and strategic planning. [6] It is surprising that the Blackburn report did not discuss the absence of medical facilities, especially in the area of mental health, available for children in care. Instead of focussing on this major deficit, stress was given to the fact that Aliyah was not sent to secure accommodation faster. The inability of the childcare mechanism to give her proper psychological attention and the consequent lack of awareness about her condition are possibly the causal factors behind her numerous shifts from home to institution to another set of foster parents, i.e, until she decided to exit and start fending for herself. In this situation it becomes difficult to accept the Blackburn finding on the failure of social workers to listen carefully to children’s allegations about physical and mental abuse, without considering the situation in totality. The failure of the staff to understand the true extent of her disturbed mental condition was probably symptomatic of the broad malfunctioning o f the system rather than the fault of individual workers. The lack of basic concern for children comes through starkly when even committed activists like Blackburn feel it more important to lock up truants in secure accommodation to prevent them from causing self harm rather than to treat them for their mental disorders. There are a number of questions that need to answering on this issue. What is the methodology by which the authorities in charge of secure accommodation prevent children from harming themselves? How are they treated for mental disorders and what is the success rate of such treatment? Are these children effectively straitjacketed? Should this happen to disturbed children? The true status could have possibly been easier to study if Maddie Blackburn had analysed and detailed the medical attention given to Aliyah during her period in care. Lack of funds and shortage of trained personnel are often cited to be the main reasons that lead to inadequate medical attention for children in care. â€Å"There are fewer than 200 whole-time equivalent posts in the NHS in the UK, and child psychotherapists are not available in many areas.† [7] This shortage evidences itself at times when child psychotherapists are called upon to tend to children in care. Right across the country, children’s psychiatric units are being forced to close, or are under threat of closure. A third of children’s units in England are affected. The reasons for the trend appear to be financial pressures on primary care trusts and a move to secure more beds for adolescents. Park Hospital, Oxford which provides paediatric inpatient care, will offer only day care from around 1 April. The service is no longer taking new inpatient referrals but is honoring its current patients. [8] While this grim circumstance is undoubtedly distressing for all children with mental problems, the situation becomes much, much worse for children in care. This is because firstly, these children show much greater incidence of mental disorders than those from private homes and secondly, they do not have access to families and support systems that can provide expert private medical help, especially in situations where help from the NHS is not adequate. Apart from expert psychiatric help, children with backgrounds of broken homes, domestic violence and substance abuse also need safe, secure, comfortable and caring environments to recover from their past traumas and enter normal life successfully. It becomes the duty of the childcare system to ensure that children grow up in an atmosphere of continuity and security and that they do not need to move often between different homes or institutions â€Å"The prevalence of mental health problems tends to decrease with the length of time in a placement, suggesting, not surprisingly, that stability and continuity of care is a significant factor in a childs mental health.†[9] The true facts are again alarmingly different. Aliyah Ismail was moved 68 times between relatives, foster homes and institutions in the few years that she remained in care. Apparently, about 230 staff and ten agencies dealt with her during her short period in care. The total lack of continuity and the constant exp osure to scores of families and social workers must have created extreme insecurities in her mind. Media reports have speculated on Aliyah having told social workers about being sexually abused by her family members.[10] This, at first sight, appears to be rather improbable. The very fact that Aliyah was moved between numerous homes, agencies and social care workers would have made it impossible for her to trust individual workers and discuss her traumas and nightmares with them. Resentment at the way her life was going would have surely prevented her from opening up, other than in passing, and led to such conversations being overlooked. It thus becomes quite difficult to accept, in spite of intense media discussion and conjecture, that some of the social workers could have ben guilty of nonchalance, bordering on neglect. The problem, then, as well as now, lies with the system, rather than with individuals. Children are still shifted from place to place and placed under the care of different social workers. Part of the problem is that there can be too many people in children’s lives. Too often, there is not any one person making things happen. Children need a consistent person, not to replace their own family, but to act as their one good ‘parent in care’. Instead, many have three or more placements a year and a lot of changes of social worker â€Å"I don’t know who my social worker is at the minute, it would be nice to have a permanent one.† â€Å"You get to know one then they leave [11] Aliyah had five changes in 1998 alone. It is quite unsurprising that some children like her, young boys and girls with deeply troubled backgrounds and histories of neglect, poverty, domestic violence and substance abuse, could resort to instant fixes, to the use of narcotics, alcohol and drugs. In addition to the problems created by the constant movement of these children, independent reports suggest that conditions inside children’s homes have very serious shortcomings. It is estimated that a third of the inmates of these homes are subjected to sexual abuse and are looked after by unqualified staff despite their having complicated emotional and behavioural problems. They are also subjected to corporal punishment, made to go without food and water and locked alone in dark rooms.