Political Participation in the UK Essay

In a country based on representative democracy, a ‘fair’ system, it is questionable to say we as the public make the most of this opportunity. Whilst other nations are fighting against the intense grips of dictatorships, as we have seen recently in Libya and Egypt, we live in a system in which to instigate change, we simply have to turn up at a ballot box and cast a vote. But with voting numbers continuously dwindling, does the United Kingdom have a participation crisis? The most efficient way to judge this is to go straight to the figures, and on first glance the statistics are startling. The percentage of people that voted in 2001 was an astonishing record low of 59%, down over 10% from the previous election in 1997. Comparing both of these results to a 83.9 voting percentage of 1950, shows a dramatic change in the value the British people place in their vote. The two recent elections however in 2005 and 2010 have bucked this trend, achieving percentages of 61.5 and 65 giving the impression that voting is on the rise. But with only these two results showing increases in recent history, it is impossible to view this as a positive correlation. When looking at these figures we have to look at the groups of people who didn’t exercise their right to vote, with the majority of them falling in to the 18 to 24 year old category. Only 44% of the 18 to 24 age group casted a ballot in the 2010 election in comparison to the 76% turnout figure of the over 65’s. The general consensus of the political spectrum of the youth population is that it is firmly to the left. Given these facts it is arguable to say that if the turn out for the 2010 general election had been higher, we could have easily had a Labour or Liberal Democrat government which would have had major effects on the current policies in place in the UK. To go even further, if the voting percentage had been 100% in all the previous elections, it is claimable that every government the UK has had would be different, effectively changing nea rly every policy that has been put into place in the past. When looked at with this perspective, we can see the incredible importance of voting and political participation has in our lives. When looking simply at the turnout figures of the recent general elections we can see that participation in the UK is in a dangerous decline. Another factor we need to take into consideration is the decline of party membership in the UK. Similar to the steady decline of voting figures since 1950, all three major parties membership has dropped significantly over the last six decades. The Conservative party has seen the most severe decline in membership, from having over 2,900,000 members in 1951 falling to a mere 250,000 in 2008. This trend is shown within the ranks of the Labour and the Liberal Democrat parties as well, with the only noticeable exception is the rise in the Labour party in 1997, rising from 280,000 to 405,000. This however, can be contributed to the rise of Tony Blair with ‘New Labour’ and ‘Blairism’ which gripped the country in the late 20th century. Following this though, the Labour parties membership continued to fall and by 2008 had reached a low of 166,000. Tony Blair’s biographer Anthony Seldon has made the link between declining levels of public trust in formal politics and the decline in party membership, however it is difficult to prove a simple link such as this exists. With these dramatic declines in voting participation and party membership, some would claim that it is difficult to argue that there is not a political participation crisis gripped the UK. On the other hand though, there has been rises in other forms of political participation. Whilst collective acts such as party membership has been on decline, individual direct action, in some cases has been on the rise. With consumer issues being one of the main causes the public has more intensely rallied around. The Power inquiriy in 2006 highlighted these changes in political participation, with traditional forms such as party membership seeing dramtatic decreases, whereas involvement with pressure groups and protest movements seeing dramatic increases. In the year 2000, 31% of the public claimed that they had boycotted products for ethical reasons, whether this can be contributed to the rise of the media and social desirability or not it shows a dramatic rise from the 4% that boycotted products in 1984. This shows perhaps that although a part of society has lost faith in the political process and the value of their votes, they instead prefer to take actions they believe that they will be directly making a difference and contributing politically. The phenomenon of the rise of the media and the internet over the last 60 years has allowed new systems of political participation to develop. An example of this is e-petitions. E-petitions are an easy way for anyone to influence government policy in the UK. With anyone being able to create an e-petition about anything that the government is responsible for, it allows people to get involved at a more direct level and definitely attracts the younger generation to get involved. If a petition gets at least 100,000 signatures, it will be eligible for debate in the House of Commons. These ways of participation makes it easier for people to get involved and allows the public to voice their opinions on particular subjects, almost seeming like a direct democracy in comparison to the representative democracy we have in the UK. Another argument that there is not a participation crisis in the UK is the huge turnouts in political protests over the last decade, with possibly the most poignant of these being the protests against the Iraq war in 2003. With over one and half million people taking to the streets of London, the British public showed they are not afraid to have their voices heard. A more recent example of a political protest, is the student tuition fees demonstrations in 2010, with over 50,000 taking to the streets. A British Election Study stated that in 1979, 20% of respondents would be willing to go on a protest demonstration, this number had risen to 33 % by 2000. Added to this, an increase in illegal political demonstrations, notably the London riots earlier this year, shows us that people are much more likely to take to the streets to demonstrate than they were in previous decades. This shows that although different forms of political participation are on the rise, they are arguably much less important than voting. Taking into consideration that the government merely acknowledged these particular protests and continued with their policies anyway, shows us the lack of impact these forms of participation have in contrast with voting. In the UK today we can see a growing trend of a decrease in traditional participation, but an increase in new forms and less traditional participation. This can be contributed to a number of factors, including the decline in public trust in formal politics and the rise of the media and internet, which allows people to organise and take part in other types of participation. This shows that generally there is not a participation crisis in the UK, with the majority of the public getting involved in some sort of political participation, with only 15% taking no political actions in the year 2000. However, the forms of participation that are growing in popularity are shown to have less effect on the political process of the UK, with the Iraq demonstrations of 2003 and the Student Protests of 2010 resulting in no change of political policy and the e-petitions only resulting in a political debate. This highlights the importance of traditional participation and the problems with the more popular forms of participation. Perhaps a more poignant question would be, does our representative democracy really represent the views of the public, as in reality these new forms of participation should have resulted in more of an effect on UK policy. To describe the current political participation as a crisis is far to extreme, as the figures show the majority of the British public readily get involved. At the present time there is not a crisis in the UK’s political participation, but if the trends continue, we could be faced with one in the coming years, but as long as the public remain involved at some level there can be no crisis.

Intercultural Experience Essay

The Philippines consists of 7,107 islands. I will go into the interesting culture of the Philippines. As well as share some interesting facts. 1.Attention Getter- Back in 1934, the world’s largest pearl was found under the Palawan Sea in the Philippines. The Pilipino flag is the only flag that is flown upside down during a time of war. 2.Bonding- The Philippines is by far the Tuna Capital of the world. Tuna is a major good for the Philippines and is the lifeline so to speak. Tuna is a multimillion dollar industry for the country, a lot of citizen’s fish daily. 3.Preview Three Main Points- The Philippines are also home to 200 volcanos. Twenty-two of which are active. In the Philippine culture lips are not just for kissing, but also pointing. Philippine’s think very highly of Balut, which are under developed duck eggs. They consider them a delicacy. 4.Transition- The Philippine culture is very different from American Culture. From their beliefs, to relationship styles, to their way of life in general. The Philippines have not had snowfall in a very long time. Being close to the equator, it’s consid ered tropical. With only two seasons Sunny and Rainy. Body: 1.Point One- There is over 20 active volcanos in the Philippines. 2.Point Two- The fishing industries in the Philippine are a very important source of income for the Country. The islands are considered the Tuna Capital of the world. 3.Point Three- During war, the Philippine are the only country that will fly their flag upside down. Revolution people power of 1986. Conclusion: 1.Transition- The country has come a long way since it was founded. Rich religious culture. 2.Review Three Main Points- Volcanos that are active, People Power Revolution 1986, and Tuna Capital fishing strategies.

Democracy and Industrialization Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Democracy and Industrialization - Essay Example The reason why it has become a common strategy for change is that is allows the people to express their views and makes them motivated because their voice is also being listened for the required solution or achieving a specific goal.. In democratic system the people have the right to speak and think independently and it offers people freedom of speech and freedom of media which are essential parts of a powerful democratic system. There are two main principles for a successful democracy. The first principle is that all peoples in community have equal access to power and the other one is that all peoples enjoy universal freedom and liberties. There are different forms of democracy, some of which provide better representation and more freedoms for their citizens than others. (Amacom, American Management Association 1998) The Real and very essential advantage of democracy is that it fixes a regular ongoing process and allows people to find a better way of doing things which is comfortable for them. Tolerance is also one of the key factors of democracy which gives people to have patience in them and allow everyone to speak about their views. Democracy takes ideas from different peoples so that everyone can learn and get experience from one another. One of the characteristic features of democracy is Majority rule but at the same time it also focuses on the rights of minorities. Democracy also gives an independent judiciary system which gives a right to every citizen to be treated equally and provides justice to everyone without any racial discrimination. It gives protection to all citizens and it is compulsory for the Judiciary to provide equal justice to every citizen. People feel comfortable because they know that their safety needs as well as social needs are been protected by the law. Every person has the right to file a petition for demanding justice. Democratic system also gives Human rights to every citizen as it is core responsibility of government. (Ernest Dale 2007) EXAMPLE: Democratic System has been helpful in many countries very it has been fully recognized as a big source of change. One of the key successes is India where democracy has made them so stronger that India has become one of the biggest democratic countries in the world. Freedom of media has been given them and their has a powerful judiciary system for the safety of people and to provide equal justice to everyone and therefore there is boost in foreign investment since the law is powerful than the government. (Stephen R Hiatt, Richard L. Daft 2000) INDUSTRIALIZATION INTRODUCTION Industry can be defined as one of the major assets that really help your country to groom with a very rapid speed. Today in this fast moving competitive world every country is trying their level best to reach the top ranking and industry is one of the source that can lead them to a good position. (Gary R. Heerkens 2001) INDUSTRY IN GENERAL Generally, industry is the very important for any country because it has the ability to generate many resources that can be converted into any goods. With the help of industry it

