A Literary Analysis to Shitty First Drafts Essay

Writing does not always come out naturally for neither inexperience nor experience writers. In shitty first drafts, the talented author, Anne Lamott changes the misconception that writing comes out naturally for a professional writer. Lamontt also address the common problems that all writers encounter when writing while providing the reader with advice to get past their problems when writing. Lamott states â€Å"The right words and sentences just do not come pouring out like ticker tape most of the time for writers.† People have this unreasonable perspective that experienced writers do not have any problems when it comes to writing or that experienced writers can just sit down and write a perfect draft. However, experienced writers do go through the common motion, such as not knowing where to start or where to write more than one rough draft. Even though, experienced writers go through the common motion listed above, they do not allow those common motions to defeat them, besides that is what makes them professional writers. A child like draft is a rough draft which the writer can just write freely and write about anything that comes to mind. Lamott states â€Å" The first draft is the child’s draft, where you let it all pour out and let it romp all over the place, Knowing that no one is going to see it and that you can shape it later.† A child like draft consists of fragment sentences, run on, misspelling, and many other in corrections. A writer should never be ashamed of their child like draft because it helps create new ideas. If the writer does not have a clue on how to start their writing, it helps the writer see what fits the topic and what does not and prepares the writer for the final draft. Internal and external distractions are common problems that writer experience when writing; these distractions can come in many form such as a cell phone, T.V, useless thoughts, and even people. Distractions whether internal or external prevent someone from focusing on their preparation for writing their assignment. To avoid being overwhelmed by distractions whether internal or external someone must disregard the things that are not beneficial to their writing, even if it means finding a secluded place to write. Furthermore, writers must keep in mind that there are going to be temporary problems in their writing process and that these problems can be conquered. Writer should never allow these problems to put their writing on a halt, but if these problems do then writer should implement the advice that is found in shitty first drafts.

Individual Analysis for Engstrom Auto Mirror Plant

Engstrom Auto Mirror plant, as a privately owned business, it manufactured mirrors for trucks and automobiles. The managers aimed to increase productivity for sustainable development of the company. Back in 1998, to pursue highly productivity, the plant was redesigning its production lines to incorporate new technology, however, the transition was not smooth, some problems had emerged, such as the staffs' moral and efficiency declining and the internal contradictions being intensified between the managers and employees. As the result of it, the previous manger resigned in 1998.After that, the new manager, Ron Bent believed in the power of worker incentive programs and wanted to establish one at Engstrom. Eventually, the plant adopted the Scanlon Plan as incentive program because a substantial majority of workers wanted it. Due to institute the plan, the plant was achieving growth, higher profits and consistent quality standards, the employees were also receiving good financial reward s. Over a seven-year period, business had been good in the company, However, a downturn hit the industry in 2005 because of the declining of the workforce's morale along with the sales figures.In 2006, Bent had been forced to lay off 46 of his 255 employees. The trust between the managers and employees was shaken and the main problems by the complaints of workers was distrust of bonus calculations and question of fairness between the supervisors and employees. In this situation, Bent thought to make changes urgently before conditions deteriorated further. There are several factors that cause the issues in the Engstrom. Firstly, according to the equity theory, employees focus on the fairness of their work outcomes in proportion to their work inputs.In the Engstrom, some employees thought that supervisors did not working as hard as them, however, the supervisors got the bonus probably higher or equal to them. Therefore, employees complained about unfairness and the unreasonableness of the situation that could be a decline in morale. More seriously, the trust between the managers and employees were likely to declined dramatically because they felt the award or punishment system was not fairness to them that will be a negative effect for the normal operation of the plant. Secondly, the plant was lack of setting up of flexible incentive mechanism.Although the plant instituted the Scanlon Plan to motivate their employees, the managers did not consider to further improve the incentive program before the issues was appearing. Additionally, they did not properly feedback and value views of employees, why the enthusiasm waned and suggestion rates dropped. The employees gradually were a lack of a sense of belongingness and low recognition from the company. For me, I will give two possible options for Bent to ease the crisis for their plant. 1. The plant should improve the Scanlon Plan by the managers.It means that the managers should focus on the recognition and apprecia tion for their employees which as integral components of a winning strategic reward system. It could be posted a top twenty list of employees who perform their jobs excellently in every month. At the same time, it sends personal letters in the name of the company to convey appreciation to them. 2. The second option is to change the Scanlon Plan with another plan that is collect different ideas from the staffs (sometimes are workers' representative) in every week by face-to-face meeting.If some ideas could be accepted by managers, the employees who give the recommendation will be praised at the meeting. Further, the company will give rewards to employees if their suggestions through practice bring economic gain for the Engstrom. According to my analysis, the problems are distrust between the managers and employees and unfairness of rewards between the employees and supervisors. In order to keep productivity and profitability of the plant, it should resolve the issues urgently before the situation deteriorated further. I recommend the option two is better for Bent to deal with these problems for the plant.Firstly, communication is the most important factor that affects the relationship between managers and employees. If the managers could listen advices of the work in time from their employees, it not only will be more easier to handle the existing problem in the company, but also will improve the relationship between managers and employees because the staff feel the company takes, to respect and to trust them, feel oneself is in enterprise's one, and they can have the confidence and the sense of responsibility for the development of their company.Secondly, it is to give the appreciation by managers to employees frequently that will improve the employee morale because they will feel more attached to their company. As the result of this, employees will devote to their work without any complaint. Consequently, because of the improvement of relationship and employe e morale, the efficiency and productivity of company will improve with the efforts of all staff and give them corresponding reward.Although the first option is probably to resolve the crisis for the Engstrom, it is not a long-term incentive program because the communication between the managers and employees is not so much compared with the second option and some problems in the plant may be not addressed immediately by managers. Therefore, the Engstrom should change their incentive plan to built the good relationship, seek advices from subordinates and give employees corresponding reward. In conclusion, I suggest that Rent could choose the second option to handle this crisis in their plant before conditions deteriorated further.

Japanese healthcare system Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Japanese healthcare system - Essay Example The delivery of healthcare services in Japan is largely controlled by the government despite the fact that the private sector is involved in the provision of health services. Despite covering the citizens of Japan, the healthcare system also offers medical services to foreigners who might visit the country. The cover provided to the citizens of Japan also depends on employment and the income earned by each individual citizen (Haffner et al, 2009) In every healthcare system, there are expenses incurred in providing services such as treatment, as well as drugs. In Japan, healthcare is paid for by the government, as well as medical insurance cover. Healthcare costs incurred are also paid for by the insurance cover; the social security system of Japan is divided into several pillars, which include public health, social welfare, social insurance, as well as public assistance. Social insurance is mandatory for all citizens and insures them against medical expenses that might be incurred as a result of health conditions. The National Health Insurance Act in Japan has set up an insurance system that is universal to ensure that all citizens can manage to pay for the healthcare costs they incur (Johnson & Stoskopf, 2010). Employed citizens have an employee’s insurance system whereby they pay a premium on a monthly basis based on their income. There is also national health insurance that caters for self-employed individuals. Hea lth insurance in Japan also caters for the elderly persons aged above 75 years. The decision of what care is covered is left to the health insurance agencies, as well as the contribution of the insured persons. Those who contribute a huge amount receive expensive insurance cover compared to those whose contributions are low. In addition, the health policies that the Japanese government has set up also determine the care provided to the citizens. The private sector also determines the care covered by the healthcare system of

California's sex offender registration Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

California's sex offender registration - Essay Example d a copy of the notification form processed in this stage is also sent to the DOJ. The sex offender tracking program is an expedient tool utilized for keeping track of the sex offenders in California since 1947; the state is also regarded as being the first ever to enact a sex offender registration law. This was major step towards public disclosure of criminals, for many states did not recognize such laws until the 1990s. These registration requirements are lifetime, and with an ever-increasing and current population of 35million people, California is respectively the holder of the largest database of sex offenders in the USA (Lockyer, 2002, 3). This lifelong obligation can only be reversed if the offender a ‘Certificate of Rehabilitation’ ten years after s/he has been released from custody or it can also be relieved if ‘Government’s pardon’ is attained. However, many serious offences are not even eligible to attain the aforementioned relieving docume nts (IPS, 2009, 1). There are certain conditions which must be met duly by the sex offenders, these are the requirements and the guidelines set by the DOJ. It is incumbent upon the registered offenders to update their whereabouts and necessary information per annum, within 5 working days of their birthday. This requirement is more stringent for some, the transients must update every month while the sexually violent predators are extended 90 days worth of time. Recently, they have also been imposed with the responsibility of submitting their vehicle license plate number along with a recent photograph. Since 2002, they have also been required to register themselves with the campus police department in case they plan to enroll in any courses, attend any specific programs or even as much as work. Furthermore, even for people who are sex offenders, if convicted by the military or federal court, of other states but they enter the jurisdiction of Californian state; they are required to reg ister within 5 working days of entering California. Those who fail to register and have been convicted of a felony would be convicted of a felony yet again in case of non-compliance. This tracking program requires regular updates, and if any offender violates the registration requirements, it would show the registrant to be in violation. It is necessary for the transients to update their status within five working days with a local agency, in case they change their address or is homeless; the local agency is then responsible for forwarding the information to the DOJ. The latter then updates the information in the database, on a regular daily basis. The website www.meganslaw.ca.gov is responsible for publishing the data online, however 25% of the offender’s records are kept confidential and are not publicly disclosed, this condition depends on the specific type of crime being committed. According to the information available on this government website, the sex offenders can ev ade public disclosure in the following conditions (Harris, 2009; Department of Justice, 2010): 1- Sexual battery by

Business Plan - Keep My Heart Adult Medical Day Care, Part 4 Essay

Business Plan - Keep My Heart Adult Medical Day Care, Part 4 - Essay Example It will also infiltrate its operations throughout Fort Washington to sum up the strategy of grasping wider market coverage. While economists argue that new businesses should always start small (Mentzer & Moon, 2005), Keep My Heart believes in doing the right thing at the most opportune time. With that in mind, the fact that Prince Georges County has not been exhausted by similar entities would make it ideal for our centre to put a strong footing in the area before the coming of new competitors. Keep My Hear Centre will work with a team of self-motivated staff to offer two specific services after commencing operations. Primarily, the facility endeavors focus on Adult Day Care for persons suffering from mild or advanced dementia. The second focus will address medical and home care needs of elderly Alzheimer patients from the area. In that way, Keep My heart will have a varied line of offering vital services as well as creating a suitable platform towards achieving its profit making agenda. According to observations and practical experiences recorded by nursing homes, elderly patients are often faced by the challenge of poor attention from caregivers (Stahl, 2004). In addition, they usually find it hard to cope with life when the immediate family is always preoccupied by daily activities which they deem to be of more pressing priority. As a result, a good proportion of the aged persons end up with neglect and no sense of belonging. Keep My Heart has taken the mantle to work with referral health facilities and home-based caregivers through education and integrated community-driven support. In the implementation stage, the facility will offer an open chance for day care services with a sustainable model of patient stimulation, interaction and participation that would reach out to their psychosocial, physical and mental needs. The model will also foster appropriate socio-ethical development among the dementia and Alzheimer clients. The bottom line of starting

