Hazard of Coal and Coal Mining to Human Health Essay

Coal is a solid but brittle sedimentary rock with a natural brown to black color and is made up of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and lesser amounts o f sulphur and trace elements. Coal is classified into four types depending on the carbo n, oxygen and hydrogen content on which the higher the carbon content, the more energy the coal contains (Coal at a Glance, 2009). The amount of energy in coal is define d by the heat value measured by British thermal units (Btu). One Btu is equivalent to the amount of energy in a single match (RockTalk, 2005). The four types of coal include lignite, sub bituminous, bituminous, and anthracite. The lowest rank of the coal i s lignite and has a heating value of 4,000 to 8,300 British thermal units (Btu) per pound. This type is the softest with high moisture content, least amount of carbon a nd is mainly used to produce electricity. The second least of the four types is sub-bituminous coal with a heating value of 8,300 to 13,000 Btu per pound and contains 35 to 45 percent carbon. After addition of more heat and pressure on lignite, bituminous coal is formed which is made of many tiny layers. It contains 11,000 to 15,500 Btu per pound heating value and is an important fuel for the steel and iron industries. Of the commonly minable coals, anthracite is the hardest and has a heating value of 15,000 Btu per p ound containing 86 to 97 percent carbon (Coal at a Glance, 2009). Coal is a non-renewable source of energy because it takes million of years to form. It has become a powerhouse by the 1800’s in America in which the people used coal to manufacture goods and to power steamships and railroad engines . It was noted that after the American Civil war, coal was used to make iron and steel and by the end of 1800’s, people used coal to make electricity. In the 1900’s, coal is the mainstay for the nation’s business and industries. Coal stayed America’s number one energy source until petroleum was used for petroleum products that became a demand. In 2009, 93.6 percent of all the coal in the United States was used for electricity production. Coal generates almost half of the electricity used in the U.S (Coal at a Glance, 2009). Based from Gree n World Investor (2011), coal has numerous uses primarily as a source of fuel and as a rich carbon source. It also plays an important role in cement and steel industries and coal is the largest source of electricity production. Coal is mainly used as fuel to generate electricity t hrough combustion. In steel production, coal together with iron, are the two raw materials used to produce steel in which the former is used as a fuel to smelt the iron in furnace until the cast iron is further refined. Similar with electricity and cement production, coal is also being used as a fuel in cement industry. Furthermore, paper a nd aluminum industry also uses coal as a fuel since coal is cheap and very available for these types of industries that are huge consumers of energy fuel. According to World Coal Association (2012), â€Å"the biggest market for coal is Asia, which currently accounts for over 65% of global coal consumption; although China is responsible for a significant proportion of this. Many countries do not have n atural energy resources sufficient to cover their energy needs, and therefore need to import energy to help meet their requirements. Japan, Chinese Taipei and Korea, for example, import significant quantities of steam coal for electricity generation and co king coal for steel production†. They also added that coal users further include alumina refineries and chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Chemical products can be produced from the by-products of coal. Refined coal tar is used in the manufacture of c hemicals, such as creosote oil, naphthalene, phenol, and benzene. Despite the myriad benefits coal has to offer, t here is always a disadvantage of using it. According to Fossil Fuel Resources (2012), coal burning causes the emission of harmful waste such as carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, sulphuric acids, arsenic and ash. Furthermore, coal emits twice as much carbon dioxide compared to natural gas in producing the same level of heat which increases the level of emission of greenhouses ga ses into the earth’s atmosphere. As well as large factories and power industry that burn coal causes acid rain in some areas. Moreover, coal mining damages t he landscape a nd the environment as a whole plus t he large and noisy equipment used for mining may a ffect local wildlife. Transportation of coal can also be a problem since it requires extensive transportation system and causes additional pollution from vehicle emissions. Another huge disadvantage is that the coal is a non-renewable energy source and thi s millennium, coal can be depleted if burning of coal is continued in the future. Likewise, in coal mining industry, health difficulties of miners occur and fatalities due to dangerous nature of work increase. This paper would be tackling about the Health Hazard that is imposed otherwise could be caused by coal and coal mi ning. However, it is important to understand the impact of this activity to economy and environment, which could help in knowing the impact to health t hus socioeconomic and environmental effects of coal mining are at the same time discussed. Developing co untries seek to exploit mineral resources to provide needed revenue thus, mineral wealth is a part of some nation’s natural capital (Davis and Tilton, 2003). However, Sideri and Johns (1990) stated that mineral development does not always boost a country’s economic growth and in some cases contribute to increased poverty. Some of the contributing factors for this misfortune were low level of employment, institutional corruption and mismanagement (Sideri and Johns, 1990). Coal industry development may result in national economic growth however, the benefits are not equally shared, causing local communities nearest to the mining site suffer the most. Miranda et. al (1998) added that mining as a general triggers negative impacts such as alcoholism, prostitution a nd sexually transmitted disease. According to Dr. Michael Hendryx (2009), â€Å"Areas with especially heavy mining have the highest unemployment rates in the region contrary to the common perception that mining contributes to overall employment†. S ynapse Energy Economics (2009) added, referring to Appalachia where mountaintop removal for coal mining is being done, â€Å"History shows that the transition from deep to surface mining devastated the region economically, and that the prosperity of mining companies has not gone hand in hand with the economi c welfare of coal mine workers. Appalachia has suffered from current and persistent economic di stress, and that this distress has been associated with employment in the mining industry, particularly coal mining.† Mountaintop removal coal mining remove the miner from the process, replacing manpower with machinery, and lowering the coal companies’ overhead cost (Appalachian Voices, 2012). From the article â€Å"Mortality in Appalachian Coal Mining Regions: The Value of Statistical Life Lost† authored by Michael Hendryx and Melissa M. Ahern (2009), it was stated that the Appalachian region of the United States has long been associated with severe socioeconomic disadvantages. These results to a poor public health comprising elevated morbidity and mortality rates for a variety of serious, chronic conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and some forms of cancer. Furthermore, recent studies have confirmed that health discrepancies exist in coal mining regions of Appalachia compared with other areas of the region or the nation . These discrepancies include elevated mortality rates for total causes, lung cancer, and some chronic illnesses. It was noted that t hese studies showed that mortality is related to higher poverty, lower educati on levels, and smoking behavior, and further s uggested that environmental pollution from the mining industry is a contributing factor. In the study of Paul Younger (2004) , â€Å"Environmental impacts of coal mining and associated wastes: a geochemical perspec tive†, it was stated that in the early years of coal mining, impact on the environment adversely affect long -established agricultural interests. The negative impacts of coal mining came to be accepted as a by-product of the generation of coal-based wealth d uring the time when coal trade dominate regional economies in mining districts. These negative impacts became unacceptable when large-scale mining began and took place in major coal-mining economies. It was further stated in the study that t he environmental impacts of coal mining are results of the exposure of reduced earth materials that involves coal and others, to the oxidizing power of the Earth’s atmosphere. The study recognize subcategories of impacts under five major headings consisting of air pollu tion, fire hazards, ground deformation, water pollution and water resource depletion. Production of large quantities of waste is one major environmental issue that can be caused by coal mining. The impacts are more widespread in open-casts compared to underground mining, which produces less waste. Severe impacts could cause degradation of aquatic and marine resources and causes water quality reduction. According to Johnson (1997), erosion after heavy rainfall pushes waste rock piles and runoffs to nearby waste bodies and sometimes, this lead to disruption, diversion, and changing of slope and bank stability of stream channel and t hese disturbances significantly reduces the water quality. Ripley (1996) added that higher sediment concentrations increase the t urbidity of natural waters which lowers the available light to aquatic plant for photosynthesis. Elimination of important food source and decreased available habitat for fish to migrate and spawn usually happens if there is increased sediment loads that s uffocate organisms in marine organisms (Johnson, 1997). Fur thermore, higher sediments decrease the depth of water bodies which could contribute to flood (Mason, 1997). Deforestation is also a major indirect environmental impact of coal mining especially i n opencast or surface mining. Biodiversity is greatly affected , more importantly the removal of vegetation that alters the shelter and the availability of food for the wildlife. Coal mining also poses an environmental alarm in wetlands such as estuaries, mangroves and floodplains that actually served as natural filters of pollution as well as provide habitat for aquatic organisms. These areas are destroyed through direct habitat elimination or pollution from washable coals that were washed to produc e a clean pure coal (H.A. Mooney et al, 1995). Mining activities in general has many environmental impacts but at the same time, poses a significant risk to human health. The health cost of mining operations most of the time outweighs the advantages gaine d ( Yeboah, J.Y, 2008). Possible hazard including diseases or illnesses acquired from coal mining is discussed below as summary of various studies and articles about health risks caused by exposure to coal and coal mining. The association of pneumoconiosi s and other respiratory health risks with exposure to respirable mixed dust was identified in the study of Love R.G, Miller B.G., 6 The Hazards of Coal and Coal Mining to Human Health et. al. (1997), entitled â€Å"Respiratory health effects of opencast coalmining: a cross sectional study of current workers† conducted in United Kingdom opencast coal mines. The study carried out 1,224 men and 25 women at nine large and medium sized opencast sites in England, Scotland and Wales. Full sized chest radiographs, respiratory symptoms, occupational history questionnaires, and simple spirometry were used in the study to characterize the respiratory health of the workforce. In addition, logistic or multiple regression techniques were utilized to examine relations between indices of exposure and respiratory health. The study c oncluded that the frequency of (mostly mild) chest radiographic abnormalities is associated with working in the dustier, preproduction jobs in the coal mining industry. Although some of these mild abnormalities may be non -occupational (due to aging or smok ing), the association with exposure indicates a small risk of pneumoconiosis in these men, and the need to monitor and control exposures, particularly in the high-risk occupations. This study of respiratory health effects of opencast coal mining seems unalarming and maybe controlled since it was indicated that there is a small risk of pneumoconiosis among miners, however, coal mining effects to humans are not just limited to respiratory health. Furthermore, there are various studies that could prove that co al mining or coal combustion is a great contributing factor of respiratory illnesses most especially black lung disease. The negative impact of coal mining pollution to public health is analyzed in a study in West Virginia. Michael Hendryx and Melissa Ahern (2008) used the data from a 2001 research survey correlated with data from West Virginia Geological and economic survey showing volume of coal production from mining. Hendryx and Ahern study was â€Å"Relations between Health Indicators and Residential Proximity to Coal Mining in West Virginia† which have examined the coal mining in West Virginia if it is related to poorer health status and incidence of chronic illness. The study used data from a survey of 16, 493 West Virginians merged with county- level coal production and other covariates in investigating the relations between health indicators and residential proximity to coal mining. The research sought to find whether the effects of coal mining may result only from socioeconomic factors such as inco me and education problems together with environmental exposure problems or it a lso a ffects the health aspect of the people. It was emphasized that quantitative research on health consequences of residential proximity to coal mining is limited to a few stud ies of respiratory illness, which was conducted in Great Britain. With t hese few studies, one showed no effect of coal mining but there are studies t hat found increased risks. These were the main reason why this study was conducted. The result of the study showed that â€Å"As coal production increased, health status worsened, and rates of cardiopulmonary disease, lung disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and kidney disease increased. Within larger disease categories, specific types of disease associated with coal production included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), black lung disease, and h ypertension.