Wednesday, July 31, 2019

How an Individual’s Health Affects the Entire Family’s Function?

How an individual's health affects the entire family's function and how does the family's ability to function affects each individual member's health? Using Family System theory, this paper investigates the mutual impacts that the family and the individual have on each other, and the importance of family nursing for providing clinical support to both the family and individual within the context of crisis. Examples would be provided to illustrate just how impacts are felt and how these are mediated through family functioning. The thesis in this paper is that family functioning has an important impact on the health of individual members, as the individual depends on the family for support and protection from the larger social unit, the society; on the other hand, individual health can put enormous strain on the functioning of the family, primarily through relationships. Family Functioning on Individual Member's Health In order to appreciate the impact that family functioning has on the health of its individual members, one must recognize the family as not only a collection of individuals whose physical proximity exposes its members to infections and environmental contaminants, but an economic unit that provides material and emotional support to its members within the larger social context (Ross, Mirowsky, ; Goldsteen, 1990). While health and sickness takes place within the family, two of the important questions asked are the ways in which family functioning has an impact on generating and on altering the health of its individual members. An understanding of the functioning of the family involves looking at the causal chains, the conditional effects and structural amplifications. While the impacts of the family on the individual could vary in correlation, there are conditions within the family that increase, decrease, or even reverse, the correlation. It is therefore the combination of causal chains and conditional effects that combine to erode certain barriers that help reduce the impact of the society on individual wellbeing (Ross et al., 1990, p. 1061). Individual physical and emotional wellbeing are therefore impacted by the structural aspects of the family, which include marriage, parenthood, wife's employment and the family's social and economic status (Ross et al., 1990, p. 1061). Family functioning is said to have an impact on individual health and this is seen in the family performing a protective barrier in mental health diseases and being shown as having an important role in â€Å"pathogenesis, treatment, and recovery† of the individuals, particularly with patients with mood, anxiety, substance abuse disorders and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (Garcia-Huidobro, Puschel ; Soto, 2012, p. e198). In the case where the individual family members suffers from biomedical illness such as diabetes, hypertension, asthma, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the family is seen as more involved in the outcome of the disease for the ill family member. However, research has shown that family functioning style has an effect on the health of family members, and that poor family functioning has a cumulative effect and contributes to poor health on the part of family members (Garcia-Huidobro et al., 2012, p. e198). Where there are relational problems in families, individual family members were found to be more likely to experience psychiatric and behavioural conditions. Where the family is under stress, individual family members are likely to experience conditions related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (Garcia-Huidobro et al., 2012, p. e202). In their study, these authors defined family functioning as covering â€Å"family agreement, cohesion, family support, problem-solving strategies, commitment, internal resources, and strengths† (Garcia-Huidobro et al., 2012, p. e202). It was when there was breakdown in at least some of these areas that health of individual family members were shown to be affected. This, family functioning was seen to be responsible or causative of certain individual health conditions. In the case of vision loss, the family is seen as playing a very important role in helping the individual to adjust to this loss. The reason for this is that family members are generally the ones that live with the individual family member that is afflicted, know the nature and history of his or her condition, have observed how the family member copes and has coped with the low vision and related life stressors, accompany the afflicted family member to appointments and examinations, and serve as communicators with health professionals (Bambara, Wadley, Owsley, Marin, Porter ; Dreer, 2009, p. 138). The degree to which the family is functioning well, to that degree will the family help the family member to cope with his or her situation. The amount of support that the family provides to this family member with this chronic condition depends on the severity of the vision loss, the impact of that loss on the individual's daily living and ability to be independent, the number and nature of comorbid conditions that the individual has, living arrangements, financial resources and the individual's access to services and resources, all play a part in reveling how the family impacts the individual's health. The degree to which the family is able to support the individual family member during this difficult period is the degree to which the individual family member is able to cope with his or her loss of vision (Bambara et al., 2009. P. 139). Smith, Greenberg and Mallick Seltzer (2007) also shows how family functioning could have an impact on chronic diseases in individual members. According these researchers, siblings are affected to the degree that they have a relationship with the sibling that is chronically ill, and with the amount of help that they contribute to help in caring for the sibling. Therefore, if family functioning is such that the siblings have strong relationships, this is likely to help the sibling with the chronic condition has better health outcomes (Smith et al., 2007). In their research, Rosland, Heisler, and Piette (2012) pointed out that according to previous studies â€Å"family autonomy, support, overprotectiveness, and good communication (were) . . . influential to patient illness management† (p. 221). As family members came together to emphasis self-reliance and personal achievement, as they cooperated and became more cohesive as a unit, and as they provided greater attention to the family member that was chronically ill, the chronically ill patient showed much better improvement (Rosland et al., 2012, p. 228). It was also noted that positive marital and family function predicted better control of the chronic illness and better outcome and survival for the chronically ill patient (Rosland et al., 2012, p.,. 228). Individual Health on Family Functioning When a family member is ill, this has the impact of disrupting the family functioning, as family members are often required to make adjustments to their daily lives. This is particularly the case when a family member develops a chronic disease, for not only must family members make changes to the family's routine, but in many instances roles, responsibilities and boundaries change (Lawrence, 2012). Individual chronic illness also affects the family in terms of the self-image and self-esteem of family members, but chronic illness could also affect the emotional lives of family members by triggering â€Å"anxiety, depression, resentments, feelings of helplessness, as well as ill-ness related factors such as illness-related factors such as permanent changes in physical appearance and bodily functioning† (Lawrence, 2012, p. 21). When a family member is ill, there are spillover effects on the family as family members experience emotional, non-health, and somatic effects (Wittenberg, Saada, ; Prosser, 2013). While emotional effects were thought of as psychological spillover, the non-health effects come about as family members have to re-arrange their daily activities and facilitation of caregiving, with parents experiencing the greatest spillover effects when children are ill, while children had the fewest spillover effects when parents were ill (Wittenberg et al., 2013). Some of the effects of an individual's illness on the family were seen in family members experiencing caregiver burden and increased mortality; however, in some instances the impact of the individual's illness had positive effects in those caring for the ill individual, including sense of altruism and purpose (Wittenberg et al., 2013). These researchers noted in their research that it was not only the caregivers within the family that were affected by the individual's illness, as other family members. For example, children who were not involved in the caregiving of their ill parents were shown to be affected. However, the interdependence between the ill individual and other members of the family influenced the manner in which the family was affected. The spillover effects of the ill individual on to the family varied. Spouses showed a wide range of effects across domains, because of the interdependence, but also because of responsibility shifting and having to cope with the direct effects of the illness (Wittenberg et al., 2013, p. 8). Not only are spouses often the primary provider for the ill individual, but they often feel enormous stress in coping and may feel trapped in trying to recognize the dependence and autonomy of the patient, while still trying to cope with their own needs (Lawrence, 2012, p. 21). Spouses may also experience feelings of powerlessness in not being able to help with their spouses' pain, and the pressure of being strong when in effect they are feeling emotionally drained (Lawrence, 2012, p. 21). Parents of ill children showed the lest spillover effects, possibly because they knew generally about the condition of their children, and their expectation of the outcome helped to improve spillover effects (Wittenberg et al., 2013, p. 8). When a child has a chronic illness, this has an impact on the family as a whole, but also on the relationships within the family (Alderfer, Riese, Gold, Cutuli, Holmbeck et al., 2008, p. 1046). At the same time, it must be recognized that the functioning of the family has an impact on the child's health, for with conflict within the family, the outcome of treatment such as bringing down the HbA1c level for an adolescent with Type 1 diabetes could be negatively impacted (Alderfer et al., 2008, p. 1046). Assessment and reduction in family conflict may be important in such an intervention to control the adolescent's HbA1c level (Alderfer et al., 2008, p. 1046). Parents of children with chronic illnesses also experience negative impact on their relationship, as one parent may need to spend more time with the ill child and so less time with the spouse. Some of the effects of this on family function, according to Lawrence (2012) include â€Å"communication problems, higher divorce rates, increased relationship conflict, increased role strain, and decreased relationship satisfaction† (p. 21). In short, quality of life of family members is also affected when a family member has a chronic disease for while there may be physical effects and psychological distress, there could also be social problems (Golics, Khurshid, Basra, Salek, ; Finlay, 2013, p. 787). In the case of parents of children with chronic illnesses, where the chronic condition is in dermatological diseases, parents may experience worry, frustration and stress, whereas in the case of chronic conditions involving physical and mental disabilities, parents may experience social problems. But there could be serious emotional impacts on family members, for as pointed out, research has shown that â€Å"family members of patients can be more emotionally affected by illness than patients themselves† (Golics et al., 2013, p. 787). In fact, in their study these researchers showed that family members demonstrated that the impact included not only worry, frustration and anger, but also of guilt (Golics et al., 2013, p. 790). Negative impacts of individual chronic health on family functioning include change in daily activities, deterioration in family relationships, loss of sleep and negative impact on health, lack of support from friends and family support,, increased involvement in providing care, disruption in studies, negative financial impact, decreased social life, and inability to make firm plans (Golics et al., 2009, 790 – 794). However, these researchers pointed out that in their study, they had one positive effect of the individual's chronic health on the family, and that led to â€Å"the family improving as a result of the patient's illness., with members of the family pulling together to support each other† (Golics et al., 2009, p. 794). In the case of adult children and their elderly parents, acknowledgement that their parent's life span was shorter also led to fewer spillover effects (Wittenberg et al., 2013). Results of this study revealed that the illness of a family member had vast effects on the family, affecting the overall functioning of the family, and having physical and emotional and spillover effects on family members (Wittenberg et al., 2013). In chronic conditions, it is likely that emphasis on quality of care for elderly patients could be a means of providing positive impacts on family functioning. End of life care usually involves an understanding between elderly parents and their children. In a study involving elderly parents and their adult children, a common understanding was that trust in treating physician, avoidance of unwanted life support, effective communication nd continuity of care and life completion were facts that both groups found important (Heyland, Dodek, Rocker, Groll, Gafni et al., 2006, p. 1, 6).Other family members are affected in different ways by the chronic health condition of an individual family members. As noted, family functioning is affected, as family members have to go through stages to adjust to the chronic illness of their individual family member. Some of the adjustments that have to be made in the case of family members of the individual family member with low vision are â€Å"shock-denial, mourning-withdrawal, succumbing-depression. Reassessment-reaffirmation, coping-mobilization, and self-acceptance-self-esteem† (Bambara et al., 2009, p. 138). Basically, what is involved here is that the family goes through a period of adjustment, starting off with possibly shock and denial, and moving through various phases to the point where they have to accept that conditions have changed and that they have to make changes to their lives. In this case of low vision, changes could involve helping the family member purchase equipment that is not covered by insurance, helping in dealing with loss of wages, and covering economic deals (Bambara, 2009, p. 138).Implications for Nursing These findings reveal that clinical nursing also has an important role in providing psychosocial support for patients and families. Recognizing the impact of chronic disease on the family member and family, nursing therapy could be important in providing the emotional support needed for family members and for better functioning of the family as a whole. A study into the impact of Huntington's disease on families and spouses reveal the need for effective family therapy around easing marital conflict as well as parents' fears and anxieties over transmission of disease to children (Smolina, 2007, p. 14). Children's perception of the disease is also influenced by the behaviour of parents and so â€Å"family dynamics, taboos, expectations, loaded issues and the general attitude toward the disease† are all factors that require therapy (Smolina, 2007, p. 10). Clinical nursing therapy can ensure that perceptions related to end of life are shared by elderly patients and their adult children in end of life care discussions, as seen as important in earlier study (Heyland et al., 2006). Conclusion Chronic disease of a family member can have physical, social, and emotional impact on the other family members, and to have mostly negative effects on family functioning, as conflict, breakdown in relationships, stress and its related effects, depression, anxiety, guilt, and more could result. Although there have been some positive effects observed, namely, altruism and purpose, these are often dwarfed in terms of the negative effects. However, in turn, individuals with chronic conditions are influenced by their family functions, with poor functioning resulting in deterioration of their health or leading to the onset of some of these conditions. Using the dynamics of family theory, clinical nursing therapy could provide much needed support.