Marketing and Sales of AirAsia Company Case Study

Marketing and Sales of AirAsia Company - Case Study Example Many airlines have been able to reduce their costs by using E-commerce technologies. Customers are able to find complete information online and do not have to go through the hassle of contacting and visiting travel agents. Hence the intermediary costs are eliminated and the airlines are able to cut cost and provide cheaper tickets to the customers. In low-cost airline carriers, E-commerce is of greater importance because the airline is able to eliminate the admin. Another major factor for the importance of E-commerce in the airline industry is that they are able to closely monitor the activities of the consumers and are able to conduct market research and collect customer data. AirAsia has been able to develop a competitive advantage in the industry by offering its customers a level of value that is exceeded by the cost of activities. This results in a large profit margin for the AirAsia. The value-generating sequence of activities introduced by Michael Porter is found in every firm and using these activities, AirAsia’s value chain has been analyzed. This is one of the primary value chain activities of a firm introduced by Michael Porter. In the case of AirAsia, the inbound logistics is related to the aircraft that AirAsia has booked for the anticipated growth in customer demand. AirAsia also has been able to build a strong relationship with Microsoft, the providers of Vista Gadget. AirAsia recognized the branding and commercial worth of innovations such as sidebar gadgets on Windows Vista. Operations are the primary activities that are required in order to develop the products, in case the activities those are required to provide travelling services to the customers successfully. AirAsia has also been able to master the activities that are required to give travelling services to its customers. AirAsia operates from six hubs in Asia and has increased the capacity by a continuous rollout of Airbus fleet. This has facilitated AirAsia to engage in a strategic expansion program by adding new routes and increasing the number of flights per day.  Ã‚  

Korea Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Korea - Research Paper Example The UN Assembly implemented a fresh resolution demanded elections in regions reachable by the UN Commission (Cumings, p. 56). The first elections in Korea took place in May 1948. A Communist rule was set up in the North under Kim Il-sung, a Stalinist leader with total authority. During the year 1949, both Russia, as well as the United States pulled their troops out, leaving behind them the respective armed forces of the North, an influential North Korean Soviet-trained territorial army, and in the South, a less significant, feeble Republic of Korea (ROK) defense force. Stalin, concerned about the growth of Soviet Communism, notices enormous opportunities within Asia as well as the Pacific, with the arrival of the initial Soviet nuclear test during the year 1949, he observed that he could almost immediately confront the United States. However, he rejected the North Korean leaders’ tries to form an armed forces coalition with Russia. One more blunder, this time on the part of th e Americans was the declarations by the then Secretary of State, Dean Acthinson that the Korean peninsula was inside the security border of the United States. ... However, the North Korea leader gave Stalin the idea that the warfare would not exceed thirty days. In the meantime, General McArthur (Halberstam, p. 341), in Tokyo watching over the reconstruction of Japan, discounted the information that North Korean may attack. He was busy finalizing his points for the forthcoming Japanese peace accord (Halberstam, p. 341). On the other hand, North Korea failed to inform China of its objective and China was getting ready to attack Taiwan at the time. CIA Intelligence news of an approaching assault went unnoticed (Halberstam, p. 341). The Korean War (1950-1953) started when the North Korean Communist military forces attacked non-Communist South Korea. The United States came to South Korea's help. General Douglas MacArthur, who had been supervising the post World War II occupation of Japan, ordered the US military forces, which now started to refrain the North Koreans at Pusan, at the Southernmost point of Korea. Even though Korea was not tactically crucial to the United States, the political atmosphere at this phase of the Cold War was such that politicians did not like to appear flexible about Communism (Richardson & Maurer, p. 83). Supposedly, the US interfered as component of a law enforcement act, run by a UN (United Nations) international peacekeeping force; in reality, the anti-Communist interests of NATO and US influences the UN. The United Nations, mainly the United States, came to the help of South Korea in preventing the raid. A quick UN counter-offensive drove the North Koreans ahead of the 38th Parallel and nearly to the Yalu River, and the People's Republic of China joined the war on the side of the North. The Chinese initiated a counter-offensive that pressed the United Nations military back behind the 38th

Write a response to the article Alone on a Hilltop Essay

Write a response to the article Alone on a Hilltop - Essay Example What exactly hit me about this reading was the relationship between the boy and different symbols of his religion. I have learned a couple of things from this article. First, a person is nothing without a religion because it is the religion, which protects us and guides us to the right direction. Second, every religion has a different set of perspectives, rituals, and beliefs that inspire its followers. This article reminds me of the day of my first school exam when I was feeling really scared. It was totally a new feeling for me and I was feeling very confused. I did not know how the exam would go and what it would be like. At that time, I recalled what my mother had said to me to do if I feel scared during exams. She had told me to close my eyes right before the exams for some seconds, think that God is with you, and feel that you are in the arms of your mother. She said that by doing this all my fear would go away. I did exactly this on the day of exams and surprisingly all my fea r went away and I became ready to do my best in the paper. Summing it up, my personal experience and that of the boy in this article show that the relationship between a person and his/her beliefs and religion is strong enough to get the person out of every difficult

I will get back to you on this. If you come up with an idea let me Essay

I will get back to you on this. If you come up with an idea let me know - Essay Example The emphasis would be on identifying the causal factors causing depression and evaluating the role of each of them. The thesis statement of the paper is that there are genetic predispositions to depression among children of specific age groups as well as catalyzing factors like absence of a father figure, societal pressures to conform and peer-pressure from other children to perform at school. Hence, the paper attempts to answer the thesis question: Is Depression among children caused by genetic factors or environmental factors or a combination of both with catalyzing factors playing a major role. The problem description is that of children in the age groups of 2 to 6 and teenagers showing symptoms of adjustment to the world around them and hence can be classified as troubled or depressed. The point here is that the paper tries to address the â€Å"nature vs. nurture† question as it relates to depression among children. While many experts have pointed to the genetic predisposition that causes mental health disorders, there are others who have insisted that this is nothing more than â€Å"blaming the brain† as an excuse to not look deeply at the environmental factors that cause depression. The line taken in this paper is that while there are enough grounds for genetic factors being at the root of the issue of depression among children, there is enough evidence to indicate that environmental factors act as â€Å"catalysts† in precipitating depression. Hence, what is being argued in this paper is that while nature might predispose certain children towards psychological disturbances, the other factors like home and family environment and social norms do indeed catalyze the inherent tendency towards depression making the children the victims of depression and other psychological disorders. We all have good genes and bad genes and most of us get through life without

Organizational Theory Design and Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Organizational Theory Design and Change - Essay Example Some factors arising from the organization’s structure and culture that assign subunits varying degree of power are as follows: An organization fundamentally gets hold of resources from the environment. Therefore, the subunit that assumes greater control over the organizational resources, retains greater power as compared to other subunits, that so not have as strong a hold over them. In addition to the organizational resources, a subunit’s approach to the strategic information and its control of it are the cardinal sources of its authority. Subunits assuming a central responsibility to the flow of resources are able to minimize the vagueness that other subunits face (Jones). Therefore, any subunit that is able to control an organization’s principal sources causing uncertainty retains considerable power, though, as the contingencies an organization faces change, the distribution of power between individual subunits changes. Besides, if a subunit assumes such a ro le in the organization’s structure that no other subunit can play, then it becomes vital for the organization’s success. Such a subunit becomes quite nonsubstitutable, in comparison to other subunits, that may be meddled with or replaced as per the need of the hour. Works cited: Jones, Gareth. Organizational Theory, Design, and Change. 6th ed. NJ: Prentice Hall.  2007.

Shanghai American school Essay Example for Free

Shanghai American school Essay This commentary is based on an extract from the Penguin hardback edition of the novel, Fifth Business by Robertson Davies. The passage begins on p. 114 last paragraph I was fill with to p. 116 a selfish, envious, cankered wretch, wasnt I? Written by Jonas Hahn IB English A1 (hl) Shanghai American School I recognized that my limp was always worse and I did not want her, but it annoyed me Boy had her give the time after the First World War, of a man fighting his own battle. It can be observed, that at surface level, it is about the narrator returning from war with only one leg and not succeeding with the girl he desired. This causes him even more pain that his limp. Yet with closer examination is can be seen that this passage holds more to it, it is a power struggle between Boy and the narrator. Also it is about impressing each other and always wanting more than the other person, not just simply the return of a soldier who is wounded. Hahn 2. The entire extract is written in first person, seemingly allowing the reader to enter the state of mind and emotions the narrator is in; yet paradoxically his personal affairs are not mentioned, instead the narrator talks about boys affairs, he only mentions that he is envies. This technique of omission is extremely powerful giving the reader a different impression of the narrator. This slice of life story begins with the narrator having a sudden realization. It gives the passage a very controversial tone. The narrator omits his personal pain all through the extract except when he is [envies] of boy. Though out the extract the narrators personal life is never mention yet boys occasional weekend visits were discussed thoroughly. It is also never mentioned that he is lonely just that he is envies and jealous. This omission though out the passage implies to the reader that the narrator wants sympathy for his life with only one leg and that he cant have the girl he wants. Later in the passage the mood changes, the narrator would have given much for the strength of mind to tell him what he really thought of Boy. There is a tension between Boy and the narrator who both fight for power and existence. Boy is rubbing the fact that he has the possession of Leola, and pashes in the city and a healthy body. The narrator is trying to justify this behavior but he doesnt succeed. Instead he questions himself: why did I not find some other girl? and A selfish, envious, cankered wretch, wasnt I instead of questioning Boy about his affairs with all the gay girls. This gives the passage an extraordinary touch to it. Hahn 3 I hobbled away grumbling to myself like Diogenes. This allusion, used by the narrator is very powerful. It is very clearly stated that hr didnt want the clothes the girl or the booze yet he imprisoned himself into a situation, which couldnt be escaped. Diogenes did the exact same thing and said having too many possessions impressions you, yet this is a contradiction in this extract. The narrator has nothing yet he feels as if he were imprisoned, this is an oxymoron meaning one thing but really something else is going on. This passage moves from envies what Boy has and the narrator does not, towards jealousy that Boy has everything and the narrator has nothing, although he is a cruel person, thus the narrator deserves some sympathy. In the first paragraph the narrator describes the situation he undergoing, then moving on to the free spirit girls in Toronto, to the narrators argument amongst himself. Though out the stages of this passage the narrator is very anxious of what he doesnt have, yet he doesnt want what he doesnt have he simply wants Boy not to have it. He uses such words as deceived Leola instead of saying he lied to her. He was also a very active listener to Boy when he talked about all his girls who knew what they were doing yet he was never critical to with Boys decisions.

