Leadership Style and Performance Essay

An overview of the topic of leadership styles summarizes that the existing studies on how performance is affected by leadership style is separated into important phases. Early studies on leadership (frequently categorized as ‘trait’ studies on leadership) concentrated on identifying the personality traits which characterized successful leaders (Argyris, 1955; Mahoney et al. , 1960). According to them successful leaders are ‘naturally born’ and those they have certain native characteristics which distinguish them from non-leaders (see Stodgill, 1948). However, there was significant difficulty in validating these characteristics led to widespread criticism of this trait approach, signaling the emergence of ‘style’ and ‘behavioral’ approaches to leadership (Stodgill, 1948). Style and behavioral theorists shifted the emphasis away from the characteristics of the leader to the behavior and style the leader adopted. The primry conclusion of these studies is that adoption of democratic or participative styles by leaders are more successful (see, for example, Bowsers and Seashore, 1966). In this sense, these early studies are focused on identifying the ‘one best way of leading’. Similarly to trait theories, the major weakness of style and behavioral theories is the ignorance of how important role situational factors play in determining the effectiveness of individual leaders (Mullins, 1999). It is this limitation that gives rise to the ‘situational’ and ‘contingency’ theories of leadership (for example, Fiedler, 1967; House, 1971; Vroom and Yetton, 1974) which shift the emphasis away from ‘the one best way to lead’ to context-sensitive leadership. Although each study emphasizes the importance of different factors, the general tenet of the situational and contingency perspectives is that leadership effectiveness is dependent on the leader’s diagnosis and understanding of situational factors, followed by the adoption of the appropriate style to deal with each circumstance. However, recent studies on leadership have contrasted ‘transactional’ leadership with ‘transformational’. Transactional leaders are said to be ‘instrumental’ and frequently focus on exchange relationship with their subordinates. In contrast, transformational leaders are argued to be visionary and enthusiastic, with an inherent ability to motivate subordinates. Although the brief summary above indicates that research into leadership has gone through periods of skepticism, recent interest has focused on the importance of the leadership role to the success of organizations. Fiedler (1996), one of the most respected researchers on leadership, has provided a recent treatise on the importance of leadership by arguing that the effectiveness of a leader is a major determinant of the success or failure of a group, organization or even an entire country. It has been argued that one way in which organizations have sought to cope with the increasing volatility and turbulence of the external environment is by training and developing leaders and equipping them with the skills to cope. These claims are based on the assumption of a direct link between leadership and organizational performance. This assumption requires critical review. Widely celebrated cases of a direct leadership–performance link may be found in numerous anecdotal accounts of improvements of company performance attributed to changes in leadership (see, for example, Nicholls, 1988; Quick, 1992; Simms, 1997). However, empirical studies into the links between leadership and performance have been lacking. One notable exception is the detailed study of the impact of leadership on performance in the somewhat surprising context of Icelandic fishing ships. Thorlindsson (1987) suggests that variations in the performance of different fishing ships, under identical conditions, can be accounted for by the leadership skills of captains. Over a three-year period, Thorlindsson revealed that the leadership qualities of the ship captains accounted for 35 to 49 per cent of variation in the catch of different crews. Other studies which examine the links between leadership and performance coincide with the re-emergence of the ‘one best way to lead’ debate. Of particular relevance is the resurgence of interest into charismatic leadership, which is frequently referred to as transformational leadership (Bass and Avolio, 1993). A number of researchers theorize that transformational leadership is linked to organizational performance. Conceptually, it is argued that the visionary and inspirational skills of transformational leaders motivate followers to deliver superior performance. In summary, much of the above evidence presented as supporting the claim of a leadership–performance link is anecdotal and frequently over-concentrates on the ‘transformational’ role of leaders in corporate successes. It would appear that few studies have responded to the observation of Porter and Mckibbin (1988) that much of the research reported as supporting this claim is either inconclusive or empirically suspect. The limited or inconclusive character of research findings in this area suggests the need to investigate further the nature of the relationship between leadership and performance. Several different categories of leadership paradigms have been suggested by various researchers. For example, Bass (1985) stated that there are four dimensions of transformational leadership, three dimensions of transactional leadership, and a non-leadership dimension of laissez-faire leadership (Bass, 1985). Avery (2004) suggested categorizing leadership into four leadership paradigms, while Goleman (1995) prefers six leadership paradigms. Despite Bass’s (1985) model being acclaimed as making a major contribution to leadership, his theory has been criticized for various reasons (Yukl, 1999). One criticism is that his model overemphasizes the importance of one or two leadership paradigms (e. g. transactional and visionary), omitting the classical and organic paradigms Bass asserts that visionary (transformational) leaders are nearly always more effective than transactional leaders, but others (e. g. Judge and Piccolo, 2004; Wallace, 1997) dispute this. While this in itself does not invalidate the concept of visionary leadership, Bass attributes more to visionary (transformational) leadership than perhaps he should. As Avery (2004) suggested, both transactional and visionary leadership are valid forms of leadership, but visionary leadership may be applicable more broadly, including in situations where there are insufficient resources for the manager to rely on supplying external rewards (Judge and Piccolo, 2004), or where the situation is complex and ambiguous, and relies strongly on follower knowledge and commitment. Avery suggests that there are other situations in which transactional leadership is the appropriate form of leadership, such as when followers are unwilling or unable to commit to the leader’s vision. In contrast with Bass’s (1985) model, Avery’s (2004) paradigms provide a broad basis allowing for different forms of leadership that have evolved at different times and in different places. The paradigms are useful for showing that there is no single best way of thinking about leadership, rather that different kinds of leadership reflect social and historical roots. Avery’s paradigms allow leadership to depend on the context, respond to organizational needs and preferences, and involve many interdependent factors that can be manipulated (Bryman, 1992; Shamir and Howell, 1999; Yukl, 1999). Avery (2004) proposes 13 indices to differentiate between her four paradigms: classical, transactional, visionary, and organic. The nine indices included in this review are decision making, range of staff’s power, power distance between leader and the staff, key player of the organization, source of staff’s commitment, staff’s responsibility, situation of management and leadership in the organization, situation of diversity in the organization and situation of control in the organization. These nine criteria are considered more relevant for differentiating the four leadership paradigms than the other four criteria. Each paradigm is discussed in turn, including the distinguishing characteristics using the above nine criteria. Classical leadership is probably the oldest paradigm with its origins in antiquity, and is still used in contemporary organizations (Avery, 2004). This paradigm reflected the prevailing view in the business literature until the 1970s when the human relations movement led to more of a focus on followers and their environment. According to Avery (2004), classical leadership refers to dominance by a pre-eminent person or an ‘elite’ group of people. This leadership can either be coercive or benevolent or a mixture of both. This happens because the elite individual or group commands or maneuvers other members to act towards a goal, which may or may not be explicitly stated. The other members of the society or organization typically adhere to the directives of the elite leader, do not openly question their directives, and execute orders largely out of fear of the consequences of not doing so, or out of respect for the leader, or both (Avery, 2004). Classical leadership has some limitations. The first occurs where the leader cannot command and control every action, particularly as situations become more complex and beyond the capacity of one person; or when additional commitment from followers is needed to get a job done, such as in reacting to changing circumstances; or when ideas about leadership change and followers no longer accept domination, or follower commitment starts to wane for other reasons. Another limitation is that this paradigm often relies on the idea of a ‘great person’, implying that only a select few are good enough to exercise initiative, and this belief can encourage followers to deskill themselves nd idealize the leaders. Followers then seek and hold little power, leave the leader accountable for organizational outcomes, and make relatively little contribution to the organization (Avery, 2004). According to the nine distinguishing indicators, under the classical leadership paradigm leaders normally use an autocratic style for making decisions, involving followers in the decision making process never or very little; they do not empower followers. Followers have almost no power in the organization and as classical leaders tend to be highly directive, followers can be unskilled. The source of followers’ commitment comes from their fear of or respect for the leaders; the technical system becomes more regulating; the operations in the organization become more routine and predictable; and the organization is highly controlled by the leaders (Avery, 2004). A transaction or exchange process is the basis of the commonly employed transactional leadership paradigm (Evans and Dermer, 1974; House and Mitchell, 1974). The transactional leader recognizes subordinates’ needs and desires, and then clarifies how those needs and desires will be met in exchange for subordinates’ work. By clarifying what is required of subordinates and the consequences of their behaviors, transactional leaders are able to build confidence in subordinates to exert the necessary effort to achieve expected levels of performance. According to Judge and Piccolo (2004), three dimensions of transactional leadership are contingent reward, management by exception-active, and management by exception-passive. Contingent reward is the degree to which the leader sets up constructive transactions or exchanges with followers. The leader clarifies expectations and establishes the rewards for meeting these expectations. In general, management by exception is the degree to which the leader takes corrective action on the basis of results of leader-follower transactions (Judge and Piccolo, 2004). As noted by Howell and Avolio (1993), the difference between management by exception-active and management by exception-passive lies in the timing of the leader’s intervention. Active leaders monitor follower behavior, anticipate problems, and take corrective actions before the behavior creates serious difficulties. Passive leaders wait until the behavior has created problems before taking action (Howell and Avolio, 1993; Judge and Piccolo, 2004). According to Avery (2004, p. 34), under the transactional leadership paradigm, leaders adopt a consultative style for making decisions. They engage in different degrees of consultation with individual followers, but the leaders remain the final decision-makers. Leaders do not very often empower followers, and followers have very low power in the organization apart from being able to withdraw from or contribute more of their labor. Compared with classical leadership, under transactional leadership the source of followers’ commitment comes from the rewards, agreements, and expectations negotiated with the leader rather than from their fear of, or respect for, the classical leader. The technical system becomes more regulating, the operations in the organization become more routine and predictable, and the organization is mostly highly controlled by the leaders. Avery (2004) argues that under transactional leadership, the followers’ knowledge base can be somewhat higher than under classical leadership. Compared with classical leaders, transactional leaders require staff somewhat more skilled on specific tasks. In the last three decades, visionary (transformational, charismatic) leadership has received increasing attention (Bass, 1985, 1998; Burns, 1978; Conger and Kanungo, 1987; House, 1977). It added a new dimension to organizational studies, namely the visionary aspect of leadership and the emotional involvement of employees within an organization. The basic notion is that a visionary leader can create an impression that he or she has high competence and a vision to achieve success. Subordinates are expected to respond with enthusiasm and commitment to the leadership objectives, and may be recruited because they share the vision. Bass (1985, 1998) developed a theory of visionary or transformational leadership whereby the leader inspires and activates subordinates to perform beyond normal expectations. According to Avery (2004), visionary leadership has limitations, even with the current literature’s overwhelmingly positive view of it. Nadler and Tuschman (1990) pointed out that the unrealistic expectations followers often place on visionary leaders can create disappointment if things do not work out. Followers can become dependent on visionary leaders, believing that the leader has everything under control. Also, innovation can be inhibited if people become reluctant to disagree with a visionary leader. Avery (2004, p. 39) distinguishes the visionary leadership paradigm from the other three paradigms as follows. First, leaders employ a collaborative style for making decisions. They share problems with their followers and seek consensus before the leaders make the final decision. Visionary leaders empower their followers, giving followers a much higher level of power in the organization than classical and transactional leadership. This is essential because the leader needs the followers’ input and commitment to realize his or her goals. Followers of visionary leadership need sufficient power to work autonomously towards a shared vision. The source of followers’ commitment comes from the influence of the leaders’ charisma and/or the shared vision, the technical system becomes still more complex, operations become more uncertain and unpredictable, and the organization is jointly controlled by the leaders and their followers. Regarding the followers’ knowledge base, visionary leadership requires skilled and knowledgeable workers who are attracted to, and share the leader’s vision, and can contribute to realizing the vision. The fourth paradigm, organic leadership, is relatively new to organizational studies. Recently introduced by Drath (2001) and expanded by Avery (2004), organic leadership is likely to blur the formal distinction between leaders and followers. This paradigm relies on reciprocal actions, where team members work together in whatever roles of authority and power they may have, not based on position power (Hirschhorn, 1997; Raelin, 2003; Rothschild and Whitt, 1986). Employees become interacting partners in determining what makes sense, how to adapt to change, and what is a useful direction. Rather than relying on one leader, organic organizations are likely to have many leaders. Multiple leaders are valuable because as people cope with heterogeneous and dynamic environments, the knowledge and issues become too complicated for only a few leaders to understand (Avery, 2004). Organic leadership allows for people with different degrees of expertise on current issues to emerge and be accepted by the group as leaders. In addition, under organic leadership, there may be no formal leaders and the interaction of all organizational members can act as a form of leadership, held together by a shared vision, values, and a supporting culture. Under this paradigm where an organization has no formal leadership structure, an integrator role may emerge to actively link together the many parts of the organization (Avery, 2004). The emphasis is on emerging leadership rather than on people being appointed to leadership positions. However, Kanter (1989) argued that the downside of organic leadership that advocates autonomy, freedom, discretion and authorization may result in loss of control and greatly increased uncertainty. It is important to recognize that organic leadership is about generating a form of self-control and self-organization, where people have a clear sense of purpose and autonomy within a particular context (Meindl, 1998). This idealized organic leadership paradigm requires differentiating from classical, transactional, and visionary leadership concepts by not relying on formal leaders. Furthermore, the enterprise has to trust in the capacity of its members to solve problems and make decisions in the interests of the organization. This idea clearly relies upon self-leading organizational members (Avery, 2004). According to Avery’s (2004, p. 39) distinguishing characteristics, under organic leadership an organization adopts a mutual agreement style for making decisions. Decisions need not be unanimous but can be based on consensus. The members have a high degree of power as a result of this shared leadership. Accountability and responsibility are shared as well. The source of followers’ commitment is based on the values and visions shared by all the members in the organization; a strong, shared culture; a technical system that is highly complex; operations in the organic organization become more self-organizing and unpredictable; formal control is provided by peer pressure and group dynamics, and a shared culture, vision, and values. Members are self-managing. Organic leadership seems particularly appropriate for professional and knowledge workers in dynamic, chaotic situations. This leadership paradigm relies on attracting and retaining highly trained and knowledgeable staff with self-controlling capabilities.