Lotus Car Rental Alternative Fuel Assessment Essay

Introduction The creation of a fleet of alternative fuel sourced automobiles would be a wise decision for the Lotus Car Rental Company. There are two major issues that are on the minds of people these days, the environment and money. By creating a fleet of alternative fuel based automobiles the Lotus Rental Care Company can help ease the fears of people in both categories. By having the ingenuity to have a fleet of alternative fuel automobiles; the Lotus Car Rental will set themselves apart from the rest of the rental car companies. Lotus Car Care will be the leaders in environmentally safe car rentals. The following research paper will discuss the background of this topic, the costs of working with alternative fuel automobiles, the technical aspects of alternative fuel, the environmental aspects of alternative fuel as well as discuss some recommendations for the Lotus Car Rental Company. Background The Lotus Car Rental Company is looking into adding a fleet of alternative fuel sourced vehicles to their supply. Alternative fuel sourced vehicles are classified as being resources other than petroleum. A few of these sources are produced here locally and some are derived from renewable sources. They often produce less pollution than does gasoline. (â€Å"Alternative Fuel Vehicles†, 2012). Hybrids are also considered to be an alternative sourced vehicle. A Hybrid vehicle is one that utilizes more than one form of onboard energy to achieve propulsion (â€Å"Edmunds.com†, 2009). Financial Feasibility Several factors influence the financial feasibility of adding alternative fuel vehicles to the fleet: vehicle cost, maintenance, advertising, and return on investment. Additional considerations include: market share, future growth, and implementation cost. The first consideration is the cost of adding hybrid vehicles to fleet inventory. Individual vehicle cost ranges from $23,000 to $37,000 and the models available include Honda Civic, Volkswagen Jetta, Lincoln MKZ, and Lexus ES300H (Almeida, 2009). Fleet costs would be less depending on number of units purchased and vehicle upgrades. Lotus Rental Car’s rentals fall into three categories: economy, mid-size, and luxury. Based on a cursory review of Lotus Rental Car’s primary income producers, the number of hybrid vehicles added should fall within the three to five percent range for each category. The initial outlay should equal or be less than the number of vehicles within each specific category that will be retired within the purchase year. For instance, if ten percent of economy vehicles will be retired then five percent of the new vehicles purchased will be hybrid. By timing the introduction of the new hybrid vehicles with inventory retirement the initial cost outlay will be mitigated. The anticipated maintenance costs will be similar to the previous year’s cost and no change is expected. Income from vehicles retired is expected to equal the same percentage as non-hybrid automobiles and will not constitute a negative financial impact. Advertising is a major consideration, although the cost is not expected to increase. Target markets will be in major cities where Lotus Rental Car’s already has a large presence. Urban centers with environmentally conscious drivers are the best place to begin a new hybrid product line. Adding information regarding the new line to existing websites provides maximum exposure with minimal cost. Other markets include environmentally conscious corporate businesses that already have a corporate account with Lotus. Market share and future growth is connected to advertising and return on investment. The implementation costs are minimal. The monthly return on investment is tied to advertising, environmental activity, and rental cost. Advertising includes national campaigns and local markets. The rental market incorporates online sales and local customers. The majority of travelers will book a rental vehicle prior to arriving at the rental company. Pricing will play an important factor in a rental commitment. Up-sale will increase income potential. Economy vehicles rentals begin at $9.99 and increase, depending on the current sales program. The cost may decrease, depending on the number of days booked, special pricing, and additional sale of navigation, XM radio, and infant seats. However, the average rental price for an economy vehicle is $29.99 per day and hybrid vehicles rent from $65.99 to $159 per day. The return on investment per day would range from $35 to $129. It is clear the automotive industry is offering a variety of hybrid vehicles in response to customer demand. The future of the automotive industry includes alternative fuel vehicles of all models. As the automotive industry embraces hybrid sales that increase their market share, so should the vehicle rental industry. Entry into a new product line will have higher costs than non-alternative vehicles until the product becomes well immersed into the market. In the case of hybrid vehicles it is prudent that Lotus Rental Car adds hybrid vehicles to their urban centers and joins the environmental movement along with major vehicle manufacturers. It is clear that as time passes, a portion of new business will gravitate toward rental car companies that offer alternative fuel vehicles. Lotus Rental Car company will lose future market share and the expense of entering the hybrid market will increase if Lotus Rental Car company enters the market after its competitors (Schueneman, 2009). Technical Aspects One of the many advantages of owning a hybrid vehicle is saving money at the pump. Unlike your standard gas running car, this on average would do about 21 mpg highway and city driving. Hybrids on average are doing 30 mpg highway and city. An article written on nationalgeographic.com it shows the actual fuel saving over a year span â€Å"The average American driver between the ages of 34 and 55 drives 15,291 miles annually. Divide this annual mileage figure by 21 miles to the gallon for the standard model, and you will find that you would buy about 728 gallons of gasoline a year. In contrast, if you divide the annual miles figure by 30 for the hybrid, you would determine that the annual gas purchase would be of about 510 gallons. You would save 218 gallons of gas a year with the hybrid. Multiply this by a conservative $3.50 a gallon for a dollar savings of $763. By selecting the hybrid over the standard model, you would make up for the $5,560 difference in sticker price in seven to eight years. Subtract the maximum tax incentive and you could recoup the $2,160 difference in less than three years. Thus, in this example, you would save money either by paying full price and driving your hybrid for more than eight years, or by driving it for more than three years with a tax credit.†(Nationalgeographic.com by Lynne Haley Rose). So although the price tag is little higher on hybrids you will easily make your money back in the gas savings. Most people may think,† Yeah, you save on gas, but don’t get the as much horsepower when you purchase a hybrid vehicle.† The idea of combining electric and gas does seem to leave much room for speed and maneuverability. This assumption is not true; yes hybrids do have smaller gas engines, but they make it up with their electric engine. Coupled with the gas engine, the electric engine can send power to various parts of the car, mainly the wheels. This is a very good advantage over standard horsepower, because it could actually supply more power to the car; which increases its speed. With all this talk about horsepower and speed, we begin to think about maintaining a hybrid car. Once again, just because it’s a hybrid doesn’t mean it’s more expensive. Most of the basic normal maintenance requirements like oil changes and tune ups cost about the same as standard cars. They even have their own perks. A standard car requires an oil change every 3,000 miles; whereas hybrids are every 6,000 miles. One of the most expensive items on a hybrid is the car’s battery; which can run you up to 3,000 dollars. Don’t let this number scare you, because these batteries have no real recorded life expectancy â€Å"a long time† is what I kept seeing in my research. As said in (8 Reasons to Buy a Hybrid Car) â€Å"There’s no difference between a hybrid and the gas-powered car parked in your garage — it can accelerate just as quickly and cruise just as fast on the highway, and it handles just as smoothly. Most important, hybrids are just as safe to drive.† (By Alan Rider Parents.com). Hybrids have come a long way since the first Prius 10 years ago. They’ve excelled in mpg, horsepower and style. There are a number of hybrids out there now and many styles to choose from in the standard and luxury lines. As far a comfortable ride, hybrids and standard cars are the same. Now, of course, if you go out and get a Lexus hybrid you’re going to have more luxuries than if you purchased a Toyota hybrid. Most cars you get know have all of the technical capabilities available and if they don’t they can be added. Technology will not stop growing and with that so will the new age of hybrids. Environmental Aspects Petroleum based fuels can create harmful emissions like carbon dioxide; nitrous oxides, and particulate matter, all of which degrade the environment (â€Å"5 things you need to know about alternative fuel vehicles,† 2008). These methane, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide and other gasses are known as greenhouse gases. When these gasses build up they contribute to global warming. HybridCar.org claims that Hybrid vehicles produce 80 percent less greenhouse gases than conventional fuel based vehicles (â€Å"Hybrid Cars And Pollution†, 2005). Toxicity is another problem with petroleum fuel based vehicles. The producing of some forms of alternative fuels can create fewer toxins than those produced by traditional fuel vehicles. For instance, biodiesel is a fuel that is created from leftover vegetation like corn stalks. Biodiesel is biodegradable and non-toxic which makes it safe for the environment. Noise pollution is also a form of pollution. Car engines can produce 110 decibels of noise, which is twice as loud as a normal conversation.. The noise will come from the fuel pump, pistons and compressors that create the combustion and cycle the fuel. Vehicles with alternative fuel sources such as hydrogen fuel cells will produce no sound or vibration as they require no moving parts to produce fuel. Recommendations The research has shown that a fleet of alternative fuel sourced vehicles would be the best idea for everyone involved. The positive feedback generated by offering this fleet of vehicles would be astounding. The market for rental cars with alternative fuel capabilities is very small and the Lotus Car Rental Company would have the market cornered. The cost of maintain a fleet of these vehicles are no different than that of petroleum fueled vehicles. The consumer that is able to rent these vehicles will also benefit by being able to save more money on energy for the vehicle. The environment will also benefit from this addition to the Lotus Car Rental fleet. The amount of pollution and emissions that can be cut back will be helpful to the surrounding community and the future generations to grow up in the community. Conclusion The creation of a fleet of alternative fuel sourced automobiles would be a wise decision for the Lotus Car Rental Company. After conducting much research, the decision to incorporate a fleet of alternative fuel sourced automobiles would be in the best interest of the public as well as the company. The research has shown the monetary benefits, the technical benefits as well as the environmental benefits of acquiring a fleet of alternative fuel sourced automobiles. The benefits of having a positive company reputation are enormous. Having an environmentally friendly car rental company has the potential of being a lucrative decision. Living a green lifestyle has become an important thing in this day and age. The Lotus Car Rental Company will have cornered the market by having an entire fleet of environmentally friendly automobiles. References Alternative fuel vehicles. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/current.shtml Edmunds.com. (2009). Retrieved from http://www.edmunds.com/fuel-economy/what-is-a-hybrid-car-how-do-hybrids-work.html Almeida, A. (2009, August 13). Average Cost of a Hybrid Car. Retrieved from CarsDirect: http://www.carsdirect.com/car-pricing/whats-the-average-cost-of-a-new-hybrid-car Schueneman, T. (2009, February 12). Enterprise Rent-a-Car Adds 5000 Hybrids to its Fleet of Fuel Efficient Cars. Retrieved from sustainablog: http://sustainablog.org/2009/02/enterprise-rent-a-car-adds-5000-hybrids-to-its-fleet-of-fuel-efficient-cars/ 5 things you need to know about alternative fuel vehicles. (2008, July). greencar.com, (), . Retrieved from http://www.greencar.com/articles/5-things-need-alternative-fuel-vehicles.php Hybrid cars and pollution. (2005). Retrieved from http://www.hybrid-car.org/hybrid-cars-pollution.html

