How Does Art and Music Relates to Each Other Essay

Art and music bring many cultures from all around the world together. Both express thoughts, emotions, stories, views, ideas, and opinions of human life. For instance, art is a form of expression as well as music. Moreover, music describe a person’s culture, life, feeling and hobbies as well as art. It is how people liberty to express themselves through music in whichever way they prefer. as well as art and what people confront on a daily basis. Furthermore, art and music has change over time and it has influence in the way we dress and dance. It also reflects on violence and drugs. Finally, have an extremely negative impact on the attitudes and behaviors of American youth. Music affects society now in days by influencing teens in the wrong way. For instance, music videos have made a humongous impact on the behavior of teens. Moreover, teens flaunt their bosoms around just because they see it on the videos so they portray the same image thinking that is the style. For example, Adriana, a cousin she dresses something similar to that and her response is that is what is in. Also, the way teens dance through music. For example, the songs Bring it, Donk, Ass by listening to this type of songs they start twerking dancing. In particular, a dance that teases and inappropriately moves. It consists of how you shake your behind. personality my perspectives about those move dances are inhuman. In addition, this type of songs has made an impact on the dances and it has everybody twerking. A dance that consist of shaking hips and bottom and bouncing up and down motion, causing to shake, wobble and jiggle . Another, huge impact would be the song and dance called The Twist it had have a tremendous impact back in the days. many people were against it but some were not. Foremost, John Johnson Jr. â€Å"The Twist† The Los Angeles Times, 2013) states. â€Å"Soon, the fad hopped generations, sweeping up the â€Å"Mad Men† set of swinging company men and their hip-shaking wives. Therefore, regardless if the song influences in an appropriate dance it is still going to be a big hit and it is going to have everybody dancing. Another, social message that is transmitting through music and art is the violence. For example, some friends would always-encountered dangerous scenes because of the designs imprinted on their clothes gang related as well as the music consisting of disrespecting others. onsequently, they were getting shoot at. In addition, my cousin Arthur was involved in the Mafia. He was kill in Mexico 3 years ago because of the music he used to listing to drugs as well as the clothes he used to were. His clothes had a picture of Mal Verde a major drug dealer. The drug music would inspire him to fight. He had a tragic death that was never solve he was kidnap and torture to death. In addition, many people are being influence in the drug life because of their admiration to those kinds of art as well as the music. On the other hand, it can inspire others to get out of that life style. For example, Biello, Johnson Jr. (â€Å"The Twist† The Los Angeles Times, 2013) states that â€Å"Biello, who hope the Twist would ease his exit from the Mob, never did get out. He was assassinated in 1967, in broad daylight in downtown Miami. The crime was never solved but was likely part of a power struggle in the top ranks of Mafia leadership. † Moreover, music and art is meant for uplifting and encouraging people yet over the years it has become degrading. Finally, the way it influences the teens today. The more aggressive the music, probably the more grumpy and rebellion they tend to get. The beauty of music has exploited into evil things. For instance, the music today such as rap and hip-hop has profanity and that is the type of music that teens listing today. Consequently, can be influential, and they will try to crazy things. In conclusion, art is music it is what gives life a meaning. For example, to share ideas, express feeling, tell a story It is what brings many different cultures together from all over the world. Weather it brings out good or bad messages it is still a form of art.

1450-1750 Ap World History Essay

Technology, Demography, and the Environment 1450-1750 The main trend relating to technology, demography, and the environment from 1450 to 1750 are †¦ Some of the most influential new technologies were guns, improved shipbuilding, and better navigational devices. The invention of guns would forever change the way wars were fought. Instead of swords, bows and arrows, or lances, guns would emerge as the dominant global weapon. They were lighter than cannons and more efficient than bows and arrows. They were also effective as a long or short range weapon. Guns were essential to the expansion of the Islamic empires that raised during this time period, hence the title Gunpowder Empires. Guns were also important in the West African slave trade. Many Africans would trade other Africans to the Europeans in exchange for guns. The minor trends are seen as Shipbuilding technologies also became better during this time. The increased cross-cultural interaction led to a combination of shipbuilding technologies from many countries. There were many advantages to the new styles of ship building, including the fully rigged ship, the more economic and more streamlined â€Å"caravel† ship design, the sternpost rudder, and lateen sails. All of these improvements from the culminated technology of many civilizations made ships sturdier, more maneuverable, faster, and cheaper to build. Navigation also improved in the Early Modern Age. Likewise, another minor trend was maps and charts that became more accurate and navigational instruments became easier to use. The ease of navigation made people more prone to exploring. This contributed to the increased water traffic seen in this time period all around the world. This image represents the main trend of technology, demography, and environment from 1450 to 1750 because shipbuilding was used as an advantage for faster transportation. Key Words: caravel, ships, bow & arrow, guns Culture 1450-1750 The main trends relating to Culture from 1450 to 1750 are for elite culture in China, their main religion was neo-Confucianism because it was considered an intellectual religion which caused a lot of patriarchy. As for the pop culture in china, they had a development of novels and fiction which caused higher literacy rates for the middle class. The upper class looked down on it which caused a division of culture. In China, they isolated themselves from any other culture. They continued to trade, but only set up one port for trade with the Europeans. They traded their own items, but wouldn’t accept anything but silver from Spain, which eventually caused them to go bankrupt The popular culture was interested in floating worlds which are cities of entertainment. These worlds lead to the obsession of new theatres, poetry, and Dutch learning. The elite culture became interested in native learning, Shintoism, and native learning. They also tried to get rid of all outside influences besides Japanese. In Japan, they also isolated themselves from other influences. However, the only country they allowed in Japan was the Dutch, who were allowed in Nagasaki and developed Dutch Learning. They allowed the Dutch in because they wanted to also keep up with European advancements. The minor trends are seen as the elite culture was based off of western European style culture. They cut off all the men’s beards and learned manners due to the visits from Peter the Great. As for the popular culture, they kept old style Russian traditions. This image represents the main trend of Culture from 1450 to 1750 because of Neo Confucianism in China. Key Words: Shintoism, neo-confucianism Politics 1450-1750 The main trends relating to Politics from 1450 to 1750 are Three new empires: the Ottoman, the Safavid, and the Mughal – rose between 1450 and 1750, and collectively they supported a new flowering of Islamic civilization. However, competition between them also led to important political divisions and military clashes. All three originated in the Turkic nomadic cultures of the central Asian steppe, and they all had absolute monarchs who modeled their courts on those of earlier Islamic dynasties. The Ming Emperors continued to rule China until the mid-1600s, but the dynasty was in decline for many years before that. Although its cultural brilliance and economic achievements continued until about 1600, China had some of the same problems that the Muslim empires had: borders difficult to guard, armies expensive to maintain, and transportation and communication issues. The minor trends are seen as The Ottoman Empire was one of three Islamic Gunpowder Empires that arose in Eurasia during the Early Modern period. This empire had very distinct political and social traditions. The Ottoman Empire was a military creation, like most empires. They also conscripted the sons of conquered peoples for use in their army, and these people were called Janissaries. When the Ottomans conquered Egypt, they also gained a powerful navy, making the Ottoman Empire even more of a militaristic power. The political structure of the empire placed the emperor at the top. The emperor owned and distributed all land and had the power to hire and fire officials at will. To try and avoid succession problems, the Ottomans kept their empire tightly centralized and gave emperors power to kill off his brothers. Likewise, another minor trend is Political dynamics: In Japan from the twelfth to the sixteen century a â€Å"shogun† or a military governor: ruled Japan through retainers we received political rights and large estates of land in exchange for their military services. The emperor was merely a figurehead with the shoguns having the real power.

