Continuum Of Care Outline Essay

I. Introduction II. Stakeholders A. The â€Å"description of the roles of various stakeholders in the health care industry who are involved in the continuum of care† (University of Phoenix, 2015). 1. Who the patients are. 2. Who the employees are. 3. Who the payers are. 4. Who the providers are. B. â€Å"How the component contributes to or detracts from the overall management of health care resources† (University of Phoenix, 2015). 1. Is this a positive or negative affect? III. Services provided and employees’ role(s). A. â€Å"Discuss the services provided and how these services fit into the continuum of care† (University of Phoenix, 2015). 1. What services are provided? 2. How do these services fit into the continuum of care? 3. â€Å"The role of transitioning patients from one level of care to another in the health care continuum† (University of Phoenix, 2015). See more: 5 paragraph essay format B. â€Å"Description of the health care delivery component’s role in providing services† (University of Phoenix, 2015). 1. Who provides these services? 2. How the services are delivered. IV. Current and Future of Home Health Care A. What are the current trends and how they are changing? B. What the potential trends are. 1. How these potential trends will change delivery components and services in the future. 2. Accommodating for the future trends. V. The Characteristics of Integrated Delivery System (IDS) A. Health Care organizations. B. Community health. VI. Conclusion References University of Phoenix. (2015). Continuum of Care Presentation. Retrieved from University of Phoenix, HCS/235-Health Care Delivery in the U.S. website.

Mr. Gascoigne’s company Essay

I am going to create a macro that will allow Mr Gascoigne’s company, (Shoes ‘n all) to insert a different response into a template letter, so that the letter will contain the necessary information appropriate for the use. I am going to create 4 different Macros. They will input a short paragraph that will tell the reader about their credit bill to the company. The 4 Macro’s will be: 1. To open the Master Letter 2. Telling the reader that their credit bill is up to date and that they hope that the customer will continue using the company to buy their shoes. 3. Telling the customer that their credit bill is slightly behind and that the require the credit bill as soon as possible 4. Telling the customer that they haven’t paid their bill for quite a while and that their credit account has been closed. 5. A slogan that will appear in the footer. I first created a simple letter and put in ‘ new and opened a blank document. New was the time to start recording. I wanted to record a macro that would open the master Document. To start to record the Macro I went to tools-> Macros ->Record new Macros (left) Once I had pressed it a new box came up, where I inputted the Name. I named it master and pressed OK (Below) Now that I had opened the file I pressed Stop on the Macro Tool bar. Now that the master had been created. I wanted to start recording the responses to go in the letter. So to record in the first response I first needed to load the master Macro because it contains the different responses and the blank letter. To load the Macro I went to Tools -> Macro -> Play Macro Now that the letter had been opened I wanted to start to record a new macro. I started it the same way as I did at point 1 and entered the name as Para. Again, like before the cursor turned into a picture of a tape, to signify that it is recording. When recording macros it is unadvisable to use the mouse to select text because it sometimes causes complications. So what I wanted to do was to select the paragraph, Copy it, Move up to the blank space in the letter and paste in the paragraph. So to do this all on keyboard I moved down the page to the paragraph by using the cursor keys. Once I got to the first paragraph I wanted to highlight it. To do this without the mouse I went to the point before the paragraph, held down shift and scrolled along the text using the cursor keys. I stopped scrolling at the end of the paragraph. This then highlighted the text. Now I wanted to copy it. The hotkey to copy it on a keyboard is Ctrl+C. This then saved the information to the clipboard. Now I wanted to paste the paragraph in the blank space. So I scrolled up to the space using the cursor keys. To paste the copied text in I just pressed Ctrl+V. This then pasted the paragraph in to the slot needed. I then used the mouse to stop recording the macro like I did at point 1. I recorded the other three macros like I did at point 2 and named each one Para 1, Para 2 and Para 3. Now I wanted to create a macro so that it will input a slogan into the footer. So I started off recording it and named the macro as Slogan. Using the mouse is necessary when creating a footer, but it is usually advisable to use the keyboard whenever possible. So I used the mouse and pressed View-> Header and Footer (Bottom Left) Now That the actual bar was created I just wanted to insert the macros in to the toolbar. So I pressed the commands tab and dragged each of the macros into the toolbar. Once they had been dragged in, they looked like this. As you can see the icons are very wordy. So I decided to assign a picture to each of them so it would be easier select them and understand them. So, to do this I: 1. Selected the icon. 2. Press Modify Selection 3. Select Change Button Image 4. Select the picture So I selected a different picture for each icon. I tried to make it as appropriate as I could Master=Speak Para1=Happy Face Para2=Piggy Bank Para3=Unhappy Face Footer=Steps It is also possible to change the Macro in the actual code. To open the macro code I went to Tools-> Macro->Macros I then selected the Macro I wanted to edit and Selected edit. The code then appeared. I then Edited it. See documents 6 & 7 Sam Flower Macro’s and Toolbars GNVQ IT Page 1.

Effect of Playing Computer Games among Pupils Essay

CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION Today computer games have become a popular source of entertainment especially to the younger generation. Computer games are even now having their own worldwide professional gaming league. This has proved that nowadays the society worldwide has accepted computer games seriously. The popularity of computer games has also inspired numerous researches being conducted to study its elements and the various effects of playing computer games. The term computer game is in sharp competition with video games, console games, and arcade games. Video games and console games usually mean games connected to a TV, whereas arcade games means games placed in public spaces. Computer games on the other hand, are occasionally used to mean games played on a personal computer (PC). However, since all of these areas have been developed in close parallel and because all of these games are played on computers, most researchers use the term computer game to represent all of these areas as a whole. Computer games first came into existence in the 1960s with the introduction of a shoot-up game called Spacewar!. Since then,  computer games have become a regular part of life for many people due to its increased popularity. The computer game has changed from being primarily played at an arcade to be primarily played in the home. According to Carr et al. (2006), the computer game is one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving media of our time. Evidence can be seen from the Internet where online games are one of the fastest growing areas. Computer games are also no longer just for kids. Today, the majority of players are adults who are attracted to the increasingly sophisticated and complexities of the games. Whether the players are kids, or teenagers, or mature adults, whether they are casual garners or hardcore garners, researchers admit that computer games can be addictive. However, there are also claims that playing these computer games contribute to thinking. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM This study determines to know the Effects of Playing Computer Games among Grade IV Pupils in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School on their Academic Performance. Specially, it sought to answer the following questions: 1. What are the respondents profile in terms of: 1.1 Age 1.2 Gender 1.3 Religion 1.4 Grade / Year Level 1.5 Academic Performance 2. What are the effects of playing computer games among respondents on their academic performance? 3. What implication may be drawn from the findings of the study? OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY The main objective of the study is to determine the Effects of Playing Computer Games among Grade IV Pupils in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School on their Academic Performance. This study intended to: 1. study the effects of playing computer games among Grade IV Pupils in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School on their Academic Performance; 2. discover what are the games that the respondents loved to play; and 3. analyze data  collected from the questionnaire using statistical method to devise conclusions. SCOPE AND LIMITATION This study focuses on the Effects of Playing Computer Games among Grade IV Pupils in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School on their Academic Performance. This study limits to the structured survey questionnaires to obtain the respondent’s profile distribution in terms of their age, gender, religion, grade / year level, and academic performance, the effect of computer games on the academic performance of respondents, and the implication maybe drawn from the findings of the study. The study concerns only to Grade – IV Pupils who are officially enrolled in Sultan Naga Dimaporo Integrated School. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY This study will serve as a guide for those who are concern with the academic performance of their children. Computer Games become popular because of an unusual ability or quality. It is undeniable that these games reached at home, schools and especially in businesses of many people not only in the Philippines but around the world. In Malaysia, computer games has had a deep act of going through among university students because of being part of the campus community, the students have better access to computers either on or off campus. These study findings can become a source of reference to stakeholders in elementary and the pupils about computer games. Through this study, the researcher will be able to collect data and obtain information that contributes to the understanding of how computer games affect the academic performance of respondents. When the effects are made clear, elementary teachers will be able to devise a more effective teaching and learning approach. Questions on whether computer games among pupils must be encouraged or should lectures/tutorials incorporate computer games to make learning more fun can then be answered. THEORITICAL CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK In this study, several theories have been forwarded and considered to give credibility to the study. Children who play video games for up to an hour a day are happier, more sociable and less hyperactive than those who don’t play at all, research has found. Despite widespread fears that video game usage is harmful, an Oxford University study of boys and girls aged between 10 and 15 found that playing for up to sixty minutes a day could actually be beneficial. â€Å"Young people who indulged in a little video game-playing were associated with being better adjusted than those who had never played or those who were on video games for three hours or more,† it concluded. â€Å"Those who played video games for less than an hour†¦ were associated with the highest levels of sociability and were most likely to say they were satisfied with their lives. They also appeared to have fewer friendship and emotional problems, and reported less hyperactivity than the other groups.† ( Gosden, Emily 2014) Computer games are defined as interactive entertainment software played on various platforms such as personal computers, game consoles and handheld devices (Teh, Ismail, & Toh, 2007). As defined by (Dempsey, Lucassen, Haynes, & Casey, 1997), â€Å"A game is a set of activities involving one or more players which has goals, constraints and consequences. A game is rule-guided and artificial in some respect. A game also involves some aspects of a contest or a trial of skill or ability, even if the contest is with oneself’. There are four common factors that lie in games which are representation, interaction, conflict and safety. When a computer is used to present the game and to act as an opponent or as a referee, then it is a computer game (Crawford, 1984). Computer games have some advantages that make them more popular than traditional games. First, they attract people by creating the illusion of being immersed in an imaginative virtual world with computer graphics and sound (Amory, Naicker, Vincent, & Adam, 1999). Second, the goals of computer games are typically more interactive than that of traditional games, which brings players a stronger desire to win the game. Third, computer games usually designed with an optimal level of information complexity, can easily provoke players’ curiosity. Consequently, computer games intrinsically motivate players by bringing them more fantasy, challenge, and curiosity, which are the three main elements contributing the fun in games (Malone, 1981). CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK Figure 1 presented the Schematic Diagram. The variables considered are the  respondents’ age, gender, religion, grade / year level and academic performance. Spending more times playing computer games may affect the academic performance of pupils. Investigation on the academic performance of respondents would lead to making implications and recommendations on the effects of playing computer. Figure 1. Schematic Diagram of the Conceptual Framework of the Study

Multicultural Matrix paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Multicultural Matrix paper - Essay Example Due to the globalizing trend of economy in particular and of the world in general, people of different races and cultures move dramatically from one place to another in the global scale. As a consequence, a nation-state -- especially the advanced or developed countries such the North America and the Great Britain -- in the present time-period is inhabited or populated by many and various races and cultures. Perhaps this diaspora of people from different land and time, at certain rate, is a welcome to particular nation-states. It is arguable that industrialized nations widely receive the migration of people of different colors mainly because of the latter’s worth or value in the economic sense. For one, colored people are beneficial and helpful to the country’s progress and development. That is, they become part and parcel of the labor force from their host country. For a particular nation-state, people from multicultural backgrounds are greatly advantageous or â€Å"he lpful† for the reason that they are industrious and submissive. Du Bois, Yavno, and Stanford (2001) note that multicultural groups such as Mexican Americans have â€Å"histories of low-paying manual labor† (p. 78). People from different colors and cultures are more submissive to their host country to the extent that they allow themselves to be exploited.

