Transition from Early Years

This assignment is based upon my understanding of child development and children’s learning, considering the curriculum for the Early Years and the curriculum for the Early Years Foundation Stage/Key Stage One. I propose to outline a rationale for effectively continuing children’s learning, from the end of the Early Years Foundation Stage into Year One and include strategies to support transitions, effective curriculum delivery and links between the EYFS and the National Curriculum. Throughout the assignment I will refer not only in general but also to how my research has help me as a practitioner help my setting to effectively continue children’s learning. Looking at Government reports about transition from the Foundation Stage to Key Stage One, Ofsted nationally identified issues between reception and Key stage One practice. In 2004 they produced a report entitled Transition from the Reception Year to Year 1 (Ofsted 2004). Findings suggested that there was not enough consideration relating to the Foundation Stage and Year One curriculum. Ofsted recommended the following ‘point for action’ â€Å"Schools which admit pupils to the Foundation Stage should ensure that learning experiences in Year One build upon practical approaches and structured play in Year R (Reception) (Ofsted 2004:3) The Department for Education and Employment (DfEE) and research from the National Foundation for Education Research (NFER) identified the biggest challenge to transition, as the EYFS curriculum is play based, Key Stage One is a more structured curriculum. They found that some children were worried about moving into Year One because of the amount of work expected and the length of time they were expected to sit and listen to the teacher. The government decided to produce a guidance document entitled Continuing the Learning Journey (NAA 2005) which is attended to support schools and Local Authorities in working towards improving transitions between the Foundation Stage and Key Stage One. The Foundation Co-ordinator and Year One teacher from school attended this course about two yeas ago and have tried to improve the transitions between our unit and Key Stage One. More recently the Head and Deputy Head teachers have attended several courses relating to the Proposal of the New Primary Curriculum. Sir Jim Rose has proposed a number of changes to the New Curriculum which will impact on transition and include moving away from Primary subjects and towards new ‘areas of learning’ that are intended to be linked to the EYFS. A number of staff meetings have taken place within our school discussing the review of the New Primary curriculum with all Teachers and hopefully will be implemented across the whole school as soon as possible this depending upon the forthcoming election. Unit meetings have started to take place enabling Foundation Staff and Year One staff to look at how the EYFS and the New Primary Curriculum objectives overlap/link enabling Year One teachers to continue each individual child’s learning journey. All teachers know that children are different, each one having their own ‘Unique’ individual needs. When a child leaves the Foundation Stage and enters Key stage one, they have not necessarily achieved all the objectives in their profile and therefore are not ready to access the Year one National Curriculum. I can see little benefit to any child beginning Year One Numeracy and Literacy objectives, in particular, with children who are not ready in terms of ability and maturity. It makes far better sense to begin Year One with the children’s profiles and to allow time for each child to achieve all the profile objectives before launching into the more demanding Year One objectives. If you look at the PSRN and CLL objectives for the latter part of the Early Years Foundation Stage and Numeracy and Literacy for Year One term one, there is an overlap, with the Early Years Foundation Stage goals including some of the National Curriculum level One. Similarly, there are objectives in the Early Years Foundation Stage profiles in other areas of learning which overlap with the Year one objectives in Science, History and Geography, ICT, Design technology and RE – KUW. PSHE and citizenship – PSED. Music, art, drama and creativity – CD and Physical development-PD. In addition, simply because a child moves from the Foundation Stage into Key Stage One shouldn’t mean that the curriculum ceases being active. Young children learn best when they are engaged in worthwhile, hands on experiences. On the same premise, play does not have to end but it needs to be teacher initiated and led in order to be of much educational value, for instance, children are unlikely to spell words correctly, if there isn’t a teacher to help sound out the letters in the word. Ros Bayley and Sally Featherstone are writers on teaching and learning have written a book entitled Smooth Transitions. In it they state ‘a three year olds brain is twice as active as an adult brain and this level of activity continues to the age of 9 or 10. Children develop 50% of their eventual ability to learn before the age of 4 and another 30% before they are 8. Adult interaction and physical activity continue to make a massive difference to learning during childhood’ When measuring the difference between boys and girls they found that ‘most girls have made sufficient links to their brains to begin the complex skills of reading and writing by the time they are four and a half while in most boys it is nearer to six’ They also say that research from all over the world tells us that children learn best from doing and that boys are â€Å"doers†. If we want boys to succeed in the Foundation Stage and into Key Stage One we must allow them to develop through an active curriculum. Bayley and Featherstone conclude that everything we know about the brain is consistent with the guidance for the Foundation Stage. We must use that knowledge in Key Stage One and use it to shape how we teach rather than what we teach. There will also be children in Foundation Stage who by the end of the year are already accessing aspects of Year One curriculum. This is sometimes of particular significance for the summer-born Foundation Stage children, who may turn five right at the end of the Foundation Stage year therefore close liaison between staff regarding the academic and personal aspects of each child’s development is absolutely vital. The detailed knowledge that support staff have of the children as people and learners should be shared. Time and effort invested in this will help with differentiation, as well as children’s wellbeing, on entry into Year One. As part of my research, I visited the Year One class teacher in our school to establish how she plans for the transition from the Early Years Foundation Stage into Year One and to get her views about whether the transition process the school has in place is a ‘seamless journey’ or if there was more staff could do to improve this. One of the Year One teacher’s worries as I am sure is the same with most Year One teachers is the pressure she feels under to achieve outcomes to get children ready for Year Two Standard Assessment Tests (SATS). But as from this year our school has abolished not only Year two but Year Six SATS as well. This will ease the pressure enabling her to concentrate more on the transition period and continuing each child’s learning journey. The transition process we have in place for starting Nursery and reception is, I believe a ‘seamless journey ’ The Early Years Foundation Unit recognise that the transition from the home to Nursery and Nursery to Reception class is an important step in a child’s school life and it is our intention to make this a positive experience for every child. We endeavour to provide our children with a smooth transition from home to Nursery and Nursery to Reception Class. Yewdale Early Years Foundation Unit brochure 2009/10) however my opinion is that the transition from The Early Years Foundation Unit to Year One has not been successful, perhaps this is because that since I have been working in the Unit, big changes have taken place; The Foundation co coordinator leaves, an NQT takes over reception class and the role of EYFS coordinator (who has made a huge impact to the unit and who has become a great team Leader and friend), a new head teacher takes over the school and the Nursery and Reception classes merge to become a Early Years Foundation Unit and the Year One teacher is on maternity leave. This module I believe has helped me to make a positive contribution to the whole school approach about how we are going to help the children leaving the Early Years Foundation Unit have a smooth transition into Year one. Meetings have taken place between the Early Years coordinator and foundation staff and the Year One teacher and teaching assistant to discuss as a team, strategies to support transitions and to imply them during the summer term. Taking into consideration, the aim of the EYFS, is to help young children achieve the five Every Child Matters outcomes therefore by looking at the Every Child Matters document focusing on the five outcomes be healthy, stay safe, enjoy and achieve, make a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being I believe that by ensuring that children grow up to lead a safe, happy, healthy and successful life the transition strategy process should be; Be Healthy: Guidelines in place to ensure pupils physical and emotional health. Children are supported through the transition period by ensuring that Year One Staff have a full and accurate picture of each child’s needs prior to teaching them. During the Summer Term children have an opportunity to visit their new classes and meet their new teachers and stay for short visits and for the Year One teacher to visit in the reception class where the children are in familiar secure surroundings. Year One children have timetabled sessions in the Reception Outdoor area, the Year One class does not have access to their own outdoor area, and this enables hysical activity to take place in familiar surroundings. Stay Safe: The school to provide a safe environment and ensures that pupils know the school’s expectations for conduct and behaviour. Foundation Stage Unit Classes use the Key Stage One playground at lunch times throughout the school year and at playtimes during the Summer Term. This enables the children to become familiar with the rules and routines of Year One rules. From the Spring Term children in the Foundation Stage, reception age children only have access to morning playtimes and dinnertime playtimes. Enjoy and Achieve: The school provides an environment and atmosphere in which pupils feel safe and happy, and therefore can enjoy and achieve within the school environment. Children should see similar areas of provision in the Year One classroom e. g. role play, construction, sand/water, writing materials, well organised and accessible resources, staff working together, children should experience a similar environment. Learning through first hand experiences and being able to learn outside. The Year One class has got similar continuous provision areas to the Early Years Foundation Unit, which includes role play, sand/water, creative, construction, small world, reading area and access to laptops. They do not have access to their own outdoor area, this is the case in many schools, but do have three outdoor ‘playtimes’ a day two with Reception and Key stage one and one at lunch time with the whole school. Resources in Year One should be built up to reflect the Reception classes and more kinaesthetic experiences have been woven into the curriculum. The Foundation Unit and Year One class conduct PSHE and Circle Time Sessions using the SEAL/SEAD Programme and provide opportunities to share children’s thoughts and feelings regarding transition into Year One and to incorporate a variety of learning styles into Foundation Stage and Year One planning to engage all children, I think it is very important as a practitioner to take time to find out how the children in your care feel, therefore by giving them opportunities to express their feelings through drawing, painting or writing will help us to make their journey as seamless as possible. Make a Positive Contribution: Pupils are supported and helped to develop socially and emotionally through Circle Time (SEAL), classroom rules and routines and the schools’ Behaviour Policy. From Reception children are able to represent their class through the forum of the School Council so that pupils’ voices are heard. These meetings are held weekly and discussed with the rest of the school during assembly times. Achieve Economic Well-Being: Aim to provide good quality education and to prepare pupils for the future. Looking at the continuity of teaching and learning an effective curriculum delivery, in the Summer Term Reception Classes should begin to take on some elements of the more formal aspects of learning, whilst still engaging in active learning experiences. This continues in the Autumn Term of Year One and beyond. Reception and Year One staff liaise closely during the Autumn Term to ensure that the needs of individual children are fully understood in context and therefore met, within the educational setting of the classroom and the school. The new primary curriculum builds on the principles of the Early Years Foundation Stage and promotes play-based learning. In the early stage the content of the curriculum is generic to the area of learning therefore the curriculum is now more reflective of the Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum and builds on and extends the experiences children have had during the Foundation Stage by planning for a variety of learning styles, such as role play, and imaginative play, visits and visitors, practical activities. Children’s personal and independent learning should be encouraged through opportunity to choose activities and resources, so encouraging their ability to make decisions and own their own work. This is already happening in the Foundation Unit and so supports the transition process. Data from the Foundation Stage Profiles is used to inform planning and assessment processes in Year One. The Year one teacher will look at the Foundation Stage profiles and start by ‘filling in the gaps’ as stated where children have not attained the Early Learning Goals by the end of the Reception years, Year 1 teachers should ensure gradual and smooth transition from the foundation ethos to the more structures, teacher-directed ethos of Key Stage,(Lesley Staggs, 2004) this can only be done if their learning journeys including foundation profile data are forwarded to her and that each child’s learning and personal needs are fully discussed with the Year One teacher. The teacher can then start to find out as much as she can about the child as a learner and to use the information to plan the next steps. Children in the Reception class with Special Educational Needs who receive one to one support or are part of our morning Nurture group, the transition will be handled sensitively to ensure support continues in Year One if appropriate. It is equally important that parents/carers are informed and asked about how they feel about the transition not only for their children but how they feel themselves. All families are important and should be welcomed and valued in all settings (EYFS 2. 2, 2008) Schools should have a very strong ethos of volunteer parental help within the classroom and in the school as a whole. This is well established in our Foundation Stage Unit and continues throughout Key Stage One and beyond. This tradition supports children in their transition between Key Stages. Parents/carers in the Early Years Foundation Unit and Key Stage One are offered the opportunity to attend a Family Learning free 14 hour course to help them to recognise how children develop number skills through play. It is designed to support parents in helping their child to achieve their full potential at school. During the Autumn term there will be a literacy based course held. Parents/carers will from this year receive a Key Stage One Booklet produced by the school at the beginning of the Autumn Term that supports parents in understanding the changes their child will experience, and so be able to support them during and after the summer school holidays in making the transition. Parent’s Evenings are held three times a year given opportunities for staff parents/carers to discuss child’s development and any concerns. In addition to this the Foundation Unit encourages an ‘Open Door’ policy where parents are welcome to come and discuss their concerns and their child’s needs at any time during the school year. This applies in Year One too. It is also important to remember that after the transition has taken place, Foundation Stage and Key Stage One Co-ordinators work with their teams to ensure that the transition Policy is implemented effectively and Foundation Stage and Key Stage One staff meet regularly throughout the year to discuss the progress of both groups and individual children in both Key Stages. In conclusion, I feel that by carrying out research before and during this module has helped me to understand the great importance of a smooth transition for children in the Foundation Unit moving to Key stage One and not only does it involve the children but also various staff members and parents/carers. It involves time, thought and commitment to ensure that it is a positive experience for all children and can only be a success by Foundation Staff and Year One staff working closely together. We are still in the early stages in our school at introducing new ways of working together as a team to produce a seam-free transition for every child, I think so far so good! We are coming to the end of Summer term one and strategies are in place for Summer Term Two including a draft copy of a Transition Policy. Unless the transition is well managed children may become disengaged, learning could be impeded and there may be a consequent rise in poor behaviour as children struggle to adapt to a different and more formal approach. (DFES 2004)