† The research found t hat the result of black lung disease is higher in men compared to women since this condition affects miner’s which are men. The risks for coal -associated illnesses increase with exposure to coal by-products. Toxins and impurities in coal cause kidney disease, hypertension and other cardiovascular disease. The effects also resulted from the general inflammatory or systemic consequences of inhaled particles and these effects may be multi -factorial, a result of slurry holdings that leach toxins into drinking water and air pollution effects of coal mining and washing. This study served as a screening test to examine whether co al mining poses a health risk for adults living near the mining site. The researcher recommended that confirmatory tests should be undertaken to establish mechanism of action, magnitude, and health consequences of an exposure effect. Another study of health hazard brought by coal mining is â€Å"The association between mountaintop mining and birth defects among live births in ce ntral Appalachia, 1996–2003†, a research study authored by Melissa Ahern et. al.(2011). This study examined birth defects in mountaintop coal mining areas compared to other coal mining areas and in non-mining areas of central A ppalachia. The researchers aimed to know if higher birth-defect rates are present in mountaintop mining areas . Moreover, this study analyzed 1996-2003 live births i n four Central Appalachian states using natality files from National Center for Health Statistics. It was stated from the study that â€Å"The prevalence rate ratio (PRR) for any birth defect was significantly higher in mountaintop m ining areas compared to n on-mining areas, but was not higher in the non m ountaintop mining areas, after controlling for covariates. Rates were significantly higher in m ountain top m ining areas for six of seventy types of defects: circulatory/ respiratory, central nervous system, m usculoskeletal, gastrointestinal, urogenital, and ‘other’.† It was found out that mountaintop- mining effects became more pronounced in the latter years (2000–2003) versus earlier years (1996–1999.). Furthermore, it was mentioned that the elevated birth defect rates are partly a function of socioeconomic disadvantage, but remain elevated after controlling for those risks. They also added that both socioeconomic and e nvironmenta l inf luences in mountaintop mining areas maybe contributing factors. In a researc h article authored by Hans L. Falk and William Jurgelski, Jr., â€Å"Health Effects of Coal Mining and Combustion: Carcinogens and Cofactors†, carcinogens and cofactors that may be present in coal is being tackled. As an epidemiologic evidence of carcinogenic risks in coal mining and combustion, it was mentioned that several epidemiological studies imply that the incidence of gastric carcinoma in coal miners is elevated above that of comparable segments of the general population not engaged in mining of coal. On t he other hand, the article noted that death rate of coal miners from lung cancer is appreciably lower than the rate for non-miners of comparable age. It was explained that the data obtained from various studies about lower rate of lung cancer among coal miners strongly suggest that an unknown factor probably coal dust, exerts a protective effect from acquiring cancer. It was further noted that even though the coal dust is beneficial with regard to lung cancer, it is the causative factor of black lung disease. Therefore, while lung cancer rates might not increase as a result of an expansion of coal production, black lung and other respiratory diseases would probably become more prevalent. Health effect of exposure to respirable coal mine dust according to Center for Disease and Control Prevention includes Black Lung Disease or Coal Worker’s Pneumocosis (CWP), silicosis, mixed -dust pneumoconiosis and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). CWP was defined as a chronic dust disease of the lung and its sequelae, including respiratory and pulmonary impairments, arising out of coal mine employment. It was moreover defined as parenchymal lung disease produced by deposits of coal dust in the lung and the response of the host to the retained dust. The primary lesion of CWP is like that of silicosis however, the amount and nature of dust and quantity and disposition of fibrous tissue and the presence of emphysema differs. Coal macules are rounded, irregular and ranges from 1 to 5 millimeters, lesions are distributed symmetrically found in both lungs with a greater concentration in the upper lobes (Attfield and Wagner, 1992). The proportion of dust, cellular material, or collagen varies depending on the rank of coal dust inhaled (Cotes and Steel, 1987). Silicosis develops when respirable silica inhaled is deposited in the lungs and varies from chronic, complicated, accelerated, or acute. Third is mixed -dust pneumoconiosis, which describes pulmonary lesions where crystalline silica is deposited combined with less fibrogenic dusts as iron oxides, kaolin, mica and coal (Silicosis and Silicate Disease Comittee, 1988). Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) refers to three disease processes which involve chronic bronchitis, emphysema, and asthma which are all characterized by airway dysfunction (Barnhart, 1994). COPD is mainly caused by cigarette smoking nevertheless, it could also be caused by air pollution and exposure to dust. Chronic bronchitis is associated with airflow obstruction and abnormalities in gas exchange (Barnhart, 1994). Coal dust and its sequelae are not the only health hazards of coal mining. Common occupational hazards brought by mining are also applied in mining coal. According to Institute for Occupational and Safety Development (2006), â€Å"M ining poses tremendous risks to life and limb, not only to miners but to community as well †. Hazardous mining operations caused both directly and indirectly countless accident. Hazards presented by mining to workers include intense exposure to heat, poor ventilation, fumes, repetitive stress injury, intense noise, manual handling of heavy machinery aside from biological and chemical hazard. Miner’s tend to have fluid and salt deficiency due to constant sweating since hydration is very limited combined with inte nse heat especially in underground mining sites. Furthermore, miners could have increased heart stress, heat stroke, and fertility reduction due to high temperature. Poor ventilation on the other hand, steals the oxygen from the body which results to brain malfunction and this can lead to death. Vibration from handling or operating large machines could result to permanent bone damage and vibration syndrome or dead finger syndrome that could proceed to hand and finger gangrene. The constant shaking could als o progressed to digestive problems because of constant moving of internal organs. Hearing impairment or disruption of body functions such as blood circulation and hormone imbalance could be a result of noise and hazardous sound that comes from drilling, blasting among others. Manual lifting of materials can cause back troubles leading to acute pain. Based from the government statistics, a ccidents in the industry of mining was used to be 0.1% in the year 2000 of the total occupational accidents however in 2 002 it increased to 1.7% of the total accidents which is in fact only 0.3% of the total labor force was into mining and this poses a very dangerous trend for mining ( IODC, 2006). Hazards mentioned above are, of course, i nevitable due to the nature of the activity itself. Yet, there are still other ways for them, in a way, to minimize the occurrence of these while working. In line with this is the importance of risk management. To be aware of the Risk Management is very important most espe cially when involving to activities that could pose risk not only to one ’s heal th but also to emotional, psychosocial, economical and e nvironmental aspect of an individual. Risk management is mainly the identification, assessment and prioritizations of threats brought about the actions going through or have gone through already. Through this method, t he pros and cons o f the action to be considered could be weighed. In t his discussion paper, certain risks that should have been given much attention b y the implementers of coal mining are tackled. From the hazards mentioned above, risk management that could minimize the impact includes the following assessment. There should have been even just an exhaust fan or some opening that some air could enter for them to be able to breathe as normally as possible. Also, to be able to minimize cases of deafness, miners are advised to wear ear plugs when heavy equipment is be i ng operated. Through this, noise could be minimized. It will also be advisable for the miners to have a sufficient supply of water with them as they progress with their work. Proper hydration is very much essential for them because there is poor ventilation inside the mine. The beverage they have with them should contain electrolytes for them to minimize incidence of fluid and salt deficiencies. An excerpt taken from t he article of Institute of Occupational Health and Safety Development s tates that, â€Å"Mines exposes workers to different types of airborne particulates, making them vulnerable to systemic toxic effects due to the absorption of coal dus t. Coupled with poor ventilation, this can trigger accidents and cause death to workers. RSI being a soft -issue disorder is caused by overloading of particular muscle group from repetitive use or maintenance of constrained postures. Miners who suffer from RSI complain of weakness of the affected muscles, heaviness, â€Å"pins and needles† sensation and numbness.† In this hazard, miners are expected to have protective masks that cou ld keep them from inhaling coal dust. Without the masks, this makes them very much vulnerable, primarily, to respiratory diseases and to other health -related illnesses. Presence of openings within the mines should also be considered for them to be able to breathe normally as possible. According to an article posted on www.greatmining.com, â€Å"Coal dust settles like pollen over the surrounding areas.† As what we ha ve discussed o n our Environmental Health class this s ummer, coal dust measures above 100 µm. Thus, it could only irritate the mucous membranes of the eyes, nose and throat but not going further . Yet, considering that there is an occurence of anthracosis, which is detect ed primarily in the lungs. There is a contradiction between this standard measurement and association and the chemical effect of the inhalation of coal dust. According to a study conducted by Sapko,M. J, et. al, â€Å"Particle size can vary both within and between mines, since size is dependent on several factors such as mine type (i.e., longwall or continuous miner, along with cutting speed and depth) and coal seam type. In addition to total incombustible content and methane concentration, the coal dust particle size should be considered as an essential part of the explosibility assessment strategy in underground coal mines.â€Å" Coal mining creates several billion gallons of coal slurry, which contains extremely high levels of mercury, cadmium, and nickel. Although lauded by mining companies that this is a safer, more efficient way to produce coal, this type of strip mining has evoked strong protests from environmentalists and people who reside near coal mining areas. Coal mining work can be extremely dangerous, a s the numerous occupational hazards can cause critical injuries or even death. Since coal is also a necessity in our day to day lives, there is no way to be able to totally terminate or stop the operations of coal mining. All we could do is to minimize the risks that could threaten us if we are to put up or be involved in coal mining. References: Ahern M . e t. al. (2011) . The association between mountaintop mining and birth defects among live births in ce ntral Appalachia, 1996–2003. E nvironmental Research ; Volume 111, Issue 6, Pp 838–846 Attfield MD, Wagner GR [1992]. A report on a workshop on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health B Reader certification program. J Occup Med 34:875Colina N P (2006). Briefing on Mining in the Philippines and the effects on Occupational Health and Safety of Mine Workers Conference on Coal Mining . IOHSAD ; Renmin University, Beijing, PROC Disadvantages of Coal Energy- Biggest Contributor to Global Warming is Co al’s Biggest Drawback (2011). G reen World Investor . Retrived from http://www.greenworldinvestor.com/2011/04/09/disadvantages-of -coal -energybiggest-contributor-to -global -warming-is-coals-biggest-drawback/ Economic Impacts of Mountaintop Removal (2012). Appalachian Voices. Retrieved from http://appvoices.org/end- mountaintop -removal/economy/ Falk H L& J urgelski W,Jr (1979) . Health effects of coal mining and combustion: carcinogens and cofactors.Environ Health Perspect; 33: 203–226. Hamburger T (2010). Pressure builds against mountaintop coal mining. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved from http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/08/nation/la – na-coal8 2010jan08 Hendryx M . & A hern M. (2008). Relations between Health Indicators and Residential Proximity to Coal Mining in West Vi rginia. Public Health 12 The Hazards of Coal and Coal Mining to Human Health Hendryx, M Ahern M. (2009) . Mortality in Appalachian Coal Mining Regions: The Value of Statistical Life Lost. Association of Schools of Public Health Public Health Reports Volume 124. Johnson, S.W. et al. (1997), â€Å"Effects of Submarine Mine Tailings Disposal on Juvenile Yellowfin Sole (Pleuronectes asper): A Laboratory Study,† Marine Pollution Bulletin Vol. 36 Love R.G, Miller B .G., et . al. (1997). Respiratory Health Effects Of Opencast Coalmining: A Cross Sectional Study Of Current Workers†. Occupational Environmental Medicine.:54(9): 696. Mason, R.P. (1997), â€Å"Mining Waste Impacts on Stream Ecology,† In C.D. Da Rosa (ed), Golden Dreams, Poisoned Streams, How Reckless Mining Pollutes America’s Waters and How We Can Stop It .Washington, DC: Mineral Policy Center. Miranda, M. A. Blanco-Uribe Q., L. Hernà ¡ndez, J. Ochoa G., E. Yerena (1998), All That Glitters is Not Gold: Balancing Conservation and Development in Venezuela’s Frontier Forests, World Resources Institute: Washington, DC. Ripley, E.A. et al. (1996), Environmental Effects of Mining. Delray Beach, Florida: S t. Lucie Press. Roenker J.M. (2001). The Economic Impact of Coal in Appalachian Kentucky. Center for Business and Economic Research. Sapire R. (2012).Engulfed in a Toxic Cloud: The Effects of Coal Mining On Human Health. Harvard College Global Health Review. Retrieved from http://www.hcs.harvard.edu/hghr/2012/02/01/engulfed -in-a- toxic-cloud- the -effectsof-coal- mining-on- human- health/ Sideri, S. and S. Johns (eds) (1990), Mining for Development in the Third World: Multinational Corporations, State Enterprises and the International Economy. New York: Pergamon Press. The Disadvantages of Coal (2012). Fossil Fuel Resources. Retrieved from http://fossilfuel.co.uk/coal/the-disadvantages-of -coal Uses of Coal (2012) . World Coal Association. Retrieved from http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/uses -of-coal/ Yeboah J.Y (2008). E nvironmental And Health Impact Of Mining On Surrounding Communities: A Case Study of Anglogold Ashanti In Obuasi. Kwame Nkrumah 13 The Hazards of Coal and Coal Mining to Human Health University Of Science And Technology : Department Of Geography And Rural Development . Younger P L (2004). Environmental impacts of coal mining and associated wastes: a geochemical perspective . The Geological Society of London