Pyramidal ownership structure Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Pyramidal ownership structure - Coursework Example ountries, and tends to exists irrespective of whether new companies are developed by smaller organizations or even groups and is crucial to underpin the entrepreneurial activity The organizational structures which various firms are connected through equity financing are ubiquitous in upcoming markets and in majority of developed countries. They are normally arranges as pyramided, where a family or individuals controls an organization, which later controls another company, which could also control another firm, and the chain continues. Despite their control, it is yet to be clear why such firm arise (Almeida and Wolfenzon, 2005). It is normally argues that such ultimate firm owners create pyramid in separating control right from the rights of cash flow and capture private control benefits at the expense of minor shareholders. Business group describes various types of organization. It is used to describe a set of legally independent companies by single families like family groups in East Asia, Latin America, and Western Europe. The term has also been used for companies with lower stance of core control achieved via interlocking directorates and school ties. Some of the examples of these business group include the Japanese Keiretsu where individual managers have a higher degree of autonomy in their companies but coordinate their tasks through the common main bank and the president council. Another illustration for the loose association is the horizontal financial groups found in Russian which are majorly industry alliances. The paper therefore, concentrates on the family groups. There is a wide economic literature on the business groups of families. The theories have suggested various arguments about the existence of business groups and the reason they use various ownership structures. To achieve that control of the member firms, families hold shared directly in their horizontal structure or alternatively it can control some of the companies through the relations of

Letting Gays Adopt Children Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Letting Gays Adopt Children - Research Paper Example The concluding portion would highlight the supporting arguments favoring same sex couples to adopt and raise children as their own. Letting Gays Adopt Children: Final Draft One of the most controversial issues in contemporary times is focused on homosexuality in terms of allowing same sex marriages and allowing same sex spouses to adopt children. The significance of the issue is seen in terms of supporting basic human rights pursuant to the principles of American democracy and several researches that validate the fact that children could be holistically raised by same sex couples. Chrisler (2010) cited some relevant statistics from the UCLA's Williams Institute that discloses the number of gay partners, totaling about 1 million, to have raised more than 2 million children. The American Academy of Pediatrics revealed the findings that â€Å"no data have pointed to any risk to children of growing up in a family with one or more gay parents† (Laumann, 2002, p. 344). The current r esearch therefore aims to provide arguments that support allowing same sex couples to adopt children. The article published in The First Post entitled Pros and Cons: Gay Adoption (2007) presented relevant details that provide advantages and disadvantages of allowing same sex couples to adopt children. The article revealed that there are five distinct advantages ranging from: (1) the ability to give adopted children a more secure home; (2) two full time parents are more beneficial than single parents; (3) the option for artificial insemination to female gay parents have been proven to create raising well-balanced children; (4) barring gay parents from adoption is a discriminatory act; and (5) the shortage of adoptive parents make this alternative a better option than foster care system. As emphasized by Jost (2003), â€Å"same sex marriage advocates note that virtually all states permit – any many encourage – adoption of children by gay or lesbian parents because it he lps relieve the burdens on overcrowded and underfunded state foster-care systems† (p. 732). These advantages, therefore, give credence and support to same sex couples being more in an advantageous position in terms of providing holistic support to children than opting for foster care and giving the couples enhanced privilege for a stronger bond through the experience of raising children. After considering the benefits of allowing same sex couples to adopt children, the disadvantages are likewise presented to provide a balanced picture of the situation. The arguments against gay adoption have these following supportive statements: (1) the children’s need for role models for both sexes is not satisfied; (2) gay adoption is contrary to Christian teaching; and (3) society simply views gay parenting unconventional and wrong. These disadvantages stem from some researches that indicate that the traditional basic framework and ideal familial environment is that children need bi ological parents. Cultural norms and tradition have

Environmental project Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Environmental project - Essay Example Sustainability of the project is among the greatest challenges toward implementation of the entire canopy walkway facility in the short run and long run (Schowalter & Jerry 2012, p. 4). The positive and negative effects of the project to the environment are critical to execution. A canopy walkway would help pedestrians, researchers and tourists with uncomplicated access to the canopy of the Tropical Forest biome. Construction of walkway bridges supported by cables and pathways that do not require researchers’ physical efforts are some of the key tasks. Generally, researchers for a long time have relied on rope climbing techniques (Schowalter & Jerry 2012, p. 4). The economic benefits of a canopy walkway are the main motivating factors to its implementation. The walkway will also provide opportunity for further education alongside opening up avenues for local community participation. However, the project must adhere to the laid down procedures of environmental management as wel l as forest conservation bodies (Schowalter & Jerry 2012, p. 4). 2.0 Overview of Environmental Impacts The canopy walkway will generate array of challenges to the environment as well as the local inhabitants. The walkway will cause damages to trees and canopy. Such damages would be detrimental to long-term goal, which is to step up forest conservation and other natural resources within the locality and the Tropical region at large (Zeppel 2006, p. 220). In addition, the canopy walkway will interfere with the habitats of various animals. Birds together with animals that live on top of large trees would lose their habitat to construction processes. Therefore, birds of different species will perish or migrate during construction work. Tourist activities and construction process might lead to air and soil pollution. For instance, tourist might careless dispose food items, plastic materials and chemicals substances thereby causing pollution to the soil. Similarly, these food substances c ontribute to air pollution upon decomposition. Furthermore, the canopy walkway might contribute to an alteration of the relationships that previous existed between competing species (Zeppel 2006, p. 220). For example, destruction of trees to give way for construction work and certain feeding habits. Careless damping of injurious items, chemicals, and bridge constructions may cause significant decrease in biomass and contribute to mechanical damages to the vegetation. 3.0 Environmental Benefits of Project Canopy walkway project has significant benefits to the environment as well as local community. Revenues obtained from tourists could be used to facilitate conservation of the area. Since canopy walkways are constructed high above the ground, they spare several animals their habitat against probable destruction if roads or pathways were to be constructed within the forested zone in place of canopy walkways (Buckley 2009, p. 117). Moreover, people who visit the walkway carry new ideas that help influence their own lives and lives of people in their home states or countries. Thus, environmental conservation would become a universal requirement or necessity nationally and globally. Bringing local and foreign tourists to the area will positively influence environmental conservation processes and procedures alongside contributing to economic development (Buckley 2009, p. 117). The local community through its environment management organization will use funds obtained from tourism to enhance awareness creation and responsiveness to conserve Mother Nature and other inherent resources. Passing over the canopy is not only a memorable experience but also a challenge

Power and Humanizing Models of Culture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Power and Humanizing Models of Culture - Essay Example This can only be done if they look at their cultural memory which Nietzsche continued by explaining that the concept of cultural memory could be defined through a delimitation that distinguishes it from communicative or everyday memory which is said to not contain cultural characteristics. The concept of communicative as Halbawach said includes all varieties of memories that are gathered from the daily communications. The varieties gathered are part of oral history. The communicative memory however has no fixity to bind it to the past as time passes and for it to attain this it requires it to include culture. Human beings require moving from the everyday communication and getting into the objective culture which has the structure of memory. Cultural memory that Nietzsche says people should adopt is fixed and therefore even as time passes one is bind to the past. The memory can be kept by having cultural formations in forms of text or monuments. Cultural memory has been seen to preser ve knowledge that has enabled people to be aware of their unity. The other advantage of cultural memory is that though it is hard to remember what happened in the past cultural memory can be reconstructed by relating its knowledge to an actual situation. It is also said to exist in two modes and the first is the mode where the texts and monuments act as total horizon, it is called the mode of potentiality (Nietzsche & Large 2007 p.49). The second mode in which the cultural memory exists in is the actuality mode. Cultural memory formation does not depend on one medium; it has many options like writing, images and also rituals. There is also the existence of specialists when it comes to cultural memory unlike the collective memory. Cultural memory has also been said to be reflexive in certain ways, one is that it is said to practice reflexive because it explains practices using proverbs and also rituals. It is also said to be self-reflexive because when explaining and interpreting cer tain practices it draws from itself. The other benefit of cultural memory is that it uses images and rituals that are specific to each society. Every society is required to remember its past. This enables a society to be open to it and also to others understanding their culture. Cultural memory presents the image of the society and in this way a society is united (Nietzsche, Kaufmann & Hollingdale 1968, p.71-3). This said it shows that Nietzsche was in favor of maintaining culture and looking at the past. This is why he was known to be the strongest critic of modernity. He in fact called termed it to be barbaric. Nietzsche believed that human beings in the modern era had weakened personality. He therefore argued that there was need to create great personalities as this was the only way to bring back genuine culture. The philosopher also dealt with cultural complex and said that cultures were patterned wholes. The reason why he liked culture was because he believed that culture was w hat domesticated human beings. He talked of culture enabling humans to have discipline and also have social control. It is culture that makes individuals to be healthy and strong making them to have good values unlike the modern culture which he believed had slave values. The Socratic culture that led to emergence of modern world was said by Nietzsche to be oppressing the body making individuals to have weak personalities (Miller 1970, p.98). Nietzsche has written numerous essays and books on philosophical matters, touching issues of life

