Concept Analysis of Caring Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Concept Analysis of Caring - Essay Example Nurse is a person capable to provide care while interacting with people. The provision of nursing care enables interactions to depict that this profession provides a basis for nursing as a profession discipline to interact with the society. Caring as a concept can be construed to mean providing for, looking after, or caring about somebody. The disposition for caring can range from a mild concern to a strong attachment of deep-felt love. According to caring and nursing theorists such as Ranheim & Bertero (2012) and Gillespie et al. (2012) caring is both a value and an attitude that becomes an intent due to manifestation of the concrete acts. Other caring philosophers argue that caring relationships establish strong ethos of love, sacrifice, and responsibility in caritative ethic. Care and caring have a feministic inclination due to the natural mother taking care of children. To better understand the approach of caring and the role of the practice I will consolidate empirical findings from three different studies that will reveal the nurse caring intentions to reflect the caring theory in practice. The study aims to elaborate a critical representation of the caring concept as presented in the nursing literature using conceptual analytical approaches. The critical reflection on the caring concept represents the concept as vague and indefinite while ontology and epistemology in profession nursing distinguish conceptual analyses of caring and the structural perspective of language. Additionally the paper will mention the self-referential attributes of the concept of caring, uses, and the analytical methods. An alterative view will explain caring as a discursive practice instead of a rigid entity while informing on the role of the concept in the nursing practice. A poststructuralist view perceives caring as deputation rather than a guiding concept that can c ater for extensive research in caring theory. Lastly the paper will examine the

Psychology For Social Care Practice Essay Example for Free

Psychology For Social Care Practice Essay This essay will demonstrate my understanding of developments which occur at each stage of an individuals life cycle. I will relate these developments to two relevant psychological theories and discuss how an individuals needs must be met to enable them to develop. The human life cycle can be broken down into 5 basic stages (Bingham et al. 2009); Infancy 0-2 years Childhood 2-12 years Adolescence 12-21 years Adulthood 21-65 years Older Adulthood 65+ years During each stage of the life cycle, different physical, emotional, cognitive, social and cultural developments occur; In infancy, physical changes include learning to sit up, crawl and walk independently. At this stage, the infant will begin to look for attention from others and seek affection and love. Infants are able to interact with others by smiling/laughing and crying, and begin to form attachments to main care givers such as family members from around 6 months. Fine motor skills and communication skills (understanding and formation of words) develop rapidly in infancy and individuals will become used to the routines and norms of those around them. In childhood, physical development extends to skills in balance and control over the body. Emotionally, the child will continue to strengthen bonds with primary care givers and social development will move on to interactive play and forming friendships. Language and expression develop further and the child shows a capacity to learn new information and skills as well as learning about and conforming to social and cultural norms. The body begins to change significantly in adolescence; the individual will go through puberty. An adolescent will be more self aware than in childhood and will become detached from primary care givers, instead preferring to form closer relationships with friends and peers. The individual will form stronger affiliations to certain cultural and sub-cultural norms and will express these through personal appearance, partaking in activities and choosing certain peer groups. In early adulthood, the individual will reach a peak of physical fitness which they will thereafter have to work at to maintain. More physical demands are made on the body such as childbearing, work and aging. Emotionally, a person  in adulthood will have established a role possibly in their place of work, or at home as a parent- how effectively they fill their role can effect self esteem. Social development can become limited to those with similar careers or interests and can be hindered by other responsibilities s uch as work and family commitments. Older adults may experience a decline in physical fitness eyesight may deteriorate and the body may become weaker. Some individuals may remain fairly fit well into older adulthood and some may find that physical fitness can deteriorate rapidly. Older adulthood can be isolating and ones self image can be altered through changing of roles eg. retirement. Socially, some find a sense of freedom in being able to leave work behind and live, others lose a sense of purpose and find that their world may become smaller and more family focused. Older adults will have a well established perception of themselves and what they find acceptable as part of their culture. For this essay I have used Mrs. Oswald as a case study. Mrs. Oswald is a resident at Thorneycroft residential care home for older people. She has been a resident at Thorneycroft for six months and at ninety-five years old, is in the final stage of development as detailed in the life cycle breakdown above. Mrs. Oswald is relatively able bodied, she is able to bathe herself but requires help getting in and out of the bath. She is able to move around independently, she does have a tripod to help her with this but she doesnt tend to use it. She is prone to falling over and has fallen fifteen times since moving to Thorneycroft, this is not helped by her insomnia which leaves her restless at night so she ends up wandering around unattended. Mrs. Oswald is hard of hearing and requires a hearing aid but her eyesight is good when wearing her glasses. She has a good level of personal hygiene and takes pride in her appearance. Before coming to Thorneycroft she had home help who assisted her with household tasks such as cooking and housework and helped her with medication for her cellulitis. Mrs. Oswald was a midwife for fifty years, she is well educated and enjoys sharing her knowledge and talking about her career. She keeps her mind active by reading the newspaper, doing crossword puzzles and playing dominoes when she goes to the day centre but it is possible that these activities are not stimulating enough fo r her. She is a little confused at times about her roles; she behaves as though Thorneycroft staff are her employees and adopts a matron-like attitude with them, which probably  crosses over from her role in her career as a midwife. She can be forgetful but does not have dementia and before moving to Thorneycroft was quite vulnerable as she sees the best in people and was being exploited by people doing odd jobs and coming in and out of her home. Mrs. Oswald appears to be content on the surface, she has started to accept death and talks about it openly. Her remaining family all live some distance away in England but she looks forward to a phonecall from her cousin each evening and seems to take comfort in speaking to him, appearing more settled after their conversations. She has outlived her close family husband and daughters and appears lonely. Mrs. Oswald doesnt talk much about her husband an daughters the way she does about her career, it is possible that talking about them makes her feel sad. As before, Mrs. Oswald has not made friends with other residents of Thorneycroft, though she has made a few friends at the daycentre. She likes to talk and could be encouraged to mix more which would help with her feel ings of loneliness, she never had friends or visitors at home before she came to Thorneycroft as her family all live far away and only visit to attend review meetings every six months. She has not formed close relationships with staff at Thorneycroft, instead, as mentioned before she treats them as her employees. Mrs. Oswald is an articulate and well spoken individual who has come from a middle class background. She appears to be well educated and has had a successful career as a midwife spanning fifty years. She had her daughters when she was young and out of wedlock, as a result they were brought up by her mother and Mrs. Oswald left at sixteen to begin her training as a midwife. Her career was important to her and she concentrated on this, not having any more children and marrying late in life. Her middle class upbringing has followed her through life, and she still takes pride in her appearance and has a strong sense of what she believes to be proper. Her husband and her enjoyed going on cruises and she is well- travelled. She does not attend church services or appear to be religious at all. In order for them to progress successfully through each stage in the life cycle, an individuals needs at each stage must be met. For example, our most basic physical needs are shelter and nourishment, if these needs are not met in the infant stage, potential for development and progression into childhood will be threatened. For each aspect of development, certain needs must be met; Physical The body must be kept fit and healthy through nourishment, shelter from the elements and the cold, excercise and rest. Emotional The need to be loved and to feel love for others. Good self esteem can be established from feeling loved and wanted by others. Social Being able to interact and build relationships with people around you. Cognitive The need for opportunities to learn and develop knowledge and keep the mind active. Cultural Having your values, religion, diet, language etc.(norms) as part of your daily life. In order for me to understand the needs of Mrs. Oswald and to what extent her needs have been met throughout her life, I examined Erik Eriksons theory of eight psychosocial stages. Erikson believed that humans develop through eight predetermined stages (a detailed table of these can be found in appendix 1) and in order to progress successfully through life, we must successfully negotiate each stage and that failure to do so results in mental deficiencies suc h as lack of trust, which will remain with us throughout life (Collin et al., p. 273). Each stage has one positive outcome and one negative outcome, and individuals progress through each life stage with a mixture of both, the differences between positive and negative being a result of the environment the individual is developing in. Mrs. Oswald, as an adolescent, would have experienced role confusion. She was from a middle class background but fell pregnant at a young age, resulting in her being hidden away and her mother raising her children as her own. It would have gone against Mrs. Oswalds role as a respectable young girl to have children at such a young age. She went off to train as a midwife at sixteen and left her family and her daughters behind. She concentrated on her career and appeared not to have any intimacy throughout young adulthood. This was resolved in mature adulthood when Mrs. Oswald got married and enjoyed the intimacy which she had missed out on in young adulthood. She never had any more children but her husband nd her appeared to have a happy life and they enjoyed travelling together. Mrs. Oswald is now in maturity and has begun to talk about death in an accepting way. Her needs may not have been met in the early stages of her life where she did not conform to her role in society and her life lacked intimacy, but later in life she had a successful and satisfying career and a happy marriage. I have used Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (see appendix 2) to assess how  Mrs. Oswalds needs are being met now. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs starts at the basic physiological needs we need just to stay alive. Once these are made we have a need for safety, then we want love and affection. Within our group we want to have self esteem. Finally we have a need of satisfying our full potential that Maslow calls Self Actualization (Deeper Mind). Maslow believed that ones needs had to be met at each stage of the hierarchy before the needs at the next stage could be attended to. The first category in Maslows hierarchy refers to physiological needs. I believe that most of Mrs. Oswalds needs are being met at this level. She has plenty to eat and drink and since she is mobile she has some level of excercise. She can have fresh air and she has warmth and shelter. However, Mrs. Oswalds need for sleep is not being met at Thorneycroft. She suffers from insomnia which is not helped by the fact that her bed is too small and therefore uncomfortable for her to sleep in. This has resulted in her being reluctant to settle in bed at night at all, so she is losing out on sleep. As a result of all her physiological needs not being met, all of Mrs. Oswalds safety needs are not being met either. Although she has shelter and security at Thorneycroft, the fact that she does not sleep has compromised her safety as she has a tendency to wander around at night time and is prone to falling as her mobility is not great. Mrs. Oswald appears sad that she has outlived her close family and her husband and doesnt speak about them much. She does have some distant family whom she speaks with on the phone every night which brings her some comfort, but she remains distant with others and reluctant to form close relationships with staff or fellow residents. Her need for love and belonging has not been satisfied. In order for Mrs. Oswald to progress and reach self actualisation the care staff at Thorneycroft must work on the needs which are not being met. Getting her a bed which is comfortable for her to sleep in may help her to settle at night and reduce the risk of a fall. She could be encouraged to mix more with fellow residents and form closer relationships with them as well as staff. This will help with Mrs. Oswalds sense of love and belonging and boost her self-esteem which will help her to reach self actualisation. References BBC (2014) BBC News Magazine. [Online] Available from: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-23902918 [Accessed 13/11/2014] BINGHAM, E. et al (2009) HNC Social Care for Scotland. 12th Ed. Essex: Heinemann. COLLIN, C. et al (2012) The Psychology Book. London: DK London. MACLEOD, S. (2011) Simply Psychology. [Online] Available form :http://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html [Accessed 11/11/2014]. NORWOOD, G. (2014) Deeper Mind. [Online] Available from: http://www.deepermind.com/20maslow.htm [Accessed 11/11/2014]