Tuesday, July 30, 2019

History Of The Amputation Procedure Health And Social Care Essay

Harmonizing to WebMD â€Å" an amputation is the remotion of portion or all of a organic structure portion enclosed by tegument. Amputations are performed to take morbid tissue or to alleviate hurting † . The first amputations were performed in the Neolithic times, the first recorded instance of an amputation and prosthetic replacing surgery appears in the book of the Vedas. Most of the first amputations occurred during times of war, where injury to the appendages was really common. During the American Civil War if you were shot in the trunk there was a great opportunity that you would decease, but if you were shot in an appendage, quickest and most common option was amputation. When available the civil war sawboness put Chloroform on a fabric, so the fabric was held over the victim ‘s oral cavity and nose until the individual became unconscious. Because of the big figure of hurt soldiers the sawboness became experts with amputations, most of the clip the amputations could be performed in approximately 10 proceedingss. The sawboness were non healthful, because there was a deficit of H2O therefore they made no effort to rinse custodies or instruments between surgeries, despite all of this the survival rate of the amputees was at about 75 % . The bulk of the Civil War sawboness learned this process from this book â€Å" The Practice of Surgery † , by Samuel Cooper. This book was the â€Å" How To † book of executing amputations for the sawbones s. This book discusses the measure by measure ways to cut off the leg, below the articulatio genus, the arm, and the fingers and toes. Some of the instruments that the Civil War sawboness used were the compression bandage, scalpels, bone proverb, and bone childs. The compression bandage was used to curtail the flow of blood during an amputation process. The scalpel was used to do scratchs in the tegument. The bone proverb were used to cut straight through bone, and musculus. The bone childs were used to take matchwoods from the bone that the bone proverb could hold caused. Today there are many different types of amputations ; they are first categorized under upper limb amputations, and lower limb amputations. The upper limb amputations include: amputation of single figures, multiple digit amputation, metacarpal amputation, wrist disarticulation, forearm ( trans-radial ) amputation, elbow disarticulation, above-elbow ( trans-humeral ) amputation, shoulder disarticulation, and forequarter amputation. Amputation of single figures is the remotion of a finger ; this will do the patient problem hold oning objects. Multiple digit amputation is the remotion of two or more fingers, hold oning ability may be aided if the sawbones is able reconstruct the musculus. Metacarpal amputation is the complete remotion of the manus, with the carpus still integral ; with this type of amputation there is no ability to hold on. Wrist disarticulation is the remotion of the full manus up to the degree of the carpus articulation. Forearm ( trans-radial ) amputation this is the remotion radius, it is classified by the size of the staying stump ; as the stump length decreases so does the ability for the patient to revolve their forearm. Elbow disarticulation is the remotion of the full forearm up to the cubitus ; the patient still has the ability of keeping weight. Above-elbow ( trans-humeral ) amputation is the remotion of the humourous anyplace above the cubitus and below the shoulder ; prosthetic device could be used if there is some length left on the humourous. Shoulder disarticulation is the remotion the of the full arm, the shoulder blade still remains and the collar bone may or may non be removed. Forequarter amputation is the remotion of the full arm, shoulder blade, and collar bone, normally some bone is left in order to attach a prosthetic devices. The lower limb amputations include: foot amputations, ankle disarticulation ( Syme amputation ) , below-knee ( trans-tibial ) amputation, knee-bearing amputation, above-knee ( trans-femoral ) amputatio n, and hip disarticulation. Foot amputations are the remotion of any portion or part of the pes including toes, and mid-tarsal ; this type of amputation may impact balance and walking. Ankle disarticulation ( Syme amputation ) is the remotion of the full mortise joint ; with this type of amputation the victim can still mobilise without a prosthetic devices. Below-knee ( trans-tibial ) amputation is the remotion of the shinbone above the mortise joint, but below the articulatio genus ; victims keep the usage of the articulatio genus, but have problem seting weight on the stump. Knee-bearing amputation is the complete remotion of the lower leg ; it is normally more hard to make a prosthetic device for this type of amputation. Above-knee ( trans-femoral ) amputation is the remotion of the thighbone up to the degree of the thigh ; the victim can still sit with this type of amputation. Hip disarticulation is the remotion of the full leg ; sawboness try to go forth every bit much of the t highbone as possible in order to attach a prosthetic device. With all the amputations, upper and lower appendages, the sawbones will seek to go forth every bit much bone as possible in order to attach a prosthetic device. In the United States entirely there are over 350,000 amputees, and over 135,000 amputations happening each twelvemonth. In the United States the taking cause for amputations is disease ( 70 % ) , the 2nd leading cause is trauma ( 22 % ) , inborn or birth defects ( 4 % ) , and tumours ( 4 % ) . The most common diseases and conditions that can do an amputation are peripheral artery disease, arterial intercalation, impaired circulation as a complication of diabetes mellitus, sphacelus, terrible cryopathy, Raynaud ‘s disease, and Buerger ‘s disease. More than 90 % of all disease doing amputations are due to circulative complications of diabetes. 60-80 % of all of these amputations involve the lower appendages. Peripheral arteria disease causes amputations by the blood vass indurating that causes the blood to be blocked from making tissues in the organic structure ‘s appendages ; because of this these tissues finally die, which causes the demand for an amputation. Arteri al intercalation causes a blood coagulum to organize which blocks the flow of blood and so causes the tissue to decease and necessitate to be amputated. Diabetess mellitus is a disease where non adequate insulin is produced by the organic structure and hapless circulation occurs as a consequence of the diabetes, the hapless circulation can do tissue to decease, which would so necessitate to be amputated. Gangrene is the decease and decay of one time living tissue, the dead tissue is removed through an amputation. Frostbite is when tissue on the organic structure freezes, ensuing in hoar bite, in terrible instances the tissue dies and so would hold to be removed through an amputation. Raynaud ‘s disease is a disease largely found in immature adult females, it causes reduced blood flow to the appendages ; this could so do the tissue in the appendages to decease. Buerger ‘s disease is a episodic disease that causes redness and obstruction of the venas and arterias of the ap pendages, normally merely occurs in work forces under age 40, who smoke, this disease may necessitate amputation of the custodies or pess. The 2nd prima cause of an amputation is trauma. Harmonizing to Merriam-Webster injury is an hurt ( as a lesion ) to populating tissue caused by an extrinsic agent. There are many different possible injury, they can happen with but are non limited to auto accidents, terrible Burnss and gunshot lesions. During a traumatic hurt, blood vass and other organic structure tissue constituents are ripped or torn beyond fix by these types of hurts, go forthing no other option but amputation. Another cause of an amputation is a congenital or birth defect amputation. Congenital amputations occur in the uterus while the babe is still developing ; blood flow to a limb can go restricted because of other tissue. As a consequence the limb could be lost and the babe is born with a inborn amputation. The other cause of amputations are by tumours. Peoples with malign ant neoplastic disease that have malignant tumours, need to cut off the country in which the tumour is, in order to forestall the malignant neoplastic disease to further spread to other parts of the organic structure. Undergoing an amputation has many effects on the organic structure, both psychological and physical. These effects are happening before and after the surgery. Many new amputees have a hard clip with covering with the loss of a limb which has been with them since birth, merely the idea of holding to work without something that you have had entree to your whole life is a traumatic event in of its ego. When people are told that they are traveling to necessitate an amputation the most common reaction is shock. Many of the victims go through a period of denial, the people think â€Å" this ca n't go on to me † or â€Å" I wo n't allow you make this to me. † Many amputees may besides develop choler towards themselves, loved 1s and God. Amputees think to themselves â€Å" why me? † Many of the new amputees face being worried about the hurting during surgery and during the recovery period. Before the surgery the patients try to â€Å" dicker † with God, the sawbon es, or both to halt the demand for the amputation. After this does n't work many times the patient begins to hold symptoms of depression. Most people in the terminal learn to get by with the loss of their limb and accept what has happened. The amputation will hold a important impact on the patient ‘s self image, which could be positive or negative. Some of the amputees may experience a greater feeling of strength developed in the attempt to get the better of the losingss which have occurred late in their life. A good thing for amputees is run intoing with other amputees to assist each other header. However this new ego imagine of themselves could besides be negative if the amputee is concerned about how people will comprehend them, because they feel that they need to affect. Many are besides concerned because they feel that they wo n't be respected because they are crippled. Just like people need clip to retrieve psychologically and emotionally, the amputees need to retrieve p hysically. After the process, the patient will necessitate to be prescribed pain medical specialty, and antibiotics in order to forestall an infection from happening. The amputated part demands to be moved in order to make good circulation. The patient normally will get down physical therapy within 48 hours after surgery, to advance a speedy and effectual recovery. Depending on the gravitation of the amputation, depends on the clip that the patient will pass in the infirmary, it normally varies from several yearss to two hebdomads. Rehabilitation is a long procedure for amputees. Patients with an upper appendage amputation will most likely work with an Occupational Therapist. Patients with a lower appendage amputation will most likely work with a Physiotherapist/Physical Therapist. The clip that a recovery takes depends on assorted factors such as: physical form before the amputation, age, other medical jobs, ability to larn how to utilize a prosthetic device, how good you follow wa ies, motive to retrieve, and your psychological province. As with any major surgical process, amputations have major hazards with undergoing with this process. Hazards with the anaesthesia exists, every bit good as the possibility of heavy blood loss, and the possibility of blood coagulums organizing. Another major hazard of the process is infection to the amputated part. The rate of infection is at approximately 15 % , if the stump were to go septic the prosthetic device would hold to be removed and perchance a 2nd amputation higher up the appendage. Another major hazard is the stump neglecting to mend. This normally happens when there is a deficiency of blood to the amputated limb. Another hazard is phantom limb hurting, which is hurting that feels like it ‘s coming from a organic structure portion that ‘s no longer at that place. The intervention to phantom limb is hard, but it is possible. New amputees will sooner or subsequently have to confront that it will be harder to make the mundane undertakings that they used to finish. Although most of these undertakings are more hard, they are n't impossible, because of prosthetics. From the clip that amputations started, there were prosthetic device for the losing limbs. The prosthetic device were every bit simple as a wooden leg in the clip of early prosthetics. Today as engineering has advanced from the clip of early prosthetics, so has the prosthetic device made for amputees. Today there are prosthetic device that can pick up urges from the nervus that are amplified into a motor that make the elbow crook or unbend out, or the fingers open and near. For above the articulatio genus patients there are new prosthetic device which use motion-tracking detectors, vacuity suction engineering to supply improved tantrum, comfort and control. Since the recent promotions of these new prosthetic device people can populate similar to th e life that they used to populate. Amputations are a minor reverse for some unbelievable people who have gotten through their calamity, and have become noteworthy people in the universe of amputees. Heather Mills was the former married woman of Beatle Paul McCartney ; she was besides an English militant and a former glamor theoretical account. In August of 1993, Mills was hit by a constabulary bike while traversing the route, her hurts included crushed ribs, a pierced lung, and terrible hurt to her left leg. She needed a metal home base put into her pelvic girdle and the amputation of her leg below the articulatio genus. Bethany Hamilton is an American surfboarder who survived a shark onslaught in where she lost her left arm ; she overcame the serious and debilitating hurt and returned to surfing. Her narrative was so inspiring that there is a film that was late released about her called â€Å" Soul Surfer † . Daniel Inouye President pro tempore of the United States Senate is another noteworthy amputee. Daniel Inouye lost his right arm in the war, he remained in the armed forces until 1947, and he was uprightly discharged with the rank of captain. Inouye had programs to go a sawbones, but because of the loss of his arm, he abandoned his dream and returned to college to analyze political scientific discipline on the GI Bill.