Importance of Space Exploration

Space exploration is the discovery and exploration of outer space by means of space technology. [1] Physical exploration of space is conducted both by human spaceflights and by robotic spacecraft. While the observation of objects in space, known as astronomy, predates reliable recorded history, it was the development of large and relatively efficient rockets during the early 20th century that allowed physical space exploration to become a reality. Common rationales for exploring space include advancing scientific research, uniting different nations, ensuring the future survival of humanity and developing military and strategic advantages against other countries. Various criticisms of space exploration are sometimes made. The Importance of Space Exploration Outer space is the provider of an endless source of questions for scientists. Its enormous proportions are seemingly endless and interesting, and the knowledge garnered on the subject is very commonly well received by the supporting public. Nowadays in a time where economic recession is threatening to cut the funding necessary for space travel, how can we justify it? On the positive side of things, space exploration helps scientists answer a lot of earths' questions. That is a definite pro. Space exploration has proven immensely helpful in determining the theories of where earth came from, like the Big Bang. It also helped scientists single out what elements need to be present for an environment to sustain life. This can prove invaluable, especially if humans do end up completely destroying earth. We need that knowledge in order to find a new planet, right? Hopefully it won't come to that. Space explorations' biggest pro is that it has given scientists content and examples to compare our earth to. This makes it easier to answer questions that would prove to be almost undecipherable otherwise, without thousands if not millions of years of study. Also, the invention of technology used in space exploration was essential for the advancement and development of many helpful technologies widely used today. In other words, without space exploration we would know a lot less. Now, on the other side of the argument, a con of space exploration is that while being focused on the far reaches of the galaxy scientists neglect what we should be studying right here on earth. Oceans make up the largest percentage of our planet yet we know less about the deep sea than we do about stars thousands of miles away. Space exploration has produced technology which can take humans to the inhospitable vacuum on the moon, yet there is not too much thought or effort going into exploring the deepest sea trenches, even though there is now proof that life exists down there. All this fascination and funding going to finding life in outer space while the actual life on the darkest corners of our own planet goes unstudied. Space exploration is also responsible for producing thousands of jobs. There are people needed for all sorts of tasks involving the complicated process of exploring the galaxies. Of course, those jobs would probably exist too if the preferred field of exploration were to be the oceans. This brings about the money issue, which might be its biggest con. Space exploration and all its technological advances come at a very high price. However, it was money well spent until now that government is undergoing major budget cuts to abate financial crisis. Which is more important, knowledge or health care? This is unarguably a big concern. When weighing the pros and cons of space exploration, it is all a matter of relativity. Science should pay more attention to our own planet before focusing on others, but it is undeniably a fact that focusing on those others through space exploration has helped us understand earth a whole lot better.

Dorothy Parker, The Waltz Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Dorothy Parker, The Waltz - Research Paper Example She reveals the reality of the treatment of women by men and shows how they were trapped in a male-dominated society during the twentieth century. It is an autobiographical account of her experience which involved sexism and how she conforms to the expectations of the society. The opening lines express the relationship between man and woman which is that of hatred yet there is a sense of dependence both inherent and induced through social pressure. In response to a simple question â€Å"would you like to dance?† a woman is often heard to reply in the affirmative. However the opening lines tell the reader that the female character is unwilling to do so. In fact her sentiments are so strong that it appears that she is completely frustrated with the cliched gestures that women show towards men as a weaker sex: â€Å"I don’t want to dance with him. I don’t want to dance with anybody. And even if I did, it wouldn’t be with him. He'd be well among the last ten. I've seen the way he dances. Just think, not a quarter of an hour ago, here I was sitting, feeling so sorry the poor girl he was dancing with. and now I'm going to be that poor girl.† (Parker 1942) As one reads on through the story he realizes that it is rather a satirical parody of women’s attitude towards men. ... The monologue, through which the entire story is narrated, is a true expression of the speaker which is not only outright but also comforting. The language used is very concrete and feminine. It not only parodies the feminine language but also the masculine aspect of it making it all the more interesting. The rhetorical question that the story poses is about the possible response a female can give to a man who is offering her to dance with him (Pettit 241). For Parker, being smart and cute were the only two available attitudes for her as a woman in the early twentieth century. This shows that the story has a quasi-autobiographical discourse. The way she incorporates the textual environment of the early 1930s is a remarkable achievement of the author who accepted and resisted using the language of popular literature in all her works. The complex parodic paradigm of the use of language in the short fiction is an aspect which drives more attention to the story than just its appearance i n a particular magazine in a particular time period (Bennett112). The question â€Å"would you like to dance?† is a unique speech act which lies somewhere between a command and a genuine question. The face value of this question is a freedom of choice for the women but it is the situation where she is asked that she is compelled to reply in affirmative even if she does not want to. She does have the freedom to decline but she is also elated by the fact that someone at least asked her. The story suggests that women find an agency through humor and the speech-act that it allows is a limited agency. Parker combines and represents the words of the women which allows for them to share the humor which leads to a

Schedule I & schedule II Drugs Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Schedule I & schedule II Drugs - Term Paper Example Even though heroin has been categorized as a form of painkiller, it is very dangerous especially due to its highly addictive latent. On the other hand, marijuana is derived from cannabis plant and even though it does not possess high addiction latency, it nonetheless has the highest potential of abuse. Marijuana comprises a combination of the cannabis flowers, the stems, its cannabis seeds, and the cannabis leaves. MDMA or Ecstasy is also an artificial and psychoactive stimulant drug which comes in a variety of tablets. Hence, addiction to MDMA results in over-activity of the individual body system. The three types of drugs are very precarious and can be extremely fatal (Riviello 41). Thus, the aim of this paper is to examine the similarities and differences between Heroin, marijuana, and MMDA (ecstasy). Accordingly, with the perception of the similarities and differences, the paper will then emphasize on a single drug with a focus on why it should be changed to a Schedule II drug. In terms of classification, the three drugs are categorized as schedule I drug types based on U.S Drug Enforcement Administration and Drug Scheduling regulations (3). Hence, by branding the drugs as schedule 1, implies that they belong to the most dangerous category of drugs, which not only an elevated potential for abuse, but also presents the threat of high physical dependence and relentless psychological reliance. They are therefore not permitted for medical utilization due to their highest prospect of abuse. They have no currently authorized medical use and they are mostly used for recreational intentions and therapeutic reasons. Thus, the level of physical plus psychological abuse nationwide remains generally elevated in comparison to other prevalent drugs. In terms of legality of use, the Drug Enforcement Administration notes that marijuana, ecstasy and heroin have no legitimate medical use. In reality they cannot be prescribed by physicians or

Consumer behavior a strategic approach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Consumer behavior a strategic approach - Essay Example Opportunities The increased environmental awareness of the individuals has augmented the demand for eco friendly and organic products. Moreover, the new range of skin care products available for men has helped to boost the overall revenue of the company. This has also helped to increase the sales of the company (Spangler, 2008). Threats Though the company aims to sell eco-friendly cosmetics, the suppliers of the raw materials do not seem to adhere to the standards of eco friendliness. The biggest drawback of the company that can be a threat to its market position in future is the lack of an advertising and marketing department in the company (Muller, 2005). Companies like MAC, Make up Forever etc are now following the footsteps of The Body Shop by improving on the scale of their scope of social responsibility in business. The PESTLE analysis is given in the Appendix. The present market for the cosmetics industry is highly competitive in nature. At this juncture, the lack of proper ad vertising and marketing of the products of the Body Shop can substantially detrimental to its brand value and strength of the customers. The business of Body Shop is well known in the market for its ethical standpoint. The company strictly opposes to the testing new products on animals. But L’Oreal is blamed for this practice in the market. In 2008, the Animal Rights group have sternly warned the company to abolish such practices. As the ownership of Body Shop has been undertaken by L’Oreal since 2006 with an amount of $1.14 billion, the ethical standpoint of the company is now doubted by its stakeholders (Pitman, 2006). The fall in the disposable income of the individuals due to the soaring price levels have considerably... The key stakeholders and the target publics of the Body Shop are likely to be affected by the three main issues faced by the company. †¢Ã‚  Mergers of the company: the merger of the company would affect the existing shareholders and the employees of the organization. The shareholders would be suspicious about the performance of the company in the new merged position in the market. Rather the working culture of the organization would also change with the merger, this would affect the employees. The consumers would also doubt the ethical virtues of the company after the merger as LO real is known to not follow ethical issues in business. †¢Ã‚  The recession in the world economy: the crisis of finance in the global economies can force the company cut down some jobs, this would affect the employees. Rather the fall in the disposable income levels would hamper the purchasing power capabilities of the consumers. The suppliers would also be reluctant to provide raw materials at lo wer prices. †¢Ã‚  The ethical virtues of other cosmetics companies: this would directly affect the decisions of the consumers in the market. They might reduce the demand for the products of The Body Shop. Considering the initial business analysis, it can be stated that any change made in the business operations of The Body Shop would surely affect its stakeholders. Figure 1 and 2 in the Appendix, shows the stakeholders map for the Body. The most important stakeholders of the company are the customers and the shareholders.

