Food and Agriculture Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Food and Agriculture - Essay Example Food can stay for extremely lengthy time before going bad by using methods such as canning and silos for storing grains. These methods make plants and animals to be pest and disease resistance, herbicide, cold and drought tolerance. However, some of these acts are very dangerous in human lives given that environment is largely polluted through the grass and the grains that these animals feed on. Study shows that chemicals used in genetically modified food enhance mortality rate in many species of insect larvae. Increase use of fertilizers in planting crops leads to addition of excess chemicals in the soil thus causing danger to organisms living under the soil. Overusing underground water seriously increases salinity in the soil (Pirro 2010). Although, the issue of food supply has sturdily been taken care of, the plentiful food gradually kills us. Countless children have developed allergies to the genetically modified food both in America and worldwide. Various diseases and disorders such as obesity, cancer, and diabetes have risen due to consumption of these foods that seem healthy in our own eyes yet are full of hormones and chemicals. The traditional way of growing food and rearing animals is the only sure solution to the American food problems (Pirro

Marketing Plan of Grace Kennedy Company Limited Term Paper

Marketing Plan of Grace Kennedy Company Limited - Term Paper Example This essay describes the Grace Kennedy Company Limited, that has been around for the past eighty-two years. The company with its staff of well over two four hundred persons sells tangible goods locally as well as internationally. The aspects of the company’s business consist of various areas. Operations, manufacturing, research, financing, personnel, marketing, business analysis and counseling, planning, presentations and project management are some of the ways by which the company fits into a number of its different aspects of business. A combination of all of these factors will help to ensure the financial success of Grace Kennedy Limited, which is its primary objective. While conducting business in a competitive market, it is to the company’s best interest that they know the competition. This knowledge will help them to better strategize their efforts. Businesses that are without competition tends to get sloppy as well as take advantage of consumers. To continue incr easing profits Grace Kennedy Company Limited should be willing to charge reasonable prices for its products. In order to develop new products for consumers, ongoing research done regularly. Because of ongoing research done in its product line, consumer needs are better able met and thus there will be an increase in sales. To create customer value, corporations should focus on the needs of individual customers as well as market segments and target industries, not product-or commodity-based priorities of the internal organization.