Managing Change in the Workplace

Managing Change in the Workplace Managing Change in the Workplace â€Å"Managing and changing organisations appears to be getting more rather than less difficult and more rather than less important† Burnes [1996] Critically evaluate and debate this statement, highlighting the potential challenges organisations face in managing change effectively Over the last 20 years new products, processes and services have appeared at an increasing rate. Local markets have become global markets due to the advance of technology (the internet) and protected or semi- protected markets have been opened to competition. Monopolies have been transferred to the private sector (e.g. British rail, BT, utility companies) or they have adopted more market-orientated practices. To keep abreast of competition organisations are restructuring, introducing new products and services, changing information systems and introducing new work practices. Organisations that fail to change cannot survive in the competition and will fail to make a profit. (Burnes, 2004) The aim of managing change in organisations is to guide the people in the change process so they can adapt, change behaviour and cope with the new change that is happening in the organisation. Sometimes people in the organisation find it difficult to cope with change as the old responsibilities, roles and behaviour and attitudes are not easily forgotten. In organisations people are the most important asset in the business if people cannot change, processes and systems cannot change. Careful strategic planning must take place involving the people so they can understand what is needed to change as the behaviours, personality, values and all work for and against organisational change (Blake Bush, 2009) According to (Blake Bush, 2009 p3) â€Å"Change management is the process, tools and techniques to manage the people side of business change to achieve the most successful business outcome† Organisations are constantly assessing their efficiency and performance therefore managing change is important. Persuading stakeholders to change can be difficult yet if it is successful organisations can survive and thrive to gain a competitive advantage. According to (Blake and Bush, 2009) organisations have to meet four conditions to convince their employees, these are:- 1. Give an insight to why their organisation wants to change and how it will benefit them and make then agree 2. Make sure structure, processes and reward systems must be put in place to support change 3. Employees obtain the right skills for the new change 4. Ensure employees update their roles and responsibility and model them to the new change. The need for change can be difficult, costly and sometimes disappointing. Expensive new information systems, policies and organisational structure attract most attention but organisations forget their talent workforce and how they are affected by change. Sometimes it is a difficult process depending on how old or new, large or small the organisation is. (Buchanan Huczynski, 2004) The need for change is initiated by two categories, internal factors and external factors within the macro and micro environment. External triggers for change can include: * Economic fluctuations This may develop or hinder the development of new products or processes. For example, in times of recession customers may not have money to spend on ‘luxury items and will concentrate on basic everyday essential items. New products will not come into the market due to lack of funds. * Social For example, the size, age and sex distribution of the population can affect the demand for a product. An ageing population will make organisations target products / services to suit them to increase sales and market share. * The development of new technology has made it possible to develop a whole range of new products. * Changes in customer requirements and tastes require organisations to cater for their needs. * Competitors are continually developing new products * The EU has opened new markets in new countries * Global trading via the internet increases pressure for organisations to change its design and become globalised but in order for the organisation to do so it must transform their processes, systems and cultures to become internationally known. * Changes in social and cultural values Internal triggers for change can include: * High absenteeism and staff turnover * Inadequate skill or training * New design of product /service (Buchanan Huczynski, 2004) Generally, a high proportion of change efforts end in failure (Beer and Nohria,2000; Burnes, 2003; Huczynski and Buchanan, 2001). Change projects fail because not enough planning or thought has taken place to achieve the desired objectives. Sometimes change takes place not for the interest of the organisation but for personal or sectional interests. (Burnes, 2004) The value of the HR function is very important when an organisation is going through the process of change. A lot of companies are giving more responsibility to senior and line managers. Senior managers and the HR function can work together to ensure that the business can change to meet the needs of customers, build good relationships with its stakeholders and ensure employee talent is retained and developed in changing situations. (Hennessy McCartney, 2008) HR can also help ensure that organisational culture is open to change by ensuring change agents handle sensitive emotions and the correct management policies are in place. For example the right people are recruited, trained or developed and the appropriate pay and reward policies are in place to keep staff motivated. HR also ensures that change is gradual across the whole of the organisation. HR change agents should find out whether part of the change is supported or resisted. It also gives people a chance to discuss and sort out their concerns with the â€Å"change agents† and to feel satisfied with the change. Communication is important such as face to face and team briefings are beneficial in the change process (Armstrong, 2006) However, there will always be some resistance to change. â€Å"People resist change because it is seen as a threat to familiar patterns of behaviour as well as to status and financial rewards.† (Armstrong. 2006, p345). The main reasons of resisting change are as follows: * Change to established routines, methods of working or conditions of employment will be seen as a threat to job security and loss of potential earnings such as overtime etc. * The workforce may view management as having ulterior motives to introduce change making the organisation ready for merger or takeover. * Change can be worrying for the workforce as there is a lot of uncertainty about the impact of the change. * In some organisations change can cause inconvenience to the workforce. For example any changes in starting and finishing work shifts may require new arrangements for child minding etc. * Loss of a parking space or office may be viewed as a loss of status or importance in the organisation and therefore cause resistance to change * Disruption to customary social relationships and standards of the group will be resisted as this will be seen as a threat to interpersonal relationships. * Learning new skills and coping with new demands may raise concern for some of the workforce as they will not be certain if they can cope with the new change. (Armstrong, 2006) Process of change According to Jain, 2005 the following steps are considered in the change process and these are: * Develop new goals or objectives to replace goals or objectives having a negative impact. * A manager must be appointed to overlook the change and control the resistance * Diagnose the problem gather issues surrounding the problem where the change is needed. * Methodology Use a methodology for change so that everyone can agree too and to try and avoid any resistance. All members emotions should be considered when drawing up the methodology * Develop plan/strategies on what changes need to be done * Strategy for implementing the plan correct timing and communication channels need to be done. Members should be briefed up on the changes using one to one meetings as often as possible. * Allow for natural resistance problems to be sorted during the change process. (Jain, 2005) For change to take place successfully the main objective is to change peoples behaviour and attitudes and improve the ability for the organisation to cope with changes to the environment. Nadler and Tushman (1980) cited in (Armstrong, 2006) suggested some guidelines on how change should be implemented. Motivate individuals to achieve change by: * Communicating a clear image of the future * All concerned to support the change rather than block it * Stable structures and processes will help change and reduce uncertainty and instability. Another model of change was invented by Kurt Lewin which was an effective process for achieving behavioural changes in groups. Lewins model involves a three stage process:- 1. Unfreezing the status quo -looking at old processes and what change needs to be done 2. Changing- Bring about the change by reorganising the resources 3. Refreezing Embedding the new changes of working (Mullins, 2002) According to Burnes, 1996 cited in the (Langer, J et al, 2005) claims that the problem with Lewins assumption is that the stability of the external environment is always changing therefore the three stage changing process is not quite straightforward and is only gradual and continuous not revolutionary. (Langer, J et al, 2005) Beers â€Å"6 steps model† looks at the complexity of change and how an organisation deals with responses to the effectiveness of change. Beers model concentrates on â€Å"task alignment† (employees roles, responsibility and relationships) as the key to alter new ways of thinking, attitudes and behaviour. Beers uses this model as a way of changing peoples behaviour and attitudes with their roles and responsibility in order to adapt to change. The 6 steps are:- Stage 1- Act and commit to change through diagnoses Stage 2- Develop the organisations shared vision Stage 3- learn the roles and responsibilities to the shared vision Stage 4- Spread the word about change Stage 5- Make the change institutionalised through policies. Stage 6 Monitor and adjust as needed (Blake Bush, 2009) There are many models of change but different organisations will need to choose a model that best suits their culture and values. A simple model would be to investigate changes that are needed and look at individual responses to change. * Plan the change * Implement the change * Manage the people side of change * Manage the organisational side of change The world is changing rapidly to keep up with global competition, technological innovation; de- regulation, privatisation of public sector organisations and much more managers face complex and challenging pressures and opportunities. Changing organisations is a complex process with more opportunity for failure than success. Good managers and leaders are important to an organisation as they can create the conditions for growth and prosperity. Managers should gather and be more open to a wide variety of information. Any decision to implement change should be to the benefit for all concerned and not just for themselves. Organisations must ensure the efficient use of resources and offer the right products and services, to use the appropriate technologies as well as recruit and retain people with the best skills. (Carnal, 2009) The organisation also needs to have strategies, accountabilities, information systems and resources to improve or sustain performance against the organisations objectives. The efficient organisation focuses on internal efficiency and control. Maintaining internal systems includes activities such as performance appraisal, training, development and reward system. The ability to attract and retain high quality staff at all level is a useful indicator of effectiveness. The effective organisation adapts to the external environment and includes marketing, public and community relations. For change to be successful an organisation need to be customer focused. More interfacing skills, negotiation skill and networking skills will also be needed when a change is needed (Carnal, 2009) References Armstrong M., (2006) A handbook of Human Resource Management practice. 10th ed., Kogen Page: Philadelpia. Blake, I Bush, C (2009). Project Managing Change: Practical Tools and Techniques to Make Change Happen. Harlow: Prentice Hall. Buchanan, D. Huczynski, A. (2004) Organisational Behaviour: An introductory text, 5th ed. Harlow: Prentice Hall Financial Times. Carnal, C (2007) Managing change in Organizations. 5th ed., Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall Hennessy, J., McCartney, C. (2008). The value of HR in times of change. Strategic HR Review. 7 (6), 16-22. Langer, J., Alfirevic, N., Pavicic, J. (2005). Organizational change in transition societies. Hampshire: Ashgate publishing limited. N.K Jain (2005). Organisational Behaviour. Dehli: Atlantic. Mullins, L.J. (2002) Management and organisational behaviour. 6th ed., Harlow: Financial Times Prentice Hall. Bibliography Ashton, C., Morton, L. (2005). Managing talent for a competitive advantage. Strategic HR Review. 4 (5), 28-31. Burnes, B., Coram, R. (2001). Managing organisational change in the public sector.. The International Journal of Public Sector Management . 14 (2), 94-110. Butel, L., Curtis, T., Mclntyre, J., Pearce, J., Rainbow, S., Smith, D., Swales, C,. (1998) Business Functions An Active Learning Approach. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Gill, A. (2009). Employee engagement in a change environment. Strategic HR Review. 8 (2), 19-24. Hall, D., Jones, R. Raffo, C. (1995) Business Studies. Lancashire: Causeway Press ltd. Johnson, G., Scholes, K. Whittington, R. (2005) Exploring corporate strategy. 7th ed., Harlow: Financial Times/Prentice Hall. Leahy, L., Chamberlain, N. (2008). Surviving change. Strategic HR Review. 7 (6), 23-29. Lynch, R. (2000) Corporate strategy. 2nd ed., Harlow: Financial Times/Prentice Hall pp452 Tansley, C., Turner, P., Foster, C., Harris, L., Sempik, A., Stewart, J., Williams, H (2007). Talent: Strategy, Management, Measurement Research into practice. London: Charted Institute of Personnel and Development . Trompenaars, F., Woolliams, P. (2003). A new framework for managing change across cultures. Journal of Change Management . 3 (4), 361-375.