Importance of Physician/Patient Communication Essay

Thesis Statement The communication relationship between physician and patient has an impact on diagnoses and treatment options. 1. Four types of truth-telling affect the communication relationship of physician/patient. The quality of communication physicians and patients maintain in the treatment process is very important as it has a bearing on the outcome of the treatment process. The quality of medical care physicians give to patients determines the quality of services exchanged between the two. For communication to be effective, several factors have to be in place. Communication has to be clear, communication has to be timely, communication has to contain the right content, the communication must be disseminated through the proper media and targeting the right recipient. Truth-telling is very central to the physician/patient relationship. How a patient is going to react to the news broken by the physician is highly dependent on the kind of truth-telling approach the physician chooses. The four types of truths; direct, factual, personal and interpretative also known as hermeneutical truth apply in different situations. In truth-telling, the physician has to consider the full impact of the news and therefore decide on whether to apply principle of non-disclosure or full disclosure . Depending on the situation the truths could reveal or conceal information. This is determined by the kind of relationship existing between the patient and the physician. In the process of truth-telling the right environment has to be present. There is a need for trust between the patient and the physician as the level of trust the two parties have for each other directly impacts on communication and perception. There is need for empathy especially considering the fact that some of the news the patient is likely to receive could be bad news concerning issues ranging from death to serious medical conditions. This calls for the physician to gauge the situation and decide on what to reveal or what to conceal. Such a step is likely to save the patient from the agony of having to cope with bad news or the consequences of such breaking of news. There is a need for patience on the part of the physician as well as the part of the patient considering the fact that medical disclosure has an undeniable impact on the communication relationship between the patient and the physician. Physicians should be able to carefully analyze information before disseminating such to the patient. This calls for the physician to be able to set realistic goals for the patient and not to raise hopes even when the situation is clearly negative. This implies that it is the responsibility of the physician to choose what kind of truth to apply as some situations may call for direct truth while others may call for factual truth. In some instances, personal truth may be applicable while in other cases, only interpretive truth could be applicable. However, the bottom line is for the physician to be analytical enough to differentiate situations and decide on the best approach to use. Truth-telling is very important in the medical disclosure process since how poorly or well executed the disclosure is carried out, always has a legal implication. In some other cases, the process of disclosure could have business implications especially if the health care setting is in private practice. A physician is supposed to consider numerous factors especially in regard to the physician’s code of conduct. This calls for the physician to consider issues such as cultural factors . Depending on the culture of the patient, the physicians should device or even improvise communication strategies which will not go in contravention of the cultural beliefs and cultural norms of the patients. This points to the importance of physician’s knowledge in cultural issues in the community where the physician serves. The physician must understand how different cultures treat issues such as death. Such knowledge is important because breaking news in an offensive manner could cause unnecessary tensions between the physician and the patient. Truth-telling therefore should be determined by cultural considerations and depending on cultural orientations of the patient, it is the responsibility of the physician to choose the method of communication, the approach to use as well as how the different types of truths are applicable in the given cultural context . Truth-telling from the physician’s perspective, consist of full disclosure or limited disclosure . Several factors determine what type of disclosure the physician finally settles on. However, it is crucial for the physician to consider the patient’s right to know when it comes to the decision on whether to give full disclosure or limited disclosure . The right to know as it applies to the patient is a fundamental human right. However, to the physician it is a question of ethics and implications. This results into a kind of conflict within the physician’s mind as well as between the physician and the patient . The situation worsens if the legal implications of a full disclosure are higher than the potential benefits. This is when a physician is supposed to make a rational decision and go for the limited disclosure . It is evident that some issues that surround the physician’s ability to tell the truth are beyond the physician’s ability and as a result, the physician has to possess high communication skills. The physician is faced with the problem of honouring and fulfilling the needs and demands of the patient. Equally important are the personal traits of the physician given the fact that some decisions a physician makes are largely determined by the character of the physician . A physician who is indecisive is likely to fail to make the right decisions while a physician who is apt is likely to make decisions on the kind of disclosure to make to the patient . Apart from physician’s personal ability to deal with challenging situations, other factors come in play in regard to physician’s perspective about disclosures. The impact of the physician’s origin is demonstrated in the kind of decisions which the physician makes when it comes to disclosures. For instance, the origin of the physician especially in regard to expatriates has an effect on the kind of decisions considering the fact that different places have different norms and standards of doing things. However, physicians’ code of conduct demands that every physician consider the outcome of truth-telling in regard to psychological repercussions of the decisions the physician makes. The origin of the physician also determines the effectiveness of the physician’s communication as historical and cultural factors all have an effect on truth-telling. If a physician has gone through a traumatizing past or had encountered difficult and challenging situations in the past, this can have an impact on the kind of decision the physician makes . However, professionalism dictates that the physician must always act in the best interest of the patient in as long as the decisions do not hurt any party. There still remains a dilemma amongst many physicians when faced with the question of whether to obey the wishes of the patient or to go by their instincts as informed by professionalism. The physician’s conduct, when around the patient, can aid or hinder patient’s compliance and satisfaction . It is imperative for the physician to understand the psychological process or disposition the patient undergoes while sick. By the physician behaving in an offensive or unprofessional manner, this can lead to the patient becoming non-compliant and to become dissatisfied. This sets the precedence for communication breakdown and at this level the question ceases being what kind of truth-telling to tell but how to save the situation and improve the relationship between the patient and the physician. If a physician behaves in an offensive manner next to the patient’s bed, this again hinders the trust the patient has on the physician and the whole institution of health care . This implies that the conduct of a physician has far reaching implications for the professionals not only in the sense of communication but also in the aspect of business relationships . A physician who conducts business in a knowledgeable manner by respecting the cultural background of the patient as well as upholding religious beliefs and background of the patient is likely to enjoy compliance from the patient . Such a physician easily overcomes obstacles and communication becomes easy. The physician who sets such a conducive environment is more likely to experience less challenges in the process of truth-telling and the physician may not experience difficulties in choosing amongst the four types of truths the best and the most suitable for the given situation . Truth-telling from the patient’s perspective can be fully truthful or limited for many reasons. This is because there are effects associated with self-disclosure as there are implications for malpractice. The psychological effects of self-disclosure include the following. A feeling of unworthiness, desperation, vulnerability, as well as the high chances of suffering from psychological conditions such as stress or depression. There are physiological effects associated with self-disclosure. Such may include the craving of a patient to commit harmful actions, self-negligence resulting into body harm as well as harming of those around the patient. Patient dissatisfaction leads to claims of malpractice which ultimately have the potential of affecting the professional. Claims of malpractice affect the credibility of a physician, the credibility of the institution and could also have financial implications . The patient has a right to receive the best care possible and therefore the issues the patient brings out must be addressed fully and without prejudice. The effect bad news delivery has on the communication relationship of the physician/patient vary from individual to individual . For the physician, verbal/non-verbal communication aspect of delivering bad news holds the key to what kind of communication relationship the two are likely to enjoy. As such, the physician must be equipped through training and utilization of the relevant technology to execute and deliver communication in the best way possible. Bad news have different impacts on different patients. This calls for the physician to be analytical about situations and never to take situations for granted by generalization but rather to treat each case as special. Bad news delivery has negative consequences not only for the physician but more so for the patient who suffers psychologically as a result of bad news delivery. Poor delivery of bad news has on many occasions resulted to patients being shocked and in some cases, dying as a result of the effects of bad news delivery . This calls for the health care providers to be genuinely concerned on the impact of delivering bad news and therefore to take time to judge situations on merit before settling on the kind of disclosure suitable for the given situation. There is a need for the physician to assess the ability of the patient to cope with bad news as this is the only to ensure that the impact of bad news delivery are kept at minimal. Social construction in health communication has an impact on the patient’s perspective on communication. Therefore, there is a need for physicians to analyze and understand the patient’s locus of control when it comes to delivering of bad news. Some patients are more stronger than others and can therefore cope with pain associated with bad news. On the other hand, there are some patients who are weak in terms of the ability to cope with bad news. Therefore, social construction in health communication should be considered in the delivery of bad news. The internal/external locus of control requires both the patient and the physician to be weary of implications of communication not only to patients and physicians but also to the society at large. This is especially so considering the fact that some societies view issues related to health matters as communal or familial and it is therefore not the choice to be left to the patients and physicians only . The impact of different communication styles vary between males and females. This requires the physician to be considerate when breaking or delivering news. Communication dynamics therefore must be taken into consideration before deciding on the best type of communication to apply. The context is important because different news may mean different outcomes for males and females alike. It is worth noting that the context should be considered in the determination of the best channel to use in communicating news. Traditionally, story telling and narratives have been favoured by many physicians as effective means of communication regardless of the patient’s gender. However, with the advent of technology, there is a need for physicians to be equipped in other means of communication such as Internet. It is worth noting that usage of analogies, metaphors and similes can aid process of communication. However, such aids could be a form of distraction if not applied carefully. The above-mentioned types of aids must be applied only in proportionate measures with due regard or consideration to the confusion they may bring about . Physicians must be able to choose what type of aid suits what kind of situation and ultimately settle on application of aids which cause the least amount of distraction . The best choice of communication aids must be dictated by the different needs of communication for both the physician and the patient. In conclusion, it is worth noting that communication plays a very central role in health care provision and physicians must always bear in mind the implications of the choices they make in regard to communication. There is a need to improve communication relationships between physicians and patients as the effectiveness of such communication relationship is what determines how effective health care provision will be. References Appelbaum, P.S. , & Grisso, T. (1988). Assessing patients’ capacities to consent to treatment. New England Journal of Medicine, 319(25): pp. 1621-1629. Bourgeois, M. S. (1991) Communication Treatment for Adults with Adults with Dementia, Journal of Speech & Hearing Research, 14: pp. 829-841. Davis, Dena S. Legal Trends in Bioethics (review), Journal of Clinical Ethics. 1996: 7(2): pp. 183-96 Dodek, D. Y and Dodek, A. (1997) From Hippocrates to facimile. Canadian Medical Association Journal. 156 (6): pp. 841-858. Finucane, P, Myser, C & Ticehurst, S. Is she fit to sign, doctor? – Practical ethical issues in assessing the competence of elderly patients. Medical Journal of Australia. 1993: 59: pp. 397-413. Herbert, P. C. , Hoffmaster, B. , Glass, K. C. , Singer, P. A. (1997). Bioethics for clinicians: 7. Truth telling. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 156 (2): pp. 223-229. Hilfiker, D. (1984). Facing our mistakes. New England Journal of Medicine, 310(2): pp. 119-125. Kleinman, I. , Baylis, F. , Rodgers, S. , Singer, P. (1997). Bioethics for clinicians: 8. Confidentiality. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 156 (4): pp. 511-514. Lederberg, M. (1997). The psychological repercussions of New York State’s do not resuscitate law: An American experience with mandated â€Å"truth-telling. † Annals New York Academy of Sciences, 809: pp. 219-246. Lidz, C. W. , Meisel, A. , Osterweis, M. , Holden, J. L. , Marx, J. H. & Munetz, M. R. (1983). Barriers to informed consent. Annals of Internal Medicine, 99: pp. 529 – 539. Paier, G. , Miller, P. (1991). The Development of Ethical Thought in Long-Term Care. J. Gerontol. Nursing. 17(10): pp. 19-32. Schneider, C. E. (1994). Bioethics In the language of the law. Hastings Center Report. 24(4): pp. 25. Siegler, M. (1982) Confidentiality in medicine: A decrepit concept. New England Journal of Medicine. 307:pp. 1523-1536. Sigman, G. S. , Kraut, J. , La Puma, J. (1993). Disclosure of a diagnosis to children and adolescents when parents object: A clinical ethics analysis. American Journal of Disabilities in Children, 147 (7): pp. 769-798. Steffen, G. E. & Franklin, C. (1985). Commentaries: Who speaks for the patient with locked-in syndrome? Hastings Center Report, Dec. , pp. 12 – 19. Surbone, A. (1997). Information, truth, and communication: For an interpretation of truth-telling practices throughout the world. Annals New York Academy of Sciences, 809: pp. 6-26. Thomasma, D. C. (1994). Telling the truth to patients: A clinical ethics exploration. Cambridge Quarterly of Healthcare Ethics, 3: pp. 379-390. Ubel, PA, Zell, M. M. , Miller, D. J. , Fischer, G. S. , Peters-Stefani, D. , Arnold, R. M. (1995) Elevator talk: observational study of inappropriate comments in a public space. American Journal of Medicine. 99:pp. 189-199. Weir, R. F. , Peters, C. (1997). Affirming the decisions adolescents make about life and death. Hastings Center Report, 27 (6): pp. 31-44.