[12] While the absence of resources and the lack of staff are infrastructural issues that can be understood, it is impossible to either comprehend or tolerate such behaviour. Resorting to drugs and viol ent behaviour and the development of suicidal tendencies become easily understandable in such circumstances. Theft, larceny or prostitution by drug users obviously becomes consequential and is aggravated in an environment where it is difficult to give individualised attention to the children and teenagers; that too in their periods of vulnerability and when they are in need of parental support. The issue of drug abuse, alcoholism and child prostitution needs immediate and forceful action. Coordinated work between the local authorities, the police, social workers and administrators of children’s homes should, in the first instance, ensure that the supply of drugs, inhalants and alcoholic substances to children’s institutions is totally restricted. The restriction of these harmful substances needs to be implemented with the full support of the medical, particularly psychiatric support system so that they can step in with counselling and treatment in case of withdrawal sy mptoms and adverse reactions. The Blackburn report suggested that enough was not done to fast track Aliyah’s transfer to secure accommodation, the routine thing to do in case apprehensions arise regarding a child’s propensity to cause self harm. What is of relevance here is the capability of people who work in child care to judge whether Aliyah had reached a stage where she could cause harm to herself. Such judgements need to come from people who are experts in behavioural practices or at the very least from people who have received training on the subject. It is very doubtful whether Aliyah, who was shifted from home to institution every two months, was put under observation for behavioural aberrations or for detection of any signs of abnormality. While it is not the purpose of this analysis to exonerate workers who may have truly been negligent and uncaring, the childcare system simply did not have the checks required to detect such lapses early enough to take corrective action. The role of the media is important in shaping public perception; in fact, much of the information for this assignment has also come from media reports. Its power has been recognized for several years, especially in the UK, where it has been able to cause paradigm shifts in public opinion and changed the course of events. The problem occurs when media is used voluntarily or involuntarily in such a manner that the truth ends up bent, exaggerated and different from reality. In Aliyah’s case extensive media reporting, while providing detailed information, resulted in shaping negative public perceptions of the role and ability of social workers. The role of social workers and agencies came to be questioned, and essentially noble and selfless work was looked at with doubt if not with suspicion. This attitude ends up in doing more harm than good because adverse publicity reduces interest, hurts funding and restrains volunteers from coming forward, affecting, in turn, the ability of a humane society to parent children placed in adverse social and economic situations. When a child is placed in care the local authority becomes, as per the green paper issued by the department of education and skills, the â€Å"corporate parent†, in other words the authorities assume the responsibilities of a natural parent. In fact the obligations of corporate parents are even more onerous because of the high incidence of traumatised and disturbed backgrounds of the children under their care. The duties of a corporate parent, like that of all corporations, is carried out through various bodies, departments, agencies, institutions and individuals like the police, the medical services, local councillors, schools, social workers, independent visitors, the authorities who run children’s homes and foster parents. These agencies and individuals need to work in tandem with each other and with a fuller understanding of the obligations of a parent. Their duties include providing children with physical nourishment, good clothing, education, counselling, medical care, stability, continuity and constant support. â€Å"Like any good parent the local authority should put the needs of children first. This means that every councillor, every Director of Children’s Services, every social worker or teacher should demand no less for children in care than they would for their own children†[13] The need for appropriate and efficient collaborating, planning and management is of extreme importance if multi agency operating is to be successful. The childcare system is plagued with a number of problems that include lack of funds, shortage of skilled and trained workers and possibly even a lack of simple systematic working. Aliyah was able to slip through the care net and enter prostitution only because her name appeared in three different forms in the records of the local authorities. The confusion was due to a combination of her frequent movements, improper tracking by the local authorities and wrong recording. Corporate and natural parenting differs widely in one aspect, i.e., delegation. While no natural parent would even begin to consider delegation in child rearing, other than when children need to go to carefully selected and frequently visited boarding schools, corporate parenting works through institutions. These institutions work with the help of employed, or otherwise remunerated, people and rear children with whom there has never been any umbilical contact. In these circumstances a difference in the levels of commitment between humans and that of artificial systems is inescapable, however high be the dedication of individual social workers, counsellors and teachers. The much higher level of concern and care in