Defining Drug Addiction

Defining Drug Addiction Sweet Jesus, Aunt Bettyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ the white ladys riding a white horse. Heroin, heroin à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ heroin and heroin, these are all slang words for one thing, heroin. It is back in full force. Heroin used to be predominantly used by poor, urban youth, but in recent years, it has grown more popular in the middle class, and affects suburban people of all ages. It is here and it is in your neighborhood. There is no one single causal change for drug abuse. A range of individual, family, social, environmental and other risk factors have been identified. Males are more likely to use illicit drugs at earlier ages than females, and more prone to use them to try to cope with problems (Spooner, 1999). Individuals who struggle with personality disorders often have trouble dealing with others. They often tend to be solemn in nature and almost unbendable in their ways and unable to manage change well. This causes an inability to respond to the normal changes and demands of living. People with personality disorders often feel that they are normal, but tend to have a narrow view of life. They find it exceedingly difficult to participate in the routine daily activities of living. The repercussions of drug abuse are vast yet all encompassing and affect people of all ages. Treatment is the only answer regardless of whether one chooses to become a drug addict or it is, as believed, a disease. This paper will explore the psychology of addiction and examine the relevant research, and psychological theories as it pertains to the issues of drug addiction and propose two solutions to address this problem with a final solution being chosen by the writer, as the best course of action for addicted individuals. Defining Drug Addiction: The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) defines addiction as a chronic, often relapsing brain disease that causes compulsive drug seeking and use, despite the harmful effects to the user and to those around them. It is a brain disease because it actually changes the structure of the brain and the way in which is functions. The American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) released a new definition of addiction last year, stating, in part that addiction is a chronic brain disorder and not simply a behavioral problem. For the first time, the ASAM has taken an official position that addiction is not solely related to behaviors and lack of control. The actual short definition reads as follows: Addiction is a primary, chronic disease of brain reward, motivation, memory and related circuitry. Dysfunction in these circuits leads to characteristic biological, psychological, social and spiritual manifestations. This is reflected in an individual pathologically pursuing reward and/or relief by substance use and other behaviors. Addiction is characterized by the inability to consistently abstain, impairment in behavioral control, and craving, diminished recognition of significant problems with ones behaviors and interpersonal relationships, and a dysfunctional emotional response. Like other chronic diseases, addiction often involves cycles of relapse and remission. Without treatment or engagement in recovery activities, addiction is progressive and can result in disability or premature death (Definition of Addiction (2011, April 19). While the decision to take drugs is voluntary for most people, the brain then changes over time, and those changes challenge a persons self-control and ability to resist the urge to use. This is why addiction classifies as a brain disease; the drug actually changes the brains structure and the way in which it functions. These changes can be long lasting and lead to harmful behaviors in people who abuse drugs (National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011). Because of these changes, quitting is often difficult for those that are ready try, and it often takes more than one attempt. Addiction can occur despite a persons strength of character and once it occurs, repeated use changes the delicate and complex systems of the brain. According to Drs. N. Volkow and H. Schelbert, of NIDA, the brain imaging studies from drug-addicted individuals show actual physical changes in those areas of the brain critical to judgment, decision-making, learning, memory, and behavior c ontrol. This is just another reason why researchers believe that these changes alter the actual function of the brain and may help to explain the compulsive, destructive behaviors, which go along with addiction. Drugs of abuse contain chemicals, which actually tap into the brains communication system and actually disrupt the way nerve cells normally send, receive and process information. There are at least two ways that this disruption happens: by imitating the brains natural chemical messengers and by over stimulating the reward circuit of the brain (National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011). misc_volkow.gif Image: National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse. Repeated drug exposure changes brain function. Positron emission tomography (PET) images are illustrated showing similar brain changes in dopamine receptors resulting from addiction to different substances cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, or heroin. The striatum (which contains the reward and motor circuitry) shows up as bright red and yellow in the controls (in the left column), indicating numerous dopamine D2 receptors. Conversely, the brains of addicted individuals (in the right column) show a less intense signal, indicating lower levels of dopamine D2 receptors (Volkow, N. D. (Medical Imaging Scan). (2012). PET Images of Brain Changes after Repeated Drug Exposure). Reduced dopamine production eventually leaves the user incapable of feeling any sense of pleasure, even from the drugs that feed the addiction. Scientists can now visualize this, in the above scan, the lack of dopamine receptors do not show up as bright red and yellow in the right column as they do on the left, in the control group. Drugs of abuse also affect the regions of the brain that help to control desires and emotions which results in a lack of control, and leads the addict to pursue the drug compulsively despite the lack of pleasure produced. Researchers in China at the Mental Health Institute also conducted an imaging study to investigate the gray matter volume in 20 former IV heroin users at three days after abstinence, and again at one month after abstinence. They also used 20 normal subjects used as the control group. They found that at the three-day mark, decreased gray matter density was found in the frontal cortex and occipital regions of the brain but at the one-month mark, there were no significant differences in those regions in the brains of the heroin addicts and the control group. While this was a small study and would need to be replicated in a larger group, what they found was that the changes occurring in the brain were, at least in part, reversible. They had initially, based on previous studies, hypothesized that the heroin dependent subject would have decreased gray matter density permanently (Wang X., 2012). Understanding the Addicted Brain: Illicit drugs (drugs), the term used to describe drugs which are under international control and that are produced, trafficked and/or consumed illicitly(UNODC: Information about drugs, 2012), use affects every part of the brain and its functioning. Drugs and alcohol interfere with the exchange of information in your brain, which actually produce changes that promote drug use. Just seeing a drug or its paraphernalia can bring anticipatory pleasure. This paper will identify just a few of the parts that are affected. The addicted brain is distinctly different from the non-addicted brain, as manifested by changes in metabolic activity, receptor availability, gene expression, and responsiveness to environmental cues. The activation of the brains reward system seems to be the common element in what hooks individuals on drugs. Drugs alter the central nucleus of the almond shaped part of the brain, known as the amygdala. The amygdala has a key function in the acute reinforcing actions of drugs of abuse. The amygdala is a part of the limbic system and is responsible for regulating emotions, fear and pleasure (Koob Volkow, 2009). Drugs also alter the part of the brain involved in impulse control, the prefrontal cortex, which makes it more difficult for addicts to resist taking drugs. This finding may help to explain why adolescents are more susceptible to addiction the prefrontal cortex does not become fully developed until people reach their mid-20s. The brain becomes used to these changes caused by the drug and begins altering its normal production and release of neurotransmitters (Harryman, 2011). The addict begins to lose control and has difficulty limiting drug intake, the need to consume becomes compulsive because the drug has affected the regions of the brains controlling impulse, craving and behavior. The individual is addicted. Initially, interfering with this system makes the user feel good but it leads to seeking the behaviors, which give pleasure at any cost. Chronic drug use causes changes in the structure and function of the neurons that can last for years, even after the user is clean. These changes to the brains structure and functions over time actually reduce the pleasurable effects of the drugs but also increase the cravings resulting in a destructive spiral. Scientists are learning how genetics and environmental factors, like stress, contribute to these neural disruptions and increase the risk of addiction. This ongoing research is allowing researchers to understand how addictive substances affect the brains reward system, and allowing for the development of more effective therapies for treating addiction. When a person takes an addictive drug, from nicotine to heroin, chemicals travel swiftly through the blood stream into certain key brain regions known as the reward system, the nucleus accumbens, which regulates the ability to feel pleasure. With continued drug use, the circuitry of this system becomes flooded with dopamine. Dopamine, a brain chemical, or neurotransmitter, activates specific sites on brain cells called receptors to increase pleasure and reward. Over time, the brain adjusts to the excess dopamine by decreasing the number of dopamine receptors and the overall amount of dopamine in the brain. Users must then consume more and more of the drug to achieve the same high. Disruption to the brains reward system is only part of the reason why drug addictions are so difficult to overcome, and why relapses can occur even after years of abstinence. Neuroscientists have also discovered drugs alter connections in brain circuits that regulate learning and memory, causing strong associations between the drugs pleasurable sensation and the circumstances under which it is taken. In fact, scientist are beginning to postulate that the whole action surrounding the getting high, is just as addictive than the actual drug itself. The rush for the addict often comes from pursuit of the activity. Drug addicts tend to be risk takers and thrill seekers and expect to have a pleasurable reaction to their substance of abuse before they use it. Some experts in the field of addiction today prefer the term addictive behaviors, to addiction. The biological, psychological, and social processes by which addictions occur have common pathways. All addictions have roots in genetic pr edispositions and biological traits. Many in the field say that addictions have characteristics in common and so do addicts. Regardless of the source of addiction, the effects are mainly concentrated in the brain: physically, chemically, and psychologically affecting emotions and energy levels. Addicts have distinct preferences for one substance over another and for how they go about using the substance they abuse. Many addicts have problems with self-regulation and impulse control, they tend to use drugs as a coping strategy in dealing with both stress and their everyday lives in general. They do not seek a way to escape so much, but more as a way to manage their lives. Heroin The Sequel: Across the nation, heroin use is increasing at an alarming rate and affecting a surprising population, kids in the suburbs. Heroin is a highly addictive drug and the most rapidly acting of the opiate class. The kids in the cities know not to touch it but it seems that message never made it to the kids in the suburbs. The biggest connection seems to be between prescription painkillers and heroin. The opiate high that kids get from drugs such as OxyCodone is much like the one that they get from heroin use. The kicker is that heroin is much cheaper and more easily obtained and the high is more intense. A small bag of heroin is cheaper than a six-pack of beer in some places and is estimated to be 15 times purer than it was in the 1970s. The increased purity means that it is easier for users to it. Many teens have a mistaken idea that snorting the drug makes them less likely to become addicted to it. Kids are going to believe that this is not a problem, and parents are going to continue t o leave their prescription opioids unattended if they dont know about the risks, said Wesley Clark, director of the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment at the Department of Health and Human Services (Drug Enforcement Agency, 2012). According to the 2008 National Survey on Drug Use and Health, the number of current (past-month) heroin users aged 12 or older in the U.S. increased from 153,000 in 2007 to 213,000 in 2008. There were 114,000 first-time users of heroin aged 12 or older in 2008. This number keeps climbing (National Institutes of Health, 2010). heroin_use_2009.png Image from National Institutes of Health Like most parents in upper-middle class neighborhoods, parents do not realize that there is a problem out there and continue to leave their prescriptions out and unmonitored. Heroin used to be used by predominantly poor, urban youth, read: black. In recent years, it is growing more popular in the middle class suburban areas, read: white. In truth, close to 90% of teen heroin addicts are white (Department of Drug Enforcement, 2012). In 2010, there were 140,000 persons aged 12 or older who had used heroin for the first time within the past 12 months. This estimate was similar to the estimate in 2009 (180,000) and to estimates during 2002 to 2008 (ranging from 91,000 to 118,000 per year). The average age at first use among recent initiates aged 12 to 49 was 21.3 years, significantly lower than the 2009 estimate (25.5 years) (National Institutes of Health National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2011). Heroins most important ingredient is morphine. Morphine is derived from the sap of the Papaver somniferum, the scientific name for the opium poppy. Afghanistan is the number one opium poppy producer in the world, and supplies more than 90% of the worlds opium. poppy.gif seedpod.jpg The opium poppy, papaver somniferum and the seed pod, showing the exudates/sap. Image: Morphine Heroin. It would not be a far stretch to think that the war in Afghanistan and the increase in heroin use in the United States are somehow related. According to a CNN news report, there have been eight Americans who have died from overdoses involving heroin, morphine or other opiates in Afghanistan from 2010 to 2011. These overdoses were revealed in documents that showed that the Army had officially investigated 56 soldiers, including the eight that died, on suspicion of possession, use and distribution of heroin and other opiates. Heroin use is on the rise in the Army overall, military statistics show that the number of soldiers testing positive for heroin has increased from ten in 2002 