Effects of the Environment on Exxon Mobil Corporation

Effects of the Environment on Exxon Mobil Corporation Oil and gas industry has already become one of the leading industries in the world. The company that has significant role and makes vast amount of profit from energy industry is Exxon Mobil Corporation. History. Exxon Mobil Corporation or also known as Exxon Mobil is an American international petroleum and natural gas company, which was created in 1999. Company has an extensive history for about 125 years. It has had history since 1870, the year when John D. Rockefeller and his partners established Standard Oil Company. This company was very successful for thirty years and by the year 1878, it was controlling 95% of US the oil industry (Wikipedia, Exxon Mobil, 2010). Nevertheless, with public protest at a culmination in 1911, the Supreme Court of the United States decided to divide one big company into 34 small companies. Two of these companies were Jersey Standard and Socony, which finally became Exxon and Mobil. In 1998, these companies signed an agreement, which cost $73.7 billion , in order to merge and create a new company called Exxon Mobil Corporation. The merger was completed on November 30, 1999 and this corporation became the largest company on the planet (Wikinvest, Stock-XOM, 2010) Products. Exxon Mobil produces fuels, lubricants and petrochemicals worldwide. Company operates in three main categories such as upstream, downstream and chemicals. Upstream operations are important part of a company, which are involved in the exploration along with production of oil and natural gas. Exxon Mobils upstream sector earned $17 billion in 2009, which means 88.1% of 2009 earnings (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009 ) Downstream sector is involved in the refining as well as marketing of oil and natural gas. It makes 9.3% of profit with $1.8 billion in 2009 year. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Chemicals division uses oil to produce and sell commodity petrochemicals and earned $2.3 billion, which made 11.9% of profit in 2009. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009 ) Exxon Mobil Corporation operates with three brands such as Exxon, Esso and Mobil. All these brands are well known around the world, because there are 28,000 Exxons and Essos service stations in 118 countries. As for Mobil brand, it can be example of motor oil Mobil 1, which is also popular in Uzbekistan. (Corporate Watch, 2008) Market share. According to Global 2000 list of Forbes, the company has been ranked #4 between largest public companies in the world (Forbes, 2010). In addition, it is #1 in oil and gas industry in United States, which produces about 3% of the worlds oil and 2% of the world energy sources(Exxon Mobil, 2010). Exxon Mobils net income was $19.3 billion and its total revenue was $310.58 billion in 2009 (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, p 2009). In contrast with previous years it is much less, as in 2008 the net income of company was $45.2 billion and total revenue exceeded $459.6 billion (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, p 2009). It can be said that economic crisis influenced companys profit significantly, but in spite of this challenges, company continuing working hard and improving the quality of its products. The results of hard work can be seen from the average of daily production that was 170 thousand barrels of oil and 149 million cubic feet of sales gas in 2009 (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, p 2009). In third quarter of 2010, Exxon Mobil reported that earnings during quarter were $7,350 million, up 55% in comparison with the third quarter in 2009 (Exxon Mobil, 3rd quarter report, p 2010). Company size. The size of the company can be seen from the number of employees and sectors around the world. Exxon Mobil has approximately 80,700 employees in 77 countries (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2010) and also it has 15 operating divisions such as: ExxonMobil Exploration Company ExxonMobil Development Company ExxonMobil Production Company ExxonMobil Gas and Power Marketing Company ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company ExxonMobil Refining and Supply Company SeaRiver Maritime ExxonMobil Fuels Marketing Company ExxonMobil Lubricants Specialties Company ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company ExxonMobil Chemical Company ExxonMobil Information Technology Global Real Estate and Facilities Global Procurement Business Support Centers (Wikipedia, Exxon Mobil, 2010) Company Location. The main center of operations of the company is located at Irving in Texas. The upstream and chemical divisions of Exxon Mobil are at Houston in Texas, while the downstream division is placed in Fairfax in Virginia (Exxon Mobil, 2010). Effect of Economic Environment Economic growth. Economic growth is one the main factors that can affect companys revenue and expenditure. Exxon Mobil Corporation is very influenced by economic conditions in United States. In the third quarter of 2010, economic conditions in USA were slightly high than it was in the second quarter. The Gross Domestic Product rate expended at 2.5 percent and this lead to increasing of product demand of Exxon Mobil (Trading Economics, 2010). Due to higher demand for oil, earnings of company in this district were $7.4 billion, up 55% from third quarter of 2009 (Exxon Mobil Financial and Operating Report, 2009). Income level of population. Population is very important aspect of every industry and its income level have an effect on product prices. For instance, median income of population in the United States for 2009 year was $49,777 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010) and this changed prices for crude oil. In 2009, price for per barrel of oil was about $45.88 (Oil Prices, 2010). However, due to significant changes in economy in 2010 year crude oil price averaged roughly $78 per barrel (Oil prices, 2010) Interest rate. The standard interest rate in the United States was 0.25 percent for 2010 and rate decisions were divided between the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve and the Federal Open Market Committee (Trading economics, 2010). For Exxon Mobil Corporation global oil demand is expected to increase by almost 35% until 2030, which will make huge profits for the company (Exxon Mobil, 2010) 2 Inflation. Inflation rate is also one of the factors that can actively have an effect on product prices. The last report about inflation rate in United States was made in October of 2010 and the rate was 1.2 percent (Trading Economics, 2010). As it can be seen from the table above, the inflation rate is decreasing in United States in 2010 year. These fluctuations can slightly change the price for gasoline. As an example we can look into the history, during The First World War price for gasoline was $0.25 per gallon (Trading Economics, 2010). However, due to inflation rate in 2001 the price of gasoline has averaged about $2.00 per gallon in inflation-adjusted dollars over the last 80 years (Exxon Mobil, 2009). As inflation rate will increasing in the future and also prices for energy will increase, too. 3 Fiscal Policy. One of the governments influences to company is a fiscal policy and this factor has very big influence on companys revenue. From 2005 through 2009, Exxon Mobil Corporation taxes for United States were $63 billion. In 2009, Exxon Mobils tax rate was 47 percent and its tax expenses amounted to $81 billion around the world. It is more than four times of companys earnings. (Exxon Mobil, Taxes, 2010) 4 Exchange rates. Exchange rates help company to trade worldwide. The appreciation and depreciation of currency can be either positive or negative. It depends on economics conditions in particular country. For example, Exxon Mobils effects of exchange rate changes on cash were $520 million in 2009 (Wikinvest, Exxon, 2009). However, corporation makes limited use of currency exchange contracts, futures contracts, product forwards and swaps to mitigate the impact of changes in currency values and product prices. Effect of Industry Environment Petroleum industry. There are about 200 oil companies around the world and totally all of them produced 72.26 million barrels of oil every day in 2009 (Petro Strategies, Inc, 2010). A total product shipment of petroleum annually is about $219 billion, which confirms that the petroleum industry is one of the largest industries. (Petro Strategies, 2010) Exxon Mobil Corporation is one the six major public oil companies in the world. Its competitors are: Chevron Corporation Royal Dutch Shell British Petroleum Total S.A. ConocoPhilips Chevron. The second largest oil and gas company, behind Exxon Mobil in United States is Chevron Corporation. Chevron Corporation or Chevron was known as Standard Oil of California and was established amid the antitrust break up of John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil Company in 1911(Wikinvest, Chevron, 2010). It was included on the Seven Sister list, which was leading the world energy industry in the early 20th century. Chevron operates in 180 countries and has network of gas stations such as Chevron, Texaco and Caltex. The number of employees in 2009 year was approximately 67,000 people worldwide (Wikipedia, Chevron, 2010). In the third quarter of 2010, the earning of company was $3.77 billion, or $1.87 per share. In comparison the earnings of Chevron are two times less than earnings of Exxon Mobil in third quarter which was $7.4 billion (Wikinvest, Chevron, 2010). Royal Dutch Shell. Royal Dutch Shell or commonly known as Shell, is one of the major private sector energy companies in the world. Shell operates in renewable sources of energy including wind solar energy in more than 140 countries. In 2009, Shells profitability was effected by weak demand, high inventory levels and low margins, as a result the profit of company was $9.8 billion for full year and this result was 69% down than 2008 earnings (Wikinvest, Shell, 2010). The headquarters of company located in The Hague, Netherlands and registered offices at the Shell Centre in London, United Kingdom (Wikinvest, Shell, 2010). British Petroleum. According to Forbes Global 2000 list the BPs rank through public companies by their revenue is 10th with $16.68 billion (Forbes, 2010). BP operates in more than 80 countries and produces 3.8 million barrels of oil equivalent per day. It employed 80,300 people in 2009(BP, Annual report, 2009). The major division of BP is BP America and located in Houston, Texas. Company has six main brands such as: BP Castrol Arco Aral Am/pm Wild Bean Cafà © The headquarters of company located in London, United Kingdom (BP, 2010) Total S.A. Total S.A. or formerly known as Total Fina S.A. was formed after World War 1, when Raymond Poincarà © the French Prime Minister rejected the idea being partner with Royal Dutch Shell and gave new idea about creating new French oil company (Wikipedia, Total S.A., 2010). The total assets of company in 2009 were à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬127.8 billion and à ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬8.447 billion of profit (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010). However, in current year Total S.A. is working very hardly. For example, in the third quarter of 2010 the companys earnings were $3.6 billion, in comparison with previous years third quarter the earnings were up 47% (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010). Moreover, in 2010 company is employeing over 96,000 people and operating in more than 130 countries (Wikipedia, Total S.A., 2010). For the third quarter of 2010, Totals net income was $3.6 billion, a 47% increase from the same period in 2009 (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010). ConocoPhilips. The ConocoPhilips also as Exxon Mobil was formed by merge of two companies such as Conoco Inc. and the Philips Petroleum Company on August 30, 2002. It works in all sectors of energy industry and also owns 20% share of Russian oil company LUKOIL (Wikinvest, ConocoPhilips, 2010). Company produces its products under the brands as Philips 66, 76 Unites States Conoco United States Jet Europe and Asia Pacific region ProJet Europe and Asia Pacific region (Wikinvest, ConocoPhilips, 2010) As of 2009, the company had of proved 8.36 billion barrels of oil equivalent reserves and its revenue was $246.182 billion. In the third quarter of 2010, the company increased its profit in contrast with previous years same period up to 8% and earned $3 billion (Wikinvest, ConocoPhilips, 2010) Competitive Advantage of Exxon Mobil Corporation Exxon Mobil Corporation has a number of advantages, which make it leader. Exxon Mobil operates in the major areas of petroleum such as North America, Europe, West Africa, the Middle East, and Asia Pacific. Exxon Mobil has the largest Exploration and Production portfolio, which makes easy to company to choose investments and political risks Exxon Mobil has technological advances which allow developing resources as tight gas, natural gas and heavy oil. (Wikinvest, Exxon, 2010) Competitive Advantage of Competitors Chevron Corporations progressive and various workforces are major advantages of company which allow surviving in marketplace.(Wikinvest, Chevron,2010) Royal Dutch Shell is a leading in industry because of its high performance and cleaner fuels. (Shell, Annual report, 2009) Providing pure ethanoic acid with low cost and approachable service for customers are the major advantages of British Petroleum Company. (BP, Annual report, 2010) Total S.A. operates with many western oil companies and has the largest reserves in Africa and the Middle East. In addition, Total S.A. is one of the few companies which have operations in Iran. (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010) Competitive advantage of ConocoPhilips lies on its heavier and more acidic crude oil and on providing clean product yields. (Conoco Philips, 2010) Effect of Political and Legal Environment Political Environment As Exxon Mobil operates in about 118 countries, there are many restrictions and advantages in law that can effect on company. Restrictions. Some of the countries, where Exxon Mobil Corporation has its stations, limit energy sources or can situate company in unavailable places from resources. Moreover, some countries restrict the import or export of products based on point of source. Hence, these situations make difficulties for company and this leads to declining of demand and increasing of product prices. For the solution, the company should be ready for every change in law or should avoid countries with regulations that have huge impact on business. (Exxon Mobil, Politic, 2010) Advantages. A number of advantages, which help company to work, are very little. For example, in some countries, there are low taxes for oil industry, which can lead to enormous earnings of Exxon Mobil. Also, governments can provide financial support to search alternative energy sources and nowadays, through sponsorship of The Global Climate and Energy Project at Stanford University Exxon Mobil making research into hydrogen fuel cells and fuel-producing algae. (Exxon Mobil, Politic, 2010) Legal Environment Business competition. As Exxon Mobil is a United States company there are certain countries which prohibits the doing business for U.S. companies. As an example we can take the Islamic republic of Iran. Iran has large reserves of oil, but in this country there are no Exxon Mobil stations and this leads to competitive advantage for non-U.S. companies such as Total S.A. Total S.A. is an only company from six supermajors which has stations in Iran. (Wikinvest, Total S.A., 2010) Labor Market. Exxon Mobil makes every possible comfort to its employees. As it employs more than 80,000 people, all employees are governed by companys Standards of Business Conduct. According to Standards of Business Conduct, it is strictly prohibited to discriminate employees, suppliers or customer in any area of Exxon Mobil Corporation. Furthermore, all employees are provided with a competitive package by company, which is based on the legal regulations and culture of other countries. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2010) Consumer needs. Nowadays, all of suppliers are trying to produce most needed products in market they operate. In contrast, United States use much more gasoline than Europe or Asia. Hence, the producer in U.S. can produce and sell its products twice more than others. In addition, it is very difficult to satisfy consumer needs, because of high demand for premium gasoline. Nevertheless, Exxon Mobil is trying to do fuel better and employ expert chemical engineers, in order to satisfy all needs of consumers and increase demand for its products. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Environmental Legislation Environmental legislation is one of the most significant aspects of every oil company in the world. As oil companies use natural energy resources to produce their products, simultaneously they pollute environment. For example, fossil fuel is very efficient energy, but it is heavy polluter and also, there are number of sources which cause greenhouse gas. If company will try to make these damages less, it should increase costs for energy. So, to avoid such complex situations, every year company pays for U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. In 2009, Exxon Mobils payments for environmental liabilities were $504 million. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Effect of Socio-cultural environment Culture is an important part of nation or country. Every company which operates internationally should respect traditions of its partners and should avoid cultural problems which could face during its operations. One of the greatest affect of Exxon Mobil Corporation for United States nation was Exxon Valdez Oil spill in 1989. (Exxon Mobil, 2010) The Exxon Valdez tanker was built by National Steel and Shipbuilding Company in San Diego, California. It was 301 meters long, 50 meters wide and 26 meters depths. The tankers could transfer up to 1.48 million barrels of oil with the speed 30 km/h and also it was located in Alaska. However, the Exxon Valdez faced huge oil spill on 24th of March, 1989 and this event was listed as a 54th largest oil spill in history. (Wikinvest, Valdez, 2010) The tragic accident damaged much historical and archeological significance, that were important to population and also for future generation of country. However, after cleaning up oil spill, the most of places were not renewable. There was impact on health of subpopulation of Alaska. It caused many disasters such as radiation syndrome, stochastic and genetic health effects. (George Pararas-Carayannis, 2007) Exxon Valdez had also influenced on social environment of people. As oil spill began at the beginning of fishing season, it caused impact on ecosystem of city. Major of earnings for population were coming from fishing. As a result, people were threatened by the spill and they experienced high level of depression during accident. The situation with Exxon Valdez tanker was big experience for Alaskan Natives. Exxon made great effort to clean up oil spill and it cost for company $4.3 billion (George Pararas-Carayannis, 2007). Despite efforts 250,000 barrels of oil were lost. In 1992, with help of U.S. Coast Guard the spill was completed (Exxon Mobil, Valdez, 2010). Nowadays, Exxon Mobil Corporation created exact strategies to prevent oil spills. For example, he has: Modern modified tankers Drug testing programs Trainings for pilots and captains In addition, if problems occur company has thousand of employees, fast working response centers at many locations around the world. The Corporation is operating very well and making great job to prevent any social or cultural accidents which could cause many damages and loses for company. (Exxon Mobil, Corporate Citizenship report, 2010) Effect of Ethical Environment Every company should follow its ethical standards with attitude to stakeholders. Doing unethical business with them can significantly effect on companys reputation. In order to be successful Exxon Mobil Corporation has its Code of Ethics, which help to work with stakeholders. Exxon Mobils stakeholders are: Government Community Shareholders Customers Employees Government. Exxon Mobil has exploration and production operations in 39 countries. Its unethical attitude to government can be shown with pursuing the countrys laws and regulations. As Exxon Mobil is one of the main polluters of environment, also its unethical approach to government can be environmental issues. However, Exxon Mobil has specific strategies to avoid unethical business. For instance, we can take the carbon capture and storage. In April 2009, company signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Australian government and become member of the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute. It means that company values the Australian governments worries about environment and wants to continue partnership with Australia. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Community. Unethical behavior against the community can be displayed in delivering irrelevant information about operations of company. Companies should avoid losing trust of community. As Exxon Mobil Corporation understands the role of community and every year it organizes sessions for communities, NGOs, government officials, in order to provide better understanding about companys operations and investments. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Shareholders. People who did some investment into company are shareholders. In my opinion, unethical decision alongside shareholders could lead to losing of money. Therefore, it would be better constantly informing investors about companys operations. In 2009, Exxon Mobil held 40 meetings with institutional investors and investment groups to discuss political contributions, companys risks and other issues which are connected with Exxon Mobil Corporation. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Customers. Millions of customers purchase fuels at Exxon Mobils stations everyday. Customer and ethics in oil industry are connected with customers demand for quality of fuels and also with its price. If company sells premium fuels which worth its price, customers needs will be satisfied and which can lead to good profit and high demand. In addition, to understand the future demand of customer, Exxon Mobil is creating a line of advanced oils and greases that will improve productivity and promote longer equipment life. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Employees. Bad work conditions, violation and low salary can be listed as an example of unethical behavior against employees. However, for company which violates to its employees this can lead to many problems such as job strikes, losing employees. Avoiding such problems, Exxon Mobil has its Standards of Business Conduct. According to standards, company should provide good condition for employees and also employees should be in ethical behavior into their activities and laws of corporation. Moreover, company annually requires employees to read Standards of Business Conduct and provides detailed trainings about ethics policy to all employees. (Exxon Mobil, Stakeholders, 2010) Effect of Technological Environment Being up-to-date with technology helps every business in many ways. As for oil and gas industry technological advancements lead to finding new sources which are located in very challenging environments such as Arctic regions, deepwater, heavy oil sands. Exxon Mobil Corporation has established fundamental research to enlarge advantaged technologies for all its businesses. Upstream technology. Exxon Mobil has the latest version of 3-D technology. To find remaining hydrocarbon reserves Exxon Mobil uses advances in 3-D seismic imaging, which provides more accurate representations of structure in complex areas. As a result, with the help of seismic mapping employees of company could see exact images of land structure and they would be able to reduce risk in exploration and production operations. In the future, Exxon Mobil is going to set new technology called Controlled Freeze Zone (CFZ) which has a prospective to permit economic development of gas resources challenged by carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen sulfide (H2C). (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Downstream technology. As diesel demand is projected to increase from 2009 to 2030 worldwide, Exxon Mobil Corporation is working with new technologies which are aimed to improve the flexibility of refinery and which can to response to rapidly increase of product demand. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Chemical technology. The developing in chemical technology gives great opportunity for a competitive advantage of Exxon Mobil. The company thoroughly improves using advanced processes and catalyst technologies to give efficient energy and increased asset utilization. (Exxon Mobil, Annual report, 2009) Moreover, Exxon Mobil is a partner with Apple Company and on November of 2010, Exxon Mobil introduced Exxon Mobil Fuel Finder iPhone and iPod touch applications which helps to drivers worldwide to find locations of Exxon or Esso stations. In the future, it would be better for Exxon Mobil constantly update its technologies (Exxon Mobil, 2010). For example, it can replace its 3-D seismic imaging to 4-D, as it was said that Exxon Mobil uses 3-D seismic imaging in order to get images of land structure.