Australian Economy over the last two years Essay

Australian Economy over the last two years - Essay Example In the currently globalized world with maximum financial interconnectedness, problems in a particular country’s economy could arise mainly because of negative factors in the world economy. Thus, when the global recession started happening in United States in 2009-2009, it spread to various countries and its negative effects were felt all over the world including Australia. Although, Australia is geographically isolated, it is very much part of the world economy, and so economic recession in United States and Europe had ripple effects in Australia, necessitating the Australian government and the Australian Reserve Bank to initiate various measures. So, this paper will discuss how successful is the Australian Government and the Reserve Bank of Australia in running the Australian economy over the last two years in the immediate aftermath of the economic downturn, particularly focusing on the macro economic policies adopted by both the entities to avert the crisis and importantly to elevate the Australian economy. Australian economy is placed as a developed and modern market economy, with GDP running into more than one trillion dollars. It is also tagged as â€Å"one of the fastest growing advanced economies in the world† even in the times of recession and its aftermath. This can be viewed from the fact that â€Å"Australia is the 13th largest economy in the world according to nominal GDP (current prices) and the 17th largest according to GDP (PPP).† (economywatch.com 2010). The sector which dominates the Australian economy contributing maximum to its GDP is the services sector, around 68% of the GDP. It is followed by agricultural and mining sectors. Thus, it can be said that â€Å"Australia possesses a well-diversified economy boosted by the strength of its services and resources industries.† (economywatch.com 2010). Importantly, the economy grew optimally without slump from the last decade of the last century into the first decade of this 21st century. It grew in the positive figures in 2000’s until, break was placed in the form of global recession. â€Å"The Australian economy grew for 17 consecutive years before the global financial crisis.† (cia.gov 2011). So, in the aftermath of the financial recession, all the sectors had negative impacts, with these sectors particularly the mining sector losing sizable jobs. So, when the Australian economy witnessed a slump in the last two years as a result of global recession, after a continuous period of heightened growth, the government and the Reserve Bank of Australia swung into action, initiating key macro policies in the form of stimulus package and cutting of interest rates to historically low figures. â€Å"Rudd government introduced a fiscal stimulus package worth over US$50 billion to offset the effect of the slowing world economy, while the Reserve Bank of Australia cut interest rates to historic lows† (cia.gov 2011). When one focuses on th e last two years of the Australian economy, it coincided with the rule of Kevin Rudd government, as the regime was in power from 2007-2010. In addition, both the government and the RBI functioned in a coordinative manner regarding all the major decisions impacting the Australian economy. So, the role of the Australian government and RBI cannot be maximally bifurcated and

Current Event Review 4 Article Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Current Event Review 4 - Article Example I believe this is a very encouraging measure taken by the European Union. This is because in recent years health threats caused by technology have been mostly sidelined with greater importance given to security. On the other hand, TSA of the United States has tried to offset the alarm rung by the EU decision through biased statistics which demonstrate the improved security resulting from the use of X-ray body scanners. A lately released ProPublica document highlights the hazards of X-ray body scanners stating that up to hundred Americans may possibly fall prey to cancer because of these machines. However, FDA was quick to come up with contrary evidence that cancer risk exists in just 1 among 400 million, thus, playing in the hands of TSA and overlooking the health risks. In my opinion, TSA is not giving due respect to ethics, health and safety of the people. This is because despite of the ruling of EU and reports by ProPublica, it has planned to install further X-ray body scanners in coming times. This is a violation of the Business ethics owing to the fact that the health and the safety of the consumers is the responsibility of the organizations. The installation of these scanners despite of the presentation of the risks of these X ray scanners explains the fact that the health and safety of the people is being compromised. I believe that security is of utmost importance and proper security measures are essential but this should not put the health of people at stake. Instead, safer measures should be opted for so that the purpose of security is fulfilled and at the same time the health of the individuals is not risked. DiSalvo, D. (2011, November 15). â€Å"Europe Bans Airport Body Scanners For "Health and Safety" Concerns.† Forbes. Retrieved from:

Feudalism Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Feudalism - Assignment Example According to Nathan (2001 p. 3), it also had a highly trained military force (warriors) who were very expensive to maintain. On the other hand, the origin of feudalism can be linked with the expansion of the Roman Empire. It is believed that during the expansion, the Empire decentralized its reign and allocated land, power and authority to a group of people in exchange of military and slave services. Economic system According to Karl Marx, agriculture was the main pillar of economic development of feudalism. During the 12th century, most of the land was owned by dioceses, senior people and monasteries making the feudal system to be a way of ruling and communicating to the whole population. The land owners (landlords) gave out land as gifts to the less fortunate class people to cultivate. They peasants were supposed to cultivate it and give a certain amount of their harvest to the landlords in exchange of economic benefits, military services and of course public services. Just like the economic system, the social system of feudalism was hierarchical too. Every person had his or her own allegiance any person who was higher than him or her. The highest man was the King, followed by the lord (owner of the land also known as â€Å"Vassal† and â€Å"Caballero† in Spanish), Barons, knights and lastly the peasants. In order to maintain control, law, order and power, the medieval King was the one ranked highest who was above everything else and a warrior (Burn 1994 p. 234) The king owned a vast land which he gave out to any person who wanted to be part of his army as compensation; and that was the only way he could maintain a retinue of knights. Lands ownership laws were invoked again and again in order to reclaim property for the purpose recruitment of soldiers. Actually, the loyalty was basically a slavery type since the vassals knew they could not free themselves from his lord (Burn 1994 p. 251). The role of women: Feudalism did not consider women

Work place discrimination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Work place discrimination - Essay Example Workplaces have generally accepted language of communication among the workforce. The working unit of an entity employs a uniform mode and means of communication across the staff. The reason behind the uniformity of language of communication is to cater for the entire workforce that in most cases is made up of diverse groups of people, who are probably from different origins and social setting (Gavin265). When the working unit is made up of diverse individuals and the formal language of communication is not observed, then language discrimination results. Language discrimination emerges in the event that the communication medium in the workplace does not provide for the individual differences in that place. Individuals associated with a given language are treated indifferently by others of a different language. This may even encompass communication by individuals in a language that particular colleagues cannot understand. Language discrimination in the workplace is therefore primarily based on the communication interaction of the entire staff unit in places of work. This form of discrimination is based on race, color, nationality, ethnic or national origin (Gavin 253). Individuals or groups of people discriminated against are treated less favorably based on the above factors. Basically, the discriminated against individuals are deemed to of lesser importance than others. This is a persistent form of discrimination in places of work. A clear-cut example on this is the discrimination against whites or blacks. Depending on whether one is back or white, different workplaces treat individuals from either of the two differently prior to the black-white social context. Workplaces employ different people from diverse social setups. Individual workers are expected to coherently relate with one another across the working units in the realization of the set objectives in the place of work. However, this is not always the case.

Paul Gauguins illusion In The Paint Where Do We Come From What Are We Essay

Paul Gauguins illusion In The Paint Where Do We Come From What Are We Where Are We Going - Essay Example Paul Gauguin had presumably referred to this soul. In his painting â€Å"WE† does not refer to material world that are unreal and that which our mind personifies.This paper is trying to establish intellectual and philosophical aspect of gauguin’s painting on this ground. The Ramakrishna Mission Institute of Culture in it’s publication â€Å"Aspects of Vedanta† has said: Sankara is not alone in drawing our attention to the illusory nature of empirical life. Plato, Kant, and Hegel adopt the same view, and in recent times, Bergson, equipped with all the knowledge of modern science, arrives at the same conclusion. The intellect,he says, disguises reality, misrepresents it, and presents to us a static world, †¦ The painting of our topic very much reflects this illusion suffered by the artist, though, it seems, he very much understood that â€Å"real† is different from this illusion. Also, Paul Gauguin relflects the illusion suffered by this world. Ingo F Walther in his book â€Å"Paul Gauguin 1848-1903 The Primitive Sophisticate† has mentioned: The spectrum of human activity encompassed by the painting spans all of life, from birth to death, in all its wondruous diversity. The new-born child lying in the grass, seeing the light of day for the first time, marks one boundary of Gauguin's stage, and the careworn old woman who looks so downcast as she meditates upon the past marks the other. Between the two lies the copious adult world of fears and joys. The exotic idol in the background, and the two people walking (possibly lovers), are there for atmospheric effect, and bridge gap between Man and the natural setting. Gauguin reveals considerable ambition in the way in which he placed some favourite subjects in his panorama - the relaxed reclining nude, the figures sitting lost in the thought, the cult statute. The figures are there to evoke associative meanings, rather to explain or illustrate. Gauguin was not concerned with being understood: rather, he was interpreting life as a great mystery. The world's lack of understanding, which was pushing him towards suicide, was obliquely expressed in his emphasis of the impenetrable and incomprehensible.# Footnotes: **Page 45 and 46 in "Aspects of Vedanta" #Page 80 in "Paul Gauguin 1848-1903 The Primitive Sophisticate" By Ingo F Walther The painting by depicting the various stages of life, in effect has carried the message that life is full of changes and life is nothing but an illusion. Even the animals and birds found in tha painting undergo the changes of life which is an illusion. The blue sky found in the painting is also an illusion. The painting depicts the convulsions of his mind and his yearning to show the world the difference between the 'real' and 'unreal'. The other side of illusion But, interestingly, illusion is having another side. Swami Lokeswarananda in his translation of Mandukya Upanisad has said: Even to