to 116 in 2010. Army officials did not respond to questions, but official records from the Criminal Investigation Command show how soldiers bought drugs from Afghan juveniles. The report also reveals that soldier lingo for the drug is Afghan dip(CNN, Martinez, M., 2012). USA Today, reported that medical offi cials estimated that 25% to 35% of about 10,000 ailing soldiers assigned to special wounded-care companies or battalions are addicted or dependent on drugs particularly prescription narcotic pain relievers, according to an Army inspector generals report made public in January of 2011(CNN, Retterbush, T., 2012) Since the US Invasion of Afghanistan, the heroin output has increased over 5000 percent, according to Glenn Greenway of the Drug Truth Network. Immediately following the 2001 invasion, opium prices spiraled and by 2002, the opium price was almost ten times higher than in 2000, the United Nations Office of Drug Control (UNODC) acknowledged. Heroin use in the United States and Europe are at epidemic proportions (CNN, Retterbush, T., 2012). In East Alton, there have been twelve heroin overdoses before the year is even half over. This places the county on track for a record number of heroin overdoses. This places the county on track for a record number of heroin overdoses. Fatalities from all drug overdoses are currently at 22 cases for 2011 (Occaisionalplanet.org, Mike Davis, 2011). East Alton is a Village, with a U.S. Census total population of 6,301 in 2010. There have been so many documented cases of drug activity in the community, the Police Department has now made a form available online to citizens so that they may anonymously report a house suspected in or near their neighborhood, or any suspected drug activity (Village of East Alton, 2012). Fatalities from all drug overdoses are currently at 22 cases for 2011. The US is not alone in this epidemic, Russia estimates that one in every 50 people of working age is addicted to heroin. South Wales has seen a jump of 180% in heroin addiction rates. In 2008, the European Union, (EU) estimated that a young European died every hour from a drug overdose. What is the cause for this epidemic across the planet? Last year, Russia publicly blamed the US and NATO for refusing to eradicate poppy production by US allied warlords, resulting in an estimated 30,000 heroin deaths in Russia in a single year. The US Congressional Research Service estimates that Afghanistan currently accounts for 90% of the worlds illicit opium (the essential ingredient of all narcotics) supply. Opium revenues for Afghanistan are equivalent to 7% of the licit GDP for the nation with 10% of the population actively participating. According to the progressive online news site, Occasional Planet, the ultimate cause of the heroin epidemic destroying much of the world and local youth is the Afghanistan war and the shortsighted policies involved there. This flood of heroin is a direct result of the war efforts. afghanistan-drug-chart.jpg Image taken from occasionalplanet.org Theorists and Theories Applied: The most common type of dual diagnosis is a connection between a mental or personality disorder and a substance abuse disorder such as alcoholism or drug addiction. The reason that these two disorders go hand in hand is that drug addiction and alcohol addiction are often caused by depression, anxiety and other personality disorders. According to researchers at the University of Manitoba, Winnipeg Department of Psychiatry, using drugs or alcohol to reduce emotional distress or self-medicating is common among people with mood disorders and the general population as a whole. Researchers found that 24.1 percent of people used drugs or alcohol to relieve their symptoms. In essence, the people knew they had mental illnesses, and they took drugs and alcohol in order to make those symptoms less palpable. By taking drugs and adding dopamine to their systems, they were able to mask their mental illness symptoms. Dual diagnosis is should be the expectation and not the exception. Dr. Marvin Zuckerman, at the University of Delaware, has conducted research on an aspect of personality that he calls sensation seeking. This trait has large hereditary components. Zuckerman describes sensation seeking as a desire for varied, novel, complex, and intense sensations and experience, and the willingness to take physical, legal, and financial risks for the sake of such experiences. His theory points out that those identified as antisocial risk takers are usually drug addicts. Zuckermans theory has commonsense appeal. It is easy to accept the idea that people differ in their need for excitement and risk, change and adventure. During an interview with BigThink.com, Mr. Zuckerman had this to say in response to a question posed by the interviewer: Question: Are risk-seekers more prone to becoming addicted to drugs? Marvin Zuckerman: Well, there are four types of risk taking which form the core you might say, smoking, drinking, drugs and sex. Now you can see three of those are substance abusers, and they act through the central nervous system. They act on centers in the central nervous system that give intrinsic pleasure. Particularly stimulant drugs like cocaine. They provide pleasure. They provide the kick that activities provide, as sex provides, for the sensation seeker. They are all correlated because they are all aspects of intensity seeking sensation and the novelty too. There is a difference, for instance, in drug users between those who are high sensation seekers and those that are low. I found this out when I was treating drug abusers. The low sensation well the average sensation-seeking drug abuser tries one drug, which he enjoys particularly and sticks to it. The lows try many different drugs. So, invariably they get into odd drugs like LSD that affect their minds as well as they provide unusual sensations as well as arousal, the lows stay away from those drugs. Question: What is a specific link between high sensation seeking and drug use? Marvin Zuckerman: You find for instance that high sensation seekers there are not many men, who love war and combat, but there are a few, there are some who really find that exciting and will re-volunteer simply because they are bored with military life outside of combat. In addition, there are various substances, which are interesting as they stimulate the same sensors that are stimulated by intense and novel external stimulation. Drugs do that more directly, particularly drugs like cocaine. Control theory, or Perceptual Control Theory (PCT), takes a different path, it view variability at the essence of behavior. The heart of control theory is that the organisms control and what they control is not behavior at all but perception(Powers M. A., 2005 (1994)). To put it simply, behavior is the control of perception(Powers W. T., 2009). According to Bill Powers, the developer of PCT, the living thing is in the drivers seat, driving the car. The control theorist would say that deviance arises when the adolescent/young adult, lack sufficient ties with conventional groups, such as family, schools and religious organizations; the alienation from those prevailing values that those groups instill are associated with drug use. This lack of social bonding has been found to be predictive of early or frequent drug use and resistance to traditional authority and normlessness(Spooner, 1999). Raymond L. Calabrese offers a definition of alienation in general, as the relationship of individuals to their environment and specifically, it describes the relationship in terms of isolation, meaninglessness, normlessness and powerlessness (pg. 14). This and other personality traits have been found to be associated with drug abuse. Self-efficacy is the concept that lies at the center of Albert Banduras Social Cognitive Theory. Self-efficacy is the belief in ones capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations (Self-Efficacy in Changing Societies, Bandura, 1995, p. 2). Bandura also mentions that developing strong self-efficacy is through mastery experiences ((Fletcher, 2003). These experiences are a double-edged sword. If completed, they improve ones self-efficacy. If failed, they weaken it. Individuals with low self-efficacy often abandon their goals at the first signs of even a minor obstacle. They tend to have all-or-nothing patterns of thinking. There is no room for being human, nor the possibility for mistakes. According to Caron, a non-profit provider of drug and alcohol treatment in PA, current statistics show relapse rates for addictive diseases usually are in the range of 50% to 90%; however, these rates vary by definition of relapse, severity of addi ction, which drug of addiction, length of treatment, and elapsed time from treatment discharge to assessment, as well as other factors. SAMHSA, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration regularly collect and publish this information. According to supporters of Addictive Personality theory, a distinct trait predisposes individuals to addictions. Much of the established medical community does not accept addictive personality as a diagnosis used to explain why some people become addicted to alcohol, drugs, activities or even emotions. Stephen Mason, PhD, said in his article Look at it this way in Psychology Today, A major misconception involving addiction is the idea that certain substances are, all by themselves, addicting. He goes on to add, Addiction depends, first and foremost, upon having an addictive personality. Such people, estimated at perhaps 10%-15% of the population, simply do not know when to stop. The nature and existence of this trait is still hotly debated in medical, neurobiological and psychological communities, there are definite implications in the brain that contribute to addictions. Dr. Alan Leshner, PhD of the National Institute on Drug Abuse describes addictions instead as a brain disease and a chronic relapsing disease, in that there are visible alterations in the brains of addicts and the effects are long lasting within their neurological patterns. Dr. Leshner also addresses the types of addiction and substance abuse that are often accredited to the addictive personality. He explains that there are two primary forms of addiction, one being the substance-based, the second being behavior-based. The substance-based addictions such as to alcohol, nicotine, narcotics are more easily explained and can be identified neurologically. Certain drugs like crack and heroin cause massive dopamine surges in the brain with different sensations ranging from invincibility or strength to euphoria or perceived enlightened states. The use of these substances almost immediately changes particular aspects of the brains behavior, making most individuals immediately susceptible to future abuse and addiction. Also common is the behavioral aspect of addictions. These are not easily explained neurologically, but generally are included in the addiction susceptibility characterized by the personality trait (Leshner, 2001). Moreover, combined addictions, addictions that include both the substance as well as the behavior are also common. The physical act of indulging in the steps involved and repetitive behavior essentially succeeds at making the invisible, visible. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, (CBT), is the method used by many today as a single source method for helping people get over emotional upsets in their lives. This type of therapy gives them the tools needed should they arise again. CBT teaches people how to change the way they think about things. In issues of addiction, the goal is to teach the person to recognize situations in which they are most likely to use, and identify situations that make them more vulnerable. It teaches them to avoid these circumstances if possible, and how to cope with other problems and behaviors which may lead to their substance abuse. CBT has two main components, functional analysis in which the therapist and client work together to identify the feelings, and give the client insight into what led to their abuse in the first place. The second component is skills training. The goal is to get the person to learn or re-learn better coping skills. This is achieved through a process of unlearning old habits and learning and developing healthier skills and habits. The main premises are to educate, to identify and to change. Some therapist mix different orientations and teachings. They are eclectic in their therapy styles, and pick and choose from different orientations. This pick and choose method is probably the most controversial style as it is, more often than not, of no benefit to the client and may be detrimental. Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy, (REBT) was formulated in the 1950s by Dr. Albert Ellis. REBT and CBT are similar but slightly different approaches to psychotherapy. REBT teaches that outside elements, the world around you, do not create emotions but the interactions with such and the beliefs and expectations, which we hold which give rise to the emotions we feel. When your beliefs become rigid, then emotional disturbance is the result. REBT teaches clients to modify the belief so that it is not so rigid and therefore less likely to create emotional upset. Example of rigid beliefs Everyone should agree with me and when that is modified, it becomes It would be nice if everyone agreed wi th me, but I realize that not everyone will. REBT is based on the premise that whenever we become upset, it is not the events taking place in our lives that upset us; it is the beliefs that we hold that cause us to become depressed, anxious, enraged, etc. Immediate Short Term Effects of Heroin: Soon after using, abusers report feeling a surge of pleasurable sensations, the rush. The intensity of this rush depends on how much of the drug is taken and how quickly the drug enters the brain and binds to the natural opioid receptors. One of the reasons why heroin is so addictive is because of the speed at which it enters the brain. The effects of heroin are almost immediate and last typically, from three to five hours. This rush is accompanied by a warm flushing sensation, dry mouth, slight nausea, itching, and a heavy feeling in the extremities (AstriCon 2012: Hooked on heroin: Dane Countys deadliest drug, 2010). Some users report that they enter a dream-like state where nothing matters, they equate this to bliss (Weyant, 2012). The user may also experience severe nausea, vomiting, and severe itching, which is usually the case with first use. I got so sick the first time I banged up (injected), I actually puked but then right after that, this warm feeling came all over me and w ow, I was gone. It was like this warm, rolling orgasm but it was my whole body. I cant explain it, this is so weird talking about this with you, but you asked. Sometimes I still get sick but thats when I know its good dope, you dont mind vomiting behind smack (Weyant, 2012). After this initial rush, abusers usually will be drowsy for several hours, they call this getting a nod on (Weyant, 2012). Mental function is clouded by heroins effect on the central nervous system. Cardiac function slows, and breathing is severely slowed, sometimes to the point of death. The goal of the addict is to recreate this rush, but with each use it becomes harder and harder to obtain. It is never like the first time, no matter how much I do. Mom, its like this Its an identity, vocation, and pastime, a lover, master, and my best friend. It makes me sick sitting here admitting all of this to you but it is what it is. Heroin is just everything to every addict, all the time. (Weyant, 2012). This is the vic ious cycle of addiction. 5522_2 brain_nih.gif Brain on Drugs. Image: National Institutes of Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse Heroin Hits Home Heroin has killed more people in Dane County than any other drug in the past five

