Empathy Task Ww1 Yr.10 Assessment

EMPATHY TASK. WW1 BY Manon Collins The fog still clung to the ground. We could barely see two feet in front of us. The men’s voices were loud and projected off into the fog were they became lost and tangled in ‘No Man’s Land’ The grey sun seemed to be making it’s way up over the broken backs of the hills. The silhouettes of the men suddenly became clear. Faces dirty with mud, blood or anything that could be found in the trenches. Shoes without soles, shirts without sleeves we are the men of Ypres once of boy of 17 his only thoughts were of women.Now a man of 20 his eyes only peeled for the shadow of a man, the point of a bayonet, the fright full image of gas consuming a comrade’s lungs. Me and the other men had not yet experienced a gas attack but the stories spread across the trenches with the message ‘ Remember your mask’ The shadow loomed through the thickened fog with a will to kill. The envious green mist was determined to pu sh the boundaries. The word came ringing through the mist with great urgency ‘Gas†¦. GAAS’ The fumbling of men’s hands trying to grab a mask became the priority of our mission. There was no chance without a mask.The cry of a man without a mask rung out across the battlefield like a little girl who has lost her mother. Pivoting round only to spot Lindsay without a mask. The panic in his eyes was the last human characteristic that was displayed on his face. The gas consumed his lungs growing tighter each second. Not even I could imagine the pain that was growing in him. The whites of his eyes glowed amongst the blood that was starting to evolve around the creases of his lips. His hand opening and closing, his fingertips searching for something to clasp onto to stop the pain†¦ they fall upon the hem of my pants with a grip of an eagle.As he held my pants for his refuge the words he mumbled will never leave me. ‘Tel†¦tell them†¦tell them I s aid bye’. As his body became limp on my feet the words and noise of the other men became apparent again. ‘Lindsey gone, he is Gone’ ‘ Get the other men, we are going back’ Shoes without soles, shirts without sleeves we are the men of Ypres. Trudging back leaving the dead innocent body behind us all human dignity thrown out the window everyman swearing under their breath ‘When the war is done, never shall I touch a gun’

Employment Rights Act Essay

1. Know the statutory responsibilities and rights of employees and employers within own area of work. 1.1 List the aspects of employment covered by law Here is a list of the aspects of employment covered by law; minimum wage, discrimination, health and safety, holiday entitlements, redundancy, dismissal, training, disciplinary procedures, union rights and consultation, maternity rights, protected disclosures, working time regulations, particulars of employments. Working hours and holiday entitlements, Sickness absence and sick pay, Anti – discrimination provisions, Data protection, Relevant equalities legislation. 1.2 List the main features of current employment legislation is : – Health and Safety Act 1974 – Equality Act 2010 – Date Protection Act 1998 – Employment Rights Act 1996 – Part Time Workers Regulations Act 2000 – Working Time Regulations Act 1998 – National Minimum Wage Act 1998 1.3 Outline why legislation relating to employment exists. Legislation relating to employment exists to protect the rights of employers and employees by providing rules and regulations that must be followed. It prevents employers from abusing or taking advantage of employees. To prevent exploitation and To ensure safe working environment. 1.4 Identify sources and types of information and advice available in relation to employment responsibilities and rights. Sources and types of information that are available to employment responsibility and rights include: Employment contracts -copy, company policies, manager of team, Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service, Jobcentre Plus, Citizens Advice Bureau, Department for Work and Pensions, Employment Appeals Tribunal Service, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs, Access to Work (to help pay towards a support worker or the equipment you need at work) and Direct.gov website. Understand agreed ways of working that protect own relationship with employer.

Airline Management (Analysis of the ‘four pillars’)

This should be included into a broader package of measures including new aircraft technology, more efficient operations and better use of infrastructure, (ICAO, 2013) [Online]. The industry determined that a carbon-offsetting policy would be the best method, giving carriers the opportunity to tailor their response to their business development; in effect, ensuring that carriers feel the plan still allows for expansion to meet rising demand, (IATA, 2013) [Online]. The meeting concluded with the following, (ATAG, 2013) [Online]: Agree a roadmap for development of a single global MBM for aviation to be implemented from 2020 that can be adopted at ICAO’s next Assembly in 2016. Agree the principles for development of a global MBM, including: o The goal of carbon-neutral growth from 2020; o That aviation emissions should only be accounted for once; o That a global MBM should take account of different types of operator activity. This report will evaluate the progress made on ONE of the four pillars to reduce emissions from the aviation sector; whilst also paying attention to the barriers that carriers face in achieving these targets. The first section will provide a brief introduction to the four pillars as well as reasoning behind the choice in evaluation. A discussion will then follow answering the requirements of the report, before a conclusion summarises the findings. FOUR PILLARS The four pillars cover the entire scope of feasible methods to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. The pillars are technological process, improved infrastructure, operational measures and economic measures. Table 1 below provides a summary: This report has chosen to focus on the development of operational measures; the decision was driven by an interest in the development of fuel efficiency, business optimisation and carrier integration in a bid to reduce emissions from an industry that has always been labelled a major global polluter. With demand for air travel booming on the back of global urbanisation and emerging economies, more attention is being paid to carbon emissions from air travel. According to data from the Air Transport Action Group [ATAG] (2014), global emissions from air travel total 689mt, against a total of 34Billion tonnes of CO2 produced annually from human activity. With these figures, CO2 emissions from air-travel total 2% of