Monday, July 29, 2019

Cross Cultural Management. Importance of Value Essay

Cross Cultural Management. Importance of Value - Essay Example Cross cultural management refers to a mechanism formulated to train people regarding the variations of practices, preferences, and culture in global business. With the lapse of time, diversity in practices, cultures, and preferences of consumers increase substantially, thereby increasing the need to bridge the communication gap by implementing cross cultural management. In management, cultural differences refer to varying taste, preferences, culture, likes and dislikes, ways of communications, norms, values, and beliefs of every culture. The objective of this paper is to examine the cultural variations in the light of scholarly articles as mentioned in two renowned models. An extensive study of Hofstede and Schwarts model will be done followed by a criticism of Hofstede model. These two models can be viewed in terms of how the business managers react to cross cultural management. The business managers face various sorts of cultural issues while performing their tasks e.g. workforce d iversity, language barriers, religious issues etc. Under these circumstances, it is highly effective for the business managers to understand these two cross cultural models and incorporate their effects in their organizational context. Importance of Value Hofstede and Schwartz have studies cross cultural values and their findings are in the subsequent parts of this section in order to gain acquaintance with importance of value and varying values in different culture. Hofstede Model Hofstede (1993) stated that when management theorists embark to other parts of the world, outside their own country, they encounter strange customers, beings, theories, organizing and disorganizing, immoral or old-fashioned ways of doing things. Some of them work but some of them fail to work. After gaining this experience, the traveler comes to home country and can use this experience advantageously. The purpose of the study of Hofstede (1993) was that all great ideas relating to management, politics, or science, have come from different parts of the world and have been enhanced by foreign influences. Hofstede (1993) examined the context of management from different parts of the world. Hofsetde (1993) reviewed the managerial culture of countries like Japan, France, China, Holland, Russia, Germany, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Singapore, and Hong Kong. Hofstede (1993) stated that management is what is common among all countries but its context and meaning differ to a smaller or a larger extent from country to country. Hofstede (1993) further stated that it requires considerable cultural insight to understand the philosophies, processes, and problems. Further arguing, Hofstede (1993) stated that if management is such a broad word and it means so many varying things, then it cannot be expected that management theories of one country will be applicable to abroad as well. Management is related to government, politics, and school. It is present in beliefs and religion about science. Manag ement theories are interdisciplinary but as soon as national boundaries are crossed, it becomes more interdisciplinary. By stating so, Hofstede (1993) divided cultural difference into five dimensions. i. Power distance; inequality among people that is considered as normal among people ii. Individualism vs. collectivism; degree to which people of a country tend to act as individuals instead of a members of a group iii. Masculinity vs. femininity; where tough values like performance, assertiveness, success prevail over gentle values such warm relation, care, quality of life. iv. Uncertainty avoidance; people preferring planned situation over unstructured ones. v. Long-term orientation vs. short-term orientation; long-term refers to values

Sunday, July 28, 2019

A clear and concise statement of the constitutional issue involved Essay

A clear and concise statement of the constitutional issue involved - Essay Example Following are some of the arguments why he still, though late has the right to demand justice at the U.S. Supreme Court. The Fifth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States refers that no person accused of crime may be compelled to bear witness against himself or herself as held in ‘State of New York, petitioner v. John SUGGS, respondent’ (2011). The Supreme Court of America has held that this rule is applicable not only on trials but also on police interrogations. Furthermore if the police officials want to question a suspect, he must be given the Miranda Rights. Here, Dylan was in the same situation of being in the police custody when he was questioned by the police officer Smith, and should have been given the Miranda Rights. Therefore, the very purpose of the Miranda Rights was violated while questioning Dylan. Again, the provisions of the 5th Amendment protect the appellant against the compelled self-incrimination and provides him with the right to a grand jury, where Dylan had been forced for self-incrimination. It has been stated in Bram v. United States (1897) that the de termination of the confession to be competent is done by applying the portion of Fifth Amendment, which states that â€Å"no person shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself† (Bram v. United States, 1897). Fourth Amendment of the Constitution of United Sates, Citizenship Rights, Section (1), ratified in 1868, refers â€Å"No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the Unites States; nor shall any State derive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of laws† (The Constitution of the United States). The provision of this Fourth Amendment had been violated while questioning Dylan. The evidence was obtained from him by illegal means and by violation of the Federal Constitution rights. The