Midterm paper Term Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Midterm - Term Paper Example Complicating this issue even further is the request that the manager makes based upon reflecting the fireworks as the award-winning. Naturally, as no such award exists, the employee is faced with a situation in which either they will make up an award or they will fail if the assignment. Finally, complicating matters even further is the fact that one of the colleague is attempting to take personal gain of the situation by creating the award in exchange for a symposium sexual favor. As a means of understanding this dynamic, the ethical challenges, and the options that are available to the employee, the following analysis will focus specifically on these three segments. Firstly, it should be understood that leveraging any type of favor from a fellow colleagues, whether in exchange for sexual service or any other good or commodity, is tantamount with making up the information and lying about the veracity behind the award. The underlying ethical reason behind this has to do with the fact that it is clear and apparent that the fellow colleague does not have such an award and it has never existed. Thus, by merely passing the buck and claiming a level of ignorance concerning where the support came from or when it was earned and why, the employee in question is not any better of a position as compared to that they had generated this false award on their own. From the case that has been presented thus far there are ultimately three options. Accordingly, the remainder of this analysis will revolve around discussing these options, from the least desirable to the most desirable, and promoting a likely course of action that the employee might consider taking. As such, the first and least desirable option is to refuse to make up any award and directly confront the manager with this refusal. Not only will this most likely result in an immediate termination, it will also leave a very negative relationship and interpretation of the employee’s time at the

Smoking Cessation Esay Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Smoking Cessation Esay - Essay Example In a population of 45 million adults in U.S. 21% are cigarette smokers (Gerhardt and Stuart, 2009). Major component of cigarette; nicotine is extremely addictive and it increases the level of dopamine in brain creating feelings of satisfaction and contentment. Cessation of smoking causes withdrawal symptoms. Smoking cessation ensures a better health quality of life by reducing the risks of coronary artery disease, stroke and COPD. According to Pignone and Salazar (2009), smoking cessation can increase life expectancy of up to 3 years in women smokers and 2 years in men. In other researches, the life expectancy of a non-smoker is 13-14 years higher than a smoker (Chandler and Rennard, 2010). Studies have confirmed that smoking cessation has inflicts immediate health benefits to the individual. Several interventions are successful in smoking cessation which includes counseling, pharmacotherapy or a combination of both. In this respect, the most important factor is client’s self chosen health goal to quit smoking and both pharmacotherapy and counseling prove to be useful for such patients, however, in patients with unwilling behavior to quit pharmacotherapy is ineffective. Medical counseling approach should emphasize on health and economic benefits of cessation, motivational interviews, patient education on disease risk factors, community/family support and relapse prevention. Pharmacological therapies consist of nicotine replacement therapy which includes nicotine patch, gums, lozenges, nasal sprays, inhalers etc. (Pignone and Salazar, 2009). All of these have shown to be equally effective in smoking cessation. In addition, anti-depressant therapy with drugs such as Bupropion, varenicline and Clonidine have been proven as effective smoking cessation agents. Several studies have suggested that a combination of these pharmacological therapies is quite effective i.e. nicotine gum with nicotine patch etc. (Chandler and Rennard, 2010). Non-pharmacological inter ventions include practices such as hypnosis, acupuncture, herbal supplement, support groups etc. Several studies have been conducted over the past few decades to relate smoking cessation and health promotion in individuals. Two of these are discussed below. Ellerbeck et al., (2009), studied the varying levels of disease management in randomized trials. The research divided the clients into three treatment groups i.e. pharmacotherapy alone (nicotine replacement and anti-depressant therapy i.e. bupropion), combined pharmacotherapy with moderate intensity disease management and high intensity disease management comprising of counseling and provider feedback on smokers with or without the desire to quit. For pharmacotherapy with moderate intensity disease management, 2 counseling calls were made in every 6 months whereas in high intensity disease management 6 counseling calls were made in 6 months. Results demonstrated that self reported abstinence rates were much better in moderate and high intensity disease management than in pharmacotherapy alone. 23.5% and 27.9% abstinence rates were reported respectively for these groups. This group (37-60% patients) reported to have discussed smoking cessation and its potential benefits with their physicians. Also, free

Dubai International Airport Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Dubai International Airport - Case Study Example Concourse 3 will be affiliated to the two above accessible levels of Terminal 3 via an automatic Power mover (APM) in accession to the vehicular and accoutrements administration arrangement account tunnels. The building, which follows the appropriate appearance of Concourse 2, will be 645 meters long, 90 meters advanced and 42 meters top in the centre from the accessory level, and will board 20 aircraft stands, 18 of which will board Airbus The growth rate of the Dubai International Airport is high compared to other Airports in the Middle East. The Dubai International Airport holds highest position in the ratings by authorities like International Air Transport Association (IATA) (Airport Facilities, n. d.). The Transportation facility kind of the infrastructure of a country has to be developed continuously. The development of Dubai International Airport is essential for the development of the country and for making one among the top countries of the world. If the International Airport at Dubai is developed at a higher phase it can attract many foreigners including tourists and investors. The investors would be investing in country only after a detailed study of the infrastructure of that particular country including the international transportation. This fact forced the government of the United Arab Emirates, to think about the development of existing international airport by way of expansion programs. Dubai International Airport, in a actual abbreviate time, has developed from an aerodrome into an aerodynamics hub. Today, not alone is Dubai International Airport one of the fastest growing airports in the world, it is as well recognized as the arch and busiest airport of the Middle Eas t region. In 2008, the airport handled an almanac 37,441,440 cartage and over 34% of all flights entering and abrogation the Middle East and Africa. Aegis at the airport bare to be actively upgraded as an aftereffect of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) acme affair to be captivated in Dubai (Time Management, n. d.). Given the accent of surveillance to the aegis of the airport the arrangement had to be designed, installed, configured and handed over to airport aegis in beneath than a month. An abstruse band-aid advised by control-ware was called to accommodate top superior video transmission, avant-garde administration and reliable recording for the airport. Cost Management It is clear that without the support of the government, it is not possible to implement a major development in a country. Whichever is the country and whatever be the project, the government support is essential for making the project a grand success. In case of the Dubai International Airport development the government is providing the full support under the supervision and control of ministry of aviation. The government supports the development of the Dubai airport free zone. "Representative offices of the immigration and customs department are located within DAFZA. The customs office is open 24hrs to facilitate round-the-clock cargo clearance" (Where mission vision, n. d.). An estimated AED 120 billion will be invested in Dubai World Central, Sheikh Ahmed said. "The aboriginal appearance of this mega-project, which primarily involves the development

Analysis an issue Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Analysis an issue - Assignment Example However, this requires self-discipline and coherent thinking abilities which are lacking among many drivers. However, people often find themselves in situations that force them to text while driving. For instance, emergencies arise and the driver is required to communicate with another party to be directed or informed about the emergency. The driver may not have the chance or time to drive off the road. Such emergencies are common and the law should recognize them. Apparently, the argument that drivers who text while driving should be cripplingly penalized is based on the idealistic axiom that the driver is texting to be informed on some casual matters or to be entertained. Conclusively, the value of human life is precious than anything else. The law is out to protect lives and we need to abide by the law. You should not be a narcissist or think of yourself as a superhero on the road. Be attentive, prioritize driving, and circumvent distractions. In this way, you as well as other road users will be

Personal marketing plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Personal marketing plan - Essay Example I have a proven track record on time consciousness selflessness and innovation from voluntary service as an intern. I have served as an intern, and I have fresh skills gained from this assignment and university in the field of Information System. I have a competitive edge by my capability to work in any kind of environment, however challenging. Apart from my major skill in Information System, I have a strong blend of other skills and competencies in the field of computer science that are Microsoft office, Power Point, excel and ExtendSim. My knowledge spectrum is widened to the field of business information system. This is a life-long learner that would enjoy using his skills in information technology to turn around the threats facing your organization into business opportunities. I have strong skills in strategic planning and forecasting which gives me a competitive advantage. I study at the University of Indianapolis in the school of business where I major in Information System. I am due to graduate in the year 2017. I have at the moment attended three classes in Information Technology. I have studied basic computer skills to blend with Information System. I have skills in Microsoft office, excel, Power Point and ExtendSim. I have management skills especially strategic planning and organizing. In the current world, there is a trend towards advancement of technology to make production more efficient. I target to serve in an organization that will build me in terms of my career development. This organization should be operating in the field of information, communications and technology or technology services, Management Information System, computer Hardware and software organization, data management and processing consultancy firms. I also target to work in the business sector as the database manager on consumer or customer

BRAVADO and Linguistics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

BRAVADO and Linguistics - Research Paper Example They have also helped to create new ways of analyzing the different pieces written over time, and this paper will actually look at how bravado and linguistics play an important role in literature. Bravado means a false bravery and it comes from the word brave, but it is the complete opposite of its meaning. This can possibly be applied in describing people who in the real sense are cowards, but they pretend to be brave because of a certain reason. These people at first often show that they are very brave but eventually, they turn out to be cowards. Linguistics on the other hand is the scientific study of human language as a whole, and it can be divided into different categories to help understand and decipher linguistics. These categories are three in number and they include language form, language meaning and language in context, and they all contribute to linguistic development, where they help bring out the deeper meanings in linguistics. They can be applied in making comparisons of different literally works and in this case, they can be effectively applied to compare and contrast Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, and Beowulf, both very old literally works (Crystal 27). The two poems are used to make readers have a better understanding of linguistics and bravado, since the authors have used both styles to give better illustrations of how the styles are applied in literally pieces (Heaney 22). This is a powerful poem written in the 14th century, which some scholars refer to it as the famous ‘beheading game.’ It can be classified as an alliterative romance because of the plot of the poem, which is basically about a mysterious challenge posed by Green Knight to the knights of King Arthur’s round table. He asks any knight that is willing to take the challenge to strike him with his axe and in return, after a certain period, the Green Knight will reciprocate by hitting the