annual emissions; in terms of transport, aviation is responsible for 12% of total emissions, compared with 74% from road transport. OPERATIONAL MEASURES As mentioned above, there are a number of factors, which with improvement can lead to a reduction in emissions. This section will concentrate on fuel efficiency, which will touch upon optimal aircraft use, new aircraft design and route optimisation. Also mentioned with be business optimisation, paying attention to carrier ‘load factor’, optimisation on ground-operations and also integration between carriers, which has included MA activity and also the introduction of alliances in the industry. The discussion will touch upon carrier cost reduction, which has become a major supporter of reduction on CO2 emissions given its link to fuel usage and so exposure to high oil prices. FUEL EFFICIENCY In terms of achievements so far, the issue of fuel efficiency has supported in recent years by the economic downturn and high oil prices. Carriers have look to reduce their fuel bills to stay profitable, focusing on a number of methods which also support fuel efficiency. To start, carriers have invested heavily in new aircraft after developments from both Boeing and Airbus support greater fuel efficiency. Airbus experienced its biggest year in 2011, receiving net orders for 1,419 new aircraft, buoyed by the launch of its A320neo, (Morrow, 2013) [Online], with similar success from Boeing, (BBC Business, 2014) [Online]. USA EXAMPLE Figure 1 shows that out of U.S. carriers Alaska Airlines came out as the most fuel efficient airline; what is most surprising is that the company has increased its business and routes by 33% 2000-2010, however has reported no increase in fuel use/emissions as investing in new planes has improved fuel efficiency greatly. The report also found that the fuel-efficiency gap between the best/worst airlines was 26%, (ICCT, 2013); the report also found that about one-third of the variation in efficiency likely comes from the deployment of different technology; for example Allegiant operates a fleet of McDonnell Douglas aircraft that date back to the 1970’s, while Alaska Airlines uses new Boeing planes that have technologies like ‘winglets’ to reduce fuel burn. These finding bode well for Boeing and Airbus as they continue to offer newer models. Recent additions such as Boeings 777X, a more fuel efficient version of the 777 Jumbo and Airbus’s A320 family have been well received; according to Boeing (2013) [Online], customers for the 777X include Gulf carriers along with Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa, with record breaking orders of 259, while Airbus (2013) [Online] confirmed its backlog of orders for the A320’s at over 10,000. These new planes will reduce both emissions and n oise pollution, allowing for negative externalities to be controlled as expansion continues. BUSINESS OPTIMIZATION Carriers have adopted a number of methods to optimise their operations. One factor has been the adoption of alliances between carriers, allowing for them to effectively ‘share’ their capacity. This has reduced the need for such aggressive expansion by some, which would have created too much competition on some routes. Furthermore, airlines have invested in newer aircraft to meet the needs of routes, such as smaller aircraft for new, short-haul routes and larger aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 for busier, long-haul routes. Emirates currently have orders for 90 A380’s as the carrier looks to expand capacity on a number of routes, (Wall, 2013) [Online]. FUTURE PROJECTS FOCUS (VIRGIN ATLANTIC) As more attention is paid by governments and consumers onto CO2 emissions and other negative externalities, company’s such as Virgin Atlantic (2013) have put more into reporting their impact on the environment from sustainability reports; in some continues such as the UK, reporting into emissions and environmental impact are becoming mandatory for listed companies, (UK Government, 2013), which will only increase the amount of information that the aviation sector will make public, (Sustainable Aviation, 2014) [Online]. According to Virgin Atlantic (2013), through its Sustainability Report 2013, the company focuses on a number of programs to improve sustainability. These include: Reducing CO2 emissions by 30% between 2007 and 2020. Improving the fleet of aircraft – currently Virgin Atlantic are taking delivery of 10 Airbus 330-300, which will replace the older Airbus 340-600 and be 30% more fuel efficient. Implementing technology to monitor aircraft fuel-use and routes to identify further carbon savings. PESTEL ANALYSIS This section will touch upon PESTEL analysis to look into the future possibilities to meet operational measure targets. In terms of driving-forces, a number of carriers will look to improve operational performance in a bid to lower costs and remain profitable as low-cost carrier reduce market prices and higher oil prices affect carrier margins. However, it has been noted that each carrier will take a differing approach, designed to also meet the requirements of current expansion plans. For example, take British Airways (BA); currently the carrier is involved in its ‘One Destination’ initiative, with a number of schemes underway to make the carrier carbon neutral from 2020, (Brittlebank, 2012) [Online]. According to British Airways (2013) the international community’s aim is to cut net CO2 emissions by 50% by 2050 (relative to 2005 levels). Figure 2 below provides a graphic to the proposal, identifying some of the key factors which will support the reduction. As mentioned prior, one of main drivers will be the continued improvement and market adoption of new aircraft. For example, British Airways (2013) estimates that the new Airbus A380 will have a 16% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the aircraft it will replace, mainly down to the capacity of the aircraft, which can be used on longer routes, such as Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Improvements such as these will continue to drive down CO2 emissions per passenger kilometres, a metric widely used in the airline industry to measure efficiency. In 2012, BA aircraft emitted 101.9g/CO2 per passenger kilometre, while Emirates emitted 100.6 (Emirates, 2013), Lufthansa 109.3 and EasyJet 95.6 (EasyJet, 2013) [Online]. One factor that each airline has in common is major deliveries of new aircraft. While new aircraft will continue to benefit both the environment and also the airline in terms of lower fuel bills, headwinds will appear in the long-term. While the current spate of aircraft order s has been supported by growth opportunities and profitability in the industry, long-term