Communication in Health and Social Care Essay

Identify nine different reasons why people communicate and give an example for each reason. 1 to express there needs, to explain to people exactly what it is that they need and why. 2. `to share ideas – people learn from each other by sharing ideas this can help resolve a problem or situation. 3. to reassure – if people do not communicate they can feel unsure, it is important to diffuse rumours by communicating effectively with people so that they are sure of a situation, this will have a positive effect on morale. It is also important to re-assure people that you are listening and understand what they are saying. 4. to express feelings – to let people know if you are, happy, sad, angry or confused. It could be that you have mixed feeling or are unsure. 5. to share experiences – a work colleague could share an experience of a similar position/case that you are in/working on. 6. to ask questions – people don’t always give you the answers you need without you asking questions, you can ask open answer questions that require more than a yes or no answer. . socialise – this form of communication is usually relaxed, where you will talk socially to people about things that have happened in your week, or about a holiday or what is in the news. People will laugh and joke together. 8. to build relationships – through communication people get to know each other, there needs and build trust. 9. Information – to pass information between people Identify 5 ways communication can help you in your work and why 1. To enable service users to develop a relationship in which they feel confident to share there thoughts and feeling with you, they feel you are listening to their needs and understand their situation. 2. Effective communication prevents mis-understandings and people know exactly what is expected from them. 3. Supports the development of own needs and knowledge, by talking to work colleagues you can often gain from their knowledge and understanding. 4. Good communication ensures that you understand the needs of others and able you to get the right support plan in place. . to build trust amongst both work colleagues and service users Explain why it is important to observe an individual’s reactions (facial expressions, body language etc) when you are communicating with them Observing an individual’s reaction is important as it will give you an idea on whether the person is interested in the subject matter, if they are lying to cover a blunder, to see if there is a purpose t o the subject you are trying to discuss, to see if they understand, or you’re both understanding. If the person is hesitant to answer any questions, or make any comments or questions, he may be showing disagreement or just shy, then you need to coach them into talking. Facial expressions, will show you if they are feeling angry, body language can indicate that a person is adjitated or uncomfortable with a situation, or if they are relaxed and comfortable. Identify twelve barriers to effective communication Language Barrier, Hearing impairment, visual impairment, under the influence of alcohol or drugs, distractions i. e, noise, flashing light, Judgemental statements i. e. Don’t do it that way† or â€Å"your wrong†. Inappropriate language for the age of the person, Learning difficulties, ie ‘unable to read and write, shyness, attitude, people may not List eight ways you can reduce barriers to communication include sources of information and support services Give four examples of how you can check a person has understood what you have communicated? What do es the term ‘confidentiality mean? Give three examples of when confidential information may need to be passed on How do you seek advice regarding confidentiality When would you ask advice about confidentiality