Chapter 1 of dissertation on building level principals' knowledge of

Chapter 1 of on building level principals' knowledge of special education law - Dissertation Example blame on the principals, it is, however, important to make sure that the authorities charged with such crucial decisions possess ample knowledge on the legal aspects of special education. Moreover, sound decisions in this regard can only be arrived at when the decision-maker is familiar with the pertinent laws on special education and has formal or any comparable educational background on special education law. A state-wide study, in this regard, will serve as an essential step towards a better understanding of school administrator’s level of proficiency in special education law. Such study will also shed light as to what interventions may be designed and implemented to see to it that the needs of students with disability can be better served, vis a vis the regular students, en route to the optimization of the academic potentials of both types of students. Background of the Study Historically, students with disabilities have not always been guaranteed access to education (Chur ch and Glaaser, 2010; Ebersold, 2011; Flexer, Baer, Luft & Simmons, 2008; Wearmouth, Glynn & Berryman, 2005). The 19th century saw the beginnings of public support for free public education through the passing of compulsory laws on education which allowed representation of both genders, different ages, socio-economic status, and cultural background. One of the most popular legal battles fought for equality in education was Brown v. Board of Education (of Topeka) where Oliver Brown challenged and conquered racial segregations in American schools in 1954 (Miller, 2004). Yet, until the middle of the 1970s, individuals with disabilities did not benefit from the so-called free education. In 1972, a court ruling in Parc v. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania had to decide that children suffering from... The main purpose of the ‘Chapter 1 of dissertation on building level principals' knowledge of special education law’ is to evaluate the level of proficiency of building level administrators in Pennsylvania of special education laws and look at possible factors which facilitate or deter their decision making on special education issues by way of a mixed methods design. An investigation of factors facilitating and hindering decision making will entail a profound analysis of the type and level of the administrators’ background in special education law; experience and confidence level in handling special education issues; and proficiency of basic special education law in terms of their perceptions on selected cases. The proposed study will adopt the input-process-output model as its theoretical framework grounded on Anderson and Arsenault who recognizes this paradigm for its simplicity simple and wide applicability to education research. In this study, inputs include: (1) the perceptions of building level administrators on selected issues covered in relevant special education laws in Pennsylvania; (2) information on the type and level of special education background among building level administrators; (3) self-reported experience of the building level administrators in handling special education issues in school; (4) self-reported confidence level of the building level administrators when handling special education cases; and (5) areas of greatest concern in special education law as self-reported by building level administrators in their disposition on relevant issues in school.

An investigation of the support newly qualified radiographers receive Essay

An investigation of the support newly qualified radiographers receive towards developing their CPD (continue professional development) in united kingdom - Essay Example While the desire and opportunity to develop learning and reflection from the practice take a back seat (Brown 2009). SOR (Society of Radiographers) clearly found that unlike CPD resource support to other health care workers, radiographers are not placed well. Hence post registration skill development has remained little, if any. But the role extension has been taken as common practice during the duration of service so radiographers too have moved up to clinical practice and higher academics and research (Henwood 2003). However, if the radiographers plan to remain in practice, then also CPD helps in achieving supervisory and/or specialist positions. Achieving higher positions is a biggest incentive for a radiographer to undertake CPD even if he has to arrange for it on his own. Due to work pressures however employers are reluctant to release staff for CPD (Brown, 2009). The radiography is considered a career with monotony and routine work, heavy workload with little credit and family consideration by the school students (Coombs et al, 2003). Moreover lack of clarity of a programme makes radiographe r reluctant to go for it. The present article attempts to critically evaluate the various CPD options available to radiographers for job satisfaction and career advancement. It has been clearly indicated by Department of Health (as cited in O'Donoghue, 2006, p92) allied health services personnel must regularly update their knowledge through CPD. Its working together-learning together document emphasised the need stating it necessary for improved patient care and better opportunities for professionals. The e-earning is preferred by higher education funding in UK since professionals can update knowledge without loss of time. The Society of Radiographers (SOR) has emphasised need for CPD, despite initial apprehension about its effectiveness. It has stated that radiographers "must maintain and strive to improve their professional knowledge and competence'... Every patient is entitled to be cared for by radiographers with relevant and up-to-date skills and expertise. Therefore all radiographers must undertake lifelong learning and will keep a record of their ongoing development activities... The Society and college considers that CPD, lifelong learning, peri odic appraisal and revalidation must be compulsory to ensure and maintain competence, as well as enabling radiographers to gain knowledge and competencies outside their scope of practice" (SOR 2009, p1). The radiographers' professional and other bodies thought of CPD when some efforts by NHS to appoint non-medical consultants did not succeed fully as there was lack of appropriately qualified and experienced consultants. Moreover, the clinical and educational pathways to prepare potential consultants are also ill defined (Hardy & Snaith, 2007). The study necessitates upgrading the basic training in radiography to make subsequent CPD effective. Cherry and Duxbury (1998) have felt that in spite of training at higher educational institutions i.e universities, the radiographers are equipped only with basic competences. The half life of this knowledge is only 2-5 years so it can not provide the competency for life time. It is more so in these times considering the rapid technology changes.

Scientific method Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Scientific method - Essay Example icides, monoculture, and the Green Revolution), and industry and urban development (linked to the utilization of more ecological resources and the production of more pollution and wastes (Hester and Harrison 56-7 & Likens and Bormann 17). Micro to macro processes in an ecosystem - Micro ecosystems exist in locations characterized by elements such as nutrient supply, temperature, pH, etc. within small areas. Macro ecosystems are identified as a community of living organisms interacting with each other, and their physical setting that increases spontaneously into a group of communities (Hester and Harrison 27). Impact that human activities have on the biosphere – The biosphere is a closed system consisting of dependent ecosystems thriving in a symbiotic environment. It does not need a lot of trigger to upset this balance. Human activities such as population can lead to the usage of resources and lower biodiversity (Hester and Harrison 89-90). Nonrenewable and renewable natural resources – Renewable resources are those that can be replaced through natural means. A good example of this is the forests. Non-renewable resources are those that cannot be replaced through natural means. A good example of this is the fossil fuel (Likens and Bormann 47 &

High School vs College Essay Example for Free

High School vs College Essay As we go on in life we face many challenges and new situations that we deal with. A new situation that most people deal with is college and all the changes that come along with it. What many people dont realize is that high school, in many ways, is similar and differrent from college. Not only are people changing but the surroundings and work change as well. There are some things that seem to never change such as some work and people. The majority of the work in college is very similar to high school. An example would be the Critical Thinking homework. In that class you have to re-write a sentence that is not proper and make it correct in high school I had to do the same thing in my English class. The papers are also similar; in high school I would have to write papers all the time just like in college. In World Culture class you have to answer questions throughout the book. In high school you had to do the same; you would have to read through the book and answer questions. The biggest difference from high school to college is the responsibility level that you take on. When youre in high school teachers tend to watch over what you do and chase you down for an assignment you didnt do. 1 College is different; the only person that makes sure your work gets done is you. 1 No professor chases a student down for work and watches everything you do; they correct the papers and tell you what is wrong. The student has the responsibility of either doing the work or not. 2 Time management is something that everyone must develop in college. In high school you have a usual routine that you follow, day to day. In college you usually have a few classes a day or maybe classes that are back to back. 1 Sometimes the classes are early and sometimes they are late. It is up to the student to manage there time doing homework and other activities in college. Time management is big because you can be lazy and not take time to do work or you could take every moment to accomplish things you need to do throughout the day. 2 An example would be playing video games when you should actually be writing a paper or doing other important work. This can make or break someone who is going off to college. In high school people usually fall into cliques or certain groups of people they hang around with. College and high school are similar; an example is that if someone plays football tend to spend more time with each other. They usually talk with one another or share a bond which no one else usually has. In high school people tend to do the same thing, kids group up with either the jocks or other groups. People just make friends more easily if they have something in common. A big difference between college and high school is a new place of living. When youre at home and going to high school your parents cook, shop, and make sure you do your work. At college things are different; you have to do all those that you parents did at home. An example would be doing your laundry. Not many kids do their own laundry, so when it comes to college, things are very different. Thats why people say that when youre in college you tend to mature due to the new style of living, which is living on your own. In college the amount of classes and the time you have to go for is different from high school. In high school you go in at the same time every day, which for me was 7:15 A. M. In college classes are usually a few times a week and longer than classes in high school. An example would be that my roommate only had one class on Wednesday which was 4:00 p. m. to 7:00 p. m. In high school you have the same classes every day and usually for the same amount of time unless your high school does double blocks. The point is that in high school its the same routine day to day but in college it changes day to day. Learning new things in high school are similar to college. How teachers taught us in high school was by handing out notes or taking notes from the black/white board. College is the same way; in my economics class we take notes from the black board or sometimes a projector. The notebook that I have now for notes is very similar to the one I had in high school. Writing papers in college are more common than in high school. In high school you do write papers but not as many as you tend to write in college. In college on average I have two papers a week to type and in high school I would maybe get one a week. They would also go more in-depth when correcting our papers. They would mark every mistake down, which kind of helped me become better when it came to writing papers. The lengths of papers in high school seem to be the same as the ones in college such as length and the content/structure. All the papers that have been passed in are about the same as high school. In high school papers were usually somewhere between 3 and 5 pages. The papers that have been turned in usually consist of the same format and writing style. Unity is something thats very different from high school to college. In high school you pretty much know everyone, because every day you see the same people over and over. Even in large schools you go to the same classes every day and see the same people. College is different because its bigger and most of the kids you usually dont see again. You may see them once or twice a month if lucky. This also depends on what type of school you go to. If you go to a small college then there is a good chance you will see people over and over again. As people go in life they will face changes every day and also see things that are similar to the past. When people go to college they tend to relate to this, they face many similarities and differences from high school. The differences between high school and college seem to be on a larger scale, such as living and responsibilities. The differences seem to change people, mostly for the better. People learn as life goes on; college helps doing this because it shows people new differences which people must change their ways to adapt to a new stage of life. Works Cited 1. The Differences: High School vs. College. 2003. 27 April 2007. http://www. murraystate. edu/secsv/fye/hsvscollege. htm. 2. High School vs. College. 2007. 27 April 2007. http://advising. buffalo. edu/firstyear/highschool_college. php.