risks to demand could dampen the need and justification to purchase new aircraft. Furthermore, it has also been noticed that the recent rise in airline purchases has been fuelled by expansion projects from carriers in the Middle East and Asia, while European airlines seen less reluctant to purchase than previously as profitability has waned. Given this, the risk is that in the long-term, order may decline, which would impact on carriers ability to further reduce emissions. For example, British Airways (2013) are targeting efficiency of 83g/CO2 per passenger kilometre by 2025, which will require the support of capital expenditure. Given the current reduction in the carriers profitability over the year, continued weakness may make current expenditure plans un-obtainable. Figure 2 also highlights the potential for low-carbon fuels to support the four pillars. Both BA and Cathay Pacific (2013) among other have highlighted development into biofuels as a future growth area. The process involves inputting commercial/ residential organic waste into a boiler, where extremely high pressure plasma breaks down the waste into gases. These gases are then cooled and cleaned, before the Fischer-Tropsch process re-forms the gas into low-carbon jet fuel, (British Airways, 2013). BA is currently involved in a UK-based project with Solena Fuels Corporation to construct a waste-to-fuel plant, which at its peak will convert 500,000 tonnes of water into 50,000 tonnes of jet fuel each year, (British Airways, 2013). Cathay Pacific (2013) also remained optimistic on biofuels, implementing a number of projects itself. While development will be buoyed by social/ political acceptance of biofuels in the future and the green-credentials it provides, there are also factors, such as the costs involved and its competitiveness with current kerosene supplies. Another driver to mention will be the potential for demand. Figure 2 highlights that in the long-term, BA see a reduction in demand as one support for lower emissions; however this may not be the same for carriers such as Emirates, or others in Asia, Africa. Emirates recently reported a 4.5% in aircraft movements given new routes and higher demand, (Emirates, 2013). Given this, the need for a streamline of global initiatives is needed as emerging airlines increase slights to meet increased demand. Another driver identified is the purchase of emission reductions, or ‘carbon offsets’, with the money invested into initiatives to reduce emissions in other areas, which could be seen to offset the emissions from carrier operations. For example, Cathay Pacific (2013) has used money raised to invest in hydropower/ wind power projects in China. These programmes are now run by over 35 airlines, however require voluntary donations from passengers, IATA (2014) [Online]. The main risk is that the projects rely on the social responsibility of customers; an over reliance on these programmes to reduce emissions could back-fire if customers do not share the view; PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2013) suggests that carriers may need to purchase an extra ˆ1.1Billion of carbon offsets annually by 2030 to reach targets. PriceWaterhouseCoopers, hereafter PWC, (2013) backs up the above in its latest report. After mentioning the halving on aviation emissions by 2050, PWC shows its scepticism, saying that reaching the target will not be easy and would require improvements in carbon intensity of 5.1% every year. Ultimately, advances in fuel efficiency would need to be accelerated along with adoption of biofuels. To add, the report mentioned that a global consensus on sustainable aviation was needed before acceleration in improvements can be seen. The fear is that any improvement from airlines operating in advanced economies could be offset on a global scale by less-efficient emerging airlines from China and India etc., who may not have the financial means to invest heavily in the newest aircraft. GROUND OPERATIONS As mentioned in the Four Pillars, efficiency in ground operations will also support a reduction in emissions. Easyjet (2013) [Online] mentioned that they avoid ‘congested hubs’, such as Heathrow and Frankfurt, to help reduce taxiing and holding patterns, which will use less fuel and so emit less carbon. Furthermore, low-cost airlines have also been known for quick turnaround, allowing for greater efficiency from their current fleet, (Barrett, 2009). SUMMARY The report chose to focus on operational management as a tool to reduce emissions, focusing on fuel efficiency, new aircraft, and route optimisation. The report found that fuel efficiency, driven by new aircraft models has become a high priority; while the decision will have been impacted by a move to reduce emissions, there is also the thought that the trend of high-oil prices, coupled with lower earnings over the economic crisis would have pushed a number of carriers to seek cost-reductions and efficiency drives. Given this, past improvements in efficiency have been strong; however, strong growth in demand from emerging economies has led to a marketable rise in flights, pushing overall emissions higher. For example, Emirates, seen as one of the fastest growing carriers could be used as a barometer. While the carrier has reported improvements in fuel efficiency, due to new aircraft and routes, the carrier reported a 15.9% increase in overall CO2 emissions to 22.4Million tonnes, (Emirates, 2013). Looking ahead into the future, the report has highlighted a number of factors for improvement; being higher adoption of new aircraft, increased adoption of biofuels and purchase of emission reductions. Carriers will continue to place attention on new aircraft/ biofuels as focus remain firmly on cost-reductions; however, the level of long-term success will depend upon profitability, which will impact directly on future capital expenditure plans. To add, not all carriers may share the same plans as emerging carriers may focus on growth and profitability over the environment. To combat this, PWC (2013) identified that a global consensus is needed; currently regulation in the USA/ Europe is much higher than seen in Asia/ Middle East/ Africa, creating unfavourable discrepancy to airlines, such as BA. Carbon offsetting was also identified as a major growth initiative, however as mentioned this currently relies on customer donations; as so both social and political attention on the effects of emissions need to be heightened to encourage offsetting by the public. Operational measures provide great opportunities to further reduce emissions; however, carriers need to ensure they have the funds available for capital expenditure, and the public support/ donations to move