Technological rationality and social control ( it could be revised) Term Paper

Technological rationality and social control ( it could be revised) - Term Paper Example Such, just when we thought that our fascination is a manifestation of being able to keep up with what is the latest, it is in fact became a source of our bondage – a shackle that we cannot see whom we have unknowingly and voluntarily chained ourselves to become unfree. Herbert Marcuse identified the root of our enslavement to technology in two distinct needs of which he lucidly differentiated. He identified that there are two needs of man in particular and society in general to be â€Å"true needs† and â€Å"repressive needs†. True needs are those needs that needed to be satisfied with things that we cannot live without that we â€Å"truly need† in order to live. We can call them necessity such as food, shelter and some amenities in life such as transport which is driven by technology. â€Å"Repressive needs† are those needs that we really do not need but we may actually want. The list is long because want can never be satisfied in the first place. The invention of technology used to belong in the category of â€Å"true needs† where it truly helped us to make things easier and our lives better. Its advances has civilized us and made us more productive. In gratitude, we laud these advances but overdid it to the point that we became beholden to them. Our increasing dependency towards technology propelled it to advance beyond our true needs as capitalists expanded its use to become a source of profit and control that it became â€Å"repressive needs† because it no longer serve our â€Å"true needs† but rather invented needs that are unnecessary. What used to be or could be a tool for liberation now became a source of enslavement of which we all are willing to be shackled. It is not only the capitalists who used it to enslave society because the government too had its share of using it to control society and nations. Marcuse identified the government use of technology to unfree us by using it in weapons and pr opaganda. Basically a tool of war – weapons in fighting through military hardware (weapons) and winning the heart and minds of the population through media (propaganda). It is interesting to note that Herbert Marcuse’s One Dimensional Man was published in 1964 during the height of cold war between United States and Russia yet the realities it portrayed is still relevant today especially the use of technology to control people. It may not be as direct as it used to be during the cold war where government used the technology of media to sow hatred and animosity among its citizens against its enemies but it is still present today. We can gleaned from different government advertisement such as the advertisement of Homeland Security where it always advertise the possibility of terror attack and always ask the people to report and cooperate to authorities about any untoward incident. At the onset, it may sound harmless and even helpful but if we dig in deeper on the subtleti es of its meaning, it is basically asking the people to be subservient to government by sowing fear in them about an enemy, imaginary or real and presenting itself as its protector to control them. Generally, we are also unaware of how technology is used by the government to control people through the use of weapons. We often wonder why America has enemies that hated it so much to the point of blowing themselves up such as the case of suicide bombers. Marcuse provided a perspective that It is because of the government’

To what extent can Chandlers model of large-scale, integrated Essay

To what extent can Chandlers model of large-scale, integrated managerial enterprise explain the long-term competitiveness of leading economies - Essay Example Expressing my opinion, this model has not been followed entirely by all the leading economies in the world. To be discussed in the essay is a brief explanation of Chandler’s theory of large scale managerial enterprise its applications and bottlenecks. I will provide justification of my opinion by using the enterprise system in Japan and China with a focus on the role externalities such as the availability of funds, role of the government as well as business networks and groups. With these, examples this paper will explain the theories of capitalism and entrepreneurship and how they have enabled those using the system gain competitive advantage. Chandler’s concept of the visible hand premises the origin of the firm and its growth prospects. He argues that the existence of the firm is fundamentally to achieve coordination in an effective manner than the market in order to enjoy productivity gains. When the gains are easily realized, economies of scale set in. The model has specific problems associated with it. First, a managerially controlled firm is non-maximiser and thus high profit rates are not as objective and thus cannot be used to measure competitive advantage. Second, the firm though being an efficient cost minimiser, the benefits are not observable since they are being absorbed by high executive salaries and managerial perquisites. According to Chandler (1997, p14) managerial enterprise is defined as the modern enterprise with numerous operating units carrying out specific functions of production and distribution. It can also be termed as governance structure where investment decisions for current and future activities are made following management hierarchy with expertise and knowledge. All the managers are charged with the responsibility of efficient management of the organizations and they are salaried managers answerable to the board of governors. The large scale

Business Process Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 6000 words

Business Process Management - Essay Example This essay declares that business process orientation (BOP) enhances performance by sensitising managers to embrace a process view in their businesses. This process has been of a major importance to businesses as it reduces conflicts among workers thus improving relationships in the business environment. The process is also a method that has been introduced in order to replace the hierarchical method that had been used in the early 1980s where the entire subordinate was under one manager as their boss. This past method has now been developed to a cooperative, flat method and which involves more processes This paper rmakes a conclusion that the Reduction of inventory in companies using the program in addition to cost savings enables these companies to pay for the expenses incurred in the installation of the system by the end of the second financial year. SAP ERP system mostly deals with the assimilation of data and for a company to improve this it has to concentrate in using one kind of merchant that will be used to distribute the elements that are installed in the program for example to human resources. The advantages of SAP ERP system to an organisation include; the system facilitates international integration of information which deals with exchange rates, culture used in different regions and the language. People are in a position of working effectively and thus develop their skills and motivation.

Discuss some of the ways differences and inequalities are made on Essay

Discuss some of the ways differences and inequalities are made on streets in the UK - Essay Example Streets, infrastructure and telecommunications services have a role to play in the differences and inequalities people have. Most streets have some common aspects but still there exist unique characteristics which are visible in the society. Things that show some uniqueness in the streets include; dressing style, activities people perform, their material possessions like vehicles, ways they are governed by, the way they interact with other people and how they handle things like conflicts in the society (Amartya  & James 1997). In UK, streets give people from a certain neighbourhood a sense of belonging and thus they feel they are part of that society. They play a big role in determining how people relate to one another in the streets and in their neighbourhood and thus bringing about the differences and inequality among people from different streets and neighbourhoods. Differences and inequality in the streets of UK could be as a result of the difference in the economic status of people living in a certain street or estate. Materialism is a key separation point between groups of people living in different suburbs. The wealthier the people are the more they see themselves to be greater than the other. The lower income people are looked down upon by the people who earn high income. Their perspectives on their role in street developments also conflicts and this brings about differentiation and inequality between the two groups of people (Sala 2006). All the people in the society today have a role to play in making it a better place and make it have a sense of community. The people in the streets; shopkeepers, cafà © operators, policemen, traders etc, aim at improving their own standards of living and live in a better neighbourhood. As a result differences and inequalities will always be part of the streets. In UK every street wants to have good infrastructure and

Wal-Mart Business Strategy Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Wal-Mart Business Strategy Analysis - Essay Example Wal-Mart draws its competitive edge in the market owning to its efficient supply chain management. The company has effectively used innovations and technology to generate efficiency in supply chain management that has helped it to fuel its highly acclaimed EDLP (Every Day Low Price) strategy. Behind this successful strategy lies technological innovations like cross docking and use of Enterprise Resource Planning to integrate various business units and generate cost effectiveness. The use of real time information system to forecast demand has helped Wal-Mart to ensure that demand forecasting is done on the basis of real time data. Wal-Mart has also integrated its suppliers with the system and also used the famous cross docking system to ensure reduced inventory carrying costs. The supply chain management of the company has helped ensure that there are no overstocking or stock outs. This has reduced the inventory carrying costs by a huge margin. The cost benefits gathered from the inve ntory management of the company has been used to fuel the company’s Every Day Low Price strategy (Bergdahl, 2008, p.20). However in recent times there have been numerous issues with regards to the company’s cost reduction strategy with reports that Wal-Mart sources low quality goods from third world countries so as to have goods with low price. In order to counter the latest bashings regarding the company, Wal-Mart initiated a slew of measures that ranged from measures to improve the social image of the organization.... This has reduced the inventory carrying costs by a huge margin. The cost benefits gathered from the inventory management of the company has been used to fuel the company’s Every Day Low Price strategy (Bergdahl, 2008, p.20). However in recent times there have been numerous issues with regards to the company’s cost reduction strategy with reports that Wal-Mart sources low quality goods from third world countries so as to have goods with low price. In order to counter the latest bashings regarding the company, Wal-Mart initiated a slew of measures that ranged from measures to improve the social image of the organization as well as promoting employee friendly policies that would have helped it to position its image as a socially responsible and employee friendly organization. In response to the bashings in various quarters, Wal-Mart increased the employee insurance cover for the employees and included both permanent as well as contractual staff. It also revamped its reward and incentive policies in order to project the company as an employee friendly organization caring towards the needs of the employees. Wal-Mart also initiated some community development programs such as eliminating wastage and use of recyclable products in order to showcase its environmental sustainability; it also planned means to reduce energy consumption. For the customers, the company initiated a new design for its stores and also came up with attractive offers and new discounts in order to project a customer friendly image of the company. Strict quality control standards were implemented for suppliers including use of eco friendly ways in their business processes. In addition to this Wal-Mart also took up measures in which it would work closely with their suppliers in order to

Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies Essay - 1

Merger, Acquisition, and International Strategies - Essay Example In acquisition, one company purchases another and establishes itself as a new owner. Normally, the dissolving company has to get the approval to merge with another through a majority vote of the share holders or as stipulated in the company’s constitution. The driving principle in mergers and acquisition is to make investor value. This means that after the merger the value of the two companies must exceed the value of the individual companies before the merger. It is important to note that the reasons behind mergers are far reaching, especially during the hard economic times. During such periods, big companies take the advantage of receding companies through share purchases with a view of creating a competitive advantage while achieving cost reduction. Any meaningful merger should be able to gain greater market share and efficiency. Once an agreement has been reached, then it should be made legal and its implementation done within the period stipulated in the agreement. The cu lture and working environment of the target company’s workforce must be considered at the time of merger acquisition strategy. When this is done, the workforce will not feel left out in the agreement and this boosts morale. The process of merging and acquisition is vital deal whose signing determines the gains and profits of the merging corporations. The process should therefore, be conducted in defined steps. The decision to have merging between two companies is complex in nature. This is because if it is not done carefully, it can affect the gains intended for in the merger or acquisition. In addition, merger and acquisition process should be conducted in steps as earlier stated. The initial step is the business valuation step in which the value of stock is assessed. In the assessment, the current financial performance as well as the estimated future performance is examined. Such steps should be geared towards profitability (Rosenbaum, 2008). 2. Identify one (1) company tha t would be a profitable candidate for the corporation to acquire or merge with and explain why this company would be a profitable target. Alcoa is a leading aluminum company in the United States of America. This public corporation was formed in 1907. The acronym Alcoa was coined in 1910 because of a merger with another company, which later in 1999 adopted it as an official name in 2001; Alcoa went into an acquisition agreement with Aluminum Corporation of china (Chalco) buying from them 9% of their shares. Alcoa has had a number of challenges since its inception, for instance in 1938, the department of justice-sued Alcoa for trying to monopolize. It also faced a financial crisis in 2004 leading to the sale of one of its divisions to Rhone Group, which has adopted the name Almatis Inc (Kazmi, & Kazmi, 2008). in the present day. In 2005, Alcoa acquired Russia and Belaya Kaliva production facilities that were major industry players to boost its performance and gain international recogn ition. It was during this time that Alcoa began improving on its performance when it started the construction in Iceland. This was the company’s first Greenfield smelting centre. This centre has been in existence for the last 20 years amid criticisms of corruption. In 2006, Alcoa shifted