Joining the Leader in Death Phenomenon Essay

1. Introduction History is replete with incidences of group or mass self inflicted deaths following the demise of powerful leaders. In such instances followers, in varying numbers, chose to die, of their own will, either after or on foreseeing the death of their leader. While group or mass deaths of this nature have occurred at historically different times in dissimilar cultures and globally diverse locations, and have been appropriately recorded in historical documents, the evolution of anthropological studies in the last century has led to significant research into the subject. Researchers have delved into the traditions, social customs, mores, behavioral motivators and demotivators of people of different civilizations and regions to locate commonality and establish reasons for this kind of uncommon, if not deviant behavior. These studies have become increasingly relevant in the current social and religious scenario where instances of mass suicides have occurred in cults, involving hundreds of members, who, along with their leaders, have chosen to die painful and self inflicted deaths for illogical, inexplicable and emotional reasons. The Jonestown suicides of 1978 and the deaths of the members of the Movement for the Restoration of the Ten Commandments of God in 2000 were particularly tragic and gruesome episodes, in which hundreds of people along with their leaders, died. It is evident that such irrational tendencies still exist, even in advanced western societies. Anthropologists and historians firmly believe that serious and detailed investigation into such incidents, with particular emphasis upon the then prevailing social, environmental, political, economic, and historical conditions, could well provide clues to the reasons behind such uncommon behavior and help in preventing such tragedies in future. (Wessinger, 2000) This paper aims to examine the historical precedents of such incidents and takes up one particular incident for detailed social and anthropological analysis. 2. Historical Overview Psychiatrists commonly think of potentially suicidal people to be unhappy about their current physical and emotional situation and undecided about the path to be followed to resolve the crisis. Suicide is resorted to as a simple and easy solution to their problems and plays the role of a convenient exit. Individual suicides accompanied or preceded by such reasoning is exceedingly common, and though tragic, is, in a number of societies, a routine occurrence among disturbed and underprivileged people. Its incidence, in the developed nations, is still high in certain segments like mentally ill individuals, prisoners, prostitutes, drug addicts and HIV patients. Mass or group suicides following the death or defeat of a leader, while being far more uncommon than individual suicides, have, nevertheless occurred on a number of occasions, more particularly so in specific cultures. While historical instances of groups of people joining their leaders in death, have occurred periodically there is very little to connect these disparate incidents apart from defeat and dishonor in war and, in the case of women, the desire to avoid consequent rape and molestation. During the closing years of the 2nd century BCE, the Teutons, after a series of bloody battles were defeated by the Roman General Gaius Marius, (in 102 BCE), near Aix-en-Provence, and their leader Teutobod captured. The captured women, thinking their king dead and certain of being ravaged by Roman soldiers committed suicide. Ironically the Teutons were the cause of a similar episode in 1336 at the siege of Pilena. The defenders, besieged by the marauding Teutons, joined their leader, Duke Marqueris in death when they realized that the battle was lost. The defenders set the castle on fire and committed mass suicide along with their leader rather than be captured by the invaders. (Purkiss, 1996) In India, both men and women of the warrior classes of the Indian region of Rajasthan have traditionally adopted to commit suicide after the death of their leader. Women, especially, the wives and concubines of the king have, until recent times followed the ancient tradition of immolating themselves on the funeral pyre of their husbands. The custom, known as Sati, while illegal, is still followed in particularly backward areas of the region. Chittor, now an abandoned fortress in West India became famous because of three separate incidents in which hundreds of men and women killed themselves after the death of their leader. Chittor has been overcome thrice and each time the outcome was Jauhar, when women along with their children immolated themselves on huge funeral pyres on the death or capture of their leader, while the men, wearing ochre robes attacked the enemy and faced certain death. Alauddin Khilji overpowered Chittor in 1303 A. D. , overcome by an obsessive longing to own the regal beauty, queen Padmini. Myth has it, that he saw her face in the reflection of a mirror and was struck by her gripping exquisiteness. The queen, along with her attendants, however chose to follow her dead king rather than accept the invaders proposition jumped on to a huge funeral pyre lit in the middle of the castle and burned to death. In 1533 A. D. , during the rule of Bikramjeet, Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat, attacked Chittor and once more Karnavati, the then queen, along with more than a hundred women preferred to die following the death of the ruler. The final episode occurred more than 30 years later when the Mughal emperor Akbar attacked the fortress. In Rajasthan such incidences of joining the leader in death had certain particular features. Episodes necessarily commenced with the siege of a force by an invading army and ended in mass death only if the invading army was successful. Once it was certain that the war was lost and the king was dead or would certainly die the warriors and their wives decided to end their lives, the men through suicidal attacks on the enemy and the women by leaping into enormous funeral pyres. The women were led in this effort by the queen of the fortress. It is important to understand that this practice was restricted only to the warrior classes and did not extend to the priests, the traders, the farmers or the other classes. Tales of invading armies entering deserted and lifeless stories are apocryphal and baseless as warriors and their families did not account for more than a quarter of the total population of a city. It also needs to be pointed out that acts like these had very little mythical precedent and ancient Hindu scriptures, like the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, do not contain any such incidents. Incidentally the opposite appears to be more true and there are various instances in the Ramayana of the wife of the King choosing to marry the invader after the defeat and death of her husband. (Harlan, 2003) This paper attempts to recreate the social and cultural scenario within the fort when Queen Padmini and hundreds of other men and women chose to die after the death of the King Rawal Ratan and the fall of Chittor. The following section on Chittor is written in the present tense and from the perspective of an active observer of the complete episode. 3. Chittor a. Society Chittor, today, (in the early fourteenth century), is one of the many Hindu kingdoms that dot the desert plains of Rajasthan in the North West region of the Indian subcontinent. Orthodox Hinduism, over the first ten centuries of period that commenced after the birth of Jesus Christ, has succeeded in eliminating Buddhism from the land of its birth only to see it replaced by an aggressive Islam beating at its doors with unabated fury. Waves of Islamic soldiers have lashed at the borders of the Indian states for the last five hundred years until the establishment of Islamic rule at Delhi. Despite Islamic sovereignty a number of small Hindu kingdoms continue to exist, mostly in the west and south, often waging protracted battles with the rulers of Delhi. While a certain amount of integration between Hindus and Muslims has taken place with time, it is still too early for any such constructive rapprochement to occur in Chittor. Years of siege, first from an ever expanding Buddhism, and then from a militant Islam, has made structured Hindu society insular, orthodox and inward looking. The caste system has become rigid and religious laws and rules govern every aspect of society. Hindus are prohibited from marrying outside their castes and even the glimpse of a Muslim is considered sacrilege, requiring inflexible and strict penance. The Muslim practice of†purdah† has been adopted comprehensively by the Hindus, ironically to protect Hindu women from male Muslim eyes and women remain indoors most of the time. While every city has its share of courtesans, women do not work. They are deprived of economic or political power, being content to be glorified as mothers, sisters and wives. Society is structured into four main castes, the priests, warriors, traders and lower classes. Political and military power lies with the warriors and to a certain extent with the priesthood who are consulted by the kings and nobles before important decisions. The traders, despite their lower status, are economically powerful and kept in good humor by both the nobles and the priests. The warriors are bound by a strict code of honor, which in fact has been the main causal factor behind hundreds of members of the warrior community choosing to die after defeat in battle and the death of their leader. b. Politics and Religion Chittor, in the early years of the fourteenth century is one of the smaller Hindu kingdoms resisting the Islamic emperors occupying the throne at Delhi. The warrior classes of Chittor trace their lineage for centuries and, apart from being engaged in ongoing strife with the Delhi throne, constantly wag war against the other Hindu kings in the region. It is also not uncommon for Hindu kings to form alliances with the Muslim emperor and wage war against each other. The political scenario is extremely fluid, (much like medieval Europe), and with numerous kings and noble existing in uneasy alliances, war often breaks out over trivial reasons. While the official religion of the Delhi court is Islam, and correspondence is usually in Arabic, migration of traders, artisans and workers ensure that Hindus and Muslims coexist, albeit with a certain amount of resentment and antagonism. Sati, the practice of self immolation by women on the death of their husbands, is a common practice in Hindu states. The practice is prevalent more among the priestly and martial classes and is practically absent in the other castes and the aboriginals. The prevalence of Sati among the priests and warriors is due to the traditionally inferior status of women and their uselessness to society in the absence of child bearing potential. As such while wives are looked upon as necessary because of their capacity to bear children, widows are thought to be non contributing burdens. (Harlan, 2003) A widow’s unwanted status is also because of religious taboos that prevent her from participating in domestic chores as her touch, her voice, and even her appearance is thought unholy, impure and to be shunned and abhorred. The sanctification of virginity in brides also makes it practically impossible for them to remarry after the death of their husbands. As such the practice of immolation is an extreme but logical outcome of these circumstances. The priests and the warrior classes of Rajasthan have also perpetrated the tradition by providing it with a halo of honor and deifying women who chose to take this route. The episode that occurred in Chittor before my eyes in the early years of this century (the 1300s) and involved hundreds of men and women joining their leader in death needs to be analyzed in light of the existing social and political environment in order to obtain an appropriate perspective. c. Joining the Leader in Death The ruler of Chittor, Rana Rawal Ratan married the young Padmini, the daughter of a Rajasthani prince, when he was in his early teens, and she was yet to enter her adolescence. In accordance with existing tradition the bride continued to live in her paternal home until she reached puberty and Rawal Ratan brought her to Chittor with much fanfare on her fourteenth birthday. Padmini was an acknowledged beauty and became a much appreciated princess as she grew up, known in princely circles for her exquisite looks, aristocratic breeding and regal demeanor. When Rawal Ratan succeeded to the throne of Chittor in the closing years of the thirteenth century she took her place by his side in an extravagant ceremony attended by princes from all over India as well as nobles from the Delhi throne. It was this ceremony that led to further speculation and gossip about Queen Padmini and aroused the curiosity of Sultan Alauddin Khilji at Delhi. Rawal Ratan was known to be a fair and just king and, apart from his well known love for Padmini, was a patron of the arts. One of his court musicians, banished from Chittor because of his involvement in witchcraft, ingratiated himself with Alauddin Khilji, and persuading the Sultan of the ethereal beauty of the queen Padmini incited him to attack Chittor and take the queen for himself. On reaching Chittor, Alauddin found the fort to be heavily defended. Desperate to see the legendary queen he sent a missive to the King that he thought of Padmini as his sister and wished to make her acquaintance. While the unsuspecting king did not find any reason to doubt Alauddin’s intentions, the wiser queen refused to meet the sultan personally and instead agreed for him to see her reflection in a specially constructed mirror. The wily sultan came to the fort with his selected warriors, and after the meeting with the queen, managed to kidnap the king even as he was escorting them back to the gate. On the following day when the Chittor generals heard about the ransom demand, that of the hand of the queen for the sultan, in exchange for the safe release of the king, the Chittor generals went into a huddle, and with the assent of the queen, sent word that the queen would come to the sultan the next day along with a hundred and fifty attendants. At the crack of dawn the next morning a hundred and fifty palanquins, each carried by four strong men wound their way to Alauddin’s camp and stopped in front of the tent where the king was being held prisoner. As the sultan rejoiced a hundred and fifty armed men rushed out of the palanquins before his astonished eyes, freed the king and along with the bearers galloped back to Chittor on horses seized from the sultan’s stables. A furious Alauddin ordered his army to storm Chittor, Brutal resistance from the defenders of the fort led to the decision to lay siege to the fort, an operation that carried on for many months until dangerously low supplies forced the honor bound warriors to take a decision to storm the vastly larger sultan’s armies in what could only lead to certain death. The queen, who was party to all the confabulations, decided that as the army, led by her husband rode out to certain death, she, along with the wives of the warring soldiers and all the children would jump into a huge fire lit in the centre of the fort and end their lives, thus joining the king in death. Rawal Ratan and his warriors, though immensely saddened agreed to this to be the most fitting and honorable denouement. At the end of a brutal and bloody battle fought between the troops of the Delhi Sultanate and the suicidal warriors of Chittor, Alauddin entered the fort only to find the ashes of the queen and the wives of the warriors, a pyrrhic victory, if ever there was one. (Bose, 2000) 4. Conclusion The instance of Padmini, her female attendants and the wives of the warriors of Chittor, joining the leader in death has been chronicled a number of times by various historians for it to be reasonably accurate. While the case of male warriors following the leader into certain death has taken place on many occasions, instances of women dying en masse are rare, and occur because of specific historical and environmental reasons. Anthropologists feel that in most such cases the persona of the leader, his mesmeric hold over his followers, and the accompanying trauma and desolation felt at the death of the leader induce the followers to embrace death and join their leader. A number of instances, including the suicides of some of Hitler’s trusted generals, provide some evidence that the argument could hold some merit. In the case of Padmini while legend and myth continue to pay obeisance to her love for her husband, the mass deaths, especially of the attending ladies, necessarily needs to have a more significant historical and social reason. The decision to embrace mass death at the fall of the fort and the certain death of the king Rawal Ratan is most probably due to a number of reasons, chief among them being the prevalent practice of sati and the halo of honor that the act had acquired over the centuries. This halo of honor has to be seen in the light of the compulsions of Islamic rule in India during the medieval ages and is essentially logical and in accordance with social patterns and expectations. From the 13th century until the establishment of the British Empire, the position of women continued to remain insecure due to the arbitrary power structure associated with the feudal society, and the compulsions of perpetuating a male dominated inherently unequal society. Even though the Mughals tried to bring in a modicum of gender equality the subservient status of women continued to exist until the middle of the twentieth century. It was most probably this craving for honor, accompanied with a genuine fear of the treatment that the women would receive at the hands of the furious invading soldiers that tilted the scales in favor of the decision to embrace death to that of joining Alauddin’s harem. In any case the episode remains one of the more abiding instances of joining the leader in death phenomenon and continues to intrigue historians and anthropologists. Pages: 10 Word Count: 3000 References Bose, M. (Ed. ). (2000). Faces of the Feminine in Ancient, Medieval, and Modern India. New York: Oxford University Press. Harlan, L. (2003). The Goddesses’ Henchmen: Gender in Indian Hero Worship. New York: Oxford University Press. It’s All the Raj; Travelindia. (2005, December 14). The Daily Mail (London, England), p. 45. Maaga, M. M. (1998). Hearing the Voices of Jonestown (1st ed. ). Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press. Metcalf, B. (2005). David Chidester. Salvation and Suicide: Jim Jones, the Peoples Temple, and Jonestown. Utopian Studies, 16(2), 335+. Purkiss, D. (1996). The Witch in History: Early Modern and Twentieth-Century Representations. New York: Routledge. Wessinger, C. (2000). How the Millennium Comes Violently: From Jonestown to Heaven’s Gate. New York: Seven Bridges Press.