Portfolio Part A - Article Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Portfolio Part A - Review - Article Example e to strict the definition of rhetoric as persuasion they asked the rhetoric scholars to explore other forms of rhetoric thoughts which was then told â€Å"invitational rhetoric†. Invitational rhetoric was a civil approach. Issue was also sorted out by simply studying the critiques on rhetoric concepts and difficulties in addressing the medium which scopes were limited by rhetoric concepts. In this journal traditional definitions of rhetoric thoughts were challenged and then examined as the invitational rhetoric concepts. These concepts of invitation rhetoric were considered as civil approach even up till now. They carried the theory given by Griffin and Foss 1995 and described as a different and a unique type of communication that had gone beyond rhetoric as persuasion. Another main finding was that invitational rhetoric was adopted to have an exchange of information in the environment based on equality, value and civility. Studies result better when work with many other researchers in the field. The authors could have worked with more theories related to civil approach communication. The search related to feminism could also have been included to high the studies of this article. As it is talked about exchange of information in in-equal environment a lot in this article so the primary data collection and interpretation would have helped a lot in the obtaining of true

Role of DHS to Enhance Special Operations Force Structure Essay

Role of DHS to Enhance Special Operations Force Structure - Essay Example Deconfliction is an important aspect to be careful about especially in areas of overlapping responsibility to prevent law enforcing agencies from mistakably disrupting operations. Components of DHS also included joint operations as a means to integrate federal border security efforts. The 9/11 commission has extensively stressed on the intensive collaboration with international partners, also increasing enforcement though joint efforts in the state, local and federal affairs. DHS components developed joint operations for time related surge operations in air, maritime and land border security. In order to check vulnerabilities related to insufficient staff, the officials have issued a three year grant to tribal nations/states and also the local governments have also been included to augment Border patrolling personnel and resources to offer security which benefited all sectors. For example, the joint operation outlook for the purpose of border security has resulted in the better under standing of partner capabilities. In 2007, in the Blaine sector with the joint operation, eight illegal aliens attempting to enter the United States were detained. The partners involved in the operation were DHS components including Border Patroling and ICE, while others included DoD, state and local law enforcement entities (Stana, 2011, p 15-20). Similarities between force structure of Israel, Great Britain and the United States Counter-terrorism has been designated USSCOM’s primary core task which involves the reducing the probable features of a successful terrorist attack (Groover, 2004, p12; SOF Reference Manual, 1999).The influence of the diplomatic efforts of treaties and policies will be evaluated in the light of on how the ability of land forces has defined to fulfill the nation’s global challenges. Naval and air power have historically played an important role mainly in the defense policies of Great Britain in the past and the United States at present. Resear ch suggests that Great Britain’s experience have been used by the United States to quantify historical significance on this aspect of the study (Sevcik, 2001, p2). Israel Defense Forces (IDF) similarly demonstrates the conventional military capability, coupled with nuclear weapons that are likely to deter any state to launch conventional campaign against them. Therefore, the most striking similarity in the structural features of the military forces between Israel, Great Britain and the USA is the use of high-intensity war equipments. Predicting the mode of future warfare is incredibly a difficult task but the general themes from the past and the present can definitely contribute to its theoretical content on the aspect of warfare relevance in the future. The future for all the three nations, namely Britain, Israel and the United States encompasses conventional wars of high-intensity. Predictions for the future war will mean nothing at all if the force structure of the concern ed state is not able to deal with the specialized needs of conflict (Martson, n.d. pp.1-4). Unique characteristics of SOF and Counter terror forces as compared to conventional mili

Federico uribe Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Federico uribe - Essay Example Uribe is a modern artist currently working out of Florida but represented on an international scale because of his unique approach and style. Born in Bogota, Columbia, the artist made a multi-cultural study of art prior to developing his own style. This style has only continued to evolve as he continues to work. Making a name for himself first with his paintbrush, Uribe is now most known for his works using everyday objects to create unique images and sculptures. The underlying focus of his work is to create connections – connections with his audience, connections with his materials and connections between ideas. When viewed from up close, his work may be revealed as an exploration into the connections between writing utensils and the ways in which we define ourselves while a more distant viewpoint reveals the 3D image of a woman’s body. At the same time, his work creates a connection between historic art, most specifically reminiscent of the Pop Art culture of the 1960 s, and contemporary approaches to art in which mixed media is king. Another connection he creates is between the world of fine art and commercial art as he creates pieces that deliberately play on the logos or brand names of makers of products. It is the purpose of the following study to discover more about the artist, his approach to art, his techniques and the ways in which he uses these forms to bridge the spaces between within the postmodern culture. When discussing current art practices within the postmodern world, it is important to consider the main ideas connected to the â€Å"politics of representation.† This term attempts to make a distinction between the content of an image and the form of the image. Another way of thinking about this is the distinction that is made between the sublime and the visual. The sublime refers to the unspoken meaning behind the image, the ideas that cannot be fully explained because words are not big enough but they exist all the same.

Purchasing and supply management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Purchasing and supply management - Essay Example purchasing. After 6 months, she faced a genuine problem in discharging her duties. One of the highest paid senior most medical staff and substantial revenue generator Dr. Spiller, almost negotiated and finalized an X-ray processor with New Age regional manager Mr. Jarvis. After finalizing the product and rate and he only called Rose silver to place a final order to purchase the X-ray processor from New Age. Now being in-charge of purchase, Rose tried to explain the things but he is not willing to listen her views at all. He was just explaining to Rose that the firm and person, whom he has finalized is the right company /person and only the said supplier will be able to supply the product as well as it’s a right kind of product. He even told Rose that companies (Supplier) regional manager Mr. Jarvis assured him that all the details has been taken care of by himself. Now Rose Silver is facing a kind of situation in which she could not use her expertise in the interest of hospita l as well as she could not be able to discharge her responsibilities properly. Dr. Spiller had tried to bully her. Now she is in dilemma about her future course of actions. Discussions: (1) Lysons (2000, P.1) defines purchasing as: â€Å"Purchasing is the function responsible for obtaining by purchase, lease or other legal means, equipment, materials, components, suppliers and services required by an undertaking for use in production or resale†. Organizational purchasing decisions are therefore far more significant in today’s competitive situation and can play a significant part in determining company’s profitability. Purchasing is critical when it represents such a large proportion of the cost. Purchasing activities involves buying decisions to ensure that the right goods are in the right place, at the right time, at a right price, at the right quality and at the right quantity. Information is an important resource to

Marketing - Marketing Metrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Marketing - Marketing Metrics - Essay Example The mere thought that the cruise ship market segment will become saturated is illogical. In the cruise ship’s French market segment industry indicates the government had taken the industry on board. Consequently, the United Kingdom government must follow the example of the French government, in terms of prioritizing the cruise ship industry (http://www.cybercruises.com/shiplist.htm). 2. Cruise Market Watch In terms of United States cruise ship travel (http://www.cruisemarketwatch.com/blog1/market/), there are statistical data indicating which sector leads. In terms of age, cruise ship customers belonging to the 40-49 years of age ranks no. 1 & 2 at 26 percent. Cruise ship customers belonging to the 60 and above years of age ranks no. 1& 2 at similar 26 percent. Lastly, the cruise ship customers belonging to the 50-59 years of age ranks no. 3, at 22 percent. The income data indicates a striking cruise ship company impression. First, cruise ship customers belonging to the $100,0 00 to $200,000 annual income ranks no. 1 at 39 percent. Second, cruise ship customers belonging to the $75,000 to $100,000 annual income ranks no. 2 at 19 percent. Third, cruise ship customers belonging to the $60,000 to $75,000 annual income ranks no. 3 at 16 percent. ... Further, the data indicates that there is a significant difference when the race criteria are used. The white gender represents 91 percent of the cruise ship customers. The Americans represent 3 percent of the cruise ship customer pie. Last, the other race profiles represent 6 percent of the cruise ship customer pie. In terms of employment status, there is a significant difference. The graduates comprised 75 percent of the cruise ship customer population. On the other hand, the undergraduates comprised 25 percent of the cruise ship customer population. The graduates include those with doctoral degrees. In terms of employment status, there is also a significant difference. Statistics indicate the full time workers represent 63 percent of the entire cruise ship population. On the other hand, only 20 percent of the entire cruise ship population had retired from work. 3. Drivers of the Cruise ship Business. There are many factors driving the cruise ship business to continue serving the n eeds of the current and prospective cruise ship customers, including customers of Cunard cruise ship lines. Customers. Cunard shipping lines is one of the oldest and finest cruise ship lines in the global, especially United Kingdom, cruise ship industry. The Cunard cruise ship lines offers cruise to major ports of the world. The ports include Mediterranean, Caribbean, Northern European, and other World cruise ship tours (Kotler, 2009). Carnival United Kingdom Chief executive David Dingle emphasized 2010 was the most successful year for the company, in terms of cruise ship financial performance. The company’s acquisition of several cruise ships bolstered its financial performance. The company acquired Caronia, QE2 and the brand new Queen Mary 2. The three cruise ships had different

The Good Earth Essay Essay Example for Free

The Good Earth Essay Essay Wang Lung allows himself to become corrupted by the views of society of the rich, and he begins to treat O-lan more like a slave rather than his wife. Wang Lung has several good harvests and saves enough food and money to overcome the hard times and get his family through the years to come. One day, Wang Lung decides that O-lan is not suitable to be the wife of an opulent land owner such as himself. He comments on how ugly her unbound feet are, and O-lan was extremely hurt by that. †¦and he saw for the first time that she was a woman whom no man could call other than she was, a dull and common creature†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Buck 179). Later on, he does regret saying what he said to her because he feels guilty, but Chinese men do not show their emotions. It would have been unlike a traditional Chinese man to feel any sort of repentance towards his wife after insulting her. Not only does Wang Lung belittle O-lan, but he also ends up having a mistress. He starts attending the ostentatious tea house because he felt as if he were too good to go to the old tea house. At the new tea house, he got to choose one of the beautiful and alluring women on the paintings that were hanging on the walls. He picks out a woman named Lotus. As Cuckoo took Wang Lung upstairs, she said, â€Å"And Lotus may have this fellow – he smells of the fields and garlic! † (192). Wang Lung was highly embarrassed because he cares too much of what society thinks. â€Å"This Wang Lung heard, although he disdained to answer, although her words smote him like a dagger thrust because he feared that he looked indeed what he was, a farmer† (192). Although he was chagrin about the situation, it does not stop him from changing completely. Wang Lung wore a ponytail, but since Lotus thought it was old fashioned, he cut it for her. He also starts spending money abundantly, loses his enthusiasm for farming, purchases many new clothes, and cares heavily about his appearance. Wang Lung wanted to purchase Lotus, but in the meantime, he was distressed and worried. He screams at O-lan for not brushing her hair during this time. She cried, but it caught Wang Lung by surprise because he is not used to ever seeing her cry. Even during the hardest times of their life together, she did not weep. Not only did Wang Lung purchases Lotus, but he built her her very own house and pond. He also hires Cuckoo as her servant because she servant because Lotus’ feet are bound so she cannot walk a long distance, and later he builds Lotus and Cuckoo their own kitchen. Later in the novel, it is apparent that Wang Lung does not want his son to marry a village woman. â€Å"I am not willing that he marry any of the daughters of the village farmers, nor is it meet, seeing that we bear the common name of Wang† (237). If he was still poor, he most likely would not have cared if his son was married to a village woman. Wang Lung cares too much of what society thinks about him when he becomes rich. Wang Lung was once just a poor farmer in China, until he came into some money. He believed he was better than others, and he displayed that by the way he acted towards certain people, including his wife. Wang Lung treated his wife poorly once he met Lotus. He completely changed. Wang Lung let money and society’s view of the rich corrupt how he once used to be.