Middle Eastern Studies Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Middle Eastern Studies - Term Paper Example Others include the nationalization of assets previously owned by foreigners or ‘enemies of state’ and foreign aid. Collectively, such revenue streams are economically referred to as â€Å"rent†; similarly, states that are primarily dependent on such revenue streams are referred to as â€Å"rentier states† (Gelvin 247). Infamously, such states are referred to â€Å"allocation states† coined from the fact that the states’ distribution of rent generated in the aforementioned manner favors particular clients or projects. Each state in the Middle East-more or less- relies on rent income. In the period between 1980 and 1988, a third of Egypt’s government revenue was derived from rent. Over the same period, it also benefited substantially from aid from the United States amounting to about $2 billion annually (Gelvin 247). The involvement of Western powers in the oil wealth of the Middle East has entrenched historical backgrounds. More specific ally, their participation was ‘cemented’ through the establishment of agreements or concessions that saw the emergence of strong consortia that have firm hold-unto now-within the oil industry (Fawcett and Giacomo 15). Oil companies would come together to undertake large contracts which exceeded the capacity of any single firm. Such contracts –perhaps uncharacteristically so-extended between sixty and seventy-five years and granted these consortia exclusive rights to exploit, produce, refine, transport and market the oil. Over the past half century, the most dominant consortium in the oil industry has been that of the â€Å"seven sisters† consisting of Exxon, Mobil, Chevron, Gulf Texaco and British Petroleum (Gelvin 249). However, the blatant imbalance in the distribution of the benefits from oil exploitation as to the host nations propelled the formation of an association that would better represent the concerns of oil producers. Furthermore the threat of diminished returns arising from a fall in demand and subsequent slashing of prices by the consuming West-as was the case during the recession of the 1960s- had to be effectively dealt with. The formation of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) in 1970 significantly increased this power and with it oil prices rose by 380 percent. Oil wealth therefore shifted from the industrialized and importing Western states to the producing Middle East (Gelvin 250). The Middle East has seen the staging of two major games. Firstly, and which has recently surfaced with revolutionary effects, that of citizens and governments; usually on opposing ends and rarely in cooperation (Richards and Waterbury 1). The recent revolutions in Middle Eastern states-dubbed the Arab Spring-such as Libya, Syria, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt and Greece have born evidence to this play. In this game, the motive and desire for the advancement of prosperity and national development has seen the ousting of lo ng-serving governments. In Egypt, specifically, it has seen a transition in which the ousted government and long-serving officials additionally face criminal proceedings. The political space internally is highly uncertain with the much anticipated calls for free and fair elections pitted against the influence of the interim Egyptian military council. Secondly, another battle is underway intersecting the region’

HR Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

HR - Essay Example Ensuring proper performance management and ensuring that performance of the employees is rewarded are essential factors for the success of the organizations. COLLECTING HR OR L&D DATA The organizations need to collect appropriate data of the staff to assess their performance. This data must be linked to the appraisals offered to the employees, sick absences which the employees take etc. This is done because human capital is the biggest asset for the company. By assessing the performance of the employees incentives can be planned to amplify the performance of the staff members. Constantly monitoring the workforce helps in assessing the strengths of the organization. Therefore the performance of the individuals will be monitored on every project that they work. This would allow collecting information regarding every good and bad performance they have throughout the year. In addition to this, collecting information from peers, colleagues and managers can also be helpful. The managers and the staff need tobe motivated to learn and implement strategies which in the long run prove to be beneficial for the organization. DATA COLLECTION TO SUPPORT HR OR L&D PRACTICES The organization frequently collectsdata of individual performances which is maintained by the line manager. This helps them in assessing the individual performance and the effectiveness of the incentive which have been offered to improve the employee performance (PCS). Appropriate performance management is essential to accomplish the organizational goals and objectives. Generally, in the organization the performance is evaluated on the basis of different factors or criteria that have been formulated by the human resource department. These evaluation or performance evaluation forms are filled by the HR department as well as the direct manager or supervisor. Organizations conduct training of staff and coach them to deal with various situations. This helps in finding the outcome and effectiveness of the training that are conducted. All big organizations which have developed HR departments continuously engage in training and development activities. One of the most used techniques of training is on-job training in which the direct supervisor or mentor is guiding the employees in how to accomplish the task in the best possible manner. STORING RECORDS There are two methods of storing records. These methods are described below, Manual storage is the method of storing data in physical form. This requires a lot of paperwork and utilizes physical space in the cupboards and shelves as files. The data which is required in a later stage is stored in the form of hard copy. The benefit of such data is that it is easily accessible and notes can be made easily and it would not cost too much to the organization. Moreover, data can be stored and it can be used in future to know the achievements of the employees. Electronic storageis convenient and it stores more data and utilizes resources in t he most efficient manner. The electronic data requires less physical space and stores a large amount of data at the same time. Such data is useful for running reports and analyzing the data for HR activities and take important strategic decisions. ESSENTIALS MENTIONED IN UK LEGISLATION The UK legislation emphasizes that the data that is obtained from the

Environmental Management Review of Dell Case Study

Environmental Management Review of Dell - Case Study Example The author of this research paper begins with the history of the company. Michael Dell founded the company when he was a 19 year old student at the University of Texas in Austin. He used a basic model: selling PCs to the final customer and built them to users’ specifications. Dell Computer still does it today, the so-called build-to-order scheme, although with some modifications. He started with telephone sales using IBM compatible PCs, and then assembling and selling his own brand. This model provided a 24-hour hotline for complaints and guaranteed immediate shipment of replacement parts, that is, 24- to 48-hour shipment. The improvements in design and production processes have helped Dell cut the estimated production cycle time for a desktop computer – from beginning of the build process to placement on a delivery truck – to 7 hours (McWilliams, 1997, cited in Kraemer et al, 1999:11). At its newest Austin plant, named Metri 12, sometimes a PC can be built, software installed and tested, and everything packed in a box for shipping within 5 hours (Ramstad, 1997, cited in Kraemer, 5). The customization that occurs in production is carried over to sales and service. For instance, Dell installs custom software on the machines that it builds for corporate customers. It also maintains an inventory of its customers. It seeks to lower the total cost of ownership for its corporate customers by helping them manage their PC inventories and offering technologies that reduce the cost of hardware and software maintenance in networks. (Dell outlines strategy, 1997). The company applies the principles of resource savings through the following strategies: Recycling Dell recycles unwanted Dell-branded products for free, and reduces impact to the environment through selling refurbished system. This saves money for the customer and lessens the amount of new materials used, while still keeping warranties from Dell. Old PCs, printers, software, modems and other such devices considered separate components, can be donated to charity organizations and foundations, through the company. The National Cristina Foundation and Dell have partnered to provide computer technology to people with disabilities, students at risk and economically disadvantaged persons. Combined with training, this program enables them to lead more productive lives. (Dell website) Dell designs and engineers its products to prevent pollution and conserve natural resources throughout the system's life, achieving environmental responsiveness in tandem with sound business management. Reducing the environmental impact of Dell products begins at the design stage as cross-functional product design teams work to make thoughtful and effective decisions that will have positive environmental results throughout the equipment's life cycle. (Dell website: Environment) Environmental responsibility goals Recycle or reuse 99 percent of waste from manufacturing operations by 2012. Further reduce carbon intensity by 15 percent by 2012 (based on 2006 levels). Improve average score from the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Green Building Rating System by 2012. Design for the environment Dell pledged to eliminate brominated flame retardants and polyvinyl chloride from new product designs by 2009 that will force widespread changes in