Information System in business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Information System in business - Essay Example The health club leveraged upon the technology and other software’s which increased its productivity, efficiency and ultimately the profitability. Technology has transformed the overall business environment; the processes that had been traditionally manual are now automated. The way communication is done and mediums of communication have been transformed as well thus transformation can be felt in every business practice today. The concept of information systems in business environment is often termed as management information system; this concept was coined in the 1960s and ever since has been integrating the computer technology and the systems to data processing in business. It was also evident in the 60’s that the computer was serving as a solution to the business manual, clerical tasks. The systems was able to provide information on past, present and also helped in future projections for the business or organizational purposes, thus providing the right information to the right people at the right time (Various Advantages of Information Management Systems). Although information systems have been around for a while however they are continually evolving thus offering many possibilities for the business operations. ... ific function or specific purpose, however the changing dynamics of the business and due to increase in market competition and customer expectation, the businesses need to adopt a more value-added customer oriented service, reduction in time to market new product and services, to manage the operational costs and ultimately adoption of work method that are compliant with the ever changing business needs. Thus to increase the operational efficiency the use of Information systems is required by the businesses (Pappa & Stergioulas, 2008) Innovative Information Technology applications give several advantages to the business for its operations to remain competitive in the business environment, thus serving as a direct strategic advantage for the business. Inclusion of information systems in the business allow better management of resources, while having complete control over the offices/locations, having speedy communication and give better decision making ability by providing all the info rmation in a readily timely manner. Moreover the business is likely to establish partnerships and links with all the partners associated with the business in an efficient and effective way. Another important factor that information systems provide the business in order to remain competitive is the competitive business intelligence. This keeps the business up-to-date in all respects by analyzing the information about the services, products, competitors and the changes in the business environment. Thus, making use of the information can help the business take the first movers advantage and have an edge over the competitors (Laudon, 2008). Information systems also provide differentiation opportunity (Goessl, 2008) to the business, thus making it stand out from the competition. Thus the

Role of the Midwife in Supporting Breastfeeding Essay

Role of the Midwife in Supporting Breastfeeding - Essay Example Her responsibilities include delivering the newborn and its care during the first weeks of life in addition to offering advice to women during this time of excitement, anxiety and uncertainty in their life.   An overview of the care provided includes ensuring the mother understands the necessary preventative measures taken during pregnancy to increase the odds for a healthy baby, detect atypical circumstances in both mother and baby, react quickly and appropriately during an emergency situation and secure medical assistance if necessary.   A formal description of the qualifications necessary to become a midwife is as follows: â€Å"A midwife is a person who, having been regularly admitted to a midwifery educational programme, duly recognised in the country in which it is located, has successfully completed the prescribed course of studies in midwifery and has acquired the requisite qualifications to be registered and/or legally licensed to practise midwifery† (â€Å"Defin ition of the Midwife†, 2003).   The Role of the Midwife The midwife’s responsibility is commonly thought to be the delivery of babies. Though this may be the main event in the process, the role of a midwife is much broader. They care and provide support not only to women and newborn babies but to husbands and family members as well.   They are available to all parties of the household during the entirety of the pregnancy, birth and as long as needed thereafter.   â€Å"She [the midwife] has an important task in health counseling and education, not only for the women.

A Review of Literature on How to Manage International Joint Venture - 2

A of on How to Manage International Joint Venture Successfully - Literature review Example In licensing model, companies planning for internationalization use patent or trademark of market leaders in foreign countries in order to enter in the country. Companies use strategic partnership with existing player in foreign market in order to enter in the country and this partnership is known as joint venture. Ownership ratio in Joint Venture or International Joint Venture is decided in accordance with the capital invested by two strategic partners. Discussion Academic scholars like Griffith, O’Brian and Zeybek (2001) have pointed out that international joint venture (IJV) is one kind of foreign direct investment and they have also argued that in international joint venture (IJV) strategic partners are engaged to develop and operate one common business entity. Other researchers such as Perlmutter and Heenan (1986) have depicted IJV as a functional device to survive in tumultuous global economies. According to these research scholars companies plan for IJV in order to decr ease financial and strategic risks and they have also given evidences to support their viewpoints. Various research scholars such as Gundlach & Achrolhave (1993) have identified different benefits of forming in IJV. According to them IJV provides various benefits like local capital, raw material sources, marketing capabilities, government assistance, technology integration, tax incentives, assurances of imports, decreasing ethnocentrism issues and local currency loans to foreign players. Academic scholars like Reurer and Miller (1997) have pointed out that IJV can help the parent companies to adopt long term performance plans in order to increase average rate of return in investment. Baek, Min and Ryu (2006) have established a valid argument on wealth management issues of IJV and according to the scholar IJV can create more wealth for shareholders of parent firms meanwhile the model also saves skin for parent firms suffering from high leverage or low level of cash flow. Research sch olars such as Koh and Venkatraman (1991) have argued that international joint venture can boost the growth of stock market value for parent company while many other researchers have found that their argument lacks subjectivity. There is negative side of IJV and academic scholars have pointed out that IJV is considered as strategic dilemma for many organizations. Research scholars such as Yan and Zeng (1999) have pointed out that IJV destabilize the business process for many organizations. They have found that stability of IJV model demands change in leadership or ownership model for companies. Academic scholars have pointed out that IJV needs successful integration of strategic change management in order to be successful. Synchronization of change management and IJV is a contingent option for directing the equilibrium of foreign business venture in response to external and internal forces. Study shows that IJV is the systematic profiling of business risk and available strategic vari ables. Research scholars like Eisenhardt (1989) has proposed two theories names as team production theory and agency theory in order to define risk factors associated with IJV model. Agency theory has underlined agents might fail to understand business objective of principle and in such cases objective of IJV might fail. In such cases principals or the parent companies need to use different mechanisms such as monitoring, contract and reliance in order to resolve agency