The Housing Financial Crisis Speech or Presentation

The Housing Financial Crisis - Speech or Presentation Example The housing crisis or the sub prime crisis is getting worse rather than cooling off, this means that the US economy is only going to get adversely affected and this in turn is going to affect all the major economies of the world. The labor market is also getting affected and this means that there will be less job opportunities in the future for the people seeking jobs. The sale of new homes has fallen by almost 50% in the US and people have stopped purchasing new homes in the US because of the housing crisis in the country. Body: I. What triggered the crisis? A. The crisis began in the middle of 2007 and into 2008 1. Affected all the major economies 2. The US economy was perhaps the most badly hit B. Almost the whole world started living on a shoestring, deep pockets were reduced to mere pockets and lucre had certainly fallen short. 1. Countless people got their pink slip while some other got their walking papers. 2. AIG, Lehmann Brothers, Northern Rock, Goldman Sachs are some elite names that suffered the most because of the economic crisis also known as recession. 3. Lehmann brothers filed for bankruptcy while AIG and a few other elites just hanged in there with the skin of their teeth. II. This economic crisis is still having repercussions on countries like Greece and Spain; there are a few other countries that have been not so severely affected by the same. A. The crisis triggered off because of unchecked debt, banks kept issuing loans to people who invested heavily in buying assets. 1. Several things were taken for granted but when proved otherwise there was hardly a place in the world to hide. 2. The subprime crisis triggered off because of excessive borrowing, there was no money to pay back and this is why so many financial institutes went flat broke. B. The Great economic depression triggered off in the year 1930 in the US, it was triggered off by the collapse of the US stock market which is now known as Nasdaq. 1. The economy of the US recovered from t his setback only to suffer from a similar setback of a lesser magnitude which is called recession. 2. Overvaluation in real estate is perhaps the biggest cause of the current economic crisis, it is better known as the subprime crisis in the US. 3. Factors like bad income tax practices have added insult to injury, bad mortgage lending also contributed heavily to this current economic crisis. III. Prevention is better than cure. A. The situation could have been prevented 1. The FED should have taken responsibility 2. Lending should have been checked B. The Bailout package worked to a certain extent 1. The current situation remains precarious. 2. Good things to come in the future for the US economy. Conclusion: The stock market slaughter has weakened almost all the major economies of the world and this is because of the housing crisis in the US. High oil prices have affected all the people across the globe and especially the importers, inflation has been constantly on the rise because of the high oil prices and the same has affected the global economy. The confidence of the investors has taken a real beating because of the financial crisis; people have stopped investing the way they used to before the financial crisis.  

Compare and contrast Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 9

Compare and contrast - Essay Example For the third paragraph, it talks about the comparison and contrast of the form. The form is the description of what can be seen in the painting such as the color, geometric forms, lines, contrast of dark and light colors. It talks more on the appearance of whatever that can be seen within the artwork. For the last paragraph, it talks about the feeling of the writer about the paintings. The painting entitled â€Å"The Last Supper† was originally painted in the 15th century by Leonardo da Vinci during the Renaissance period. It is a piece of artwork painted directly on a wall in Santa Maria delle Grazie, Milan with a measurement of 450 by 870 centimeters or 15 feet by 29 feet. Leonardo da Vinci painted the mural on a dry wall which means that it is not a true fresco. He sealed the stone wall with a layer of pitch, gesso and mastic then paint onto the sealing layer with tempera or in a permanent fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigment mixed with a water-soluble binder medium. In the year 1518 to 1594, Jacobo Tintoretto painted his own version of â€Å"The Last Supper† in San Giorgo Maggiore, Venice. He painted on oil on canvass with a measurement of 12 feet by 18 feet, 8 inches. The paintings painted by da Vinci and Tintoretto are a group of people in a room particularly Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples. In Tintoretto’s painting there are other people that can be seen such as the servers and many flying images on the both sides of the top but in da Vinci’s painting only the portraits of Jesus and his disciples or apostles. Both of the paintings portray the reaction shown by each apostle when Jesus said that one of them would betray him. The effect of his words leads them to a visible response. All of the twelve apostles have different reactions to the news, with different levels of anger and shock. In da Vinci’s painting, he grouped the apostles into four groups of three united by their posture and gesture, with Jesus in

Atticus Finch Essay Example for Free

Atticus Finch Essay Atticus Finch Abraham Lincoln once said, â€Å"You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.† Atticus Finch, in many ways, lives this quote everyday by understanding what has to be done today in order to avoid future consequences of today’s mistakes. Atticus is a kind-hearted, slow-tempered, wise man, who always knows the right thing to say. In the story, one can deduce that Atticus Finch is a kind-hearted man who knows what to do in order to fix the toughest of problems. The author remarks, â€Å"There was a brown book and some yellow tablets on the solicitor’s table, Atticus’s was bare† (138). This statement explains how Atticus is always prepared to do what is right, and still be humane about what point he is trying to get across. Therefore, Atticus must also set the example for his children by showing that he has a kind heart, so maybe his two children would learn to follow; however, in the story he is faced with many obstacles on the way, reducing his time spent trying to do the right thing. Atticus definitely knows how to react under pressure. In the story the author writes, â€Å"Miss Stephanie said Atticus didn’t even bat an eye, just took out his handkerchief and wiped his face and stood there and let Mr. Ewell call him names wild horses could not bring her to repeat† (185). This is a perfect example of Atticus having a long fuse. Even though Mr. Ewell cussed him until the cows came home, Atticus took it calmly and was relieved that Mr. Ewell finally got his steam out from the case. Whenever he is in trouble, he reacts calmly because he knows in the end it will all blow over. Atticus is obviously a very wise man, who can get the job done. In the part of the story with Mrs. Dubose, Atticus states, â€Å"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand. Its when you know youre licked before you begin, but you begin anyway and see it through no matter what† (93). Atticus uses many quotes like this in the book, all consisting of the wisest comments out of the whole story. In this quote Atticus is lecturing Jem after he is finished reading his book to Mrs. Dubose, and Jem realizes that Atticus was talking about him. He also said he would have made him do it eventually anyway, just to show him what real courage was, even if he would not have destroyed Mrs. Dubose’s flowers. The author indirectly says that Atticus knows what he is saying. As I have stated, Atticus is a kind-hearted, slow-tempered, and wise beyond his year’s sort of man. Atticus is the ideal human being in the story. He is also the stories main protagonist, showing all the characteristics of a gentleman.