Olympian Destiny vs. Personal Choice Essay Example for Free

Olympian Destiny vs. Personal Choice Essay An Analytical Essay on the Tragedy of Oedipus in Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus the King† Debates on whether men control their fates or whether their fates are already dictated by another force are not new and has definitely not ended. Still, even if arguments on the subject has been exhaustingly discussed, there is still no conclusion formed of whether humanity really make their own choices or if there is a greater or heavenly force which deprives humanity of that choice. Such circumstance is depicted in Oedipus the King, one of the trilogies in a famous Greek tragedian’s plays. Sophocles, who is known to be one of the pioneers of tragedies (as a drama) in the world, writes of the sad and terrible fate of Oedipus who is the ruler of Thebes after he saves the people of Thebes from a â€Å"monster†. The play revolves around a prophecy that Oedipus wants to kill his own father and make his own mother as a wife. This leads to this essay’s purpose which is to discuss on whether Oedipus was destined to have such end or whether he was the one who actually made his own fate. In Oedipus the King, trouble brews in Thebes as the people are in pandemonium over a sickness that spreads over the city. Oedipus who is the present ruler of the city after defeating the Sphinx asks help from an oracle to decipher why Thebes if suffering such fate. The oracle reveals that Olympus is angry over the murder of Thebes’ past King and the city can only be restored to its proper order when the King’s murderer has been caught. This rather ominous scene sets the play in motion as the court of Thebes starts to investigate and prod on who is the possible murderer of the dead King. Through much explanation, interrogation and prodding, it is found out that it is Oedipus himself who has killed the King, making the prophecy of Apollo true—that Oedipus will kill his father and marry his own mother. Because Thebes needs to be saved and because Creon cries out for Oedipus to respect the desires of Olympus, Oedipus willingly exiles himself from Thebes and eventually (in the next and last part of the trilogy, Oedipus at Colonus) dies alone. The trilogy that Sophocles has written is known to be the Oedipus plays even if one of the plays played out with the King already dead. However, it is quite evident that in all the plays, Oedipus plays an important part because his fate serves as background of all the plays and his fate becomes a catalyst for all the other scenes in the plot. This fate that brings down such grief to Oedipus and his family is connected to Apollo’s prophecy that was predicted by an oracle in Delphi. Oedipus recounts this prophecy when he talks to Jocasta, his queen and wife (and unbeknownst to him, his mother) over the reason why he self-exiled himself from Corinth: And so I went in secret off to Delphi. / I didn’t tell my mother or my father. Apollo sent me back without an answer, / so I didn’t learn what I had come to find. But when he spoke he uttered monstrous things, / strange terrors and horrific miseries— it was my fate to defile my mother’s bed, / to bring forth to men a human family that people could not bear to look upon, / to murder the father who engendered me. (Sophocles 945-954) This excerpt points to the fact that it is Apollo who passed the knowledge of the prophecy and Oedipus is well aware of the said prophecy. Thus, it would seem that the fate of Oedipus is already determined but there is a possibility that although he made unconscious and innocent choices and decisions, Oedipus is still well aware that all the things that he will do leads to something greater and sadder. This something greater and sadder is his tragic fate that would result in the death of his own father and would result in an immoral relationship with his own mother. This premise neither proves nor negates whether Oedipus’s life was created out of the decisions, actions and choices he made or whether his life was already created by another force for him. Both arguments may be correct but the other holds more weight based on the text itself. With regards to the tragedy of Oedipus’ fate created by his own choice, it can be shown in how the Chorus of the play described Oedipus that he was a man who had his own power from his mental strength which resulted in his ability to be very cunning: You residents of Thebes, our native land, / look on this man, this Oedipus, the one who understood that celebrated riddle. / He was the most powerful of men. All citizens who witnessed this man’s wealth / were envious. Now what a surging tide of terrible disaster sweeps around him. (Sophocles 1805–1811) The Chorus described Oedipus as having feats that he alone did without the help of any other force or power—this would of course show that Oedipus’ total worth as a character and individual was not just created by the Olympian gods alone. Oedipus also had a hand in the making of his own totality as a person. Thus, his characteristics which lead to his â€Å"crimes† were the culmination of all these characteristics. For example, he is cunning and that is why he was able to defeat his father in battle and he was able to solve the Sphinx’s riddle. Because of these two circumstances, he killed his father and he won the queen of the city who is his mother. Apollo merely prophesised Oedipus’ fate—the sun god did not provide the weapon which would kill Oedipus nor did he provide the answer to the riddle. Thus, Oedipus was able to the things he has done based on his own judgement and discernment as a person. On the other hand, the premise that Oedipus is the victim of the tragedy of fate manufactured by the Olympian gods still holds more weight compared to whether he is a victim of his own misplaced judgements and actions. This can be proven by the following lines delivered by the Chorus of the play: In everything / our loftiest traditions consecrate, those laws engendered in the heavenly skies, / whose only father is Olympus. They were not born from mortal men, / nor will they sleep and be forgotten. In them lives an ageless mighty god. (Sophocles 1034-1040) The lines explain that men’s laws and the traditions that they exalt, whether good or bad and advantageous or remiss, is created by the heavens. Therefore, men are but putty in the hands of the gods and goddesses of Olympus. Whatever human beings do, it is determined already by the hands of the gods. If this supposition is correct, it just means that Oedipus’ entire life was created by the gods and it is up to the gods on how his life will end; even if the Queen Jocasta believes otherwise: â€Å"Fear? What should a man fear? It’s all chance, chance rules our lives. Not a man on earth can see a day ahead, groping through the dark. Better to live at random, best we can† (Sophocles 1068–1078). When the queen declared such judgement, she was not able to consider that even if chance rules humanity’s lives; chance is also something which the heavens also control. Though men make decisions in certain circumstances, those circumstances were also created by pre-determined fate: Oedipus had to be there at the exact same time his father was at the crossroads; Oedipus had to take the path going to Thebes; Oedipus had to solve the riddle by the Sphinx, etc. Thus, although Oedipus can make his own decisions which lead to his tragic fate, his tragic fate was already determined by his hands not his own. It was determined, based on the Greek mythologies, by the Fates. Works Cited Sophocles. Oedipus Rex. Ontario: General Publishing, Ltd. , 1991.