natural parenting, caused by love and a fierce sense of protectiveness for one’s own, can be offset only through a combination of efficiently designed systems, collaborative agency working and caring front liners. Social care workers, authorities of children’s homes and foster parents must have compassion, love and sympathy for their wards. It would not be a bad idea for the local authorities in charge of childcare to see the efforts of Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity in many Indian cities. The nuns open their doors and hearts to every waif who comes their way and take full responsibility for the children under their care, until they are adopted or enter earning life. Their lack of resource is made up by abundance of love and genuine compassion. Very possibly some of the practices used by them could come in handy for implementation in the UK. 3. Conclusion Taking care of other people’s children is not an easy thing to do. Particularly so when issues like drug addiction, alcohol abuse, mental disturbance, runaways and child prostitution enter the picture and transform already arduous tasks into virtual nightmares. It is truly a difficult situation. These problems however do not diminish the responsibilities of the state or the childcare system to look after the thousands of unfortunate children who come into care. It remains a primary responsibility of local authorities to provide lives of dignity to children who have got a terrible deal from life, deprived of the comfort, security, love and compassion that are their indisputable rights. The number of children in care in the UK is pegged at 61,000, one for every thousand citizens. This is hardly a large number and it is the moral responsibility, not only of the local authorities and the agencies and individuals associated with the childcare system but of all normal citizens and corporations to ensure that they are provided with the privileges and dignity available to others. Lack of funding cannot be accepted, in any way whatsoever, to be a valid reason for the existing inadequacies in the childcare system; certainly not in a country with one of the highest per capita incomes a nd standards of living in the world. This message needs to be driven home strongly to every British citizen and corporation. It is their job to contribute, to make up the small deficits in money that can make all the difference to thousands of young lives. Apart from money, one of the most effective ways to deal with these children is to increase the rate of adoption. Around five to six thousand children are adopted every year in the UK. This is just not enough to make any significant difference to the children in care. Other than adoption, the children need to be looked after mentally and physically. They need to be educated and readied to enter adult life on equal terms with children from normal families. Even though the task is difficult it is not unfeasible. The introduction of better systems and coordination, greater involvement of experts with psychological and psychiatric expertise, base attitudes of compassion and goodwill, constant training and inputs for staff, a carefully drawn rehabilitation plan for each child, continuous monitoring, and necessary route changes along the way should lead to very significant changes in the levels of care. Along with these issues the local authorities need to have the strength of purpose to p urge the system of its ugly elements. Issues like corporal punishment, abuse of children and usage of drugs need to be dealt with immediately and rooted out totally. This is not a difficult task, certainly not where the total numbers involved are not more than 60,000, the capacity of one medium sized cricket stadium. The country just cannot afford to have many more Aliyah Ismails. And people need to realise this. Bibliography Children and young people and mental health, 2007, Mind fact sheet, Retrieved January 18, 2007 from www.mind.org.uk/Information/Factsheets/Children/Children+and+Young+People+and+Mental+Health.htm Your rights, your say, 2006, Care matters Green Paper, Retrieved January 18 2007 from www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/Green Paper.pdf Brindle, D, 1999, Drug death girl shuttled among carers, the Guardian, Retrieved January 18, 3007 from www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,,201042,00.html Payne, S, 1999, Its not too late to prosecute those who used and abused sad Aliyah, Evening Standard, Retrieved January 18, 2007 from www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_19990817/ai_n11905733 GDimigen, CDel Priore, SButler, SEvans, LFerguson, and MSwan, 1999, Psychiatric disorder among children at time of entering local authority care: questionnaire survey, BMJ, Retrieved January 19, 2007 from bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/319/7211/675 Wahab, A, 2007, Psychiatric inpatient care for children is being cut back across the country, Young minds magazine 81, Retrieved January 19, 2007 from www.youngminds.org.uk/magazine/81/inpatient.php UK Children abandoned by the system, 1999, BBC Online News, Retrieved January 19, 2007 from news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/478613.stm [1] Your rights, your say, 2006, Care matters Green Paper, Retrieved January 18 2007 from www.dfes.gov.uk/consultations/downloadableDocs/Green Paper.pdf [2] Brindle, D, 1999, Drug death girl shuttled among carers, the Guardian, Retrieved January 18, 3007 from www.guardian.co.uk/drugs/Story/0,,201042,00.html [3] Payne, S, 1999, Its not too late to prosecute those who used and abused sad Aliyah, Evening Standard, Retrieved January 18, 2007 from www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4153/is_19990817/ai_n11905733 [4] Children and young people and mental health, 2007, Mind fact sheet, Retrieved January 18, 2007 from www.mind.org.uk/Information/Factsheets/Children/Children+and+Young+People+and+Mental+Health.htm [5] GDimigen, CDel Priore, SButler, SEvans, LFerguson, and MSwan, 1999, Psychiatric disorder among children at time of entering local authority care: questionnaire survey, BMJ, Retrieved January 19, 2007 from bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/319/7211/675 [6] GDimigen, CDel Priore, SButler, SEvans, LFerguson, and MSwan, 1999 [7] Children and young people and mental health, 2007, Mind fact sheet [8] Wahab, A, 2007, Psychiatric inpatient care for children is being cut back across the country, Young minds magazine 81, Retrieved January 19, 2007 from www.youngminds.org.uk/magazine/81/inpatient.php [9] Children and young people and mental health, 2007, Mind fact sheet [10] UK Children abandoned by the system, 1999, BBC Online News, Retrieved January 19, 2007 from news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/478613.stm [11] Your rights, your say, 2006, Care matters Green Paper [12] Children and young people and mental health, 2007, Mind fact sheet [13] Your rights, your say, 2006, Care matters Green Paper