Impact of climate change in Arctic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Impact of climate change in Arctic - Essay Example The rapid diminishing of sea ice in prolonged summertime is also expected to open up the Arctic for ships and other sea vessels. It is against this backdrop that this paper analyzes how these prospects will impact on the geopolitics of territorial claim that may emanate from these discoveries. According to the National Research Council, climate change poses profound impacts on natural and human systems on the globe. Impacts of climate change are creating concerns for multilateral and bilateral relations, as well as, human, national and international security (56). Changes in sea level, temperature, precipitation patterns and in other elements of the ecosystem adds additional stress to food security, energy, water and other natural resources that support livelihoods (7). In terms of security, climate change poses direct impacts on military operations and regional strategic priorities (8). Therefore, climate change potentially disrupts international relations by posing negative impacts on specific resources and assets (9). The implications of climate change on international relations have begun manifesting in the Arctic region. Based on projections from the National Research Council, warming in the Arctic region has accelerated in intensity than in any other region on the planet (8). In the same vein, Lemke and Jacobi have projected that warming in the Arctic is double the global average since 1980 (7). Regions in the Arctic are already experiencing the effects of this intensified warming. For instance, warming has disrupted the livelihoods of many communities residing in the Arctic, with entire villages at verge of relocation (National Research Council 10). The freezing and subsequent thawing of ice in the Arctic is disrupting infrastructural developments and transportation systems in the region. Additionally, evidence has shown that freezing and thawing of ice has changed the range, diversity and distribution of vegetation and animal species (Turner and Marshal 8). What is worrying many scientists at the moment is the fact that warming and climate change-related impacts in the Arctic are occurring more profoundly and rapidly than had been predicted. For instance, sea ice in the Arctic Ocean and in connecting seas has diminished by more than 30% since 1979 (Turner and Marshal 9). Previous study models had indicated that the summer of 2100 will render the Arctic ice-free. However, recent models have predicted that this will happen as early as 2035 (National research Council 12). The rapid loss of sea ice in the Arctic has amplified human activities within the region. Furthermore, this loss has generated a lot of interest in and unease about the future of this region. Mounting interest in the Arctic region has been influenced by the perceived benefits that will follow the diminishment of sea ice (Takana 99). Implications of Climate Change in the Arctic Warming, melting, thawing and subsequent diminishment of sea ice in the Arctic has enhance d human accessibility to the region (Kraska 45). For instance, this diminishment could see an increase in commercial ships navigating the two trans-Arctic seaways; the Northwest Passage and the Northern Sea Route (Zellen 5). Accordingly, states have begun updating international guidelines that currently govern ships and other sea vessels navigating the Arctic waters (Kraska 46). Increases have

Evaluation of the Humane Society of Indianapolis Research Paper

Evaluation of the Humane Society of Indianapolis - Research Paper Example As a part of their activities, they provide shelter to animals, and provide effective behavioral training to animals that are in their shelters and also to animals that their owners bring for such training. Such training is also imparted to animals that have not yet been adopted but are eminently adoptable. These trainings are provided through the Society’s public training classes and the Society tries to spread awareness about humane treatment to animals through various forums that are available for reaching out to the people of Indianapolis (Services for Pet Owners, 2011). Organization The Society operates through free service provided by volunteers that are genuinely interested about the welfare of animals and are eager to provide some succor to them at times of their distress. But these volunteers are not simply well intentioned warm hearted individuals. Helping animals sure requires some rigorous training as untrained individuals might cause harm to both themselves and the animals no matter how honest and genuine their intentions are. Hence, the Society provides training to its volunteers so that they are totally equipped and fully aware of what they should do and how they should act in situations where animals need human help in order to survive in a decent and dignified manner without the fear of cruelty or ill treatment or even neglect (About Us, 2011). Criteria 1 It is a not for profit organization that does not avail of any governmental grants or donations. Neither does it accept any donations or grants from private animal welfare organizations like PETA or ASPCA, two of the more well known animal welfare organizations of United States of America. The Society is run exclusively on private contributions and donations from private individuals who are interested and impressed about the activities of the Society. This gives the Society an unparalleled independence to chalk out its own course of action without any direction or guidance from any remote central authority. This freedom allows it to micro manage its operations in ways it deems would be best suited for distressed animals in Indianapolis and thus become more relevant to local problems than any national agency, be it governmental or be it non-governmental, can ever become (About Us, 2011). Criteria 2 The values incorporated by this organization speak volumes about their ethical and integrity, moral rigidity and honesty of purpose. That they are genuine animal lovers is evident from the compassion with they treat animals and what is best is they never make any distinction between whether the animals are pets or have been abandoned by their owners and are now no more than stray dogs. This uniform approach to all animals can come from only genuine animal lovers and not those who simply pose to gain social brownie points. This compassion in all probabilities generates a deep sense of respect of the bond between humans and animals that can grow only between a devoted animal and equally devoted owner and it sure takes time to develop as this is such a sensitive issue that it can develop in a unique natural way that unfolds over a long period. The organization recognizes and is deeply respectful of this unshakeable bond between pets and their owners. Such a huge activity can only be possible through unstinted cooperation from all interested individuals and the Society pays utmost regard and is eager to embrace any form genuine cooperation. This allows the Society to reach to all sections of the society irrespective of what class, creed or ethnicity such individual s hail from. This not only gives the Society a more inclusive character but also ensures a more democratic outlook. As it

Macroeconomics - Industrial Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Macroeconomics - Industrial Economics - Essay Example Concentration ratios are calculated depending on the largest firms’ market shares. If 90 percent of industry is produced by four largest firms, then hat indicates an oligopoly and the four firms have a good market share (Curry and George, 1983). At the low end concentration, a zero percent concentration means that there is perfect competition meaning the number of firms is too large that the largest firms have no percentage of the market. On the other hand, 100 percent concentration ratio implies that there is a concentrated oligopoly. It therefore, means, there is monopoly. 0 to 50 percent concentration ratio can be interpreted as a low concentrated industry. In this, oligopoly is at the top while monopolistic competition falls at the bottom. Medium concentration takes a 50 to 80 percent concentration and is considered to be very much oligopolistic. High concentration ranges from 80 to 100 percent concentration (Curry and George, 1983). ... Concentration ratios of eight firms range from 88.5 to 97.4. Concentrations are on the upper end indicating high oligopoly almost coming to a monopolistic market structure. From the data above, considering the concentration ratios, it shows that in the first two years, there is less oligopoly. It then increases in the year 2002 where it is at highest. Then due to high turnover, there are more firms joining the industry which causes the concentration ratios to lower reducing oligopoly. Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is another measure of market concentration. In calculating it, the market split of each company that is competing in the market is squared, then summing the results. It can range from zero to 10,000. The higher the market’s concentration, the closer it is to being a monopoly and the less competitive it is (Curry and George, 1983). Considering the investigations conducted, it showed that the market concentration is highest in the year 2002 which is 1577, and it is lowest in year 2000. This indicates that the market was less competitive in the year 2002 than in 2000 which were more competitive. The competition then increases from 2003, goes down in the following year then starts to decline again. Since the market’s results ranges from 1,000 to 1,800, it can be termed as a moderately concentrated market. We can therefore, conclude that it has some oligopoly. To what extent do the major studios - those named in the CR4, CR6 and CR8 indices - outperform the market? In the economic model, competition among firms that are rivals reduces profits to zero. But competition is imperfect and firms are not price takers. Industry concentration is used to measure rivalry. A high concentration ratio shows most of the

Write about Japan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Write about Japan - Essay Example The emperor appoints an executive prime minister. Shinzo Abe is the current premier of Japan. The capital city of Japan is Tokyo. This paper explains the economic changes that took place after the Second World War that turned Japan into an economic hub. The Second World War extensively destroyed properties in Japan and thousands of people lost their lives. Industries were not spared either and those that were running lacked industrial inputs. Japan had lost almost 25% of its wealth after the war (Osubo, 4). In 1952, Japan could have been categorized as an underdeveloped state. From 1952 to 1968, Japan adopted strategies that transformed it from a less developed country to an economic powerhouse only behind the United States of America. The availability of dedicated labor is among the factors that led to the growth of Japan to an industrialized nation. The young generation was migrated from the villages to towns to provide the necessary workforce that was required in the industries. The government also invested heavily in private industries and its policy to adopt new technologies from other nations led to the growth of industries such as the automobile industry. The government introduced local banks to offer financial assistance to the local business men to enhance their businesses. The return of Japan into the international stage allowed the international monetary fund to boost its economy. The government also encouraged locals to do savings that provided funds to be invested in the various sectors. The savings allowed Japan not to borrow from other countries with high interests. The education system was changed and modeled to resemble the American system where students were required to attend three years elementary and six years of high school education. When Prime Minister Hayato took office in 1960, he promised to double the economy in ten years. In fact, that was achieved in seven years. Other plans to grow the economy were