Media Violence Causing Social Violence Sociology Essay

Media Violence Causing Social Violence Sociology Essay The above statistics alone should immediately indicate that the negative effects of media violence on the minds of young people cannot help but be substantial, and may in fact lead to social violence on the part of those exposed. However, the fact is that even after decades of ongoing research, there remains a debate as to whether media violence substantially contributes to social violence (Haugen Musser, 2008). To provide context to the ongoing debate, it is helpful to first define the two key terms discussed in this essay, namely media violence and social violence. As noted by North, Wallis and Weingast (2009), the term social violence technically refers to violent activities engaged in by people as a group. This would include violence associated with riots, revolutions, and gang warfare. However, for the purposes of this essay, the term is defined far more broadly as behavior that is aggressive and/or abusive and which results in, or has the potential to result in, some form of injury to one or more others. This is the definition used in most of the existing studies of media violence and social violence. Haugen and Musser (2008) note that there are differing views as to what precisely is meant by the term media violence, but that typically it refers to various gradations of violence presented by differing forms of electronic or film media such as television programs, computer games, and movies. The gradations considered to be within the domain of media violence can and do differ from research study to research study. However, the authors inform that a good deal of the decades long debate over media violence and social violence is more political than scientific. Specifically, Haugen and Musser (2008) state that there are two schools of sociopolitical thought as to whether or not media violence actually causes real-life violenceand these are both trying to use research on media violence to advance their particular perspective. One school of thought blames media violence for social violence and wants to censor certain content in order to protect children. The other side views censorship, even if relatively weak in scope, as a slippery slope to increasingly levels of censorship not only of violence but many other types of expressions within society. It is important to keep this in mind when evaluating the existing research. It can be noted here that the central thesis of this paper is that there is sufficient evidence of a substantial relationship between media violence and social violence; however, social violence is multi-causal and media violence is likely to exert maximal effects if additional causal and contributory factors are operative. This thesis is supported in this paper by an extensive review of the existing research on media violence demonstrating exposure to be followed by engagement in antisocial behavior and aggression. The Connection Between Media Violence and Social Violence Effects on Children and Adolescents Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis (2005) compiled a comprehensive review of the literature on the effects of media violence on the social violence and aggression of both children and adolescents using the findings of five meta-analytic reviews and one quasi-systematic review, all of which were from North America. The studies covered television violence, film violence, and video and computer game violence. Some of the most important of their findings were: 1. In the average home, childrens television programming exposes a child to 20 to 25 violent actions each hour; moreover, violent offenders in childrens programming sometimes go without punishment and the offenders themselves seldom show any remorse for the violence. 2. During both childhood and adolescence, the amount of time watching television violence is positively related to several antisocial behaviors such as threatening aggression, assault or physical fights resulting in injury, and to robbery. In general, the review presented by Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis (2005) led the authors to conclude that violent images in the media can substantially affect children and adolescents thoughts and emotions in a manner that makes them both more fearful and more aggressive. Browne and Hamilton-Giachritsis also reported that several other factors figure into the commission of social violence which makes the link between social violence and media violence significant but small. However, they point out that the effect sizes observed in meta-analytic studies of media violence and subsequent social violence show that even this small relationship exerts a substantial effect on the general public health in terms of the consequences of social violence to the victim and to the families of both the victim and the perpetrator of the violence. Regarding the point made by Hamilton-Giachritsis (2005), it is helpful to briefly look at the statistics associated with social violence. In this regard, Santamour (2008) reports that acts of violence are associated with heavy human and economic costs. In his study, Santamour examined violence-related hospitalizations in the United States. He observed that hospital costs as a result of social violence totaled $2.3 billion dollars per year and were primarily the result of assaults and/or physical and emotional abuse. A clear gender difference was also noted which Santamour reports as follows: Boys and men accounted for 82.4 percent of hospital stays resulting from assaults; girls and women accounted for 63.9 percent related to maltreatment and 58.5 percent resulting from self-inflicted violence. Young adults, 18 to 44 years old, made up 68.3 percent of assault-related stays and 62 percent associated with self-inflicted violence. (p. 1) When considering that media violence contributes to statistics such as these, it is difficult to think of any connection between it and social violence is weak. In another study of media violence and social violence, Bushman and Huesmann (2006) found that exposure to media violence was positively related to aggressive behavior, anger, and aggressive ideas in children, teens, and adults. It was also found that media violence had a negative effect on the helping behaviors of all groups, making them far less likely to help others in need. However, it was also found that the group most vulnerable to the effects of media violence were young children. This was said to be because young children were more easily impressionable; also, they had a harder time telling the difference between fantasy and reality. In addition, young children learn best by observing and then imitating behavior, making them more apt to engage in violent behavior. Adding to the idea that media violence is directly related to social violence, Haugen and Musser (2008) report that the connection between media violence and social violence has already been accepted as fairly substantial by six major medical groups. These groups are the: American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, American Psychological Association, American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians, and the American Psychiatric Association. Further, the authors also noted that each of these medical organizations hold that media violence leads children to increase their levels of antisocial behavior and to become less sensitive to violence as well as victims of violence. Haugen and Musser (2008) also states that these medical groups warn that children exposed to long-term and frequent media violence are likely to develop a view of the world as violent and mean and to become more fearful of being a victim of the worlds violence than children who are not exposed to frequent/long-term media violence. Even more alarming is that the children who are exposed to frequent media violence over a lengthy period of time often show a desire to see yet more violence in their entertainment as well as in real life, and they come to see violence as a legitimate way to settle conflicts. These desires and attitudes, in turn, make them more likely to engage in social violence both as children and as adolescents and, in some cases, even as adults. The foregoing literature provides fairly strong support for the idea that even a weak causal contribution between media violence and social violence can be viewed as substantial in terms of its costs and its escalating effects on people over time. However, this effect does have to be considered in light of all of the factors that drive people to commit violent acts against others. The next section of this essay considers the effects of media violence in relation to the other contributors of social violence. Multifactorial Nature of Social Violence and Contribution of Media Violence Kirsh (2006) reports that many factors are involved in the commission of social violence and as just demonstrated in the above review, one of these factors is media violence. However, its effects can vary depending upon the manner in which the violence is presented. If the violence presented in the media lacks consequences and/or is justified, and/or is associated with reward, it can have a very negative effect on children and teens, making them more likely to engage in such behavior. However, if the presented media violence shows that the offender is punished for the violence, then it can lessen childrens tendencies toward aggressive behavior. In addition, the type of character or personality that engages in the presented violence can also have an effect. According to Kirsh (2006), if the violence is undertaken by an attractive person or by a charismatic heroand the child or adolescent identifies with the perpetratorthen it is likely that the negative effect of the violence will be stronger, making the viewer more likely to engage in similar behavior. Furthermore, Kirsh reports that if the childs full attention is focused on the screen presenting the violence with minimal or no distractions breaking this focus, the impact will be greater. Finally, if the child views the show and its violence as realistic and reflective of real life, then the effects will be stronger. In what is now considered a seminal study of media violence, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Surgeon General (2001) concluded that there is a relationship between media violence and some social violence including homicide, forcible rape, aggravated assault, and robbery. However, it was also noted that there is a problem with the research that makes knowing whether there is a causal connection between media violence and social violence difficult to scientifically report. Regarding the nature of the problem, it is stated that: Although there is clear scientific evidence of a correlation between exposure to media violence and some violent behaviors, randomized experiments-the research methodology best suited to determining causality-cannot ethically be used in studies of violent behavior. (p. 1) It was stated that the best that could be done is to study the effects of media violence and how it affects certain aggressive behaviors in children and adolescence. These studies were said to provide at least indirect evidence of causality. For example, the Surgeon General (2001) reports that longitudinal studies reliably show that if children are exposed to media violence, as they grow older they become more likely to exhibit aggressiveness due to the increase in the amount of media violence exposure. This connection makes it seem very reasonable to believe that there is also some causal contribution of media violence to social violence in various forms of violent antisocial behavior and crime. But if there is a causal connection, how strong is it and what other factors also contribute to social violence? According to the Surgeon Generals (2001) early study of youth violence, as well as a more recent study by Coyne (2007), what makes media violence likely to impact on any given child is its relationship to a host of several social violence risk factors. These risk factors include: individual risk factors; family risk factors; school risk factors; peer group risk factors; and neighborhood and community risk factors. Specifically, to the extent that one or more of these factors is present in a childs life, they are likely to make the child more prone to both violent behavior as well as the negative effects of media violence. The social violence risk factors discussed by both the Surgeon General (2001) and Coyne (2007) can be delineated as follows: 1. Individual factors A child and/or adolescent is most likely to be at risk for the negative effects of media violence and social violence if the child is male, if there is substance use, if the childs personality or temperament is already somewhat aggressive possibly as a result of a health condition such as hyperactivity, if the IQ is low, and if the child is generally antisocial in attitudes and beliefs. One point that can be noted here is that the Council on Communications and Media (2009) states that individual factors can also protect a child from the negative effects of media violence. These protective factors include the child having a high IQ, and a positive social orientation. Further, if the child shows a low tolerance for deviance and views transgressions as usually punished, this also would reduce or even eradicate any negative effects of media violence. 2. Neighborhood and Community Factors Living in a deteriorating community or neighborhood can put a child or adolescent more at risk for the negative effects of media violence. For example, poor neighborhoods where drugs and gangs are present increase the risk. High crime areas also place a child at risk for social violence that is exacerbated by exposure to media violence. 3. Family Risk Factors If the childs family is poor, he or she is more at risk for the negative effects of media violence. If his/her parents are antisocial and/or have a poor relationship with the child, these factors can also increase the risk. Other family factors that place children at risk for the negative effects of media violence include: parental separation (broken home), abusive parents, neglect, harsh discipline and/or a lack of discipline, poor mental health of parents, and the presence of a good deal of conflict in the home. As with individual factors, there are some familial/parental factors that can give the child some protection from the negative effects of media violence (as well as other forms of violence). According to Ferguson, San Miguel and Hartley (2009), these protective family factors include having good relationships with parents, and positive evaluations from peers. Steady and consistent, but not overly harsh, parental monitoring and discipline can also be protective. 4. School Factors How a child feels about school can also affect the impact of media violence on the child. If his or her attitude is positive, the child will be less likely to be impacted; but if the attitude is negative, the risk is increased. Academic performance operates in a similar manner. School failure and low grades make a child more vulnerable to the negative effects of media violence, while good school performance has the opposite effects. Lee and Kim (2004) points out that one of the strongest school risk factors is bullying. If a child is bullied, he becomes very vulnerable to seeing some form of retributive violence as the answer to his problem and this tendency can be strongly exacerbated by media violence. 5. Peer Risk Factors The nature of a child or adolescents peers can have a significant impact on the effects of media violence. If the child has strong ties to antisocial peers, then the impact is more negative. However, if most of the childs friends behave in prosocial ways, then this will act as a protective factor. Media Violence and Crime The foregoing section of the review indicated that media violence operates conjointly with other factors to elevate a childs risk for social violence. However, there are many forms of social violence, one of which is violent crime. This section of the essay examines the question: Is media violence directly related to the commission of violent crime? According to Coyne (2007), while many studies of media violence and violent crime do show at least a weak connection, they suffer from the fact that they are, in large part, laboratory-based investigations. Furthermore, such studies primarily rest on studies of aggressive urges or tendencies rather than examining real criminal behavior to see if those engaging in it have a history of watching violence in the media. Coyne (2007) attempted to remedy the forgoing problem by examining longitudinal research with offender populations. It was stated that, When integrated with other long-term studies on the development of crime, it is concluded that the link between media violence and crime is weak after other environmental factors are taken into account. However, the fact remains that until there can be some good control for other contributors to criminal violence, it will remain difficult to know the extent to which there is a direct causal relationship between media violence and criminal violence. Failure to definitively establish a causal link is due to the fact that in studies which are significant statistically, these other factors often act as confounding variables. Nonetheless, it seems reasonable to state that the ongoing, now decades long, findings of elevations in aggressiveness in relation to media violence strongly suggest that there may be more than a weak connection. Conclusions The central thesis of this essay was that media violence substantially contributes to social violence where social violence was defined in the broad sense of aggressive and/or antisocial behavior that results in or can result in injury to one or more others. The key question that must be asked is whether the reviewed literature on media violence supported this thesis? The answer to the above question is somewhat complex. The literature clearly indicated that media violence can lead to children and adolescents engaging in aggression and violent behavior. Moreover, it also showed that the degree to which said behavior is engaged in can differ depending on length of media violence exposure. The reviewed literature also demonstrated that the nature of the violence presentation and the strength of distracted focus can both operate to make it more likely that social violence will be engaged in by children and/or adolescents. This indicates that there is a real effect being exerted by media violence on children. However this conclusion needs some modification. Social violence, as defined in this essay, is multi-determined which means that there are many contributors which, taken together or in part, operate to make a child and/or adolescent engage in social violence. Media violence is one of these and indications are that it can substantially contribute to social violence in the sense that it exacerbates the effects on social violence caused by other factors such as having conflict in the family, living in a gang ridden and poor neighborhood, doing poorly in school, and so forth. Media violence not only exerts a substantial contribution to social violence in this manner, it also exerts an effect in terms of the negative outcomes of social violence on the lives of the people who are involved in it. Thus, it seems reasonable to conclude that based on all of the reviewed findings, media violence does exert a substantial effect on social violence even though it is not the only contributor.