Risk Assessment: Putting a Price on Human Life Essay -- Essays Papers

Risk Assessment: Putting a Price on Human Life Thesis: In the area of risk assessment society struggles, sometimes irrationally, with the value of human life, hoping someday to reach a reasonable balance between cost and effect of saving lives. From the day that each person is born, there is only one fate that everybody can be sure of: some day s/he is going to die. No one can know exactly how or when that is going to happen. Unlike the certainty of death, no one can predict if that newly born individual seeing the outside world for the first time is going to be rich, pretty or happy. Nobody can say if that person is going to get married some day and raise children. The only conclusion that all can reach with absolute assurance is that this child is predestined, like all living creatures in this world, to die some day. In spite of the inevitability of death, it is amazing to see how hard society and individuals try to avoid this unavoidable destiny. Life is customarily considered of utmost value for every one. But at the same time people put their lives in danger each day, actually, several times a day. From the time one gets up in the morning and turns on the light, s/he is exposed to the risk of electrocution that claims 500 lives each year in the U.S. alone (Wilson, 1979). Taking a shower in the morning brings the risk of a fall and cranial trauma that is responsible for five of each 100,000 deaths in the U.S. each year (Viscusi, Vernon and Harrington 1992). The breakfast in the U.S. commonly sets unhealthful food on the table, rich in fat or sodium both elements responsible for a large amount of heart disease, the number one cause of death in the world. Driving to work, taking a bus or riding a bicycle all contain ri... ...ce:your Money Or Your Life?" Reply. {Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes} Sep. 1997: 355-73. Pearce, Fred. "Global Row over Value of Human Life." {New Scientist} 19 Aug. 1995: 7. Radford, Tim. "Juggling Life's Comical Odds." {The Guardian} 12 Aug. 1995: 14-15. Singer, Marcos. {Decisiones Estrategicas Y Teoria De Juegos}. Santiago: Universidad Catolica, 1998. Viscusi, W., J. Vernon, and J. Harrington. {Economics of Regulation and Antitrust}. 2nd ed. Cambridge, Massachussetts: The MIT Press, 1995. Wang, X. T. "Framing Effects:dynamics and Task Domains." {Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Process} Nov. 1996: 145-57. Wilson, Richard. "Analyzing the Daily Risk of Life." {Technology Review} Feb. 1979: 41-46. Wilson, Richard, and E. A. C. Crouch. "Risk Assessment and Comparison: An Introduction." {Science} 17 Apr. 1987: 267-70.

Monday, August 19, 2019

Evolution and Ambiguous Communication Essay -- Biology Essays Research

Throughout the debate concerning evolution, I have noted the relative precision or imprecision of various methods of human communication. From the connotations of particular words to the emotion incited by a distinct music phrase, it is often surprising which human forms of expression are ambiguous and which seem to be universal. When considering this phenomenon, it is perhaps useful to construct a method for discussing the relative accuracy of communicating exactly what we mean when we use various ways to say it. From an evolutionary standpoint, it is relevant to our discussion to ask whether meaning(thought) pushed language into existence, or whether it was language that originated meaning. If the first is true, then mediums such as art and music are truly a product of our desire to communicate meaning in a direct sense. The meaning to be communicated first forms itself in the creator's head in some wordless nebula, and then consequently find release directly onto the painter's canvas, or the musical phrase. Hence, once the creation is added to the realm of world attention, and observers begin to interact with the creation, the meaning of the piece will undergo another translation into words as observers start to describe and recount their interaction. Only after the original meaning has traveled from the artist's mind, into a creation, and into the observer's mind, will it have it's first confrontation with language. However, if language itself created meaning, then we must understand art to be an interpretation of spoken or unspoken language; a second generation product of the human desire to communicate with self or others. This is the viewpoint endorsed by Dennett in Darwin's Dangerous Idea, as he states: "the 'lang... ... that "the idea of the original is created by the copies, and that the original is always deferred – never to be grasped." (Culler 12). This theory can be (and was originally) applied to one of the modes of human communication that is considered to be among the most precise – written language. But does this theory mean that we as humans have no hope of ever communicating exactly what it is we mean to another? Perhaps there is no hope of this, and that is why, in some more ambiguous forms of our communication, we have ceased to hope for it and admitted defeat on that front: but in doing so, we found a new realm of significance in the variety of interpretation. Works Cited 1)Culler, Jonathan. Literary Theory: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press. New York, NY, 1997. 2)Dennett, Daniel C. Darwin's Dangerous Idea. Touchstone: New York, NY, 1995.