ahead with carbon offsetting plans. Finally, it is important to mention that while fuel efficiency will continue to improve, strong increases in demand may lead to overall emissions increases as flight numbers/routes are increased by emerging airlines. This has been seen with data from Emirates; under these circumstances carriers would need to accelerate all initiatives in a bid to meet targets that would seem ambitious. All four pillars will need a global consensus to support target achievement. REFERENCES Airbus (2013) [Online]: Orders Deliveries, Available at http://www.airbus.com/company/market/orders-deliveries/, Accessed 12/01/2014. Air Transport Action Group (2014) [Online]: Facts and Figures, Available athttp://www.atag.org/facts-and-figures.html, Accessed 12/01/2014. ATAG (2013) [Online]: 38th ICAO Assembly, Available at http://www.atag.org/our-activities/38th-icao-assembly.html, Accessed 22/03/2014. Barrett, S (2009): Deregulation and the Airline Business in Europe, EU, Routledge. BBC Business (2014) [Online]: Boeing reports record orders and deliveries for 2013, Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25622236, Accessed 22/03/2014. Boeing (2013) [Online]: Media Releases; Boeing launches 777X with record-breaking orders, Available athttp://boeing.mediaroom.com/Boeing-Launches-777X-with-Record-Breaking-Orders-Strengthens-Partnerships-in-the-Middle-East-at-the-2013-Dubai-Airshow, Accessed 12/01/2014. British Airways (2013): Corporate Responsibility Summary, London, British Airways. Brittlebank, W (2012) [Online]: British Airways aims for carbon neutral growth, Available at http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/news/british_airways_aims_for_carbon_neutral_growth/, Accessed 22/03/2014. Cathay Pacific (2013): Sustainability Matters, Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific. EasyJet (2013) [Online]: In the air, Available at https://www.easyjet.com/EN/environment/green_in_the_air.shtml, Accessed 22/03/2014. Emirates (2013): The Emirates Group Environment Report 2012-13, UAE, Emirates Group. IATA (2013) [Online]: IATA Carbon Offset Program, Available at https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/environment/pages/carbon-offset.aspx, Accessed 22/03/2014. IATA (2014) [Online]: Fact Sheet: Carbon Offset, Available at http://www.iata.org/pressroom/facts_figures/fact_sheets/pages/carbon-offsets.aspx, Accessed 22/03/2014. ICAO (2013) [Online]: 38th Assembly Session, Available at http://www.icao.int/Meetings/a38/Pages/documentation-wp-presentations.aspx, Accessed 22/03/2014. International Council of Clean Transportation (2013); U.S. Domestic Airline Fuel Efficiency Ranking 2010, USA, ICCT Publications. Morrow, D (2013) [Online]: Airbus close to setting new order record, Available at http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-close-to-setting-new-order-record-393827/, Accessed 23/03/2014. PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2013): A sustainable future for aviation; the future of international aviation emissions could be determined in the next 12 months, London, PWC. UNFCCC (2008): The right flight path to reduce aviation emissions, USA, UNFCCC. Virgin Atlantic (2013); Sustainability Report 2013, UK, Virgin Atlantic. Wall, R (2013) [Online]: Emirates orders additional 50 airbus 1380’s to expand fleet, Available at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-16/emirates-said-in-talks-to-order-50-airbus-a380-superjumbos-1-.html, Accessed 22/03/2014. Airline Management (Analysis of the ‘four pillars’) This should be included into a broader package of measures including new aircraft technology, more efficient operations and better use of infrastructure, (ICAO, 2013) [Online]. The industry determined that a carbon-offsetting policy would be the best method, giving carriers the opportunity to tailor their response to their business development; in effect, ensuring that carriers feel the plan still allows for expansion to meet rising demand, (IATA, 2013) [Online]. The meeting concluded with the following, (ATAG, 2013) [Online]: Agree a roadmap for development of a single global MBM for aviation to be implemented from 2020 that can be adopted at ICAO’s next Assembly in 2016. Agree the principles for development of a global MBM, including: o The goal of carbon-neutral growth from 2020; o That aviation emissions should only be accounted for once; o That a global MBM should take account of different types of operator activity. This report will evaluate the progress made on ONE of the four pillars to reduce emissions from the aviation sector; whilst also paying attention to the barriers that carriers face in achieving these targets. The first section will provide a brief introduction to the four pillars as well as reasoning behind the choice in evaluation. A discussion will then follow answering the requirements of the report, before a conclusion summarises the findings. FOUR PILLARS The four pillars cover the entire scope of feasible methods to improve efficiency and reduce emissions. The pillars are technological process, improved infrastructure, operational measures and economic measures. Table 1 below provides a summary: This report has chosen to focus on the development of operational measures; the decision was driven by an interest in the development of fuel efficiency, business optimisation and carrier integration in a bid to reduce emissions from an industry that has always been labelled a major global polluter. With demand for air travel booming on the back of global urbanisation and emerging economies, more attention is being paid to carbon emissions from air travel. According to data from the Air Transport Action Group [ATAG] (2014), global emissions from air travel total 689mt, against a total of 34Billion tonnes of CO2 produced annually from human activity. With these figures, CO2 emissions from air-travel total 2% of annual emissions; in terms of transport, aviation is responsible for 12% of total emissions, compared with 74% from road transport. OPERATIONAL MEASURES As mentioned above, there are a number of factors, which with improvement can lead to a reduction in emissions. This section will concentrate on fuel efficiency, which will touch upon optimal aircraft use, new aircraft design and route optimisation. Also mentioned with be business optimisation, paying attention to carrier ‘load factor’, optimisation on ground-operations and also integration between carriers, which has included MA activity and also the introduction of alliances in the industry. The discussion will touch upon carrier cost reduction, which has become a major supporter of reduction on CO2 emissions given its link to fuel usage and so exposure to high oil prices. FUEL