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen Essay Example for Free

A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen Essay Reading the Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen makes you want to discern what entirely wives can afford to sacrifice for their families just to be good mothers and perfect wives for their husbands. This is the story of a woman who have succumbed to life’s realities which tell us that sometimes being a mother and a wife does not always make a woman complete but may even rob her of her rights as a real person. The first part of the story showed us that despite the lack of affluence, Nora has always been a happy mother and a contented wife for her husband. Such sweet and compassionate her life with her family that we, as readers are lured to think that this is the kind of story that you would never expect it would end up in an uncompromising conclusion and leave us wondering how things have suddenly turned against general expectations. Nora grew up with the luxury of life provided by her father. She is a beautiful and attractive woman but the day she marries and had children she disregard her affinity with the vanities of life as she was deprived of the things she used to have. When her husband quit his job, Nora worked really hard even discreetly to earn money. She buys cheap clothes to dress herself up decently and from her small savings she would buy small gifts for her three children to make her feel she is giving justice for herself and for the people she love. In doing this, Torvald always compare her to her father who knows nothing but spend his money on useless things. Although Nora loved her father so dearly she never dared to go against Torvald’s words when he speaks of her father. The most gracious thing that Nora did in her life was to love her father and her husband dearly although each opposes each other. When Torvald got sick he was forced to go to Italy to seek the proper medical attention with his family. Although Nora’s father was also critically ill she went by to help her husband get through with it. In Italy, life was even harder and Torvald need a large sum of money to go on with his hospitalization. Nora was helpless for they are also desolate. Nowhere to go and tremendously need to save her husband’s life she discreetly borrowed money from Nils Krogstad, a notorious bank employee who is infamous in sealing under the table agreements. Nora agreed to Krogstad’s plan of using her father’s bond and borrowed money from the bank while Nora pay it in installment to Krogstad. Nora’s father is already critically ill so she has to forge his signature or else there will be no money for her husband’s treatment. Apparently all became too complex when Torvald was about to take charge of the bank where Krogstad work and basically Torvald instantly wants to get rid of Krogstad because of his notorious reputation. When Krogstad learned of his impending fate, he talked to Nora to influence her husband so he can remain at the bank. Nora realized the outcome of the scandal in dealing with Krogstad and so tried to persuade her husband but Torvald is really bent on taking out Krogstad and replace him with Christine, Nora’s friend. Krogstad continued to blackmail her and threaten of exposing her to her husband but Nora was helpless. Finally all the anomalies behind Nora’s dealing were revealed by Krogstad through a letter to Torvald. When Torvald discovered of the irregularity that Nora got into, he became so furious he purged her with insulting words telling her as a worthless wife and a useless mother to her children. He threw accusations of his father’s ill habits and again compared him to her. Consequently, he never dared to ask the reason for the forgery. As she was maligned and degraded by her husband, everything snapped in front of her. Suddenly realizing all the guilt and pain she had endured, she suddenly opted for freedom (Ibsen, 2002). Perhaps this is where we can critically analyze how the characters have successfully or failed to play their part to end the story with a happy ending or otherwise end the event in failure. Probably most of us will have mixed inclination on believing Nora’s actions were of righteous deeds or perhaps the other way around. But however we see it, her forfeiture of his father’s signature signifies her love of Torvald because without doing it, she will surely lose her husband. On the other hand, we see a little shortcoming here with her actions. When Krogstad threatened to blackmail her she should have told this to her husband to prevent danger in their relationship as well as of his career. Instead she let things happened and then decided to end her life when Torvald knew all about it. Although this makes us readers to feel upset for Nora’s failures, the pointlessness of her weakness put more pain to her than gain. On the other hand, Nora can still be considered a noble person because the sacrifice she did to save her husband’s life was most dignified. We must face the fact that she only happened to love dearly a husband that she can afford to do such crime. Nora as we see here is the victim in this story not only because Krogstad used her but her feelings as a person was extremely disregarded. In the end she accused Torvald of loving her not as a person but like a ‘doll’ without feelings much like what her father do before. She said that all the while she loved them they did not love her back and never treated her as a person. Nora embodies women who can sacrifice for their families. Unfortunately she can only take too much. She got lost along the way and immersed herself with so much self pity and when she decided to go away she forgot about her children. This is the part which confuses us because leaving her children is somewhat uncalled for even though she would be searching for her freedom. Also, however it may seem, committing suicide as she previously planned is not the right answer to run away from all her anxieties. As with the plot of the story, it is filled with treachery, lies, drama, friendship, adultery and perception of ignorance and ill commitment. An example of treachery here is when Dr. Frank, a great friend of Torvald expresses his desire to Nora and wants to commit an adulterous relationship with her. On the other hand, Catherine, the best friend of Nora also betrayed Nora in a sense that she did not tell Nora that she and Krogstad were previously involved or it would have lightened the situation in the first place. Noticeably, there seemed to be predictability with the plot as well. The characters already knew each other long but did not meet altogether until all were in one event to highlight the drama. This is the usual concept that is generally used among stories when emphasizing the twist of events to highlight the heavy scenes with strong emotions. Nevertheless, the climax of the story make us think that though some of us realized that Nora’s decision to leave Helmer Torvald and her children does not seemed to be logical and heartless for a mother, we maybe able to understand that she is the victim of disrespect, a woman who did everything but was deprived of love and affection. However, this is good book to read for it is full of compassion and delight that normally happens with people in our society. Reference: Ibsen, H. (2002). A Dolls House: Plain Label Books