Sunday, August 18, 2019

Essay --

Now Hitler was a self-centered man when it came to power and dividing the work, he was no doubt a great leader according to me. He would order work and divide work but never did he divide his power. There are numerous attributes of incredible pioneers and Greenberg and Baron (2009) state that the first normal for extraordinary pioneer is that he has the yearning to lead and succeed in business. Buchanan (2007) battle that pioneers have the adaptability which helps them in distinguishing the movements needed in a given circumstance and afterward they can act likewise. The pioneers have inspiration enough to look for force to accomplish sought objectives. They are versatile enough to match their style with the requirements of adherents and they can additionally act appropriately according to the interest of circumstance they confront in business sector. Possibility Theories: Possibility speculations of leadership concentrate on specific variables identified with the environment that may figure out which specific style of leadership is best suited for the circumstances. No leadership style is best in all circumstances. Victory relies on various variables, including the leadership style, characteristics of the supporters and parts of the circumstances. Trademark Theories: Comparable in a couple of methodologies to "Phenomenal Man" speculations, trait theories acknowledge that people inherit certain qualities and attributes that realize a recognizable change suited to leadership. Quality speculations customarily distinguish particular character or behavioral properties bestowed by leaders. On the off chance that particular qualities are key attributes of leadership, then how might we show people who have those qualities however are ... ...ties of the Nazi Party all in all, and the political association incorporating his power. I’d like to conclude by saying that the point when analyzing Hitler's initiative, it is vital to distinguish your authority model. Do you accept that ethics and correspondence are key elements when creating a solid and compelling pioneer? In insight into the past, it is not difficult to criticize Hitler as a pioneer in light of the torment and damage he distressed on others. Imagine a scenario in which those qualities are corrupt and damaging to numerous gatherings. Hitler was a pioneer, basically because of his positional power and impact on others encompassing his vision. On the other hand, I accept there is a contrast between ethical and indecent pioneers, and when the vision is hindering to different gatherings, the initiative is not a victory. Essay -- Now Hitler was a self-centered man when it came to power and dividing the work, he was no doubt a great leader according to me. He would order work and divide work but never did he divide his power. There are numerous attributes of incredible pioneers and Greenberg and Baron (2009) state that the first normal for extraordinary pioneer is that he has the yearning to lead and succeed in business. Buchanan (2007) battle that pioneers have the adaptability which helps them in distinguishing the movements needed in a given circumstance and afterward they can act likewise. The pioneers have inspiration enough to look for force to accomplish sought objectives. They are versatile enough to match their style with the requirements of adherents and they can additionally act appropriately according to the interest of circumstance they confront in business sector. Possibility Theories: Possibility speculations of leadership concentrate on specific variables identified with the environment that may figure out which specific style of leadership is best suited for the circumstances. No leadership style is best in all circumstances. Victory relies on various variables, including the leadership style, characteristics of the supporters and parts of the circumstances. Trademark Theories: Comparable in a couple of methodologies to "Phenomenal Man" speculations, trait theories acknowledge that people inherit certain qualities and attributes that realize a recognizable change suited to leadership. Quality speculations customarily distinguish particular character or behavioral properties bestowed by leaders. On the off chance that particular qualities are key attributes of leadership, then how might we show people who have those qualities however are ... ...ties of the Nazi Party all in all, and the political association incorporating his power. I’d like to conclude by saying that the point when analyzing Hitler's initiative, it is vital to distinguish your authority model. Do you accept that ethics and correspondence are key elements when creating a solid and compelling pioneer? In insight into the past, it is not difficult to criticize Hitler as a pioneer in light of the torment and damage he distressed on others. Imagine a scenario in which those qualities are corrupt and damaging to numerous gatherings. Hitler was a pioneer, basically because of his positional power and impact on others encompassing his vision. On the other hand, I accept there is a contrast between ethical and indecent pioneers, and when the vision is hindering to different gatherings, the initiative is not a victory.

Saturday, August 17, 2019

Kids Health Essay

1.1:- Explain what it means to have a duty of care in own work role. 1.2:- Explain how a duty of care contributes to safeguarding or protection of individuals. Having a duty of care is an obligation to a professional, a child and family. Any family placing a child within an early years setting should feel that staff members will take full care of their child and that they will be safe. Any professional caring for a child would be held responsible if the minimum standard of care is not met. â€Å"If a duty of care is not met in a role that requires it, then the responsible person can be held accountable for allowing negligence to occur.† Meggit (2011) Providing a duty of care to a child is to ensure that they are at no harm. This would mean that a professional would need to be aware of giving the child right amount of attention, watching for potential hazards and making wise choices in the steps taken to ensure a child’s safety. There are legislations that early years setting must take full consideration of when proving a duty of care. Such as the Child Care Act 2006. This act incorporates the welfare standards in which all staff who look after children under the age of 8 should comply with. In September 2008 it became a legal responsible for care givers to ensure that all provisions are met. The welfare requirements of this are that within setting there should be an adult to child ratio. Every child matters used to be a government requirement but now it is guidance. This framework helps to safeguard and protect children. This framework says that children must be; Safe Healthy Achieve economically Contribute to society positively Enjoy life Safeguarding is very important within any early year’s setting. Safeguarding helps to protect children from malnutrition and negligence. Some safeguarding procedures within my own work placement are signing in and out books and everyday security checks. This means on my arrival I am asked to present my student ID or any other form to prove who I am. I cannot enter the child care setting at all, as all doors are controlled from the office inside. All doors are kept locked, and have pin locks on them. This ensures that even if an adult was able to get into the setting doors would be sealed. One example of duty of care not being given is about a small girl that died. Molly Cunliffe was unlawfully killed, in a nursery setting, in July 2007 when she was left in the care of an unqualified 17-year old student. The 16 month old child choked on a cloth bag tie when in her cot. Mr. Cunliffe says that â€Å"This is the result in unforgivable negligence and the needless death of our daughter Molly.