Population Learning Importance To Quantity Of Education Economics Essay

Population Learning Importance To Quantity Of Education Economics Essay In every economy, the education sector is considered to be one of the biggest industries and in the twenty first century it is regarded as major contributor to economic growth and development of any country. There is a positive link between economic productivity and investment in human capital as they both are dependent on each other. Many authors have studied that a country can earn high returns if they invest properly in human capital. However today, many developing countries are facing problems with education quality. And there is an argument in academics also that what contributes to economic development quality or quantity in education (Hanushek Kimko, 2000, Gills et al., 1996, Mingat and Tan, 1996; Psacharopoulos, 1994; Krueger Lindahl, 2000; Hanushek Woessmann, 2007, Heyneman, 2004). Many theoretical and empirical findings have suggested that the economic development of a country is determined by its human capital and human capital is considered to be critical especially for the under developed or developing countries as they need to strive hard to achieve high economic growth (Barro, 1991, 1997, Barro Lee, 1993, Chen, Feng, 1996, Feng, 1997, Persson Tabellini, 1992 cited in Chen Feng, 2000). UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2007. As in the case of China, whose GDP growth rate has been very impressive from several years the demand for education has been increased. However, the resources required to meet this educational demand are not sufficient. Hence the government in China has decided to invest immensely in the education sector in coming years as that leads to economic development and also raises the standards of living. (Wen and Yang, 2005 cited in Iacov.D, 2009).13.0% of government spending goes to education in China (UNESCO, 2007). There has been a debate in the literature as to whether what matters the most in the economic development of a country is it quality or quantity of education? (Ferranti, 2003, Cheng Tam, 1997, Link Ratledge, 1975). It has been argued when evaluating approximately the effect of education on economic development of a country it is crucial to focus on knowledge and learning instead of counting how long students have attended the school i.e. Quality is more important rather than mere quantity. It has also been suggested that although quality and quantity of education both leads to economic development of a country but quality of education has major effect on economic growth of a country (Hanushek Woessmann, 2007, Barro, 2001, Bosworth Collins, 2003). From several years the literature on link between education and economic growth of any country has been focusing on the importance of quantity of education and purely neglected the issue of quality of education and has also overlooked the core of what education is all about. It has been suggested that the earnings of an individual is directly affected by improvement in quality of education as it leads to greater productivity. An individual who procures more knowledge can enter the labour markets quickly and with greater capacity. However, it has been argued by Wolf, 2004 that although higher education can lead to high productivity and better quality of education but then it differs from country to country as circumstances are different in each of the countries. It has also been suggested that the workers productivity cannot be increased in the labour market by just spending long years of schooling (quantitative) rather than that it depends on workers experience (qualitative) (Solmon, 1985, Monastiriotis, 2002, Wolf, 2004). However, it has been argued that measuring the impact of quantity of education on the economic development of a country is not easy. And one of the main reasons for this is that both quality and quantity of education are equally necessary in order to determine the effects of education on the skills of work force i.e. High levels of schooling and greater amount of knowledge acquired at each level of education. However, Mingat 1996 argues that Quantity can be easily measured through various means like enrolment ratio and years of schooling because as the technology changes the demand for higher level of education increases. It has also been argued that there has been no sufficient research conducted on the subject of quality of education by the academics (Cheng, 1995, Mingat, 1996, Smart, 2004). However it has been argued that if an individual possesses higher education he is in better position to earn higher wages in the labour market than those who just have knowledge and skills. But this may not necessarily lead to the economic development of the country. In the past there was limited need of education because people were mainly engaged in agriculture which required less knowledge and experience. But today at the various stages of economic development of a country labour market demands for well qualified, trained and educated workforce has been increasing. Therefore, the central issue here is that quantity of education is more important as the supply of qualified people in the labour markets is a necessary criterion today which contributes to the economic development (Ramlee, 2007, Card 1994, Sianesi Reenen, 2003). Behrman and Birdsall, 1983 Boissiere et al., 1985 cited in Mingat 1996 that the governments throughout the world are investing heavily in the quality of education. In several countries like Brazil, Tanzania and Kenya research that was linked to job performance and education was conducted and it was seen that not only quantity but the quality of education is crucial for economic development of a country. It has been stated that to measure the returns from education and its impact on economic development of a country both the quality of learning and the quantity of schooling must be considered (Mingat, 1996). However in the case of developing country like China, the country is struggling with the issue of quality of education as there has been rapid massification of higher education in China. In China quality of education is very low than what has been expected. This is because their attitude towards adopting western culture is not very encouraging. But still China is making efforts to increase its quality of education by joining hands with Germanyà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s experts on quality management and quality assurance. This will be beneficial for China as Germany has one of the worldà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s best known quality education system. Also In vocational training and higher education, Germany has developed quality management and quality assurance standards in accordance with the Bologna Process and Copenhagen Process. From several years China has been mainly focusing on the issue of quantity of education and they have completely ignored the qualitative a spects which had led to the mismatch of demand and supply of Chinese Graduates in the labour market, thus leaving many graduates unemployed (Guyer, 2005, Brandenburg Zhu, 2007, Schulte, 2010, RIETI, 2010). Also For example in a country like Mauritius, they have been concentrating on improving both the quantity and quality of its higher education system. Since 1989, the number of students enrolling themselves in universities has been increasing tremendously it was around 40 initially which has risen to over 400 students today. It has also collaborated with other universities for improving their quality issues in education. Economic Growth of the country has been the central focus of the education system in Mauritius. They have designed their educational courses in such a way that the economy benefits the most from courses like engineering, it has lead to the technological development, textile, it has been the major contributor of economic growth since several years in Mauritius, law and management etc as all the above degrees contributes to the economic growth of the country and the economy can diversify into the highly profitable sectors. Hence quality and quantity of education has bee n the crucial factor for the economic development of Mauritius. (Bloom, Canning Chan, 2006). However, it has been critically argued that as and when the earnings of an individual increases, and people become richer the demand for education in turn also increases but there is lack of empirical evidence as to whether the countries who spend more on education and training reap economic benefits or not an also there is still consensus in the literature that whether quality or quantity of education leads to economic development of a country (Wolf, 2004). The second issue has been the role of Human capital theory and screening theory in quality and quantity of education and its effect on economic growth. Both of these theories are considered to be most important theories in the economics of education. These theories suggest that there exists a direct and positive relationship between earnings and education which leads to the economic development of the country. Human capital theory suggests that the skills of an individual are directly affected by education and it also affects ability of a person to earn profits in the labour market. The main reason behind this is that the better educated and trained workers have higher productivity and also they possess ability to learn more which in turn leads to the economic benefit as well as social benefit. This further leads to economic development of a country. The Human capital theory suggests that if an individual enrol themselves in number of courses, obtain high scores in their exams and fi nd a suitable job for themselves this all will improve the earning capacity of an individual. Human Capital theory further states that the education comes with economic benefits so it is generally productive. (Weiss, 1995, Becker, 1964, Schultz, 1975, Feng Liang, 2009). However in contrast to human capital theory, screening hypothesis assumes that the capacity for productivity depends on individuals themselves and that the education rarely has any effect on productivity of an individual. And according to screening hypothesis, high test scores and class ranks will not necessarily lead to significantly higher earnings or economic development of a country. Also screening theory argues for the informative value of education. In short human capital theory suggests that economic value of education is productive as compared to screening theory which argues that greater productivity can be obtained through informative value of education which enhances economic growth. (Spence, 1973; Stiglitz, 1975; Riley, 1979 cited in Feng Liang, 2009). On the basis of empirical research it was seen that Chinese labour market for higher education graduates is characterised by the signalling or screening hypothesis. In the Chinese labour market, employers give priority to the total number of degrees obtained by an individual and years of schooling i.e. quantity of education rather than the ranks of an individual in class or credits obtained by them i.e. quality of education. Also the higher education system of China has adopted screening hypothesis to admit deserving students (FengLiang, 2009). There is another major argument in the literature, about who should pay for education? It was observed that in many developing countries the Central Government finances the basic education on a large scale. It has been suggested that the subsidies which government provides to finance education of a country increases the quality as well as quantity of education. Also many Individuals consider education as a cost rather than an investment this may hamper the economic development of a country because less number of students will enrol themselves in the higher education courses. And governments should pay only for primary education as it leads to social benefit whereas investment in higher education leads to private benefits. Hence investment in mandatory education increases the quality of education as people are equipped with basic knowledge and skills which also leads to the economic growth of a country as its literacy rate increases. An individual should pay for higher education becau se he gets better qualifications and he can eventually earn more when he enters the labour market. High earnings can lead to high productivity and lower the rate of unemployment, also when well educated and trained individuals earn more they need to pay more taxes to government and hence the burden of government finances on education decreases which will increase quality and quantity of education and thus the government can use that money to invest in other sectors of the economy which further contributes to the economic development of the country. (Cummings Riddell, 1994, Woodward, et al, 2000, Bloom et al, 2006). However the idea of individual spending on education has remained a subject of debate and it has been argued that government alone should not pay for education. Tilak argues that an individual benefits the most from the basic as well as higher education so he should pay for his education expenses and government should not intervene in this. Moreover the demand for training and education institutions have been increasing this clearly indicates that people are willing to invest in private education so government should not be the main suppliers. It has been argued that if the governments are the only suppliers of financing the education then there can be a problem because the education resources for public are declining and the demand for the same has been increasing tremendously so if only the government pays for education then the quality of education will be declined this is the case with China as well. (Alchian, 1968 cited in Brown, 2001 and West, 1995 cited in Raines, Leathers, 2003, Mwikisa, 1999, Tilak, 2003). Ling and Zhang, 2006 cited in Iacov, 2009 that the funding of education in China has been very low and this is still the same. The education system in China has undergone a change wherein previously they had centralised system of financing for education i.e. the Central Government was considered to be the main supplier of education. But now they have adopted decentralised system of education and hence the Central Government is not the sole administrator or financier of basic and secondary education. The local Chinese governments mainly finances the mandatory education and generally the full cost of secondary education this will improve the quality of education (Iacov, 2009, Rong and Shi, 2001, Zhao, 2009). However, Zhang Kong, 2009 argues that the Chinese Government must make increasing efforts to raise their investments in the education system because it is essential for the economic development of a country and also education is the major contributor to the GDP of any country. People must be relieved from contributing to the cost of education (Zhang Kong, 2009) Summers, 1992 cited in Mingat, 1998 that investment in primary education is generally regarded as a cost effective instrument as broader social objectives can be achieved which leads to the social economic development of the country. Harbison and Hanushek, 1992 Hanushek, Lavy, and Hitomi, 2006 cited in Hanushek, Woessmann, 2007 that there is the direct link between education quality and primary education as in the case of Brazil there are increasing rates of repeaters and school dropouts hence achieving skills through primary education can lower the chances of getting failed. In many primary schools of Egypt the dropout ratios of students are higher because of the low quality of Primary education and failure to achieve cognitive skills at primary level. This in turn has affected the economic growth of the country, hence it is crucial for governments to invest in quality of Primary education so that the dropouts and repeaters ratio is reduced and economic development of the country is achieved (Mingat, 1998, Hanushek, Woessmann, 2007). It was also found that the Asian Economies who were investing heavily in the primary education were very successful in achieving the quality of education which further leads to the social benefits and the overall economic growth for the country. It has been stated that the economic growth and productivity of a country depends upon its investment in quality of primary education. In a study done by Hanushek and Wobman, 2007 it was suggested that as the number of years of schooling advances it contributes to the economic growth of the country by 0.58% (Burnett, 1996, Yeung Mathieson, 1998, UNESCO/ OECD 2003). However, Psacharopoulos, 1994 cited in Mingat, 1996 and Hanushek and Wobman, 2007 argues that in the developing countries even though rate of return is higher from lower levels of education but this higher rate of return from lower levels do not necessarily contribute to the economic development of country. It has been critically argued that in the countries like Ghana, Brazil, Pakistan, United States, Mexico, and Indonesia although investment in Primary education leads to greater returns but as compared to the secondary and higher education the returns are relatively low. Also it has been argued that if the quality of primary education is very poor then the returns will also be low. Some of the countries like India, China, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh they donà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢t spend much for primary education it is just around 7% of the per capita Gross Domestic Product (Fasih, 2008, Schultz, 2003, Ferranti, 2003, Manacorda, Sanchez, Paramo and Schady 2005 cited in Fasih, 2008, Kingdon and Soderbom, 2007, Copper, 1980). However, there have been many problems in investing in the primary education one of them is there is a wide gap between years of schooling and the investments made in it hence it takes long time for educated and well qualified people to enter the labour markets. Secondly, some portion of Investments are also lost due to number of dropouts, repeaters and if the quality of training and education is low. The Third main problem of investing in the primary education is that some of the individuals after completing their education they never take part in the labour markets because of some restrictions this is generally prominent in the case of women and also many talented, well qualified and trained individuals migrate to some other countries hence there is a loss of stock of human capital which further affects the development of any economy as brain drain is a kind of loss to the country (Psacharopoulos and Arriagada, 1986). Conclusion