British Muslims: Mental Health Stigma and Counselling

British Muslims: Mental Health Stigma and Counselling Explore mental health stigma and perception of counselling amongst British Muslims. Introduction: Mental health stigma is an ongoing issue that needs to be addressed especially amongst minority groups. Statistics show that one in four people will experience a mental health problem in the course of a year (mental health foundation 2015). The government has initiated to tackle mental health stigma that prevents people from accessing psychological services (Burstow 2011).Over the past decade the Muslim community has been portrayed negatively especially through the media, and this has had a profound affect on Muslims mental health. The purpose of this research is to explore mental health stigma and perception of counselling amongst Muslims in the UK, My interest in this research emerged from my own personal experience of living in a Muslim family where mental health is seen as an alien concept and counselling is seen waste of time. After experiencing a close family member suffering from depression and when given the choice of counselling chose to decline this, as they would rather ta ke medication then be labelled as crazy. A growing population of 2.7 million Muslims in the UK (Census 2011) I feel that it is imperative to explore what types of mental health stigma exists in the Muslim community and their views on counselling in order to address them. Search strategy To search for articles I used SOLAR, selecting databases, which included Academic Search Premier, CINAHL and MEDLINE (Ovid). I did this so that the article that filtered through were relating to counselling, psychology, psychotherapy and mental health. The key terms that I used firstly was counselling, and this was grouped into four subgroups using the OR which contained counseling, OR psychotherapy, OR therapy, OR psychological services. This brought up a result of 874.207, which was a very large result, but I felt this was needed to be done as counselling maybe worded different in research articles. I used key terms such as mental health, stigma, Muslims and perception all with sub groups (see appendix 1) Finally, I joined all the key terms and sub groups together using AND which brought the number of articles generated down to 604. I mixed some of the sub groups together to find variety of results because when I added all 6 categories together my results became very limited so therefore to broadened my research I took out two categories and I felt this gave me access to variety of research articles. Limitations also included all my articles needed to be peer reviewed, this was to ensure standard and quality of the articles were examined by other people in the same field to ensure the publication has a meets certain level of excellence. I also limited the publication dates from 2005 up to 2014 to generate current articles I found that lots of articles that had very close link to my question had to be excluded due to the publication date being before 2005. This process finally reduced the articles to 91 from which four articles were selected (see appendix two). I found some articles th at related directly to my question but were mostly conducted outside the UK so only one article was selected because it felt necessary to look at research done in the UK considering my title involved British Muslims. The article selected from the USA was chosen because there did not seem to be any research conducted in the UK therefore was a gap to explore. In relation to my question I felt my 5th article Rethink (2007), Our voice : The Pakistani communities view on mental health and mental services in Birmingham, was very relevant to utilize in my review as it provided an insight to what I was searching for. However the only down side to finding this articles was that it was not found using the above research strategy, as I read a mention of this study through another article and I could not find it on EBSCO, therefore I used Google to find it. Summery The articles will be judged the on the methodology used to conduct the research and focus on the findings relating to perception of counselling and mental health stigma. A study conducted by Weatherhead and Daiches (2010) looked at Muslims view on mental health and psychotherapy. The aim of the research was to look at the Muslim populations perception of mental health and their understanding of how mental distress experienced by an individual can be addressed. This was a qualitative study where 14 Muslim participants were interviewed using semi structured interviews and data was analysed thematically. Lancaster Institute of Health Research ethics committee ethically approved this study. There were seven women and seven male aged between 28-77 who were recruited through local Muslim organisations and electronic mailing. One of the main benefits of this study was that it provided a good insight to Muslims understanding on mental health by using open questions allowing the participants to express their views on mental health in-depth. The finding that related to my question was that there was a fear of stereotyping, feeling stigmatised, embarrassed and ashamed, they found that mental distress was a punishment from god, cause of witchcraft/jinn and drug taking. Participants there was no need for a therapist as you could talk to your family or friends. Mental illness was seen as a test from Allah and it was managed through praying to god and if you had a strong faith then therapy was not needed. For a question, looking at Muslim populations views the sample was very small even though it provided rich data it was limited as it was not enough to represent Muslim populations view. The sample also included two students and two staff members and a couple who were interviewed together, this makes the sample less representative and biased. Data check would have been useful as both researchers were non- Muslims therefore this may have had an affect on how they interpreted the Reponses and by data checking they could have validated their findings. The researchers recommendation for further research was a very useful, as by exploring the views of Muslims who have accessed mental health services would have gave the study a bigger picture, as the focus on therapeutic help was neglected in the study as only three participants had a view on this. Another similar study conducted by Rethink (2007) Our Voice: the Pakistani communitys view on mental health and mental health services in Birmingham commissioned by UCLAN (University of Central Lancashire) and CSIP (Care Services Improvement Partnership). This aim was to investigate the view of the Pakistani communities on mental health issues and how they would want support in regards to their mental health needs. This study was a qualitative study conducted by 11 community researchers who conducted focus groups and interviews with a very large sample of 152 service users, this study utilized quantitative approach by distributing 30 postal surveys to mental health service providers in Birmingham and receiving seven responses. Rethinks research department and UCLAN ethically approved the study. This study found similar findings to Weatherhead and Daiches (2010) they found that 83% wanted to keep any mental health illnesses a secret, and 76% were ashamed of it, 58% fear of stigma. They also found religious beliefs affected their perception on mental health as they felt it was caused by jinns, voices from god and found that culture and language barriers can get in the way people from accessing mental health services. One of the benefits to this study compared to above is that this study was conduced in different languages so therefore this was accessible to people who could not participate because of language barrier. Another benefit of this study compared to the Weatherhead and Daiches (2010) study was the sample size as they had a larger sample 152 compared to 14 participants in Weatherhead Daiches (2010) study. However, Rethink (2007) even with a big sample it could be argued that it was a limited study which only focused on Pakistani Muslims in Birmingham whereas Weatherhead and Daiches (2010) study had a small sample of participants but from different nationalities . However, both studies failed to consider demographic area such as different ethnicities and different locations that could have provided a more in-depth representation of British Muslims perception. The one of the recommendations from the study that stood out and was missed in the first study was the suggestion of working closely with religious leaders such as imams, it felt in both studies religious influence was a huge factor yet both studies failed to get the perception of imams on mental health. It was also relevant to my research as this project highlighted the mental health stigma issues that are current in the Pakistani Muslim community in Britain however, I felt that no emphasis was given on perception of counselling and I feel this was a gap in the research. Another similar study to Rethink (2007) was a study conducted by Shoaib and Peel (2006) which looks at Kashmiri womens perception of their emotional and psychological needs, and access to counselling. This like Rethink (2007) study used both qualitative and quantitative method to analyse data, the sample was of 45 Kashmiri women aged between 18- 45 living in Oldham, from whom 19 were born in the UK. A questionnaire was administrated and data was collected in an interview by a researcher that was also Kashmiri and spoke the same language as the participants, this was one of the strength of the study as this eliminated language barriers. This study explored six areas in 21 questions: understanding of mental illness, issues that cause distress, coping mechanism, awareness of support, expression and description of feeling (Shoaib and Peel, (2006). The reason this article was selected because the 6th area looked at perceptions and understanding of counselling that was relevant to my quest ion. The findings were very similar to the above studies, the study found that women feared of shame (izzat) affecting their family and being stigmatised. It was found that talking to a specialist was an option but fears of confidentiality breaking, lack of cultural awareness from the professional and that it will not improve the situation was a barrier therefore they referred to their faith for healing. This study like the other two provided a good insight to views of mental health stigma but also provided a glimpse into the perceptions of counselling which the other two studies failed to do. There are few limitations, the potential source of bias would be the use of the snowball method in recruiting 35 participants, who were recommended through previous interviewees, and therefore there is a possibility that subjects shared the same traits and character. Another limitation is the research may be flawed by the inexperience of the researcher who at the time of the research worked as a welfare officer. Changes need to be made to the recruitment process in order to get a more representative sample. Two others studies which explored factors influencing attitudes towards seeking help within the mental health services where reviewed. The first study I looked at was by Soorkia et al (2011) which explored Factors influencing attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help among South Asian students in Britain. This study looked at the link attitudes towards psychological help seeking, following cultural values, salience of ethnic identity and cultural mistrust (Soorkia et al, 2011) .this study was relevant because it looked at attitudes towards seeking help and this relates to my question of perception of counseling and mental health stigma. A quantitative approach utilized where 148 participants completed a survey of which 81 were women and 67 men all participants were British. The sample covered Pakistani, Indian, Bangladeshi and 30% were other. Participants were recruited though public spaces directly and sign up sheets were posted in campuses in different locations. Qu estionnaires where given out on paper and participants returned the questionnaire in a sealed envelope to researcher (Soorkia et al, 2011). Priory power analysis, SPSS and ANOVAs was used for statistical analysis, as these were the most affective to see the difference between gender, ethnicity and also to compare similarities (Soorkia et al, 2011). It was found that the ethnic minorities had a negative attitude towards seeking psychological health, and factors such as cultural values and mistrust as this was related to stigma and shame associated mental illnesses. it found that people that were mistrustful of whites held a greater negative attitudes to help seeking. Asian values played a significant part in peoples attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help (ATSPPH), (Soorkia et al, 2011). The more significant the values were the more it played a negative part in ATSPPH. The study also found that women were more open to getting help than men and this maybe due masculinity being dominant there negatively affecting the way men see health related issues. It seems that this could be explored in more depth to see what the underlying issues are that prevent men in seeking help compared to women. However the limitation to the comparison between genders was that this could not be representative as there was not an equal number between both genders. Sample size was small therefore, it did not represent south Asian students across the country. It feels that even though participants religion was noted that the study failed to explore if religion played a part in help seeking. It seemed like the study could have looked at what the cultural factors were or the Asian values in order to understand the barriers to combat. It seems like this study was s stepping stone to see what the factors where but a qualitative approach will give this study more depth. The second study I looked at was very similar to