EFFICIENCY In terms of achievements so far, the issue of fuel efficiency has supported in recent years by the economic downturn and high oil prices. Carriers have look to reduce their fuel bills to stay profitable, focusing on a number of methods which also support fuel efficiency. To start, carriers have invested heavily in new aircraft after developments from both Boeing and Airbus support greater fuel efficiency. Airbus experienced its biggest year in 2011, receiving net orders for 1,419 new aircraft, buoyed by the launch of its A320neo, (Morrow, 2013) [Online], with similar success from Boeing, (BBC Business, 2014) [Online]. USA EXAMPLE Figure 1 shows that out of U.S. carriers Alaska Airlines came out as the most fuel efficient airline; what is most surprising is that the company has increased its business and routes by 33% 2000-2010, however has reported no increase in fuel use/emissions as investing in new planes has improved fuel efficiency greatly. The report also found that the fuel-efficiency gap between the best/worst airlines was 26%, (ICCT, 2013); the report also found that about one-third of the variation in efficiency likely comes from the deployment of different technology; for example Allegiant operates a fleet of McDonnell Douglas aircraft that date back to the 1970’s, while Alaska Airlines uses new Boeing planes that have technologies like ‘winglets’ to reduce fuel burn. These finding bode well for Boeing and Airbus as they continue to offer newer models. Recent additions such as Boeings 777X, a more fuel efficient version of the 777 Jumbo and Airbus’s A320 family have been well received; according to Boeing (2013) [Online], customers for the 777X include Gulf carriers along with Cathay Pacific and Lufthansa, with record breaking orders of 259, while Airbus (2013) [Online] confirmed its backlog of orders for the A320’s at over 10,000. These new planes will reduce both emissions and n oise pollution, allowing for negative externalities to be controlled as expansion continues. BUSINESS OPTIMIZATION Carriers have adopted a number of methods to optimise their operations. One factor has been the adoption of alliances between carriers, allowing for them to effectively ‘share’ their capacity. This has reduced the need for such aggressive expansion by some, which would have created too much competition on some routes. Furthermore, airlines have invested in newer aircraft to meet the needs of routes, such as smaller aircraft for new, short-haul routes and larger aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 for busier, long-haul routes. Emirates currently have orders for 90 A380’s as the carrier looks to expand capacity on a number of routes, (Wall, 2013) [Online]. FUTURE PROJECTS FOCUS (VIRGIN ATLANTIC) As more attention is paid by governments and consumers onto CO2 emissions and other negative externalities, company’s such as Virgin Atlantic (2013) have put more into reporting their impact on the environment from sustainability reports; in some continues such as the UK, reporting into emissions and environmental impact are becoming mandatory for listed companies, (UK Government, 2013), which will only increase the amount of information that the aviation sector will make public, (Sustainable Aviation, 2014) [Online]. According to Virgin Atlantic (2013), through its Sustainability Report 2013, the company focuses on a number of programs to improve sustainability. These include: Reducing CO2 emissions by 30% between 2007 and 2020. Improving the fleet of aircraft – currently Virgin Atlantic are taking delivery of 10 Airbus 330-300, which will replace the older Airbus 340-600 and be 30% more fuel efficient. Implementing technology to monitor aircraft fuel-use and routes to identify further carbon savings. PESTEL ANALYSIS This section will touch upon PESTEL analysis to look into the future possibilities to meet operational measure targets. In terms of driving-forces, a number of carriers will look to improve operational performance in a bid to lower costs and remain profitable as low-cost carrier reduce market prices and higher oil prices affect carrier margins. However, it has been noted that each carrier will take a differing approach, designed to also meet the requirements of current expansion plans. For example, take British Airways (BA); currently the carrier is involved in its ‘One Destination’ initiative, with a number of schemes underway to make the carrier carbon neutral from 2020, (Brittlebank, 2012) [Online]. According to British Airways (2013) the international community’s aim is to cut net CO2 emissions by 50% by 2050 (relative to 2005 levels). Figure 2 below provides a graphic to the proposal, identifying some of the key factors which will support the reduction. As mentioned prior, one of main drivers will be the continued improvement and market adoption of new aircraft. For example, British Airways (2013) estimates that the new Airbus A380 will have a 16% improvement in fuel efficiency compared to the aircraft it will replace, mainly down to the capacity of the aircraft, which can be used on longer routes, such as Hong Kong and Los Angeles. Improvements such as these will continue to drive down CO2 emissions per passenger kilometres, a metric widely used in the airline industry to measure efficiency. In 2012, BA aircraft emitted 101.9g/CO2 per passenger kilometre, while Emirates emitted 100.6 (Emirates, 2013), Lufthansa 109.3 and EasyJet 95.6 (EasyJet, 2013) [Online]. One factor that each airline has in common is major deliveries of new aircraft. While new aircraft will continue to benefit both the environment and also the airline in terms of lower fuel bills, headwinds will appear in the long-term. While the current spate of aircraft order s has been supported by growth opportunities and profitability in the industry, long-term risks to demand could dampen the need and justification to purchase new aircraft. Furthermore, it has also been noticed that the recent rise in airline purchases has been fuelled by expansion projects from carriers in the Middle East and Asia, while European airlines seen less reluctant to purchase than previously as profitability has waned. Given this, the risk is that in the long-term, order may decline, which would impact on carriers ability to further reduce emissions. For example, British Airways (2013) are targeting efficiency of 83g/CO2 per passenger kilometre by 2025, which will require the support of capital expenditure. Given the current reduction in the carriers profitability over the year, continued weakness may make current expenditure plans un-obtainable. Figure 2 also highlights the potential for low-carbon fuels to support the four pillars. Both BA and Cathay Pacific (2013) among other have highlighted development into biofuels as a future growth area. The process involves inputting commercial/ residential organic waste into a boiler, where extremely high pressure plasma breaks down the waste into gases. These gases are then cooled and cleaned, before the Fischer-Tropsch process re-forms the gas into low-carbon jet fuel, (British Airways, 2013). BA is currently involved in a UK-based project with Solena Fuels Corporation to construct a waste-to-fuel plant, which at its peak will convert 500,000 tonnes of water into 50,000 tonnes of jet fuel each year, (British Airways, 2013). Cathay Pacific (2013) also remained optimistic on biofuels, implementing a number of projects itself. While development will be buoyed by social/ political acceptance of biofuels in the future and the green-credentials it provides, there are also factors, such as the costs involved and its competitiveness with current kerosene supplies. Another driver to mention will be the potential for demand. Figure 2 highlights that in the long-term, BA see a reduction in demand as one support for lower emissions; however this may not be the same for carriers such as Emirates, or others in Asia, Africa. Emirates recently reported a 4.5% in aircraft movements given new routes and higher demand, (Emirates, 2013). Given this, the need for a streamline of global initiatives is needed as emerging airlines increase slights to meet increased demand. Another driver identified is the purchase of emission reductions, or ‘carbon offsets’, with the money invested into initiatives to reduce emissions in other areas, which could be seen to offset the emissions from carrier operations. For example, Cathay Pacific (2013) has used money raised to invest in hydropower/ wind power projects in China. These programmes are now run by over 35 airlines, however require voluntary donations from passengers, IATA (2014) [Online]. The main risk is that the projects rely on the social responsibility of customers; an over reliance on these programmes to reduce emissions could back-fire if customers do not share the view; PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2013) suggests that carriers may need to purchase an extra ˆ1.1Billion of carbon offsets annually by 2030 to reach targets. PriceWaterhouseCoopers, hereafter PWC, (2013) backs up the above in its latest report. After mentioning the halving on aviation emissions by 2050, PWC shows its scepticism, saying that reaching the target will not be easy and would require improvements in carbon intensity of 5.1% every year. Ultimately, advances in fuel efficiency would need to be accelerated along with adoption of biofuels. To add, the report mentioned that a global consensus on sustainable aviation was needed before acceleration in improvements can be seen. The fear is that any improvement from airlines operating in advanced economies could be offset on a global scale by less-efficient emerging airlines from China and India etc., who may not have the financial means to invest heavily in the newest aircraft. GROUND OPERATIONS As mentioned in the Four Pillars, efficiency in ground operations will also support a reduction in emissions. Easyjet (2013) [Online] mentioned that they avoid ‘congested hubs’, such as Heathrow and Frankfurt, to help reduce taxiing and holding patterns, which will use less fuel and so emit less carbon. Furthermore, low-cost airlines have also been known for quick turnaround, allowing for greater efficiency from their current fleet, (Barrett, 2009). SUMMARY The report chose to focus on operational management as a tool to reduce emissions, focusing on fuel efficiency, new aircraft, and route optimisation. The report found that fuel efficiency, driven by new aircraft models has become a high priority; while the decision will have been impacted by a move to reduce emissions, there is also the thought that the trend of high-oil prices, coupled with lower earnings over the economic crisis would have pushed a number of carriers to seek cost-reductions and efficiency drives. Given this, past improvements in efficiency have been strong; however, strong growth in demand from emerging economies has led to a marketable rise in flights, pushing overall emissions higher. For example, Emirates, seen as one of the fastest growing carriers could be used as a barometer. While the carrier has reported improvements in fuel efficiency, due to new aircraft and routes, the carrier reported a 15.9% increase in overall CO2 emissions to 22.4Million tonnes, (Emirates, 2013). Looking ahead into the future, the report has highlighted a number of factors for improvement; being higher adoption of new aircraft, increased adoption of biofuels and purchase of emission reductions. Carriers will continue to place attention on new aircraft/ biofuels as focus remain firmly on cost-reductions; however, the level of long-term success will depend upon profitability, which will impact directly on future capital expenditure plans. To add, not all carriers may share the same plans as emerging carriers may focus on growth and profitability over the environment. To combat this, PWC (2013) identified that a global consensus is needed; currently regulation in the USA/ Europe is much higher than seen in Asia/ Middle East/ Africa, creating unfavourable discrepancy to airlines, such as BA. Carbon offsetting was also identified as a major growth initiative, however as mentioned this currently relies on customer donations; as so both social and political attention on the effects of emissions need to be heightened to encourage offsetting by the public. Operational measures provide great opportunities to further reduce emissions; however, carriers need to ensure they have the funds available for capital expenditure, and the public support/ donations to move ahead with carbon offsetting plans. Finally, it is important to mention that while fuel efficiency will continue to improve, strong increases in demand may lead to overall emissions increases as flight numbers/routes are increased by emerging airlines. This has been seen with data from Emirates; under these circumstances carriers would need to accelerate all initiatives in a bid to meet targets that would seem ambitious. All four pillars will need a global consensus to support target achievement. REFERENCES Airbus (2013) [Online]: Orders Deliveries, Available at http://www.airbus.com/company/market/orders-deliveries/, Accessed 12/01/2014. Air Transport Action Group (2014) [Online]: Facts and Figures, Available athttp://www.atag.org/facts-and-figures.html, Accessed 12/01/2014. ATAG (2013) [Online]: 38th ICAO Assembly, Available at http://www.atag.org/our-activities/38th-icao-assembly.html, Accessed 