Saturday, July 27, 2019

Engineering application - Marketing Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Engineering application - Marketing - Essay Example Information technology enabled adequate programming of the speed and the direction that the hover board travels in. Since innovation, the safety, convenience and comfort of the technology have been assured through numerous scientific tests. The marketing plan also strives to increase the sales of the hover boards among the targeted market. The company aims at achieving 500% increase in sales in the financial year 2015/2016. The expected market share target in this the 2015/2016 trading period is 10% of the international human transportation market. The financial value of the marketing plan involves enhancing the sales revenue and the profitability levels of the company. The enhanced financial value has the beneficial effect of improving shareholder returns, and financial new production system that creates more superior products for the future transportation market. The desired trading period sales turnover is USD 100 million, and the expected profit level is USD 30 million. The improved products and services for the hoover boards illustrated by the marketing plan are enhanced entertainment and protection features such as automatic stereo systems, comfort features, and superior safety products. The desired timescale of achieving the marketing results is just on trading period, 2015/2016. The marketing project will use a budget of USD 50 million. The company will experience several consequences if the marketing plan is not implemented. A major negative consequence is that publicity will be minimal; hence, the target customer base will not understand features of the product. Positive aspect of not implementing the plan entails making savings on the bu dgeted amount (USD 70 million) for the marketing project. The marketing plan aims at illustrating the marketing strategies adopted by the company (Future Technologies), for the new technology product referred to as hover boards. The strategies are further analyzed in terms

Friday, July 26, 2019

Playing the Piano(process essay) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Playing the Piano(process ) - Essay Example Playing the piano isn’t really as hard as most people seem to think. If you can type, you can probably make music. The first step taken in approaching the idea of playing the piano is in the way you position yourself. This is a lot like the way that you sit when you drive a car. The bench should be placed far enough away from the piano so that your feet can rest flat on the floor with one foot comfortably ready to control the pedals on the floor. Your hands should be able to reach the keyboard with your arms bent at roughly right angles in order to give you greatest playing comfort. The keys to the piano are located under the keyguard which is generally moved out of the way by lifting up on the knobs until the wood clears the top of the keys and then pushing in so that the keyguard slides easily into the niche made specifically for this purpose. Finally, you are able to place your fingers on the keys and begin playing. Most people automatically place their hands at the middle C position when they are getting ready to play. Middle C can be found just where you’d expect, in the middle of the keyboard. If you’re sitting at the right place, it should be just in front of your belly button. Another way to find it is to look carefully at the keyboard and notice that the black keys alternate between sets of two and sets of three. These keys offer the sharp and flat notes that give the music its character. Beginning on the left-hand side of the keyboard, count to the fourth twin set of black keys. The middle C is the key just to the left of this set. The right hand is positioned so that the thumb is resting on this key and each of the other fingers of this hand are resting on each successive key to the right. These are the notes C, D, E, F and G. The left hand is usually placed so that the pinky finger is resting on

Thursday, July 25, 2019

U.S. Involvement in the military coup against Hugo Chavez Essay

U.S. Involvement in the military coup against Hugo Chavez - Essay Example The coup was later given up by Hugo Chavez which had taken 16 lives and resulted in injuring of 60 individuals. Chavez spent his life in jail for 2 years before being pardoned. He later reorganized his movement turning from a military officer into a Politician. [3] The opposition has been striving to oust the president through legal legislation methodology since 2002 accusing him of imitating the communist Cuban State but in 2004 it managed to secure a referendum on his leadership which only helped in Mr. Chavez getting more strength, winning the referendum won by a large majority and went on to win the 2006 presidential elections. Hugo Chavez has also been the first world leader who has attacked the US president on the floor of the United States; Nikita Khrushchev of the former Soviet Union, threatened the West in 1960, but he did not personally attack President Eisenhower. He said, "The devil came here yesterday," Chavez said, referring to Mr. Bushs address on Tuesday and making the sign of the cross. "He came here talking as if he were the owner of the world."[4] On 9th of April 2002, a two day strike was called by Carlos Ortega by CTV (Confederation of Workers of Venezuela) in which scored of hundred of thousands of strike suporters took to the street of the capital [5] and marched towards the headquarters of Vanezuela’s State owned oil Company Petrà ³leos de Venezuela S.A. (PDVSA) on the 11th of April 2002. The mob was supporting the recently fired management of the oil company. A demonstration in support of the President Chavez was also being staged at the presidential palace and the organizers of the strike supporters decided to re-direct the mob to the presidential palace which resulted in severe violence eruption between the supporters of the two demonstrations. While the action was on, the head of the venezuelan army Lucas Rincon Romero announced the resignation of the Chavez from the

Interview old generation people (could be anyone) and discuss of Assignment

Interview old generation people (could be anyone) and discuss of cultural normality about how age based norms change over generation - Assignment Example This is the essence of cultural normality. This paper will present a discussion of how age-based norms change over generations. The paper will be based on the results of an interview conducted with an elderly person. The body of the paper will consist of two paragraphs, one talking about the life history of the interviewee and the other analysing the responses obtained from the interview. The subject of the interview is a 70-year-old retiree who, for 38 years, worked as a communications officer at General Electric. Although she currently resides in Chicago, she was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Her father was an Anglican minister while her mother was a high school teacher. Her parents were disciplinarians who attached a lot of value to education, good upbringing, morals, and religion. Her parents were socially conscious individuals who were active in community engagement, sensitisation, and political movements. This instilled in her a well-rounded view of life and the world and prepared her for the rigors of the corporate world, especially in an age where very few women worked in the corporate world. She understands the challenges involved in raising children through generational changes and has witnessed the world evolve to become fast-paced and highly dynamic. She attended public schools and then joined New York University to study marketing and public rel ations. After graduating in 1967, she was recruited by General Electric to work in their expanding marketing division. The interviewee got married to her childhood sweetheart in 1969, and they have four children. She is a practicing Anglican, who has maintained her parents’ respect for and inclination to religion. She is also socially active in her community, where she is respected for her career, activities, and age. She runs her charitable organisation that provides support for the

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

Analyse the Ofsted report in light of what you have observed to be Essay

Analyse the Ofsted report in light of what you have observed to be current practice in your school - Essay Example in both GCE and GCSE, challenges faced in the implementation of the project and the recommendations made to the national curriculum developers as well as the individual schools. Key to note is that pupils refer to years 1- 6 while students refer to people in secondary schools. A case study of 167 secondary, primary and special schools has been adopted for this Ofsted report in a span of 3 years in 2008 to 2011. Also the use of computing instruction files is both a specialty and across the wider school curriculum. The report reflects issues arising from the application of ICT in schools namely: curriculum and qualifications of Key Stage 4 and 6, staff professionalism where ICT is concerned, e- safety, application of virtual learning environments, resource availability and getting best value of the ICT application (Taylor 2001). Among the schools highlighted ICT was better adopted in primary schools as compared to their secondary counterparts with two thirds of the primary schools showing outstanding progress compared to one third of the secondary schools (Mohanty 2006). Other challenges are that few students advancing to secondary school had the basic ICT knowledge to engage in ICT business later, inadequate or complete lack of ICT infrastructure such as c omputer, laptops and teachers tired with the workload of students. Schools adopting ICT were seen to have a comparative advantage over their counterparts which do not among the Key Level 4 and 6 pupils considered, it was evident that it increased their creativity levels with some embracing and arranging music using computers through the virtual learning environment (Mohanty 2006). Slow learners were seen to get fluent with use of computers almost as fast as the fast learners. Children with autism and Down’s syndrome responded dramatically well to ICT application files where the respective schools made specific modifications on the program to handle their learning experience (Meadows 2000). A positive response

Tuesday, July 23, 2019

Dissertation observation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Dissertation observation - Essay Example Committee members asked the most questions and few other questions came from the rest of the audience. The dissertator responded to the questions and in the end, she was sent outside for fifteen minutes to allow time for the committee members to discuss her performance. She was later called in and the chairperson announced that she had performed well, thanked the audience, and adjourned the session (Piantanida & Garman, 2009). The defense session took two hours. I found the dissertation defense process well set and suitable for its purpose. The arrangement to allow non-campus and non-faculty members to attend the session was impressive. The formality of this process including the starting time, time allocated questions and answers, and the closing time enhanced its effectiveness rather than stifling it (Roberts, 2004). Whereas at first the questions that were asked in the course of the presentation annoyed me because they interrupted my flow, I eventually liked them because they clarified some of the things that were unclear. The dissertator’s initiative to start with a brief background into her topic was beneficial to members of the audience like me who had not seen the verbatim dissertation. Initially, it was baffling to see the committee members taking on one another and I almost trivialized it. However, I realized their contention was academic and full of insight, which the dissertator was wise to note and I guessed she was going to consider them in her final revision (Murray, 2009). My first learning is that it is imperative for the dissertation defense candidate to prepare adequately. This draws from what I saw in the insightful, though challenging, exchange between the dissertator and her audience. The confidence with which the candidate tackled the questions demonstrated her meticulous preparation for the defense. My second