Risk Factors for Solitary Seizures

Risk Factors for Solitary Seizures DISCUSSION The aim of this study is to find out the underlying risk factors involved in recurrence of solitary seizure in patient with normal neuroimaging, in patients in whom treatment is not initiated. This will help to guide the patients who are at risk for recurrence. After the detailed history and clinical examination, laboratory and electroencephalogram and imaging, we analyzed the similarities and differences which will help in making conclusions from this study. Comparisons were done with other studies conducted related to this study. In present study total number of 110 cases from OPD (Medicine) and those admitted in wards, Command hospital, southern command, Pune with history of solitary seizure was taken after satisfying the inclusion criteria. In a study by Mussico24 in 2002, subjects less than 25years constituted 48% as compared to 50% in present study i.e 55 cases were < 25 years. Mean age at the time of seizure was 32 years in study of Von Donselaar23 in 2000 and 24.8 years in the study of Mussico24. The mean age at the time of seizure in our study is 29.62 years. The youngest patient was of 18 year and the oldest patient was 70 year old. Hopkins25 in 1998 conducted a study in which most frequent age range was 16-29 years. . This is similar to result of Von Donselaar23 (2000) concluded from his study of subjects who are 20 years or more, in which the most frequently affected age group is 30 years. Study regarding duration of new onset seizure showed that out of 60 cases, 38 cases (63.33%) had seizure for 10 Min. Mean duration of seizure was 5.11 min in our study as compared to 6.23 min in a study by Bernal B, Altman NR58 (2003). Maximum patient (30 cases; 60%) had seizure duration less than 5 min which is similar to the study done by Benbadis SR 59et al. (1995). Male to female ratio is 11:1 in present study. Annegers26 (1996) and Bora27(1995) found a slight preponderance of female cases in their study. Many authors(Von Donselaar23 2000, Mussico24 2002, Hopkins40 1998) report a mild to moderate preponderance of males in their studies. Imaging was done in all 110 cases. It was abnormal in 34 cases (31%) and normal in 76% cases. In patients with with abnormal neuroimaging, antiepileptic treatment was started and remaining cases were followed up for 12 months for recurrence. Bernal B, Altman NR58 (2003) found 37% CT head abnormality in patients presented with single seizure. Wallace60 (1974) conducted a study in which imaging revealed abnormality in 51 out of 132 subjects (38%). But reports in various study varies from 19% (Young34 et al 1982) to 51% (Rogel Ortiz50 F, 2006). CT was diagnostic in 34% case of generalized seizure shown in study by Scolloni Lanzurri G72 (1977) In present study, abnormal EEG was seen in 14 cases (12.73%) out of 110 cases. A Berg and D. Bettis et al98 (2000) found abnormal EEG in 42% of cases of singles seizure during post ictal period in their study. In study done by Van donselar 23(2000), EEG found epileptiform discharges in 29% subjects. In present study, all patient with abnormal EEG or imaging were started on antiepileptics and remaining patient with normal EEG/ imaging were not given antiepileptic treatment (60 cases) and followed up for 1 year for recurrence. Risk factors were studed in recurrence and non recurrence group. Various risk factors such as family history of seizures, childhood convulsion, past history/ evidence of tuberculosis, developmental delay, history of alcohol intake, head injury and sleep deprivation, abnormal neurological examination were studied and were compared with different studies. Family history was present in 3 cases (5%) out of total 60 cases which were followed up in our study, out of 3 cases(5%) with family history of seizure, 1 case has shown recurrence, while Shinnar S and Berg AT 41(1998) found positive family history in 5% of cases which is similar to our study. History of developmental delay was present in 2 cases (3.3%), and history of febrile convulsion were present in 4 cases (6.67%) among the untreated follow up group. Annegers26 (1996) and Bora27 (1996) have shown that neurologic deficit from birth was more common in association with seizure in males as compared to females in their studies. . 3 cases (5%) had history of Alcoholism. (Alc E 1997) shown that alcohol use has been to be a powerful risk factor for a first generalized tonic clonic seizure. Out of 60 cases which were followed, 24 cases had one or more of the above mentioned risk factor. Out of these 24, 4 cases recurred ( 17 %). While in patients without these risk factors i.e in 36 cases only 6 % cases (2 cases) recurred. Hence, presence of these risk factors increases the rate of recurrence in cases of single seizure. American College of Emergency Physician Policy (2004)38 also state that rate of recurrence is more in those patent who has one or more of these risk factors and should be treated with antiepileptic treatment irrespective of CT head and EEG. Out of total number of 6 recurrence, 1(16.7%) occurred within 7 days, 3 (50%) occurred within next 21 days of first seizure, 1 (16.7%) occurred within 1 to 3 months of first seizure. Hence, risk of recurrence decreased with passage of time. Scotoni49 et al (1999) and Das46 et al (2006) has also reported recurrence rate to be much higher in first three months. Rate of recurrence was 10 % in our study i.e. out of 60 patients with solitary unprovoked seizure with normal neurological examination and normal neuroimaging which were followed up for 12 months, 6 cases has shown recurrence, and almost all cases recurred in first 3 months. In previous studies done, rate of recurrence varied from 16% to 71 % (Treinman DM55, 1993), but follow up duration was different. In a study by D. Chadwick48 et al (Lancet 2006), recurrence rate was 21% in follow up of 1 year, most cases recurred within 3 months which is comparable to our study. Scotoni AE et al49 (1999) conducted the study rate of recurrence was 18%, duration of follow up was 6 months in this study. Out of 60 untreated cases 6 (10.0%) had recurrence in next 12 month. 3 cases in 18-25 age group (10.34%),1 cases in 26-35 age group (5.88%),1 case in 36-45 age group (12.50 %),0 case in 46-55 age group and 1 case in >55 age group(50.0%) had recurrence. In study by Mussico 24(2002) in which less than 16 years age group has double the recurrence risk of seizure as compared to 16-60 years age group. 6/ 60 cases had recurrence out of which 4 cases were male and 2 were female, total cases in male group were 55 and in female group were 5, hence recurrence rate was 7.3% in male and 40% in female. This sex difference in our study is due to cases were taken in military hospital, male population is more In study by D. Chadwick 18et al (2006), sex difference in recurrence and non recurrence group was not very significant. Study regarding duration of new onset seizure showed that out of 60 cases, 38 cases (63.33%) had seizure for 10 Min. The mean duration of seizure in recurrence group was 8.17 Â ± 4.44 min as compared to 4.7 Â ± 3.0 min in non recurrence group. Incidence of seizure recurrence is more in patients with longer duration of seizure. Duration of seizure at initial presentation was 10.1 + 5.2 min in the recurrence group and 6.5 + 4.1 min in the non recurrence group in a study by Das C.P.46 et al (2006). Martinovic and Jovic et al 51(2004) conducted a study in which the mean duration of seizure was 26.4 min in recurrence group and 4.6 min non recurrence group in a study. In one of 6 patients(16.6%) in recurrence group, family history of seizure was present compared to study conducted by Das46 et al (2006) and Hauser 43 (1998) repoted that sibling affected with epilepsy is a risk factor for recurrence of seizure in patients with solitary seizure. In our study, history of alcohol intake was present in 16.6% cases in recurrence group as compared to 3.70 % in non recurrence group which is same as those of alcohol and epilepsy study group (1997). Earnest and Feldman et al61 (1988) found similar results history of alcoholism in 12% of recurrent cases after single seizure.