An Unforgettable Experience - Original Writing Essay -- Papers

An Unforgettable Experience - Original Writing It was my first time at Dubai Airport, the symbol of United Arab Emirates' aviation ascendancy. The bustling International airport was a long way away from my rural residence. Due to the long distance, we had been obliged to take the taxi instead of making use of public transport. The atmosphere in the car was generally silent, but occasionally my parents moaned about all the minor discomforts of the journey. It felt like we were in a funeral. Hours after departing my house, we started noticing frequent aeroplanes, low down in the sky indicating the proximity to the airport. The roads had become more congested and the air was more contaminated than from where we had initially departed. During the taxi ride to Dubai Airport a sense of inexplicable anticipation had built up within me. As we arrived at the airport, I stared in awe at the size and beauty of the place. Just looking at the sheer number of people in the airport overwhelmed me. When traveling by plane, most people are in fear of getting hijacked or the plane crashing, but the main form of fear for me was fear of getting lost at the airports or there being complications with the flight tickets. Although the reasons for my fear were trivial in comparison, they built up a sense of nervousness with me. As I perambulated through the long, tedious, oblique passageway of the edifice into the capacious waiting room, I started quivering in obvious trepidation. The waiting room was an enormous room abundant with people from many different social classes. Parents tightly held their children's hands in solitude of losing them in the... ...rries has been deeply carved into my heart where it will stay forever, and so will Linda. I had always thought of myself as a "boring person" who did the most tedious things and who would never fall in love but I was wrong. I used to think that my life was like a bittersweet symphony, similar to the words of a sad song, where the words have no meaning. My life had always been like a pointless existence in my view. This dramatic experience taught me that merely to exist is not enough. Life must have a purpose; a meaning; a reason. Life must encompass dreams of aspiration. From that day, I decided what my goal of life would be. The realization of the value of life stimulated me to become a doctor and help save other people's valuable lives. I guess I gained something from this journeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but not what I really wanted. An Unforgettable Experience - Original Writing Essay -- Papers An Unforgettable Experience - Original Writing It was my first time at Dubai Airport, the symbol of United Arab Emirates' aviation ascendancy. The bustling International airport was a long way away from my rural residence. Due to the long distance, we had been obliged to take the taxi instead of making use of public transport. The atmosphere in the car was generally silent, but occasionally my parents moaned about all the minor discomforts of the journey. It felt like we were in a funeral. Hours after departing my house, we started noticing frequent aeroplanes, low down in the sky indicating the proximity to the airport. The roads had become more congested and the air was more contaminated than from where we had initially departed. During the taxi ride to Dubai Airport a sense of inexplicable anticipation had built up within me. As we arrived at the airport, I stared in awe at the size and beauty of the place. Just looking at the sheer number of people in the airport overwhelmed me. When traveling by plane, most people are in fear of getting hijacked or the plane crashing, but the main form of fear for me was fear of getting lost at the airports or there being complications with the flight tickets. Although the reasons for my fear were trivial in comparison, they built up a sense of nervousness with me. As I perambulated through the long, tedious, oblique passageway of the edifice into the capacious waiting room, I started quivering in obvious trepidation. The waiting room was an enormous room abundant with people from many different social classes. Parents tightly held their children's hands in solitude of losing them in the... ...rries has been deeply carved into my heart where it will stay forever, and so will Linda. I had always thought of myself as a "boring person" who did the most tedious things and who would never fall in love but I was wrong. I used to think that my life was like a bittersweet symphony, similar to the words of a sad song, where the words have no meaning. My life had always been like a pointless existence in my view. This dramatic experience taught me that merely to exist is not enough. Life must have a purpose; a meaning; a reason. Life must encompass dreams of aspiration. From that day, I decided what my goal of life would be. The realization of the value of life stimulated me to become a doctor and help save other people's valuable lives. I guess I gained something from this journeyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦but not what I really wanted.

The Politics of Humor :: essays research papers fc

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   THE POLITICS OF COMEDY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Is this thing on?   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In efforts to promote voter education, laughter is perhaps the best strategery.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Comedy and tragedy prove one in the same, as the saying goes. The variability of the twosome, however, substantiates rather inconsistently in politics, an arena overflowing with participants who take themselves too seriously. And where a potential candidate attempts to utilize comic relief, one often discovers the result to be rather tragic.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In lieu of the consequences politicians may endure with the mere utterance of a poor joke, most tend to stray from the possibility of Meet the Press turned comedy hour. Especially when their reputations are at stake; politicians are well aware, according to Mark Katz, humorist and speechwriter for Bill Clinton, that â€Å"a good joke will last about a week†, whereas a â€Å"bad joke will be reprinted in you obituary.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps responsibility lies within the confines of a narrow-minded media, exhibited as a threat to be avoided rather than a tool to be implemented. But certainly with just cause; â€Å"the news media are poorly suited to their role as the principal intermediary between candidates and voters,† rooted in the conception of politics as â€Å"game† and a â€Å"business† rather than a â€Å"struggle† over national policy.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The aforementioned incidents occur frequently, but not absolutely, should candidates appropriately utilize humor. The war on terror provides unavoidable roadblocks on an already-tumultuous campaign trail, and even primitive technology such as television suffices in establishing the general 9/11 ‘fear climate’. The presumption of a candidate’s entrepreneurial priorities over his public relationship undermines the use of humor as the candidate’s ultimate weapon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The primarily noticeable aspect of political campaign humor pertains to its absence. Undoubtedly humor â€Å"is used more sparingly than songs in political commercials† ; the commodity appears even more so in the early campaign efforts of the mid-nineteenth century than recent endeavors. Humor’s effectiveness originates from its multilevel success in the campaigning process. Involuntarily proliferated by an ever-expanding press, the ideal candidate would employ comedy because of its effervescent facility of concurrent humanization and advertisement. Moreover humorous politicians formulate an equally comical and less aggressive response within the entertainment realm, successfully intertwining the sphere of pop culture with the relatively unscathed territory of political science. The general consensus regarding the benefits of humor relates to its malleability; it can â€Å"be employed to attack the opposition, or it can serve to enhance a campaign.à ¢â‚¬    Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  While it can be argued that humor refers to a conscious campaign maneuver on the part of its source, as a tool it only succeeds with regard to the respective candidate.

Abnormality of Lindsay Lohan Essay

For one to be classified as psychologically abnormal, he or she must display the four mannerisms of abnormality, known as â€Å"the four D’s: dysfunction, distress, deviance, and dangerousness. I am certain that the Hollywood star, Lindsay Lohan, meets the qualifications of abnormality. Lindsay’s behavior prevents her functioning normally in life. Lindsay Lohan’s addiction to alcohol and her drug abuse has landed her in and out of jail and as well as rehabilitation centers numerous times. According to CNN, â€Å"Lindsay Lohan pled guilty with the possession of cocaine and drinking under the influence†. Lindsay’s trouble with law has caused great distress to her health as well. According to TMZ, Lindsay Lohan was hospitalized for stress induced Pneumonia. Lindsay claims that the stress in which induced her pneumonia originated from her citation for a hit and run accident involving a pedestrian. Lindsay’s chronic stealing behavior can be viewed as deviant. According to TMZ, Lindsay Lohan has been accused on many occassions of stealing items such as: clothes, necklaces, earings, and shoes from various apparel boutiques. Lastly, Lindsay has endangered society with her alcohol addictions. Fox News reports that Lindsay Lohan has been arrested for drinking under the influence many times. In one of her many drinking under the influence-related accidents, she crashed her car into another moving vehicle. Approaching this from a cognitive perspective, I believe that the wreckless and attention seeking behavior that Lindsay Lohan outputs is a direct result from her parent’s divorce and stress induced from her sky-rocketing childhood fame. In Lindsay Lohan’s hit song â€Å"Confessions of a broken heart†, she emotionally expresses her relationship with her father. In her lyrics she says, â€Å"And I carry the weight of the world on my shoulders, a family in crisis that only grows older, why’d you have to go†¦ I dream of another you one who would never leave me alone to pick up the pieces, a daddy to hold me because that’s all I needed†. In psychopathology, the cognitive perspective views that one’s thought processesinfluences his/her behavior and emotion. In Lindsay’s negative exposure to her family fights and parent’s divorce, I believe that she lacked proper love and attention from her emotionally drained mother and uninvolved father. With the lack of attention from her two parents and her fame slowly fading away, her mind justified that it was  acceptable to engage in wreckless/irrational behavior to gain that attention that she desired. Lindsay Lohan uses this attribution as a desperate attempt to gain control of other’s attention so that she will not feel forgotten, like how her father abandoned her. I believe she makes global assumptions that she deserves everyone’s love and attention. Lindsay’s useage of drugs and engagement in wreckless behavior is a desperate cry for attention that she seeks to satisfy her feeling of being forgotten. If she does not seek therapy soon to learn how to deal with her emotions more effectively, her wreckless, attention seeking behavior will only be reinforced.