Monday, July 22, 2019

Ethical Lens Essay Example for Free

Ethical Lens Essay During the Ethical Lens Inventory exercise that I did, I learned that I do not really have a personal preferred ethical lens. I see the gifts and the weaknesses of each lens and I am able to move fluidly among them to adapt the right tools to each situation to assure the best outcome. I am able to use my reasoning skills to determine my duties, as well as the universal rules and the systems that will assure fairness and justice for everyone. I also listen to my intuition to determine the greatest good for each individual, as well as the virtues that will best serve the community. I have either a mature ability to use the right tools in a given situation or a paralyzed belief that everyone has a valid point. Although each of us has preferred lens, some who are ethically mature and able to use the tools of all the lenses, adapting them as appropriate in a given situation, test in the center of the grid. Others who test in the center of the grid actually have underdeveloped ethical skills. Those without skills tend to be paralyzed by their ability to see all sides and are too desperate to please everyone. I personally think I do more of the being desperate to please everyone than the not being able to see all sides of the situation. I was able to get this information from the exercise I did at: http://www. ethicsgame. com/Exec/Eli/EthicalLensResults. aspx? R=1 My Core Values are: Autonomy, Equality, Rationality and Sensibility. I value autonomy and equality equally and I value rationality and sensibility equally. My Classic Values are: Temperance, Prudence, Justice and Fortitude. I am able to manifest all four classic virtues depending on what the circumstances require. My Key Phrase is: â€Å"I make ethical choices for myself and others. † I am able to see myself and others clearly, therefore I do not make assumptions about why people act the way they do or how things should be done. My Definition of Ethical Behavior is: Doing the Right Thing. I tend to hold this high standard for myself but I do not judge others who fall short, so long as their intentions were honorable. My Tools for Analyzing Problems are: Reason, Experience, Authority and Tradition. I am comfortable using all available tools to analyze a problem. These can include critical thinking skills, reference to experts, my own past experience and the traditions of the community. My Gift to the community is balance among all four lenses, because I can see the benefits of each of the lenses and I can use the tools of all of them. The mature expression of this position has no blind spot. I am able to see both the strengths and the weaknesses of each lens and to harmonize the four core values of autonomy, equality, rationality and sensibility. Discernment comes with ethical maturity and provides direction in specific situations. My Risk is: Inaction. I run the risk of seeing everything and deciding nothing if I am not self-aware. As one who sees the legitimacy of everyone’s point of view, I am particularly prone to delay or outright inaction. My Temptation is: Superiority. Believing that my balanced vantage point gives me a superior ability to resolve ethical dilemmas, I may convince myself that I have all the answers and do not need any input from others. My Vice is: Insistence on Agreement. By insisting that everyone validate all points of view as I do before moving forward, I become tyrannical and may actually provoke dissenters into sabotaging the process as the only way they feel they can maintain the integrity of their different viewpoint. My Crisis is: Confusion. Unless I develop the practice of mindfulness and reflection, at some point I will become confused and find that I have lost my moral compass. The downside of being able to see everyone else’s perspective is that I can lose track of my own. My Seeing Clearly is: Listen to my heart; use my head; act with confidence. To see more clearly, I need to first consider the nature of the problem. Then I need to use both my head and my heart to discern which course of action will best manifest interdependence. Once I have assessed the ramifications of the various options, I will need to act with confidence and courage. Although there may be more than one way to resolve a problem, some actually are better than others. I think I could use my personal ethics to determine a course of action by knowing how I feel about the situation along with all the circumstances involving the situation.