Non Verbal Communication: Bangladesh And Panama

Non Verbal Communication: Bangladesh And Panama This study was conducted to gain a better understanding of students in Second/Foreign language classrooms in Bangladesh and Panama, and their consciousness about Teacher-Student Interaction through Non-Verbal Communication in Bangladesh and Panama and focusing on the importance and the role in building student motivation in Second/Foreign language classrooms. Since English is a second language in Bangladesh and Panama, the result will suggest how important it is for teachers to be aware of their nonverbal communication in classrooms to interact with the students in triggering their motivation. Chapter I INTRODUCTION English is a global language and is recognized the key means of international communication. Crystal (1997) and Nunan (2003) suggest that as a general consensus, English has become an international language, one that is widely used in higher education, business, technology, science and the internet. In Bangladesh and Panama, English is a second language for the majority of people, and therefore it is important to consider both the teaching and learning of English in both nations; hence the conduct of this study. In Panama, Spanish is the official language, spoken by over 90% of Panamanians, but English is recognized as the official second language. Bengali is spoken by majority of the people in Bangladesh and English is the official second language. Since I had access to both countries during the writing of this Thesis, it was possible to conduct a comparative study of the teaching and learning of English in both, despite the many cultural and linguistic differences, not to mention the vast geographic distance between the two. It is hoped that the findings of this study will contribute to illustrate the importance of nonverbal communication in the teaching of English as a second language despite the differences between the peoples of the two nations. Rather than the differences, it is in fact the similarities that we share as humans which enable more effective means of teaching and learning a foreign language. In many countries around the world, the Communicative Language Teaching (CTL) method has taken prominence for the pedagogy of learners of English as a second language. In Bangladesh, CTL has been emphasized since 1998 (Billah 2012), and since then, the teaching of English has continued to follow this method to the extent possible. CTL emphasizes the importance of interaction as the means and the ultimate goal of teaching a foreign language; this is in stark contrast to the more bookish methods of the past where printed literature and non-interactive classroom instruction were exclusively utilized to teach English. With the emphasis now given to CTL as an efficient means of language teaching, a more interactive approach to the teaching of English as a second language has taken center stage globally. In second language classrooms, the teacher plays an important role in the achievement of successful learning. One of the most important features of a language classroom is that the lesson is an arena of human interaction with different personalities, motives, and expectations at play. The learning atmosphere, emotional climate, group cohesion, and enjoyment of being in the group are fundamental issues for motivation. In order to achieve an interactive atmosphere, we need an ambiance and relations among individuals that promotes a desire for interaction (Rivers 1987). Further, Rivers (1987) notes that [Interaction is] an affective, temperamental matter, not merely a question of someone saying something to someone, stressing the importance of converting the classroom into real-life contexts where the class experience mimics reality. Communication can be defined as the sharing of ones thoughts and emotions with others, either verbally or nonverbally. Verbal communication includes spoken words and sounds, and the volume and tone used to express them. In contrast, nonverbal communication is unspoken, and includes facial expressions, body movements, gestures, observance of personal space, and eye contact (Wiki). In an era of communicative language teaching, interaction is, in fact, at the heart of communication; it is what communication is all about (Brown, H.D. 1994). The question is how should one interact in the classroom as a teacher? What forms or means of interaction should one use to keep students motivated to continue the learning process? Verbal communications are obviously utilized, with words carefully chosen by teachers so that students can better understand English. But non-verbal communication is equally important and in classrooms we tend to ignore this factor. Non-verbal communications play an important role in interaction between a teacher and a student. In the classroom, a teacher and student, both consciously and subconsciously send and receive nonverbal cues several hundred times a day (Billah). Teachers should be aware of nonverbal communication in the classroom for two basic reasons: 1) to become better receivers of students messages and, 2) to gain the ability to send positive signals that reinforce students learning. In the process, teachers simultaneously become more skilled at avoiding negative signals that stifle a students learning. This study investigates and compares the consciousness of students of two countries, on two different continents, to a teachers interaction through nonverbal communication during the learning of English as a second language. The goal is to highlight the importance of nonverbal communication and the critical role it plays to motivate students as they pursue the learning of a second language, in this case, English. Research Questions and Methods The main basis of this study started with class observation. After assessment of the observations made, an appropriate questionnaire was designed to verify my implication on the topic ending with teachers view on my topic. The aim of this study is to find out how conscious students are about teachers interaction through nonverbal communication in second language classrooms at universities in Dhaka, Bangladesh versus Panama City, Panama, to identify the teachers most frequently used nonverbal behaviors, and to find out its role in motivating students. The paper will also investigate teachers views on nonverbal communication in the classroom. The main questions of focus were as follows: Are teachers in Bangladesh and Panama aware of their nonverbal behavior through interaction in their classrooms? Are students in Bangladesh and Panama aware of the types of nonverbal communication they receive from their teachers in classrooms? If yes, what type of nonverbal behaviors they like to see in their teachers? What are the most used ones? How significant is the role of teachers-student interaction through nonverbal communication? This will determine whether both teachers and students think that nonverbal communication affects interaction. If so, how does nonverbal communication affect student motivation? The opinion of students was assessed through Questionnaire. Is nonverbal communication playing a significant role in our classrooms as it is claimed internationally? This will determine whether teachers from both countries, Bangladesh and Panama, can identify the importance of nonverbal communication as well as the types of nonverbal behaviors they present in classrooms. It will also verify how the students react to certain types of nonverbal communication. How conscious should teachers be in their nonverbal behavior in Second/Foreign classroom? This will focus more on how teachers think of their personal performance in the classroom through nonverbal communication, how appropriate is the teacher in using body language, gesture, expressions etc., and how much students are affected by a teachers performance in the classroom. In what ways is Bangladesh and Panama similar and/or different in usage of nonverbal communication in classrooms? How does nonverbal communication express cultural values? What suggestions can be provided for Academia? Chapter II LITERATURE REVIEW This chapter will deal with the definition and major components of nonverbal communication. It will also discuss the importance of teacher-student interaction through nonverbal communication which ultimately triggers the motivation to learn. (2.1) Nonverbal Communication Educators, psychologists, anthropologists and sociologists define body language or nonverbal communication as communication without words. It includes overt behaviors such as facial expressions, eye contact, touching and tone of voice. It can also be less obvious, however, as through dress, posture and spatial distance. The most effective communication occurs when verbal and nonverbal messages are in sync, creating communication synergy (Wiki). A teacher can bring in positive reinforcement through the usage of body language in second language classrooms. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Mae West both understand the importance of body language. The tell tale body is all tongues, Emerson once said, while West famously quoted, I speak two languages, body and English. It is just as important for teachers to be good nonverbal communication senders as it is for them to be good receivers (students). Teachers express enthusiasm, warmth, assertiveness, confidence and displeasure through facial express ions, vocal intonation, gestures and use of space etc. However, when teachers exhibit verbal messages that conflict with nonverbal messages, students become confused, which in turn can affect their interaction; hence, motivation. How does a teacher keep students motivated to learn a second language? In an ideal classroom, students pay attention, ask questions and want to learn. They do their assignments without complaint and study without being forced to do so. However, oftentimes this is not the reality. A teacher constantly has to work to motivate or keep students triggered to do their work. One such factor is non-verbal communication, which plays a role in triggering motivation so that students are not forced but rather feel like they want to learn. For instance, Morgan (1997) achieved a high level of motivation in the teaching of intonation by bringing in the learners social and cultural attitudes. The main types of nonverbal communication used by a teacher to interact in classrooms in foreign language are the Kinesics (the study of body language), the Vocalics (the study of the use of tone, pitch and volume of the voice), the Chronemics (the study of the use of time), the Oculesics (the study of the use of eyes), the Proxemics (the study of the use of spatial distance), and the Haptics (the study of the use of touch). YOU NEED TO CITE THE LITERARTURE WHERE YOU GOT THIS INFORMATIONIT IS NOT YOUR ORIGINAL WORK The focus will be on the first five categories of nonverbal communication and lastly discussion on use of Haptics will be mentioned separately. Emphasis on teachers nonverbal responses needs to reinforce in classroom processes for three specific areas. First, nonverbal communication can be used to reinforce cognitive learning. Second, nonverbal communication reinforces emotional connections between the student and the teacher. Finally, nonverbal communication sets an organizational tone for the classroom-i.e. with respect to the management of the classroom. The use of non-verbal communication in the management of the classroom has implications for how conflict can be managed. The focus of this paper will be solely on the observation and surveys of students. It will focus on the types of nonverbal communication that can be used to motivate students in second/foreign language classrooms in Bangladesh and Panama. My research will concentrate on the use of body language, gestures, use of tone and pitch, use of eye-contact, and use of spatial distance. These are the factors that I observed in both the countries and believe will support my hypothesis. (2.2) Significance of Nonverbal Communication The classroom is a setting where a great deal of nonverbal communication (ex: through behavior) takes place (Galloway, 1979; Smith, 1979; Thompson, 1973; Woolfolk Brooks, 1985). Acceptance and understanding of ideas and feelings by teacher and student, encouraging and criticizing, silence and questioning are all manifested through communication of nonverbal behaviors. What does classroom teaching have to do with communication in general and nonverbal communication in particular? Most educators would probably have an immediate response to only the first part of the question. From his anthropological perspective, Montagu (1967) stated that the main purpose of education is to teach the art of communication since the child learns to become human through communication. Most of us would agree that the nonverbal is an essential part of their communicative act. Victoria (1970) commented further: The process of education essentially is a communication process, not only in that sense of trans mitting knowledge, but more particularly as it relates to interpersonal communication behaviors. Accordingly, the teaching process may be described as an interactive flow of information or communications which results consecutively in the processing of the information, decision-making, and learning which may be cognitive, affective, or psychomotor in nature. Because of the central role played by communication in educational practice, several writers have suggested that communication skills be taught to students or teachers and that nonverbal training be an essential part of this instruction (e.g., Gray, 1973; Hennings, 1975; Rezmierski, 1974). Similarly, Victoria (1971) proposed that teachers should study qualitative aspects of the affective domain so as to better understand students. The latter suggestion seems most appropriate in view of Davitzs (1964) pioneering work which demonstrated that emotional meanings could be communicated accurately in a variety of nonverbal media and th at nonverbal emotional communication is a stable, measurable phenomenon. AGAIN, I DONT THIS SECTION IS YOUR ORIGINAL WORK à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ CITE YOUR SOURCES à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ THE FLOW OF THE WRITING DOES NOT SEEM IT IS YOUR OWN. The need to make teachers explicitly aware of nonverbal facets of communication has been stressed by a number of researchers (e.g, Galloway, Koch, Montag; Ostler Kranz). In part, these declarations seem to be reactions against the usual emphasis on verbal classroom processes and the almost total neglect of ever-present nonverbal behaviors. It has been reported often that teachers talk too much and that classroom teaching conforms to the rule of two-thirds (i.e., someone is talking for two-thirds of the total class time and two-thirds of that talking is done by the teacher). However, whether teachers are talking or not, they