the first study and it was by Hamid, Furnham (2013) which looked Factors affecting attitude towards seeking professional help for mental illness: a UK Arab perspective. This research like the above was also quantitative where online questionnaires were used; the sample size was 204 participants from which 104 were British Caucasians and 100 Arab. This study looked at various factors affecting attitudes towards seeking professional psychological help (ATSPPH). Some of the hypothesis was that Arabs compared to Caucasians will be less positive to ATSPPH and arabs sample will have higher score in supernatural causes, shame focused attitudes will be significant predictors of ATSPPH , females more positive than males in ATSPPH and Muslims will have less positive than other religion (Hamid, , Furnham 2013). To analyze the data a discriminative analysis was utilized with ethnicity being the dependant variable between British Caucasian and Arabs, using discriminative analysis was a benefit as it reduced mistake rates (Falkenberg, 2005). To examine differences between British Caucasians and Arabs same as the previous study ANOVA was used( Hamid, , Furnham 2013). The study found that Arabs were less positive to ATSPPH than British Caucasian as the study predict ed , it was also found that age, level of education and experience of metal played a positive role to ATSPPH (Hamid, Furnham 2013) . It also found that Arabs had strongest supernatural casual beliefs about mental illness than British Caucasians. Unlike the above study this research found that gender was not a significant predictor, however it was similar to the other study in the sense that there was also not an equal number of males and females as in this study 69% were females. Shame was not seen as a significant predictor to ATSPPH that is opposite to the finding in the above studies. This maybe connected to the fact that Arab participants had migrated to uk and therefore far from family so they did not have to protect their honour or family (Hamid, Furnham 2013). One of the limitations to this study was that the questionnaire was done in English and therefore only targeted an audie nce where participants had some form of education, therefore it does not represent the Arab community who do not speak or understand English making it bias and limiting its response rate. I then looked at a quantitative study by Pilkington et al (2010) which explore factors affecting intention to access psychological services amongst British Muslims of south Asian origin. Second study by Ali et al (2005) looking at the Imams role in meeting the counselling needs of Muslim communities in the United States. Both studies used self-report questionnaires. The study by Pilkington et al (2010) Hypothesised that the level of shame/izzat related with mental health would predict the intention to access psychological services, the barrier was already identified compared to the above studies. This study was relevant because it looked at British Muslims, which relates to my area of proposed research and explored mental health and barriers that related to stigma. The Identified factors that may affect intention to access psychological services were; religious beliefs, biological /social environment beliefs about mental health problems, the causes and shame/izzat. Another large sample of 94 participants recruited through seven Islamic communities centres. A self-report questionnaire was developed using measures that were already tested making this a strength as it was easy to correlate the findings and therefore strong statistic were produced. Psychological openness and help seeking prosperity was measured using Inventory of attitudes towards s eeking mental health services (IASMHS: Mackenzie et al 2004). Shame/izzat on intention influencing the access of psychological services was measured using the Attitudes Toward Mental Health Scale (ATMHP; Gilbert et al 2007). The study found that the higher level of shame/izzat experienced the less likely psychological service was accessed. The study like the other studies above found views were influenced by religious beliefs, mental illness was a punishment from god, shame to the individual and the family and less knowledge about mental illness because of lack of education(Pilkington et al, 2010). The limitation to this study was that there might have been a bias to the recruitment process, as the questionnaires designed was for people of higher education level therefore resulting in a low response (Pilkington et al 2010). Another limitation was that participants were recruited through Islamic communitys centres, therefore they may have been more religiously inclined then others who are Muslims but not as religious, this limits the experiences and results. I feel this was gap to where the level of religious commitment could have been measured to get effective results. I then looked at two studies that focused on the role of imams in regards to mental health. The first study by Ali et al (2005) explores what the role of imams and Islamic clergy is in meeting counselling needs, the reason I chose this was because I found that all the studies that I have reviewed failed to consider the views of Islamic clergy on mental health and counselling and how they support the Muslim community. A questionnaire was mailed to 730 mosques around USA however; the response rate was low as only 8% responses received. Data was analysis measured by Likert scale, demographic areas were considered such as ethinicty, age and region, and consent was gained. This study found that imams played a key role in supporting the Muslim community with mental health issues relating to stress, discrimination, anxiety and financial problems. It also found that imam has had little or none training in counselling to help people who came to them for mental health problems. The limitation to this study like the above study is that the questionnaire was in English and not all participants or imams are literate in English, therefore weakening the study. I found the recommendation from the researchers is valid that a further research is needed to explore the role of imams in assisting with mental health issues. The second study by Abu-Ras et al (2008) explored The Imams Role in Mental Health Promotion: A Study at 22 Mosques in New York Citys Muslim Community. the reason this study was chosen because this provided an insight to not only the imams role but also what the worshippers attitude towards mental health services before 9/11 and after 9/11 (Abu-Ras et al 2008). A survey of 22 imams and 102 worshippers from 22 mosques in New York city was conducted, researchers chose a face-to-face interview method with mostly close ended questions. The questionnaire for the imams explored what type of issues worshippers came with for guidance, and what method were used to assist worshippers resolve their issues. The questionnaires for worshipers looked at the role of the imam perceived by worshippers, types of counselling sought at mosque, if the imam was effectively addressing their issues. It also asked the affects of 9/11 to their personal lives and finally worshippers perception on attitudes towards western psychology, mental health and if they have any experience with the mental care system (Abu-Ras et al, 2008). For analysis, Univariate and bivariate analyses were used for descriptive statistics for both imams and worshippers. The t test and chi-square tests were applied to discover any large differences between gender, age, time in education, income, immigration status, marital status, and language skills (Abu-Ras et al, 2008). The study found that imams are usually the primary and sometimes the only contact for help with mental health issues. It was also found that the imams were foreign born and English was not their first language and they struggled with their English and No training was provided and they had little knowledge on mental health issues, which then prevented them from referring worshippers to mental health services (Abu-Ras et al, 2008). This was very similar to the finding of the above study were the imams had the same issues of language barrier and little or no knowledge on mental health. The study also found that 9/11 had a negative affect on worshippers lives this included their self as well their families. It also found that 84% of worshippers believed that people with mental illness were possessed by the devil and 95% believed that this was test from their faith (Abu-Ras et al, 2008). The limitation to this study was that data was only limited to New York so it did not represent other Muslims in the USA, same as the above study the questionnaire was conducted in English, and imams had difficulty with English so it brings up the issues of reliability . The benefit of this study was that it found that imams do play a vital role within the Muslim community in New York especially when it came to personal and mental health issues and that they were also welcomed support and training in regards to mental health. The researchers recommendation was very prompt that the mental health services need to do more to integrate within the Muslim community especially by providing support and training to imams because this research has shown that imams play a huge role in providing support. Conclusion It was found from the literature review that mental health stigma is very much alive in the Muslim community, in the form of misconceptions around the causes of mental illness, fear of being labelled and stigmatised, religious and cultural views influencing views on mental health e.g. punishment from god for committing a sin. The majority of the Muslim community would rather keep mental illness quite because of the fear shame, some seen mental illness caused by drug abuse or caused by witchcraft. In relation to my proposed question I found that there were number of gaps that were found that I could use in my research firstly their was a common theme of religion being a major factor in influencing views on mental health. However not one paper focused on measuring religiosity and its impacts on individuals perception, they focused more on ethnic backgrounds such as south Asian origins which is not religion. Findings showed Muslim community turned to religious leaders for support, yet no papers in the UK explored the role of Islamic clergy on mental health and their views on counselling. I feel this could provide a clear picture around what support is available and how much experience the imams have in supporting the Muslim community. I found that Papers do not specifically address the issue of counselling, I felt that this could have been explored in more depth also one of the recommendations was to look at participants that have accessed counselling and explore their perception on stigma and therapy which I found useful for my research. I feel that for the question I have proposed qualitative methodology would be more appropriate as it provides rich data and allows participants to expand on their responses. I also found that demographic factors need to be taken into consideration, such as age, gender and location, and to look at factor such as sample size and recruitment process. Word count: 2745 References Ali, O. M., Milstein, G., Marzuk, P. (2005). The Imams role in meeting the counselling needs of Muslim communities in the United States. Psychiatric Services, (2), 202-205. Burstow, P. (2011). Â £20 million to knock down mental health stigma, retrived from https://www.gov.uk/government/news/20-million-to-knock-down-mental-health-stigma Census, (2011) retrieved 19 January, 2015, from: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/census/2011-census/key-statistics-for-local-authorities-in-england-and-wales/rpt-religion.html Mental health foundation, (2015), retrieved 19 january, 2015, from http://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/help-information/mental-health-statistics/ Pilkington, A.,Msetfi,R,.M,.Watson,R. (2012). Factors affecting intention to access psychological services amongst British Muslims of South Asian origin. Mental Health, Religion Culture, (1), 1-22. doi: 10.1080/13674676.2010.545947 Rethink (2007), Our voice: The Pakistani communitys view of mental health and mental health services in Birmingham. London: Islamic Human Rights Commission. ) Retrieved 29 December, 2014 from: http://www.rethink.org/media/853081/our%20voice.pdf Shoaib, K.,Peel, J. (2003). Kashmiri womens perceptions of their emotional and psychological needs, and access to counselling. Counselling and Psychotherapy Research, (2), 87-94. DOI: 10.1080/14733140312331384442 Weatherhead, S., Daiches, A. (2010). Muslim views on mental health and psychotherapy. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, (1), 75-89. http://people.eku.edu/falkenbergs/psy862/notes%20on%20discriminant%20analysis.html 2005 Steve Falkenberg Abu-Ras, Wahiba, Gheith, Ali and Cournos, Francine(2008)The Imams Role in Mental Health Promotion: A Study at 22 Mosques in New York Citys Muslim Community,Journal of Muslim Mental Health,3:2,155 176 Appendix 1 The next key term was mental health using two sub group using OR was Mental illness and mental health services, this generated 525,281 results. Another key term was stigma and the sub groups using OR was attitudes, stereotypes, prejudices and shame. The next key term I felt was important to my research was Muslims I tried this on its own but then realised that there can be other terms used in researches referring to Muslims and I used three sub groups which were Islam, ethnic minority, south Asian and this generated 89,716 results. Another key term was perception and I used three key terms view, understanding and intention and this generated 2,456,725 results which was huge but I felt that this was necessary as this bought my question together. my last key term that I used was Britain and I used two sub groups British and UK, this was to focus on the researched done on the British population as I felt it related to my question more. Appendix 2 Examples of articles found