Illegal Immigration And Border Security

Illegal Immigration And Border Security Introduction Department of homeland security is one of the reactions of 9/11 attacks on United States of America. It is a cabinet department of federal government of USA. It was formed on November 25, 2002. DHS was mainly formed to fight terrorism. DHS imbibed Immigration and Neutralization Services in March 2003. After assuming its duties, DHS divided the enforcement and services functions in to two different new agencies. Those two new agencies are named as immigrations and customs enforcement and citizenship and immigration services. Investigation division and intelligence gathering unit of Immigration and Neutralization services and custom services were merged to form Homeland security investigations. All these are designed to make the homeland United States of America save and secure. It was formed to assure the people of USA to secure them from any kind of terrorist related activities and also from threats like illegal immigration. The five core missions of homeland security are as follows. (Smith, 2006) Prevent terrorism and enhancing security. Secure and manage our borders. Enforce and administer our immigration laws. Safeguard and secure cyberspace. Ensure resilience to disasters.   (http://www.dhs.gov/our-mission) Department of homeland security strives to protect the nation from terrorism by increasing the security, by securing borders to prevent illegal immigration which is one of the ways for terrorists to enter in to the country. Country border security is maintained by DHS. This includes protecting USA air, land and sea point of entries. Border security force securely regulates lawful trade and travel. It also fights against illegal terrorist transactions. The department also revised laws related to immigration to prioritize the identification and removal of criminal aliens who will be the potential threats for public safety. DHS also secures cyberspace of civilian government computer systems. It also responds in the event of natural disasters coordination with federal and state partners. (Alden, 2012) Illegal Immigration As we know US is found by Great Britain. Over centuries USA has developed its culture. But still it has an essence of British culture. Unite States is known as nation of immigrants. Immigrants contributed a lot to nations development. Our nation trusted many immigrants to for its development and designing its infrastructure. If we trace the ancestors of many American citizens, they will lead to origin outside the country. America significantly has a heterogeneous culture. In 19th century immigrant labor made a significant contribution towards transcontinental rail road construction. In 20th century, immigrants like Enrico Fermi and Werner Von Braun made a notable contribution for national security. More noticeably there were significant contributions for broadcast and entrainment industry from immigrants. Some of the known examples are Penelope Cruz from Spain. Jim Carry, Pamela Anderson and Michael J Fox are from Canada. The ancestors of famous pop singer Michael Jackson who is also known as King of Pop is originally from Africa. A well-known actor and also former governor of California is originally from Gratz, Austria. This recognizable list of immigrants proves that USA receives open society of those who want to in migrate into country and make their identity. But, unfortunately there are many situations where illegal immigrations are reported which has become primary national threat in the present day. (Smith, 2006) Illegal immigration has become one of the major threats for the nation. It has become a priority national security issue that has to be dealt with immediately and forcibly. It can no longer be viewed as secondary issue besides terrorism and drugs. Illegal immigration is related to both of them. It is of the reasons where terrorism and drug dealing issues are developing its roots in the country. Solving this issue can reduce the illegal weapon and drug transactions to maximum extent. If this is left unresolved, there is a chance for our enemies to take advantages of the situation which will be threat for public safety. This problem of illegal immigration leaves three symptoms. It poses a question on inability to defend the border and enforce the immigration laws strictly. On top of all the policies and laws exists in the federal and state levels, illegal immigrations makes the citizenship meaningless, legal immigrant status pointless and illegal immigrant status penalty-less. This add s to reasons for which drugs and terrorists increasing in the country. Secondly, due to technology in the present situation, illegal immigrants have ties with their origin which doesnt make immigrants to invest proportionate effort to personally identify the new culture. This decreases factors like patriotism, loyalty and citizenship. Thirdly, at some point illegal immigrants was the cause of the reintroductions of the diseases that are eradicated decades ago. This poses a serious threat for the public safety. There are situations where some activists for illegal immigrants forced bilingual education and also subsidies on the education which was an extra burden on taxpayer. This makes the citizenship really meaningless. On top of all this, there are prisons filling with illegal immigrants of some petty crimes to drug dealing and even to murder cases. These situations leave a big burden on tax payer. This also will be the threat for public safety. Illegal Immigration in future turns in to national crisis even if it only circumscribed to our nations infrastructure. According to the latest news, the effect of illegal immigrations increased to a significant level. Large illegal immigration groups may cause a significant threat to nations security. There is a chance for terrorists to enter and also influence the other illegal immigrants towards their activities. There is also a chance of recruiting them in to terrorist organizations like al-Qaeda and other potential terrorist groups whose primary motive is to harm USA. The same illegal group under potential leadership may cause significant loss for the nation. (Rosenblum, 2012) (Smith, 2006) There are many events where there is a human flood of immigration in to the country. Most of the immigrants came from northern and western parts of Europe before the civil war. From 1890 and 1920 more immigrants sailed from southern and eastern European countries like Greece, Poland and Italy. In 1910, there was a large group migrated in to the country which contributes to a significant number of about 13.5 million who are settled in USA. The estimated population of both legal and illegal immigrations till date is about 35 million. Bracero program is one of the events where there is significant amount of immigration. Bracero program was designed by United States after 2nd world war to compensate the shortage of agriculture labor. The program was started in 1942 and ended in 1964. The program legally employed 4.5 million Mexican citizens to work mainly in Texas and California. This was a temporary arrangement which stated that they should return back to their country after 1964. Bracero program had a statutory position of a bilaterally treaty that offered measure of regulation and control. This was used as a loophole by many immigrants to enter with the intention of settling here. The estimated immigrants through bracero program are about 1.1 million. This equals to adding a city which is a size of Dallas every year. This leads to cause problems for legal residents. This also leads some terrorists to migrate in to the country easily. There are many reports stating there are many criminal activities near USA bord er such as MS-13. Terrorists using flaws in immigration laws enter in to the country and leads to some severe problems. Not only terrorists, there are many others like drug cartels that enter in to the country exploiting flaws in the immigration laws. Drug dealing is mainly controlled by illegal immigrants. Besides all this, corrupt Mexican law enforcement officials help in illegal immigration through southern border. (Alden, 2012) (http://www.dtic.mil/ndia/2008homest/needs.pdf) (Rosenblum, 2012) Exploiting immigration laws also served as an opportunity for the Lee Boyd Malvo who is alleged for random sniper attacks in Richmond, VA and Washington D.C. It was reported that he was illegally immigrated following his mother who is also migrated illegally and remained in the country. Along the southern border there was increase in lawlessness which pushed civilian border patrol and law enforcement personnel in to risk. This lawlessness by illegal immigrants helped them to generate income through drugs and support a drug cartel that indeed supports terrorist organizations. This also served them to intrude in to the country and develop their network all over the country. This also explained how 9/11 hijackers exploited immigration laws and entered in to the country. Economic impact is one of the primary reasons for illegal immigration. Irish potato blight of 1845-1849 is one of the economic disasters. At that time many refugees left Ireland for USA. The main reason for Mexicans to enter the country is mostly economic. As we know Mexico is a developing country. There are two significant sources income for the Mexico. One is direct sales of oil and second is income from the people who resides in USA and sends money to their relatives. Although there are some entrepreneurs and skilled workers there is more unemployment which leads them for migrating it to USA where the can find ample of employment opportunities. The only reason for them to migrate is money. The can earn money which has higher value than their national currency and as mentioned plenty of employment oppurnities. Prior to 9/11 attacks either governments was strict about immigration laws. The illegal worker was named as undocumented worker. After 9/11 attacks, laws were made rigid to p revent illegal immigration which may cause threat to public safety. Border security: It is the core element of Department of Homeland Security to prevent illegal immigration with U.S. border patrol (USBP) within the Bureau of customs and border protection (CBF). Border security acquired additional attention since 9/11 attacks. Since 1990 migration was controlled at the border by the strategy called prevention through deterrence. It is the idea that the concentration of personnel, surveillance technology and infrastructure along thickly trafficked region of the border prevents unauthorized entry. Since 2005, CBF attempted to reduce illegal entry by imposing heavy penalties and implementing policies known as enforcement with consequences. Immigration and reform act was implemented in 1986. After many events, IRCA authorized 50% increase in the size of USBP. 10 additional laws was added which are related to immigration. This was the reaction for 9/11 attacks. Country faces a deadly situation where border security has become primary entity. The significant decrease of il legal immigrants was lowered only after 2007. This is only because of increased enforcement. Illegal immigration has become a major problem when bracero program was implemented. From the laws of enforcement was made rigid. Despite of rigid laws there was a significant increase in illegal immigration till 2007. It was only controlled from 2007. (Rosenblum, 2012) Border control strategy: Seventy later its formation, border patrol designed its first formal national border control strategy in 1994 which is called as National strategic plan. This plan was updated as a reaction of 9/11 attacks. The new plan was published in 2012. The existing plans were based on the operational strategy of prevention through deterrence as mentioned earlier. Its main goal is to reduce illegal immigration to a significant level. CBF has also strived to decrease illegal entry by imposing high penalties and also by enforcement with consequences strategy. (Rosenblum, 2012) National strategic plan: In is the outcome of increased unauthorized immigration along southwest border of USA. It was developed in 1994. Drug smuggling was the serious problem along the southwest border. INS then changed it approach of arresting the illegal immigrants to prevent their entry. NSP designed multi-phase strategy where phase I involves hold the line program in El Paso, TX, and operational gatekeeper in San Diego, CA. Phase II includes increase of Operation Rio Grande in Texas. Phase III and phase IV includes remaining southwest border. This was a successful strategy where arrests of illegal entry were increased and reduced number of immigrants. National border patrol strategy: After 9/11 attacks, USBP has formulated new NBPS. It was designed to emphasis on terrorism. Its main motto was to prevent terrorism. The five main objectives of NBPS are as follows. (Rosenblum, 2012) By increasing the number of apprehension of terrorists and prevent their illegal entry and also prevent weapon smuggling. Decreasing illegal entry by improving enforcement laws. Detecting, apprehending and deterring smugglers of drugs and human. Leveraging Smart border technology. Reducing crime in border communities. Conclusion: Illegal immigration is one of the biggest threats to nation. It is one of the reasons for terrorism and drugs in the country. It decreases the value of legal citizen. It acts as root cause for many criminal activities, drugs, terrorism etc. This has to be prevented. Border security is striving to fight against illegal immigration.