Anthropometrics: An introduction

Anthropometrics: An introduction Biomechanics Lab Report This lab report is based on the Anthropometrics practical session that took place in week three. Introduction The aim of the session was to find out what our Anthropometrical measures were and how they would compared to some typical figures that were given out at the time. The study of Anthropometrics deals with the measurement of the dimensions, mass, and mass distribution of the human body. It provides estimates of the lengths, masses, location of the centres of mass, and moments of inertia of the human body that are used in the study of human motion There are 10 main parts of the body that will be measured during the study of Anthropometrics and they are the two forearms, the head, the two upper arms, the trunk, two thighs and two shanks. All these measurements will give us an indication whether we are fit and healthy or if we are underweight or overweight, . Anthropometrics was found by a French savant called Alphonse Bertillon who in 1883 gave the name Anthropometrics to a system that he designed which involved him taking certain measurements and when they were recorded he found out that every single individual could be distinguished from other people by these measurements. This is because he concluded that everyone has a different physique and surface area. Materials and method The equipment that was used during this practical session were things like Goniometers A plinth Some Calipers A Height Gauge A set of Scales A Tape measure Nomogram Grip Strength Gauge Goniometers are designed for the measurement of limb angular movement. The sensors are attached across the joint employing double-sided medical adhesive tape and connected to instrumentation. The sensors are lightweight an unobtrusive allowing the data of human activity to be displayed or recorded while leaving the subject to move freely in the normal environment. The first thing that we did was to calculate our body mass index and to do this we measured our height and weight by using a Height Gauge and a set of scales. Then we calculated our body mass index by multiplying the height by itself and then dividing the answer that we got by our weight and this gave us our body mass index. Then we measure the length of our legs by using a tape measure. Then we measure the greater Trochanter knee joint and the Lateral Malleous knee joint by using Calipers. We also used the Calipers to measure the width of our wrist, elbow, knee, ankle and armspan. Then we used a goniometer to measure the angle of our quadriceps. Then we used the calipers to measure our skin fold thickness. Then we used the grip strength gauge to see how strong we were. We used the plinth to measure the lower part of the body. For example we used it to measure our lower limbs. We did the measurements that are above except for the height, weight and body mass index first on our right side and then on our left side and this enabled us to find out the total measurements of the entire body. Finally we checked our surface area by using the nomogram. Results Anthropometrical Measures Value Height (m) 185cm Weight (kg) 72.8 kg BMI (kg/m2) 21.3 kg/m2 Left Right Leg Length, ASIS Medial Malleolus (m) 101 m 101 m Greater Trochanter-Knee Joint (m) 45 m 45 m Knee Joint Lateral Malleolus (m) 43 m 43 m Wrist width (m) 5.7 m 5.9 m Elbow width (m) 7.3 m 7.3 m Knee width (m) 10 m 10.2 m Ankle width (m) 7.6 m 7.4 m Armspan (m) 185 m 185 m Q angle 10Â ° 10Â °, Chest/Waist/Hip Circumference m Chest 90 m Waist 79 m Hip 86 m Waist to Hip Ratio (WHR) 0.91 whr Ratio Armspan to body height 1 cm Calf Circumference (m) 35 m 35 m Thigh Circumference (m) 47 m 46 m Grip Strength Ratio (L vs R) 34 26 Surface Area (Nomogram) 1.91 m2 Surface Area by calculation 1.93 m2 Skin fold thickness (rectus femoris) 8 5 Measure the ratio of ring finger length to index finger length m 0.925 m 0.924 m Discussion While analysing my results I found out that some of my results were normal and some of my results were below or above the average for that particular measurement. For example when I analysed my body mass index I found out that I was in the normal range for body mass index which was 20-25 kg/m Typical ranges for body mass index Underweight Healthy Range 20-25 kgm2 D Overweight 25-30 kgm2 Obese >30 kgm2 While analysing my results I found out that my skin fold thickness is lower than the normal average. For example the average skin fold thickness for a fit man is 14-17 percent whereas if you have a body fat percentage over 25+ you are classed as obese. On the other hand women will have a slightly higher body fat percentage than men because they have got a slightly wider physique than men and this means that women will have a higher body fat percentage. Skin fold thickness measurements are also used as an indication of obesity and it has been proven to be a more reliable method to find out how much fat we have in our bodies Typical values for body fat percentage Women % body fat Men % body fat Fit 21-24 % 14-17 % Obese 32 + % 25 +% While analysing my results I also found out that my q angle was lower than a normal q angle should be. For example a normal q angle should typically fall between 18Â °- 22Â °, with males usually at the lower end of the scale and females at the higher end of the scale. An abnormal Q angle will typically be increased from normal. This automatically increases the vulnerability to tracking problems like lower back, pelvis, leg and foot problems. An abnormal Q angle becomes further complicated when accompanied by a functional or anatomical short leg. Many people especially runners favour a functional short leg rather than anatomical short leg. They prefer a functional short leg to an anatomical leg because the functional leg is used to straighten an abnormal q angle whereas an anatomical leg just keeps it in place. In this case a heel raise is often recommended but this will make the problem worse by keeping the leg in an abnormal position when it should be in a normal position. A normal Q angle will have the patella rotated slightly more towards the mid line than the tibial tubercle. Also while analysing my waist to hip result. I found out that I am at a low risk of being overweight and getting a serious health problem. For example a man needs to have a waist to hip ratio of 0.90 to be at low risk of getting a serious health condition but if a man has a waist to hip ratio of more than 1.0 than he is classed as being at a high risk of getting a serious health condition. In comparison to this a woman needs to have a waist to hip ratio of less that 0.80 to be at a low risk of getting a serious health condition and if they have a waist to hip ratio of more than 0.85 then they would be classed as being at a high risk of getting a serious health condition. The types of health conditions that you could get if you are at high risk are things like Coronary Heart Disease, Hypertension and Diabetes. On the other hand there are some serious health conditions with being underweight and they are Osteoporosis, Diabetes, Infertility, Anorexia / Bulimia, Aneami and Aimmune Defici ency. These conditions mainly affect women who have a body mass index of less than 18.5.kgm2 When my results was compared with the averages for the different measurements I found out that they were below the normal average for some of the measurements and this is because everybody is different in many ways. For example people have different physiques so the amount of body fat that is found in a persons body varies and this means that everybodys body mass index will be different. Conclusion While concluding my results I found that I am fit and healthy and that I am in no danger of getting a serious health condition. I have also found out that there are a number of different conditions that affects people who are overweight and underweight. I have also concluded that everybodys Anthropometrical measures will be difference. This is due to the difference in physique, height, body mass and the surface area of the body. When I compared my results to some typical data I found out that I was around about the normal range for most of the measurements that were taken during the practical session. Reference Page Books Pheasant, T S, (1996), Bodyspace: Anthropometrics, Ergonomics, and the design of work, London, Taylor Francis Hall, J, S (1953) Basic Biomechanics, London, Human kinetics Websites http://www.chiroweb.com/archives/21/24/03.html www.biopac.com/s/sitesearch/runsearch.php?q=goniometer 28k www.worldchiropracticalliance.org/tcj/2004/jun/charrette.htm www.nth.nhs.uk/dtrack.asp?r=docs/presentations/Podiatric%20Biomechanics%20-%20A%20Hardy.ppt www.brianmac.co.uk/injury.htm

Driving Essay -- essays research papers

One of the greatest things that teenagers look forward to is getting their driver ¡Ã‚ ¦s licence and getting the freedom to do whatever they want. Ever since graduated licensing began five years ago, on April 1,1994, many people have made good and bad comments about it.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The government has recently said that ever since graduated licensing started, there have been fewer accidents involving young drivers. Looking at it another way, it costs consumers less money, beacause fewer cars need to be repair. By having graduated licensing , there are fewer unexperienced young drivers on our roads. Also, insurance companies are a lot happier because they don ¡Ã‚ ¦t suffer too much by having to pay out claims. If there are complications in getting a licence, then fewer people will take the test. They might consider taking public transportation, which is a very good thing to do for our environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the other hand, ever since graduated licensing began, many teenagers and some parents, have started to complain. The teenagers have said that nowdays getting a licence is too complicated and too strict. They think that it is not fair to them. They thinl graduated licensing is designed to penalize all young drivers, but not every teenagers drives dangerously. Parents also said that fees and driving courses are too expensive, just to get a license. Parents should not complaint about the price of taking driving lessons because those driving le...

Emily Bronte Bibliography :: essays research papers

"Emily Jane Bronte was born at Thornton in Yorkshire on 30 July 1818, the fifth of six children of Patrick and Maria Bronte (nee Branwell). Two years later, her father was appointed perpetual curate of Haworth, a small, isolated hill village surrounded by moors. Her mother died shortly after her third birthday and she and her sisters and brother were brought up by their aunt, Elizabeth Branwell. Apart from a few short periods, she remained in Haworth. Her only close friendships were those with her brother Branwell and her sisters Charlotte and Anne; only three perfunctory letters by her survive. "From accounts by those who knew Emily Jane Bronte, there emerges a consistent portrait of a reserved, courageous woman with a commanding will and manner. In the biographical note to the 1850 edition of Wuthering Heights, Charlotte Bronte attributes to her sister 'a secret power and fire that might have informed the brain and kindled the veins of a hero', while Monsignor Heger, who taught her in Brussels, was impressed by her 'powerful reason' and 'strong, imperious will'. "Emily Jane Bronte began writing poems at an early age and published twenty-one of them, together with poems by Anne and Charlotte, in 1846 in a slim volume titled Poems by Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell. At an even earlier age, she collaborated with Charlotte, Branwell, and Anne on the 'plays' and tales that developed into the Glass Town saga. By 1834, Emily and Anne were thoroughly engaged in writing their own saga involving two imaginary islands in the north and south Pacific, Gondal and Gaaldine. No early prose narratives survive, but several poems by Emily and Anne refer to Gondal places and characters. Emily Jane Bronte is best known for her only novel, Wuthering Heights, published under her pseudonym of Ellis Bell in 1847, almost exactly a year before her death on 19 December 1848. She became ill after attending Branwell's funeral, and died of tuberculosis after an illness of about three months." Three writers who influenced the direction of the English novel also happened to be sisters. Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Bronte were all born in Thornton, England in the early 1800s. Their father Patrick was born in Ireland, educated in England, and became an Anglican clergyman. He and his wife had six children. The two oldest daughters, Maria and Elizabeth died before reaching adulthood. Of the remaining children, Charlotte was the eldest, born April 21, 1816; followed by brother Patrick Branwell, born June 26, 1817; then Emily, born July 30, 1818; and Anne, born January 17, 1820. Shortly after Anne's birth, their father accepted a position in Haworth, located within

Response to Terrorism: Military Vengeance or Positive Actions? Essay

Response to Terrorism: Military Vengeance or Positive Actions? The issues raised by September 11 are less about constitutional war powers than about war wisdom. Under national and international law the President has legal authority to react in self-defense against this invasion of our territory. Even the most vigorous critics of executive power concede that under the Constitution the President is empowered, in Madison's words, to "repel sudden attacks." One might quibble over whether "repelling" an attack, which in the eighteenth century would have been a land or naval invasion by a foreign state, extends in this era to a military response outside the United States to an attack by unknown forces, but the principle supporting the legitimacy of an immediate response of a military nature seems implicit in the original understanding of executive power. Moreover, Congress has expressly acknowledged that executive power and, in addition, has specifically authorized the use of "all necessary and appropriate force" against the persons and organizations that conducted the attack and those states that aided or harbored the terrorists. Likewise, under international law the United States has the right of self-defense under Article 51 of the UN Charter, and NATO members have invoked Article 5 of the NATO Treaty, declaring the attack as an "attack against them all," so that each of them is obligated "to take such action as it deems necessary, including the use of armed force, to restore and maintain the security of the North Atlantic area." The legal authority of the President to wage his "War on Terrorism" is therefore clear. The wisdom of doing so is more complex. No doubt some military response will be launched... ...American people better understand the extent and basis of the anger against our country, as well as extending public exposure to the expression of compassion that is common to all religious traditions. Finally, while we affirm our support for Israel, we need to effectively disassociate the United States from support of the Israeli occupation of Palestine. The fundamental changes in policy that I am recommending of course cannot happen quickly, and can only be brought about if accompanied by tangible benefits in terms of cooperation from members of the antiterrorism coalition. Reciprocity is the protection against responding, and appearing to respond, to the attack itself. In the meantime let us hope that military vengeance does not preclude the kinds of positive responses that will actually protect the physical security of the country.