Innocent Drink Analysis | SWOT and PESTEL

Innocent Drink Analysis | SWOT and PESTEL 1. Introduction This report shall analyse Innocent Drinks, which has been cited as one of the fastest growing British companies on record (Phelvin and Wallop, 2008; Reynolds, 2013). This shall be done by giving a brief overview of the Innocent Drinks, carrying out a SWOT analysis in order to determine its prospects and potential challenges, as well as conducting a PESTEL analysis in order to determine the impact its various environments have had and will possibly have in the future. A cultural analysis shall also be performed, as culture has been proven to have an influence on a company’s performance (Kotter and Heskett, 1992). Based on these analyses, recommendations for Innocent Drinks shall be suggested and conclusions drawn. 2. Overview Innocent Drinks was founded in 1999 by a group of three friends – Adam Balon, Richard Reed and Jon Wright – following a positive reception to the sales of their smoothies at a music festival (Innocent Drinks, 2014a; Rubin, 2010). It has grown since then from its small start as a stall set up at the Jazz on Green festival in London to become Europe’s best selling smoothie, with its products being sold in several European countries, a revenue of over  £213.5 million as of 2012, and a consistent increase in market share over the years (Innocent Drinks, 2014a; Reynolds, 2013; Rubin, 2010). Its mission is â€Å"to make it easy for people to do themselves some good – and that doing so should taste good too† (Rubin, 2010, p. 1). Its values are to be natural, entrepreneurial, responsible, commercial and generous (Innocent Drinks, 2014d). The innocent promise is that it â€Å"tastes good; does good†, and this is fulfilled through its use of tasty healthy products which are sustainably sourced, and through giving 10% of all its profits to charity (Innocent Drinks, 2014c, n.p.). The company’s product range is divided into four categories: smoothies, juices, kids’ products (including kid’s drinks and fruit tubes), and foods (Innocent Drinks, 2014b). 3. SWOT Analysis The SWOT analysis below highlights the strengths and weaknesses of Innocent Drinks, as well as the opportunities available to the company and the potential threats it could face. Strengths Innocent Drinks has experienced strong consistent growth over the past years. According to Reynolds (2013), Britvic Soft Drinks reported that Innocent Drinks was one of 2013’s big winners, with a growth in its annual value sales by more than 35%. It was also a sponsor of the London 2012 Olympics, and following this, its sales volume experienced a significant increase of more than 60%. It also has a wide range of products and is continuously increases the number of products in its range (O’Reilly, 2014), and this expansion strategy helps increase its customer base and sales volume. Its recent partnership with Coca-Cola, which involved Coca-Cola buying the majority of its shares, has also enabled it to leverage on Coca-Cola’s marketing, buying and media power, as well as its wealth of experience and available capital. It was also through this partnership that it was able to become the official smoothie of the Olympics (Neate, 2013). Innocent Drinks has also won several awards, including an award from the Healthy Food Guide in 2011 for its Caribbean veg pot, another from the World Juice Award in 2011 for the best new product (its Apple Juice), and another for best packaging (for its carafe), various awards from the Brand Index Buzz, CoolBrands Award, and the Grocer Gold Awards (Innocent Drinks, 2014e). These awards greatly enhance brand awareness and customer perception. It is also seen as a company with strong ethical values, and topped the list of Social Brands in 2012 (Innocent Drinks, 2014e). This is also very beneficial for the company, because strong ethics and environmentally-friendly policies and actions can be a source of reputational, financial and competitive advantage for companies (Markley and Davis, 2007). The ideas, skills, commitment and dedication of the founders as well as the staff of the company is also a key strength of Innocent Drinks, and is one of the reasons behind its growth and expansion over the years. Weaknesses Innocent Drinks is still a growing brand, and has relatively less visibility than other fruit juice brands. It also faces strong competition from Tropicana Products, a division of PepsiCo which is more popular, being the UK’s number one juice brand. When PepsiCo launched its smoothies range in 2008, Richard Reed, one of Innocent Drinks’ founders, stated that their competitor â€Å"is regarded as one of the most ferociously competitive on the planet. They have launched smoothies this year and we are their target† (Sibun, 2008, n.p.). Tropicana also has the advantage of â€Å"60 years of experience in fruit selection and excellent blends† (PepsiCo, n.d., p.1). Innocent Drinks’ prices are also higher than that of other brands, and this can prevent some segments of the market from purchasing their products, and also give competitors an upper hand. Additionally, there have been criticisms regarding its ethical claims (Phelvin and Wallop, 2008; Sibun, 2008). Furthermore, Innocent Drinks major market is the United Kingdom, and the strong reliance on this market leaves it susceptible to economic as well as other challenges faced by this market. Although it has expanded across Europe, its expansion was reported as â€Å"an expensive decision†, with the company recording considerable losses from 2008 to 2011 following the expansion (Anderson, 2012, p. 1). Opportunities A growing interest in healthy eating and healthy lifestyles in general; and campaigns such as the five a day campaign present significant opportunities from Innocent Drinks, particularly as their products are mainly made from fruits and vegetables (Bainbridge, 2013; Briggs, 2014). Bainbridge (2013) notes that as fruit juices and smoothies count towards the target of consuming 5 fruit and vegetable portions a day, they create a marketable health benefit. The fruit juice and smoothies market is also a popular and mature one, with a study by Marketing Week revealing that 88% of respondents had drank fruit juice or smoothies within the previous six months (Bainbridge, 2013). Bainbridge (2013) also notes that growths in the demographic (families, ABC1s and 16-34 year olds) which are above-average consumers of such drinks also lend support to the growth of this industry in general. Threats Reynolds (2013) reports that increases in raw material prices have particularly affected the juice industry. Climate change issues can also have a considerable impact on the supply of fruit, which in turn can affect Innocent Drinks’ juice and smoothie production. Barron (2009, p. 2) notes that Innocent Drinks â€Å"has been made increasingly aware of extreme weather conditions such as higher than average temperatures, drought and hurricanes†. These seriously affect its ability to, and ease of, sourcing particular fruits. There have also been questions regarding the purported health benefits of its juices and smoothies, and these doubts can have an impact on customer perception and sales volumes if not effectively addressed (Hodgekiss, 2013; Mintel, 2010). The information from this SWOT analysis, as well as the PESTEL analysis below, shall subsequently be used as a basis for recommendations for Innocent Drinks. 4. PESTEL Analysis And Analysis Of Innocent Drinks’ Competition The PESTEL (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental and Legal) framework is framework for analysing the macro environment in which an organisation operates. Analysing an environment using this framework enables an organisation to identify, understand and adapt to relevant external factors, and to plan for any effects environmental trends can have on its strategies and activities (Johnson, Whittington and Scholes, 2012). Political Political factors which affect Innocent Drinks include rulings and guidelines by the Department of Health, the Advertising Standards Authority, Trading Standards and the Office of Fair Trading. For instance, the Department of Health changed the 5-a-day guidelines to allow smoothies which contain all edible parts of the fruit used, or which contain 100% pure juice to count as two portions of the 5-a-day (The Telegraph, 2009). The guidelines by these bodes also affect even seemingly minor details. For instance, Innocent Drinks had to fight with trading standards when it wanted to change ‘use by’ to ‘enjoy by’ on its products, as part of the image they aimed to depict (Gubbay, 2011). Economic There are several economic factors which influence Innocent Drinks. These include the economic situation in the countries it operates in, particularly United Kingdom as well as some European countries, tax policies, and other market and industry factors. For instance, Levy (2011, n.p.) reports that smoothie sales fell by a third as they were deemed â€Å"too expensive for credit-crunched Brits†. The Food and Drink Innovation Network (FDIN) (2010) also report that following the recession, Innocent Drinks suffered significantly, with the sales of its smoothies falling by 29% in 2008 and 2009. Social Social factors which affect Innocent Drinks include consumer attitudes and buying patterns, the growth of its target demographics, and various health campaigns such as the 5-a-day campaign. A growing interest in healthy eating and projected growth trends for its main demographic present considerable opportunities for Innocent Drinks in the United Kingdom as well as in Europe in general. Technological Technological factors include innovation regarding new production methods and products, as well as the packaging for its products, recycling, and other trends and advances in manufacturing. For instance, Innocent Drinks had been working on increasing the percentage of recycled plastic used to manufacture its bottles (as it was previously made from 50% recycled plastic). It increased this to 100% in 2007, and is continuously looking for new ways in which it can minimise its impact on the environment through technological advances in manufacturing its packaging (Innocent Drinks, 2007). Environmental Innocent Drinks is affected by various environmental laws such as those regarding the carbon impact of its packaging components, the use of recyclable/renewable material, etc. Innocent Drinks has focused on discovering ways in which it can reduce wastage and its carbon impact on the environment, in terms of packaging, transportation of goods etc. Although it has faced some challenges regarding this, as reported by Phelvin and Wallop (2008) and discussed below under the cultural analysis, it nevertheless makes considerable effort to reduce any negative impact it has on the environment. In 2013 for instance, Innocent Drinks save over 1000 tonnes of plastic by putting its juice carafes on a diet, and also makes use of 100% Forest Stewardship Council certified material for its cartons (Innocent Drinks, 2014f). Legal Innocent Drinks has to comply with