Animal Farm, by George Orwell Essay -- Animal Farm Essays

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This novel takes place at a farm, which its name is Manor Farm, who’s owned by Mr. Jones. He a drunk that never really took care of his animals. There was a Boar that lived on the farm his name was Old Major. He is twelve years old, had lately grown rather stout, majestic- looking pig, tushes never been cut, and wise and benevolent appearance. He sets up a meeting to discuss an important matter that happened to him the night before.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The discussion to place at night after Mr. Jones was asleep. In a barn is where all the animals had gather to listen to Old Major speech. Three dogs, a cat, pigeons, hens, pigs, cows, sheep’s, two horses named Clover, mother that never got her figure back after her fourth foal, the other named boxer, enormous beast, strong as two horses put together, white stripe down his nose, not very intelligent, respected for steadiness of character and tremendous powers of work, Muriel the goat, and Benjamin the donkey, the oldest animal on the farm and also the worst tempered. Topics of the meeting were that they do all the labor and get nothing back. Also says men are evil and that the animals should never adjust to their lifestyle. That is live in a house, sleep in bed, were clothes, drink alcohol, smoke tobacco, touch money, or engage in trade. An animal must not kill another animal. Last one was all animal are equal. All the animals agreed.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This was his dream and the men were vanished. There was a song that he had forgot in from when he was little, but the dream reminded him the song. He sang the song that is called Beast of England. Eventually everyone knew the song. Then they went to sleep.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Three nights later Old Major pasted away. It’s now early March and a lot of secret activity has been happening for the past three months. They would have meetings after Mr. Jones was a sleep and ended the meeting with the song Beast of England.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There were three pigs that elaborated Old Majors theory. They also called it Animalism. Out of the three pigs two of them were boars, first one named Napoleon, large, fierce- looking, and not much of a talker, but got everything his own way. The other boar was named Snowball, a vivacious pig, quicker in speech, and more inventive. Third one is a porker nam... ...ars has passed and most of the animals past away. The windmill was used for milling corn. One day all the pigs come out walking on to feet. Clover, she was old, stout mare now, stiff in the joints, and tendency to rheumy eyes was shocked. So was Benjamin, he just got a little grayer. Then the pigs went back in the farmhouse. One the got close to see what was happening in the dinning room. There were pigs and Pilkington and Frederick was also there. Napoleon told them his story of how he gave less food to the animals. He also mentioned that this farm is no longer called Animal Farm, it is called The Manor Farm. They had their toast, sat down, and continue the card game. The animals were wondering what they were talking about, but they left after the pigs and men sat down. Then a loud noise was herd and the animals ran back to see what happened. Napoleon and Pilkington had an ace of spade. The entire animals saw were men and pigs. Then even truly couldn’t tell the difference .   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This story I enjoyed very much. It had a twist in the end I did not suspect. Totally threw me off. I think if you were a person who likes twists this would be a good book to read.

Christianity On-line Essay -- Personal Narrative Communities Essays

Christianity On-line On-line communities are a foreign concept to me. I have never joined one, or even been curious to see what they are like. The only experience I have had with them is in middle school when I used to go into chat rooms and talk to other teens. The only conversation involved there was about music and movies. It has been years since I have ventured into anything on-line except for checking my e-mail or downloading music. In order to write about on-line communities, the assignment given to the class I am in, I had to go on-line and explore the culture myself. Since I had no idea what server to use or what sites were popular, the task was a little daunting. The first thing I looked at was " The Lost Library of Moo ," a site I went to because it was a resource tool listed on the Website for my English class. We had looked at it once before in class to practice navigating it. The only thing I got from the site was that the pictures were pretty and interesting. I did not understand the purpose of it or how to play games that were available. Even reading the introduction and summary of what the site was about confused me. It talked about making verbs written in the language of Moo and virtual reality. The concept of Moo had never been clearly explained to me, so trying to figure the site out on my own was not getting me anywhere. The site is categorized as a MUD or MOO, which is designed to be an educational tool. I was getting discouraged because I could not even understand the directions. The site also talked about signing on to the server and being a "character." I did not even know how to maneuver a game; creating a charact er for it was not even an option for me. Since I was totally l... ...manner. It is easy for people with common interests to meet and exchange views. A person is able to cut through normal small talk that is involved when first meeting someone else, and ask direct questions about the topic known to be important to both of them. On-line communities offer a sense of belonging right away. That is why Christianity or any religion often becomes popular sites with active discussion boards. A topic that is carefully worded to be politically correct when talked about in person, can be discussed frankly when using a screen name. It allows people to be comfortable enough to share their feelings and show their ignorance without worrying about repercussions. I support on-line discussion boards, even though it takes away from face-to-face interaction, something that is necessary when building a solid relationship with another person.

Francine du Plessix Gray’s: At Home with the Marquis de Sade: A Life :: Biography Family Papers

Francine du Plessix Gray’s: At Home with the Marquis de Sade: A Life In 1998, Francine du Plessix Gray, prolific author of novels, biographies, sociological studies and frequent contributions to The New Yorker, published her most acclaimed work to date: At Home with the Marquis de Sade: A Life. A Pulizer Prize finalist that has already appeared in multiple English-language editions as well as translated ones, Du Plessix Gray’s biography has met with crowning achievement and recognition on all fronts. Accolades have accumulated from the most acclaimed of eighteenth-century luminaries, such as Robert Darnton, in a lengthy review in The New York Review of Books that compares her biography with Laurence Bongie’s Sade: A Biographical Essay, to the list of scholars whom she thanks in her acknowledgements for having read the manuscript: Lynn Hunt, Lucienne Frappier-Mazur, and Marie-Hà ©là ¨ne Huà «t. Surely, any scholar can appreciate the vast amount of research that undergirds Du Plessix Gray’s narrative, and indeed, she takes g reat pains to meticulously inform the reader who might care to look at her sources and read her acknowledgements that she has done her homework and knows every inch of the scholarly terrain. Du PlessixGray wisely begins her acknowledgements with a debt of gratitude to Maurice Lever’s studies, which rest on years of archival research. However, what really frames Francine du Plessix Gray’s biography is not so much the â€Å"fin du dix huitià ¨me sià ¨cle† but the â€Å"fin du vingtià ¨me sià ¨cle† and the â€Å"reality† material from Sade’s life that made it possible to represent the Marquis, his sons, his wife, mother-in-law, father-in-law, and uncle as so many of the people who populate the running narrative of criminals, deadbeat dads, incestuous relatives, date-raping playboys, and battered women that fill soap operas, day-time talk, women’s magazines, talk radio, and the tabloids. This paper, then, explores Sade’s biography not as a narrative of (the Marquis de Sade’s) his life, but as a narrative that pleases today’s reader because it serves up a voyeur’s view of (in) his â€Å"dysfunctional† family life â€Å"at home† that we are all too familiar with. This becomes abundantly apparent when du Plessix-Gray’s rend ering of the Marquis and the Marquise’s lives are superimposed over the rà ©cit of lives that we read about all the time in the popular press and observe in television soaps and other series. Ultimately, we are interested in what such a reading, writing and representation of Sade’s life does to Sade’s persona and status, both in the world of letters, but more importantly, in the world at large.