22/03/2014. Barrett, S (2009): Deregulation and the Airline Business in Europe, EU, Routledge. BBC Business (2014) [Online]: Boeing reports record orders and deliveries for 2013, Available at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-25622236, Accessed 22/03/2014. Boeing (2013) [Online]: Media Releases; Boeing launches 777X with record-breaking orders, Available athttp://boeing.mediaroom.com/Boeing-Launches-777X-with-Record-Breaking-Orders-Strengthens-Partnerships-in-the-Middle-East-at-the-2013-Dubai-Airshow, Accessed 12/01/2014. British Airways (2013): Corporate Responsibility Summary, London, British Airways. Brittlebank, W (2012) [Online]: British Airways aims for carbon neutral growth, Available at http://www.climateactionprogramme.org/news/british_airways_aims_for_carbon_neutral_growth/, Accessed 22/03/2014. Cathay Pacific (2013): Sustainability Matters, Hong Kong, Cathay Pacific. EasyJet (2013) [Online]: In the air, Available at https://www.easyjet.com/EN/environment/green_in_the_air.shtml, Accessed 22/03/2014. Emirates (2013): The Emirates Group Environment Report 2012-13, UAE, Emirates Group. IATA (2013) [Online]: IATA Carbon Offset Program, Available at https://www.iata.org/whatwedo/environment/pages/carbon-offset.aspx, Accessed 22/03/2014. IATA (2014) [Online]: Fact Sheet: Carbon Offset, Available at http://www.iata.org/pressroom/facts_figures/fact_sheets/pages/carbon-offsets.aspx, Accessed 22/03/2014. ICAO (2013) [Online]: 38th Assembly Session, Available at http://www.icao.int/Meetings/a38/Pages/documentation-wp-presentations.aspx, Accessed 22/03/2014. International Council of Clean Transportation (2013); U.S. Domestic Airline Fuel Efficiency Ranking 2010, USA, ICCT Publications. Morrow, D (2013) [Online]: Airbus close to setting new order record, Available at http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/airbus-close-to-setting-new-order-record-393827/, Accessed 23/03/2014. PriceWaterhouseCoopers (2013): A sustainable future for aviation; the future of international aviation emissions could be determined in the next 12 months, London, PWC. UNFCCC (2008): The right flight path to reduce aviation emissions, USA, UNFCCC. Virgin Atlantic (2013); Sustainability Report 2013, UK, Virgin Atlantic. Wall, R (2013) [Online]: Emirates orders additional 50 airbus 1380’s to expand fleet, Available at http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-11-16/emirates-said-in-talks-to-order-50-airbus-a380-superjumbos-1-.html, Accessed 22/03/2014.

CONFIDENTIALITY IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

CONFIDENTIALITY IN PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE - Essay Example Confidentiality in health care is covered in Data Protection Act 1998 in force from March 1, 2000 covering ‘all social services and health records.’ (Beech, 2007) It’s important for patient to know that personal information won’t be disclosed or used without permission. However, in certain situations there is an ethical dilemma between the need to preserve confidentiality and disclose personal information for specific purposes. The breach in patient’s confidentiality can be possible if it concerns public interests. Although protecting confidentiality in health care is usually paramount, the legal obligation to maintain confidentiality is not absolute (McHale 2000 in Beech, 2007). Under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 healthcare staff can disclose personal information in case of severe crimes or terrorism or in case when identification of people involved in traffic accidents is needed. The information can be disclosed also to assist the police to prevent murder, rape and kidnapping. So disclosure happens in situations when an individual is at risk of being seriously harmed when the information is not disclosed. (Beech, 2007). Personal information can be revealed in cases of certain infectious diseases when the law requires health providers to inform public health authorities. When it concerns public interest the breach of confidence is justified according to a common law justification. For example, when a nurse is aware of threat to public safety like in case when a person with epilepsy rides a motorbike, one is entitled to notify driving medical authorities. The same is true in case of communicable disease or sexually transmitted infections. It’s appropriate for the health care professional to inform a partner of the infected person of the possible threat. The breach of confidence here is justified on the basis of harm prevention. (Clinical Confidentiality, 2005) The laws

International Business Examination Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5750 words

International Business Examination - Essay Example First stage In the first stage, the emphasis is on research and development that is focused on new product development. The firm is able to maintain its leverage in the market due to high demand for the product which has relatively few competitions. The stage is also marked by high profitability which gives further thrust to technology and processes. But the new product has smaller domestic market. The first stage is inherently linked to strategic initiatives of the firm which are used to exploit its competitive advantage to progress to the next level. Second stage The second stage of product’s life cycle is process of maturing which leads to competition because other firms compete on variations of the product putting downward pressure on the prices. This necessitates the innovating firm to expand globally and focus on technology and intense marketing to maintain its niche market position. The phase also highlights growth of the firm with higher emphasis on internationalizatio n in order to gain leverage by shifting production to new location in other countries with low production cost and increase profit. The near standardisation of product results in established technologies, low focus on R&D and growing domestic and export market. FDI emerges as attractive option mainly for two reasons: to ease out price pressure from the domestic market; and to overcome the barriers of import in foreign countries and lower production cost (Krugman & Obstfeld, 2009). Moreover, the stage is also relevant because it provides opportunities for firms to expand their market internationally and create new avenues of growth. Third stage In this phase, the product is matured and completely standardised and there is intense competition. With market saturation, the production is moved to overseas production sites with low production cost so that finished goods can be re-imported from these locations for home market with higher profit margin. Some scholars believe that the maturi ty of the product accelerates R&D to infuse it with greater value added service so that it can serve the changing needs of the customers as new product (Leinwand & Mainardi, 2010). This is interesting because it promotes the concept of recycling of products and product cycles to constantly improve and improvise market. Thus, firms can maintain their niche position through constant innovation and growth in new market and existing market. 