German Political Theory Essay Example for Free

German Political Theory Essay The early German philosophers have been some of the most controversial and well-acclaimed philosophers in the history of political theory. Individuals such as Immanuel Kant, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Jurgen Habermas have revolutionized the mechanisms of the world of human beings with their daring thoughts and radical insights. It is through their critical thought about the things they observe around them that they have created a new way by which society has been able to move on through the years. One of the more critical aspects of German philosophy is the fact that it is highly diverse. The ideologies and principles, although supposedly based on a single culture, that have come from the different German philosophers are varied to such a point that at times they even counter each other in terms of drive and argument. Simply put, this means that there is no one theory regarding family, society, and government that generated by the popular German philosophers. The progression of theories dealing with the family, society, and government, the interaction that exists between these three, and the implications of these interactions have not bee additive or geared towards aggregation in German philosophy. German philosophy and German political theory has been an assortment of personal criticisms and associations, personal recommendations and personal assertions which were based on observations and solid evidence. Although it has not been an effort towards creating one single vantage point regarding society, German philosophy has been a regulatory force of society. Thus the fact that there are theories disagreeing with one another was highly adaptive to the creative and analytical spirit of the philosophers. The uniqueness of German theorists as compared to other theorists lies in the one characteristic that is shared by their different theories. This is the fact that German theories go to the heart of the matter. They are primarily concerned with controversial issues that are sometimes taken for granted by others. This means that they question what they observe. They question the moral, political, and economic sanctions they themselves grew up with. By changing the way people view and understand their society, German theory has been a main mover of history. How did German philosophers like Kant and Nietzsche conceive of their theories? It was simply through an observation of society and through critical analysis of the dynamics of the interactions of the different factors contributing to society’s continuation. It was through a belief and confidence that their ideas regarding certain issues were indeed more correct and more reflective of society than the theories regarding society and politics that were present during their own time. I will try to accomplish in this paper a description of my own theories regarding family, society, and government as well as the impact these three have on each other. I will include, at certain points, some of the major theories by the more popular German philosophers. However, this will not be an analysis of their theories. This will be a look into my own theories, a conception of my own German political theory, which will be strengthened by arguments from Kant, Hegel, Marx, Engels, Nietzsche, and Habermas – some of which I will agree to and some of which I will disagree to. My own definitions and perceived importance of the three concepts will also be discussed as these will form the base of my theories regarding their interactions with each other. The Family It is said that the family is the basic unit of society. This is a basic fact that is taught to everyone early on in their lives. My paper will, therefore, start off on this basic unit and will build on from here. A majority of the theories and works by the German philosophers fail to mention the family. If the family has been mentioned, it has most often been placed in the backwaters of what the philosophers considered more pressing matters such as society and the ruling class. (Poster, 1978) Definition The family is characterized as a group of individuals that are related to each other through one or a combination of the following features: a) living with each other in the same residence; b) having come from the same blood line; c) having an affinity with one another beyond that found in friends and even more so than that found between mere acquaintances and complete strangers. In today’s society, I don’t think it is appropriate to define the family using its traditional nuclear model – a model having a father, mother, and children in the picture. There are many families today that function without a complete combination of these individuals. Also, there are many cultures that regard a family to be more than just a group of individuals brought together on account of their consanguinity. One could consider, for example, that a group of unrelated individuals who have taken care and love one as more of a true family than the individuals linked directly to that individual through biology. Also, there are many instances of broken families and families with unconventional pairings of figureheads. There are families that exist without the presence of a father or a mother. There are groups considered as families regardless of the fact that the supposed father is no longer the biological father of the children. Same sex marriages with or without children are also considered families despite the traditional view of what a family used to be. It is my belief, therefore, that a family is created as a product of the coming together of individuals with common or parallel goals, who reside together in the same place, and who more frequently have positive regard rather than negative regard for one another. The family is not a unit of society that is to be disregarded as having a small role in the interplay of the various factors of society and government. Its importance and functions are critical in the continuation of the individual, of society, and of the government. Theory on its Importance Despite the fact that almost all the German philosophers have discussed society and government in relation to the individual, I believe the family is a more critical unit to the individual. In fact, the family may have a greater impact on society and government as opposed to the individual. This is not to say that the individual plays a small role as opposed to the family. What I wish to point out, rather, is that the non-consideration of the family has led to a deficit in what most of the German philosophers have conceptualized as the successful as well as faulty mechanisms behind the individual, society, and government. The family can be considered as an individual’s sanctuary from the world. By this, I mean that the family can give a person a feeling of safety, love, and positive regard. It works to encourage the individual and to foster for that individual a sense of trust and acceptance. As Hegel (2001) described it, a family is comprised of members and not individual persons. This indicates the unifying feature of a family. However, these positive regard and functions of this unit for an individual is not met in all families. There are many families with a history of violence and abuse. There are others that simply have feelings of apathy. I believe that in these cases, the individual creates for himself or herself a new family unit, one that I previously defined to have foundations not on biology and consanguinity but rather on other more spiritual and moral factors. However, when we are given the two cases of families – one fostering a positive atmosphere and one fostering a negative or neutral atmosphere for the individual – I stand firm in thinking that both have equal importance in the creation of the individual. It is the family that first affects the individual’s physical, psychological, emotional, and moral development. It is also the family that influences the direction of this growth. This is seen most clearly when we see that the family is in charge of the education of the children that are members of its structure. (Hegel, 2001) Yes, the individual has his or her own say in the way his or her life moves but which one of us can say that we have not been to a great degree relying on our families? And because we are dependent on our families, our families can dictate the decisions we make for ourselves, decisions which add up to create the type of people we are now. Also, it is undeniable that we are more likely to adapt for ourselves the principles and behavior exhibited by our family members. This is why most family members usually resemble each other with regards to likes, dislikes, and tendencies in behavior. The importance of the family to society and to the government will be discussed in the succeeding sections. Suffice it to say at this point that, indeed, as an independent unit of society, the family has important roles to play in an individual’s life. These roles are not merely based on its nurturing qualities but also on the control the family has on an individual’s personality, character, and life. However, it should be noted that the family’s success is in its eventual dissolution as children continue on to create families of their own. (Hegel, 2001) I think that Hegel is right with regards to dissolution being a necessary step in the family process. However, I also believe that this dissolution is only physical. Younger members merely begin to live in different houses in order to form new family units. This does not mean, however, that the family has ceased in its functions in the individual’s life. It still exists as a support system, a guide, and a source of love and nurture. Society The next concept has been touched on and included in the theories of the major German philosophers. Society, by itself, has been dissected and analyzed. Its functions, systems, and importance have been stated, restated, and renewed throughout the history of German political theory. Either way, it is clear that a great many of the concerns and issues faced by an individual come from a larger scale than that of his family. Definition Society is a group of individuals joined together by common interests and who may or may not be identified by similar cultural beliefs and traditions. This means that different ethnic groups may form a society. It is not necessary for society to be based on a single culture. What I mean by this is that a German, an American, and a Pole could just as easily form a single society despite the fact that their cultures of origin are different. A concrete example would be American society. America is a melting pot of cultures. Despite the great number of ethnic groups represented in America, however, all these individuals still belong to one distinct society – the American society. Society is not necessarily linked to nationhood. It can even be used to refer to the entirety of humanity. Depending on the use of the term, society can refer to both a specific group of people and also to all peoples the world over. I believe, however, that society has characteristics that help identify it. These include: 1) membership and a criteria for membership 2) an organizational structure 3) social interaction and behavior By this I mean that a particular society is exclusive. There are only a specific set of individuals who can be allowed to partake of the benefits of belonging to a given society. Because of the very fact that society is comprised of many individuals, there is a need for a basic skeletal structure by which to base its functioning. Also, a society is empty and unable to function without allowing its members to interact with each other. There is a need for the members to be able to interact either directly or indirectly in order for society to continue on its processes. The success of these processes is dependent on the quality of the interaction between the different members of society.

Concepts of Deterrence and Diplomacy

Concepts of Deterrence and Diplomacy Previously, the paper has examined what diplomacy is and its types. Through the previous discussion, human and politic capability seen as the main player in carries-out diplomacy. Through this chapter, the paper will discuss on deterrence as diplomacy means. With quoted the words from Carl Von Clausewitz, a military strategist and theorist: War is the simple continuation of diplomacy by other means. On the words, Carl Von Clausewitz emphasized that war is not only as an actor in politic, thus as the instrument in politic. War could influence politic decision making.[1] Nowadays, WMD might be used as another diplomatic means to achieve one countrys goals. Deterrence is significant theory in Strategic Studies and in International Relations as well. Since the age of Cold War, chiefly on Cuban Missile Crisis event, deterrence has been viewed and used as the greatest mediator to attempt influence the decision making of the states. Deterrence can be ciphered as social and politic relations primarily enable one party in influencing the other party action. Deterrence is implemented and executed to ensure its opponents abide by its will.[2] On the other words, deterrence is a belief on strategic capability to avoid or prevent itself from being attacked by its opponents the opponents believe that it is not worth to take a military action on the state (Charles W. Kegley Jr. and Eugene R. Wittkopf, 1998). TYPES OF DETERRENCE On this chapter, the paper will examine the types of deterrence as well on the previous chapter which is study on the types of diplomacy. There are three types of deterrence that has been identified by military analysts namely deterrence by denial, deterrence by punishment and deterrence by defeat. Deterrence by denial can be described as the country would not to initiate war when the country assured it could not win the battle.[3] On the other words, State A will attempt to convince State B will not achieve its military-political goals if State B undertakes a military action. As a consequence, the war could be evaded.[4] Meanwhile the country that might to initiate or engage a war would not to do so because the country convinced that it would impose unacceptable damage (as the aftermath or punishment if involve in war) if the country attack the other country this statement portrays what is deterrence by punishment. State A will endeavor to indicate State B that it (State A) will retaliate by obliterating assets that State B highly values if State B commits a particular action such as an invasion. In this context, State A should have great political power (as threat) to deter State B from committing the act. In the other hands, the deterrence will fail if State B acts despite the threat.[5] Deterrence by punishment may be posed an action on other states industry, population, or even the lives of its leader. (Keith B. Payne and C. Dale Walton, 2002). Through-out the words, we can conclude that the purpose of deterrence by punishment is to shape opponents decision making by signal them the aftermath or cost that the opponents will to bear of. While deterrence by defeat shows the state will not to engage or initiate a war because the state certainty that it will be defeated.[6] Via this discussion, in a nutshell, deterrence is the other means to prevent war. Deterrence can be viewed as the other means of diplomacy. Deterrence can be defined as the barrier to prevent war from being occurred. During First World War and the Second World War, war has brought greatest devastating towards mankind, nature, development and war leave bad effect on future generation mainly aftermath of using nuclear weapon. Is it as a signal that the deterrence is another means of diplomacy? It will discuss further on the next discussion. HOW DETERRENCE CAN BE ANOTHER MEANS OF DIPLOMACY? The question left here how deterrence can be a player or an actor in international relations and diplomacy. It is fascinating subject to examine the role of deterrence as diplomacy means. In answering the questions, we need to refer on the papers previous discussion which is what deterrence is and how its carry-out. The adaption of deterrence in international relations is to ensure State B will not take an action that could threat State A. If the State B wishes to do so, State B will bear devastating consequences. This circumstances show that State A attempts to warning and avert any pre-emptive action towards State A. By way of this statement, it represent that deterrence can be adapted as diplomacy instrument which is known as diplomatic bargaining in relationship of the state and the state action in international relations.[7] Psychology tactic and strategy are the finest way to describe the threat that created from deterrence. Deterrence crafted a threat without any physical demolition when deterrence proposed by the state is succeeded. The ambiguity of deterrence as another means of diplomacy still exists. Negotiation and discussion are among the significant elements in diplomacy. But how negotiation is present in deterrence? It is questionable question on this argument. The threat through deterrence is the negotiation. The deterrence represents and delegate the state to let the other state consider or think wisely is it worth to attack the state. In this situation, the other state have a chance to take further action on the state or else.[8] Generally, state will not take an action that it detrimental its people, politic position and economy. The succeed deterrence capable to protect its national interest for the reason that its politic goals achieved. Deterrence is the means to convince the other party (opponents) not to initiate a war toward the state. (Charles W. Kegley and Eugene R. Wittkopf, 1989). The capacity and the capability of nuclear weapon such as the development of ICBM which is leaving the impact of total destruction has been assessed or as a value toward head of the state in making decision concerning on action towards another state. As it concerned, deterrence is effective in preventing a nuclear war from occur in international system until today. The capability of nuclear can activate or enhance the deterrence (Marc A. Genest, 1996). After the discussion, the paper will confer on the using of deterrence in Cuban Missile Crisis. [1] The Pure Concept of Diplomacy [2] Mohamad faisol Keling.2006.Konsep asas hubungan antarabangsa dan pengajian strategik.mm [3] Daniel S. Papp. 1997. Nuclear Weapons and World Politics: Nuclear Strategy and Policy. In Allyn and Bacon (Eds.), Contemporary International Relations (413-414). United States of America: Mcmillan Publishing Company. [4] Keith B. Payne. 2001. The Fallacies of Cold War Deterrence and a New Direction. Lexingto, Kentucky: University Press of Kentucky. [5] Ibid. [6] Ibid. [7] Charles W. Kegley and Eugene R. Wittkopf, World Politics: Trends and Transformation, 3rd Ed, St. Martin, New York, 1989.pg377. [8] Faisol Keling

Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, Daniel Ellsberg, and the Vietnam

Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried, Daniel Ellsberg, and the Vietnam War Daniel Ellsberg once believed in the need to contain Communism, in America’s military supremacy, and in the sanctity of those who governed America’s democratic institutions, yet decades of American involvement in Vietnam changed these beliefs for him. The nature of the Vietnam War forced Ellsberg to revise his earlier faith in America’s ability to win any war and his faith in the trustworthiness of America’s leaders. By 1971, this former Defense Department official had so completely altered his thinking that he leaked classified documents to the press in order to encourage public scrutiny of American foreign policy decisions in Vietnam and of the integrity of those who made such decisions. Although Ellsberg is an extreme example, he illustrates the way the Vietnam War called into question many widely accepted beliefs that were shaped by American experience in World War II and in the Cold War. The reassessment of these World War II and Cold War assumptions, however, was not universal within the nation nor within the government elite. As some leaders revised their thinking because of Vietnam, and others held tightly to their initial assumptions despite contradictory evidence, dissent and confusion increased in the higher echelons of government. This high-level dissension mirrored the differences of opinion in the nation and was often responsible for ambiguous, inconsistent policies in Vietnam. Tim O’Brien’s The Things They Carried reveals how the lack of government consensus and clear purpose in policy, as indicated by an analysis of Ellsberg’s intellectual conversion, translated into confusion, purposelessness, and futility for those who a... ...for reconsideration. It seems that if any consensus was left intact after the Vietnam War, it was one of cynical distrust, critical questioning, and ideological confusion. Works Cited Chafe, William H. The Unfinished Journey 3rd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. Ellsberg, Daniel. Papers on the War. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1972. Herring, George C. America’s Longest War: the United States and Vietnam, 1950-1975 4th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996. Hodgson, Godfrey. â€Å"The Ideology of the Liberal Consensus† in History of Our Time. Ed. William H. Chafe and Harvard Sitkoff. 4th edition. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995. O’Brien, Tim. The Things They Carried. New York: Houghton Mifflin, 1990. Schrag, Peter. Test of Loyalty: Daniel Ellsberg and the Rituals of the Secret Government. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1974.

lieshod Marlow’s Lie in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essays

Marlow’s Lie in Heart of Darkness       Throughout the Heart of Darkness scenes, we get several glimpses of Marlow's particular attitudes towards women, that they are creatures that live "in a world of their own, and that there had never been anything like it, and never can be" (Longman, p. 2199). Women are able to create and see the beauty in life, something that is harder for men to do, roughened by hard work and misfortunes. Marlow also states, this time to his audience aboard the Nellie, "We must help them to stay in that beautiful world of their own, lest ours gets worse" (Longman, p. 2225). By this he means simply that part of what draws men to women is their capacity for beauty, to preserve and keep the "finer" things in life, which men can draw upon to enlighten them and give a sense of peace to their existence.    This sense of needing to preserve the beliefs and "beauty" of the Intended is why Marlow lies to her in the end. He abhors lies, his own beliefs that "there is a taint of death, a flavour of mortality in lies..." (Longman, p. 2210) is what leads to the d...

USA Today: Innovation and Evolution in a Troubled Industry

1) What Opportunities in the marketing environment did Gannett seize in launching USA Today? How did the company learn about and respond to the opportunities? Answer these same questions for USATODAY. COM On its debut in 1982, USA Today was reckoned as America’s first National general-interest daily newspaper. Being the global information juggernaut that he is, Gannett managed to identify a gap in the market that he identified as an opportunity for the leading to-be newspaper of the united States. The opportunity was the void gap in the market. Attention to the business traveler was the least attended to which gave Gannett the opportunity to target such a sector and be the leading supplier of such traveler needs in terms of information. The launch of USA Today was based on two perspectives; the increasingly short attention span as well as the continuous hunger for more information. With both perspectives in mind, the paper was positioned to be a source of information that delivered â€Å"more news in less time†. In response to their customer needs, and the opportunistic gap in the market, USA Today was designed to be a unique paper with easy access to articles and concern for their time-pressed readers through the introduction of columns and snippets that presented the most salient topics of the story. In addition to their colorful contemporary look, USA Today’s ability to be dependably consistent added great value to the paper that lead to a stuttering over-a-million circulation in just seven months. In an era when most of the major media outlets were suffering from a decline in readership, USA Today enjoyed continuous growth. To offset the rising distributional and promotional costs, USA today ventured in introducing spin offs to increase demand of the print sector. USA. com was one of Gannett’s spin-offs of responding to the information market in relativity to the greater global market. When everyone considered the Internet boom to be the start of an end to the newspaper industry, Gannett managed to transform that threat into an opportunity. Due to an increase in the newsprint cost, associated with a decrease in the readership rates, USA online was a way to increase readership by offering more ways of satisfying the reader base and ensuring that the mission of USA Today was to be maintained. It capitalized and tried to keep pace with communication and technological breakthroughs to maintain its element of dependable consistency. In response to their commitment of â€Å"getting news and information into the hands of consumers faster than ever before†, USA. om endorsed blogs and podcasts to keep customers engaged as well as introducing I-phone, Blackberry and Kindle applications to keep up with the emerging trend of portable technology. 2) How has a continuous strategy of marketing innovation proved successful for USA today and USA. COM? Do you believe that USA today is well-positioned for the future? Explain Since USA Today’s launch, it has ensured the continuous consistency and dependability of the nature o f the material, as well as a commitment to continuous innovation. Ever since its start, USA today has been engaged in continuous improvement and betterment in what they offer to their readers. One of their main focus in their cycle of innovation was keeping the customer engaged in the reading process as well as listening and hearing for their demands. Regarding product innovation, they managed to keep the paper exciting and indulging to the reader in many different ways. For starters, their major innovative design was reducing the size of the paper from 54 to 50 inches, which made the paper more satisfying in terms of size and mobility of use. There was also a shift in the quality of news from a soft-focused newspaper to a more serious hard-focused newspaper. This was a very important move to the paper as it ensured readers of the quality of news they’re reading and also responded to the critiques of reporters calling USA Today â€Å"Mc Paper† which could have negatively affected the readership rates for the way readers could have perceived themselves as targets of â€Å"junk food journalism†. Further methods of keeping readers attached to the paper included the introduction of the two hotlines that erved to the queries of readers. Regarding their promotional efforts, after ensuring the success of USA today on a State scale, they aimed at increasing the awareness scope of USA today not only on a National level, but on an international level as well. They introduced the Buscapade to increase awareness in other states, while the Jetcapade was introduced to increase awareness internationally. Both approac hes were the start of profitability for USA today, where readership rates increased as well as awareness on both a national and international level. One of their most successful promotional efforts was blue chip circulation, which not only reaped profits from hotels, airlines and restaurants, but ensured exposure to a greater part of the target market and a raise in the level of awareness. Another move was advertising at the front page. Since its start, USA Today was based on untraditional aspects. Although criticized by many, it nonetheless appealed to its target market that continued to grow. Advertising on the fist page, although sacredly non-valued, and could have imposed a threat on the paper; sabotaging its image of credibility and consistency. Yet again, it acted as a leverage that further increased the profits of the paper Distribution was also one of the factors that would make or break the paper’s mission of delivering timely news. One competitive advantage the paper had over competitors was its ability to offer more up-to-date news three to four hours before competitors. That was because they permitted later deadlines which was further implemented when production became totally digital which gave writers and publishers greater flexibility and later deadlines, and at the other hand readers enjoyed earlier delivery times. In a market with threatening competitors such as The New York Times and wall street journal, USA Today was bound to failure if it weren’t for its innovative excellence in its product and promotion along with its dedication to keep engaging the customers in the paper experience by trying to cater for as many needs as possible, and competing with an edge that sets it apart from its competitors. One of USA Today’s product innovations later on became not an just another additional co-asset, but a leading internet-based companion to the USA Today print version. A threat can only be transformed into an opportunity among a number of competitors when one takes a lead regarding how to deal with such threat. Once you get a lead start, you’re in better opportunistic shape than the competitors. As much as the internet boom imposed a threat at the paper industry, co-opting with the decline in sales and advertising revenue, USA Today used the threat and transformed it into an opportunity by introducing usatoday. com, which was an online version of the print, designed in the same colorful, appealing manner. It yet had to maintain the same mission and vision of the print version in terms of the quality of material and framework, and respond in the same dedication to customer interests and further engagement. Although different from the original print version, usatoday. com ensured its existence and profoundness in the new market through continuous updates and innovative ways to stimulate readership and cut distribution expenses. It employed blogs and podcasts to ensure the relevancy of news to readers, as well as categorizing and aggregating news on the Internet. It also allowed advertisers to expand their online space by using â€Å"PointRoll† which acted as a leverage that helped advertisers direct consumers to merchants. To further cater for the readers needs, usatoday. com capitalized on the emerging trend of portable technology by launching applications that serve I Phone, Blackberry and kindle users. They also catered for social media tools fanatics which as indicated by internal sources were drivers for page view increases such as Facebook, MySpace and Twitter. To further nourish the reader’s needs, they made room from readers to search for their unique interests and further bond with similar individuals. For example, they introduced â€Å"network journalism† which was a tool that allowed readers to comment and make recommendations. The previous example shows the necessity for an entity to continuously satisfy its customers and think of more innovative ways to help users develop attachment and brand loyalty. USA Today, being the entity that it is, is apparently well positioned for the current period. Ever since its debut, it has managed to maintain a proper and sturdy positioning among its competitors, with its competitive innovation and continuous responses to the evolving market. But at such point, when Internet has taken over the greater part of our lives, one has to ponder over the validity of the current positioning of USA Today. If it maintains the way its positioned for another five to ten years, it will be bound to close down for the trend is going further towards a digitally internet based era, where there will be no room for the traditional print version to compete. Its positioning should gradually and not instantly completely shift to an internet focus. The reason it should be done gradually is due to the fact that there still is a great part of readership that prefers the print. Instantly shifting to the internet would result in losing a great part of customers which USA Today wouldn’t want. The shift should be gradual to allow customers to accept the shift and not look for another product for if customers perceive that USA Today is lacking their interest, it would be crucial for its popularity and acceptance. ) What are the SWOT implications for USA Today as it looks toward the future? What strengths and opportunities can USA Today leverage as it looks for competitive advantage in the distribution of news and information? Strenghts: * America’s first National general interest daily newspaper. This will be an important factor that USA today should leverage and take advantage of the fact of its established name in the field, giving it more perceived establishment and stability rather than its competitors. Part of the Global information Juggernaut Gannett Co, which autonomously gives it more credibility and makes more room for excellence in the future as opposed to single-unit paper with no backing up from stronger, further well established players in the media marketplace. * Buscapade/Jetscapade lead to the overseas success of the paper and lead to an increase in demand, which lead to a start of profitability. * It gives room for later deadlines, which gives it a competitive advantage over its competitors in terms of the quality of news and how fast it reaches readers. This could be leveraged in the future as a reminder of how dedicated USA Today was and has been to its readers, implying its consistency and how its different from its competitors. * USA Today has already leveraged the internet boom into its benefit by introducing one-to-many spin offs, one of which I believe will take over USA Today operations in ten years time; usatoday. com. Excellence is derived from experience, and since usatoday. com has been thriving among a list of other sites is an indicator of how efficient the site is and how with the right innovative combination could dominate the market. Being the first to realize the business traveler gap in the market, it would be very hard for new entrants to enter and try to steal a part of USA Today’s market pie. * Continuous growth is also a great indicator of the paper for ever since its start, its audience has been constantly growing to topple over WSJ and NYT. Thus when USA Today looks at the future, it will have more reason to attract customers than its competitors. Weaknesses: * It took USA Today no less than five years to start entering into the profitability stage, which further reduced its ability to generate enough cash flow for future investments. The re cession, although affected everyone, caused a slump in tourism which affected the business traveler market, causing a decrease in flights, which automatically lead to a decrease in demand by airlines, hotels and restaurants. * Its reputation as a â€Å"Mc Junk† paper during its start could have unanimously affected the papers reputation and determined not only how readers perceive the quality of articles, but who reads it as well. * At one point in the cycle, WSJ reclaimed its position as number one paper, circulation wise. Opportunities: The Internet boom is considered to be double barreled. It will either make or break usatoday. So far, USA Today managed to straddle it by introducing usatoday. com along with its multiple applications and reader-friendly engagement processes. The internet is the most vital opportunity for is USA Today doesn’t manage it properly, with the right innovation and research, competitors will gain more market share, and readers will prefer the more up to date way of getting info. * Technological advancements will make room for greater breakthroughs and eaves room for innovation and further updating products. * The technological and portable technology trend should be taken as an advantage, in integrating USA Today in the lives of readers. * Social network sites being one of the drivers for page view increases should be properly utilized to maintain page views and further increase traffic on the site. * The ability to use recycled fiber will improve the environmental background of the company as well as decrease the cost of newsprint, making production more efficient. Threats: * ) Based on USA Today’s experiences with the print and online news, evaluate the long term potential of printed news and the newspaper publishing industry. Do you believe printed newspapers will continue to survive despite digital competition? So far, USA Today has managed to maintain and keep up with the technological trends that have been leading the market place for years now. As for the industry itself, it has already been threatened excessively by the internet boom showing declines in sales, readership and advertising revenue. And that’s just for now. Who knows how technologically driven customers will be five or ten years from now? Prints might compose part of the market share which has been undoubtedly decreasing over the past couple of years, for the mere fact that elderly, more traditionally oriented readers would not make the switch. That is not to imply that elders are the only readers of prints, but the ones that are unlikely to make the switch. People in their mid thirties and forties will be able to make the change gradually, more smoother than sixty and seventy year olds. The only way to maintain its survival despite digital competition is to cater for the needs of the emerging youth. The only way to ensure existence is by guaranteeing that they can target the youth for without them, USA Today loses hope of ever having the slightest of a susceptible target market. As for the prospects of the industry, it seems as if there’s no light at the end of the tunnel. Internet has now taken over our lives in so many different ways; being a viable source that ensures acquiring information in much faster and more efficient way. The whole idea is how to craft an imposing threat into an opportunity. Usatoday. om was an example, but with the rate of change, and how the trend is diffusing more towards a digitally based environment, prospects for USA Today from the print perspective has no hope. The youth, being a massive factor in how products are produced and marketed, is a reason why prospects for the print industry seem unlikely. Being Internet focused as t hey are, they will remain to evolve and with their evolvement comes the evolvement of their wants and needs which will be technologically based. Hence, ten years from now, its seem less probable that the grown up youth will demand anything less that whats technologically available at the time.