† Nursery world (10/3/2014) There are a number of ways that providing a duty of care contributes to the safe guarding or protection of individuals. These include; Adult to child ratio’s Procedures Indoor and outdoor checks Security checks (ID), sign in and out book Trained first aiders Unqualified staff always supervised Uniform CCTV CRB/DBS checks Counting children on a regular basis/ registers Look belongings away/ phones locked away Visitor badge On arrival at my placement I am let in when a member of staff recognises me. I am then instantly told to sign myself in and security check to ensure that I am who I say I am. This means I need to present my student ID. This helps to protect children from strange people coming into the building. The setting is also a looked premises. This helps staff to know who is in the building. When arriving into my room, I am asked to sign into the room. Children are also signed in and out of the room. Children are also counted regular throughout the day. This ensures that no child is missing. When going to placement I am expected to wear my uniform. On my uniform its states when I am from and when course I am doing. With my uniform I am asked to wear a student badge. This helps to protect children because they are aware that I am supposed to be there. Adults and parents can also see that I am working with their children for a reason and that I am no danger. When arriving at placement I place all my items in a locker. This has to have  my phone in and any other valuables. This ensures safeguarding because it prevents me and other professionals from taking photographs of children or adding confidential information on social networking sites. Procedures such as accident, illness and injury forms help to protect children and members of staff. These forms are kept confidential but parents are able to look at these records as and when they like. It also protects staff from allegations. At my placement they have CCTV and open nappy changing rooms. CCTV helps to ensure that all children are protected and are always visible to staff. This can help when an adult or child may make an allegation. Open changing rooms help protect children and their confidentiality. CCTV means that staff are visible at all times but children being changed cannot be seen on the camera. As I am an unqualified adult in the setting, I am always supervised by qualified members of staff. This protects children because they will always be supervised by someone that they know and feel safe around. There is also a trained first aider within the setting that will be able to assist when a child is injured. 2.1:- Describe potential conflicts or dilemmas that may arise between the duty of care and the individual’s rights. Everyone is entitled to their basic human rights. These are the right to food, shelter, health care, safety and protection from abuse. Children in generally will not be able to stand up for themselves. United Nations drew up a charter ‘The United Convention’ on the rights of a child. â€Å"The Children and Young Person’s Act 1933 consolidated all existing â€Å"child protection† work at that time into one act† Child protection (17/11/11) The children and young people’s act 1933 imposes a criminal responsibility for adults. This means that if an adult chooses to leave their child in the care of someone, and something was to happen, they would be held responsible. Choosing inadequate care for a child would be seen as neglect. Potential dilemmas or conflicts that could arise within a setting could be; A child’s appearance and hygiene: Dirty clothes, unkempt, smelly Constant and unexplained bruises and injuries Change in personality and behaviour: Changing from quiet to very unsettled or aggressive. Dramatic change in weigh, food problems: Change in appetite or stealing food. Continuously saying and reporting things that happen: Telling members of staff that they have been hit. Dilemmas or conflict would be managed within setting by arranging regular meetings. This wouldn’t just focus on a child’s concerns but also a child’s achievements. Regular meetings would keep a parent updated in any changes. This also offers an opportunity for professionals to support a parent if they need the support and advice. Policies and procedures such as confidentiality and safeguarding are always available for parents to read and understand. Parents would read and sign the policies and procedures to show that they understand and agree with what they settings do in relevance to safeguarding and providing a duty of care to their child. Having policies and procedures helps to ensure that that parents are fully informed of any action they would need to take if an issue was bought up. Although professionals will keep things confidential, if a child is at risk someone else would needs to be informed. Forms and information regarding a parent’s child are always available for them to read. Professionals will build up a strong trust worthy relationship with parents and child so that they feel any issues or concerns can be dealt with calmly. This will help to ensure that if conflict does happen, the adults knows that they are talking to someone that trust them, understands them and will offer professional advice. Some situations such as behaviour, health and safety and confidentiality can or may cause conflict. These may arise between an individual’s rights and the duty of care. Confidentiality: The possible risk may be that the child is a risk of significant harm. It isn’t always possible to keep confidentiality if concerns are raised about a child’s safety. If confidentiality is broken, conflict could arise though losing the trust of the parent. Ways of managing the risks are settings having policies and procedures regarding confidentiality and safeguarding. Parents should be aware of the procedures professionals may need to take when a concern is bought up. Health and safety: A health and safety risk may be a child being left un supervised at home alone. This could but the child in serious danger. Also if a child is regularly absent for nursery/school, this could cause a concern. Ways of managing the risks are to offer guidance and support to adult/parents about breakfast clubs and after school clubs. Additional support could be giving them leaflets to help with financial and child care cost. Behaviour: If a child has a dramatic change in behaviour; for example changing from very calm to unsettled or aggressive, could be signs of a further medical condition such as ADHD. It can also affect a child’s learning and development if they are progressively finding it hard to concentrate on activities or group reading time. A way settings would manage this would be to have a good behavioural management and to speak to parents about there prefer way of dealing with bad behaviour. If a setting felt that  a parent’s behaviour management wasn’t affective enough, professionals could other strategies. 