Book Recommendations for Graduate School in Economics

Book Recommendations for Graduate School in Economics Q:Â  If I want to achieve a Ph.D. in economics what steps would you advise me to take and what books and courses would I need to study to gain the knowledge that is absolutely needed to be able to do and understand the research that is needed for a Ph.D. A:Â  Thank you for your question. Its a question that Im frequently asked, so its about time that I created a page that I could point people toward. Its really difficult to give you a general answer, because a lot of it depends on where youd like to get your Ph.D. from. Ph.D programs in economics vary widely in both quality and scope of what is taught. The approach taken by European schools tends to be different than that of Canadian and American schools. The advice in this article will mainly apply to those who are interested in entering a Ph.D. program in the United States or Canada, but much of the advice should also apply to European programs as well. There are four key subject areas that youll need to be very familiar with to succeed in a Ph.D. program in economics. 1. Microeconomics / Economic Theory Even if you plan to study a subject which is closer to Macroeconomics or Econometrics, it is important to have a good grounding in Microeconomic Theory. A lot of work in subjects such as Political Economy and Public Finance are rooted in micro foundations so youll help yourself immensely in these courses if youre already familiar with high level microeconomics. Most schools also require you to take at least two courses in microeconomics, and often these courses are the most difficult youll encounter as a graduate student. Microeconomics Material You Must Know as a Bare Minimum I would recommend reviewing the book Intermediate Microeconomics: A Modern Approach by Hal R. Varian. The newest edition is the sixth one, bu if you can find an older used edition costing less you may want to do that. Advanced Microeconomics Material that Would be Helpful to Know Hal Varian has a more advanced book called simply Microeconomic Analysis. Most economics students are familiar with both books and refer to this book as simply Varian and the Intermediate book as Baby Varian. A lot of the material in here is stuff you wouldnt be expected to know entering a program as its often taught for the first time in Masters and Ph.D. programs. The more you can learn before you enter the Ph.D. program, the better you will do. What Microeconomics Book Youll Use When You Get There From what I can tell, Microeconomic Theory by Mas-Colell, Whinston, and Green is standard in many Ph.D. programs. Its what I used when I took Ph.D. courses in Microeconomics at both Queens University at Kingston and the University of Rochester. Its an absolutely massive book, with hundreds and hundreds of practice questions. The book is quite difficult in parts so youll want to have a good background in microeconomic theory before you tackle this one. 2. Macroeconomics Giving advice on Macroeconomics books is a lot more difficult because Macroeconomics is taught so differently from school to school. Your best bet is to see what books are used in the school that you would like to attend. The books will be completely different depending on whether your school teaches more Keynesian style Macroeconomics or Freshwater Macro which is taught at places like The Five Good Guys which includes the University of Chicago, the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University, University of Rochester, and University of Pennsylvania. The advice Im going to give is for students who are going to a school that teaches more of a Chicago style approach. Macroeconomics Material You Must Know as a Bare Minimum I would recommend reviewing the book Advanced Macroeconomics by David Romer. Although it does have the word Advanced in the title, its more suited for high level undergraduate study. It does have some Keynesian material as well. If you understand the material in this book, you should do well as a graduate student in Macroeconomics. Advanced Macroeconomics Material that would be Helpful to Know Instead of learning more Macroeconomics, it would be more helpful to learn more on dynamic optimization. See my section on Math Economics books for more detail. What Macroeconomics Book Youll Use When You Get There When I took Ph.D courses in Macroeconomics a few years ago we didnt really use any textbooks, instead we discussed journal articles. This is the case in most courses at the Ph.D. level. I was fortunate enough to have macroeconomics courses taught by Per Krusell and Jeremy Greenwood and you could spend an entire course or two just studying their work. One book that is used quite often is Recursive Methods in Economic Dynamics by Nancy L. Stokey and Robert E. Lucas Jr. Although the book is almost 15 years old, its still quite useful for understanding the methodology behind many macroeconomics articles. Ive also found Numerical Methods in Economics by Kenneth L. Judd to be quite helpful when youre trying to obtain estimates from a model which does not have a closed-form solution. 3. Econometrics Material You Must Know as a Bare Minimum Theres quite a few good undergraduate texts on Econometrics out there. When I taught tutorials in undergraduate Econometrics last year, we used Essentials of Econometrics by Damodar N. Gujarati. Its as useful as any other undergraduate text Ive seen on Econometrics. You can usually pick up a good Econometrics text for very little money at a large second-hand book shop. A lot of undergraduate students cant seem to wait to discard their old econometrics materials. Advanced Econometrics Material that would be Helpful to Know Ive found two books rather useful: Econometrics Analysis by William H. Greene and A Course in Econometrics by Arthur S. Goldberger. As in the Microeconomics section, these books cover a lot of material which is introduced for the first time at the graduate level. The more you know going in, though, the better chance youll have of succeeding. What Econometrics Book Youll Use When You Get There Chances are youll encounter the king of all Econometrics books Estimation and Inference in Econometrics by Russell Davidson and James G. MacKinnon. This is a terrific text, because it explains why things work like they do, and does not treat the matter as a black box like many econometrics books do. The book is quite advanced, though the material can be picked up fairly quickly if you have a basic knowledge of geometry. 4. Mathematics Having a good understanding of mathematics is crucial to success in economics. Most undergraduate students, particularly those coming from North America, are often shocked by how mathematical graduate programs in economics are. The math goes beyond basic algebra and calculus, as it tends to be more proofs, such as Let (x_n) be a Cauchy sequence. Show that if (X_n) has a convergent subsequence then the sequence is itself convergent. Ive found that the most successful students in the first year of a Ph.D. program tend to be ones with mathematics backgrounds, not economics ones. That being said, theres no reason why someone with an economics background can not succeed. Mathematical Economics Material You Must Know as a Bare Minimum Youll certainly want to read a good undergraduate Mathematics for Economists type book. The best one that Ive seen happens to be called Mathematics for Economists written by Carl P. Simon and Lawrence Blume. It has a quite diverse set of topics, all of which are useful tools for economic analysis. If youre rusty on basic calculus, make sure you pick up a 1st year undergraduate calculus book. There are hundreds and hundreds of different ones available, so Id suggest looking for one in a second hand shop. You may also want to review a good higher level calculus book such as Multivariable Calculus by James Stewart. You should have at least a basic knowledge of differential equations, but you do not have to be an expert in them by any means. Reviewing the first few chapters of a book such as Elementary Differential Equations and Boundary Value Problems by William E. Boyce and Richard C. DiPrima would be quite useful. You do not need to have any knowledge of partial differential equations before entering graduate school, as they are generally only used in very specialized models. If youre uncomfortable with proofs, you may want to pick up The Art and Craft of Problem Solving by Paul Zeitz. The material in the book has almost nothing to do with economics, but it will help you greatly when working on proofs. As an added bonus a lot of the problems in the book are surprisingly fun. The more knowledge you have of pure mathematics subjects such as Real Analysis and Topology, the better. I would recommend working on as much of Introduction to Analysis by Maxwell Rosenlicht as you possibly can. The book costs less than $10 US but it is worth its weight in gold. There are other analysis books that are slightly better, but you cannot beat the price. You may also want to look at the Schaums Outlines - Topology and Schaums Outlines - Real Analysis. Theyre also quite inexpensive and have hundreds of useful problems. Complex analysis, while quite an interesting subject, will be of little use to a graduate student in economics, so you need not worry about it. Advanced Mathematical Economics that would be Helpful to Know The more real analysis you know, the better you will do. You may want to see one of the more canonical texts such as The Elements of Real Analysis by Robert G. Bartle. You may also want to look at the book I recommend in the next paragraph. What Advanced Mathematical Economics Book Youll Use When You Get There At the University of Rochester we used a book called A First Course in Optimization Theory by Rangarajan K. Sundaram, though I dont know how widely this is used. If you have a good understanding of real analysis, you will have no trouble with this book, and youll do quite well in the obligatory Mathematical Economics course they have in most Ph.D. programs. You do not need to study up on more esoteric topics such as Game Theory or International Trade before you enter a Ph.D. program, although it never hurts to do so. You are not usually required to have a background in those subject areas when you take a Ph.D. course in them. I will recommend a couple of books I greatly enjoy, as they may convince you to study these subjects. If youre at all interested in Public Choice Theory or Virginia style Political Economy, first you should read my article The Logic of Collective Action. After doing so, you may want to read the book Public Choice II by Dennis C. Mueller. It is very academic in nature, but it is probably the book that has influenced me most as an economist. If the movie A Beautiful Mind didnt make you frightened of the work of John Nash you may be interested in A Course in Game Theory by Martin Osborne and Ariel Rubinstein. It is an absolutely fabulous resource and, unlike most books in economics, its well written. If I havent scared you off completely from studying economics, theres one last thing youll want to look into. Most schools require you to take one or two tests as part of your application requirements. Heres a few resources on those tests: Get familiar with the GRE General and GRE Economics Tests The Graduate Record Examination or GRE General test is one of the application requirements at most North American schools. The GRE General test covers three areas: Verbal, Analytical, and Math. Ive created a page called Test aids for the GRE and GRE Economics that has quite a few useful links on the GRE General Test. The Graduate School Guide also has some useful links on the GRE. I would suggest buying one of the books on taking the GRE. I cant really recommend any one of them as they all seem equally good. It is absolutely vital that you score at least 750 (out of 800) on the math section of the GRE in order to get into a quality Ph.D. program. The analytical section is important as well, but the verbal not as much. A great GRE score will also help you get into schools if you have only a modest academic record. There are a lot fewer online resources for the GRE Economics test. There are a couple of books that have practice questions that you may want to look at. I thought the book The Best Test Preparation for the GRE Economics was quite useful, but its gotten absolutely horrid reviews. You may want to see if you can borrow it before committing to buying it. There is also a book called Practicing to Take the GRE Economics Test but Ive never used it so Im not sure how good it is. It is important to study for the test, as it may cover some material that you did not study as an undergraduate. The test is very heavily Keynesian, so if you did your undergraduate work at a school heavily influenced by the University of Chicago such as the University of Western Ontario, there will be quite a bit of new macroeconomics youll need to learn. Conclusion Economics can be a great field in which to do your Ph.D., but you need to be properly prepared before you enter into a graduate program. I havent even discussed all the great books available in subjects such as Public Finance and Industrial Organization.

Animal Farm A Study in the Relation Between Power Structures and the Fundamental Right to Freedom essays

Animal Farm A Study in the Relation Between Power Structures and the Fundamental Right to Freedom essays It has been widely acknowledged that George Orwell wrote Animal Farm with the express purpose of indicting Communism as a solution to social problems. Since the collapse of the Soviet Union it can, therefore, be argued that the work has lost its relevance, except perhaps, as a children's fable. To write the novel off in such a fashion would, however, be a mistake because a closer examination of the plot structure and the caricatures of various characters will reveal that the work has a timeless relevance. Indeed, if one were to disregard any preconception that Animal Farm should be interpreted as a satire on Communist Russia, it can be argued that the novel's main purpose is to highlight the negative effects of power structures in terms of suppressing and exploiting the weaker sections of society. The abuse of power, as a central theme, is especially apparent in the manner in which the characters of Boxer and Mollie are portrayed. Although the two possess diametrically opposite personalities, they share one thing in common and that is, they both reveal an inherent weakness, which ends up being exploited by the powers-that-be. Thus, it can be said that the characters of both Boxer and Mollie are used by Orwell to establish that as long as power structures exist, the freedom of individuals to pursue life, liberty, and happiness will always be Like most satires, Orwell uses allegory and irony to allow the reader to interpret the parallels being drawn between the personality trait in a particular animal character and human nature. However, Orwell does not merely stop at that. He also uses the plot structure in Animal Farm to establish that human society will always be a case of "all animals are equal, but some are more equal than others," (Orwell, p. 114) irrespective of arguments or claims to the contrary. Thus, Animal Farm begins with Old Major advising the animals that thei...