Urban Legend of Car Headlights Essay -- Urban Legends

Lights Out In preparation for this writing assignment, I interviewed about 15 students at the University to collect their urban legends. One legend, often called â€Å"Lights Out,† was mentioned by just about all of the students I interviewed. Those who did not mention it on their own recognized it when I described it. I interviewed a 19-year-old male sophomore who anticipates getting into the School of Business. He transferred from Community College this past fall, and currently lives with a relative in a nearby off-campus home. He went to a small Catholic high school. He recalls first hearing this legend early in high school, probably between freshman and sophomore year. After telling him the purpose of the interview, I began the conversation by asking if he knew any urban legends, to which he replied: Ummm, maybe (pensive)†¦ you mean like the gang killer story? (looks excited)... It’s something like, (change to more serious tone) if you see a car driving on the road, coming toward you with no headlights on, and you flash your headlights at them, they will turn around and chase you down and kill you†¦ I think gangs really do that though (slight smile), so I guess it’s a non-urban legend. He told me the story rather quickly, but in an uncharacteristically serious tone, and maintained eye contact during the performance. The story he told is not really very long or involved with characters and exact places, but I interpret that as an element that makes the story more likely to circulate, since the lack of specificity implies it could happen to anyone, anywhere. Normally, this individual cannot say a single sentence without laughing, joking, or including some kind of sarcasm, but his tone while he quickly reviewed this ... ...ecause those who do get screwed.† It could mean that people who worry about the safety of others instead of their own are at the greatest risk. Works Cited Armstrong, David. (1994, January 23). "Police label gang story a hoax; Rumors of motorists killed in initiation rite spread from coast to coast." The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 7, 2006 from LexisNexis; keyword â€Å"gang headlights legend.† Emery, David. â€Å"Flash Your Headlights and Die!, Netlore Archive: Resurgence of a terrifying urban legend about aspiring gang members opening fire on oncoming drivers who innocently flashed their headlights† (10 paragraphs). Retrieved April 7, 2006 from http://www.urbanlegends.about.com/library/blbyol.htm. Mikkelson, Barbara. (2005, October 29). â€Å"Lights Out!† (31 paragraphs). Retrieved April 7, 2006 from http://www.snopes.com/horrors/madmen/lightsout.asp.

Negative Effects of Divorce on Children Essay

In today’s society, there are an increasing number of social ills and stigmas that follow the family unit. One of the most prevailing detriments to the family structure is that of parental divorce. Divorce can be one of the most difficult transitions for any family to go through; it can have lasting effects on both parents, as well as children in the teenage years. However, one of the greatest impairments can be to school aged children. In the Bahamian society, this fact of divorce has not changed. Most couples who are married and starting families can run into problems that can be irreconcilable; and in that case, divorce may seem like the only option for the couple. Constance Ahrons states, â€Å"†¦ the reality is that 43 percent of first marriages will end in divorce† (pg. 7). This may leave children to become adjusted to seeing their parents be with other people and with a lot of unanswered questions. In most cases, parents may choose to re-marry and this could spawn contention between the kids and the step-parents. Most times, kids who have parents who are going through a divorce may have to deal with coping to new changes, behavioural issues, and academic problems. First, one of the reasons that divorce can be extremely hard on children is because it may force them to deal with many sudden changes in their lives. Depending on the situation, these changes can range from alterations in living arrangements to changing schools. One of the most common changes that can happen after parents are divorced is that they can begin to have hostility towards one another and the children get caught between the  fighting; in this scenario, the child is put at risk. Kendra Randall Jolivet states, â€Å"More specifically inter-parental conflicts concerning child-related issues, such as custody, child support, and child rearing practices have been closely associated with child adjustment problems† (pg. 175). Continually, she states that divorces with a lot of infighting between parents â€Å"doubles the rate of behavioural and emotional adjustment problems† (pg. 176). Another problematic scenario that can rise from divorce is the matter of children constantly having to move from household to household to spend time with each respective parent. In some instances, this can be very manageable and as a result, the child may adjust to the constant movement rather quickly; however, if this is not the case and one or both parents decides upon taking sole custody of the child, this can lead to other problems. In her book, We’re Still Family, Constance Ahrons quotes a child who having gone through that particular situation said that: Although sometimes the going back and forth was a hassle, what really upset me was how my parents kept fighting about whether I spent more time with one of them than the other one. It made me feel like it wasn’t really the time with me that mattered, it was only whether one of them won the tug of war. (pg. 67) Situations like these can have adverse effects on children and cause them to be at greater risk of having lasting after effects. Furthermore, some effects may not end in childhood but can also be taken into adulthood. Sandford M. Portnoy states, â€Å"Evidence suggested that these negative effects lasted into adulthood† (pg. 126). In the attempt to cope with the changes in their family structure being unsuccessful, some kids may be at risk of â€Å"lower measures of academic success, conduct, psychological adjustment, social competence, and health† (Portnoy, pg. 126). This can also result in children having negative views of social concepts such as love, family and marriage. Second, for most children, parental divorce can be a very traumatic experience; one which even after resolved can have emotional and behavioural side effects. Molepo, Sodi and Maunganidze states, â€Å"Younger children show a  greater sense of self-blame, acting-out behaviours and regression. They may express more feelings of rejection and abandonment† (pg. 251). In many cases, the age of the child at the time of divorce can play a very critical role in how children deal with the stress of divorce. Molepo et al. states, â€Å"Older children express intense anger towards the parent perceived to carry the responsibility for the divorce† (pg. 251). Continually, children may not only act out at home but also at school with their teachers and peers as well. Steven R. Rose states that, â€Å"Children of divorce are more likely than other children to be engaged in conflict in school systems† (pg. 89). Furthermore, the effects of the divorce may differ based on the sex of the child. For instance, boy may be prone to aggression, violence, criminal tendencies and delinquency whereas girls may be prone to skipping school, ducking classes, sexual promiscuity, running away and acting out (Jolivet, pg. 177). Jolivet also states that children may also have: A tendency toward lower rates of education, early marriage, living together before marriage, and a group of behaviours which can be described as: lower commitment to marriage, infidelity, problems with anger management, feelings of insecurity, neediness, demandingness, denial and blame, contempt, and poor conflict resolution skills, higher levels of depression, and more problems with peers. (pg. 177) Children who do not cope with their parent’s divorce properly can be affected so much that they can take these same problems into their adult life. Children who struggle with feelings such as these may grow up to be adults in society who have marriage problems as well and have to go through a divorce themselves. Furthermore, children who do not cope properly with divorce can mature into teenagers or adolescents who are violent and aggressive and increase the crime rate in the country or who increase the rate of teen pregnancies and high school dropouts. Third, children of divorce can be affected in the area of school work and academic studies. In some instances, children of divorced parents can be negatively affected in academic and social adjustments. Rose also states that, â€Å"Children of divorce have more school attendance difficulties and higher dropout rates, more difficulties in social interaction, classroom conduct that interferes with performance and have a greater number of learning disorders than other children† (pg. 88). Furthermore, because of family problems, children may end up becoming introverted and internalizing many of their problems and feelings; however, this can also be reversed whereas kids may decide to externalize their problems and act out or disrupt other students from learning. Rose also states that, â€Å"Children and adolescents who are distracted from learning in school, because of their cognitive and emotional responses to family events, are less likely to achieve satisfactorily than other youngsters† (pg. 89). Children of divorce who have problems focusing on their studies or behaving in school can result in an increased number of students who fail national exams and are forced to repeat or students who grow up to be bullies. Moreover, it can increase the number of persons who drop out of school and don’t go to college or does not finish college. Conclusively, in the Bahamian society, children who have gone through a situation of parental divorce or have been through a situation of parental divorce may have warped views of family, love and marriage. Furthermore, they may have problems coping with difficult or stressful situations, behavioural issues or academic problems. These kids can grow up to become members of society that join the percentage of failed marriages, or couples with domestic issues. They may also develop or mature into young adults who could positively or negatively affect the statistics in the country concerning education, crime, teen pregnancy and other such sensitive social topics. Children of divorce are at an even higher risk for a plethora of social ills and can reproduce the same actions and behaviours in their own children if they are not careful. In most of these cases, the children are not directly involved in their parents’ divorce but due to circumstances and factors such as age, they can start to feel responsible for their parents’ actions and then blame themselves for splitting up the family. All of these possibilities may be the result of one simple action: divorce.