Sunday, July 21, 2019

Communication In An Organization Management Essay

Communication In An Organization Management Essay Communication in an organization is significant and its continuous effectiveness is fundamental for the seamless integration of its internal publics into the organization. Ferguson (1999), suggests that communication priorities must be capable of responding to the requirements of both external and internal audiences. Apparent communication channels echo the well being of an institute. Clampitt (1991) suggests that effective internal communication helps to improve an organizations success. Clampitts proposition is consistent with Heaths (2001) observations that effective internal communication leads to increased productivity, satisfied clients and maintenance of the organizational structure. Furthermore, Clampitt and Downs 1993 cited in Hargie and Tourish (2000) suggest that organizations benefit a lot from improved internal communication. This includes improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, higher quality of service and products. Organizations also experience increased levels of innovation, fewer strikes and reduced costs of operation and high staff turnover. Taylor (2005) summarizes the benefits of effective communication in the acronym as, SUCCESS defined as follows: S- stronger decision making and problem solving; U-upturn in productivity; C-convincing and compelling corporate materials; C-clearer, more streamlined work flow; E-enhanced professional image; S-sound business relationships; S-successful response assured (p. 11). . For an organization to assess the effectiveness of its internal communication based on its employees attitudes about the firm, it needs to conduct a communication audit (Argenti, 2009). Therefore, the assurance that effective internal communication systems exists is vital to the success of any organization. This ensures that all the objectives undertaken by an organization are clearly understood by its employees. A communication audit Scott (2007) defines a communication audit as an indicator used in a particular time to help an organization assess its current communication practices and also to show how effective they are. She suggests that a communication audit can also be used to identify areas with problems such as frequent misunderstandings, information blocks, information gaps, information duplication or misrepresentation. McGann (2010) suggests that, a communication audit is a snapshot of the organizations communications programs, practices and activities. A communication audit will inform you on what is working, what is not working and what needs to be changed or improved in terms of communication within the organization (p. 1). According to Hargie and Tourish (2000), communication audits have been used to identify and reward good practice and at the same time help organizations to manage crisis and improve business performance. Snyder and Morris (1994) cited in Hargie and Tourish (2000) observe that there is a positive correlation between the employee perceptions of communication and job satisfaction which in turn correlates to the overall organizations effectiveness. This can be achieved by the results of the communication audit. Seitel (1995) states that, organizations utilize communication audits to analyze the perception of its constituents, evaluate the readership of its communication, annual reports and newsletters which are the vehicles of the organization. Further, the author suggests that, communication audits provide the organization with important information on how to solve problems like employees working at cross-purposes, uneven communication workloads and benchmarks against which public relations programs can be applied and measured in the future. The author concludes that, a communication audit will determine the communications systems which are being used by the organization, which are the most effective and if the information that is being transmitted by the organization is regarded as adequate by its recipients. This study is an internal communication audit of the CDF Board and Secretariat which aims to determine the effectiveness of the communication systems used within the organization. History of CDF in Kenya In the recent past, the government of Kenya has created a number of alternative windows to allow allocation of resources directly to devolved government units in response to the needs to ensure equitable development at the grassroots. For instance, there has been substantial increase in resources committed at the constituency level and the local government units. When President Mwai Kibaki was in opposition he introduced a motion in parliament that sought to have funds devolved at the grassroot level, however the motion was defeated by the then head of state President Daniel arap Mois government. In the year 2003 when H. E Mwai Kibaki took power, the Ol-Kalao Member of Parliament Hon. Eng. Karue having been a member of his party, brought the motion again to Parliament seeking the funds to be devolved at the grassroot level and it was passed. Constituency Development Fund (CDF) became operational in 2004 with an annual budgetary allocation of a minimum 2.5% by the central government to each of the countrys constituencies. The fund aims to address imbalances in regional development. It targets community projects at the constituency level, particularly those aiming to combat poverty. It also provides individuals at the grassroot the opportunity to make development choices that maximize their welfare in line with their needs and preferences. Some of other notable devolved funds in Kenya include the Community Development Trust Fund (CDTF), the Roads Fund, Constituency AIDs Fund, the Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF), Women Enterprise Fund, Youth Enterprise Development Fund, Rural Electrification Programe Levy Fund (REPF), Free Primary Education Fund (FPEF) and the Constituency Education Bursary Fund (CEBF). The over-arching goal has been to improve the development outcomes by involving local communities in the decision-making process and management of projects (CDF Board Strategic Plan, 2010-2014). During the period of CDF existence, the fund has registered substantial achievements and has greatly contributed in transforming the lives of Kenyans. The researchers observations are that, the impact of the fund is widespread that in all corners of the country one can never miss a project which has been financed from the CDF kitty. They include the improved infrastructure especially in the rural areas in the form of rural access roads, education and health facilities. The fund has enabled many students to access education through bursary. In addition it has enabled locals to build capacity at the grassroot level through empowerment in participation in project management through various committees. CDF has received a lot of media attention both positive and negative despite the fact that it has brought a paradigm shift in most of Kenyas rural areas in terms of development. However, just like any other noble idea, the Fund has had its own share of challenges ranging from mode of financing, accountability to the public, political interference in identification of projects, approval and implementation of the projects, low level of awareness among communities on the operations of the fund among others. However, Gikonyo (2008) observes that CDF has been a great success despite the challenges faced by the fund. This idea has been seconded by New Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD) as it acknowledges the Fund as one of the best innovations in Africas development and as a result many countries are seeking to adopt the CDF model. By law, the CDF is controlled by the Member of Parliament of a constituency. This amount is then shared among all the constituencies on an established formula that factors in equality and the poverty levels of each constituency. Thereafter, the onus of disbursing and ensuring the constituencies use their share of the money efficiently and accountably falls with the CDF Board and Secretariat. This body was established under CDF (Amendment) Act 2007 section 5 (CDF Board Strategic Plan, 2010-2014). However, this Board and Secretariat is charged with the overall responsibility of managing the Funds and reporting to parliamentary Constituency Fund Committee (CFC) on its usage. The Board activities are also coordinated by a Secretariat based at its headquarters in Nairobi County. The CEO to the Secretariat is also the Secretary to the Board and the chief accounting officer to the fund. The CDF Board and Secretariat just like any other organization is believed to have communication channels in place. These communication channels play an important role of information dissemination from one person to another. However, they need to be evaluated so as to give the guidelines based on what is working, what is not working and what needs to be changed. The communication channels used by organizations include memos, telephone, emails, newsletters, website, notice board, suggestion box, meetings, annual reports and face to face. In this study the researcher will provide a credible baseline of the actual status of communication in the CDF Board and Secretariat with its internal publics. Problem statement Good internal communication is supposed to ensure low staff turnover, high quality of service and goods, improved productivity, reduced absenteeism, and reduced cost of operation. For an organization like CDF Board and Secretariat good internal communication is critical because it will ensure seamless integration of its internal publics. Staff retention is important to ensure such a young organization has officers long enough to understand, establish and concretize its mandate to ensure it serves the purpose for which it was established. A look at the CDF Board and Secretariat website indicates that several senior officers have left the organization in a period of one year. Although no exit interviews were conducted to establish the reason for their departure, poor internal communication, according to Hargie and Tourish (2000) is a major cause of high staff turnover. These authors further suggest that an organization should conduct a communication audit between five and seven years or after any major change in the organization. This enables the organization to realize what is working and what needs to be changed in terms of communication. The high staff turnover at the CDF Board and Secretariat in the long run would increase the operation costs of hiring and training new staffs regularly and also paint a negative image of the organization. This study therefore aims to investigate whether the CDF Board and Secretariat has effective internal communication and whether poor communication could have contributed to challen ges like high staff turnover. Purpose of the study The purpose of this study is to conduct an internal communication audit of the CDF Board and Secretariat and to analyze the effectiveness of its communication channels between the CDF Board and Secretariat and its internal publics. Objectives of the study General objective The general objective of this study is to carry out an internal communication audit of the CDF Board and Secretariat and to establish what communication styles are in place, how they work and the perceived effectiveness of the organizations communication. Specific objectives of the study will be: To establish the communication systems used to communicate amongst the internal publics of the CDF Board and Secretariat. To verify the effectiveness of the communication systems in meeting employees information needs. To establish employees perception on the relationship of internal communication to job satisfaction and employee retention. To document the strengths and weaknesses of the existing communication practices and propose a way forward. Research questions The issues that this study will address include:- What are the communication systems that are used to communicate among the internal publics of the CDF Board and Secretariat? What is the perceived effectiveness of communication amongst the internal publics? What is the employee perception on the relationship of internal communication to job satisfaction and employee retention? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the existing communication practices at the CDF Board and Secretariat? Rationale/ significance of the study This study will help the organization to develop possible solutions to communication problems if they will arise and also help the organization to avoid other forms of crisis including high staff turnover. The study findings could also be adopted by the government of Kenya as a basis of developing a comprehensive policy framework for internal communication among public institutions in Kenya. Such a policy would ensure smooth flow of information on government policy and directives among the public servants, which would translate to better service delivery to the public/citizens. Further, the study finding will contribute immensely to the body of knowledge in the country, and help scholars and practitioners better understand the subject of internal communication. At the completion of this study, the researcher will provide significant recommendations concerning communication issues from the research findings which will be useful to the organization. This will help the CDF Board and Secretariat to improve its internal communication systems for better and more effective internal communication within the organization. Assumptions of the study The following are the basic assumptions of the study. That CDF Board and Secretariat has got communication systems that can be audited. That the CDF Board and Secretariat employees will be truthful in responding to the research questions. That the CDF Board and Secretariat will allow the participation of its internal publics in this study. That the CDF Board and Secretariat will provide relevant information to the researcher. Limitations and delimitations In this study the researcher will focus on the internal publics of the CDF Board and Secretariat who include the CEO, the staff and the Board members. The researcher will not extend the study to the external publics. In addition, some employees may opt to withhold information due to fear of victimization. This is because most of the information that flows within the CDF Board and Secretariat is classified. To delimit this, the researcher will assure the respondents that the information provided will only be used in this study. In addition, most of the Board members do not report to the Secretariat head office on a daily basis; they only meet on several occasions in a month. To delimit this, the researcher will make arrangements to have the interviews with the Board members when they are at the head office. Scope of the study The research will be conducted at the CDF Board and Secretariat head office which is situated at the junction of Uhuru Highway and Haile Selaisse Avenue at Harambee Sacco Plaza 10th floor in Nairobi. The study will restrict itself to the audit of communication of the internal publics of the CDF Board and Secretariat which includes the CEO, Board of Directors, management staff and subordinate staff. Definition of terms Communication audit Is a snapshot of the organizations communication programs, practices and activities which inform the organization on what is working, what is not working and what needs to be changed or improved in terms of communication within the organization (McGann 2010). For the purpose of this study a communication audit will mean a gauge which helps the organization to analyze its perceived communication to its publics. CDF Board and Secretariat Is the body which has been mandated by the Government of Kenya to manage constituency funds and report to the Parliamentary Constituency Fund Committee on the usage of the funds (CDF Board Strategic Plan, 2010-2014). For the purpose of this study it shall remain one and the same thing. Communication systems: These are the communication networks which help in the flow of information from one level of employee to another. For the purpose of this study it shall remain one and the same thing. Effective communication: Fielding (2006) defines effective communication as the management of flow of information, this means from the sender, the message itself, the channel, the receiver and the feedback. Collins (2009) defines effective communication as the practical guidance on using communication vehicles and tools. For the purpose of this study, effective communication will mean transfer of information and understanding between the sender and the receiver. Internal publics: Broom (2009), refers to internal publics as the employees including managers and people being supervised. Lundblad and Stewart (2005) define the internal publics as the individuals / groups in the employ of the organization. Seitel (1995) says that the internal publics are the publics who are inside the organization though they vary from one organization to another, depending on the nature of the organization. For the purpose of this study the internal publics will be the CEO, the Board of Directors and the employees of the CDF Board and Secretariat. High staff turnoverà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Staff retentionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. Summary This chapter covered the introduction and background to the study, defined a communication audit, and gave a brief history of CDF in Kenya, CDF Board Secretariat. Problem statement, objectives of the study, justification of the study and operationalization of terminologies has also been done in this chapter. The next chapter will cover the literature review, the role of corporate communication in conducting a communication audit, theoretical, and conceptual framework. Chapter two: Literature Review Introduction This chapter reviews a literature on communication audits and related concepts. Key topics covered include: the role of corporate communication in conducting audits, empirical studies of internal communication audits, and the process of communication in organizations. Others include internal publics, and barriers to effective communication, communication systems, employee information needs and the theoretical and conceptual frameworks of the study. Communication audits Communication audits have been used as indicators to help organizations assess their current communication practices and show how effective they are. They are used to identify areas with problems such as frequent misunderstandings, information blocks, information gaps, information duplication or misrepresentation Scott (2007). More importantly, the communication audits provide a snapshot of the organizations communication programs, practices and activities. In addition, they act as a tool which helps one to know what is working, what is not working and what needs to be changed or improved in terms of communication within the organization McGann (2010). Contribution of communication audit to organizational success Downs and Adrian (2004) say that there is a tendency of organizations paying attention to communication only after a problem/crisis has occurred. The organizations need to overcome this behavior by conducting a communication audit periodically. Knowing the problem early enough saves image, time and reputation. They add that, organizations have got the responsibility to monitor the effectiveness of the messages they send to the employees because the survival of the organization depends on the employees ability to exchange and coordinate the information they are receiving. However, the authors point out that communication is not the only challenge experienced by organizations. Organizations need to have accurate impression of what their internal publics think of them, how they receive and transmit messages. This amounts to the importance of auditing communication in an organization (Hargie Tourish, 2009). For an organization to know how effective their communication is perceived based on employees attitudes it needs to conduct a communication audit. The results of the communication audit will guide the communication practitioners to formulate the right internal communication programs for the organization (Argenti, 2007). According to Hargie and Tourish (2000) organizations that conduct communication audits enjoy a long running performance in the marketplace. This means that the results of the audit will help the organization to avert chaos like misunderstandings, misrepresentation of staff, strikes, high staff turnover and poor performance. Furthermore, they suggest that the communication audits have been used to identify and reward good practice and at the same time help the organization to manage crisis and improve business performance. This idea concurs with Clampitt (1991) and Heath (2000) who say that as a result of conducting communication audits organizations have experienced increased productivity, employees job satisfaction and a positive maintenance of organizational structure. According to Hargie and Tourish (2009) organizations that have conducted internal communication audits have experienced high performance from their employees because there is a correlation between high performance and existence of effective internal communication programs. This idea concurs with Hicks and Gullet (1988) who say that there is a positive correlation with the openness of communication channels between the subordinate and the supervisor. The openness of communication channels can be realized as a result of communication audit where employees engagement and commitment to work become more significant. For instance, Arnold (1993) conducted a study of internal publics of General Motors in the United States of America. In his findings, a staff turnover rate of 30% in 1989 went down to 12% by 1991. In addition, the companys bad debt percentage went down from 3.2% to an average of 0.4% per month. The role of corporate communication in conducting a communication audit According to Cornelissen (2011) corporate communication practitioners have a role to act as intermediaries between the organization and its stakeholders, and he refers to this process as boundary spanning. Kitchen (1997) defines boundary spanning as the mechanism used by organizations to gather and analyze data about their environment. He insists that the public relations practitioners/boundary spanners play an important role of strategic decision making. This idea is consistent with Tripathi (2009) who says that the boundary spanning function of corporate communication is supposed to help the management to gather information through conducting a communication audit, interpret it from its environment and represent the organization to its publics. Steyn and Puth (2000) however, refer to the boundary spanning role as the mirror/delicate and important function of the corporate communication practitioner. Likely (2003) cited in Barker and Angelopulo (2007) says that the corporate communication has got the role to provide information for the evaluation of the internal environment of the organization. The evaluation of the communication will help the organization to identify strengths and weaknesses of the organizations communication and the management will be able to provide the input to the development of communication strategy. Empirical studies of internal communication audits At Daystar University some scholars have carried out studies on communication audit to assess the impact of communication channels in organizations. Ndegwa (1996) conducted an audit among Daystar University students. In her findings the study found that students received most of the information concerning the university from the weekly newsletter known as infospot and during chapel. In addition, students expressed a desire to get more information in general and at the same time they also felt that there was need to improve the physical environment in the university. This audit was important to the university as the institution has increased the channels of information dissemination to the students. Wamba (1999) conducted a study on public relations audit of selected publics of the Kenya Wildlife Service. In her findings majority of the respondents stated that the organization meant what it said when it made an important announcement. This was in line with employee management relations. On the issue of employees complaints being taken seriously by the management 61% of the respondents agreed that they were rarely looked into. This shows that the management did not care much about the needs of the employees. On the issue of communication from the management, 70.6% of the respondents agreed that the management was interested in telling them what they thought staff ought to know rather than what staff wanted to know. Ngugi (2004) carried out a communication audit of the internal publics of Kenya National Library Services. About 63.8% of the respondents stated that they would like to receive information from management. A small fraction of 1.3% of the respondents stated that they received information from the communication department. About 57.5% of the respondents stated that they had never heard about an internal news letter as much as it had been available. According to the study, the Kenya National Library Services had a policy guideline on forwarding issues to the management, but according to the respondents departmental heads did not forward their issues to the management (Ngugi, 2004). Pokumensah (2011) carried out a communication audit of the internal publics of the Elris Communication Services Limited. In his findings about 88% of the lower level employees received most of the task oriented information from their supervisors. This explained that the network for task oriented was top down. Another 80% of the lower level respondents states that they share task oriented information with their colleagues. This indicated that the horizontal communication happened among the employees of the same level of organizational structure (Mounter, 2003). In conclusionà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The process of communication in organizations Communication is a continuous process of exchanging verbal and nonverbal messages. A message must be conveyed through some medium to the recipient. It is essential that this message must be understood by the recipient in same terms as intended by the sender and a response given within a time frame. Thus, communication is a two way process and is incomplete without a feedback from the recipient to the sender on how well the message is understood by him. According to Hicks and Gullett (1988) most organizations have taken communication for granted. They assume that if an individual can read, write and speak they are communicating. However, communication is not just speaking, reading and writing; rather it is the transfer of information and understanding from the sender to the receiver. According to Watson and Hill (2000) communication includes five key factors that include the initiator, the recipient, the vehicle, the message and the effect. However, they argue that the communication process, sender, message and receiver are all subject to a multitude of cues which are likely to influence the message. Taylor (2005) suggests that as a communicator it is important to ensure that your message is understood, and stimulates the recipient to take appropriate action. Communication can be affected by the context in which it takes place. This context may be physical, social, chronological or cultural. The sender chooses the message to communicate within a context. Second is the sender / encoder a person who sends the message. A sender makes use of symbols (words or graphic or visual aids) to convey the message and produce the required response. For instance, a training manager conducting training for new batch of employees. Sender may be an individual or a group or an organization. The views, background, approach, skills, competencies, and knowledge of the sender have a great impact on the message. The verbal and nonverbal symbols chosen are essential in ascertaining interpretation of the message by the recipient in the same terms as intended by the sender. The third component is the message which is the key idea that the sender wants to communicate. It is a sign that elicits the response of recipient. Communication process begins with deciding about the message to be conveyed. It must be ensured that the main objective of the message is clear. Fourth is the medium which is the means used to exchange / transmit the message. The sender must choose an appropriate medium for transmitting the message else the message might not be conveyed to the desired recipients. The choice of appropriate medium of communication is essential for making the message effective and correctly interpreted by the recipient. This choice of communication medium varies depending upon the features of communication. For instance, written medium is chosen when a message has to be conveyed to a small group of people, while an oral medium is chosen when spontaneous feedback is required from the recipient as misunderstandings are cleared then and there. Fifth is the recipient / decoder who is the person for whom the message is intended / aimed / targeted. The degree to which the decoder understands the message is dependent upon various factors such as knowledge of recipient, their responsiveness to the message, and the reliance of encoder on decoder. Last but not least is feedback which is the main component of communication process as it permits the sender to analyze the efficacy of the message. It helps the sender in confirming the correct interpretation of message by the decoder. Feedback may be verbal (through words) or non-verbal (in form of smiles, sighs, etc.). It may take written form also in form of mem os and reports among others (Management Study guide -Online). Internal publics Grunig (1992) suggests that the employees who are the internal publics of an organization are the most important strategic publics of an organization. He further says that their communication should be part of an integrated and managed communication program. However, Baskin, Aronoff Lattimore (1997) argue that identification of the key publics by the organizations is important for the survival of the organization. Internal publics are the active publics of the organization and seek and process information about the organization or an issue of interest to an organization (Grunig, 1992). Importance of effective internal communication in organizations According to Hamilton and Parker (1993) organizations are made up people and the decisions made on a daily basis are likely to affect the organization, customers, other workers and even the destiny of the organization. This idea makes internal communication to be an important aspect of the organization because it is through communication the organization can gain and offer the information needed to its publics which enables them to make successful decisions. Miller (2006), however, says that internal communication helps the organization to answer the following questions; what information needs to be communicated to the publics? When should it be communicated? Who will be in charge of communicating to the public? How will the information be communicated? Millers proposition is consistent with Katz and Kahns (1966) observations that effective internal communi