Twelfth Century Renaissance How Francis and his Franciscan Brothers both Reacted and Benefited from its Development

Twelfth Century Renaissance How Francis and his Franciscan Brothers both Reacted and Benefited from its Development Introduction Many areas of Western Europe, particularly Italy, Germany and England had greatly advanced in various areas by the beginning of 12th century AD. For instance, there were advances in social organization, technology, education and economic systems (Haskins 73). The need to acquire new knowledge and develop institutions of leaning was rapidly increasing, especially in religion, theology and nature. Most people were eager to learn religion, natural science and law in a different way. In general, people were tired of traditions and wanted a change in social and cultural aspects. In addition, people were easily accepting and embracing new ideologies. For instance, Italian cities and city-states such as Florence and Rome were changing due to the presence of scholars in philosophy, law and religion (Haskins 88). Any person who was willing to instil some change in the social system was in a position to influence large numbers of people. In fact, great leaders during the 12 centur y were supported by a public opinion. The desire for change motivated leaders to inspire their societies in a significant way (Benson, Constable and Lanham 53).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Twelfth Century Renaissance: How Francis and his Franciscan Brothers both Reacted and Benefited from its Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More All these aspects and changes in leadership contributed to the 12th Century Renaissance. The emergence of great religious leaders at the time is perhaps one of the most important aspects of the renaissance (Moorman 28). However, the emergence of St Francis of Assisi was one of the main forces that opposed change in various regions. Francis and his followers (Franciscan Brothers) created a religious movement that greatly supported the way in which the church handled social, religious and cultural issues. They were advocating for spiritual life. In addition, they advocated for the ‘role and duty of poverty’. In turn, this stand appeared to support the doctrines of the Church. Arguably, Franciscans reacted negatively to the people’s quest for change in Catholic leadership. However, they later benefitted from the 12th century changes as they sought to free their movement from the church’s political and social influence. Economic and Social Features of the â€Å"Twelfth-Century Renaissance† Changes in various aspects of Christianity had the greatest impact in the contribution towards social, cultural political forms. Barbara Tuchman, a historian argues that Christianity was a key pivot in medieval life â€Å"because it governed all aspects of life such as birth, marriage, sex and death† (Moorman 31). The historian says that Christianity controlled the law, medicine, science, and politics (Benson, Constable and Lanham 64). In addition, Tuchman argues that being a member of the church was a compulsory for every person (Moor man 51). Although the church was the dominant force that supported political and religious leaders, there were several efforts to change this system in the 12th century. For instance, the people were eager to see a church that was meant to care for them.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Thus, church leaders such as St. Bernard of Clairvaux became important figures of change during the 12th century because they were entirely dependent on public desire to change (Moorman 114). One of the areas that people wanted change was personal devotion to a common person, which had been a common aspect of the Catholic Church. Apart from forced membership, the church also required the followers to regard the popes, monks and clerics as religious and righteous figures (Benson, Constable and Lanham 171). In fact, it appeared that these church leaders were â€Å"gods† in some way, which g ave them political, social and cultural powers to control the society. Similarly, political aspects of life were under the control of the church. Any person with ideas on how to liberate the society from the church’s monopolistic control received an overwhelming support from the public. For instance, King Henry II of England obtained massive support and political strength because he was willing to do what the people wanted (Haskins 133). Apart from the religion, the concept of justice was in dire need for change. According Haskins (143), the Church controlled the concept of justice system because every aspect of the law was based on divine law. The world politics revolved around the church, which in turn controlled justice system. The public was willing to change these aspects. It was during the 12th century Renaissance that the people of Western Europe, especially Italy, made great efforts in an attempt to free the judicial system from the divine law. For instance, Roman law was increasingly studied and revived. Gratian, a monk, became an important figure of change after he gave a summary of the laws of the church in his â€Å"Decretium Graiani†. Finally, the desire for knowledge was on the increase during the 12th century. Thousands of people from across the social classes sought to know more in science, religion and law. They wanted to learn these aspects free from the influence and control of the church. For instance, 12th century scholars joined Latin classes, attempted to analyze the Roman law and the Catholic doctrine. In addition, scholars attempted to learn and analyze Muslim faith and laws, Greek laws and other texts in order to compare them with Catholic laws. For example, Peter Abelard made significant influence in education and law because he developed ideologies that attracted people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Twelfth Century Renaissance: How Francis and his Franciscan Brothers both Reacted and Benefi ted from its Development specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More How did the Franciscans react and benefit from the changes in the 12th century? Although the Franciscan brothers and their movement did not support the changes in the 12th century, they later benefitted from it in a manner that allowed them to spread their new ideologies, interact with the people and obtain support from both the public and the clerics (Senocak 192). At first, Francis of Assisi himself reacted negatively to the changes the people wanted to see in the church, its leadership and control of social and political aspects (Sharp 126). For instance, with his group of about 11 followers, Francis travelled widely in Western Europe, where he preached the need to maintain the church traditions against the people’s desire for change. For example, Francis preached in support of poverty among the Christians because he believed that Christians should devote their life (Senocak 136). He had a collection of scriptural passages from the bible and the church emphasizing on the duty of poverty. However, the Franciscan brothers did not provide a solution to problem created by superiority of clerics at the expense of the poor (Sharp 102). Due to the ideologies that supported the church, the clerics, the pope and the monks to an extent that they were given food, housing facilities and other things (Sharp 96) supported the Franciscan brothers. For instance, Pope Innocent III considered the â€Å"Three Orders† developed by the Franciscans as a good tool for spreading his influence in order to deal with the 12th century religious renaissance (Senocak 224). The pope thought that by supporting the Franciscans, he would persuade the people to maintain a status quo rather than calling for changes. In fact, the church considered the 12th century changes as a form of heresy. Despite their support of the church and the status quo, the Franciscans later benefitted f rom the changes brought by the 12th century renaissance. For instance, the control of â€Å"the Order† became a problem to the Franciscans. At first, the Franciscans had received support from the church, which gave them certain political and religious powers in certain areas such as France and Germany (Senocak 216). However, several followers disagreed on the role and duty of poverty. There were disagreements on how Franciscans should live and lead the church. In addition, Elias, one of the most powerful Franciscan leaders, assumed the powers to govern a centralised government in Assisi. He sought to re-interpret the role of poverty (Sharp 56). He built several houses for the members.Advertising Looking for essay on history? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More He was in constant disagreement with the Pope and Italian President Gregory IX. Eias was deposed and replaced by Alberta of Pisa (Sharp 29). Due to the influence of the Pope and the government in Franciscan leadership, it was clear that the Franciscans needed to advocate for change in church leadership in order to maintain their influence (Sharp 34). Members increasingly saw the need to change the church and reduce its control on the politics and their movement. Since the 12th century Renaissance had succeeded in reducing the influence of the church on social, political and economic aspects of the society, the Franciscans benefitted from these changes in their efforts to reduce the influence of the Pope and the church in their movement. Benson, Robert, Giles Constable, and Carol Lanham. Renaissance and Renewal in the Twelfth Century. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006. Print Haskins, Charles. The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 20 07. Print. Moorman, Humpidge. A History of the Franciscan Order: From Its Origins to the Year 1517. London: Franciscan Institute Publications, 2008. Print Senocak, Neslihan. The Poor and the Perfect: The Rise of Learning in the Franciscan Order, 1209–1310. Cornell: Cornell University Press, 2012. Print Sharp, David. Franciscan Philosophy at Oxford in the Thirteenth Century. London: Oxford University Press, 2003. Print

Organizational Behavior Comparative Analysis Essay

Organizational Behavior Comparative Analysis - Essay Example And its immense success can be attributed to its unusual model and people management style, which will be discussed in detail in this document (Doganis, 2002). US Airways Airlines on the other hand is the fifth largest airline in the United States it merged with America West Airlines in 2005 but still retained its original name and culture. Even though it is a huge airline, its successes are nowhere near that of Southwest Airlines and in the following sections we will analyze the matter further (Doganis, 2002). While its business strategy and ability to make quick and very flexible decisions are seen to be the strong points of Southwest Airlines, it is very important to note that the people management aspect of the organization has proven to be an equally big strength. To this end it is the ability of the organization to appropriately manage its extremely diverse workforce that has helped the organization to scale the heights of profitability and success that has eluded many other airlines and in this particular case US Airways Airlines as well. At Southwest Airlines the organizations lays a huge emphasis on the employment of individuals from a variety of backgrounds such as ethnic minorities, individuals of color, individuals of different age groups and most importantly individuals with special needs. While it can be stated and that other airlines do the same, in the case of Southwest Airlines, such practices are not carried out of compulsion by the federal government or the need to take affirmative action but rather by its all inclusive management style that puts employees first as much as it puts customers first. This as we know is the first and most important step in the enhancing employee engagement. When employees feel that they are valued for their contributions as well as for the distinctly differently experiences and backgrounds that they can bring to the table they feel more valued and as result they automatically go the extra mile to ensure the success of the organisation by satisfying and delighting the clientele of the organisation as much as possible (Parvis, 2003). In the case of US Airways Airlines even though diversity is apparent to some extent, it has not been resorted to out of an increased value for the employees but rather due to the compulsions and the impositions of federal and state governments and affirmative action etc. Thus making its real intentions less clear, more ambiguous and leaving the employees less engaged and motivated to give their best to the organization. Management and Leadership Management and leadership are terms that are distinctly different from one another even though they are usually used interchangeably. However they are both very important to any organization that wishes to success and as in the case of Southwest Airlines the management and leadership of the organization has played a crucial role in the last three and half decades of its existence. In effect the management and leadership styles that have been adopted by the organization in past have been flexible, people oriented and most of visionary in nature. This

Case discssion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Case discssion - Essay Example By taking into concern the above discussed aspects, the statement "Begum and Playfoot show that the law is based on fair procedures and tests that respects human rights and justly determine the way in which people of different (and no) faith interrelate with each other in school environments† would be discussed. It would be vital to mention that R (Begum) v Headteacher and Governors of Denbigh High School and R (Playfoot) v Millais School Governing Body are two separate cases relating to equality and human right that would be analysed for discussing the above statement. The case of Begum can be apparently observed to examine the phenomenon of expressing religious belief through the selection of specific dresses or outfits. In this similar concern, Begum desired to wear a conservatively styled garment, referred as ‘jilbab’ in the school, which was however disapproved by the school management. Shabina Begum was a student at Denbigh High School in a secondary school in her comunity. The school provided shalwar kameeze specifically for the Muslim girls as school uniform. The disapproval of the school in wearing ‘jilbab’ and its refusal to permit Ms. Begum for attending school unless she wore the proper school uniform, eventually became a ground to bring the lawsuit against the school authority. According to Ms. Begum, she was forced to sue the school arguing that her liberty towards manifesting her ‘religion or belief’ and right to education, as was assured under the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundame ntal Freedoms 1950 (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA), were infringed (Butcher, 2011). Notably, the right of an individual towards their conscience, thought and religion is fundamentally assured by Article 9 of the ECHR. This also encompasses the liberty of manifesting one specific

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 10

Economics - Essay Example For this giant, coffee is not the main product but only a component of it. Starbucks is not just all about coffee but being able to relax and socialize at its warm and comfy ambiance. However as the article emphasizes, the performance of the specialty coffee shop in the market is adversely affected by the economic slowdown in the United States. As consumers try to squeeze their disposable income to cover all their expenditures, they also turn to industry players which offer coffee for a fraction of a cost of what Starbucks charge. Thus, McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts are eating up into the company’s shares with their cheaper alternatives. In response to this, Starbucks is test marketing $1 bottomless coffee in order to curb competition. Analysts have commented that Starbucks will lose big time with this strategy because it lowers revenue. Yet this paper argue that economically speaking, this new strategy will not erode profitability in consideration of the company’s market . The specialty coffee sector can be referred to as a monopolistic competitive market. This type of competitive environment is a middle ground between two maxims namely perfect competition and monopoly and shares characteristics of both. In monopolistic competition, the market has many buyers and sellers just like in a perfectly competitive one (Samuelson & Nordhaus 116). In the specialty coffee sector, buyers are diverse ranging from ordinary students to corporate executives while sellers like Starbucks and Gloria Jeans compete for market share. As opposed to monopolistic and perfectly competitive markets, sellers differentiate their products to appeal to customers. As discussed above, Starbucks use marketing techniques like advertising and brand name in order to set itself apart from other competitors like McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts. This is very important to all companies wanting to