German Expressionism Essay

German expressionism is one of the most fundamental movements of early cinema. With its basic foundation stemming from the creation of the Universum Film AG in 1917 by the German government, expressionism found a happy home in Germany until, arguably the late 1920s (Wolf). Expressionism changed the canvas of cinema with its technical innovations as well as its impact on Hollywood, not only with its borrowing of ideas, but with the emigration of German actors, writers, and directors to Hollywood, such as Murnau and his creation of Sunrise (Welsh, 98). American films at the same time as this movement in Germany were based in realism, with very distinct ideas of good and bad, comedy, and aesthetics. German film was seen as highly compound, with thick, perplexing stories that were more solicitous instead of being superficial. The notable works from this movement have been time tested references to the rise of cinema, and have been looked upon for reference in film genres in later years not only because of the innovation and place in history, but also for the overt artistic styling that has been difficult to match since. It seems as though German cinema, almost all together must be discussed in its own category. Just as French cinema, historically speaking, Germany has seemed to keep at least a somewhat independent cinema culture from that of Hollywood and its beginnings are either independent from Hollywood or influencing for the most part. Although its beginnings were earlier, â€Å"†¦the period roughly between 1897 and 1908, motion pictures in Germany had graduated from a side-show novelty to a fast developing form, if not of art, then certainly of popular entertainment† (Figge, 308). By 1909, however, hundreds of new cinemas were offering longer and more cohesive programs†, which laid the groundwork for the progressive technical explosion that was the Expressionist movement (Figgins, 308). Germany reached a height in silent cinema in the 1920s, the time after World War I (Wexman 38). This was a national time of crisis with most of the culpability of the Great War being put on Germany not only politically, but more enduringly and impactfully, economically; this created discord in the sociopolitical environment. Due to such social upheaval, film as seen as an expression of â€Å"counter activity† to the state of affairs in Germany (Wexman, 38). German expressionism is one of the more major film movements which helped mold the face of early cinema, and has had enduring impacts on the horror genre, film noir and is even seen trickling into modern day cinema. The innovations that came along with this movement are astounding, especially given the modicum of improvement in physical film itself, which one could argue, were brought about by the mass creative and artistic movement expressionism fundamentally is. Some of these technical aspects include a highly subjective and dynamic camera, design innovations including staging and set designs, and being the first movement to actually implement scripting of films (Dilman). Telltale signs of expressionism are the use of backlighting to create a sense of dimensionality and montage, and splicing the film together to make the story be more seamless and continuous, which was also a style used by the Soviet film movement (Figge, 313). Some of the indications of expressionism seem to be the anti-heroism, the complex philosophical and psychological plots and primarily urban settings. The scenes are intentionally shot to look staged, creating an alternate reality on screen with its highly geometric scapes, tilted stages, clashing vertical and horizontal lines and overshadowing. Indeed as Warm said, Expressionist film is art come to life (Wexman). Historical and mythological themes are very telling of this movement, as are abstract story lines that seem philosophically or psychologically provoking, fantastic ideas, and â€Å"careful visual patterns† (Wexman 40). Mythology obviously had an influence on Metropolis, as the machine in the film turns from robot into a pagan god, demanding the sacrifice of the workers. This constructs the notion that the machine is more important than the lives of the machinists, the way urban culture existed in the moment, machine is more important than man; progress is the most important idea in society, replacing a sense of community and order of nature. This idea of a crisis of modernity influenced many films in Germany throughout the 1920s. The idea of urban life being pitted against rural life is the subject of Sunrise, giving the audience the choice between the naive and desirable maternal figure in opposition to the fast, dark, evil â€Å"Vamp† woman from the city, embodying urban culture and its certain destruction of current livelihood. This again reiterates the theme of the unavoidable but unwanted nature of modern, urban life in opposition to the much-desired rural, complacently comfortable setting that was more trusting. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari is seen as the height of expressionism (Welsh, 98). Without exaggerating, it is impossible to discuss expressionism without discussing Caligari, not just for the film advancements, but because it seems to be one of the most artistically set films of the time as well as being one of the truly first expressionist films to be made (although it is not the first), Caligari was, in an important sense, a blind alley for German films of this period, because it sought its identity outside the inherent possibilities of the film medium. In spite of the use of irises, medium shots, and crosscutting, it remains essentially theatrical†¦The point is significant, because at this time the question was being asked, ‘What can the movies do that the theatre can not do? ’ Caligari provided no clear answer to this challenge. (Figgins, 310-311) All of the characters are highly psychological, some being downright neurotic. This can be evidenced by the blurring of the lines of good and evil, the questioning of sanity and the feeling of helplessness of the main characters in the film, most notably, the Somnambulist who has absolutely no control over his doing. By being out of control, he can be seen as evading all of his worldly responsibilities, one can excuse his behavior (read: murdering of innocent townspeople) because it is not he who has the intention, but rather is being compelled into this anti-social behavior. With this in mind, it is easy to see expressionism being a symptomatic artistic release, emerging out of a post-war world turned upside down, where one must question their morals due to justification of war (especially because Germany was involved with unrestricted submarine warfare during World War I), and coming to terms with shouldering the majority of the responsibility for the casualties. Themes of expressionism carried over into Hollywood’s birth of the American horror genre of the 1930s, with it’s expressionist camera angles, movements, overly dramatic makeup and lighting, fantastic subjects and the feeling of chaos, a sense that the world in spinning out of control. Many of these themes have seemed to have lasting impacts, and were characteristic of many Alfred Hitchcock films. While Hitchcock favored tight scenes, he still preferred to give the audience a sense of unease with his camera movements, creatures, and most definitely, chaos. However, it is certain that Hitchcock is more characteristically modernist, with his angles and restoration of the disharmony of his films. Film Noir is another genre that seemingly stemmed out of expressionism. The use of stark contrasts of shadows and the obscurity of faces and landscapes is showing of expressionist qualities. The disorientation brought on by the camera direction style also echoes the disorientation, which was popular in the movement. The protagonists seem to be flawed, which is also a mirrored quality, exemplified by the main character in Sunrise, who has no issue initially with his infidelity or thoughts of murdering his wife to be able to be with the Vamp from the city. The urban settings of Noir films also seem to be reminiscent of German film themes of the 1920s (Naremore 12, 26). In fact, one might argue that Film Noir is basically expressionism revisited, keeping in line with most of the expressionist qualities, save the more stark landscapes and police themed-ness of the melodramas. Modern day directors still use themes and techniques associated with the Expressionist movement. Most notably and obviously would be the ever famous Tim Burton, where commonalities and homage exist heavily. For instance, it can be argued that Gotham City in Burton’s creation of Batman was modeled after the city in Metropolis, and his theme of the corrupt city is reminiscent of Sunrise. It is hard not to see the similarities of the character Edward from Edward Scissorhands and the somnambulist from The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari from the inception of the character on the screen, in the major aspects. Most likely, expressionism will seep into cinema either subtly or overtly for many years to come. German expressionism can be seen as being the influencer of genres, groundbreaking creator of overly artistic production, and arguably the art of horror film. This movement itself has helped spawn the rise of other genres and movements, and has been looked upon for stylistic and creative (admittedly sometimes hyper-creative) reference in film genres in later years due to the innovation and canvas that was created in service of the period. Indeed, German expressionism is a major film movement which helped mold the face of early cinema, but one cannot contain the ideas and art that came from this movement into the years of the 1920s and 1930s as the impact it left is seen in many later genres and generations, the horror genre, film noir and modern day cinema.

Tips for Moving Back in With Your Parents After College

Tips for Moving Back in With Your Parents After College Sure, moving back in with your parents may not have been your first choice for what to do after you graduated from college. Many people, however, move back in with their folks for a wide range of reasons. No matter why youre doing it, there are some steps you can take to make the situation easier for everyone. Set Reasonable Expectations True, you may have been able to come and go as you please, leave your room a disaster, and have a new guest over every night while you were in the residence halls, but this arrangement may not work for your folks. Set some reasonable expectations - for everyone involved - before you even step through the door. Set Some Ground Rules Alright, you may have to have a curfew so your poor mother doesnt think something terrible has happened to you if youre not home by 4:00 in the morning - but your mom also needs to understand that she cant just barge into your room without any notice. Set some ground rules as soon as possible to make sure everyone is clear on how things will work. Expect a combination of a roommate relationship and a parent/kid relationship. Yes, youve had roommates for the past several years, and you may view your parents as similar to them. Your parents, however, will always view you as their child. Do your best to keep this in mind as you figure out how things will work once you move back in. Sure, it seems ridiculous for a roommate to want to know where youre going every night. But your parents probably have a legitimate right to ask. Set a Time Frame Do you just need someplace to crash between when you graduate from college and when you start graduate school in the fall? Or do you need somewhere to live until you can save enough money on your own to get your own place? Talk about how long you plan on staying - 3 months, 6 months, 1 year - and then check back in with your parents once that time frame is up. Discuss Money, No Matter How Awkward No one really likes to talk about money. But addressing the topic with your parents - how much youll pay in rent, for food, to get back on their health insurance plan, or if the car youve been borrowing needs more gas - will help prevent a ton of problems later. Have Your Own Support Networks Ready to Go After living on your own or in the residence halls during college, living with your parents can become very isolating. Do your best to have systems in place that provide you with an outlet and support network that is separate from your parents. The Relationship Is Give and Take - Both Ways Yes, your parents are letting you stay at their place, and yes, you may pay rent to do so. But are there other ways you can help, especially if money is tight for everyone? Can you help around the house - with yard work, fix-it projects, or technical support for the computers they can never get to work right - in ways that will make your living relationship much more symbiotic? The Person Who Moves Back Is Not the Same Person Who Left Your parents may have a very specific - and outdated - idea of who is moving back in with them. Take a deep breath and do your best to remind them that, while you left the house as an 18-year-old college freshman, you are now returning as a 22-year-old, college-educated adult. Now Is the Time to Build Your Own Life - Not Pause It Just because you are at your parents place, waiting until you can move out on your own, doesnt mean your life is on pause. Volunteer, date, explore new things  and do your best to continue learning and growing instead of just waiting for your first opportunity to move on to somewhere else. Enjoy Yourself This may seem completely unthinkable if moving back in with your folks was the last thing you wanted to do. However, living at home can be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to finally learn your moms secret fried chicken recipe and your dads amazing way with woodworking tools. Live it up and take in as much as you can.