Is Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe A Tragedy? Essay

The word â€Å"tragedy† refers primarily to a literary composition in which a central character called a tragic protagonist or hero suffers some serious misfortune which is not accidental, but in that the misfortune is logically connected with the hero’s actions. [1] When we read this definition of tragedy, it gives us a feeling that it is indeed Onkonkwo’s life summarized in a few lines, as in Things Fall Apart, he, being the protagonist has a complete reversal of fortune and in the end, all that he stood for, all his strengths bring him to his downfall. This ideal of a tragedy is very relevant in this novel. The title itself reinstates the fact that ‘things fall apart’ in this novel and therefore, tragedy strikes. For a work to be called a tragedy, the characters in it must possess certain traits [2]. Hence, to verify that â€Å"Things Fall Apart’ is a tragedy; we may analyze the character of the protagonist in this novel, who is Onkonkwo and get an overview of his qualities and traits. Firstly, the hero in the tragedy must be doomed from start, but bear no responsibility for possessing his flaw. In this novel, Onkonkwo since the beginning wished to be different from his effeminate, unsuccessful and lazy father, Unoka. As a result, he adopted his own ideals and values and gained will power, strength and determination. These qualities enabled him to become a great wrestler, strong warrior, wealthy farmer, and a highly respected member of his community. However, as he achieved more in life, his self confidence became his pride and his manliness turned into authoritativeness. Eventually, his strengths became his weaknesses. However, at the same time, Onkonkwo was forced into developing all these traits in him, because he had a fear of weakness due to having a father like Unoka. Another trait of a tragic hero is the fact the he should be a leader, so that his people experience his fall with him. Onkonkwo was indeed an important leader in his village. However, as he became more successful, he became vain and impatient with unsuccessful men. He openly flouted the many customs and traditions of the Ibo due to his unruly and violent behavior. He exhibited his anger unreasonably by beating up his wives and children, as he did in the week of peace which was considered sacred. Onkonkwo, however, committed his worst mistake when he participated in the killing of his adopted son, Ikemefuna. Despite being advised against it by the oldest member of the community, Onkonkwo disregarded him and he himself cut down his son, only because he was ‘afraid of being thought weak’. His ultimate blow came, when due to an accident, he shot dead the 16 year old son of Ogbuefi Ezeudu at his funeral. Thus, Onkonkwo lost all his prestige and was ostracized from the community, forced to live in exile for seven long years. Thus, due to his own tragic flaws there was a complete reversal in his fortune, which is another trait of a tragic hero. While in exile, Onkonkwo suffered greatly, as he was in great misery due to his son Nwoye, who also abandoned him and rejected him by changing his religion. When Onkonkwo returned from exile, he found a completely transformed community. He had lost all his respect. He always wanted his people to be strong and brave, but instead he found that all of them had become weak in front of the Christians, incapable of saving their traditions and culture. In the end, when a messenger from the District Commissioner’s office came to their village to hold a meeting, Onkonkwo impetuously killed him. His community however did not support him and his people backed away in fear. This eventually led him to his own death as crushed by the misfortunes, he committed suicide. Considering the traits of the hero in a tragedy again, he must be physically or spiritually wounded by his experiences, as in the case of Onkonkwo, which in fact resulted in his sad demise. According to Aristotle, a tragedy must also have consistency, which this novel certainly does have, since Onkonkwo, the main character in this work, consistently remains true to himself. Onkonkwo throughout the book stands up for himself, his beliefs and his community. And although he possesses his own shares of flaws, he also has some good traits in him, which proves that he did not really deserve this fate. This arouses pity and empathy for him amongst the readers. In conclusion, we can clearly say that Chinua Achebe’s ‘Things Fall Apart’ is a classical example of a tragedy. However, it is not only about the main protagonist’s personal tragedy but also about the tragic destruction of the Ibo, the tribe to which Onkonkwo belonged. This tragedy is caused because the people, themselves turn away from their own traditional gods and culture. Thus, the causes of this tragedy are inherent within the culture itself and the tragic element in this book has truly enhanced it even more.