Wage and Price Rigidity or Stickiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wage and Price Rigidity or Stickiness - Essay Example It does not affect the real flow of output but rather, surprises and stabilizes the economy. It implies that in a place where the population has rational expectations, government policies which are made to influence the economy into a level of production will never be effective. Rational expectations first became a big factor in the policy activism debate in the early 1970s when Thomas Sargent and Neil Wallace wrote their famous policy ineffectiveness paper. They showed-using an elementary macroeconomic example based on Robert Lucas's then new model of the Phillips curve-that an active monetary policy could not be effective in stabilizing fluctuations in output and employment. (Taylor) Implicit wage contracts is when workers are risk averse and employers are not, an implicit contract may be made with an understanding over "compromise" basic pay and hours. This may or may not generate nominal wage rigidity. Contracts like this may be non-implementable if there is asymmetric informatio n. Nominal price rigidity () tests for downward nominal price rigidity. Intuition: deflationary shock, some prices not cut as there is a zero price floor; across sectors "we would expect to observe a negative correlation between mean inflation rates and the skewness of inflation". (2005) Once the place and manner of nominal wage rigidities in the economy have been specified, the model must explain why rational workers and firms enter into arrangements which may impose a macroeconomic externality and allow the economy to deviate from the natural level of output. (pg 7) Because it is advantageous for firms to enter into long-term agreements on the price of their purchased input factors, there is also price rigidity in the input factors markets. Moreover, the commonly used procedure of firms to adjust their output price in constant proportion to changes in the price of input materials and labour costs - the notion of markup pricing - will result in rigid output prices as well. (pg 9) According to Piere Siklos, policy ineffectiveness proposition predicts the absence of an exploitable output-aggregate demand trade-off by policymakers. Therefore, when individuals are assumed to form expectations rationally (that is, they process all relevant information at their disposal), only unanticipated policies can influence output. (249) Dennis W. Carlton and Jeffrey M. Perloff (2000) quoted Stigler (1947) that prices are relatively rigid in an industry in which there is a dominant firm that exercises price leadership. That is, there are relatively few changes in prices. In his classification, an industry has price leadership if there is a relatively large firm, "producing, say, 40 per cent of the output of the industry at a minimum, and more if the second largest firm is large ..." (p. 228). Just before the new Keynesian model was formulated, it was believed that the formulation of government policies does not have any direct effect on wages and prices in the market unless a surprise monetary policy was released and discloses the economic status in a short wile. It was also believed

Echo Planar Imaging, or EPI, Fast Imaging Techniques (MRI) Essay - 1

Echo Planar Imaging, or EPI, Fast Imaging Techniques (MRI) - Essay Example Different results have been found from different body areas which have varying magnetic field strengths thus such body areas end up having varying processional water frequencies. Blood has been observed to have the highest susceptibility as it has iron contents as one of its components. Compositions based on water also have high susceptibility in comparison with air (McRobbie 2007) (a) List the parameters that could be changed to optimize the EPI image in this case, plus how you would change the parameter (i.e. increase or decrease). (2 marks) Slew rate and the receiver bandwidth Each of the listed parameters has a different way of changing it. For example, the case of slew rate increment, an overall reduction in echo spacing as well as reduction in geometric distortion is required for it to be altered. For receiver bandwidth to be increased, an overall reduction in echo spacing, signal to noise ratio and geometric distortion need to be lowered (Van Der Zwaag, at el. 2012, p. 129) In a normal scenario, MR equipments take their time until the trapezoid gradient gets to the flat top. When this time comes, the data points will then be sampled by the MR equipments in the direction of the frequency. This implies that no data acquisition takes place during the rise time. The rise time refers to the time when the gradient is not yet at its minimum or maximum amplitude. However, by employing ramp sampling method, the data points witnessed during the readout gradient switching can be acquired during the rise time. a) Two different features can be used while employing ramp sampling, and they include; 1. Having the geometric distortion minimized; ramp sampling can be used to reduce the flat top while at the same time keeping the Nx constant. This implies that the echo spacing can be decreased consequently minimizing geometric distortion. 2. Increasing resolution; by keeping the flat top at the same level, more Nx data points can be fitted during readout and thus increasin g the overall resolution. b). Using Conjugate Synthesis; Conjugate synthesis is a symmetry property which means that only half of the raw data spaces in the whole MR can be acquired to come up with a Mr image that is complete. The most desirable means to achieving high resolution during a single shot EPI experiments is through having the readout duration on the ky to be as long as possible so as to have only the negative and positive kx values. c). Slew rate enhancement d). Echo train length reduction e) Making use of shimming to minimize distortion d). Employing parallel imaging to minimize echo spacing f) . Making use of Multi shot EPI so as to ensure that there are no cases of phase errors building up. g). Through increasing the TE which will in turn increase the transverse magnetization hence larger T2* and T2 (b) Discuss the chain of consequences if you optimize the image by increasing the receiver bandwidth. (4 marks) Receiver bandwidth generally describes how fast an MR signa l can be digitized. In cases where the receiver bandwidth is generally higher, there is a corresponding faster digitization of the produced image. This is because the aspect of receiver bandwidth is inversely proportional to the time taken during the imaging process. The receiver bandwi

Wage and Price Rigidity or Stickiness Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Wage and Price Rigidity or Stickiness - Essay Example It does not affect the real flow of output but rather, surprises and stabilizes the economy. It implies that in a place where the population has rational expectations, government policies which are made to influence the economy into a level of production will never be effective. Rational expectations first became a big factor in the policy activism debate in the early 1970s when Thomas Sargent and Neil Wallace wrote their famous policy ineffectiveness paper. They showed-using an elementary macroeconomic example based on Robert Lucas's then new model of the Phillips curve-that an active monetary policy could not be effective in stabilizing fluctuations in output and employment. (Taylor) Implicit wage contracts is when workers are risk averse and employers are not, an implicit contract may be made with an understanding over "compromise" basic pay and hours. This may or may not generate nominal wage rigidity. Contracts like this may be non-implementable if there is asymmetric informatio n. Nominal price rigidity () tests for downward nominal price rigidity. Intuition: deflationary shock, some prices not cut as there is a zero price floor; across sectors "we would expect to observe a negative correlation between mean inflation rates and the skewness of inflation". (2005) Once the place and manner of nominal wage rigidities in the economy have been specified, the model must explain why rational workers and firms enter into arrangements which may impose a macroeconomic externality and allow the economy to deviate from the natural level of output. (pg 7) Because it is advantageous for firms to enter into long-term agreements on the price of their purchased input factors, there is also price rigidity in the input factors markets. Moreover, the commonly used procedure of firms to adjust their output price in constant proportion to changes in the price of input materials and labour costs - the notion of markup pricing - will result in rigid output prices as well. (pg 9) According to Piere Siklos, policy ineffectiveness proposition predicts the absence of an exploitable output-aggregate demand trade-off by policymakers. Therefore, when individuals are assumed to form expectations rationally (that is, they process all relevant information at their disposal), only unanticipated policies can influence output. (249) Dennis W. Carlton and Jeffrey M. Perloff (2000) quoted Stigler (1947) that prices are relatively rigid in an industry in which there is a dominant firm that exercises price leadership. That is, there are relatively few changes in prices. In his classification, an industry has price leadership if there is a relatively large firm, "producing, say, 40 per cent of the output of the industry at a minimum, and more if the second largest firm is large ..." (p. 228). Just before the new Keynesian model was formulated, it was believed that the formulation of government policies does not have any direct effect on wages and prices in the market unless a surprise monetary policy was released and discloses the economic status in a short wile. It was also believed

Sustainable Supply Chain Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Sustainable Supply Chain Management - Essay Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that effective and efficient association puts a business in a better position to maximize on its profits; a business needs to put in place effective methods of managing its chains so that it reduces any wastage that may result and at the same time, being friendly to the environment. Currently, the concept of environmental management has become a thorny issue across the globe, this has translated to heavy fines and penalties to those businesses and other entities found violating environmental management practices. For this reason, a business ought to rely on effective use and management of its vehicles so that they do not release most of them to places where effective planning can see the use of only few of them. This is the idea that has led t the establishment of ideas into sustainable chain management. At the same time, it is important to realize the critical need for suppliers in the business and the importance of esta blishing more links. The work of the production and sales department should be to look for better opportunities for cheaper inputs while trying to sustain those suppliers that the business already has. In doing this, the business is able to remain in operation just in case there is a change in the supply environment, prompting the exit of some important suppliers in the business. the need to ensure sustainability and consistency in terms of product delivery into the market has been the ultimate aim of most businesses.