A Review Of Lord Lamings Recomendations Social Work Essay

A Review Of Lord Lamings Recomendations Social Work Essay On 25th February 2000 at 3.15pm, Victoria Climbie was declared dead. A post-mortem examination carried out by Dr. Nathaniel Carey concluded she had died of hypothermia caused by malnourishment as a result of a damp environment and restricted movement. Lord Laming was approached by the Secretary of State for Health and the Secretary of State for the Home Department to carry out three statutory inquiries following Victorias death. The combination of these inquiries resulted in the Victoria Climbie Inquiry. In this report, he found the communication between Local Authorities, Police and Social Workers to be lacking. As a result, he made a series of recommendations and the order in which they would be implemented. By creating a hierarchy, (fig1), each Body or Committee had a specific function or role. Lord Laming determined that in the event of a serious case, an established and clear chain of command would ensure accountability and or support at the highest level. In this case, the buck would stop at the recommended ministerial Children and Families Board established with the Prime Ministers support. These main bodies and their subsidiaries would also be responsible for scrutinizing and implementing new legislation; and reporting back in the order laid out. The main focus of these recommendations was prevention rather than cure; by identifying children at risk at the earliest opportunity and ultimately ensuring their safety. This would be done by:- Simplifying the existing Working Together and the National Assessment Framework documents into one document that could be readily understood across the board. Getting rid of bureaucracy so that it became easier to identify who was responsible for what more easily. Improving the lines of communication and sharing of information. Retraining of frontline staff. Clarifying the common law rules on confidentiality. Social Care Recommendations: Following his inquiry, Lord Laming recommended a complete restructure on how a vulnerable childs case would be handled from its initiation to its completion. He recognized in order to protect the children; better standards and clear guidelines would have to be established for everyone concerned to follow. Some of his key suggestions called for:- Procedures on how to carry out an initial report: He concluded where English was not the childs first language, and interpreter would be made available. Training: Experienced staff with appropriate training would be assigned to the children and their families. Recording of data: Once a child has been identified as being vulnerable, all data regarding this child not limiting doctors reports; must be collated, recorded and shared with the proper authorities immediately. Accountability: Directors, Managers and Team leaders must establish a system that records:- Who made the authorities first aware of the childs predicament, who is dealing with the case, when the case was assigned, who referred the case to another agency or local authority and the actions being taken throughout the duration of the case. It is the duty of the Manager to ensure that every social worker is clear on what role they are expected to play in any particular case, and they understood what was expected of them. It would also be made clear that their actions would come under supervision and reviewed periodically. This would ensure everyone concerned was on the same page. Referrals: Each agency would have to cooperate with each other when sharing their information. If more than one agency was involved in a childs case, the initial agency should be responsible for informing the latter agency all the particulars of the case in writing. Legal Advice: In the event where emergency measures had to be taken, Lord Laming recommended that legal advice had to be taken within a 24 hour period. This would ensue that all aspects of the law were being complied with. Health Recommendations: Between the health, police and social services, it emerged that there were many missed opportunities which had they been spotted, could have saved Victorias life. As a result, Lord Laming suggested a complete revamp in the way cases were recorded from the ground up. Most notably, he recommended that:- Where a case of child abuse is suspected, a nursing care plan must be drawn up incorporating a full doctors report. Once a child has been identified as vulnerable, the examining doctor must decide whether to interrogate the child directly without the consent of his primary carers or get the childs history from his primary carers. The doctor must then note down his actions and or decisions taken in writing. Conclusion The Philosopher George Santayana (1905) once said those who cannot learn from history are doomed to repeat it. This unfortunately, appeared to be the case when Lord Laming was once again commissioned to write another report following the death of Baby Peter  [2]  . In this report he was asked to identify the barriers that prevented the safeguarding of children following his first inquiry. What has become increasingly clear is that despite the initial inquiry, it appears no real lessons have been learnt. On June 7th 2010, Channel 4  [3]  screened an undercover documentary on the life of a typical social worker. Among the concerns that old and newly qualified social workers expressed; a lack of communication between authorities and the bureaucracy that ensued stood out. Although one could argue the sample used in that particular documentary could not possibly reflect the UK as a whole; it is still a worrying and real concern that needs to be nationally addressed to safeguard these vulnerable children. TAQ 2: (ASSESSMENT CRITERIA 2.2) WHAT DOES A CHILDRENS TRUST DO? DESCRIBE THEIR ESSENTIAL FEATURES AND PARTNERSHIP AGREEMENTS. The Childrens Plan was set up by the Government to ensure every child regardless of age, sex, religion, economic background; could lead a safe, happy and healthy life. This is in turn would make it possible for these children to turn into well adjusted adults, capable of making positive contributions in their communities. In order to make this plan work, The Childrens Trust, made up of local partnerships, was given the responsibility to see out this vision and make it a reality. The role of the Childrens Trust One of their primary roles is to bring together local organisations that deal with the services of children, young adults and families together; to continually improve services rendered or deal with problems affecting these groups of people. Together with primary care trusts, police authorities, youth offending teams, health authorities, schools, local probation boards and youth offending teams; the Childrens Trust bring these organisations together and require them to join The Trust bound by a legal duty of care. Essential Features The Childrens Trust:- Identifies children at risk with an aim to prevent any harm by intervening at the earliest stage possible. Try to reduce child poverty Actively engage with their target groups by listening to their views on what affects them in their day to day lives in order to provide services that would make a real difference to these children. Ensure proper plans are laid out to provide effective services to their target groups. This includes total accountability in services provided and public spending. Making sure every child has a well rounded education which will enable have them to be on a more or less on equal footing with wealthy children when they finally join the job market. Tries to break the barriers that prevent children from sharing and using information. The Childrens Trust also ensures that proper communication and sharing of information exists between all Local Authorities dealing with children. Partnership Agreements The following organisations work closely together with the Childrens Trust to achieve the welfare of children, young adults and families. It should be noted they have a legal duty of care when providing their respective services and as a whole, as members of the Childrens Trust, work together for the overall well being of their target groups. Primary Care Trusts (PCT): PCT together with Local Authorities and other agencies that provide health and social care locally, ensure the needs of the community are met as a whole. Local Safeguarding Childrens Trusts: In order to promote the safety and well being of children, young adults and families, they work together with local authorities that deal with crime and disorder, Youth Offending Teams and schools to reduce crime and risk the rate of reoffending. They teach consequences at an early age in order to prevent, as much as possible, antisocial behaviour. Education: Schools, families and local authorities work together to achieve high educational standards and promote extracurricular activities to unlock talents in children. By working together, they try to ensure a child will enter into adulthood as a well adjusted and productive member of society. Local Area Agreement (LAA). The Childrens Trust works closely with the public, private and voluntary sectors to ensure their overall vision is met. TAQ3: (ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3.1, 3.2) DEFINE THE TERM CHILDREN IN NEED IN A SOCIAL WORK CONTEXT LIST THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHILD ABUSE AND NEGLECT AND GIVE A BRIEF DESCRIPTION Any child who needs extra care or attention from local authorities because:- they cannot achieve a reasonable standard of health, are significantly impaired, are disabled and are at risk from the people who surround or care for them are classified as Children in Need. The Children Act 1989 and the Children Act 2004 require that Local Authorities who provide services for children and young people (under 18 years old) to: Identify those who are unable to reasonably attain or maintain health and or development without the provision of services by local authorities Provide health services to those who are like to suffer further or future complication without the provision of services by the local authorities Provide services for disable children (Children Act 1989, section 17). Different Types of Child Abuse and Neglect Child abuse can manifest itself in many forms. Some forms of abuse are easier to spot than others and anybody working with children must be trained to spot and intervene at the earliest opportunity. Commons examples of child abuse include:- Physical abuse: This where a child is physically harmed by those in charge of his primary care (parents or guardians) or anybody who comes into contact with the child. This includes things like beating a child, pushing him/her into objects that can cause physical harm or restricting their movements so they cannot seek safety. Any deliberate action that leaves bruises, internal injuries, breaks, cuts and or scars is considered physical abuse. Sexual Abuse: Any form of sexual activity for example incest, rape, paedophilia; with a child is considered sexual abuse. Mental abuse: This covers a broad spectrum. Some of the major causes of mental abuse include:- Environment: Children who have alcoholic, violent and or drug addicted parents/guardians; or are exposed to such people in their communities, may suffer mentally as a result. The childrens future poor choices could be in part, as a result of the environment then grew up in. Unsupportive Families: Families who fail to support the children, by either encouraging them to do well or teaching them good values; constantly degrading or putting down their children; ignoring their children needs and wants; are in fact mentally abusing these children TAQ4: (ASSESSMENT CRITERION 3.3) OUTLINE THE STEPS INVOLVED IN THE INITIAL ASSESSMENT. PLEASE NOTE IF YOU HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING ALL LINKS YOU WILL HAVE INFORMATION ON THIS When a child in need has been identified or referred to the Local Authority, an initial assessment to determine what that need is, what kind of services will be required to help the child and most importantly if the child is safe in his or her current situation; is carried out. The steps involved in carrying out such an assessment are:- The initial assessment should be completed with a maximum period of 7 working days from the date of the first referral. The needs of the child in need should be identified The safety, health and well being of the child should be safeguarded from harm. Information from the childs primary carers (parents or guardians), the extended family, all Local Authorities who had contact with the child (in relation to the case however remote), and any records held about the child (both current and old); should be collated and recorded to form part of the initial assessment. Using the Children Act 1989 section 17 as a guideline:- define if the child is in need If there is sufficient or supporting evidence or likelihood the child is suffering or will suffer. The focus of the initial assessment should solely focus on the welfare of the child, therefore, any analysis and recommendations should be made clear with no room for ambiguity. TAQ5: (ASSESSMENT CRETRIA 2.2) FIND OUT WHAT THE NORFOLK PROTOCOL GUIDELNES ARE AND DESCRIBE IN YOUR OWN WORDS USING PARAGRAPHS AT LEAST 10 ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO THE PROTOCOL The Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) exist to protect and promote the welfare of children and young adults. The LSCBs replaced the Area Child Protection Committees which were concerned with child protection as opposed to safeguarding a child. The Protocol therefore provide guidelines which Local Authorities and families can work together to provide better support for children and young adults. Some of the activities undertaken in accordance with the Norfolk Protocol are:- Help or support for disabled parents to look after their children in all aspects of the childs life: Parents who suffer from physical or learning disabilities require different forms of help when looking after their children. They may not be physically able to feed, dress or a carry their child and need to be supported in this. A learning disability may also affect a parents inability to assess correctly the needs of a child on a day to day basis. Local Authorities in accordance to the Protocol make an initial assessment of the household and help accordingly. Safeguarding children from violence and neglect: Children who come from backgrounds where violence exists, are at risk of becoming victims of their circumstances or growing up and becoming violent themselves. In order to safeguard against this, the LSCB identify such risks and take steps to remove the child from such environments and place them in a safe and stable place. Safeguard the children and young adults when accessing services or activities in the community: Any cultural or recreational activities aimed at children should make sure the children benefit from these activities in a safe manner. The custodians in charge of the activities should have an Enhanced Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) check. They should also be properly trained to make sure the children carry out their activities as safely as possible. Safeguard the children and young adults from discrimination or attacks from people because of their race, religion or physical ability: This means wherever a child is being targeted because of their individuality or has a physical or learning disability, the LSCB should step in and either; educate and or prosecute individuals or groups causing harm to the children. Safeguard children from sexual predators: Those who have been identified and prosecuted as sex offenders; should go on the Sex Offenders Register and banned from having working with children. The LSCB work closely together with other Local Authorities and help identify children at risk in such situations and remove them from harm or potential harm. Missing Children: The LSCB recognize children go missing from their home or foster placement for a variety of reasons. By sensitively approaching this issue, the LSCB work together with families, to find out the circumstances relating to the childs disappearance and if found, what can be done to prevent such an occurrence. Once a child goes missing, relevant authorities pool together to make sure the child comes home safely. They may try to reach out to the child using the media or putting up posters with information on how the child can contact the authorities safely. Shared information: This is perhaps the greatest tool at the LSCBs disposal in their work to safeguard children. There are many Local Authorities and voluntary organisations who deal with the well being of children and a lot of information is inevitably located in different locations. By setting up an electronic database, different organisations are able to not only have access to this information, but also are able to update and add vital details pertaining to the child in need. Anybody who has access, or adds to such information, should be held accountable in accordance to the procedures of their respective organisations. Safeguarding the children from bullying: By adopting a zero tolerance policy against bullying (in schools or the community), the LSCB also educates children and adults alike, how to recognize and prevent bullying. A legal duty of care to children and young adults who: have been given custodial sentences, are placed in children homes, or in training centres. They must make sure these children are safeguarded while they in such institutions, from themselves or indeed others. They must identify signs of suicide, self harming, mental health problems, continued drug use etc, and prevent, teach or curb such behaviour while the children or young adults are in their care. Unauthorised Encampments: In a bid to tackle the growing problem of illegal camping by Travellers, the Norfolk Protocol for Unauthorised Encampments was adopted in January 2003. The aim of this liaison was to form a workable plan that was acceptable to both Travellers and the communities they occupy. By cooperating with the Local Authorities, the Travellers would not only have a forum to air their grievances, but also could raise their public profile. TAQ6: (ASSESSMENT CRETRIA 4.1, 4.2) DEFINE WHAT IS MEANT BY ADOPTION AND FOSTERING IDENTIFY AND EVALUATE THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF PROVISION AVAILABLE FOR LOOKED AFTER CHILDREN. Adoption is a process where a child is provided for with a new family and whom for a variety of reasons, cannot be raised by their own biological parents. There is a legal process that needs to be followed where the new parents have to take all parental responsibility to the adopted child as they would their own biological child if they have any. Fostering on the hand usually refers to a temporary arrangement made to accommodate a child who is waiting to be adopted. The primary caregiver (in this case it could be a foster parent or a foster home) assumes responsibility for the child together with a local authority and where applicable, the childs biological parents. Identify and Evaluate Different Type of Provisions Available for Looked After Children Educational Provisions: Children in need who are experiencing hardships in their education in addition to any existing difficulties have to be especially cared for. In order to properly assess the childs individual needs, Local Authorities in partnerships with others, have to carry out assessments to determine what is best for the child. The growing needs of the child are also taken into account. This is necessary because as the child gets older, the authorities concerned will need to have their initial assessments reviewed to reflect the current status of the child. By correctly assessing and meeting a childs educational needs, it is likely the child will not stand out in mainstream society or be a target for negative actions. Fostering Provisions: The Children Act 1989 sec 22G requires Local authorities to make sure that those entrusted with caring for children meet the standards set and have passed all the checks required. This is important as it minimizes risks as much as possible with a view to ultimately ensuring the childs safety in care. Contact Provisions: Children who are placed in temporary care may have access to their biological parents depending on the nature of their placement. In order to safeguard the interest of these vulnerable children, parents sometimes have to agree to supervised visits. As much as this may be seen as an intrusion by the biological families, it is necessary to have a social worker for example; to be visibly present to prevent further harm to the child, or help build relations between child and his/her family. Changes in the law have also being reviewed to further facilitate this process. In April 1st 2010, the new Government passed a law saying that the participants incomes would not be a factor to contact activity TAQ 7: (ASSESSEMENT CREITERION 4.3) USING VALID AND RELIABLE SOURCES INVESTIGATE AND DISCSS THE ISSUES SUROUNDING HARD TO PLACE CHILDREN AND SUGGEST A POSSIBLE INERGRATED SERVICE PROVISION CARE PLAN. A child is considered hard to place when it becomes difficult for him/her to be permanently adopted by a family. The reasons vary from child to child but the most common reasons are:- Physical (prospective parents find the child is too old) Mental Problems Emotional or social problems Physical disabilities More often than not, prospective adoptive parents already have this image of a perfect little child and may not be ready to accept a child who has some difficulties. This is usually the hardest barrier when placing children. If a child is lucky enough to be adopted, but displays some challenging behaviour during the trial period, the adoptive parents have the right to return the child if they feel they cannot cope. This sadly creates more problems to the child or may have already started life feeling rejected. The term hard to place is not only restricted to children in foster care. The same can be applied to children who cannot find it hard to stay in school because of the type of behaviour they display. In order to increase the odds of have these children successfully placed in a family or an educational facility, a good care plan is essential to make this happen. Where possible, a successful care plan needs to have the input of the parents, extended family or previous schools. Monck (Monck and others 2003 p42) explores this further when he defined a plan of what to do in the interim, where there was an expectation the child would be returned to his birth parents or permanent guardians after a complete investigation. He defined Concurrent planning as the capacity of the birth parents or wider birth family to parent the child is investigated. At the same time the child is placed with foster carers who, if the birth family cannot parent, become the adopters. In his definition, when a child could not be returned to his natural parents, he made a provision on what would finally happen to that child. The following components constitute a good care plan. Specific: All care plans for hard to place children, need to be as individual as the child itself. The problems surrounding the child may have a generalised description, but the effects to the child itself have to be tailored to fit the child. Child A could be said to be angry and displays this anger by hitting other children. The same could be said of any child because children tend to lash out as they are yet to learn tools of how to deal with their emotions. The care plan would then have to delve into the root cause of the childs anger before making provision or recommendation on how to best help the child. Measurable: It is counterproductive to have the child receive the same type of help when no noticeable improvement can be recorded. Instead, if after an acceptable period of time the child continues to exhibit the same type of challenging behaviour, a new therapy or establishment should be tried. In order to avoid duplication of treatments, Local Authorities have to communicate and work together in a bid to help the child. Relevant: The care plan should fit the child needs as he or she is now. This means if an assessment was carried when the child was 4 years old, another has to be carried as he/she continues to get older. Factors such as puberty need to be taken into account as they could increase or amplify the behavioural problems exhibited by the child. Focused: The care plan would have to have direction. Needless time wasting therapies, assessments or treatments can be avoided simply by having a focussed care plan. This is where the real decisions are made concerning the child in question even though these decisions have to be revised periodically. The same could be said when there are no more resources available at that present time to cater to the child. The only thing that can be done in such cases is to keep the child safe, healthy and as happy as possible. TAQ8 (ASSESSEMENT CRETERION 1.1) USING THE TIMELINE AS A BASIS FOR YOUR WORK, DEVELOP IT FURTHER TO FULL OUTLINE THE DEVELOPMENT OF MEASURES WITHIN THE UK TO ENSURE THE PROTECTION OF CHILDREN. 2006 The Children and Adoption Act 2006 made provisions for people who worked or had contact with children mainly in a professional capacity or for families who posed a risk to children. The aim of this act was to minimize potential risks to children. 2007 The UK Borders Act 2007 (code of practice on children) defines how children should be treated when making sure they comply with the UK immigration laws. It states for example, any child under 16 years old should have an adult present before fingerprints can be taken. 2008 The Children and Young Persons Act 2008 Chapter 23 defines the way in which social work services are delivered to children and young person. Part 1 Sections 1-10 detail what is expected from any organisation/Local Authority delivering these types of services. Part 2 deals with the Functions in Relation to Children and Young Persons. This includes dealing with issues to do with the childrens well-being, accommodation, independent reviewing officers, visitation, education and training, finance, care breaks, enforcement of care standards, emergency protection orders and information and research. Part 3 of this act defines what is required for adopting and fostering services. Part 4 elaborates more on the Orders under Part 2 of the 1989 Act. This simply details what criteria each organisation or Local Authority should meet before and after a child is placed in care. Part 5 deals with the minor and supplementary amendments to the 1989 Act. 2009 The Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (c 22) provides a framework for which 16-18 year olds could qualify for an apprenticeship. Its aim is to ensure that children in schools receive full information about apprenticeships and vocational training opportunities. 2010 The Children, Schools and Families Act 2010 (c 26) deals with the provision that should made for children with special educational needs. Part 1 of this act details how educational facilities have to be inspected to meet the Governments criteria for this group of children. TAQ 9 THE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL WORKER AND OF THE COURTS IN IMPLEMENTING THE PROVISIONS OF RELEVANT RECENT LEGISLATION IS VITAL IF CHILDREN ARE TO BE ADEQUATELY PROTECTED WITHIN THE UK. DISCUSS The role of the social worker has never been more challenging at an age where horrific cases of child abuse have become commonplace. These stories no longer make headlines in the media and more worryingly, are the cases that do not make the front pages which are equally as ghastly. The social worker is also faced with a lot of opposition in the work place from uncooperative parents/guardians who openly scorn them and think they want to destroy their family unit or tell them how to run their lives. The courts on the other hand are overwhelmed with the sheer number of child abuse cases they have to deal with. By the end of 2009 alone, 51,488 sex offences against children were recorded by the Home Office. Both the social workers and the court system are often under immense pressure to resolve these cases quickly because time is usually of the essence to ensure the safety of the child. In addition, a host of red tape and bureaucracy cause the wheels of justice to run slowly, which often result in many delays which could put the child in further danger. One of the most important measures that has been put in place; largely because of the case of Victoria Climbe, was a clear line of communication and accountability for all the authorities/agencies who deal with children in need. Lord Lemming clearly identified that a lack of communication and ultimately accountability between different agencies could have contributed to the death of Victoria Climbe, once she was initially identified as a child in need. However, lessons were not learnt as in the case of Baby Peter; which resulted in further recommendations by Lord Laming. This was what resulted in the Children Act 2004. It is worth noting that the Children Act 1989 is still upheld and the 2004 Act does not supplant it. The social workers on the other hand were under pressure and overwhelmed by the number of caseloads they had to mine through and some of these workers felt their perspectives had changed from safeguardi ng children to meeting targets. In order to fully appreciate and understand the roles both the social worker and the courts play in implementing the provisions of legislation for the childs protection, it is important to first define who is considered a child in need. Councils in the UK have several indicators which they use to identify and prioritize help for a child in need (CIN). These are based on several factors surrounding the childs life such as disability, domestic violence, alcohol and drug abuse, homelessness, sex abuse to mention a few. Regardless of how each council operates, they are all governed by the Childrens Act of 1989 and 2004. Using these Acts as a template, a child in need can be loosely defined as anybody under the age of 18 years, who requires some form of intervention, to safeguard them from external factors that prevent them from enjoying a healthy and well-adjusted life. As a result, the Government in conjunction with Ofsted, Her Majestys Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate, Her Majest ys Inspectorate of Probation, Her Majestys Inspectorate of Prisons, Her Majestys Inspectorate of Court Administration, Her Majestys Inspectorate of Constabulary and the Care Quality Commission; form a Safeguarding Review to update their policies on safeguarding children which occurs every three years. These reviews aim to streamline how local authorities identify and deal with children in n