The Iroquois Confederacy to Six Nations

Northern Kentucky University The Iroquois Confederacy to Six Nations Thesis: Examine how the Seneca, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, and Cayuga, and the 1722 addition of the Tuscarora, resulted in the Iroquois Confederacy or Six Nations and their influence on the creation of the Constitution. Nicole Cushingberry Cultural Anthropology Michael Striker December 16, 2011 Nicole Cushingberry Instructor: Michael Striker Anthropology 100 The Iroquois: Confederacy to Six NationsThe Iroquois Confederacy, also known as Five Nations or Six Nations after the 1720 inclusion of the Tuscarora, was a collective of tribes that occupied the upper region of New York state around Lake Ontario, Pennsylvania, and Southern Ontario and Quebec. The term Iroquois is an English deviation from a French deviation of an offensive Algonkian (group of Native American Indian languages used from South Carolina to Labrador, Canada and west to the Great Plains) term for â€Å"real snakes†.Originally, the members of th e confederacy described themselves as Kanonsionni (compound word – kanonsa meaning â€Å"house† and â€Å"ionni† meaning extended) or â€Å"people of the longhouse† whereas today the term Haudenosaunee is used which translates to â€Å"people building an extended house†. The literal meaning of these terms describes the housing arrangement of the Iroquois – a dwelling typically 60 feet long (as large as 300 feet long) constructed of young, bendable trees, covered with bark.Historically and by native traditions, Dekanawidah, a Huron tribe member and shaman, is credited with creating the Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy, also known as The Great Law of Peace, between the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The Great Law of the Iroquois was communicated orally, believed to be one of the earliest collections of governing principles equivalent to the constitution, and was utilized as a justice system to be applied to tribe members by their chie fs.Chief Hiawatha, an Onondaga living amongst a Mohawk tribe and an equivalent to a modern day politician, was persuaded by Dekanawidah to teach The Great Law of the Iroquois in hopes of eliminating the ongoing conflicts between the tribes resulting in the raiding of villages to obtain captives, retaliation, and murder. Dekanawidah also hoped that by uniting the Cayuga, Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, and Seneca, they would be able to defend themselves against European invasion. Tribal SocietySeveral tribes of the Northeast region spoke the Iroquois language but not all of them were members of the confederacy (at left, map shows the tribes and regions in New York State; the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy is shown in red). The Five Nations, was formed when the Cayuga, Mohawk, Onondaga, Oneida, and Seneca agreed to abide by the principles of The Great Law of the Iroquois Confederacy; Six Nations was created when the Tuscaroa, a tribe from North Carolina, Requested admittance into the confederacy to gain protection from European colonization oreover, enslavement. The Six Nations of the confederacy is comprised of clan groups of matrilineal descent, with members being part of the mother’s family (all members of each clan were related to other clans via the mothers) automatically at birth and will remain as such for their lifetime. Family kinship was determined by bifurcate merging, with unilineal descent. The Iroquois were matrilocal; when a man was selected as being worthy to join their longhouse as a husband by the elder women, after marriage, the couple resided in the longhouse of woman’s birth.Though women were in the position of power commonly held by men, they did not dominate the society. The most senior woman lead her clan and was charged with the naming of children, working her advisors to elect a chief to represent the clan and remove him if he did not meet his obligations, food production and distribution, making clothing, participating in medicinal groups, and as a pastime, took part in gambling. Men were responsible for hunting, managing military tasks, fighting in wars, and acting as a representative, if selected, of his longhouse.The Iroquois mode of subsistence was agriculturally based society, which their staple crops being corn, squash, and beans. Their diet was enhanced by gathering fruit, roots, and nuts some of which was often dried for later use. During hunting season, the men trapped squirrels, rabbits, beaver and hunted bears and deer. They traded goods such as pipes, beaded clothing, furs, and food items. Religion consisted in devotion to â€Å"The Great Spirit†, creator of the world. All things in the Iroquois existence were taken care of by the spirits of the trees, plants, wind, rain, and other aspects of nature.They believed that a world of supernatural powers existed, with both good and evil entities and felt these spirits could alter the course of their lives. The religious specialists of t he Iroquois were known as the â€Å"Keepers of the Faith† and were male or female and held the position part-time. The keepers were selected by the elders and were tasked with arranging and conducting religious ceremonies, such as funerals or fighting illness and disease. Constitutional Influence The main authors of the Constitution of the United States, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson, were highly influence and inspired by the principles of the Six Nations.Iroquois chiefs were invited to the Continental Congress Hall where on June 11, 1776, the focus of discussion was on the topic of independence. The chiefs presented a speech that detailed an on-going friendship between the Iroquois and the new Americans, and this relationship would only continue if both groups acted â€Å"as one people, and have one heart†. There are many similarities between the constitution and the principles of the Iroquois. Researchers Vine Deloraia, Bruce Johnson, and Donald Grind have f ound that the very foundation of both sets of principles mirror each ther (Johansen 1998:79): life, liberty, and happiness (Declaration of Independence); government by reason and consent rather than coercion (Albany Plan and Articles of Confederation); religious tolerance (and ultimately religious acceptance) instead of a state church; checks and balances; federalism (U. S. Constitution); and relative equality of property, equal rights before the law, and the thorny problem of creating a government that can rule equitably across a broad geographic expanse (Bill of Rights of the United States Constitution). Native America had a substantial role in shaping all of these ideas. Payne 1996:607, quoting Grinde and Johansen, Exemplars of Liberty, xx) Further, Johansen found that Franklin was using quotes from the Onondaga and advising Americans in their ill feeling towards England: Our wise ancestors established union and amity between the five nations. This has made us formidable. This ha s given us great weight and authority with our neighboring nations. We are a powerful Confederacy, and by your observing the same methods our wise ancestors have taken you will acquire much strength and power; therefore, whatever befalls you, do not fall out with one another. Johansen 1998:8) In closing, to think that the Constitution of the United States is based upon the life principles of a group of people once thought to be savages, is both a revelation and a disappointment. It is truly amazing that some many people with a common language can come together as one group for the benefits of all – socially, economically, and for the protection against a common enemy. The people of the Six Nations lived lives based on survival rather than greed by our current day definition.However, what I find disappointing and disheartening, is the fact that we as Americans came to this country to escape oppression from the crown. Yet upon arrival in this new land, we turn and do the simila r oppressive acts to the Native Americans. We called them savages and treated them as if they occupied a status lower than animals, yet we base the very document that makes use Americans on their life principles. A statement by issued during a discussion at Albany Franklin summarizes my point of view: â€Å"It would be a strange thing†¦ f Six Nations of ignorant savages should be capable of forming such a union and be able to execute it in such a manner that it has subsisted ages and appears indissoluble, and yet that a like union should be impractical for ten or a dozen English colonies, to whom it is more necessary and must be more advantageous, and who cannot be supposed to want an equal understanding of their interest. † Works Cited Daly, Janet. â€Å"Iroquois constitution united states. † IPOAA Magazine. Social Science Journal, n. d. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. . Hale, Horatio. â€Å"Iroquois Book of Rites Index. Internet Sacred Text Archive Home. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. . â€Å"Iroquois Confederacy (American Indian confederation) — Britannica Online Encyclopedia. † Encyclopedia – Britannica Online Encyclopedia. N. p. , n. d. Web. 19 Nov. 2011. . Kahionhes Fadden, John. â€Å"Chp 8: A New Chapter, Images of native America in the writings of Franklin, Jefferson, and Paine, â€Å"Exemplar Of Liberty†. † rat haus reality, ratical branch. N. p. , n. d. Web. 14 Dec. 2011. . Malinowski, Sharon, Anna J. Sheets, and Linda Schmittroth. UA†¢XA†¢L encyclopedia of Native American tribes.Detroit: UA†¢XA†¢L, 1999. Print. Myers, Merlin G.. Households and families of the Longhouse Iroquois at Six Nations Reserve. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press in cooperation with the American Indian Studies Research Institute, Indiana University, Bloomington, 2006. Print. â€Å"New York Indian Tribes and Languages. † Native American Language Net: Preserving and promoting indigenous American Indian la nguages. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. . â€Å"Understanding Haudenosaunee Culture-1. † Syracuse Peace Council. N. p. , n. d. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. .