The video game console wars Essay Example for Free

The video game console wars Essay 1. Compare and contrast Nintendo’s marketing strategy for the Wii with Sony’s strategy for PS3. By the end of 2006, two game console industry giants, Nintendo and Sony had launched their respective new products; the Wii and PS3. Various marketing strategies were implemented by both rivals and this writing attempt to analyse common and differing elements. Similarly, both companies had a product differentiation strategy, with the aim of being distinctly set apart from their competitors by the viewing market. However, different elements of this strategy were focused on by the firms. For instance, Nintendo differentiated via product form and design. Instead of the traditional controller where buttons are pressed, the Wii had a wireless motion-sensitive controller, which recognises the player’s arm movements. Thus, actions such as golfing, tennis and even dancing can be detected by the game. It is assumed that the rationale behind this is the fact that â€Å"new things and ways of doing things† always grab attention, whether good or bad. Thus, Nintendo’s aim would have been to gain the market’s attention and then convince them positively about the Wii. Conversely, Sony attempted to differentiate through performance quality. Heavy investment was made on a new processing chip and a laser diode, which would rev up the speed drastically and offer superior graphics quality. The video gaming industry prides itself on graphics; hence differentiating in this area may significantly increase demand. One believes however, that Nintendo’s product differentiation strategy had a stronger impact than Sony’s. This is because Sony followed the industry norm, of each new generation of machines being faster and more powerful than the preceding generation, as the case states. Thus, the market was already expecting the enhanced features, compared to the curiosity of a completely new game design by the Wii. With reference to the Ansoff Matrix framework, Nintendo implemented a marketing diversification strategy, whereby they offered a new product to new markets (in terms of untouched customer segments). Nintendo’s designers, according to the case, deliberately developed a machine that is simpler to use, since the complexity of current games appeal only to advance gamers. This thus, would allow market reach to a broader demographic of new segments, thereby beginning to challenge Sony’s market share dominance. For instance, males and female above and below the common age bracket of video game players may now demand the Wii. On the other hand, Sony implemented a product development strategy, by launching a new product in their existing market segment of customers, as the Ansoff theory advocates. Hence, Sony’s PS3 targeted their current customer segment for the PS2. A marketing strategy of Sony may have been to have first mover advantage, by launching in November 2006 in the United States before the Wii. Most studies indicate that the market pioneer gains the greatest advantage, however sometimes it can be risky and expensive. In Sony’s case, they would have easily been able to capitalise on the fans of the playstation and PS2 and new customers entering that market. Their downfall however was inadequate launch preparation and planning with regards to their diode technology, as mass production issues caused shortages. Thus, achieving the Christmas season’s full revenue potential was lost. Even though Nintendo was the second mover launching a month after in December, they had an international marketing launch strategy being executed. They made the Wii available in the United States, the Eurozone and United Kingdom. As a result, the benefits of being the first mover would have been gained in the Eurozone and United Kingdom. It is noted that Sony launched the PS3 four months after in Europe. Being the second to enter that market, Sony may have researched any problems Nintendo may have encountered and adjusted accordingly, for a smoother launch. Nintendo appears to have implemented a market-penetration pricing strategy. The Wii at a cost of $250 is 50% less than the 20-gigabyte PS3 (smaller hard drive machine). At this lower price, it is easier for the product to penetrate the market due to affordability in most segments. This aligns with the assumed company’s aim of maximising market share in the current and new segments. To achieve this, Nintendo ensured that the Wii was less costly to manufacture. Moreover, a higher sales volume may lead to lower unit costs and higher long run profits. Conversely, Sony is believed to have a market-skimming pricing strategy. The company invested $2 billion in technology, so this strategy aims at recovering the maximum amount of revenue to cover the high costs incurred in the early stages of the product life cycle. Additionally, Sony has a strong brand due to the success of their previous machines (PS2 and playstation) and the high price assists in communicating the image of a superior product with quality. 2. What is the key to the Wii’s popularity? The key facet responsible for the Wii’s popularity lies in the innovative design, which â€Å"calls to action† the player with physical movement. The writer views the wireless motion sensitive game console as a new, simple and fun method of gaming for all age groups. As a result, it may appeal not only to the traditional expert video game player like the PS3, but other individuals outside that segment. It thus makes marketing sense, if Nintendo promoted the game as a family requirement for cultivating an enjoyable, quality family time with members. It seems also a great game for various informal social events. Furthermore, since different types of games can be played, the Wii has the potential to appeal to a vast number of different market segments. For instance, The Wii Fit is an exercising game, where aerobics, yoga and other body strengthening activities can be done. Thus, the Wii Fit may have been positioned as a convenient way of losing or maintaining your weight, as it can be done in the comfort of one’s home and a more enjoyable method compared to simply following an instructor on a DVD. Likewise, sports fanatics may gravitate towards the Wii sports for the games of their interest. There also is the possibility of the Wii being used for rehabilitation after a stroke or injury, due to it body strengthen capabilities. It must be noted, that Nintendo’s international marketing strategy of launching in three distinct major areas, was a contributing factor towards the quick popularity gained. The areas were the United States, the Eurozone and the United Kingdom. This means that great strategic marketing focus had to be made on the different areas, to accommodate international cultural differences and legalities. As a result, Nintendo may have had to implement global product strategies for market adaptation in areas such as price, sales promotion, colours, labelling and advertising execution, to name a few. 3. Do you agree with Sony’s decision to incorporate a Blu-ray DVD player in the PS3. The writer agrees with the decision to incorporate a Blu-ray DVD player in the PS3. Firstly, Sony is considered one of the market leaders in the consumer electric industry; where the brand is known for high quality and advance technology. Since the consumer market started demanding more high definition TVs and viewing of DVD’s in high definition, it made good marketing sense to satisfy that need for high definition imagery in the video games, which ultimately reinforced the company’s brand. A â€Å"spin off† from this implementation of Blu-ray, is that the PS3 can actually be used by consumers to watch Blu-ray DVD movies, for those who may not own a Blu-ray DVD player. Thus, the value of the PS3 may increase, due to more product uses than the main function. Secondly, it was wise for Sony to include the Blu-ray DVD player in the PS3, due to their current product range developments. Sony had already launched the Blu-ray video format in their DVD players, thus the inclusion in the PS3 was a commendable and necessary marketing move, in order to keep as many products in the range up to date with the latest technological advancements. More importantly, this was a medium to push and promote the adoption of the Blu-ray in the market, reflecting strong strategic planning for profit maximisation. The draw back to the implementation however, was the issue of mass-production difficulties of the diode for the Blu-ray, resulting in shortages for the U. S holiday launch, as the case explains. Thus, it is assumed that there was a deficiency in proper operational planning and execution. This can be a critical concern with new product planning, since shortages can greatly impact forecasted revenue streams and significant opportunities may be lost. In Sony’s situation, the launch was around the Christmas season, where many PS3s may have been gift considerations and individuals generally spend more on commodities at this time, due to Christmas bonuses and advances. Thus, Sony would not have been able to capitalise on this, due to low supply of machines. In the final analysis however, if Sony had anticipated any production issues to cause marginal temporary shortages at the launch, one is of the opinion that this is not drastic a problem enough, to decide forgoing the implementation of the Blu-ray. This is because consideration is given to the return on investment with the Blu-ray inclusion and the technological drive in the industry at large. The Blu-ray would have generated greater demand than the HD-DVD and take longer to become obsolete, thus having an extended life-span. 4. Some industry observers have noted that the battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is reminiscent of the showdown between Beta and VHS videocassette formats in the 1970s. What was the outcome? The videocassette showdown between Beta and VHS in the 1970’s mainly was a clear example of â€Å"listening and responding† to what the market wants. It began when Sony produced Bata, a video standard which had a recording time of 60 minutes. Almost one year later, JVC launched the VHS, which is another video standard that had a recording time of 120 minutes. The two videocassettes were different in size and completely incompatible. The VHS was cheaper than Beta; however the longer the recording time resulted in a degraded quality of image. The market nevertheless, wanted a longer recording time, which allowed for longer movies and football matched to be recorded. Sony held their end for more years supplying the more upscale market with the 60 minute high quality videocassettes, but eventually in the mid 80’s they had to offer videocassettes with a longer recording time to remain competitive. By then however it was too late and VHS already held dominance in the market. VHS won the battle and in 2002 the last Beta machine was produced. Sony’s mistake was not listening to what the market wants and not willing to compromise the quality to satisfy the market. The battle between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is quite similar, however this time Sony is not the defender, but the challenger. To forecast who the winner may be, the same underlying factor exists, regarding listening to the market and responding. The case explains of the continuous electronic industry’s upgrade towards high definition TVs and DVD movies. Thus, one can assume that consumers want a player which provides the greatest quality of high definition. A common element between HD-DVD and Blu-ray is that they have 1080 lines of resolution (the highest quality video playback possible) on their widescreen HDTV set, as the case shows. Thus, consumers are going to look for other factors which can determine which player provides better quality. Firstly, the fact that Sony’s Blu-ray technology is incompatible with Toshiba (assuming other rival products as well) and can only be used on Sony products, signals that Sony is trying to maintain a type of niche market, which in essence aims at guaranteeing that using Blu-ray technology on Sony products will produce the best quality. This is similar to what Apple does with their range of products. Secondly, over the years Sony has positioned and built their brand to represent â€Å"high quality† and thus brand loyalty is strong among customers in the electronic industry. Lastly, price sends market signals and the common understanding is that high price tends to reflect high quality. The case states that Sony BDP-S1 and S300 cost $999. 99 and $600 respectively, compared to Toshiba’s models ranging from $399. 99 to $799. 99. Thus the higher price of Sony can be assumed to have better quality. Conclusively, HD-DVD and Blu-ray battle is almost mirrored in Beta and VHS rivalry. VHS won the battle since they satisfied the market’s demand for longer recording time with the videocassette. With HD-DVD and Blu-ray, the market is assumed to want high quality on their high definition widescreen HDTVs. The writer believes that Sony with their Blu-ray technology would win the battle, given that they can reflect a better level of quality over Toshiba, through â€Å"non-1080 lines of resolution† factors. CITATION Czinkota, Michael, and Ilkka Ronkainen. International Marketing . Thomson South-Western, 2007. Harvey, Nathan, and Louise Ada. 2012. Suitability of Nintendo Wii Balance Board for rehabilitation of standing after stroke. Physical Therapy Reviews 17, no. 5: 311-321 Kotler, Philip, and Kevin Keller. Marketing Management. Pearson Education Limited, 2012.