Emotional Labour

RESEARCH PROPOSAL – EXAMPLE 1 Project Title Emotional Labour and Gender in the Hospitality Industry Research Context The idea that there is an ‘emotional’ aspect to work seems to have only gained academic credence in recent years. Hochschild (1983) originally introduced the concept of emotional labour in her study of flight attendants and bill collectors. Since then various researchers have subsequently expanded the topic to various different types of workers including teachers (Blackmore 1996), nurses (James 1992; O'Brien 1994), lawyers (Pierce 1996), police (Stenross ; Kelinman 1989) and caterers (Phornprapha ; Guerrier 1997).Emotional labour could be seen as the management or display of appropriate emotions while working, requiring ‘one to induce or suppress feeling in order to sustain the outward countenance that produces the proper state of mind in others. ’ (Hochschild 1983:7). A medium sized chain of English pubs has agreed to participate in th e study and will be referred to as the ‘Coaching Inn Company’ The company has grown rapidly, and developed a portfolio of approximately 170 individual units widely spread around England.Most of these outlets offer accommodation and food, often with a relatively low reliance on wet (alcohol) sales, reflecting the apparent trends of the pub-going market towards other revenue generators such as food and accommodation (Williams 1996). The company has a relatively ‘soft’ type of branding, with a number of individual outlets of differing character, each supporting a wide customer base. In the past it had been the policy of head office to give unit managers quite a free hand in the running of their property.However, there has been an increasing level of standardisation in some areas (with more standardised wine lists, menus, and accommodation offers, such as weekend breaks), and a central reservations system was increasingly used for accommodation. This approach t o branding, with the unit distinctiveness being valued by head office and seen as a marketing opportunity, provided an early hint about the organisation’s likely approach to emotional labour. Research AimThe project aims to explore the nature of emotional labour in service interaction in United Kingdom public houses, and explore the extent to which it is affected by the gender of individual staff members. Key research objectives 1. To identify the impacts caused by emotional labour among employees involved in pub service. 2. To discover and evaluate coping strategies utilised by service staff engaged in the performance of emotional labour in relation to those suggested by employers, trainers and in the literature. . To recommend measures that could be adopted by organisations and individuals to improve employees’ experience of emotional labour to the benefit of employers, employees and customers. Overview of the Literature Literature There are various different types o f emotional labour including ‘personalizing an impersonal relation’ (Hochschild 1983:109), refraining from reacting to abusive behaviour, and maintaining a perpetual, sincere smile’ (Macdonald ; Sirianni 1996:9).Hochschild (1983) introduced the term ‘feeling rules’ to explain emotional norms, although if Scherer’s (1996) definition of emotion, including not only feeling but also neurophysiological responses and motor expression, is to be adopted, the implied dominance of ‘feeling’ should be treated cautiously. Ashforth and Humphrey (1993:89) approach this issue by suggesting that ‘display rules’ is a more appropriate term, as emotional labour appears to be primarily concerned with ‘publicly expressed’ emotions.Both of these concepts appear to have value, although neither, taken individually, satisfactorily includes all the elements of emotion and emotional labour, and a combination of both seems more appr opriate. Display rules may seem more useful in the study of the subject, especially from a behaviourist point of view, but to fully understand their nature and impacts, actual feelings, cognition and physiological state should probably be examined as well. Various possible negative impacts of emotional labour on staff have been suggested including job stress (Adelmann 1995) employee burnout (Ledgerwood et al. 997), emotional exhaustion (Wharton 1993), and feeling ‘phony’ when portraying false emotion to customers (Hochschild 1983). It should be pointed out, however, that positive effects of emotional labour have also been suggested with staff often enduring some less pleasant aspects of service work for ‘the chance to interact with other people’ (Riley et al 1998) and gaining satisfaction from such work. Weatherly ; Tanisk (1993) examined various methods used by customer-contact workers to deal with role stress that seem relevant to emotional labour.These i nclude: 1. Actual avoidance of contact, perhaps by avoiding eye contact so as not to have to take an order or deal with a complaint. 2. Reacting to and/or educating the client – Hochschild (1983:127) recounts an incident when a flight attendant was asked by a customer why she wasn’t smiling; she tried to pass the role onto him, asking him to smile and telling him to ‘freeze, and hold that for fifteen hours. ’ 3. Engaging customers (e. g. asking them for help) in the service provision to distract them from making demands. . Mindlessness, relying on scripts and pre-programmed behaviour for fulfilling a role. 5. Over-acting, ascribing their actions to a role rather than themselves as individuals. Public Houses There has been relatively little academic research in the public house sector in recent years. This is of some concern given the considerable size of this part of the hospitality industry – it has been suggested that pubs represent the third most popular type of eating out establishment in the UK (Mintel Publications 1991).The public house environment seems likely to require a considerable amount of emotional labour when dealing with customers due to the consumption of alcohol that takes place. This is likely to lead to a level of ‘disinhibition’ (Smith 1985a:32) of customer behaviour that could cause problems for staff. The presence and relatively easy access to alcohol could also result in staff developing drinking problems which may affect their work performance generally and emotionally.Pub landlords seem especially susceptible to the demands of emotional labour as, it can be argued that ‘the publicans’ sociability and relational network is focused around the ‘regulars’ who form the dominant group of users’ (Smith 1985a). This suggests that the publican’s social life is dominated by work contacts, especially since most individuals live on the premises. This was partic ularly well demonstrated by Smith (1885b:295) when describing the publican of a ‘rough working-class pub’ who ‘was behind the bar less often than in front of it’ with his regular customers.Relatively little seems to have been written about other service employees in pubs, although these people are in the front-line of the service encounter, and as such, are likely to be able to offer valuable insights into emotional labour. Gender Gender issues have been addressed in much of the literature dealing with both emotional labour (e. g. Hochschild 1983; Pierce 1996) and pubs/alcohol (e. g. Hey 1986; Hunt ; Satterlee 1987; Gough ; Edwards 1998).Some (if rather dated) literature deals with gender differences in the pub trade. Hey (1986:43), for instance, suggested that the female bar staff member is expected to be a ‘sexually provocative, friendly, sympathetic, and ‘mature’, experienced woman’, while male bar staff ‘wear dark suits, bow ties, shake cocktail mixers and are monstrously efficient. ’ More recently, Folgero ; Fjeldstadt (1995) suggested that women employed in the service industry are likely to be subjected to sexual harassment by both colleagues and customers.Hey (1986:44) considered that women bar staff were expected to be ‘socially available’ and engage in ‘Pseudo-flirtation’ when a customer purchases a drink for them, although suggesting such expectations are limited to female staff appears to disagree with the researchers personal experience when working as a male bar person. Research Design This will be an empirical research. It is proposed to conduct a small number of case studies in a selection of public houses, preferably owned and operated by a single chain.A single case study may produce distorted results, as each pub is likely to have unique characteristics and pubs often have relatively small workforces from which to generate data. A detailed study of a l arge number of outlets also seems impractical given time and resource limitations. It is suggested that two pubs could be investigated over a two month period, depending on the type of access granted, allowing the researcher sufficient time to develop a reasonable familiarity with each, and generate sufficient and trustworthy data.It should be stressed, however, that this study aims to explore a relatively new area in considerable depth and will not seek to generalise any findings to the public house industry as the case study approach will be adopted in order to understand the phenomena to be studied rather than their ‘incidence’ (Yin 1989:55). Ethnographic techniques will be utilised with the researcher employing participant observation of the individual pubs to be studied.Fetterman (1998:1) described ethnography as ‘the art and science of describing a group or culture,’ relying largely on participant observation (observation by a field-worker who takes p art in the daily life of the society being studied) for data gathering, although numerous additional data collection techniques are available to the ethnographer for triangulation purposes. This is based on the idea that, by striving to find the locals’ point of view (Narayan 1993) the field-worker will be suitably equipped to understand why individuals within a social group do what they do, not simply recount observed phenomena.The participant observation will be conducted by working as a front-line bar person in each of the sampled pubs. Although this requires the co-operation of individual unit managers from the chain of public houses, major problems of access are not anticipated given the demand for experienced bar staff. This will enable the researcher to develop an in-depth understanding (Sandiford ; Ap 1998) of the outlets, their staff and the processes involved in the emotional labour conducted in the work environment.The participant observation will not be exclusivel y conducted in the work setting, as the social activities of staff are likely to provide a more holistic representation of the emotional demands and effects of pub work. Both informal and formal semi-structured interviews will be conducted with customers, service staff, line management and head office management to gain an insight into the views and experiences of different levels of employees throughout the company.Such interviews will also help audit the project’s findings at each stage of the analysis. Given the large number and different types of pubs in the United Kingdom, it is necessary to develop a view of the types of pub to be sampled. Primary consideration will be given to the size of pub, as, given the project’s objectives, it would be inappropriate to spend a long period of observation in a pub operated solely by a management couple with no, or very few, customer service staff.Giving an arbitrary minimum number of service staff at this stage also seems pre mature, although it is clear that the pubs to be studied should have a sufficient number of service staff, both full and part-time, to enable the researcher to address the research questions effectively. It would be desirable to target a mixture of geographical and demographic pub locations for the study, hopefully including one rural, and one urban setting which would provide different perspectives for the research and result in a variety of service phenomena for analysis.A flexible time plan has been developed, with the two months to review the literature more fully, conduct the pilot study and seek formal access to a pub company for the main study. The next 2 months will be used to collect the data, with on-going analysis, followed by 2 months for completing the analysis and the final report. Ethics Participant observation presents researchers with various ethical dilemmas, as to inform research subjects that they are being investigated can result in them behaving abnormally.Howe ver, it is felt that participating in the pubs to be studied for relatively long periods will help the researcher to integrate well into the work team even when known to be a researcher, and allow other members of staff to accept the researcher, thus minimising abnormal behaviour. Customers seem to present more of an ethical question, as it is not practical to explain to each one that they are being observed (Franklin 1985:9). In this project, however, staff and their reactions to the emotional demands of the job are the main foci of attention so it is felt that this is a relatively minor problem.Treatment of the Data The data will take various forms – the researcher will keep a daily personal journal containing field notes, personal observations and reflections on situations that arise; formal (and some informal) interviews will be recorded on audio tape whenever possible, and transcribed to avoid mistakes and mis-interpretations copies of these will be issued to interviewee s, when possible, for member checking, following a similar audit trail to that used by Sandiford (1997) especially related to the interpretation of data; relevant company documentation (e. g. raining manuals, policy statements, etc. ) will be examined, if permitted, to provide additional information related to emotional labour within the company. The data will undergo ethnographic analysis in order to develop a full picture of emotional labour. The researcher will follow the framework utilised in his MPhil research (Sandiford 1997) and outlined by Spradley (1980). Such a systematic approach to the analysis, through three major stages, will result in the reconstruction of audited cultural themes related to the phenomenon of emotional labour which will provide the basis for the resultant thesis.Planning See Gantt chart in Appendix A for a breakdown of the activities and the time required to complete them. Resources Required * Main researcher for 6 months, bar experience essential * Ty pist for 5 days to transcribe interviews * Access to academic library databases and Inter Library Loan * Digital voice recorder to record interviews (? 80) * Laptop to record daily logs while away from home (? 400) * Transport costs to and from Pubs, if pub not local (up to ? 200) * Accommodation if pub not local (? 1600) * Binding (? 100) Risk AnalysisRisk| Impact (I)| Prob (P)| I x P| Contingency| 4 week observation can’t be completed| 3| 1| 3| Organise stand-by pub, optionally delay completion of research| Data lost| 3| 1| 3| Ensure regular backups to secure source| Companies/Pubs won’t participate| 3| 2| 6| Establish possibilities early. Take advantage of 1:1 networking opportunities. Solicit help from members of ULMS| Technology fails| 2| 1| 2| Ensure backup solutions are available| Lack of co-operation with bar staff| 3| 1| 3| Ensure they understand the non-threatening nature of the study – not management driven.Provide support and understanding of their s ituation. | Quality Criteria Interview questions to be approved by supervisor and Head office contact before being used. Minimum of 6 weeks spent observing bar interactions Minimum of 6 interviews with customers Minimum of 8 bar staff interviews (at least 2 part-time and 2 full-time, and at least 3 males and 3 females) Minimum of 2 Bar manager interviews At least 1 interview with head office staff All interview transcripts to be approved by interviewee before being analysed All references to company to be made anonymous before publishing.Dissertation to be written using plain English, 12pt Roman, double spaced, Harvard Referencing, bound in maroon cloth covered boards with gold lettering. Monthly progress updates to supervisor and Head office contact. References Adelmann, P. K. (1995) ‘Emotional Labor as a Potential Source of Job Stress’, in, S. L. Sauter, L. R. Murphy (Eds. ) Organizational risk factors for job stress, Washington, DC: American Psychological Association , 371-381. Ashforth, B. E. ; Humphrey, R. H. (1993) ‘Emotional Labour in Service Roles: The Influence of Identity’, Academy of Management Review, 18, 1, 88-115. Blackmore, J. 1996) ‘Doing ‘Emotional Labour’ in the Education Market Place: Stories from the Field of Women in Management’, Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 17, 3, 337-349. Fetterman, D. (1998) Ethnography Step bySstep (2nd Ed. ) London: Sage. Folgero, Ingebjorg S. ; Fjeldstadt, Ingrid H. (1995) ‘On Duty – Off Guard: Cultural Norms and Sexual Harassment in Service Organizations’, Organization Studies, 16, 2, 299-313Franklin 1985:9). Gough, B. ; Edwards, G. (1998) ‘The Beer Talking: Four Lads, a Carry Out and the Reproduction of Masculinities,’ The Sociological Review, 46, 409-435.Hammersley, M. ; Atkinson, P. (1983) Ethnography: Principles in Practice, London: Routledge. Hey, V. (1986) Patriarchy and Pub Culture, London: Tavisto ck. Hochschild, A. R. , (1983). The Managed Heart: Commercialization of Human Feeling. University of California Press, London. Hunt, Geoffrey ; Satterlee, Saundra (1987) Darts, Drink and the Pub: The Culture of Female Drinking,’ Sociological Review, 35, 3, Aug, 575-601 James, N. (1992) ‘Care = Organisation + Physical Labour + Emotional Labour’ Sociology of Health and Illness, 14: 4, Dec, 488-509. Ledgerwood, C. E. , Crotts, J. C. amp; Everett, A. M. (1998) ‘Antecedents of Employee Burnout in the Hotel Industry’, Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, 4, 31-44. Macdonald, C. L. ; Sirianni, C. (Eds. ) (1996) Working in the Service Society, Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Mintel Publications (1991) ‘Eating out,’ Leisure-Intelligence, 1, 1-28. Narayan, K. (1993), ‘How Native Is A Native Anthropologist? ’ American Anthropologist. Vol. 95, No. 3, pp. 671-686 O'Brien, M. (1994) ‘The Managed Heart Revisited: Heal th and Social Control’, Sociological-Review, 42: 3, Aug, 393-413 Phornprapha, S. & Guerrier, Y. 1997) ‘Restaurant Staff and their Supervisors: The Management of Emotions’, paper presented at The Fourth Recent Advances in Retailing and Services Science Conference, Scottsdale, Arizona, 30 June-3 July. Pierce, J. (1996) ‘Rambo Litigators: Emotional Labour in a Male-Dominated Occupation’, in C. Cheng, (Ed. ) Masculinities in Organizations, Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications, pp. 1-28 Riley, M. , Lockwood. , A. , Powel-Perry, J. , & Baker, M. (1988) ‘Job Satisfaction, Organisation Commitment and Occupational Culture: A Case from the UK Pub Industry’, Progress in Tourism and Hospitality Research, 4. 59-168 Sandiford, P. J. & Ap, J. (1998) ‘The Role of Ethnographic Techniques in Tourism Planning. ’ Journal of Travel Research, Vol. 37, No. 1, August 1998, 3-11 Sandiford, P. J. (1997), Social and Cultural Impacts of Imported Labour at the New Chek Lap Kok Airport Development, Hong Kong, Unpublished M. Phil Thesis, The Department of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Scherer, K. R. (1996) ‘Emotion’, in M. Hewstone, W. Stroebe & G. M. Stephenson (Eds) Introduction to Social Psychology, 2nd. Ed. , Oxford: Blackwell Smith, M.A. (1985a) ‘The Publican: Role Conflict and Aspects of Social Control,’ Service Industries Journal, 5: 1 March, 23-36. Smith, M. A. (1985b) ‘A Participant Observer Study of a ‘Rough' Working-Class Pub,’ Leisure Studies, 4, 3, Sept, 293-306 Spradley, J. P. (1980) Participant Observation, Orlando: Rinehart and Winston Stenross, B. & Kleinman, S. (1989) ‘The Highs and Lows of Emotional Labor: Detectives’ Encounters with Criminals and Victims’, Journal of Contemporary Ethnography, 17, 4, January, 435-452 Weatherly, Kristopher A. & Tansik, David A. 1993) ‘Tactics Used by Customer-Contact Workers: Effects of Role Stress, Boundary Spanning and Control’, International Journal of Service Industry Management, 4, 3, 4-17 Wharton, A. S. (1993) ‘The Affective Consequences of Service Work: Managing Emotions on the Job,’ Work and Occupations, 20, 2, May, 205-232 Williams, C. E. (1996) ‘The British Pub: An Industry in Transition,’ Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 37, 6, 62-73. Yin, R. K. (1989) Case Study Research: Design and Methods, London: Sage. Appendix A – Project Plan