Reviewing The Problems In Gang Culture Criminology Essay

Reviewing The Problems In Gang Culture Criminology Essay It is the intention of the following literature review to focus upon the gang and focus in detail on youth gang culture and look in detail the media coverage in relation to knife crime, the public perception of the gang. To discuss why young people become involved in gangs and to discover during this literature review if poverty, race and ethnicity have a radical impact on who joins a change plus who is a victim of a gang. In order to discuss the subjects noted above this review will also look in detail into previous research relating to gangs with a particular emphasis on youth crime. It is also critical to highlight that it is important to discuss key social theories which could be utilised to explain some of the above. In recent years the media, government, police have used the term gang to generally refer to crimes which have been committed by groups of young people. Often crimes such as knife crime have been used by the mass media to portray gangs in a particular way. Often crimes such as knife crime have been used by the mass media to portray gangs in a particular way and also to draw public attention to this social issue. According to the Home Office There has been increasing public concern in recent years about gun and knife crime. While disturbing, the number of such crimes is relatively low and in a general population sample survey such as the BCS the number of victims is too small. Alexandar (2008) More than 70 youngsters died at the hands of gangs in Britain in 2008. In London, 26 were stabbed to death. There are more than 170 gangs, with members as young as ten have been identified by police in London. Many teenagers now routinely carry a knife out of fear, in order to defend themselves if attacked. The penalty for straying into the wrong area is to be robbed, beaten or stabbed. It is difficult to define specifically what a gang is due to the nature of these particular social groups. Gangs in the UK are currently seen as a collection of more than two people for example and often these gangs have a specific purpose. In recent years a collection of youths walking around the streets have become labelled as gangs in the media. Steven Sachs (1978) makes the following definition, a youth gang is commonly thought as a self-formed association of peers having the following characteristics: a gang name and recognizable symbols, identifiable leadership, a geographic territory, a regular meeting pattern, and collective actions to carry out illegal activities, it is a structured, cohesive group of individuals, usually between the ages of eleven and twenty-five, gang members can be male or female, but they are most often male. (Sachs, 1997) According to Cohen (1955) Youth gangs participate in all kinds of activities such as extortion and intimidation, robbery, vandalism, assault, drug trafficking, stabbings, shootings, and sometimes even murder. The following sections of this literature review will focus in detail at specific research which has been carried out previously relating to youth gangs and knife culture. Study 1 The first study was created in 2008 by Scottish centre for crime and justice research , they were awarded a research grant of  £155,000 by the Scottish  government to undertake ethnographic research exploring the nature of youth gang involvement, and the nature of knife carrying by young people in Scotland, and the roles that such activities may play in young peoples everyday lives. The research took place in five locations across Scotland and involved a multi-method approach, combining sets of interviews with young people, police, community and youth workers and other local area experts. Two draft reports were submitted to the Scottish Government in spring 2010: the first providing a qualitative account of young peoples involvement in youth gangs and the second drawing on an analysis of quantitative data from several sweeps of the Edinburgh Study of Youth Transitions of Crime (ESYTC). A core finding of this report is that gang members (inclusive of those who carry /use knives an d other weapons) are drawn from areas of multiple deprivations. The evidence presented in this report suggests that youth gang members are likely to be highly visible as problematic individuals, in terms of their tendency to hang about the streets and their frequent alcohol consumption. Study 2 Youth Gangs in an English City: Social Exclusion, Drugs and Violence The research Youth Gangs: The factors behind the headlines have been made by Judith Aldridge of the University of Manchester. The research provides an ethnographic account of contemporary youth gangs in an English city.   The study involved 26 months of participant observation in Research City; 107 interviews with gang members and their associates, and with key informants; and nine group interviews with non-gang youth, community representatives and parents.   Findings showed a long history of territorial street gangs in Research City. From the 1980s, attention focused on drug-selling gangs engaging in lethal gun violence in marginalised black areas. This framed the way the issue of gangs was officially constructed across Research City; other white areas of the city where gangs presented a lower profile and level of gun violence received less attention. A combination of factors changed the nature of these gangs, in particular from their drug-selling focus. The findings from this r esearch shows that Gangs today in Research City are ethnically mixed, loose, dynamic, interlinked territorial networks with far less organisation than expected and ephemeral, shifting and unstable leadership. Findings are presented in relation to: gang formation and the life course, violence, earnings, drug use, the role of women and girls, ethnicity, community, and statutory responses.   Findings from the research have important implications for policy development, theoretical understanding of youth gangs in the UK, and methodological know-how. The researches shows that one of many reasons why young people get in to gangs is peer pressure and wanting to look bad and also young people are searching for some kind of family unit.Youth crime is simultaneously a social problem and an intrinsic part of consumer culture: while images of gangs and gangsters are used to sell global commodities, young people not in work and education are labelled as antisocial and susceptible to crime. There was a general consensus that the issue of violent weapon crime by groups of young people is not a new phenomenon, and is in part fuelled by media. Group crime involving weapons transcends ethnicity and occurs across all races, with neighbourhood poverty and deprivatation at the root.