Patient Teaching Essay

Introduction: I have chosen breastfeeding as my teaching topic for this assignment. The specific clientà ¨le will be the new mother at between 2 and 7 days postpartum, newly discharged from hospital. As a community health nurse working with children and young families, I do initial postpartum visits at home. Breastfeeding is a very complex skill, natural, yet sometimes difficult to do. The client is often overwhelmed with information received in hospital, so sessions must be kept short, and made easy to understand. The area in which I work is multicultural. There is often a language barrier which further complicates teaching and learning. Finding a teachable moment is easy (London, p. 95). New mothers are eager for help in providing the best for their babies. Mothers whose babies refuse to latch onto the breast or who have an incorrect latch, may sometimes become very tense and stressed. It is important to remain calm and supportive during teaching. The client must be educated, not simply taught new skills (Rankin, p. 73). The newly acquired information will allow her to make her own decisions and to be the head of her own health care team. Assessment: I have been working with postpartum women for the past 6 years, and have 3 children of my own. I am able to use my own personal experiences with breastfeeding, my last having stopped only 2 years ago. I work well with my co-workers, I know that I cannot do it alone (London, p.51). We help each other every step of the way and have a good back-up system available in the community. These include lactation consultants, breastfeeding clinics, doctors, social workers and community agencies. The learner and her family are at the head of the team (London, p.47). They are usually very motivated to learn and ultimately want what is best for the baby. It is easier to form relationships with the client at home (London, p. 63). The environment is non-threatening to the learner and teacher. I can also learn a lot about the client by observing the home. I have had many clients tell me they were breastfeeding exclusively who had half empty bottles of formula on the kitchen counter. The assessment process begins on the telephone before the visit. All new mothers are contacted when they arrive home. All are offered a home visit, some refuse. By help of a detailed questionnaire, we know the problems to focus on before the visit. This is very helpful as we can be better prepared with the necessary tools. Many patients are â€Å"red flag† patients (Rankin, p. 160). Some speak very little English, have financial problems, are on welfare, or are single mothers. Culture and religion can influence teaching (London, p.296). It is impossible to generalize about one culture, so we must be careful to dig deeper when presented with a situation which may be affected by one’s background. The area I work in is multicultural. The women speak many languages and I often need to have a family member translate the teaching. This is sometimes quite challenging as I am not always sure that what is being translated is actually what I am saying! I try not to let my own beliefs get in the way of my patient care. I may not always agree with the decisions of others but always stay focused on the desired outcome. Some clients would prefer to breastfeed and others would prefer to bottle feed but are being influenced by family members. Support from family members generally improves the outcome (Stalling, p.163). The client will have an easier time adjusting to breastfeeding and will breastfeed for a longer period of time with family support. We need to make adjustments in our teaching based on each individuals views. (London, p. 303). We should never make assumptions about anything. Self-efficacy is a very important factor in learning to breastfeed. The learner who thinks she can do it, will be more successful. My department organizes a group that meets at the community center once a week. New mothers have a chance to meet each other and learn about breastfeeding. Using these role-models sometimes helps a woman with low self-efficacy learn to breastfeed (London, p.311). When I walk into a home, I can often tell within the first 10 minutes whether I will have to make a follow-up visit. At a typical visit I assess the baby and mother, help with breastfeeding if necessary and provide the mother with helpful information she will need in the first few months of the baby’s life. A typical visit lasts 1-2 hours. I usually provide printed material on the common breastfeeding problems to my clients. On the website WWW.Medela.com, there is very helpful information on breastfeeding in several languages. I use this site often to print out information on latching, sore nipples and engorgement. The information on the site is generally well written and edited. The vocabulary is easy enough to understand by most women. It is grammatically correct. There are no difficult or very technical terms. The subject in this paper is a mother of two who did not breastfeed her first child. She speaks English and works as a clerk in a drugstore. She has a university degree, so can easily understand information at the 12th grade level. Planning: The general goal of this teaching is for the client to be able to breastfeed in the proper manner and to understand the benefits of breastfeeding in order to prolong breastfeeding for as long as possible. The following are the specific objectives for this clientà ¨le. At the end of the session: The client will state at least 5 benefits of breastfeeding vs bottle feeding. The client will demonstrate 3 different breastfeeding positions one time each. The client will describe the treatments for engorgement and sore nipples. The client will list 3 resources for further information after the visit. The client will recognize and state 3 factors which indicate the baby is receiving sufficient milk from breastfeeding. Teaching tools used will be demonstration, discussion, and hand-outs. It is important to prioritize learning needs. There are some facts which are very interesting but which are not necessary for the client to know. (Rankin, p. 191 and 197). The breastfeeding mother does not need to know the physiology of the breast, but she does need to understand the relationship between frequent feedings and increased milk production. Content outline: Discussion of the benefits of breastfeeding. Discussion of the factors indicating that the baby is receiving sufficient milk. Observation of the client breastfeeding using 3 different positions. Demonstration of proper breastfeeding technique for each position as needed. Discussion of breast engorgement and sore nipples and their management. Discussion of resources for further information about breastfeeding and the assess the need for a follow-up visit. * The teaching is mostly done by discussion and demonstration. This is a good way to get continuous feedback from the client. It is also a good way to ensure that all the important material is not forgotten. Practice makes perfect. Adult learners need to be involved in the teaching (Rankin, p. 196) and want to apply what they learn right away. This is especially important with breastfeeding, as the new mother must be able to master it within a very short time. It is not always necessary to cover all the information with each client. Some are too overwhelmed with information already; others may already have the knowledge base and simply need help with latching. Implementation: I generally start teaching about breastfeeding immediately after having evaluated the client. I begin by discussion of the benefits of breastfeeding and the factors which indicate that the baby is receiving enough milk. Many women do not believe that they have enough milk and worry about the need to offer a supplement. It is important to explain this to them. If they do offer a supplement, their own milk supply may be reduced. Then, I assist the client at putting the baby to the breast using different positions as needed. I sometimes use a dummy breast to show the client the correct angle to use while feeding to ensure a proper latch. Visual aids sometimes help to make it seem more real. When that has been mastered, I continue with a discussion of the two most common problems found in the first weeks of breastfeeding, sore nipples and engorgement. I provide the client with written material on proper latching technique, sore nipple management and engorgement. Since these problems sometimes occur after a few days or weeks, it is helpful for the client to have this information in writing. I also provide an information sheet on the resources the client can use if she should need further help after the visit. I generally make a follow-up call one to three days after the visit and a follow-up visit as necessary. I sometimes refer the clients to the company Medela’s website, www.medela.com. This site provides helpful information on breastfeeding and the common associated problems. The computer is only a tool, however. It provides information, not education (London, p. 246). I remain available to my clients by telephone or by email at all times. Recording transcribed: (T=teacher, L=client) T: Did you breastfeed with your first child? L: No. I tried for about 3 days but gave up due to the pain. T: Did you receive any help? L: No. But it was less important to me then. I was ok with bottle feeding. T: Do you want to breastfeed Joshua? L: Yes. I will be taking a year off of work and would like to breastfeed him as long as possible. Many of my friends have had babies in the past years and all are breastfeeding. They make it look so easy. I decided to try harder this time. T: Joshua is 3 days old. How have you been feeding him? L: I tried to put him at the breast right after birth but he was too sleepy, and so was I. The first day he had a few bottles. Yesterday, I tried for the first time. I think it went ok but my nipples are very sore. I would like to learn how to breastfeed properly. T: Well, we can discuss a few things now and I can show you the proper technique for a few different positions when he wakes up. L: OK T: First of all, why do you want to breastfeed? L: Everyone is telling me that it is the best thing for my baby. T: They are right, but what do you think? L: I want to do what’s best for Joshua. T: Breast milk is definitely the best for babies. One of the best things about breastfeeding is that the milk is always ready. You don’t have any bottles to warm up or prepare, especially at 2:00 in the morning when you’re exhausted. Because it is available right away, you don’t have to make the baby wait. This will make it easier to calm him before he gets too agitated. It is also a great time to bond with the baby and will make Joshua feel more secure. Breast milk is the best thing for your baby. Do you know what colostrum is? L: Yes. I have been reading up on breastfeeding since I found out I was pregnant again. It is the yellow liquid that comes out before the milk comes in. I know that it helps to prevent jaundice. T: Yes that is true. It acts as a mild laxative to encourage the baby to pass his first stools of meconium. It can also help to prevent ear infections and allergies. It is very rich in nutrients and allergies. Did Julia have jaundice? L: No, she didn’t. T: Do you know of other benefits of breastfeeding? L: I know that breast milk is the perfect formula for babies with the exact right nutrients that they need. It keeps babies from becoming overweight. I also know that it can help me lose the baby fat that