Free Essays on J.F.K

J.F.K. Assassination If Lee Harvey Oswald killed J.F.K. and it wasn’t a conspiracy, then why is the government still withholding reports done on the assassination from the public’s eyes, in the FBI’s possession? President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 on November 22. He was elected president in 1961. First he was a senator. Then he went straight from Capitol Hill to the White House. Robert Kennedy was attorney general and was J. F. K.'s brother. He was head of the investigation of the assassination after Kennedy was killed. Both Robert and J. F. K. knew that people wanted to kill them. J. F. K. didn’t worry about it. Robert thought it would have been him to get killed first, not his brother. Robert encouraged his brother to sign three anti-crime bills. The bills targeted organized crime. They were used to stop gambling or at least crack down on it. The government didn’t approve of the crack down on the mob that was in America. Teddy Kennedy loved busting the Mafia. People like Jimmy Hoffa. Even Frank Sinatra became close friends with Teddy, even made trips to the White House. After the assassination Robert carried on the bills and got killed also. In 1962 Cuba was known to have missiles from the Soviet Union in Cuba. They thought Cuba or the Soviet Union would make a nuclear strike. Accused of helping the soviet union wage war on the U.S., enemies were made. Neither the FBI nor the CIA approved of getting into the Vietnam War. They didn’t approve of any of the president’s decisions. There were three shots, even a possible four. Some people think that the last shot was one from an agent’s gun going off into J.F.K.’s head after reacting to the shots. The first shot missed. The second shot hit J.F.K.’s shoulder, back, and throat; and Connally’s shoulder, wrist, and leg. But how could one bullet travel with that much force to go through all of that flesh? The third shot was fatal to... Free Essays on J.F.K Free Essays on J.F.K J.F.K. Assassination If Lee Harvey Oswald killed J.F.K. and it wasn’t a conspiracy, then why is the government still withholding reports done on the assassination from the public’s eyes, in the FBI’s possession? President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963 on November 22. He was elected president in 1961. First he was a senator. Then he went straight from Capitol Hill to the White House. Robert Kennedy was attorney general and was J. F. K.'s brother. He was head of the investigation of the assassination after Kennedy was killed. Both Robert and J. F. K. knew that people wanted to kill them. J. F. K. didn’t worry about it. Robert thought it would have been him to get killed first, not his brother. Robert encouraged his brother to sign three anti-crime bills. The bills targeted organized crime. They were used to stop gambling or at least crack down on it. The government didn’t approve of the crack down on the mob that was in America. Teddy Kennedy loved busting the Mafia. People like Jimmy Hoffa. Even Frank Sinatra became close friends with Teddy, even made trips to the White House. After the assassination Robert carried on the bills and got killed also. In 1962 Cuba was known to have missiles from the Soviet Union in Cuba. They thought Cuba or the Soviet Union would make a nuclear strike. Accused of helping the soviet union wage war on the U.S., enemies were made. Neither the FBI nor the CIA approved of getting into the Vietnam War. They didn’t approve of any of the president’s decisions. There were three shots, even a possible four. Some people think that the last shot was one from an agent’s gun going off into J.F.K.’s head after reacting to the shots. The first shot missed. The second shot hit J.F.K.’s shoulder, back, and throat; and Connally’s shoulder, wrist, and leg. But how could one bullet travel with that much force to go through all of that flesh? The third shot was fatal to...

Attractions Of Jaipur Tourism Essay

Attractions Of Jaipur Tourism Essay Jaipur, ‘The Pink City’ is a major tourist centre of the country. The city is packed with many attractions like beautiful and glorious forts, world famous theatres, gorgeous temples and many more. As a tourist you will be awestruck with the beauty of the monuments in the city. Flamboyant and vivacious bazaars bustle with attractive stuff. Jaipur is legendary for its gemstone and gold jewelry work, fabrics, and ‘jutis or mozaries’ (traditional footwear) that possess quality are surely a cache for the shoppers. An opportunity to take along ‘the glory of the city’ as a souvenir of the visit is so amazing. You will wish to revisit the city to explore its beauty and intrigue to the fullest. Feel the grandeur of the Maharajas who lived in such magnificent forts and palaces Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II invoked the artisans from all over the world and facilitated them with all the things they required, to help in creating the exotic city of beautiful ar chitecture as Jaipur. Today, Jaipur is a hub for rich wedding destinations. Royal weddings are organized here. Exquisite destinations are specially designed for marriages, and offer an experience of one of its kind. Jaipur’s forts, monuments, and museums can be read about further. The temple of Sun God at Galta, Amber fort,Vidyadhar’s Garden, City palace, Sisodia Rani Palace, and Sanganer are some of the exquisite attractions that city comprises. AMBER FORT Distance from the city center: 10km Built in: 1592 Charges: Admission: Citizen INR 10/ Foreigner: INR 50 Photography charges: Citizen/foreigner: Rs 40/25 Video charges: Citizen/foreigner: Rs 100/150 but it includes all the three charges (entrance, still camera and video camera fee). Timings: 1000 to 1600 hours Specialty: Sheesh Mahal, Diwan-e-am CITY PALACE Distance from the city center: Situated at city center Built in: 19th century Charges: Indians Rs. 35.00 and for foreigners Rs.150.00 inclusive of entry to Jaiga rh fort Timings: 930 to 1645 hrs. Specialty: Temple, Chandra Mahal, Govind Devji, Diwan-e-am NAHARGARH FORT Distance from city center: 15 km Built in: 1734 Charges: Rs. 15 for Indians, Rs. 20 for Foreigners, 30/70 for Camera/Video Entrance Fees for Indian Citizen Rs. 10.00, Foreign Citizen Rs. 80.00, Indian Students Rs. 2.00, Vehicle Entrance Fees (Bus charges Rs. 100.00 Gypsy/Car/Jeep/Mini Bus Rs. 65.00 and Motorized two wheeler Rs.10.00 Timings: 1000 to 1700 hrs Specialty: Madhavendra Bhawan, city view from top of the fort. JAI GARH FORT Distance from the city center: 15 km Built in: 1726 Charges: Rs. 15.00 for Indians & Rs. 20.00 for foreigners Timings: 1000 to 1845 hrs Specialty: Collection of Ammunition, Worlds largest Canon FORTS The Maharajas and their royal families, the palaces where they lived are so exquisite that today, the city has become popular because of them. Initially, the foundation of the city was placed by Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh II, the founder and the ruler. Amber fort was designed keeping in view his desires. He established his kingdom powerfully which effected the augmentation of the city. However, Jaipur was born as a place for the growing population and was made the capital. The ruler planned the architecture of the city majorly considering the security of the city. The lavish palace for the residence of the king was built ‘The City Palace’ and the rest is history. The famous forts of the city have been enlightened further.

Analysing the Importance of Multiculturalism in Present Day Workplaces Essay

Analysing the Importance of Multiculturalism in Present Day Workplaces - Essay Example According to the report  workplace diversity is a strategic management approach focussing on people and their similarities and differences with respect to an organization. The melting point theory proclaims of multiculturalism initiatives in aiming to perceive integration and inclusion of separate groups in order to enhance productivity. With respect to a typical workplace, the issues of gender, class, age, ethnicity, physical and mental ability, sexual orientation, spirituality and public assistance. Other than population growth, diversity gives an invaluable opportunity to increase competitiveness.This paper declares that the concept is not new and it is regarded as an ongoing process to bring organizations, communities and society into an inclusive, wholesome and a fully culturally entity. Griffin postulated that workforce diversity to b mostly related to the similarities and differences among employees in an organization.   The boundaries of management discipline has expanded nowadays and in order to build more competitive organizations, all policies and practices in the prevailing constituency need to be considered for analytically reflecting on an organizational work-force diversity.  In the 21st century, active citizenship deals with a culturally sensitive consciousness and global orientation to towards progressive growth. With respect to a company and its benefits, diversity is unavoidable and is an essential business concern.