Hemophilia Essay -- essays research papers

Hemophilia is a sex-linked hereditary bleeding disorder in which it takes a long time for the blood to clot and abnormal bleeding occurs. It is a hereditary blood coagulation disorder caused by a deficient activity of plasma protein factor thirteen and nine, which affects the clotting property of blood. A coagulation disorder is a disorder associated with platelets- blood cells essential for blood clotting. The platelets don't function properly in the body of hemophiliacs. There are two types of hemophilia: hemophilia A and hemophilia B. This disease affects mostly males.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Hemophilia A is the most common. Other names for it are classical hemophilia, and factor thirteen deficiency hemophilia. The bleeding disorder is caused by an inherited sex-linked recessive trait with the defective gene located on the X chromosome. The X chromosome refers to sex-linked. The recessive inheritance refers to the fact that the trait, hemophilia, is expressed only when the defective form of the gene alone is present. Females have two X chromosomes for their sex chromosomes. They must carry the defective gene on both to have hemophilia. They must have it on one to carry it, and are then able to pass it on to their offspring. Males have X and Y chromosomes for their sex chromosomes. They only have one X chromosome, therefore only require a single dose of the defective gene to express the deficiency. Fifty percent of the male offspring of female carriers have the dise...

Antibiotic Resistance Essay -- Medicine Science Papers

"Antibiotic Resistance" I. Abstract When penicillin was first administered in 1943, it proved to be extraordinary at wiping out nasty cases of syphilis, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and meningitis infection. With the threat of these deadly infections in ‘check,’ pharmaceutical industries then cut back on their research to discover even more effective antibiotics. This new-found medical confidence inspired patients to merrily run to the clinic to get penicillin prescriptions for everything from nausea and diarrhea to running nose and sneezing, and doctors to happily prescribe the ‘miracle drug.’ However, microorganisms are now evolving and developing unprecedented resistance to penicillin and other once potent drugs, like vancomyocin. Currently, vancomyocin is the most potent drug on the market, and  ¼ of all enterococci are resistant to it ("A New Gap†¦," 1997). In the April 28, 1994 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers identified a bacteria that was resistant to all antibiotics (Lewis, 1997). The number of resistant strains of bacteria are rapidly growing, and a panic is beginning to spread in the medical field, as it has been caught ‘off-guard’ by the most recent developments. It takes decades to develop new antibiotics, and the pharmaceutical industries have spent the last few decades focusing on other concerns. Even though our arsenal of antibiotics is diminishing, it is clear that there will be no new ‘miracle drugs’ for quite some time. Since we will soon run out of effective antibiotics, we must do what we can to preserve the potency of our current resources. This paper will provide a background on how antibiotics work and also on the mechanism by which bacteria acquire resistance. Also part ... ...bson, David. (1997b). How does resistance occur? [Online] Available: http://www3.hmc.edu/~dgibson/antibiotics/resistance.html. King, John W. M.D. (1997). Antibiotic Resistance. [Online] Available: http://www.ccm.Isumc.edu/bugbytes/bb-v2n13.htm. Lewis, Ricki PhD. (1997). The Rise of Antibiotic-Resistant Infections. [Online] Available: http://www.fda.gov/fdac/features/795_antibio.html. Nemecek, Sasha. (1997, Feb). Beating Bacteria. Scientific American, 38-39. (1997, June). A New Gap In The Antibiotic Arsenal. Science News, 151, 348. (1996, May). Reducing Antibiotic Resistance. Nature, 381, 120-121. Smaglik, Paul. (1997, May 17). Proliferation of Pills. Science News, 151, 310-311. Thompson, Clare. (1997, June 8). False Economies Breed Superbugs. New Scientist, 6. Travis, John. (1996, June 1). Biological Warfare. Science News, 149, 350-351.

A Dolls House: Nora Essay -- A Dolls House Essays

AN  ANALYSIS  OF  NORA, THE MEN IN HER LIFE, AND  HER  NAVIGATATION  TO INDEPENDENCE The  play,  A  Doll  House,  written  by  Henrik  Ibsen  in  1879,  is  considered  a   landmark  in  drama  for  its  portrayal  of  realistic  people,  places,  and  situations.  Ibsen   confines  his  story  to  the  middle  class.  He  writes  of  a  society  that  is limited  not only  by  its  means  of  livelihood  but  also  its  outlook.  Ibsen  portrays  his characters    as  preoccupied  with  work  and  money, showing a reduction of values  in  and that lack of quality persons with morals.  Ibsen  takes  this  realistic  story  and  invests  it  with   universal  significance.  Wrapped  up  in  the  technique  of  this  well  constructed   play, Ibsen  is masterful  in  his  presentation  of  not  only  realism,  but he  holds  a  mirror  up   to the  society  of his day by  using  the male  figures  as  catalysts  for  Nora's  ultimate   knowledge  of  self-actualization.  He  accomplishes  this  with  such  precision that  the  audience  might  not  be  aware  all  the  subtleties  that  are  creating  their theatrical  experience.  Ã‚   In  A Doll House,  Nora  forges  the  name  of  her  father  and  risks  damaging  her   husband's  good  name.  Ã‚  Henrik  Ibsen  offers  remarkable  insight  into  the  nineteenth   century  preoccupation  with  the  family  and  the  role  of  the  father, and what role is projected upon those who are subjugated to him.  This  play  takes  up  the  subject  of   strong  women  and  weak  men within the plot. A  prominent  theme  within  this  drama   is  the  deterioration  of  the  male,  who is aware  of  his  role  as  a  "father  figure". This decomposition is observed by the female protagonist (Nora). It is this descent that the role of the father figure is shaped, while creating the  catalyst  for the catharsis or  change  in  Nora.     When  the  female  protagonist  challenges  patriarchal  authority,  she  does  so   by  undermining  in  one  form  or  another  both  the  dominant  male  and  his  family  name. The  following  analysis  focuses  on  Nora's  ultimate  realization  that  she  must  be  an   emancipated  person  to  be  her  true  self.  Her  navigation  through  the  elements  of   crises  are  focused  through  the  father-figures  in  her  life.  The  journey  towards  her   self-actualization  and  rising  freedom  can be found  within  her  relationships  with   the  men  in  her  life.  This  ultimately  identifies  the  relevant  thematic  elements   that  are  pivo... ...he  chooses  instead  to  see   herself  as  someone  in  process,  in  a  state  of  becoming,  rather  than  of having  defined   being.  Nora  discovers  that  because  her  own  signature  had  no  value,  she  had  to  take   the  name  of  the  dead/absent  father. Eventually  realizing  that  she  cannot  escape  the   ghost  or  the  name  of  the  absent  husband/father.  Ã‚   Thus, through Nora’s association and interaction with her father figures she, in a broader sense,  hints  at  the possibility  of  a  new dynamic for the family and society as a whole. A time in which the person, no matter the gender, is allowed to sign for him or herself rather, than use the name of an father. In  A Doll House  Nora  discovers  herself  disenfranchised  and  disembodied  by  her   father's/husband's  name.  This only occurs by virtue of her inner resolve and the inherit flaws Ibsen has given to the male characters of the play. She finally  rejects   both her father and husband  and  affirms her ambition to  write  her  own  destiny. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll House . Drama: A HarperCollins Pocket Anthology. ed. R. S. Gwynn. New York: HarperCollins. 1993. 153-212.