2.3:- Explain where to get additional support and advice about conflicts and dilemmas. There is a wide range of additional support that can offer advice about conflicts and dilemmas such as LEA (Local Educational Authority) This authority offers advice on special educational needs. They are educational advisors. These advisors will draw up an individual plan for a child. This should be reviewed every year. The special educational needs coordinator (SENCO) will work in partner shit with settings, children and parents to find the right support the child needs. â€Å"Parents should be involved in developing the individual’s educational plan, and the child should also get the chance for input.† Young Minds (2014) Another place professionals can get additional advice from is health services such as school nurses and play therapists. School nurses not only deal with children being ill, they also have an important role in promoting good health. â€Å"School nurses do vision and hearing screenings and a children how to take care of themselves.† Kids Health (2014) School nurses also work with children with special needs such as diabetes and teach them about their condition and monitor them while they are in the setting. Nurses give patients and families compassionate support when they need it. A play therapist also works with children that may have problems such as; Loss through bereavements, family breakups and separation Illness or disability Experienced neglect and abuse Children with low self esteem and anxiety issues Play therapist will adapt to suit individual needs and appropriate age. Play therapist helps children to explore their feelings and emotions and make sense of them. Play therapists work with children through role play, sensory play and different toys to help build a trust relationship between them. Social service work closely in partnership to help advise about conflict and dilemmas. â€Å"Social services have a statutory obligation to safeguard and promote the welfare of vulnerable children and can provide a wide range of services to children and their parents.† Family lives (2014) Charities offer addition support to practitioners and advise through different groups of people. Some charities that offer addition support are; Barnado’s NSPCC Save the children Noah’s arch bereavement support The NSPCC (National Society For Prevention Of cruelty To Children.) offer addition support through a help line. They are a 24 hour service. This allows practitioners to discuss child pretention concerns. They also offer and information service where practitioners can find out changes in child protection policies, practice and research. Noah’s ark is a charity based on offer support to children with limited or life threatening illness. This charity works closely in partnership with families and other agencies by offering flexible support. They help families live positively and support them through bereavement. They offer emotional and physical support through the child’s life. 3.1:- Describe how to respond to complaints. When responding to complaints, there are things practitioners should and should not do. Should: Practitioners should always remain in a professional manor. This would mean following set procedures and remaining calm when dealing with any complaints made. It is also important so that bonds and relationships are not broken. Remaining confidential is very important. People remain confidential to avoid conflict. The only time when confidentiality is broken is when there is a safeguarding issue. Following the confidentiality procedure will prevent people taking sides and gossiping about the situation. It is important that practitioner always explain the importance of the issue. This means making people aware of what is going on. By following policies and procedures, the situation can be resolved. When responding to complaints, good body language will show that a practitioner is listening to what the other person has to say. Being attentive will show that their views are being listened to and understood. Making eye contact and informs the speaker that they are being listened to and will show that they are empathising them. â€Å"†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦. people will usually make eye contact as a signal that they are ready to listen.† Meggit (2011) Shouldn’t :- When responding to complaints there are many things that practitioners should not do. Practitioners should not dismiss people’s opinions and views. This can cause them to feel threatened and make them think that their views and opinion are not valued. Do not interrupt when the other person is speaking. This can seem rude and make them feel that they are in the wrong. All opinions should be valued and dealt with fairly. Practitioners should not be judgemental. If people are judged they may feel that their opinion is being dismissed and they are in the wrong. Practitioners should never compare. If an individual is compare to another can make them feel out casted and different. It is important to remember that all children are different and develop at different stages. No child is unable to do something; they are working towards achieving it. 3.2:- Explanation of main points of agreed procedures for handling complaints. Policies and procedures: All early years settings will have policies and procedures for making complaints. This will make people aware that if they have complaints to make they know where to go and how it will be dealt with. Have relevant forms for complaint makings. This will allow the setting to deal with the complaint quickly and effectively. All complaints should be treated as important no matter what the complaint is about. When a complaint is made, it should be dealt with immediately. This will prevent the situation getting worst. Depending on the seriousness of complaint, it would be made to the manager or a named person. For example the safeguarding officer, governors or local authorities. If the report is made against the manager is should be taken to the person next in command. A meeting should be help separately for the relevant people to talk about the situation. This meeting should be held in privacy. Both staff/adult should be allowed a witness with them so that they feel safe. During a meeting notes should be taken on the situation, but they should always be repeated and explained. No meeting should end without an action or review date. This could be signing an agreement of the action taken and to agree that they complaint has been resolved.