various laws including consumer protection laws, industry regulations (such as those outlined above). Legal issues such as competition laws also influence factors such as mergers and acquisitions, as in the case with Innocent Drinks’ partnership with Coca-Cola (Macalister and Teather, 2010). Table 1 below shows Innocent Drinks’ performance compared with other leading drink companies. TABLE 1: THE BRITVIC SOFT DRINKS REPORT: TOP GROCERY, CONVENIENCE AND IMPULSE BRANDS Source: Reynolds (2013, p. 1) It can be observed that Innocent Drinks recorded the highest percentage increase in the group, thus showing a strong growth potential. However, it should also be noted that Innocent is a relatively new company and is also is a rapid growth phase. It may therefore be somewhat challenging to maintain such high growth levels over time. 5. An Analysis Of Innocent Drinks’ Organisational Culture A number of studies have revealed that there is a significant relationship between an organisation’s culture and certain aspects of its performance (Kotter and Heskett, 1992; Rashid, Sabasivan and Johari, 2003). According to Kotter and Heskett (1992), organisations with cultures where emphasis was on leadership at all levels and key managerial constituencies (i.e. employees, customers and shareholders) performed considerably better than companies who did not have such cultural traits (the former experienced a 682% revenue increase on average over a period of 11 years, while the latter experienced 166%). It is therefore important to consider the culture of a company when evaluating its performance. In order to evaluate Innocent Drinks’ organisational culture, Deal and Kennedy’s (1999) typology of corporate cultures shall be used. Deal and Kennedy (1999) outlined four main categories of company cultures based on the degree of risk involved in the activities of the organisation, and the speed at which the organisation and employees obtain feedback regarding the success of their strategies/ventures. They note that these two factors have an impact on the development of cultural elements in an organisation and how these influence the company’s employees. The four categories are: the process culture, bet-your-company culture, work-hard/play-hard culture and tough-guy/macho culture (Deal and Kennedy, 1999; Mullins, 2010). Figure 1 below illustrates these categories: Source: Revenaugh (1994, p. 20) The process culture is characterised by low risk and slow feedback, and this leads employees to focus on how they do things (i.e. the process), rather than what they actually do. Although quite bureaucratic, it can actually be effective when order and predictability is needed (Mullins, 2010). The bet-your-company culture is characterised by high risk and low feedback. In such organisations, due to the nature of the feedback, it can take a long time before the success or failure of decisions becomes apparent. Examples of companies with such cultures are oil companies and investment banks. The tough-guy, macho culture is one which is characterised by high risk, quick feedback regarding actions taken, high financial stakes, and intense pressure and speed. Examples of such organisations with this type of culture include police departments, hospitals and the entertainment industry (Deal and Kennedy, 1999; Mullins, 2010). The work-hard, play-hard culture is few risks, quick feedback and fun and action. In such a culture, there is a â€Å"high level of relatively low risk activity† (Mullins, 2010, p. 741). Deal and Kennedy (1999) point out that a considerable number of sales-driven organisations have this culture. Such organisations are highly dynamic, customer-focused, and place a high emphasis on team work, as it is the team that produces the volume (Deal and Kennedy, 1999; Mullins, 2010). It is important to note though that not all companies will fall strictly into these four categories, and some may be characterised by a blend of more than one, such as banks for instance. Nevertheless, it still provides a useful guide for understanding the culture of an organisation, and taking steps to maximise the benefits of such a culture, as well as handle the challenges such a culture poses. Having briefly described these four categories and based on the information available on Innocent Drinks, the company can be said to have a work-hard, play-hard culture. While it is characterised by a high level of activity, much of it is low risk. It is also sales-driven, has a strong team culture, and a fun, informal approach to carrying out its activities and relating with the public (Innocent Drinks, 2014a). However, a key challenge of this type of culture is that employees can possibly rely on the good performance of a team to hide weak personal performance. Another challenge is that a focus on volume can have a negative impact on quality (Mullins, 2010). Innocent Drinks has consequently been accused of making misleading claims regarding its environmental and ethical credentials (Phelvin and Wallop, 2008). Phelvin and Wallop (2008) reported that while Innocent Drinks leads its customers to believe that it imports the fruit and then makes the drinks in the UK, and that its fruit is always transported by by road or rail because this uses less fossil fuel than air/road transport. This is not the case, as the drinks are actually made elsewhere in Europe, and transported in lorries to the UK for bottling. Innocent Drinks however argued that the company had not deliberately attempted to mislead customers, but had simply stopped publicising where its drinks were made since it moved its production abroad, and had failed to update this information on their web page. 6. Recommendations And Conclusion Having carried out these analyses of Innocent Drinks from various aspects, this section shall use the results of these analyses to offer recommendations to Innocent Drinks. Subsequently, conclusions shall be drawn. From the SWOT analysis, it can be seen that Innocent Drinks needs to work on changing their sourcing strategies, particularly from areas affected by such adverse weather conditions. Innocent Drinks could also work with its suppliers to carry out certain farm practices that will minimise the impact of these conditions such as reforestation, mulching techniques, shade management, improved drainage systems etc. (Barron, 2009). Innocent Drinks’ partnership with Coca-Cola was a good strategy, considering the competition it faced from PepsiCo and the need for enhanced marketing in order to boost its brand visibility and market share. It is nevertheless important that it preserves its key values which have endeared it to customers, and also maintains its reputation as an ethical, environmentally friendly, social brand. This issue of Innocent Drinks maintaining its brand values has been a particular concern for customers following its takeover by Coca-Cola (Cohen, 2011; Macalister and Teather, 2010). As such, efforts need to be made to convince their stakeholders that they will remain loyal to their values. Based on the analysis of Innocent Drinks’ culture, it can be observed that there is a need to pay attention to not just team performance, but the performance of individuals as well. This can be done by ensuring that team leaders allocate specific tasks to various members of the team and hold them responsible for each of these tasks. Furthermore, in reports on the team’s activities, the contribution of each individual member can also be highlighted, in order to avoid social loafing. There also needs to be an increased emphasis on transparency. This is because the discovery that Innocent Drinks is not doing what it claims to be doing can lead to feelings of distrust from customers and other relevant stakeholders. As such, it is necessary to keep the information open to the public on their websites or other similar places up-to-date, and ensure that efforts are made to do what the company claims it will do. It should also aim to effectively address the accusations that its smoothies are high in calories/sugar and are not necessarily as healthy as they are purported to be, due to the processing methods used. Innocent Drinks can also look into the possibility of expanding into other continents such as Asia and Africa, in order to negate the effects of possible adverse market conditions in Europe. However, a comprehensive cost-benefit analysis would need to be done first, in order to determine how feasible this would be. In conclusion, it can be observed that Innocent Drinks has considerable potential to grow and be a market leader in the industry. However, there are a number of weaknesses and threats which need to be managed and possibly overcome. The recommendations outlined above, while not exhaustive, can serve as a guide for Innocent Drinks decision makers and could potentially enhance its customer base, market position and its overall profitability. References Andersen, E. (2012). Innocent Drinks founder: Exporting pushed us into the red.Management Today, 26th October 2012. Available at http://www.managementtoday.co.uk/news/1156817/Innocent-Drinks-founder-Exporting-pushed-us-red/ > Retrieved 28th October 2014. Bainbridge, J. (2013). Sector Insight (Interactive): Fruit juice, juice drinks and smoothies.Marketing Magazine, 14th March, 2013 [Online]. Available at Retrieved 28th October 2014. Barron, V. (2009). Climate Change Impacts on Business: A case study of Innocent Drinks and their top fruits. Available at Retrieved 28th October 2014. Briggs, H. (2014). Fruit and veg: More than five-a-day ‘no effect’. BBC, 30 July, 2014 [Online]. Available at Retrieved 28th October 2014. Cohen, T. (2011) Innocent accused over charity ‘con’.Daily Mail, 27 May 2011. Available at http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1391521/Innocent-Smoothie-maker-defends-handing-520-000-charity-cash-2008.html > Retrieved 28th October 2014. Deal, T.E. and Kennedy, A.A. (1999)The new corporate cultures. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books Gubbay (2011). 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Retrieved 28th October 2014. Phelvin, P. and Wallop, H. (2008). Innocent Smoothies accused over environmental marketing.The Telegraph, 1st August 2008 [Online]. Available at Retrieved 28th October 2014. Rashid, M. Z. A., Sambasivan, M., Johari, J. (2003). The influence of corporate culture and organisational commitment on performance.Journal of Management Development,22(8), 708-728 Revenaugh, D. L. (1994). Business process re-engineering: the unavoidable challenge.Management Decision,32(7), 16-27 Reynolds, J. (2013). Innocent sales rocket over 35%, says Britvic Soft Drinks Report. Available at . Retrieved 28th October 2014. Rubin, C. (2010) Building England’s Ethical, Healthy and Slightly Cheeky Beverage Brand. Inc., July 2010. Available at http://www.inc.com/articles/2010/07/building-englands-favorite-smoothie-company.html > Retrieved 28th October 2014. Sibun, J. (2008). Not such a smooth ride for Innocent.The Telegraph, 2nd August 2008 [Online]. 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