much quicker. T: That’s true. It can also save you money. The average cost of formula for 1year is about $1800, and that doesn’t include the bottles and other supplies. Breastfeeding requires you to eat about an extra 500 calories per day. This should cost, by comparison about $300 for the year. L: With all the expenses of a new baby, we can use that money for many other things. T: That’s for sure. L: Can breastfeeding keep me from getting pregnant again? T: No. It is not a sure form of contraception. Although it is relatively effective in the first 6 months if you breastfeed exclusively. Some women ovulate as early as 6 weeks postpartum even when breastfeeding. L: Good to know. T: Do you know how to tell if the baby is receiving enough milk? L: He will gain weight. T: Yes. That’s a very good sign in the long run. There are other things as well. He should have at least 3 urines today since he is 3 days old. Then, you should see one more each day until the sixth day. That means that on the 4th day, he should have at least 4, on the 5th day at least 5 and from the 6th day onwards, at least 6 per day. How many has he had today. L: So far he had 1 at 2:00 and another at 7:00. I don’t think that’s a problem. T: Good. We would also expect to see a few stools everyday. They should gradually change from the black meconium stools, to brown and then to yellow. Many breastfed babies have a stool with every feed, but some have only 1 or 2 per day. Both are normal. L: He has one almost every time he feeds. T: That’s great. He should also be satisfied between feeds. That means he would feed every 1 to 3 hours in the first few weeks and have some period in between when he sleeps or remains calm. You told me that he feeds about every 2.5 hours and usually sleeps in between, so it sounds like he is right on target. A baby who is too sleepy and needs to be woken up for feedings may also not be getting enough. Do you have any questions so far? L: No. I’m glad he’s getting enough milk and can’t wait to see if he’s gained weight. T: You mentioned that your nipples are very sore. Have you done anything for the pain? L: I am taking Advil and I was given some Lanolin ointment at the hospital. Do I need to wash it off before I feed the baby? T: No, it is harmless for the baby. The best way to avoid sore nipples is correct positioning at the breast. If you have sore nipples already, I will show you how to have Joshua latch on properly. Meanwhile, for the soreness, you should apply a small amount of your own breast milk on the nipples after each feeding. Then let it air dry as much as possible. After that, you can apply a bit of lanolin. Sometimes it helps to use different feeding positions during the day. L: The nurse at the hospital told me to let my breasts air dry, but that is not easy in the hospital. How often can I use the lanolin? T: You can use it 2-3 times per day. L: Ok. I will try that. T: Your milk has not come it yet, but should come in in the next few days. It usually comes in by the 3rd to 5th day. It is important to feed regularly to encourage your milk production and also to prevent engorgement. Do you know what engorgement is? L: Yes. I was very engorged about a week after Julia was born. T: Engorgement can be very painful and can make it impossible for the baby to latch on properly. (baby wakes up. L gets the baby) L: What should I do if I get engorged? T: Engorgement usually lasts only a few days. Some women just produce more milk than others. If you get engorged, it is important to continue feeding often. You can apply warm compresses and massage your breasts. If it is more severe, you may need to express a bit of milk for relief, which you can do manually or you may need to use a pump. A well-fitted supportive bra may help. L: I have bought a good bra, but haven’t worn it yet. I will send my husband out to buy a pump today. What kind do you recommend? T: It depends on how often you would like to use it. If you are planning to breastfeed all the time, then a manual pump may be enough. There are however, some inexpensive electrical pumps which you can buy for under $40. These may be easier and quicker to use. You can use them to relieve engorgement and to pump if you go out from time to time. L: My friend uses a Safety First pump which is electric. She bought it at Walmart for about $35 and says it works well. T: That’s probably a good choice for you too. Do you have access to the internet? L: Yes T: If you check out the site www.medela.com, you can find information about choosing a pump. If you pump to relieve engorgement, you should only pump for a few minutes. If you pump too much milk, you will only encourage more milk production. L: Thank you, I’ll check the site. Would you like to see how I feed him now? T: Sure. (L puts baby to the breast using cross cradle positioning. The baby does not take enough of the areola so L has pain.) T: He is not on properly. To release the suction, place your finger gently between his gums, like this. In order to get him to latch on well, you first need to make sure that you are comfortable since you will be breastfeeding so often. Use pillows to get yourself comfortable. Take your time and relax before you start. When you are ready, make sure the baby’s nose is facing the nipple. His head should be aligned with his body. Gently stroke his upper lip with your nipple. When he opens his mouth, pull him quickly towards you, so that he can take as much of the areola as possible. L: How do I know if he is taking enough? T: The most important cue is that you will have no pain. Generally the baby’s chin is touching the bottom of the breast, and there is a small space between his nose and your breast. Hold your baby close to you and support his head. There is no normal or standard way to breastfeed. If the baby is feeding well and you have no pain, it is working well. L: I don’t feel any pain now. T: Can you hear him swallow? L: Yes. T: Excellent. Then you are doing it very well. Notice how his body is aligned with his head, he is most comfortable that way. Look at his chin and his nose. See how they are positioned. You can see that he has opened his mouth very wide and is taking enough of the breast. Would you like me to show you how to hold him in some other positions? L: Yes. I would like to learn how to lie down to feed. It would be so much easier at night. T: That’s true. When you’re very tired, it’s a lot easier. The basics are the same. You want to ensure that the baby is facing you and that his body is aligned with his head. Make yourself comfortable. Use a pillow behind your back or between your knees if you need one. (L Demonstrates the technique.) T: That is very good. Are you comfortable? L: Yes, very. And no pain! T: Breastfeeding is not always as easy as some people make it seem. It takes practice. The beginning is a learning process for you and for the baby. Let me show you one more position that you may like to use. This is the football hold. It is easier to use when the baby is small like Joshua; but is sometimes more difficult later on. Hold him so that his legs and body are under your arm, like this. Then place your hand under his head and neck. If you’ve ever played football, that’s how a football is held. L: I don’t like that one. It is much easier the other way. T: Not everybody likes that position. You have to do what’s best for you and for your baby so use the position that’s most comfortable. (Baby weighed – lost 8.5% of birth weight) T: He lost a bit more weight. But that’s normal. Most breastfed babies lose 10% or more of their birth weight in the first few days. They usually regain their birth weight within 10 days. Do you remember how to tell if he is drinking enough? L: Yes. He should have at least 6 wet diapers every day after the 6th day and a couple of stools. He should also wake up alone to feed and sleep well between feedings. And of course, he should gain weight. T: Exactly. T: I will be returning to weigh Joshua again Wednesday (in 48 hrs). I will continue to follow him until he starts to gain some weight. If you need help before then, you can call the CLSC (community clinic) at the number I gave you earlier. As I told you earlier, there is a breastfeeding clinic every Thursday morning as well. At the clinics, there are nurses available to weight the baby and to help you more with breastfeeding. Here is some information on breastfeeding that we discussed today (pamphlets on latching, sore nipples and engorgement given). If you have any questions about them, let me know. Evaluation of learner: I always do a telephone follow-up within 1-3 days. This is very effective as the client will have had some time to process all the information (London, p.62). If necessary, a repeat visit will also be planned. Unfortunately I cannot always have the client do three separate demonstrations (London, p. 386) due to budget and time constraints. Discussion worked best with the subject in this paper. She was educated and was eager to learn proper techniques. She had self-efficacy, skills and knowledge – all important factors if changing behaviors (Rankin, p 292). She was alert and very interested in learning. She participated in the discussion. She was able to apply the information immediately during my visit. At the follow-up visit 2 days later, the client was doing very well. She was able to breastfeed without any pain or difficulty. We discussed engorgement again, a problem which had developed since my first visit. She explained what she had done to relieve the engorgement, which was how I had explained it to her. The â€Å"what if† scenario had worked .(London p.386) Evaluation of teacher: I could have done more assessment of the learner while I was teaching. I find myself being drawn into a routine with my teaching that is sometimes hard to get out of. Most of the teaching is very repetitive from one client to the next, however, each client learns in her own fashion. I try to keep the client interested in what I have to say. I encourage her and give her positive feedback. Sometimes I forget the goals of the session and get off track, or provide the client with unnecessary information. I find that using a checklist helps me to stay on the right track and to not omit anything important. Evaluation of resources: The handouts I usually give out to my clients on latching, engorgement and sore nipples, all score over 70% by the SAM test (Rankin, p.238), thus making them good resources. I provide this information to my clients to use as the situations arise. Although I explain the handouts to all my clients, not all women get engorged; for those that do, it usually happens after my visit. Having the handouts at home allows them to refer to the information as a reference when they need it most. Conclusion: The teaching session went very well. The client was intelligent, educated and eager to learn. Overall this teaching technique used for teaching breastfeeding works well with most of the clientà ¨le I see at home. Every person is unique and adjustments always need to be made accordingly. Bibliography: Forrest, S. (2004). Learning and teaching: The reciprocal link. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 35(2), 74-79. London, F. (1999). No time to teach? A nurse’s guide to patient and family education. New York: Lippincott. Medela (2007) Your Resource for breastfeeding products and information. [on-line]. Available: http://www.medela.com. Rankin, S.H., Stallings, K.D., & London, F. (2005). Patient education in health and illness (5th ed.). New York: Lippincott.