Friday, August 16, 2019

Tanning Beds and Cancer

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, on an average day, nearly thirty million people tan indoors in the United States (â€Å"Skin Cancer Facts† 2011). What is even more alarming is, â€Å"a new study has shown that people who use tanning parlors once a month or more have an increased risk of developing malignant melanoma by 55%. Melanoma is one of the deadliest forms of skin cancer† (â€Å"Skin Cancer Facts† 2011). If this statistic does not scare those who use tanning beds, it should. Although a nice bronze glow accompanies your body after your trip to the tanning bed, a lifetime of trouble for your skin will follow, also. Is a nice tan really worth a lifetime of health concerns for your skin? To many, it is because of societies definition of beauty. Society thinks the idea of beauty involves harming their skin and receiving potential cancer in return for laying in a bed for â€Å"color†. This needs to change just as much as we need to stop the increase of skin cancer. One-way to stop this delusional sense of beauty and to decrease the number of skin cancer patients is to ban tanning beds. Tanning beds should be banned in the U. S. ecause although you may get instant, temporary, tan skin, developing a deathly cancer called melanoma can create more permanent unpleasant medical issues and the real idea of beauty needs to be re-established. To begin, many people have heard the term melanoma but it is important to know and understand what it is. According to the article â€Å"Melanoma Stage Three Prognosis,† Melanoma is a cancer that forms in the melanocytes of the skin. These are cells that make melanin, which colors our eyes, hair and skin (â€Å"Melanoma† 2011). These cells can be found in moles usually brown or black in color, but sometimes pink, red, or even blue. Not only can these moles and other spots be cancerous, they can be deadly. Melanoma is one of the deadliest cancers in America, and also one of the fastest spreading cancers (â€Å"Skin Cancer Facts† 2011). People do not recognize they are carriers, therefore do not receive adequate treatment, so it spreads to additional parts in your body, and very quickly. â€Å"This spreading is referred to as mestasis† (â€Å"Melanoma Stage Three Prognosis† 2011). As it spreads to other parts of the body it makes for a very difficult treatment because â€Å"lymph nodes start the invasion process of nearby tissue and form lesions on vital organs† (â€Å"Melanoma Stage Three Prognosis† 2011). As a result, â€Å"melanoma in the United States kills about 8,700 unlucky people every year† (â€Å"Skin Cancer Facts† 2011). Also, according to the American Cancer Society, there is an estimated â€Å"120,000 new cases of melanoma in the US are diagnosed in a year† (â€Å"Melanoma Skin Cancer† 2011). These statistics are alarming because we all could potentially make a choice to start decreasing these numbers. Using tanning beds is causing skin cancer which spreads quickly, can reach a stage that is extremely hard to treat and could lead to death. If tanning beds were banned, there would be fewer people dying from skin cancer because people wouldn’t be allowed to use them. Since using tanning beds is the number one cause of skin cancer itself, banning them should be a given. In addition to causing skin cancer, tanning beds are brainwashing people into thinking that being â€Å"tan† is the new beautiful. What ever happened to natural beauty, including pale skin? It is sad that our society has made women and men feel self-conscious about their color because tanning beds offer a â€Å"tan†. We have started a society where kids are judged because they are not pretty and â€Å"tan† like the others. As a result, kids and adults feel self-conscious and become depressed, sometimes leading to suicidal thoughts or even suicide itself, due to the lack of confidence they have in themselves. If tanning beds were banned kids and adults would not feel self-conscious about their skin because you wouldn’t be able to tan constantly without the real sun. Some say that even though tanning beds are banned, people will go on vacation and return home tan and people will feel the same way, but this â€Å"color† will be natural. Re-establishing the idea of natural beauty will benefit everybody and their confidence. Next, to prevent people from going tanning government officials need to ban tanning in the U. S. If people break this law, there will be federal consequences just as any other law has. Reason being, there are enough innocent people dying from skin cancer because of the natural sun, so by banning tanning beds we can save the lives of those who get cancer from the beds. Also, we can re-define the term beautiful so those who are self-conscious about their beautiful pale skin are confident in their natural beauty. If we enforce this new law, people will not feel as self conscious about their pale skin because there will be no other way to tan except by the natural sun. This will get people to realize that the natural way is the most beautiful way. In some states, there have been laws implemented to restrict minors from tanning. There have also been laws stating that you must have parent permission to be able to tan. These laws don’t work because minors use fake i. d. ’s or have other people sign for them (â€Å"Should Tanning Beds Be Banned† 1995). If we enforce the new law, we can be one step closer to stopping suicide caused by low self-esteem, and helping the depressed become confident in their bodies. With all these reasons as to why there should be a ban on tanning beds comes the other side of the argument. Some people believe â€Å"Imposing a ban on tanning salons would restrict the free choice of consumers† (‘Should tanning beds be banned? 1995†). If consumers are given correct information about the dangers of indoor tanning, then they should be able to weigh these risks against their own personal benefits from indoor tanning and decide for themselves if it would be a rational choice. Some say â€Å"the government should not tell consumers that they cannot assume certain risks, even if they are willing to do so, just because the government believes that the risks are too great† (â€Å"Should Tanning Beds Be Banned? † 1995). Some also believe that â€Å"not everyone develops cancer after visiting these salons, and consumers might be willing to take the gamble (â€Å"Should Tanning Beds Be Banned? 1995). People arguing against banning tanning beds believe that a ban on tanning salons would infringe the free choice rights of over one million citizens of the United States. In my opinion, the government should risk these unhappy citizens for decreasing the number of skin cancer patients. It should not matter if your â€Å"choice† is infringed upon because this new law will be saving the lives of many. In conclusion, tanning beds cause melanoma, which can lead to death. Tanning beds have also aided in changing the definition of beauty. If tanning beds were banned, we could stop the rise in skin cancer patients and save the lives of many. Also, we can boost those kids and adults’ self-esteem who still think their natural skin is beautiful despite how others who use tanning beds may make them feel. In the long run, we could reduce the number of depressed and even suicidal individuals who become self-conscious because of the â€Å"color† of their skin. This is an important decision to make because we can reduce the number of deaths and help kids and adults realize they are beautiful the way they are.