Data Collection †Business Research Essay

Introduction The experience of focus group and semi-structured interview were gained during my data collection research. I conducted one focus group and one semi-structured interviews, due to participants time limit and busy schedule I was not possible to conduct more interviews. I have designed the interview procedure including questions prepared for each interview to capture different group and individual. I have given participants consent form to sign and ask for their permission to audio tape recorder, simultaneously I was taking note. This type of interview was more suitable for my data collection research because it allowed face to face assurance and explanation of the importance, aim, and necessity of the research. I have enjoyed the interview exercise and my learning reflection about data collection process is addressed below. How well did the research instrument address the research questions and meet the goals of the study? Using focus group and semi-structured interview instruments to collect data helped keeping track of what I observed and how to analyse it. Methods of recording information gathered during focus groups and interview for collecting unbiased information have helped to gain credibility as an accurate and useful source of information collection. Focus group and semi- structured interviews were effective in communicating a desire to obtain meaningful and honest information, both instruments were well designed that helped the conversation develop in line with my research questions. I was able to use technique for collecting data as a combination of an audio tape recorder and note taking which allow me to capture all of the essential information in an unbiased manner, I was also able to capture nonverbal behaviour of group participants, i.e. reactions of other participants after a participant statement may indicate consensus or disagreement. Both instruments are valid and reliable in collecting data, and questions and observations accurately assess what I want to know. What specific advantages and disadvantages can you see from using this particular method? Semi-structured individual interviews are more efficient than focus groups and interviewers are typically able to cover more ground interviewing one person versus a group. While focus groups may actually get less information than one hour individual interview, the dynamic interchange between the group members may result in more in depth and unbiased information concerning a particular topic. A potential weakness of focus groups may occur when members do not express their personal opinions and conform to a popular opinion or agree to a particular group member. In semi-structured interview there is no significant time delay between question and answer, the interviewer and interviewee can directly react on what the other says or does. An advantage of this communication is that the answer of the interviewee is more spontaneous, without an extended reflection. But due to this type of communication, the interviewer must concentrate much more on the questions to be asked and the answers given. Especially when semi-structured interview list is used, and the interviewer has to formulate questions as a result of the interactive nature of communication. Interview also has the advantage that the interviewer can make more use of a standardisation of the situation. On the other hand this type of communication of time and place can bring with it a lot of time and costs. Social interaction in the focus group provides more free and complex answers, interviewer can ask for clarification, problems as to whether the group represents a larger population and difficult to assemble the group. What issues did you face in data collection and compilation? In my situation, I needed to obtain an appropriate permission or approval to collect information from the senior management of the company I have done my research on. I had to allow time to work through the proper channels and it was stressful process to know whether they will provide me with an approval to conduct my interviews and collect data. One of the problems encountered by me was the limited time allocated as the questionnaires were process oriented and it took time to complete some of the questionnaires while each interview was allocated 45 minutes only, in addition, the geographical location of the company was presented a difficulty as I had to travel more than 30 minutes to reach the company’s premises. I had to visit the company twice to conduct a focus group with one team and a semi-structured interview with another team manager. I believe there is no issue in data integrity or accuracy that was provided to me by the team during both interviews. However, compilation of data has been time consuming process due to documenting all notes taking as well as referring to the audio tape recorder to ensure that I haven’t missed anything out. I did not encounter any non-response or outright refusal from the participants. The response from the leaders and officials was also encouraging. How would you change the research instrument based on the data you collected? I believe the answers I have got are as good as the questions I asked, I may need to expand on my research instruments techniques and get the best answers that fit my questions, or follow formative research process that will help me think through which questions I want to ask of which people. For example, asking good questions of the wrong people or asking the right people bad questions will provide me poor and unusable results. Even if focus group and semi-structured interviews are the best method for collecting my data, I will consider changing how to do them, collecting the best data possible is to separate research instruments into smaller rounds instead of trying to get all answer for the questions at once. Later rounds can build on information from earlier rounds. For example, I would use one round of the interview to help me determine a target group, understand their roles, skills and knowledge around using systems and processes and then a second round to investigate more deeply into the group’s thoughts and feelings. What lessons have you learned about collecting data? I believe collecting data for this study or MRP research is way more stressful than other data collection I have experienced. First of all, the stakes are higher, if I don’t get it right I will continue to be in purgatory. All what I needed is to hear from my potential participants about whether they are participating in my research study. I got tons of questions from the senior management asking details of the research study and proposal. This, however, does not mean that they are going to participate in my study. So, I had to be very careful about how I answer their questions and how to interact with them. I learned to be always prepared to get tones of questions. I also had to send my participants a reminder about the date and time of the interviews and accommodate them, otherwise they will forget as they are busy people. I learned to keep my spirit high, and I needed to remind myself that things are going to be OK. I needed to continue providing information, checking in, reminding, answering questions, sending e-mails, making phone calls, and running my research study with a smile on my face. Even though I was exhausted, tried to keep my energy high, and didn’t let my participants feel the stress I felt inside. At the end, I was grateful to have each and every participant I had and enjoyed the experience with them. And finally I learned to be patient, collecting data is a slow process and I was focusing on how to achieve the big goal of interviewing participants and collecting data, while I forget to pay attention to what I achieve everyday towards getting my data collection complete. What thoughts do you have about the importance and relevance of your project based on the data collection experience? Data collected during the focus group and interview is adequate to be analysed for my process improvement project purpose and to make decisions about important issues. I will be able to present findings and analysis based on data collected from interviews and that subsequent decisions based on arguments embodied in the findings are valid. Data collection process will help my project identifying area for improvements, analysing and assessing the importance of systems and processes. Quality and type of data play a vital role in supplying objective information for the problems in process improvement project so that some analytical understanding of the problems and hence solutions can be obtained. Making decision on the basis of poor quality data is risky and may lead to disastrous results. My project requires data that is valid and reliable, and in this study data was collected using a variety of research methods, such as interview and focus group were participants debriefed to ensure interpretive validity in order to determine if data was being interpreted correctly.

Brief Gerographic background of from where Anna Hazare was born Essay

Anna Hazare was born and lived the 1st 6 years of his life in Bhingar which is a small town in Ahmednagar district. It is in the state of Maharashtra in India. Bhingar got its name from a rishi called Bhrigu that did tapsya there on a hillock and later a temple was erected in his honour. Aurangzeb, the last Mughal emperor, died at Bhingar in 1707. Also, there is a very famous and very old temple of Lord Shiva called Shukleshwar Temple in Bhingar. In 2001, the total population was 7620 people out of which 51% were males and 49% females. At the time, the literacy rate was 73% , which was higher than the national average of 59.5%. The language spoken in this town Bhingar is Marathi. Ahmednagar is the largest district in the state of Maharashtra. The district is famous of the town of Shirdi associated with Sai Baba. In olden days it was part of Bombay presidency until India’s independence in 1947 when it became part of Bombay state and in 1960 the new state of Maharashtra. In 2006, the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Ahmednagar one of the country’s 250 most backward districts. In 2011 India census, Ahmednagar district recorded a population of 4,543,083 people and the sex ration was 934 females for every 1000 males. It had a literacy rate of 80.22%. According to the census, 82% people were Hindu’s, 9% Muslims, 5% Christians and and the balance religions were 4%. Ahmednagar is home to the Indian Armored Corps Centre & School (ACC&S), the Mechanized Infantry Regimental Centre (MIRC), the Vehicle Research and Development Establishment (VRDE) and the Controllerate of Quality Assurance Vehicles (CQAV). Training and recruitment for the Indian Army Armoured Corps takes place at the ACC&S. Formerly, the city was the Indian base of the British Army’s Royal Tank Corps / Indian Armoured Corps, amongst other units. The town houses the second largest display of military tanks in the world. Few Famous personalities from Ahmednagar are: Sai Baba of Shirdi, spiritual master Anand Rishiji, Jain saint Meher Baba, spiritual leader Sant Dnyaneshwar, Marathi saint, wrote Dnyaneshwari, a discourse on the Bhagavad Gita. Zaheer Khan – Indian Cricketer Dagdu Maruti Pawar, a Marathi author and poet known for his contributions to Dalit literature. B.J. Khatal- Patil – Ex. Cabinet Minister of Maharashtra, a senior Maharashtra leader and a veteran Congressman. Places of interest are as follows: Akolner a village near city is birthplace of saint Dasganu also famous for chariot festival (Rath yatra). National bird peacocks are found here. Dongargan — An old temple of Lord Shiva in mountains 8 km from Ahmednagar City, having notable waterfalls. Shingnapur – A village containing a Shani (planet Saturn) temple and where all the houses are doorless—probably the only village in the world where locks are unnecessary. Tank Museum — The Armoured Corps Centre and School has created a museum with an extensive collection of 20th-century armoured fighting vehicles. Ahmednagar Fort – Built by Ahmed Nizam Shah in 1490, this is one of the best-designed and most impregnable forts in India. As of 2013, it is under the control of the military command of India. Oval in shape, with 18-metre-high walls and 24 citadels, its defence system includes a moat 30 metres wide and 4 to 6 metres deep. Maharashtra is a state in the Western region of India and is the nations second most populous. It is also the second most populous sub-national entity in the world with over 110 million inhabitants. It is bordered by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Indian states of Karnataka, Telangana, Goa, Gujarat, Chhattisgarg, Madya Pradesh and the Union territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli. The state capital is Mumbai which is also the financial capital of the nation. Maharashtra is the wealthiest and most developed state in India contribution 15% of the country’s industrial output and 13.3% of its GDP as of 2006-2007. Maharashtra is the 3rd largest state by area in the India. Rice is the dominant crop of the state but cashews, mangoes, vegetable cotton, oilseeds and tobacco are also important. Maharashtra is divided into five geographic regions. Konkan is the western coastal region,  between the Western Ghats and the sea. Kandesh is the northwestern region lying in the valley of the Tapti River. Maharashtra is divided into 36 districts under given 6 divisions. These 36 districts are further divided into 109 sub-divisions of the districts and 357 talukas. The Governor of Maharashtra is Kateekal.Sankaranaryanan on 22nd January 2010. The Chief Minister is Prithiviraj Chavan from the political party â€Å"Indian National Congress:. He was sworn in on 11th November 2010. Maharashtra has a typical monsoon climate with hot, rainy and cold weather seasons. However, dew, frost, hail can also happen according to the seasonal weather. Winter is in January and February followed by summer between March and May and the monsoon season is between June and September. The economy of Maharashtra is driven by international trade, entertainment (television, motion pictures, video games, recorded music), aerospace, technology, petroleum, fashion, apparel, and tourism. Maharashtra is the most industrialised state and has maintained leading position in the industrial sector in India. The State is pioneer in Small Scale industries. Mumbai, the capital of state and the financial capital of India, houses the headquarters of most of the major corporate & financial institutions. India’s main stock exchanges & capital market and commodity exchanges are located in Mumbai. The State continues to attract industrial investments from both, domestic as well as foreign institutions. Maharashtra has the largest proportion of taxpayers in India and its share markets transact almost 70 per cent of the country’s stocks. The flora of Maharashtra is heterogeneous in composition. In 2012 the recorded thick forest area in the state was 61,939 km2 (23,915 sq mi) which was about 20.13% of the state’s geographical area. Maharashtra is known for its extensive avifauna. Maharashtra is said to have 3 game reserves, 5 national parks and 24 bird sanctuaries.[40] Wild sanctuaries in the state include Radhanagari Wildlife Sanctuary, Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, Koyna Wildlife Sanctuary, Chandoli National Park, Sanjay  Gandhi National Park and Mhadei Wildlife Sanctuary. The most common animals which are found in the state are Tigers, Black panthers, Leopards, Gaur, Sloth bears, Sambar, Four-headed antelope, Blue Bull, Chital, Barking deer, Mouse deer, Civet cats, Jackals, Jungle cats, Spotted hyena, and Hare. Other animals in the state include reptiles such as lizards, cobras and kraits. The national parks of Maharashtra possess a variety of plant species that include Jamun, Palas, Shisam, Neem, Teak, Dhawada, Kalam, Saja / Ain, Bija, Shirish, Mango, Acacia, Awala, Kadamba, Moha, Acacia, Terminalia, Hedu and Ficus. Attire Marathi women commonly wear the sari, often distinctly designed according to local cultural customs. In urban areas, many women and men wear Western attire. Men also wear traditional costumes such as the dhoti and pheta on cultural occasions. Women wear traditional jewelleries derived from Marathas and Peshwas dynasties. Another very much popular jewellery for the Marathi women is Kolhapuri saaj, a special type of necklace. Cuisine Maharashtra cuisine covers a range from being mild to very spicy dishes. Wheat, rice, jowar, bajri, vegetables, lentils and fruit form Staples of Maharashtrian diet. Some of the Popular dishes include puran poli, ukdiche Modak, and batata wada. Meals (mainly lunch and dinner) are served on a plate called thali. Each food item served on the thali has a specific place. People of this state believe in offering their food first to the lord as a thanksgiving for all that he has given. Maharashtra’s cuisine is divided into two, viz. Konkani, and Varadi. Though quite different, both use a lot of seafood and coconut.