Increasing numbers of criminal defendants who are involved with Essay

Increasing numbers of criminal defendants who are involved with illegal narcotics or have mental-health issues or both - Essay Example 178-190). Forced trading of illegal drugs among kids from poor backgrounds in the long-run psychologically affects them. The negative pressure exerted on the young boys in the poor communities force them to grow up stressed. In the long-run, they get into a state of depression or even end up psychologically disturbed. The topic of drugs is delicate but also unmentioned. As a result, there are more young people getting lured into the drugs trade. When more individuals get into the trade, its distribution gets broader (Petrila 5-11). Drug abuse with time has become a menace that needs close attention. The main users being innocent teenagers who got lured by peers suffer the consequences of engaging with the wrong peers. The law enforcement agencies in the past have punished these young criminals carelessly. Hence, the resulting outcome becomes recurrent crime and drug abuse. The young boys, mainly have had to engage in further criminal activities because their reputation has become questionable, and no one is willing to employ them. The drug cartels operating in poor neighborhoods have taken the advantage of the confused youths to lure them further into illegal forms of trade. In the past decades, the biggest percentage of the criminals engaging in illegal trade of drugs were male, but in recent years the percentage of girls or females have kept increasing (Stojkovic 163-179). Drug abuse among teenage girls has increased considerably. It has become the case because more girls have started consuming drugs. Most of the girls who consume narcotics come from poor backgrounds, and they also engage in prostitution. The consumption of narcotics also has caused an increase in crime. When an individual gets to consume narcotics, he or she becomes uncontrollable and may end up committing a crime unaware. Most of the time, the drugs mess up the mental status of an individual causing them to act abnormally in their

Outsourcing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 1

Outsourcing - Term Paper Example focus more on core competences, allows organization to provide products and services to consumers on much cheaper rate, it allows best utilization of time and factors of production, and with activities it also transfers the risk attached to those activities. With advantages, outsourcing has some disadvantages as well, which includes Increase in unemployment in outsourcing country, it often eradicates direct communication between an organization and its clients which hinders organization to build strong relationship with employees, it rises the risk of losing control over operations, it makes the sensitive information vulnerable as chances of leakage of information increases with outsourcing, and it makes organizations largely dependent upon the outsourced partner (Bettis, Bradley, & Hamel, 1992). There are number reasons which explain why organizations outsource their functions and business processes, one of the basic and major reasons is that it saves money and allows organization to pool that money in more productive activity There are many things which companies consider while looking to outsource as the success of outsourcing such as, Companies’ capability to manage in mobile locations; Companies’ capacities to expand and to build outsource partnerships, and companies’ skills and abilities to what to produce and not to produce while being competitive in the market (Boudreaux, 2008). There are number of exogenous factors which also need to be considered by companies while looking for outsourcing, which are Political stability of a country where function or process is outsourced, Language skills of outsourced partner, Infrastructure stability of outsourced partner, and flexibility of intellectual property rights and business contracts in the country of outsourced partner. Companies should concern about handing over technology to other businesses as this practice is quite worrying for them who outsource functions or business processes in order to save

French colonisation in popular culture of francophone countries Personal Statement

French colonisation in popular culture of francophone countries - Personal Statement Example With the French culture spreading beyond the national boundaries, one would argue that one of the major implications of the French colonization led to the spread of French language to Africans. Sonnenburg continues to emphasize that the French assumed the African syntax and made it obligatory for the Africans to speak French, a policy referred to as the assimilation process (221). Centuries later, the Francophone countries still use French as their official language. Africans adopted the Frenchman way of living. The mode of dressing changed for the Africans. Regardless of copious protests against the revolution of the Africans to Frenchmen, the French managed to change the Africans. With time, studies indicate that Africans were able to change their lifestyles to French to extent that to be elected in the legislative assembly, Africans had to lead a life similar to that of the Frenchman (220). In the case of Tunisia for example, nearly all the elite and government officials had been assimilated to being Frenchmen. Eradication of the French language and replace it with the indigenous Arabic language was completely tasking for the Tunisians. With French literacy elevated in Tunisia, this is yet another impact on the culture of Francophone colonies of Africa. In a study of colonization and France with its spheres of influence, France ought not to be linked to colonization. France has been associated with education and spread of the same to other generations (223). In one way or another, it would arguable that the French brainwashed their colonies into accepting their language and culture; thus, entire loss of the African identity. As opposed to coercion like other colonial masters, the French managed to influence he colonies into embracing the Frenchman way of living (222). Francophone countries became multicultural societies embodied with a blend of both African culture- in minute forms, and the French culture dominating the way

I had experience scary,haunted hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

I had experience scary,haunted hotel - Essay Example The front desk was deserted, so I rang the bell and waited for someone to come and attend to me. I ended up waiting what seemed like a couple of hours even though in reality it was no more than two or three minutes. There was an eerie feel to the place. Part of me wanted to leave right then and there because I could sense that something was not quite right, but I needed a hotel room and there were very few rooms available in this town during the busy holiday season. Eventually a man dressed in a suit came down the stairs and introduced himself to me as the manager of the place. Before I could even enquire about a room, he immediately told me that I could stay in the VIP room for a discounted rate. This seemed too good to be true, but I took him up on the offer right away. The manager asked me if I could follow him upstairs so he could show me to my room and I promptly did. While going up the stairs, I noticed dark paintings on the walls of ghosts and skulls. An old man, probably one of the guests, came out of a room with a look of horror on his face. I stopped to see more of his facial expressions, but I was swept off my feet by a sudden gust of wind from down the corridor. The manager turned around with a smug look on his face and showed me into my room. One drawback to this room was that the lights did not turn on. As a result, the room was a little darker than usual, but I was not complaining since I was getting a discount. At that moment, the manager left the room and told me that he would be downstairs if I needed anything. I closed the door and lay down on the bed for a few minutes so I could gather my breath. Before long I had fallen into a deep sleep. A few hours later I woke with a hungry feeling in my stomach, so I got changed and headed out for a bite to eat. By this stage in was close to midnight, so I was not expecting for anyone else in the hotel

The Children Act 2004 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

The Children Act 2004 - Essay Example It would be convenient to talk about the background of Children Act 2004 before moving forward towards its analysis. The primary aim of this Act was to make provisions for instituting a Children’s Commissioner. The main idea behind this move was to appoint person with appropriate authority who could efficiently handle matters related to children’s social protection. After that the Act concentrated on making more efficient procedures for the protection that local authorities provide ‘to’ and ‘for’ children. It was also aimed at family proceedings, child minding, private fostering, adoption of review panels, day care, child safety order, reasonable punishment, publication of material containing inappropriate child content and disclosure by the Inland Review of Information to provide better care for children of Wales. In September 2003, the nation witnessed the tragic news of the death of Victoria Climbià ©. As this heart-breaking news got national attention, the government put out the Every Child Matters green paper besides a formal reply to Lord Laming, who was investigating the matter of the poor child’s tragic death. Lord Laming’s report was an eye opener for many authorities. The report pointed out so many gaps in child protection system that shouldn’t have been there. The more significant aspect of the report was the lack of ‘joined-up reporting’, which was the reason that even the professionals were unable to get an insight to the child’s life. The green paper recommended some crucial reformations that enjoyed full support of the legislation. Lord Laming’s report highlighted crucial failures in the health, social services and the police departments that on12 occasions, Victoria had a chance to live but that chance couldn’t be avail because there was privation of information sharing. That is why the

I had experience scary,haunted hotel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

I had experience scary,haunted hotel - Essay Example The front desk was deserted, so I rang the bell and waited for someone to come and attend to me. I ended up waiting what seemed like a couple of hours even though in reality it was no more than two or three minutes. There was an eerie feel to the place. Part of me wanted to leave right then and there because I could sense that something was not quite right, but I needed a hotel room and there were very few rooms available in this town during the busy holiday season. Eventually a man dressed in a suit came down the stairs and introduced himself to me as the manager of the place. Before I could even enquire about a room, he immediately told me that I could stay in the VIP room for a discounted rate. This seemed too good to be true, but I took him up on the offer right away. The manager asked me if I could follow him upstairs so he could show me to my room and I promptly did. While going up the stairs, I noticed dark paintings on the walls of ghosts and skulls. An old man, probably one of the guests, came out of a room with a look of horror on his face. I stopped to see more of his facial expressions, but I was swept off my feet by a sudden gust of wind from down the corridor. The manager turned around with a smug look on his face and showed me into my room. One drawback to this room was that the lights did not turn on. As a result, the room was a little darker than usual, but I was not complaining since I was getting a discount. At that moment, the manager left the room and told me that he would be downstairs if I needed anything. I closed the door and lay down on the bed for a few minutes so I could gather my breath. Before long I had fallen into a deep sleep. A few hours later I woke with a hungry feeling in my stomach, so I got changed and headed out for a bite to eat. By this stage in was close to midnight, so I was not expecting for anyone else in the hotel