Lewis Carroll :: essays research papers

Of all of Lewis Carroll’s works, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland has a unique standing in the category of whimsical, nonsense literature. Much has been written about how this novel contrasts with the vast amount of strict, extremely moralistic children’s literature of the Victorian time Lewis Carroll lived in. Yet, as odd as this novel appears in relation to the other Victorian children’s stories, this short novel is odder because it was written by an extremely upright, ultra conservative man; a Victorian gentleman. Even though the novel seems to contrast with the time of Lewis Carroll, many experiences of Lewis Carroll and his unique character have a great influence in the creation of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Lewis Carroll, the pseudonym of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson was born on January 27, 1832, in Daresbury England. He was the oldest boy in a family of eleven children of Reverend Charles Dodgson and his wife, Francis Jane Lutwidge. The childhood of Lewis Carroll was relatively pleasant, full of ideas and hobbies that contributed to his future creative works. Carroll’s life at Daresbury was rather secluded, and his playmates were mostly his brothers and sisters (Green 18). Interacting with mostly his sisters, he was the "master of their ceremonies, inventor of games, magician, marionette theater manager, and editor of family journals" (DLB v. 163 45). A great deal of Carroll’s childhood was spent taking care of his little sisters, and his imagination was constantly being exercised in order to entertain them (Green 18). A childhood trouble that Carroll possessed and persisted throughout his life was stammering severely. It is suggested that his stammer may have a risen from his parent’s attempts to correct his left-handedness. This attempt early in his life may have caused Carroll to think he was not normal, therefore hurting his self-confidence (Kelly 13-14). When Carroll spoke to adults, his speech became extremely difficult to understand. Apparently, he panicked; his shyness and stammering always seemed worse when he was in a world of adults (Leach 2). Partly as a result of his stammering, he felt very comfortable around children and he was able to easily form close relationships among them. While speaking with younger children, Carroll’s stammering had magically disappeared. He "simply became one of them-whether or not they accepted him-and most did" (Pudney 20). As a child, Carroll had a fondness of inventing games and language puzzles (14). Lewis Carroll "divided himself into two names, Lewis Carroll and Reverend Charles Lutwidge Dodgson" (DLB v.

Free Essays - No Innocence in Catcher in the Rye :: Catcher Rye Essays

No Innocence in Catcher in the Rye Probably the greatest irony of the novel is the fact that, despite his love of "childhood innocence," Holden is and acts far from innocent himself. In fact, he is its antithesis. He acts that way for many reasons. First of all, he has so many responsibilities. Second, he never fits in with the crowd, and finally, he never gets any real help for the problems that he deals with. Holden does have a love for "childhood innocence" as seen across the book. For example, on page two hundred and one "Somebody'd written ' Fuck you' on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and how they'd wonder what the hell it meant, and then finally some dirty kid would tell them-cockeyed naturally- what it meant, and how they'd all think about it and maybe even worry about it for a couple of days. I kept wanting to kill whoever'd written it... But I rubbed it [The 'fuck you' written on the wall] out anyway." Another example is on page two hundred and eight, "'So shut up.' It was the first time she [Phoebe] ever told me to shut up. It sounded terrible. God, it sounded terrible. It sounded worse than swearing." There is one more outstanding quotation from the novel which is found on page two hundred and thirteen. "I felt so damn happy all of a sudden, the way old Phoebe was going around and around [the carousel]." All these examples clearly show that Holden appreciated "childhood innocence" to a great extent. Yet Holden acts the opposite. The irony in this novel is Holden's behavior, which is far from being innocent. He smokes, drinks, always depressed, thinks about suicide, thinks about going embarking to a far place, and has people tell and act in many weird ways. There are three main reasons why he acts this way. Firstly, Holden being only sixteen years of age already has so much responsibility. He has to get money for food and travel. When he travels he has to make sure he doesn't get lost, and actually gets there. He has to make sure that he doesn't flunk school.

Essay --

Hello everyone! I am thrilled to announce that I will once again be miniaturized along with my submarine and take you on another Fantastic Voyage inside the human body. In case you have forgotten the details of our last journey, my sub and I will be shrunken down to be 8 microns long. This time I will be swallowed by Fred, a 55 year old man, while he enjoys a hamburger, French fries, and root beer. As I pilot my way through his body, I will be describing the process of digestion and what major structures I see and come across. Can you imagine being part of someone’s meal? Neither can I, yet here I am being chewed and mixed with a juicy burger by Fred’s teeth. As Fred enjoys his meal, the first part of digestion is happening in his oral cavity. Fred’s burger is a mixture of carbohydrates, lipids, and proteins. As he chews and moves his food around with the help of his tongue, I can see his saliva coming from different angles and mixing with his food. There are three pairs of salivary glands, the parotids, submandibulars, and sublinguals. They secrete most (about 1L) of the saliva produced each day in an adult. (Thibodeau & Patton, 2008, pg397) Saliva contains mucus and a digestive enzyme called salivary amylase. As you can see here, the process of chewing combined with this mucus is allowing the food to break down into a small bolus. After this process I am now mixed up with the bolus and with the help of Fred’s tongue, I have began moving down into the pharynx and then down t o this muscular tube called the esophagus. The esophagus is a stretchy pipe, about 25 centimeters that carries food and liquids from the throat to the stomach for digestion after it has been chewed and chemically softened in the mouth. (InnerBody, 2013) ... ...nce: Thibodeau, G., Patton, K. (2008). Structure and Function of the Body (13th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier Publishing. InnerBody, Digestive System. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.innerbody.com/image/digeov.html KidsHealth (1995). Your Digestive System, On the way down. Retrieved from http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/digestive_system.html# Inner Body, Superior Mesenteric Artery. (1999). Retrieved from http://www.innerbody.com/image_dige08/card25.html Coffman, M. A. (n.d.). The Absorption of Food by the Human Body | Healthy Eating | SF Gate. Retrieved from http://healthyeating.sfgate.com/absorption-food-human-body-4100.html Oza, N., & Cooper, D. (2011, May 18). How Does the Human Body Maintain Homeostasis? How Chemicals and Organs Work Together to Keep the Body in Balance. Retrieved from http://www.brighthub.com/science/medical/articles/111342.aspx