Mental Illness And Social Theory

Mental Illness And Social Theory Throughout history, there have been differing views of how mental illness was thought to occur, and how it should be subsequently treated. For example Greek and Roman philosophers such as Hippocrates and Plato advocated that abnormal behaviour resulted from an internal disease, with Hippocrates believing it was an imbalance of the four humours that were thought to flow through the body (Comer, 2005). As such, physicians of the time treated it accordingly, using a mixture of methods such as bleeding and restraining (Comer, 2005: 8) to more supportive techniques such as calming atmospheres and music. However with the decline of the Roman Empire from roughly 500 A.D., a change in perceptions of abnormal behaviour occurred with religion dominating thought over science. As such, mental illness became viewed as arising through possession of the Devil, with the only cure being an exorcism by clergymen, or beating and starving the individual (Comer, 2005). However it was only around the 1400 s that mental illness became viewed as a sickness within the mind (Comer, 2005: 10), and as such the asylum was created as an institution to care for the mentally ill, and while often a cruel place, it was seen as the establishment charged with caring for those deemed mentally ill (Scull, 2006). Yet the main so called change in reform of the mentally ill was attributed to the work of Tuke and Pinel (Comer, 2005: 11) where instead of promoting treatment involving beatings and restraint, they used methods where the mentally ill were allowed to be unrestrained and encouraged to monitor their own behaviour, in methods known as moral treatment (Scull, 2006: 115). These methods transformed the way mental illness was handled, however, into the 20th century; many of the mentally ill were still being confined to long term stays in asylums (Comer, 2005). While this is a very brief history of mental illness, the changing perceptions of the causes and subsequent treatment of the mentally ill throughout history raises several important issues. Firstly, the definition of mental illness has not remained constant and indeed mental illness itself has been called madness, insanity (Comer, 2005: 10) and in the field of psychology, is studied as abnormal psychology. This raises the second issue, in that mental illness is still defined as something which could be considered deviant or not normal, and as such requires the individual to receive treatment. The field that has been associated and subsequently dominated diagnosis and treatment of mental illness in the 20th century (Summerfield, 2001) is psychiatry. Psychiatry typically draws upon positivist thinking, in that a mental illness is a real and observable phenomenon (Eisenberg, 1988: 2) that must be diagnosed and subsequently treated, with the usual assumption that the illness has manifest ed due to some biological abnormality (Fisher, 2003). However while this view continues to dominate thinking within psychiatry, it can be argued that these concepts of mental illness have been heavily criticised and indeed, the institution of psychiatry itself has also been criticised. Therefore the aims of this essay are to firstly examine the problems of the psychiatric approach and how social theory has provided a useful evaluation of how mental illness, rather than existing as real and observable illnesses which psychiatrists must find and treat, could actually be seen as socially constructed. This will then lead into a discussion of the debates around how useful a social constructionist perspective is, before evaluating the institution of psychiatry as a whole, drawing on the work of Foucault and associated theorists, arguing that the psychiatric institution, instead of being a liberating force for the mentally ill, actually exercises methods of social control. Finally this will allow for an assessment of whether these evaluations are more useful to consider than continuing adopting the dominant positivist methods forwarded by psychiatry. The Problem of Psychiatric Approaches to Mental Illness The current system which psychiatry utilizes in order to define and diagnose mental illness is the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM). This manual, currently in its fourth edition lists what it has defined as mental illness onto 5 axes. For example Axis 1 contains all disorders considered to be related to mental health, from mood disorders to sexual disorders with the exception of personality disorders and what is termed mental retardation, which is placed on Axis 2 (Comer, 2005). In addition to this, certain criteria are listed, in order to determine if an individual can be diagnosed with a specific mental illness. For example, depression would be classified as a mood disorder and in order to be diagnosed as having a major depressive episode, an individual would need to exhibit five out of eight symptoms listed persistently for at least two weeks, with one symptom being either depressed mood or loss of interest or pleasure (Davidson and Neale, 2001: 242) While this is a useful approach, should a positivist stance be taken in that mental illness is an observable fact, waiting to be uncovered in an individual (Eisenberg, 1988), it becomes problematic when considering two issues. Firstly what has been defined as mental illness has not remained constant within psychiatry and has also faced criticism over how it is diagnosed, and secondly, the categorisation of an individual as mentally ill can have serious social consequences such as producing stigma (Thornicroft, 2006). In addressing the first issue, at the inception of the DSM in 1952, sixty categories were listed as being mental illnesses, and this number increased to one hundred and forty five illnesses in the second edition in 1968 (Balon, 2008), however it was perhaps in the third edition, published in 1980, where the biggest change occurred. Not only has 230 illnesses been identified and classified as illnesses, but a change occurred in which homosexuality was removed as being a mental disorder after campaigning from Gay activist groups (Silverstein, 2008). However the DSM in its current form continues to cause controversy over classifications, especially with those surrounding sexuality, for example it has been questioned as to whether issues such as female orgasmic disorder or certain fetishes should actually be classified as disorders (Ussher, 1997: 5). Similarly, classifications for diagnosis have also been somewhat vague. For example, while diagnoses for depression typically include a tim eframe in which the symptoms must be present, there is no such temporal criterion for sexual disorders, meaning that diagnosis could be somewhat ambiguous (Balon, 2008: 190). This idea of the DSMs criteria making diagnosis somewhat vague was highlighted in the classic study by Rosenhan (1973) in which eight participants were each sent to twelve different psychiatric hospitals and instructed, at admissions, to say they had been hearing voices, and had heard the words empty, hollow and thud (Rosenhan, 1973: 251). Each participant was subsequently admitted to the respective hospital, and upon admission, apart from general nervousness of their situation, continued to behave normally and told staff they were no longer experiencing any symptoms. Despite this, participants were admitted to the hospitals for periods ranging between 7 and 52 days, and all but one was discharged with the diagnosis Schizophrenia in remission (Rosenhan, 1973: 252). While this study is flawed due to its deception and would not have been ethically allowed in modern times, it did raise some serious issues about psychiatric evaluation and diagnosis, with perhaps one of the most troublin g aspects being that perfectly sane individuals were labelled as schizophrenic, and likely would have been stuck with that label (Rosenhan, 1973: 252). This leads onto the second problem of psychiatric definitions of mental illness, in that individuals become labelled as having an illness, meaning they are more readily seen as deviating from social norms and as such, reactions to the individual with the mental illness change radically (Bowers, 1998:7). This can often produce a stigma of mental illness meaning once individuals are classified as being mentally ill, they may suffer problems with their family and friends or discrimination at work and this can often be fuelled by media interpretations of mental illness (Thornicroft, 2006). For example because a mental illness such as schizophrenia is classified by the DSM as having at least 2 symptoms including hallucinations, delusions disorganised speech etc, for a significant proportion of time for a least a month (Comer, 2005: 360), it becomes simplified by the media as meaning a person with a mental illness will be mad and dangerous (Thornicroft, 2006: 113). Similarly this transfers into the public who are found to have a profound ignorance (Thornicroft, 2006: 231) over what it means to be mentally ill and also problems for mentally ill individuals who are often targets for discrimination and, as such, find their lives change as a result of the label of mentally ill that is imposed upon them. Alternative Methods of Defining Mental Illness Given the problems that appear to arise from the dominant psychiatric methods of defining and diagnosing mental illness, it would seem that alternative methods should be considered as to how mental illness should be viewed. One method is to take the definitions of mental illnesses themselves and determine how they have arisen through discourse and how they can be subsequently viewed as socially constructed (Ussher, 1997, 4). For example, the psychiatric viewpoint of mental illness is framed as objectively diagnosing an individual with a mental illness, which is seen to be real and identifiable. However if a postmodern approach was adopted, which asserts that there are no absolute truths, e.g. a mental illness doesnt just exist, but instead is different interpretations are formed through language (Walker, 2006: 71). This would imply that instead of psychiatry objectively discovering a mental illness within an individual, they have actually created a perspective whereby someone who has a mental illness is ill and deviating form the norm, and as such needs to be diagnosed and treated (Walker, 2006: 72). This social construction of mental illness is done so through the utilization of discourse. In the case of the psychiatric perspective, the view that mental illness is identifiable and diagnosable is taken as truth, with the psychiatrist patient relationship dominated by the psychiatrist who diagnoses the illness and proceeds to medicate the individual (Armstrong, 1994: 19; Walker, 2006: 74). However while the feelings that an individual presents to a psychiatrist may be very real, the associated labels such as schizophrenia or depression only exist as they have been agreed upon as taking a certain meaning through language. This can also be the case in viewing mental illness as a whole; the psychiatric discourse has created these categories of mental illness, which become associated with wholly negative connotations, producing severe consequences for the individual. For example, if Foucauldian discourse perspective is taken, this categorisation would provide a definition of how the individual understands their identity, and perhaps more importantly how others view their identity (Roberts, 2005: 38). However this can also end up becoming their identity. For example, instead of being an individual with schizophrenia, they become schizophrenic and that is their identity. However if the postmodernist perspective of mental illness is followed through, it suggests that mental illness does not actually exist, nor do the labels that follow it, such as schizophrenia or depression. Instead these are just constructions formed by psychiatry to allow them to categorise people as they feel necessary (Walker, 2006: 75). However this also suggests that individuals who experience these symptoms should not merely be categorised as psychiatry dictates, because, as has been discussed previously, this often produces stigma. Instead, by adopting a postmodernist perspective, subjective accounts of individuals experiences should be used to determine how they construct their illness, rather than viewing them as ill patients who are deviating from the norm. For example by allowing individuals who have been diagnosed with, say, depression to construct their own discourse around their experiences, more useful information may be sought about how they feel in relation to this diagnosis and may also help to reduce stigma that is associated by the categorisation process employed by psychiatry. For example a study by LaFrance, (2007) utilized the discourse of women, to examine how they constructed their experiences of depression having received a medical diagnosis of depression. The findings from adopting a discourse analytic approach found that the women, upon receiving a diagnosis of depression often felt relieved as they could then interpret it as its not my fault (LaFrance, 2007: 134), however in relation to more physical illnesses, they felt it was difficult to gain a legitimacy for their pain as the actual illness was not readily observable what I wish we could do is like stick a thermometer in your ear and check your serotonin level (La France, 2007: 134). By allowing individuals who are diagnosed with depression to discuss more openly their experiences of having being labelled as such, it can allow for a reinterpretation of what these illnesses are. Rather than being objectively defined as a pathological entity within the body, using a postmodernist perspective utilizing discourse, mental illness can be viewed from the perspective of the individuals experiences of the pain, illness and distress (LaFrance, 2007: 137) they encounter. This allows for a removal of mere categorisation and may also help to minimize stigma. However it should also be noted that while taking a postmodern perspective by deconstructing the labels of mental illness could be useful in providing more insight into individuals experiences and as such, minimise stigma, it can have limitations. For example as Ussher (1997) notes, if you take an extreme deconstructionist perspective, a situation is created whereby nothing is real, everything is just a social label; an invention of those in power (Ussher, 1997: 5). This could have consequences, in that there are no longer categories which define a sexual problem or a crime, as they merely become constructions of language. If this argument was followed through, it would mean that issues such as paedophilia would be justified as there would no longer be any reason to warrant criminalising sexual acts with children (Ussher, 1997: 6) and this is clearly wrong. However if a certain level of deconstruction is acknowledged, as mentioned above, it could be useful in creating a shift away fr om the dominant psychiatric view of an objective diagnosis and labelling system of mental illness. The Continuing Dominance of Psychiatry Social Control of Psychiatry It has been outlined above that drawing on a postmodern perspective of utilizing discourse to deconstruct categories of mental illness forwarded by psychiatry could be useful, particularly in gaining insight into those who experience mental illness and also using that to help reduce the stigma which evolves from labelling and categorising. However, despite the clear faults the psychiatric methods have in defining and diagnosing mental illness, these alternative approaches have not been introduced. It could be said that this is due to the power that psychiatry yields over the mentally ill. For example, Scull (2006) notes, in the early 19th century, reform of how mental illness was treated occurred by which it became a condition which could only be authoritatively diagnosed, certified and