Equal Opportunity in Early Childhood Essay Example for Free

Equal Opportunity in Early Childhood Essay Children should be treated and respected as individuals in their own rights. Like any individual, children have rights to shelter, food and education. They too should be treated fairly and equally. Many a times, we have failed to recognise these needs and as adults, we think we know best for the child. If we are able to recognise these rights, it will greatly assist in a childs development both emotionally and spiritually. According to Bruce and Meggit (2002), equality of opportunity means opening up access for every child and family to full participation in early childhood services. There can be no quality in early childhood services unless there is equality of opportunity. Children should not be denied of their rights based on their race, nationality, gender or abilities, boys and girls should not be treated differently. Also, equal opportunities can be defined in general as not discriminating a person by his or her race, gender, family orientation or whether they belonged to the minority in the society. I truly agree with this statement and advocates for equal opportunity to be practiced in every way. It is now the 21st century but can we safely say that children in this world are treated equally? Some parents tend to treat their children differently if they are a boy, especially in the Eastern culture; succession is through boys instead of girls. Several parents have stereotyped the colours that their children should wear, boys should be in blue and gals should be in pink. Stereotyping basically means unduly fixed mental impression (Oxford, p. 546). Society too, plays a role in influencing the parents when it comes to bringing up their children in this part of the world and to a certain extent the childrens interest will be sacrificed. Children are expected to excel academically and those who do not will be branded as slow and they will be frowned upon by the society due to the competitive environment. Parents are ? pressured to have an academically sound child and as a result, children will feel ? inferior if they are unable to excel academically and this would hinder their fitting into the society in the future. In order to uphold the rights of the children in the world, UNICEF introduced the Convention on the Rights of the Child which was adopted by Unite Nations General Assembly on the 20th November 1989. (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/UNICEF_FS_-_Understanding_the_ CRC. pdf). There are four principles that the Convention rests on and they are; non discrimination, best interests of the child, the childs right to life, survival and development and respect for the views of the child . (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/UNICEF_FS_-_Understanding_the_ CRC. pdf ). The main idea of having this convention is to recognize that children should be treated fairly as human beings and they should be brought up in a safe and conducive environment in order for them to realize their full potential in life. Malaysia signed the convention in March 1995 and being a multi cultural country that also advocates for human rights has made many changes to its legislation to adopt the convention especially in the area of education and healthcare. However, a question that many Malaysians will ask today; are the changes sufficient to provide the children in Malaysia equal rights? Here, let us look into the two major areas to analyse the impact of the convention on Malaysias legislation concerning children. According to article 28 of the CRC, The child has a right to education, ? (CRC, p. 19). Malaysia however has reservation on seven articles and article 28 is amongst them. The preschool education is Malaysia is under the responsibility of a few government departments and social agencies such as the Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Unity and Social Development, Ministry of Rural Development and also several states departments (http://porta;. unesco. org/education/en/ev. php-URL_ID=46167URL _DO=DO_TOPICURL_SECTION=201. html) Under the Child Care Centre Act 1985, there are 2 categories of childcare centre, one being a home based childcare centre which takes in less than 10 children. The other being an institution based centre which caters for 10 or more children (The Star, 24th March, 1996). The curriculum guidelines of pre-schools are guided by the Ministry of Education and it has to provide a holistic development of the child being in social skills, intellectual skills, physical skills and spiritual skills (www. unesco. org/wef/countryreports /malaysia/Rapport_1. html) which is in accordance to article 29 of the CRC (CRC, p. 21) Due to the increasing awareness of the importance of early childhood education and also the increase in women joining the workforce, many private childcare centres have sprung up especially in the urban areas. These centres are mostly run by the private sectors that cater to mostly working parents from the middle to high income families and they charge a fee for their services. For the poor or rural areas children, the pre school programs are run by the government agencies and to a certain extent Non Government Organizations (NGOs). (http://unescodoc. unesco. org/images/0012/001279/127984e. pdf). The next area that Malaysia made changes to embrace the principles in the Convention is the healthcare policy. Child mortality in Malaysia has decreased significantly due to the effective healthcare programs that the government has implemented since the First Malaysia Plan 1996 (http://www. unicef. org/malaysia/ /children_4162. html). The most widely available health care service in Malaysia is public hospitals and for the rural community, there are over 1600 community health clinics (http://www. childpolicyintl. org/countries/Malaysia. html). Generally, children in Malaysia are provided with very comprehensive health services from vaccination to clean water supply and also sanitation. The government has taken steps to promote health programs to children in the rural areas integrating the promotion of health in its rural development strategies and programs. This is in accordance to Article 24 of the CRC where it states The child has the right to the highest standard of health and medical care attainable. Although Malaysia has taken various measures to improve its education system to embrace the CRC, sad to say that there are still children in Malaysia who are deprived of the right to education. This is especially apparent in vulnerable groups like children from the indigenous populations and also children in the rural areas. The indigenous children in Sabah and Sarawak have very little access to education and the curriculum in government schools do not cater to them culturally. Also, Malaysia has lifted its reservation on Article 22 which guarantees the childs rights seeking refugees status in 1995 but until today, there have not been changes when it comes to undocumented children (New Sunday Times, June 25th 2006). Undocumented children basically mean children who are born in Malaysia to migrant parents. Children in this category are deprived of education due to fact that they are not even recognized as Malaysian citizen. Although children in Malaysia are rather well taken care of in terms of healthcare services, there are still children who do not have access to their basic needs like healthcare. These are children born to poor parents, sex workers, alcoholics and sex workers. (New Straits Times, p. 19). Also, with the increase in HIV/AIDS cases in Malaysia and many children and women from the rural areas are still complacent of this disease. A childs formative years are extremely important as it will affect their growth in the later years. If Malaysia sees the significance of its younger generation, the government should seriously look into its commitment to uphold the Convention guidelines Firstly, awareness amongst the community is extremely important if Malaysia seeks to promote equal opportunity in the early childcare settings. Government should take steps to promote awareness amongst the people in order to change their attitudes towards children and this can be done by including the CRC as part of the school curriculum (The Star, p. N47). Secondly, early childhood education should be made compulsory to all children in urban or rural areas and available to all children in regardless of their background as every child has the right to education. Curriculum for children below the age of four should also address the current issues like AID/HIV and sex education. Materials and books used in the early childhood education should contain pictures of the different ethnic group in Malaysia. Activities organized by the childcare centre should be diversified as this would promote respect of various cultures amongst the children. More importantly, the curriculum should be sensitive to children from various cultural backgrounds especially the indigenous group. After all, Malaysia takes pride in its diversity of culture. Teachers in the early childcare sector should be trained in gender studies and also human rights (http://www. europeanchildrensnetwork. org/resources/infoDetail. asp? ID =12592). As childcare practitioner, the attitude of the person is utmost important in making sure that children under their care is not being discriminated. They have to be fully aware of the childs rights in order for the child to grow up in a positive environment as it is damaging for the child development. A childs potential to learn and develop their full potential should not be limited by prejudice (http://ferl. qia. org. uk/content_files/resources/organisations/caderdale_ council/sharon_chapman/equalops/prejandisc. htm).