are always communicating. Their movements, gestures, tones of voice, dress and other artifacts, and even their ages and physiques are continuously communicating something to the students. In like manner, students are continuously communicating with their teachers, a point too often missed by teachers relying solely on the verbal message for informational purposes . Hopkins (1974) found that teachers with a more positive view of humanity used nonverbal communicative acts which encouraged student involvement in classroom interaction, while teachers with a negative view of humanity tended to use nonverbal communicative acts which discouraged student involvement. In summary, the significant role played by nonverbal communication in classroom processes has been emphasized. The argument has been made that interaction (communication) underlies teaching, that the nonverbal domain is an essential part of communication, and that many teachers display too little awareness of nonverbal behavior in their teaching practice. (2.3) Importance of Teacher-Student Interaction In order to succeed, the teacher has to adopt a more interactive approach in the classroom. For instance, according to Prodromou (1991), a good teacher, among other qualities, is someone who is friendly, one of the students, and genuine in dialogues. She/he tries to communicate, believes in students, makes students believe in themselves, asks for student opinions, does the lesson together, and talks about his/her life. One such factor is the level of course interaction. Laurillard, a theorist (1997) suggested that student-teacher interaction is a key component in academic learning. The study of nonverbal communication indicates that the teacher brings more to the classroom than knowledge of subject matter and verbal fluency. Birdwhistell has tried to codify the language of body expression. In his famous work on body language he stated, There is a language of body expression and motion which is as ordered and structured as the language we speak. Like the language we speak it is made up in pieces of structure which can be assembled to form orderly sequences of message material which others trained in the same code can translate and respond to in kind. Like Birdwhistell, almost all eminent linguists believe that the success of both the student and the teacher depend upon the effective communication between them in the class. That is through interaction. Stevick (1982) points out that the body language of the teacher is the most important thing in the class. Addressing the teacher community he wrote, it is the way you use your eyes, the distance you stand from your students, the way you touch or refrain from touching them-all of these unnoticeable things in the class carry important signals which create a profound effect on your students feelings of welcome and comfort with you. Balzer, in his research on classroom communication, reported that approximately 75% of classroom management behavior was nonverbal. Similarly, Smith noted that teachers nonverbal behaviors are for students the signs of the psychological state of the teacher and so should not be taken lightly. Galloway (1980) believed that the use of paralanguage in the classroom encourages the speakers and consequently the people in the classroom will show increased desire to transmit a message and will thereby hold the listeners attention better. (2.4) Teacher-Student Interaction through Nonverbal Communication to Trigger Motivation The study of the nonverbal communication of the teacher is to be more important (in the classroom) due to three reasons according to Kristin Hammond. First, the teacher acts as an artist whose performance in the classroom is usually observed minutely by his/her audience (the students). If his/her body language is positive the students enjoy the lecture and consequently retain and remember most part of it. On the other hand, if the body language of the teacher is negative the students do not enjoy the classroom experience and feel discomfort uneasiness and lose most of the lecture taught. Secondly, the function of nonverbal communication is to supplement the verbal messages (of the speaker) by repetition, substitution, complementation and regulation. If the nonverbal signals of the resource person (the Teacher) are appropriate the student gets maximum benefit from the lecture but if the nonverbal cues are contradictory the students usually get confused and in some situations are comp letely lost. Thirdly, a teacher is a role model (of the target language) for many students and they try to copy his/her body language, as there is no native speaker model available in many Bangladesh and Panama universities. It is motivation that produces effective second language communicators by planting in them the seeds of self-confidence. Therefore, the nonverbal communication of the teacher in these universities is more important for motivating the second language learners. Chapter III COUNTRY AND CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES (3.1) Bangladesh Perspective In Bangladesh, the importance of English language is growing day by day. Students who spend four years in university need to learn English to enhance their career for the future. With the growing population, English is becoming more demanding than ever. We can see, in businesses, hospitals, buying house, corporate world and in education, English is needed. We see many institutions where classes are provided for those who are working to enhance their English; coaching center to learn English is growing by the number and we see training seminars for teachers to become better in their teaching. The growing number of private universities is making it necessary to learn English. But, the question remains, How do we motivate students to learn English? What elements enhance students performance? By keeping these questions in mind, teachers nonverbal communication during interaction with students plays an important role in second/foreign language classrooms. The lack of nonverbal communication is making interaction between teacher and student difficult. Students tend to take the classes lightly and later in the long run have to take more classes for their careers to learn English properly; hence their communication lacks the necessary expression or voice in them. (3.2) Panama Perspective Panama is a country where 95% of the population speaks Spanish. Like Bangladesh, English is a second language here as well. The university has extended English classes for the students where most of the teachers are natives. In Panama, teachers reflect on verbal communication more than nonverbal as well. But students are affected by the paralanguage in the classroom, hence resulting in lack of interest in the classes which affects them later on. As a teacher, the need of the understanding and usage of nonverbal is vital in keeping students motivated in the classroom because majority of the students in Panama come from a Spanish background. Their language has very few words which are interchanged with English words. In contrast, in Bangladesh, English words in Bangladesh, words like card, office, school, class, and many more are used by almost 98% of the population. So English words are perhaps more foreign to native Spanish speakers than they may be to native Bengali speakers. The need to understand students perception of teachers nonverbal communication in classroom in this instance is even more paramount. Chapter IV DATA ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS (4.1) Universities in Bangladesh Class Observation: Two classes were observed before conveying the survey to the students. Based on my observations, I decided to concentrate on the nonverbal communication used by teachers. The major goal of this survey is to determine how conscious students are about the interaction between teacher and student through nonverbal communication in the classroom. The Survey: The questionnaire composed of two parts where both parts involve about nonverbal communication of the teachers but there were two main differences. First, in the first option there were four choices; (a) Totally Agree, (b) True up to some extent, (c) Totally Disagree and (d) I dont know. The students have to select one of them and this way we will understand how conscious students are about their teachers nonverbal interaction. Secondly, the first portion generally asked about the liking of the students which was directly linked to students motivation and involvement in the class. In the second part of the questionnaire the queries were directly related to the retention of the lectures with the nonverbal communication of their teachers. The second survey provides only two options of Yes and No and in this way the assessment will be definite. Later, both of them were combined to provide a coherent result of the findings. The results are as follows: Bangladesh Participants: The questionnaires were distributed among American International University students and Stamford University students, 15 students from each university participated in filling out the questionnaires. The entire 30 participants native language is Bengali and it consisted of 19 males and 11 females. The response of students to a teachers use of body language and gestures is summarized in Table 1. The above data shows that students at universities in Bangladesh are aware of nonverbal communication in their classrooms. The assessment clearly shows that 18 out of 30 students at the two universities, which results in an average of 60% of the students, feel strongly motivated when teachers nod their head in class. The remaining 12 students, or 40%, responded that it was true to some extent that the teachers head nodding results in motivation. This data is represented in Figure 1. 21 out of 30 students agreed that teachers who smile at their students in the classroom encourage them to be confident in their class, averaging at 70%, while the remaining 9 student, or 30%, answered that this was true to a some extent. Figure 2 summarizes this finding. A teachers happy mood creates a good atmosphere in second language classroom with a high percentage from both the universities, where 27 out of 30 students answered Totally Agree in the survey, averaging at 90%, while the remaining 10% answered true to some extent. This proves the point that amongst students at universities in Bangladesh, non-motivation results when a teacher does not enter the classroom with a good mood. See Figure 3 for a graphical representation of this data. Finally, a teachers raised finger embarrasses students in Bangladesh, where 23 out of 30 students, averaging at 78% conveyed that their level of confidence goes down when teachers raise their finger while asking them a question, Figure 4. The students response to the use of various supra segmental features of language such as pitch, tone, rhythm and volume by the teacher is summarized in Table 2. In both universities in Bangladesh, 27 out of 30 students with an average of 90% survey result shows that monotonous tone creates boredom in classroom and 3 students answered true to some extent with an average of 10%, Figure 5. 20 out of 30 students with an average of 66% totally agreed to the question that variation is tone, pitch and volume is liked, while 10 students, or 34%, answered true to some extent, Figure 6. The students response about the use of time by their teachers is shown in Figure 7. The result of this question shows that, 23 out of 30 students averaging at 77% of the students in Bangladesh in University take teachers casually if they are not regular in their classroom. As teachers for second language learner, one must remember that English is a second language for the students and if the teachers are not motivated to be regular in their classes students will not be either. Second, 14 out of 30 students with an average of 47% answered that they look at their wrist watches if a teacher takes over-time in the classroom. The students response about the use of eye contact of their teachers is shown in Figure 8. The above result shows that, 25 out of 30 students with an average of 83% of the students feel encouraged when teachers use eye-contact. Visual contact with the instructor appears related to students comprehension. Furthermore, visual contact with the instructor increases attentiveness, which in turn triggers motivation. Second, 18 out of 30 students said that cold stares embarrass students with an average of 60%. The students response about the movement of their teachers in a classroom is shown in Figure 9. The result shows that 23 students totally agreed upon with an average of 78% that the students in Bangladesh feel teachers movement in the classroom keep them alert, which shows that students are affected by teachers use of space. Whereas, around 21 out of 30 students agreed with an average of 70% that teacher standing still creates laziness in students. Data Analysis: The above findings clearly state that our students in second language classrooms are conscious about teachers nonverbal communication used to interact, which triggers motivation. Smiling and nodding head in a classroom plays a vital role in universities in Bangladesh when interacting with students because the most dominant and reliable features of the face provide a constant channel of communication. They received high percentage of 60% and 90%. That is why when teachers interact there face provides shifty and evasive; convey hate, fear, and guilt; or express confidence, and support. 90% of the student agreed that by using a dull tone in the classrooms, students think that the teacher is tired or boring. But as teachers of second language, one must remember that we are providing a class time of 75 minutes and within that time frame a teacher must provide an interactive speech where students will be encouraged to convey their views and ideas about the topic. Eye behavior seems to be particular importance which resulted in 83% and it is used to indicate whether one is open to communication. This can be observed when a teacher asks the class a question: students who think they know the answer will generally look at the teacher, while students who do not will usually try to avoid eye contact and in these cases cold stares must be avoided. Eye contact give provides a feeling of confidence and assurance from teacher. Therefore, plays an important role in second language classrooms. In Bangladesh, sometimes classrooms are small. If the teacher wishes to dominate the interaction in the classroom, the traditional arrangement is probably the best because students are seated side by side and the primary focal point is the teacher; thus, most interaction will go from teacher to student and from student to teacher. But in some cases, it is important to move around in the classroom to keep the attention of the students when teacher convey a message. 