Democratic Origins and Revolutionary Writers, 1776-1820 Essay

James Fenimore Cooper (Photo courtesy Library of Congress) The hard-fought American Revolution against Britain (1775-1783) was the first modern war of liberation against a colonial power. The triumph of American independence seemed to many at the time a divine sign that America and her people were destined for greatness. Military victory fanned nationalistic hopes for a great new literature. Yet with the exception of outstanding political writing, few works of note appeared during or soon after the Revolution. American books were harshly reviewed in England. Americans were painfully aware of their excessive dependence on English literary models. The search for a native literature became a national obsession. As one American magazine editor wrote, around 1816, â€Å"Dependence is a state of degradation fraught with disgrace, and to be dependent on a foreign mind for what we can ourselves produce is to add to the crime of indolence the weakness of stupidity. † Cultural revolutions, unlike military revolutions, cannot be successfully imposed but must grow from the soil of shared experience. Revolutions are expressions of the heart of the people; they grow gradually out of new sensibilities and wealth of experience. It would take 50 years of accumulated history for America to earn its cultural independence and to produce the first great generation of American writers: Washington Irving, James Fenimore Cooper, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, and Emily Dickinson. America’s literary independence was slowed by a lingering identification with England, an excessive imitation of English or classical literary models, and difficult economic and political conditions that hampered publishing. Revolutionary writers, despite their genuine patriotism, were of necessity self-conscious, and they could never find roots in their American sensibilities. Colonial writers of the revolutionary generation had been born English, had grown to maturity as English citizens, and had cultivated English modes of thought and English fashions in dress and behavior. Their parents and grandparents were English (or European), as were all their friends. Added to this, American awareness of literary fashion still lagged behind the English, and this time lag intensified American imitation. Fifty years after their fame in England, English neoclassic writers such as Joseph Addison, Richard Steele, Jonathan Swift, Alexander Pope, Oliver Goldsmith, and Samuel Johnson were still eagerly imitated in America. Moreover, the heady challenges of building a new nation attracted talented and educated people to politics, law, and diplomacy. These pursuits brought honor, glory, and financial security. Writing, on the other hand, did not pay. Early American writers, now separated from England, effectively had no modern publishers, no audience, and no adequate legal protection. Editorial assistance, distribution, and publicity were rudimentary. Until 1825, most American authors paid printers to publish their work. Obviously only the leisured and independently wealthy, like Washington Irving and the New York Knickerbocker group, or the group of Connecticut poets known as the Hartford Wits, could afford to indulge their interest in writing. The exception, Benjamin Franklin, though from a poor family, was a printer by trade and could publish his own work. Charles Brockden Brown was more typical. The author of several interesting Gothic romances, Brown was the first American author to attempt to live from his writing. But his short life ended in poverty. The lack of an audience was another problem. The small cultivated audience in America wanted well-known European authors, partly out of the exaggerated respect with which former colonies regarded their previous rulers. This preference for English works was not entirely unreasonable, considering the inferiority of American output, but it worsened the situation by depriving American authors of an audience. Only journalism offered financial remuneration, but the mass audience wanted light, undemanding verse and short topical essays — not long or experimental work. The absence of adequate copyright laws was perhaps the clearest cause of literary stagnation. American printers pirating English best-sellers understandably were unwilling to pay an American author for unknown material. The unauthorized reprinting of foreign books was originally seen as a service to the colonies as well as a source of profit for printers like Franklin, who reprinted works of the classics and great European books to educate the American public. Printers everywhere in America followed his lead. There are notorious examples of pirating. Matthew Carey, an important American publisher, paid a London agent — a sort of literary spy — to send copies of unbound pages, or even proofs, to him in fast ships that could sail to America in a month. Carey’s men would sail out to meet the incoming ships in the harbor and speed the pirated books  into print using typesetters who divided the book into sections and worked in shifts around the clock. Such a pirated English book could be reprinted in a day and placed on the shelves for sale in American bookstores almost as fast as in England. Because imported authorized editions were more expensive and could not compete with pirated ones, the copyright situation damaged foreign authors such as Sir Walter Scott and Charles Dickens, along with American authors. But at least the foreign authors had already been paid by their original publishers and were already well known. Americans such as James Fenimore Cooper not only failed to receive adequate payment, but they had to suffer seeing their works pirated under their noses. Cooper’s first successful book, The Spy (1821), was pirated by four different printers within a month of its appearance. Ironically, the copyright law of 1790, which allowed pirating, was nationalistic in intent. Drafted by Noah Webster, the great lexicographer who later compiled an American dictionary, the law protected only the work of American authors; it was felt that English writers should look out for themselves. Bad as the law was, none of the early publishers were willing to have it changed because it proved profitable for them. Piracy starved the first generation of revolutionary American writers; not surprisingly, the generation after them produced even less work of merit. The high point of piracy, in 1815, corresponds with the low point of American writing. Nevertheless, the cheap and plentiful supply of pirated foreign books and classics in the first 50 years of the new country did educate Americans, including the first great writers, who began to make their appearance around 1825. THE AMERICAN ENLIGHTENMENT The 18th-century American Enlightenment was a movement marked by an emphasis on rationality rather than tradition, scientific inquiry instead of unquestioning religious dogma, and representative government in place of monarchy. Enlightenment thinkers and writers were devoted to the ideals of justice, liberty, and equality as the natural rights of man. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) Benjamin Franklin, whom the Scottish philosopher David Hume called America’s â€Å"first great man of letters,† embodied the Enlightenment ideal of humane rationality. Practical yet idealistic, hard-working and enormously successful, Franklin recorded his early life in his famous Autobiography. Writer, printer, publisher, scientist, philanthropist, and diplomat, he was the most famous and respected private figure of his time. He was the first great self-made man in America, a poor democrat born in an aristocratic age that his fine example helped to liberalize. Franklin was a second-generation immigrant. His Puritan father, a chandler (candle-maker), came to Boston, Massachusetts, from England in 1683. In many ways Franklin’s life illustrates the impact of the Enlightenment on a gifted individual. Self-educated but well-read in John Locke, Lord Shaftesbury, Joseph Addison, and other Enlightenment writers, Franklin learned from them to apply reason to his own life and to break with tradition — in particular the old-fashioned Puritan tradition — when it threatened to smother his ideals. While a youth, Franklin taught himself languages, read widely, and practiced writing for the public. When he moved from Boston to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Franklin already had the kind of education associated with the upper classes. He also had the Puritan capacity for hard, careful work, constant self-scrutiny, and the desire to better himself. These qualities steadily propelled him to wealth, respectability, and honor. Never selfish, Franklin tried to help other ordinary people become successful by sharing his insights and initiating a characteristically American genre — the self-help book. Franklin’s Poor Richard’s Almanack, begun in 1732 and published for many years, made Franklin prosperous and well-known throughout the colonies. In this annual book of useful encouragement, advice, and factual information, amusing characters such as old Father Abraham and Poor Richard exhort the reader in pithy, memorable sayings. In â€Å"The Way to Wealth,† which originally appeared in the Almanack, Father Abraham, â€Å"a plain clean old Man, with white Locks,† quotes Poor Richard at length. â€Å"A Word to the Wise is enough,† he says. â€Å"God helps them that help themselves. † â€Å"Early to Bed, and early to rise, makes a Man healthy, wealthy, and wise. † Poor Richard is a psychologist (â€Å"Industry pays Debts, while Despair encreaseth them†), and he always counsels hard work (â€Å"Diligence is the Mother of Good Luck†). Do not be lazy, he advises, for â€Å"One To-day is worth two tomorrow. â€Å"Sometimes he creates anecdotes to illustrate his points: â€Å"A little Neglect may breed great Mischief†¦. For want of a Nail the Shoe was lost; for want of a Shoe the Horse was lost; and for want of a Horse the Rider was lost, being overtaken and slain by the Enemy, all for want of Care about a Horse-shoe Nail. † Franklin was a genius at compressing a moral point: â€Å"What maintains one Vice, would bring up two Children. † â€Å"A small leak will sink a great Ship. † â€Å"Fools make Feasts, and wise Men eat them. † Franklin’s Autobiography is, in part, another self-help book. Written to advise his son, it covers only the early years. The most famous section describes his scientific scheme of self- improvement. Franklin lists 13 virtues: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility. He elaborates on each with a maxim; for example, the temperance maxim is â€Å"Eat not to Dullness. Drink not to Elevation. † A pragmatic scientist, Franklin put the idea of perfectibility to the test, using himself as the experimental subject. To establish good habits, Franklin invented a reusable calendrical record book in which he worked on one virtue each week, recording each lapse with a black spot. His theory prefigures psychological behaviorism, while his systematic method of notation anticipates modern behavior modification. The project of self-improvement blends the Enlightenment belief in perfectibility with the Puritan habit of moral self-scrutiny. Franklin saw early that writing could best advance his ideas, and he therefore deliberately perfected his supple prose style, not as an end in itself but as a tool. â€Å"Write with the learned. Pronounce with the vulgar,† he advised. A scientist, he followed the Royal (scientific) Society’s 1667 advice to use â€Å"a close, naked, natural way of speaking; positive expressions, clear senses, a native easiness, bringing all things as near the mathematical plainness as they can. † Despite his prosperity and fame, Franklin never lost his democratic sensibility, and he was an important figure at the 1787 convention at which the U. S. Constitution was drafted. In his later years, he was president of an antislavery association. One of his last efforts was to promote universal public education. Hector St. John de Crevecoeur (1735-1813) Another Enlightenment figure is Hector St. John de Crevecoeur, whose Letters from an American Farmer (1782) gave Europeans a glowing idea of opportunities for peace, wealth, and pride in America. Neither an American nor a farmer, but a French aristocrat who owned a plantation outside New York City before the Revolution, Crevecoeur enthusiastically praised the colonies for their industry, tolerance, and growing prosperity in 12 letters that depict America as an agrarian paradise — a vision that would inspire Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and many other writers up to the present. Crevecoeur was the earliest European to develop a considered view of America and the new American character. The first to exploit the â€Å"melting pot† image of America, in a famous passage he asks: What then is the American, this new man? He is either a European, or the descendant of a European, hence that strange mixture of blood, which you will find in no other country. I could point out to you a family whose grandfather was an Englishman, whose wife was Dutch, whose son married a French woman, and whose present four sons have now four wives of different nations†¦. Here individuals of all nations are melted into a new race of men, whose labors and posterity will one day cause changes in the world. THE POLITICAL PAMPHLET: Thomas Paine (1737-1809) The passion of Revolutionary literature is found in pamphlets, the most popular form of political literature of the day. Over 2,000 pamphlets were published during the Revolution. The pamphlets thrilled patriots and threatened loyalists; they filled the role of drama, as they were often read aloud in public to excite audiences. American soldiers read them aloud in their camps; British Loyalists threw them into public bonfires. Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense sold over 100,000 copies in the first three months of its publication. It is still rousing today. â€Å"The cause of America is in a great measure the cause of all mankind,† Paine wrote, voicing the idea of American exceptionalism still strong in the United States — that in some fundamental sense, since America is a democratic experiment and a country theoretically open to all immigrants, the fate of America foreshadows the fate of humanity at large. Political writings in a democracy had to be clear to appeal to the voters. And to have informed voters, universal education was promoted by many of the founding fathers. One indication of the vigorous, if simple, literary life was the proliferation of newspapers. More newspapers were read in America during the Revolution than anywhere else in the world. Immigration also mandated a simple style. Clarity was vital to a newcomer, for whom English might be a second language. Thomas Jefferson’s original draft of the Declaration of Independence is clear and logical, but his committee’s modifications made it even simpler. The Federalist Papers, written in support of the Constitution, are also lucid, logical arguments, suitable for debate in a democratic nation. NEOCLASSISM: EPIC, MOCK EPIC, AND SATIRE Unfortunately, â€Å"literary† writing was not as simple and direct as political writing. When trying to write poetry, most educated authors stumbled into the pitfall of elegant neoclassicism. The epic, in particular, exercised a fatal attraction. American literary patriots felt sure that the great American Revolution naturally would find expression in the epic — a long, dramatic narrative poem in elevated language, celebrating the feats of a legendary hero. Many writers tried but none succeeded. Timothy Dwight (1752-1817), one of the group of writers known as the Hartford Wits, is an example. Dwight, who eventually became the president of Yale University, based his epic, The Conquest of Canaan (1785), on the Biblical story of Joshua’s struggle to enter the Promised Land. Dwight cast General Washington, commander of the American army and later the first president of the United States, as Joshua in his allegory and borrowed the couplet form that Alexander Pope used to translate Homer. Dwight’s epic was as boring as it was ambitious. English critics demolished it; even Dwight’s friends, such as John Trumbull (1750-1831), remained unenthusiastic. So much thunder and lightning raged in the melodramatic