Mental Health Illness: Good Social Work Practice

Mental Health Illness: Good Social Work Practice Good Social Work Practice with Adolescents in the Field of MentalHealth Social works role as the dominant provider of mental healthservices is rooted in history and well-established in the contemporary socialservices landscape. It has been estimated that social workers invest more thanhalf their time in dealing with mental health issues (Howard et al., 1996).Constituting over sixty percent of the mental health workforce, social workersprovide more community-based mental health services than any other professionalgroups. Also, social work has more candidates in preparation for this growtharea than does any other discipline. It is the largest field of practice andthe most-chosen focus of study among social work graduate students (Proctor,2004). The heaviest consumers of social work services also are the most probablevictims of mental illness. The clientele of certain service delivery settings,including homeless shelters, child welfare, out-of-home placement and long-termcare, settings in which social workers predominate, are among the most at riskfor psychiatric disorders and the least likely to gain access to appropriatecare. This highlights the tremendous potential of social service professionalsto reach and to treat individuals with mental health problems. Adolescents are far from immune to these findings. For example, psychiatricimpairment rates for youths in the child welfare system have been estimated atbetween 35-to-50 percent, closely matched by the 30-to-50 percent ratings ofjuveniles in the criminal justice system (Proctor, 2004). Walker (2003)pointed out that one of the few undisputed risk factors for mental illness inadults is unaddressed or inadequately treated psychiatric problems in youths. Thecost of failure to respond effectively to the mental health problems of adolescentsincludes lifetimes of potential productivity lost to consequences such as drugabuse, homelessness and suicide. The following discussion applies relevant theory and research to thequestion of good social work practice with adolescents suffering psychiatricdisorders. A touchstone for good practice can be found in Mowbray and Holters(2002) charge to social work practitioners and researchers that their effortson behalf of the mentally ill should produce: Increased integration within the community (aswith other disability groups); Decreased stigma and discrimination; Increased utilization of effective treatmentoptions; Equitable access to effective, appropriatetreatment. Adapting LeCroys (1992) outline, practices in the broad areas ofassessment, treatment and service delivery are considered. Assessment Practices It generally is agreed that assessment methodologies developed foruse with adults lack efficacy for assessing adolescents. Partly due to youthshigher level of dependency on the environment, a person-in-environmentperspective is a recommended starting point (LeCroy, 1992). In order toaddress the question of how the individuals and the familys coping skillsinteract with the quality of the environment, the social worker must weighresources and support, the barriers and opportunities, the risks and protectivefactors present in that environment. Wakefield et al. (1999) pointed out the pivotal role of a socialworkers attributions in the assessment of adolescent antisocial behavior. Thecomplex web of logic and experience, evidence and intuition, theory and belief,involved in the assessment process is reflected in this study. The researchquestion was two-fold: (1) whether social workers correctly distinguish betweena psychiatric disorder and non-disorder (as defined in DSM-IV) given contextualcues supporting one or the other attribution, and (2) whether judgments bearingon prognosis and appropriate treatment follow these attributions. Finding positivesupport for both questions, the authors called for a focus on this criticaldiscriminate attribution in social work training programs. In working with adolescents, the desirability of a broad-basedassessment, across environments, informants and factors affecting copingability and stress, requires the social worker to possess skills in casemanagement and clinical areas. Research by Elze (2002) highlighted the effectsof the wider social context on adolescent functioning. In this study, sheexamined risk factors for mental health in a sample of self-identified gay,lesbian and bisexual youths. Unlike most research involving this population,her enquiry included the role of factors unrelated to sexual orientation. Shefound that most of the variance in mental health status was accounted for bysocioeconomic level, familial mental health, family functioning and otheridentified life stressors. From a practice perspective, this researchreinforces the importance of assessing a clients overall psychosocialfunctioning, as related to and beyond the limits of the presenting problem. Objective, empirically-based assessment instruments, designed forthe adolescent population, are needed to increase the reliability of thispractice. Most of the instruments in use with adolescent clients today aremodified adult or child-specific protocols, such as the Child BehaviorChecklist or the structured life events interview (LeCroy, 1992). An extremeexample of the caution required in using adapted instruments was presented byElls (2005). The context of this critique was the courts need for assessmentsof psychopathic tendencies in juvenile offenders as a basis for jurisdictionwaiver decisions. Ells reported on assessments using the Hare PsychopathyChecklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV), derived from an instrument developed foradults. She found the tool subject to ethnic bias, developmental bias and alack of predictive value due to unfounded generalizations from research andexperience with adults. She warned that the introduction of psychopathyassessments in juvenile jurisdiction waiv er decisions is premature anddangerously unreliable. Overall, good practice in adolescent assessmentcertainly would benefit from objective, evidence-based protocols, honedespecially for this population group. These are some of the implications for good social work practice inthe mental health assessment of adolescents. Treatment Practices To establish that treatment can be effective with children and adolescents,LeCroy (1992, p. 227) reported the results of two meta-analyses, demonstratingthat average outcomes for those who received treatment were 71-to-79 percentbetter than an untreated control group. In order to establish good practice,however, the social worker must know which treatment approaches are likely toproduce what effects for the adolescent and significant others. The breadth of focus required for assessment is echoed in goodtreatment practice recommendations for working with psychologically impairedadolescents. The keynote appears to be a conceptualization of problems asconstellations of interrelated systems, yielding treatment goals inclusive ofthe family, peer group and community, toward the underpinning of long-termadjustment for the client. This view of good practice is common across theoreticalperspectives. For example, from a social ecological point-of-view, Ungar(2002) left the more mechanistic systems models behind and reflected on the diversity-embracingnew ecology, with community as the central concept in treatment. Steven Walker, whether expounding on community-based applications ofthe psychosocial model (2003) or considering treatment practice from apostmodern perspective (2001), emphasized the necessity for an integrated (ordeconstructed) model of treatment practice, inclusive of a broad panorama ofoptions. Noting that flexible, creative solutions are required by adolescentswith psychological problems, Walker (2003) discussed the United Kingdomsfour-tier model for mental health services to children and adolescents as anopportunityfor intellectual agility on the part of social workers (p. 683). Barths (2003) dissertation on the treatment of college studentswith eating disorders is an interesting example of this eclectic approach totheory and treatment. She made a point of focusing on the entiresocial/medical context of a client, then drawing treatment implications fromany number of theoretical models that fit this context, includingpsychoanalytic, psychosocial and postmodern perspectives. Given the length ofthe usual battle with eating disorders, this assessment treatment assessmentcycle repeats throughout the life of the case, opening new opportunities foreffective intervention at every turn. As with assessment, research is essential for informing goodtreatment practice. The research of Colarossi and Eccles (2003), for example,offered evidence that support from significant others is not a unidimensionalconstruct. They examined the differential effects of support provided byparents, teachers and peers on adolescent depression and self-esteem. Nonfamilialsources of support were found to be more efficacious for improving self-esteem,while depression responded to all support offered, regardless of source. Theresults obtained suggest the need to selectively promote support from varioussources, as opposed to a broad or unfocused social network tactic. In service of good treatment practice, LeCroy (1992) lists a numberof promising approaches (p. 227) that social workers should include in theirtreatment options toolkit. These include behavioral treatment (or competencytraining) for antisocial problems, functional family therapy, parent-managementtraining, home-based treatment, training in social skills and problem solving,psychopharmacology and psychotherapy or IPT-A (interpersonal psychotherapy foradolescents). These are examples of some good social work practice guidelines formental health treatment of adolescents, derived, to a large extent, from theoryand research. Putting assessment decisions and treatment choices into actionis the role of service delivery systems. Practices Related to Service Delivery Considering systems of service delivery prompts the realizationthat, in terms of good practice, social workers must be proficient in an arrayof interventions beyond the confines of direst treatment. In order tocoordinate multiple services and monitor systems of care, critical casemanagement competencies are required. The significance of a well-coordinatedsystem of care must be salient for every social worker involved in servicedelivery. One of the most difficult decisions in this arena is when to utilizesubstitute care. Inpatient or residential treatment, foster care, respitecare, partial hospitalization and day treatment, define points along thissubstitute care continuum. Especially in light of research on the importance ofsocial support and of home and community-based treatment, moving the adolescentinto a substitute care setting seems particularly invasive. Research studies and reports can help inform the decision to utilizepsychiatric inpatient treatment. For example, Pottick et al. (1999) helped tountangle the many variables affecting adolescent length of stay in thesefacilities. Looking at factors that influence the occurrence and timing ofdischarge, they found that facility type was significant. Stays in generalhospitals with psychiatric services were much shorter than in public or privatepsychiatric hospitals or multi-service mental health centers. Also, insurancewas a factor; privately-insured youths stayed longer than did publicly-fundedor uninsured adolescents. Having a previous hospitalization predicted a longerstay, as did the diagnosis of conduct disorder (versus depression). Althoughthis research does not speak to the quality of care, and given that moreoutcomes research is needed, the awareness of contingencies disclosed by thisstudy can aid a social worker in forming valid expectations and making aninformed decision for th e client. Romansky et al. (2003) looked at factors influencing readmission to psychiatrichospital care for children and adolescents who were in the child welfaresystem. Their findings highlighted the significance of enabling factorspresent for these children, including living arrangement, geographic region andpost-hospitalization services. The focus must be on community-based servicesto prevent readmission for these adolescents. On a similar note, a review of the research on inpatient treatmentin child and adolescent psychiatry (Blanz Schmidt, 2000) cautiouslyconcluded that hospitalization can be beneficial given that effective treatmentand discharge planning are included. These researchers pointed to acontinuum-of-care model as crucial in facilitating integration/coordinationbetween inpatient interventions and aftercare services. While research such as this can aid the social worker in making thedifficult inpatient care decisions, there are myriad other placementconsiderations that should rely on good practice to advantage adolescents inneed of mental health care. The keynote for good practice remains choosing theleast restrictive, appropriate environment. To make this choice for a givenadolescent, the social worker must be familiar with the placement optionsavailable and the treatment philosophy of each program, as well as the uniqueconfiguration of problem dimensions particular to that client. LeCroy (1992) suggested that social work should try to developobjective tools to assist in meeting the good practice guidelines for mentalhealth placement decisions. He offered the Arizona Decision Making Tree (p.228) as a potential model for such a tool. This tool is used for theassignment of juvenile offenders to five levels of care, varying inrestrictiveness and program components. At best, a fine balance in judgment is required to match a givenadolescent, at a specific point in time, with a certain treatment setting,providing the best therapeutic approach for the clients particularconstellation of problems. A control problem versus learning disabilities isonly one example of how varied and far-ranging the mix of relevant factors canbe. At times, there may be a need for a more restrictive setting as afunction of risk factors in the home/community environment. A study by Ruffoloand colleagues (2004) addressed such a situation. To inform the design of moreeffective mental health intervention (and prevention) programs, they examinedthe risk and resiliency factors for groups of delinquent, diverted andhigh-risk adolescent girls. All these girls were either involved in thejuvenile justice system, or at risk of involvement, and were receivingresidential services in either a home or community-based, open or closedsetting. Girls in the closed residential setting (the most restrictive) reportedhigher levels of depression, family discord, sexual abuse, negative lifeevents, involvement in special education programs, and more delinquent andnegative coping behaviors. In other words, the girls with the greatest riskfactors present in their home and community were placed in the most restrictivesetting. The authors concluded that t hese placement decisions reflected anappropriate appraisal of the level of need. These are a few of the factors available to guide the development ofgood social work practice in the coordination of service delivery systems. Conclusion This paper reviewed a portion of the theory and researchcontributing to good social work practice standards in the area of adolescentmental health. While accomplishments in this area are commendable, muchremains to be done. More well-designed and well-controlled research is needed to weighthe effectiveness of adolescent service models, especially with regard tolong-term outcomes. As effective systems of care are identified, they must be developedinto practice guidelines and supported by policy and funding. Social workers are challenged to work for increased, improved,accessible services for adolescents, to educate the community and mobilizestakeholders, to develop and to implement effective strategies for preventionand intervention. References Barth,F.D. (2003). Separate but not alone: Separation-individuation issues incollege students with eating disorders. Clinical Social Work Journal,31(2), pp. 139-153. Blanz,B. Schmidt, M.H. (2000). Preconditions and outcome of inpatienttreatment in child and adolescent psychiatry. Journal of Child Psychologyand Psychiatry, 41(6), pp. 703-712. Colarossi,L.G. Eccles, J.S. (2003). Differential effects of support providers onadolescents mental health. Social Work Research, 27(1), pp. 19-30. Ells,L. (2005). Juvenile psychopathy: The hollow promise of prediction. ColumbiaLaw Review, 105(1), pp. 158-208. Elze,D.E. (2002). Risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problems amonggay, lesbian, and bisexual adolescents. Social Work Research, 26(2),pp. 89-99. Howard,K.I., Cornille, T.A., Lyons, J.S., Vessey, J.T., Lueger, R.J., Saunders,S. (1996). Patterns of mental health service utilization. Archives ofGeneral Psychiatry, 53, pp. 696-703. LeCroy,C.W. (1992). Enhancing the delivery of effective mental health services tochildren. Social Work, 37(3), pp. 225-231. Mowbray,C.T. Holter, M.C. (2002). Mental health and mental illness: Out of thecloset? Social Science Review, 76(1), pp. 135-179. Pottick, K.J., Hansell, S.,Miller, J.E., Davis, D.M. (1999). Factors associated with inpatient length of stay forchildren and adolescents with serious mental illness. Social Work Research,23(4), pp. 213-224. Proctor, E. (2004). Researchto inform mental health practice: Social works contributions. Social WorkResearch, 28(4), pp. 195-197. Romansky, J.B., Lyons, J.S.,Lehner, R.K., West, C.M. (2003). Factors related to psychiatric hospitalreadmission among children and adolescents in state custody. PsychiatricServices, 54(3), pp. 356-362. Ruffolo, M.C., Sarri, R., Goodkind, S. (2004). Study of delinquent, diverted, and high-riskadolescent girls: Implications for mental health intervention. Social WorkResearch, 28(4), pp. 237-244. Ungar, M. (2002). A deeper,more social ecological social work practice. Social Science Review,76(3), pp. 480-497. Wakefield, J.C., Kirk, S.A.,Pottick, K.J., Hsieh, D. (1999). Disorder attribution and clinical judgment in theassessment of adolescent antisocial behavior. Social Work Research, 23(4),pp. 227-238. Walker, S. (2001). Tracingthe contours of postmodern social work. British Journal of Social Work,31, pp. 29-39. Walker, S. (2003). Socialwork and child mental health: Psychosocial principles in community practice. BritishJournal of Social Work, 33(5), pp. 673-687.