78% of the students feel that when a teacher moves in the classroom they feel motivated to listen. Lastly, a regular teacher is seen as a teacher who is passionate (about the course), prepared and is there for the students. 77% of the students agreed upon this factor. On the other hand, students start taking classes casually if the teacher is irregular and hence demotivation factor arises in second language classrooms. Teachers view on Nonverbal Communication being used as a motivation in Bangladesh: Two teachers from American International University and Stamford University participated in the interview questions. Theory of Normalisation of Drugs | Literature Review Theory of Normalisation of Drugs | Literature Review Who Hasnt Tried At Least one? An investigation into normalised recreational drug use in the South West and whether legal controls act as an effective deterrence to illegal drug consumption. Literature review When considering the concepts of normalisation and recreational drug use, it is crucial to first establish what is here meant by these terms in actuality. Often the two phenomena are met with difficulties [i](Parker, Aldridge and Measham 1998), difficulties which form in conflicting theories, what they are defined as and in which social environments they can be correctly used. The following review will be focusing on how historically, the concepts of normalisation and recreational drug use have been adopted into society and to what extent they correlate with one another. Does normalisation simply mean normal? The first development of the term normalisation was uncovered in Denmark throughout the 1950s, in order to create a normal living standard for individuals with forms of disabilities, disadvantages and those who were generally considered to lead a life in poor living conditions [ii](Emerson, 1992). The concept came in form as the piece of Danish legislation introduced by Niels Erik Bank-Mikkelsen called the [iii]1959 Mental Retardation Act, its political aims were to fundamentally change perspectives towards those with intellectual difficulties, hopefully resulting in the group becoming normalised and attaining the same community based rights as those without disabilities, such as work, clothing, housing and education. Since the concept was first pioneered in the 1950s, the term, after being translated into English by Dr. Bengt Nirje, has been widely adopted and revisited in many diverse fields of service, academia and literature but mostly referred to as a principle and theory [iv](N irje 1969; [v]Wolfensberger, 1972). Characteristically, normalisation refers to specific a group of individuals social behaviours (particularly deviants), and those behaviours becoming a part of the wider societys social norms, which become as close to day to day conventional life as is possible, ranging from lifes rhythms and routines to economic and environmental standards (Nirje 1969; Parker,[vi] Williams, Aldridge 2002). After making an impact of American professionals, Dr. Wolfensberger introduced the practice of normalisation into the United States in 1970. Wolfenberger made the concept of normalisation into a social relation by pointing out its obvious connections with other social concepts such as the labelling theory, but he also recognised that in fact the differences within disabled groups were still present despite the strive for social equality, this was later accepted by Emerson who pointed out that the concepts were transferable to any devalued social group or those a t risk of being a devalued social group [vii](Emerson and McGill, 1989). This then, as previously mentioned, allowed for other social sciences to adapt and investigate the theory in their specialised fields, where here specifically is relevant, Criminology and drugs. Drug use: The differences between recreation and addiction. Throughout the post-war decades there have been numerous drug epidemics, such as the speeding mods in the sixties to tripping hippies during the seventies through to a new wave of heroin users in the 1980s (Parker, Aldridge and Measham, 1998). Whilst all were thought of as a form of ephemeral drug taking, they were also known as behaviours found in the minority groups of the populations, and almost always referred to as deviant. But, a social change of massive proportions emerged throughout the nineties that was unparalleled to the previous decades. The nineties saw an unprecedented surge in drug taking amongst more than just the minority groups, much more. In fact, the dramatic rise in drug trying was among those considered ordinary and conventional. ([viii]Aldridge, Parker and Measham, 1999; [ix]Ashton and Camali, 1995). A significant dominance in the development of the theory known as the normalisation thesis is that of Howard Parker and Colleagues (1995). They suggest that the previous links between illicit drugs use and deviant behaviour no longer exist with regards to crime. They argue that it has instead become a part of the core youth culture in the United Kingdom, which has essentially stemmed from our freedom of choices and consumerism/consumption habits. This evokes the idea that drug use is no longer problematic, but recreational. The central argument here is that globalisation has created issues for a post-modernistic Britain in the form of an increased tolerance for drug use, which has been influenced by consumption. This meaning a basic phenomenon here of supply and demand, but of an illegal nature, the demand for drugs theoretically being higher due to perhaps more disposable income, contributed by the ease of accessibility and sale. Thus, the freedom of recreational drug consumption is inevitably begun. This specific literature is one that spurred and encouraged the idea for the research in this dissertation. Much like the thesis here, the research in this document adopts the same rationales or assumptions but with a specific focus on people between the ages of 18-45 whom reside in the South West. In Parker, Williams and Aldridge (2002) they measure sensible recreational drug use by adopting the normalisation theory. The research only includes specific drugs which are considered recreational. The research defines sensible drug use here by expressing that using sensibly does not include using drugs on a regular daily basis, as this can qualify, by definition, as addiction (Parker et al., 1998). They also specify that using a combination of any drugs at one given time does not equate to sensible either. The drugs that were included in this research were Cannabis, Ecstasy, Amphetamines and LSD. The study in this document will also include a measurement of recreation al use of these specific drugs along with others, in order to identify of which is most common, what other drugs most users have tried, followed by an evaluation into their reasonings why, and further analysis with regards to where the consumption takes place. As previously touched on, in Parker, Aldridge and Measham (1995) their investigation identified the gradual progressive nature of drug use from the sixties, seventies and eighties and how they differed from the nineties whereby the stereotypical drug user was no longer considered to be a part of a deviant subculture. Instead, they were found to be a part of mainstream youth culture that was said to be brought on by the shift in music at the time known as rave. The so-called dance music culture, inspired by DJs globally [x](Forsyth, Barnard and McKeganey, 1997), became normalised throughout society, which encouraged youths to party hard and indulge in party experiences. The nature of their consumption pursuits untimately led to the introduction if many exciting and experience enhancing drugs, such as ecstasy [xi](Pham and Puzantian, 2001). As is already known, since the nineties there has since been an ongoing culture of drug use amongst not only youths, but Britons in general, which still closely relates to the unprecedented nineties but instead of it just being rave related, it is now related to any experience where drugs could be seen as an enhancement. The core objective of this study aims to evaluate these theorys, as to whether Britons are taking drugs recreationally to feel good/enhance experiences, with a focus on the South West. Due to the influx of drug use becoming more substantial than ever in British history during the nineties, 1996 saw the Home Office begin recording trends on the phenomenon through the Crime Survey of England and Wales. In 1996, the percentages of drug users recorded amongst 16-24 year olds in the previous year, was an astonishing 30% that rose to 33% In 1999. This age group was considerably higher than the general population as a whole, which was recorded to be about 11% at the time. Since then though, the recorded figures show a relatively flat movement with no major rise or falls in percentages amongst the 16-59 age group. In comparison, the 16-24 age group figures have been dropping at a steady rate since 1996. However, 2013-2014 did see the slight increase of 4% compared to the previous year, this figure has remained around the same presently as last years percentages being around 18%. The year 2015-2016 shows that 1 in 12 (8.4%) of adults aged 16-59 had taken a drug in the last year, which equates to around 2.7 million people. The proportion of adults ages 16-24 taking drugs in the last year more than doubled the proportion of the relative 16-59 group. Despite the these disproportionate figures though, the Home Office Drug Misuse findings state that Over the last five years there has been some fluctuation in this series, but is likely that the recent trend in drug use among 16 to 24 year olds is relatively flat. However, the long-term trend is downward; the 2015/16 estimate is statistically significantly lower compared with 10 years ago (25.2% in the 2005/06 survey year) and with the start of the time series in 1996 (29.7%). These statistics essentially suggest a significant fall in most drug users. These figures, while they are dropping, are still considerably high. And so, the normalisation theory had been introduced, attempting to remove the stigmatism attached to young people who take drugs recreationally and move away from the idea that they are devia nts and/or involved in crimes. Another objective of the research in this dissertation using survey analysis is to identify young people in the South Wests perceptions of drug use figures compared to actual figures, and whether they match what is going on. Do they feel as though recreational drug use is dropping, staying the same or increasing? In Muncie 1999, it is identified that trends in drug use have changed from the addiction of drugs such as cocaine and heroin, to more leisurely drugs used by the modern youths in leisurely activities, they include, alcohol, cannabis and ecstasy. Although being under the influence when taking these drugs which may lead to crime, this could be considered out of character, and not creating a crime orientated lifestyle which harder drugs and addiction may create such as heroin [xii](Inciardi, 1979). An example could be the criminal behaviours that addiction to drug class A users may undergo such as theft, mugging, and burglary to fuel their habits and addictions [xiii](Parker and Newcombe, 1987). However, when a young person leisurely uses recreational drugs such as ecstasy or cannabis, this does not necessarily result in in person to undergo criminal activities or offences. A clear activist for such statements is Professor David Nutt who was the chair of the Advisory Council on the Misu se of Drugs, in 2009 however, [xiv]The Independent newspaper released an article stating that the professor was asked to resign because of his claims about illegal drugs such as ecstasy, LSD and cannabis being of less harm to human health than products legally available to the public like alcohol and tobacco. Although Parker et al. (1998) does not fully undertake postmodernism as structural inquality still exists, they believe that young peoples behaviour and choices have changed towards drugs due to a post-modern society that allows them to consume freely. For example, Mott and Mirrlees-Black (1993) found that the number of 16-19 year olds using cannabis more than doubled from 1983 to 1991. Normalisation has become an indicator of changes in social behaviour and cultural perspectives, meaning that the opinion about some illicit drugs has changed within the youth culture which in return affects their social behaviour as they do not think that using the drug is wrong or immoral. However, it could be argued that it is overgeneralizing to assume that all young people see drug use as normal, Dowds and Redfern (1994) found that approximately two-thirds of 12-15 year olds saw taking cannabis as a serious offense. Hunt and Stevens (2004) suggest that the government and media use drug normalisation as the proof for an increased disciplinary regulation and endorse policies as it is viewed to be a drug outbreak that needs to be broken or finished. For example, drug testing has been introduced in some schools to help prevent usage by young people (Craver, 2004). Illicit drug use is frequently associated with the youth culture, Robson (1994) points out that the most common time for using or trying drugs is between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four. It is suggested that this is due to adolescents being the time of experimentation in many aspects of life which can lead to rebellion. Coleman (1992:13) suggests a psychoanalytical-theory of three main reasons why young people and drugs are linked together: adolescence is a time of vulnerabilty as well as being impressionable, of rebellion and non-conformity and the need to be independant by disengaging from family relationships. These changes through adolescence support Colemans sociological theory that youth culture experiment in different social aspects of life, such as subcultures and trends or sexualities and in this case drugs. In relation to the normalisation theory, young people are able to experiment with drugs due to the wide availabilty of them as well as the access young people have to them due to people they know (Barton 2003). References [i] Judith Aldridge, 1998. Illegal Leisure (Adolescence and Society). 1 Edition. Routledge. [ii] Emerson, E., Hastings, R. and McGill, P. (1994). Values, attitudes and service ideology. Severe Learning Disabilities and Challenging Behaviours, pp.209-231. Last Accessed 02/02/20127 [iii] The Mental Retardation Act 1959. [iv] Bengt Nirje (1969). The Normalization Principle and its Human Management Implications. The International Social Role Valorization Journal, Vol. 1(2) 1994 [v] Wolfensberger, Wolf (1972) The Principle of Normalization in Human Services. Toronto, National Institute on Mental Retardation. [vi] Parker, H., Williams, L. and Aldridge, J. (2002). The Normalization of Sensible Recreational Drug Use. British Sociological Association, [online] 36(4). 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