battle scenes that Trumbull proposed that the epic be provided with lightning rods. Not surprisingly, satirical poetry fared much better than serious verse. The mock epic genre encouraged American poets to use their natural voices and did not lure them into a bog of pretentious and predictable patriotic sentiments and faceless conventional poetic epithets out of the Greek poet Homer and the Roman poet Virgil by way of the English poets. In mock epics like John Trumbull’s good-humored M’Fingal (1776-82), stylized emotions and conventional turns of phrase are ammunition for good satire, and the bombastic oratory of the revolution is itself ridiculed. Modeled on the British poet Samuel Butler’s Hudibras, the mock epic derides a Tory, M’Fingal. It is often pithy, as when noting of condemned criminals facing hanging: No man e’er felt the halter draw With good opinion of the law. M’Fingal went into over 30 editions, was reprinted for a half-century, and was appreciated in England as well as America. Satire appealed to Revolutionary audiences partly because it contained social comment and criticism, and political topics and social problems were the main subjects of the day. The first American comedy to be performed, The Contrast (produced 1787) by Royall Tyler (1757-1826), humorously contrasts Colonel Manly, an American officer, with Dimple, who imitates English fashions. Naturally, Dimple is made to look ridiculous. The play introduces the first Yankee character, Jonathan. Another satirical work, the novel Modern Chivalry, published by Hugh Henry Brackenridge in installments from 1792 to 1815, memorably lampoons the excesses of the age. Brackenridge (1748- 1816), a Scottish immigrant raised on the American frontier, based his huge, picaresque novel on Don Quixote; it describes the misadventures of Captain Farrago and his stupid, brutal, yet appealingly human, servant Teague O’Regan. POET OF THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION: Philip Freneau (1752-1832). One poet, Philip Freneau, incorporated the new stirrings of European Romanticism and escaped the imitativeness and vague universality of the Hartford Wits. The key to both his success and his failure was his passionately democratic spirit combined with an inflexible temper. The Hartford Wits, all of them undoubted patriots, reflected the general cultural conservatism of the educated classes. Freneau set himself against this holdover of old Tory attitudes, complaining of â€Å"the writings of an aristocratic, speculating faction at Hartford, in favor of monarchy and titular distinctions. â€Å"Although Freneau received a fine education and was as well acquainted with the classics as any Hartford Wit, he embraced liberal and democratic causes. From a Huguenot (radical French Protestant) background, Freneau fought as a militiaman during the Revolutionary War. In 1780, he was captured and imprisoned in two British ships, where he almost died before his family managed to get him released. His poem â€Å"The British Prison Ship† is a bitter condemnation of the cruelties of the British, who wished â€Å"to stain the world with gore. † This piece and other revolutionary works, including â€Å"Eutaw Springs,† â€Å"American Liberty,† â€Å"A Political Litany,† â€Å"A Midnight Consultation,† and â€Å"George the Third’s Soliloquy,† brought him fame as the â€Å"Poet of the American Revolution. † Freneau edited a number of journals during his life, always mindful of the great cause of democracy. When Thomas Jefferson helped him establish the militant, anti-Federalist National Gazette in 1791, Freneau became the first powerful, crusading newspaper editor in America, and the literary predecessor of William Cullen Bryant, William Lloyd Garrison, and H.L. Mencken. As a poet and editor, Freneau adhered to his democratic ideals. His popular poems, published in newspapers for the average reader, regularly celebrated American subjects. â€Å"The Virtue of Tobacco† concerns the indigenous plant, a mainstay of the southern economy, while â€Å"The Jug of Rum† celebrates the alcoholic drink of the West Indies, a crucial commodity of early American trade and a major New World export. Common American characters lived in â€Å"The Pilot of Hatteras,† as well as in poems about quack doctors and bombastic evangelists. Freneau commanded a natural and colloquial style appropriate to a genuine democracy, but he could also rise to refined neoclassic lyricism in often-anthologized works such as â€Å"The Wild Honeysuckle† (1786), which evokes a sweet-smelling native shrub. Not until the â€Å"American Renaissance† that began in the 1820s would American poetry surpass the heights that Freneau had scaled 40 years earlier. Additional groundwork for later literary achievement was laid during the early years. Nationalism inspired publications in many fields, leading to a new appreciation of things American. Noah Webster (1758-1843) devised an American Dictionary, as well as an important reader and speller for the schools. His Spelling Book sold more than 100 million copies over the years. Updated Webster’s dictionaries are still standard today. The American Geography, by Jedidiah Morse, another landmark reference work, promoted knowledge of the vast and expanding American land itself. Some of the most interesting if nonliterary writings of the period are the journals of frontiersmen and explorers such as Meriwether Lewis (1774-1809) and  Zebulon Pike (1779-1813), who wrote accounts of expeditions across the Louisiana Territory, the vast portion of the North American continent that Thomas Jefferson purchased from Napoleon in 1803. WRITERS OF FICTION. The first important fiction writers widely recognized today, Charles Brockden Brown, Washington Irving, and James Fenimore Cooper, used American subjects, historical perspectives, themes of change, and nostalgic tones. They wrote in many prose genres, initiated new forms, and found new ways to make a living through literature. With them, American literature began to be read and appreciated in the United States and abroad. Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810) Already mentioned as the first professional American writer, Charles Brockden Brown was inspired by the English writers Mrs. Radcliffe and English William Godwin. (Radcliffe was known for her terrifying Gothic novels; a novelist and social reformer, Godwin was the father of Mary Shelley, who wrote Frankenstein and married English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley. ) Driven by poverty, Brown hastily penned four haunting novels in two years: Wieland (1798), Arthur Mervyn (1799), Ormond (1799), and Edgar Huntley (1799). In them, he developed the genre of American Gothic. The Gothic novel was a popular genre of the day featuring exotic and wild settings, disturbing psychological depth, and much suspense. Trappings included ruined castles or abbeys, ghosts, mysterious secrets, threatening figures, and solitary maidens who survive by their wits and spiritual strength. At their best, such novels offer tremendous suspense and hints of magic, along with profound explorations of the human soul in extremity. Critics suggest that Brown’s Gothic sensibility expresses deep anxieties about the inadequate social institutions of the new nation. Brown used distinctively American settings. A man of ideas, he dramatized scientific theories, developed a personal theory of fiction, and championed high literary standards despite personal poverty. Though flawed, his works are darkly powerful. Increasingly, he is seen as the precursor of romantic writers like Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. He expresses subconscious fears that the outwardly optimistic Enlightenment period drove underground. Washington Irving (1789-1859). The youngest of 11 children born to a well-to-do New York merchant family, Washington Irving became a cultural and diplomatic ambassador to Europe, like Benjamin Franklin and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Despite his talent, he probably would not have become a full-time professional writer, given the lack of financial rewards, if a series of fortuitous incidents had not thrust writing as a profession upon him. Through friends, he was able to publish his Sketch Book (1819-1820) simultaneously in England and America, obtaining copyrights and payment in both countries. The Sketch Book of Geoffrye Crayon (Irving’s pseudonym) contains his two best remembered stories, â€Å"Rip Van Winkle† and â€Å"The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. † â€Å"Sketch† aptly describes Irving’s delicate, elegant, yet seemingly casual style, and â€Å"crayon† suggests his ability as a colorist or creator of rich, nuanced tones and emotional effects. In the Sketch Book, Irving transforms the Catskill Mountains along the Hudson River north of New York City into a fabulous, magical region. American readers gratefully accepted Irving’s imagined â€Å"history† of the Catskills, despite the fact (unknown to them) that he had adapted his stories from a German source. Irving gave America something it badly needed in the brash, materialistic early years: an imaginative way of relating to the new land. No writer was as successful as Irving at humanizing the land, endowing it with a name and a face and a set of legends. The story of â€Å"Rip Van Winkle,† who slept for 20 years, waking to find the colonies had become independent, eventually became folklore. It was adapted for the stage, went into the oral tradition, and was gradually accepted as authentic American legend by generations of Americans. Irving discovered and helped satisfy the raw new nation’s sense of history. His numerous works may be seen as his devoted attempts to build the new nation’s soul by recreating history and giving it living, breathing, imaginative life. For subjects, he chose the most dramatic aspects of American history: the discovery of the New World, the first president and national hero, and the westward exploration. His earliest work was a sparkling, satirical History of New York (1809) under the Dutch, ostensibly written by Diedrich Knickerbocker (hence the name of Irving’s friends and New York writers of the day, the â€Å"Knickerbocker School†). James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) James Fenimore Cooper, like Irving, evoked a sense of the past and gave it a local habitation and a name. In Cooper, though, one finds the powerful myth of a golden age and the poignance of its loss. While Irving and other American writers before and after him scoured Europe in search of its legends, castles, and great themes, Cooper grasped the essential myth of America: that it was timeless, like the wilderness. American history was a trespass on the eternal; European history in America was a reenactment of the fall in the Garden of Eden. The cyclical realm of nature was glimpsed only in the act of destroying it: The wilderness disappeared in front of American eyes, vanishing before the oncoming pioneers like a mirage. This is Cooper’s basic tragic vision of the ironic destruction of the wilderness, the new Eden that had attracted the colonists in the first place. Personal experience enabled Cooper to write vividly of the transformation of the wilderness and of other subjects such as the sea and the clash of peoples from different cultures. The son of a Quaker family, he grew up on his father’s remote estate at Otsego Lake (now Cooperstown) in central New York State. Although this area was relatively peaceful during Cooper’s boyhood, it had once been the scene of an Indian massacre. Young Fenimore Cooper grew up in an almost feudal environment. His father, Judge Cooper, was a landowner and leader. Cooper saw frontiersmen and Indians at Otsego Lake as a boy; in later life, bold white settlers intruded on his land. Natty Bumppo, Cooper’s renowned literary character, embodies his vision of the frontiersman as a gentleman, a Jeffersonian â€Å"natural aristocrat. † Early in 1823, in The Pioneers, Cooper had begun to discover Bumppo. Natty is the first famous frontiersman in American literature and the literary forerunner of countless cowboy and backwoods heroes. He is the idealized, upright individualist who is better than the society he protects. Poor and isolated, yet pure, he is a touchstone for ethical values and prefigures Herman Melville’s Billy Budd and Mark Twain’s Huck Finn. Based in part on the real life of American pioneer Daniel Boone — who was a Quaker like Cooper — Natty Bumppo, an outstanding woodsman like Boone, was a peaceful man adopted by an Indian tribe. Both Boone and the fictional Bumppo loved nature and freedom. They constantly kept moving west to escape the oncoming settlers they had guided into the wilderness, and they became legends in their own lifetimes. Natty is also chaste, high-minded, and deeply spiritual: He is the Christian knight of medieval romances transposed to the virgin forest and rocky soil of America. The unifying thread of the five novels collectively known as the Leather-Stocking Tales is the life of Natty Bumppo. Cooper’s finest achievement, they constitute a vast prose epic with the North American continent as setting, Indian tribes as characters, and great wars and westward migration as social background. The novels bring to life frontier America from 1740 to 1804. Cooper’s novels portray the successive waves of the frontier settlement: the original wilderness inhabited by Indians; the arrival of the first whites as scouts, soldiers, traders, and frontiersmen; the coming of the poor, rough settler families; and the final arrival of the middle class, bringing the first professionals — the judge, the physician, and the banker. Each incoming wave displaced the earlier: Whites displaced the Indians, who retreated westward; the â€Å"civilized† middle classes who erected schools, churches, and jails displaced the lower-class individualistic frontier folk, who moved further west, in turn displacing the Indians who had preceded them. Cooper evokes the endless, inevitable wave of settlers, seeing not only the gains but the losses. Cooper’s novels reveal a deep tension between the lone individual and society, nature and culture, spirituality and organized religion. In Cooper, the natural world and the Indian are fundamentally good — as is the highly civilized realm associated with his most cultured characters. Intermediate characters are often suspect, especially greedy, poor white settlers who are too uneducated or unrefined to appreciate nature or culture. Like Rudyard Kipling, E. M. Forster, Herman Melville, and other sensitive observers of widely varied cultures interacting with each other, Cooper was a cultural relativist. He understood that no culture had a monopoly on virtue or refinement. Cooper accepted the American condition while Irving did not. Irving addressed the American setting as a European might have — by importing and adapting European legends, culture, and history. Cooper took the process a step farther. He created American settings and new, distinctively American characters and themes. He was the first to sound the recurring tragic note in American fiction. WOMEN AND MINORITIES Although the colonial period produced several women writers of note, the revolutionary era did not further the work of women and minorities, despite the many schools, magazines, newspapers, and literary clubs that were springing up. Colonial women such as Anne Bradstreet, Anne Hutchinson, Ann Cotton, and Sarah Kemble Knight exerted considerable social and literary influence in spite of primitive conditions and dangers; of the 18 women who came to America on the ship Mayflower in 1620, only four survived the first year. When every able-bodied person counted and conditions were fluid, innate talent could find expression. But as cultural institutions became formalized in the new republic, women and minorities gradually were excluded from them. Phillis Wheatley (c. 1753-1784) Given the hardships of life in early America, it is ironic that some of the best poetry of the period was written by an exceptional slave woman. The first African-American author of importance in the United States, Phillis Wheatley was born in Africa and brought to Boston, Massachusetts, when she was about seven, where she was purchased by the pious and wealthy tailor John Wheatley to be a companion for his wife. The Wheatleys recognized Phillis’s remarkable inte.