treated by a group of legally recognised experts (Scull, 2006: 111). While this change occurred as to who could legitimately deal with the mentally ill, a change, as mentioned above, also occurred into how the mentally ill should be treated, with Pinel and Tuke advocating the notion of treating the mentally ill rationally and humanely (Scull, 2006: 114). This may therefore suggest that the 19th century revolutionised how mental illness was viewed and treated, with the idea of the mentally ill being liberated. However, in drawing on the works of Foucault, it could be said that this view is quite misguided. While Foucaults work is complex and wide ranging, his concepts of power/knowledge and the body have been central to providing an alternative account of the domination of psychiatry and how society views mental illness. For example in Foucaults (1967 [2001]) work Madness and Civilization, a detailed history is provided on how madness has been changed and redefined throughout history. In brief, it is argued that a transformation occurred in that there was a change from the sane person being able to communicate effectively with the madman, to a state whereby the madman is segregated and not to be communicated with (Matthews, 1995: 24). This occurred, as from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance period, madness was seen as moving from an entity which was beyond human life, to something that was inherent within the self. As such, it was seen as something that required individuals with the affliction of madness to be confined, and indeed by the 17th century those who were considered deviant were to be segregated, including the mad, the unemployed, prisoners etc (Matthews, 1995: 25). However, it was seen that they were not confined for their own wellbeing or safety, but instead because they were not contributing effectively to society as normal citizens. Towards the 18th century, it is argued that even with the introduction of more humane methods of treating the mentally ill, such as those forwarded by Pinel and Tuke, this was still seen as a method of control, attempting to transform the mad individual into someone deemed socially normal (Matthews, 1995: 25). For example, Foucault (1967 [2001: 255-256]) notes that: the asylum of the age of positivism, which is Pinels glory to have founded, is not a free realm of observation, diagnosis and therapeutics; it is a juridical space where one is accused, judged and condemned, and from which one is never released except by the version of this trial in psychological depth -that is, by remorse This implies that the methods considered as being the liberation of the mentally ill in the 19th century, which pre-empted modern psychiatry, were actually methods of controlling the mentally ill. They are labelled as having an illness such as depression or schizophrenia, which is a deviation from normal functioning, reasonable individuals, and as such, require treatment in order to attempt to return to them to normative state. With this view of modern psychiatry, it could be said that as it is the dominiant institution responsible for mental illness, it acts as a method of social control by having the power to identify deviant individuals and attempt to treat them, subsequently cure them of their illness and return them to normality. Social Control through Surveillance However, crucial to understanding this method of social control, is to also understand the power that the psychiatric institution holds over the mentally ill, and it could be argued that it is through Foucaults (Rabinow, 1991) ideas of disciplinary power. For example, Foucault argued that instead of old methods of control of deviant bodies being used, such as physical punishment (Armstrong, 1994: 21), new methods were created which allowed for bodies to be observed and analysed (Armstrong, 1994: 21) through methods of surveillance. To illustrate this idea, Foucault uses the idea of Benthams design for an ideal prison, known as the panopticon, where a central watchtower looks over cells distributed in a circular fashion (Roberts, 2005: 34). The method of the panopticon was to be able to continuously observe inmates, however from the inmates point of view, they would never know when they were being watched, or if they were being watched at all. This allows for a dynamic in which a powe r relation is created and maintained, whereby the individual is made a subject, never free from knowing when they are being observed and thus having to correct and monitor their behaviour accordingly (Roberts, 2005: 34). For example as Foucault notes, it must be possible to hold the prisoner under permanent observation, every report that can be made about him must be recorded and computed (Foucault, cited in Rabinow, 1994: 217). While this was referring to prisoners being held as criminals, the concept can also be identified and analysed in relation to psychiatric institutions. For example after a diagnosis of a mental illness has been made, individuals become analysed and evaluations for treatment made, and this becomes documented within medical records. While, as Roberts (2005) notes, that this is standard procedures for care, from a Foucauldian perspective, it could be seen as a panoptic method of ensuring the individual is continually watched and assessed, and should any deviations occur, interventions may used, to correct the deviancy (Roberts, 2005: 36). However this does not merely occur within an institution, but the levels of panoptic surveillance may occur within an individuals community. For example if someone is given the identity of schizophrenic, they will be monitored by many different professional staff that will assess their treatment and symptoms but they will also be subject to surveillance from family members or friends (Roberts, 2005: 36). This would imply that the methods of psychiatric social control extend beyond simply having the authority to correct deviancy, but instead psychiatric disciplinary power infiltrates many aspects of an individuals life, meaning they may never be free from surveillance of their illness or having an identity of being mentally ill. This Foucauldian perspective is rather critical of the psychiatric institution, however when considering the stigma that those with a mental illness encounter, it could be a useful theoretical approach to take when considering the dominance of psychiatry. For example, as mentioned previously and highlighted by the Rosenhan (1973) study, a diagnosis and labelling of being mentally ill can become a lifelong issue and often, while being subject to surveillance by psychiatric and medical institutions, individuals are also subject to surveillance by their friends, family and peers, however if what is viewed is negatively perceived, or if the individual does not correct their behaviour this can have consequences. For example as Thornicroft (2006: 25) states from an individual with mental illness, I have lost all my friends since the onset of my illnessà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I lost my career, my own flat, my car. Mental illness has destroyed my life. This suggests that again, the dominance of psych iatry, even in modern times, if taken from a Foucauldian perspective, can have drastic consequences for those who are diagnosed with mental illness. Other Power Relations as Explanations for Psychiatric Dominance Foucauldian perspectives clearly illustrate that psychiatry can be considered the dominant institution for monitoring those with mental illness, as they are able to correct them by means of social control and also the very manner in which psychiatry functions, allows them to survey those with a mental illness indefinitely, through the ideas of disciplinary power. However one other aspect that should be considered as to why psychiatry has continued to be the dominant institution for identifying those who are mentally ill, is their intrinsic affiliations to the pharmaceutical companies (Scull, 2006: 127). For example, in returning to the methods of the psychiatric institution, they take a positivist view that mental illness is real and observable and requiring treatment and they usually identify it as underlying a biological abnormality of brain functioning, such as serotonin deficencies in depression (Comer, 2005). However it could be argued that it is pharmaceutical industry that continues to allow this approach to be taken. For example, if classifying a mental illness as real and observable with an underlying biological cause, this allows for the assumption that it can be treated, and the pharmaceutical industry fuels this, by providing the medication (Fisher, 2003: 66). However this view is also advocated by psychiatry, because as Scull (2006) and Fisher (2003) argue, the profits that pharmaceutical companies make contribute towards funding research, the journals and the departments of psychiatry (Fisher, 2003: 66). As such, the psychiatric profession have an invested interest in maintaining their positivist standpoint, and as this happens to conform to the positivist natural model of scientific research, it has asserted itself as the only reality, due to holding this power (LaFrance, 2007: 128). Usefulness of the Critical Evaluation of Psychiatry As can be seen in the discussions above, the evaluations of psychiatry drawing on social theory perspectives have been quite critical, both in terms of how psychiatry defines and diagnoses mental illness, but also how the institution of psychiatry as a whole functions. For example it has drawn from post modern perspectives to suggest that the very notion of mental illness is socially constructed through discourse (Walker, 2006) and from a Foucauldian perspective, the psychiatric institution serves to control the deviant population by attempting to normalise them again through the use of disciplinary power (Roberts, 2005). However, while these evaluations are certainly useful and provide a perspective into how psychiatry and mental illness can be viewed, to take this wholly negative view may be just as problematic as adopting the purely positivist assumptions forwarded by psychiatry. For example, in addressing the first evaluation that mental illness can be considered to be socially constructed through discourse, as explained by Ussher (1997), if this is taken to the point of an extreme social constructionist perspective, then nothing will actually be considered real, just multiple realities created through discourse. This could be problematic for those who do suffer from mental illness. For example interpreting mental illness as something that doesnt actually exist, or is not definable but merely a social construction is not very helpful for an individual with real symptoms which they experience. For example as Bowers (1998) mentions, to take a view that mental illness is something that could be considered beneficial or non existent is a failing to accept the reality of their suffering and disability (Bowers, 1998: 104). As such, theoretically it may be useful to consider mental illness as socially constructed, and indeed given the study by Rosenhan (1973), diag nosis can often be difficult or misinterpreted, for those who actually suffer from mental illness, a diagnosis may actually be comforting. For example, in an excerpt from an individual with mental illness, it can be seen that often a diagnosis means that it feels something can then be done. The individual, when discussing her initial diagnosis of schizophrenia recalls it was so enormously helpful to think; (a) this was something diagnosable, and (b) there are self help groups (Thornicroft, 2006: 48). As such, while the psychiatric methods of defining and diagnosing mental illness could be seen as theoretically problematic, as they are known, individuals who are diagnosed may feel comforted to know that the symptoms they experience are not simple constructions, but an actual treatable illness. In addressing the second criticism social theory has levelled at psychiatry, in that from a Foucauldian perspective, it can be seen as an institution of continual surveillance and social control (Roberts, 2005). This implies that psychiatry exists with a unidirectional form of power, selecting deviant individuals and attempting to normalise them through treatment and surveillance. However it could be said that this power/knowledge approach to psychiatry is somewhat simplistic, implying only psychiatric experts are involved in addressing the diagnosis and treatment of lay peoples' mental illness, however this may not be the case. As mentioned in the LaFrance (2007) study, sufferers of mental illness have been invited to express their views on their experiences of mental illness and how they viewed their treatment and this can often be used to inform and re-evaluate how these with mental illness should be treated by experts. For example Pilgrim and Rogers (1997) highlight that often those who had experienced mental illness could not contribute the onset to a singular cause but, identified numerous causes such as a loss of a child, previous abuse, having a broken engagement etc (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1997: 42). However psychiatrists typically noted onset as originating from something which was termed biomedical (Pilgrim and Rogers, 1997: 43) and as such, by identifying how sufferers view their illness, this can help further inform the experts. Similarly, Pilgrim and Rogers (1997) also highlight that there is not expert knowledge of mental illness and lay knowledge of mental illness but often the two are often intertwined, with expert knowledge becoming subject to layification (Pilgrim and Rogers, 39). Therefore to simply assert that psychiatry exerts social control and surveillance over mental illness suffers appears to be ignoring the notion that individuals may not be passive patients and may have their o wn interpretations and views on their illness. Conclusion It is somewhat difficult to determine whether the critical evaluation social theory provides in reaction to the methods psychiatry uses to define and treat mental illness are more useful. For example, while the positivist methodology currently adopted by psychiatry has been problematic given their changing of what constitutes as mental illness (Balon, 2008) and also the reported difficulties in diagnosis (Rosenhan, 1973), it is unclear whether adopting a social constructionist approach would be useful in practice. While it certainly has highlighted the faults of positivist notions of schizophrenia and depression simply existing (Walker, 2006) and this may help to reduce stigma, given that it is such a widely accepted approach, people in some cases may find comfort in being given a diagnosis (Thornicroft, 2006). Similarly, while the works of Foucault are certainly insightful in suggesting that the liberation of the insane was merely a different form of confinement through social control, it does provide an assumption that psychiatry is merely an institution whose aims are to normalise individuals through medication and view them as simple, passive recipients of care. However as Pilgrim and Rogers (1997) highlighted, often knowledge which lay and experts hold of mental illness can become intertwined and, indeed, psychiatrists have utilized research into patients experiences in order to provide a better standard of care for them. Therefore this essay would advocate, in a similar manner to Ussher (1997) that neither the psychiatric positivist methods are completely flawless and neither are social theory approaches, such as post modernism or a Foucauldian analysis. However a combination of the two may not provide a better system either, therefore while it is acknowledged that social theory has provided a useful critical evaluation of psychiatry, it is not necessarily a correct one. As such, it may be more useful to consider the individuals who suffer from mental illness as the ones who should advocate h