Differences Between the Federalists and Jeffersonians

During the early formative years of our nation, George Washington and John Adams both opposed any development towards splitting politics into two divisions. The two early leaders thought of it to be very unconstitutional, stating that Americans need to set aside their differences and remain unified. However, the rapidly growing interests of north and south, rich and poor, and industry and agriculture were all tossed around until two major political groups were finally formed.The Federalist Party, led by Alexander Hamilton, who preferred urban life and supported northern efforts, envisioned that the new country’s federal government should have more power, and wanted it to be a replica of the British system. In addition, Hamilton strived towards the creation of national banks that would establish fiscal policy, use debt to establish credit, and regulate a national currency. However, opposing viewers feared that a stronger federal government would do nothing but wipe out the newl y born democracy.The opposing competitors such as the Jeffersonians led by Thomas Jefferson, who preferred rural life and spoke for southern efforts, believed that it would be more necessary to provide the majority of the power with the individual states. The Jeffersonians also believed that the creation of national banks was unconstitutional, and that it wasn’t permitted by our early forefathers. As differences continued to occur, Americans only saw the gap between the two political parties widening more and more.When it came to foreign policy, Jefferson and Hamilton both encouraged America to remain neutral and to not take sides. They wanted the country to build relationships with other nations, but also to stay clear of any international conflict. However, Jefferson thought that America should be helping the French efforts against the British, while Hamilton thought that war efforts should be targeted at helping their mother country of England defeat the French.As time wen t on, the differences between both parties only grew on and on. While Jefferson seized agriculture to be the backbone of the nation, Hamilton wanted the economy to be equally balanced between agriculture, trade, finance, and manufacturing. All in all, both men were very well educated. Even though they shared completely different political views, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton both made enormous contributions in shaping the new nation, and expected nothing less than a wonderful future for the United States.

Examine how commitment to lifelong learning and reflective practice Essay

Examine how commitment to lifelong learning and reflective practice contributes to the role of being a health profession - Essay Example This academic paper provided guidelines for health professionals to explain, document, research and promote their professions. To complete the process of proving effectiveness, it is essential that health professionals undergo lifelong learning and reflective practice (Gross 2001). This academic paper will describe the concepts of lifelong learning and reflective practice, then it will discusses why both of them are necessary in this changing society. Followed by explaining commitment is important in lifelong learning and reflective practice to health professional area. Lifelong learning has been advocated by government agencies both local and international as well as private professional institutions because of its increasing importance with ensuring that health professionals are keeping up with the changing times. There are existing federal and international laws being applied to regulate professions and to serve as their early defence towards the increasing needs of the people in the society (Knowles et. al 2003). The efficacy of different health professions has not been fully explored. Some of these professions are relatively young professions and, therefore, needs all members of the field to contribute to its development (Riechmann 2000). Healthcare professionals should engage in continuing professional development (CPD) throughout their careers. This can be achieved through both formal activity, such as course attendance, and informal activity, such as reflective practice. However, about the latter, many healthcare practitioners have anxieties about when they might operate this activity and how they might undertake it (Kinsella 2001). While there are many methods of CPD, the government focuses on outcome and defines it as: ...a process of lifelong learning for all individuals and teams which meets the needs of patients and delivers the health outcomes. (Jourgin 2002). Lifelong learning is

Balance scorecard Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Balance scorecard - Coursework Example Jack (2009) explains that in the USA currently, the horticulture farming achieves a gross total of $98.9 billion and it’s ranked the third largest in the US agricultural industry. Grains farming accumulate to $111.3 billion while beef farming accounts to $99.2 billion dollars annually. Horticultural farming performs better than poultry, cotton and wool farming combined. It is estimated that the greenhouse horticulture would increase to 9.3% of the total agricultural sector by the year 2018. Greenhouse horticulture output leads to 3.5 million tones of agricultural produce annually which accounts to 5% of the agricultural output. Currently, the Gross Value of Production (GVP) generated by each employee accounts for $295,648 annually. A total of $9227 is generated per hectare in the gross value of production. Jack (2009) further illustrates that in terms of the Gross value of Production (GVP) developed per hectare, horticulture is the third successful productive sector in the agr icultural industry followed exceeding poultry farming. From the analysis it can be noted horticulture has vast opportunities for financial success which the nursery volunteers can embrace. Niven (2010) describes that Business Scorecard (BSC) was coined by Robert Kaplan from Harvard and David Norton in 1992 in the measurement of intangible assets which played a vital role in the increase of their financial figures. Kaplan and Norton believed that for managers to improve on their management of intangible assets; they had to incorporate the measurement of their value into their management programs. After the formulation of the business model several companies adopted it and 15 years down the line, it was further adopted by thousands of other public, private and nonprofit companies. The concept was further expanded to include the communicating, describing and implementation of the strategy. The four BSC perspectives include the learning and growth perspective, the customer perspective,

Summarize and analyze the peer-reviewed article you selected, briefly Essay

Summarize and analyze the peer-reviewed article you selected, briefly noting how it differs from the nonpeer-reviewed resource you used - Essay Example ed article is also organized into sections like abstract, introduction, methodology, results and discussions unlike in the non peer reviewed where the article may or may not have subtitles. The peer reviewed article also gives the names of all the scholars who are involved in criticizing the article which is not the case with the non peer reviewed article. This article helps one understand the Restless Legs Syndrome which is a health problem and the medical costs of its treatment. The article explores Restless Legs Syndrome, it causes and how the syndrome was diagnosed in a group of people and this gives me insights on how to conduct a research on this healthcare problem and other problems (Calloway et.al, 2012). As a scholar and a practitioner in health care administration, this peer- reviewed article is quite beneficial as it helps in understanding the economic burden in the treatment of the syndrome. The peer reviewed articles gives a scholar-practitioner in health care adequate knowledge in research and health care plans which should be implemented to reduce all costs associated with the treatment of the

Conservation tasks used by Piaget, James Mc Garrigle and Margaret Essay

Conservation tasks used by Piaget, James Mc Garrigle and Margaret Donaldson - Essay Example The results suggest that whether children conserve or not does not depend on either of the two tasks used but rather on their mastery of identity. This study aims at exploring Piaget's Task on conservation in children and critically evaluating it in the light of the more recent procedure described by (McGarrigle and Donaldson, 1975). Conservation is defined as the realization that number of items, measure or length is not related to arrangement or look of the objects or items. An examle is when a child is presented with a glass full of water, will they be able to deduct that if that same water is transferred to a broader but plumper cup, then will it conserve the quantity and be the same Piaget argues that during the early childhood stage (below 6 years), children's ability to perform logical mental operations is inadequate. In his research, Piaget identified four stages in cognitive development namely; Sensorimotor stage (Infancy), Pre-operational stage(2-7 years), Concrete operational stage (7-11 years) and Formal operational stage (Adolescence through adulthood). ... Children in pre operational stage fail the the test of conservation because their thinking process does not comprehend the three principles of reversibility, compensation and identity. This has been interpreted to mean that before certain ages children are not able to perceive things in certain ways. The theories have found wide usage especially in developing school curricula, however other psychologists have disagreed with them. They have argued that conservation tasks do not necessarily reveal an essential limitation in the child's appreciation of quantity. Below are some of the arguments as to why children may fail to conserve: That the subjects may be distracted by the procedure. They may think that the experimenter wants them to answer in a certain way especially if the question is repeated. That the child may forget if the experimenter interfered with the information stored in Short Term Memory. Porpodas (1987). The children may not understand the relational terms. That the conservation task being artificial would normally make no sense to a child. Lenz (2003) argues that Piaget does not take into account matters of simplicity or complexity of the task and that if a task is simple enough the child may perform correctly but if complex, even an older child may make pre-operational mistakes. Indeed, in an effort to illustrate that children younger than in Piaget's typical age can conserve, many researchers have modified Piaget's original procedure. For instance McGarrigle and Donaldson (1975) assert that if the transformation is bought about accidentally then the number of 5-6 year olds conserving will go up. This study is to

Markeing - Small Business Essentials Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Markeing - Small Business Essentials - Essay Example nience industry of Canada includes over 23,000 retail locations and, excluding automobiles, represents 8.6% of the total retail economy; it is ranked as 5th highest in its category. Every day one in every 3 stores is patronized by the Canadians. The purpose of convenience stores is to serve is the entire region of the population available but its main focus is on those customers who purchase their items besides the normal working hours. Either they get free from work at a later time or have shift working hours and it’s not possible for them to buy the stuff in the normal working hours. Many entrepreneurs try to come up with innovative ideas while they are starting up their new businesses. It should be kept in mind that to be successful for any new business, it should be innovative and attractive enough so that customers do come to check out the business value. With the changing trends of the market due to inflation and other factors, it was observed that there was slowdown in the manufacturing sector which created weaker jobs and now it is expected that sales will go down to be much slower in the years 2009 and 2010. According to sources Canada’s population is expected to be growing by 4% between 2007 and 2011, the data researched by Canadian Convenience Stores Association (2009) depict that the rate of consumer expenditure was high in 2007 and 2008 (4.5% and 3.4, respectively), but it decreased massively in the year 2009 and will further decrease in the year 2010. According to the Canadian Convenience Stores Association (2009), there are 3 main issues which the stores are facing as major challenges and they are firstly the illegal sale of tobacco, secondly the credit card transaction costs, and lastly, the over regulation phase. Couche-Tard is one of the largest convenience store operators that are operating in Canada. Analyzing his success rate, if he were to start up his business again he would know what all loopholes are that still exist in his

Critical thinking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 7

Critical thinking - Essay Example For once, social media was abuzz with a video which showed the impact that bullies in school have on general children. More than sensation, this video instilled fear in the minds of the people who were parents, teachers, and policy makers in education institutions. Would this have taken place if bullies were not treated to zero tolerance at school? Or was the world giving way to bullies and not actually creating an education system that controls such acts or thoughts, but succeeds in only controlling individuals? There is a strong suggestion that whether out of habit or frustration, the bully’s acts are only heightened when the school adopts a zero tolerance towards them and chooses to suppress them. Through our article we will take in all the aspects of bullying in school that we see in this and many other episodes around the world, and try to indicate why schools should not enforce zero tolerance policies in schools. To address the thesis the body has been divided into four main sections - Against Hope Hopened?, Psychological impact on children, Social Degradation and Demented Student Culture. The first section highlights the expectations of parents while sending their children to schools. The second section talks of the psychological aspect of bullying faced in schools. The third subheading underlines the anti-social implications of bullying and the fourth one emphasizes the recommended policies to be undertaken by schools to promote a healthy culture among students. Every time a child heads for school, his family looks forward to seeing him well educated and placed in a respectable position in the society. However, our education systems leave parents distraught when incidences of bullying and teen violence plague their child’s growth and personality development. While many worry about the safety of their children from these students, parents of bullies are

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 42

Philosophy - Essay Example Rationalism believes that knowledge is innate or inborn while learning results from intuition (Lawhead 15). It supports the Priori knowledge idea that states that knowledge comes before experience. Philosophers that support this argument include Leibniz, Kant and Descartes. Conversely, empiricism states that knowledge comes from experience (Lawhead 56). Empiricism supports the idea of posteriori that means that knowledge is dependent solely on experience. Philosophers including Humes, Locke and Berkeley support this idea (Lawhead 59). According to rationalism, all knowledge is considered to be innate. In other words, we are born with the knowledge to think logically and answer questions. Rationalism tends to be similar to mathematics in so many ways hence requires no knowledge or observation. One of the philosophers that strongly support rationalism is Descartes. He was quite interesting as he employed skepticism to doubt his own knowledge. He doubted everything until he found a single idea that he could not doubt (Lawhead 61). This was his existence. He argued that he could not depend on his senses as there was a demon controlling his thoughts. It can be concluded that Descartes doubted everything but his existence. Being able to think logically and knowing his existence made the argument sound and valid. Rationalism states that all knowledge comes from the mind. It is concerned with absolute truths that are universally accepted. This is known to be one of the strongest points of this argument (Lawhead 67). This approach encourages all individuals to be rational thinkers and think things through before they accept them to be the truth. On the other hand, it is difficult to apply in every situation in life owing to its abstract nature. Moreover, it sidelines intuition and instinct that are forms of knowledge. We must have experienced something to know that it exists. How can we know

Gender Role in Triffles Essay Example for Free

Gender Role in Triffles Essay The roles and rights of women in the Victorian era up to nineteen hundreds differ drastically from where women stand today. In the play â€Å"Trifles† by Susan Glaspell, females are portrayed to be an insignificant part of society compared to the importance of males. Susan Glaspell’s play Trifles is a murder mystery type of play that discovers and analyzes gender roles and corrupt relationships due to the Victorian time period. The typical stereo type for women in the nineteen hundreds was being nothing but a housewife. A good house wife in this time was considered to have children, take care of the children and clean the house, and there not much more to it. In the nineteen hundreds women did not have many career options, they had almost none. Women’s education was not seen as an important thing to promote. Stated by Helen Nickson in the article Life of Women in the Victorian Era, â€Å"The only role of women in the Victorian era was to get married and look after the homely chores The ladies did not do things themselves but told others what to do. They were just supposed to marry and raise children. The women of lower class worked in the factories, garment industries, laundries or various other jobs to support themselves.†. Women were treated more like an object or a servant rather than a person or spouse. One of the main characters in the play Trifles named Hale states a short simple statement that when looked into, states a strong opinion. Hale states to another male in the play, â€Å"Well, women are used to worrying over trifles.†. This statement shows how the men in this day thought women lacked common sense or intelligence. When trying to investigate the murder in this story, the men took no part of the women’s opinions. Women’s rights have come a long way since the Victorian Era. Women had little say in just about everything whether it had to do with marriage decisions or political things. Set up marriages were a common thing women had no say in. In today’s world women can vote, support themselves and choose who they marry. Some people wouldn’t believe the simple rights women have today were fought for way back when even in the nineteen hundreds. Women had little almost no career options in the Victorian Era. The few career choices were only for single women who needed to support themselves, if one was a house wife that was there life. Men had high expectations of their own wife’s classiness and manners in public places in the nineteen hundreds. Many males were very judgmental, much in like the play Trifles, of any opinion from a women back in the day. In an online article by Rachael Hurvitz, she states â€Å"For Victorians, divorce was not only extremely expensive, it was very hard to do. Women and men stayed in unhappy marriages for numerous reasons. Many stayed away from divorce because of the stigma attached to divorced women. It was also considered a societal taboo†. Women feared divorcing the one they were married to strictly due to the opinions of others in society. In Trifles a woman ends up murdering her own husband, rather than divorcing. The investigators don’t suspect her at first strictly because she is a wife and a female. When another female suggests that the husbands wife could be a possibility, the men just laughed to each another. Before women had fought for their rights, they lacked respect from society. Women have come a long way today, now having equal rights to anything men can do, including career choices and political voting. Works Cited Glaspel, SusanTrifles Literature: Eleventh Edition Nickson, Helen. Life of Women in the Victorian Era. Web.: http://ezinearticles.com/?Life-of-Women-in-the-Victorian-Eraid=2359711 Hurvitz, Rachael â€Å"Women and Divorce in the Victorian Era† http://www.clas.ufl.edu/users/agunn/teaching/enl3251/vf/pres/hurvitz.htm

Formative Writing †Slumdog Millionaire Essay Example for Free

Formative Writing – Slumdog Millionaire Essay The film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’ by British born director Danny Boyle, gives a particular insight into life in India, and more specifically the city of Mumbai through the use of setting. It is this cultural backdrop presented through the perspective of foreigner that not only makes the film special, but also sparked a lot of debate whether the image revealed is an accurate portrayal of India. The film attempts to show the shocking and disturbing realities that occur in India, including poverty, injustice, slums, gang culture and prostitution. An example of one of these realities being depicted is in the scene where Jamal and Salim have been captured by the gangster Maman who plans to blind Jamal in order to make him a profitable beggar as he will evoke more sympathy if blind. The setting of the scene is outside a remote building where the gangsters keep the children at night. These children are placed away from the rest of civilisation showing how they are unwanted and are outsiders. The lighting is minimal making it dark, eerie and scary which is also coupled with fast pace camera shots which are predominantly close-ups on things such as the acid, Maman’s face and one of his accomplices cracking his knuckles. All of these features work together in order to create an intimidating impression on the viewer as we don’t get the full perspective echoing how the children are being tricked and deceived. Salim watches one of the boys eyes being burned yet the viewer doesn’t get to see this, instead the horror is echoed through Salim’s physical reaction as he vomits. It appears that the director wants to shock the audience and present the horrors present in Indian culture, yet he doesn’t show it physically being done, creating a barrier which shields the western audience at all times. Maman asks Salim whether he wants ‘the life of a Slumdog or a man?’ This gives the impression that all Indian men should want to be and are like Maman who is evil and corrupt, giving a negative representation of men in India.