1(b) In the 21st century, the model provides a realistic description of firm internationalization. The stage approach is supported by various scholars who believe that sequential progression in the stages of product life cycle creates linkages for internationalization of firms (Li, 2007; Johanson & Vahlne, 1990). The virtual economy, liberalization of market and most importantly, the inter-dependence of resources promote expansion of market and serve as major imperative for internationalization of firm. The innovative firm in the developed country fi rst serves domestic market and gradually expands to other developing nations to serve local markets to leverage increasing competition. Later emerging markets provide them with locations that are cost effective in terms of production and become attractive. Most importantly, in the 21st

Women's role during the Great Depression and during world war ll Essay

Women's role during the Great Depression and during world war ll - Essay Example Women served as nurses or teachers, cooks or cleaners. Some even ventured into men’s jobs. In such cases, discrimination was commonplace. Women were not deemed as clever or as physically strong as their male counterparts, and as a result, were often harassed, by their bosses and trade unionists. They therefore, had to fight to be taken seriously because their male counterparts were often very suspicious of their capabilities. It was a time for women to shine despite the discrimination they experienced. When no other men were available, women were given significant tasks that were originally assigned to men. They were initially trained to the same standard as men, but employers eventually didn’t want to hire fully trained women because they received better pay, which upset the trained male workers, causing friction in the workplace. Equal pay became a huge issue that women fought for and this even spurred the women’s liberation movement. Indeed, women made productive use of their time during the war. They were able to combine work, marriage and motherhood without seriously undermining their expected home responsibilities. A woman’s participation in the war effort did not doom conventional sexual divisions of labour while compensating her work with much needed payment without threatening her domestic duties. This multi-faceted role also gave her a feeling of personal importance which is mostly taken for granted by the people around her. The war was devastating for most people, taking the lives of their loved ones, destroying their properties and livelihood. Previously held values were put aside as morality took a plunge in the name of survival. It was a very emotional time for all, and women were tested of their emotional and physical strength to carry on despite all the hardships and challenges thrown their way. Most women proved themselves and have gained skills to they were able to use in various tasks.

Project Management Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 2

Project Management Review - Essay Example Project scope management This creates a situation where the scope of the project increases and more tasks are to be accomplished within the limited time and budget that was originally planned for lesser tasks. So, the scope creep puts the project group into overturning the original project time and budget. Project managers are affected by the impacts of the scope creep since the beginning the project management. Controlling the scope creep is a hard task to be completed and requires precisely defined and documented design. The project manger is badly concerned about the project creep as it can sneak up, morph, and destroy a project. However, the term â€Å"scope creep† is not applied when the budget and time of the project is increased in accordance with the changes in the scope, and it is an accepted addition to the scope of the project. 2.0. â€Å"We cannot afford to terminate the project now. We have already spent more than 50 percent of the project budget.† The orga nization has changed its managerial priorities and therefore the project no longer supports the administrative strategies and the project needs to be terminated. The above statement reveals that 50 percent of the project budget is completed. ... 3.0 The role of Project Retrospective. It’s difference from Post-project evaluation. Project Retrospective is a technique to evaluate from the project experience, taking both good and bad of the project into consideration. The primary role of the project retrospective is to discover lessons and to make improvements in process that facilitates planning and execution on future projects. Such discovery is carried by brining up significant positive and negative issues, the basic causes for the issues and suggestions and proposals for improvement, normally accomplished through a retrospective meeting. The Project Retrospective further analyzes the tasks that were successful and also whether to continue with those activities. The analysis includes the functions that were useful and how they could be improved, which decision was wrong that we should not repeat, and about the cause behind the success or failure of an undertaking, and what the team can do about it. On the other hand, P ost-project evaluation is a method of recording the experiences from the past projects for the purpose using those data in the future projects wherever it seems to influence the project. The purpose of the Post-project evaluation is to assist the non-specialists in the project management in dealing with the future decision making. This system will make sure that mistakes are not repeated and the good practices of the management are maintained. In contrast to the project retrospective, the post-project evaluation is prepared with the main objective of learning the lessons that can be applied to the future projects or to transfer to departmental projects and improves project appraisal design, management, and implementation. 4.0 Major deliverables for project closure The

Harlem Renaissance Poets Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Harlem Renaissance Poets - Research Paper Example On the one hand, Johnson poem â€Å"Let Me Not Lose My Dream† features her seminal background in Rome, Georgia. The poem carries well recitations of the ancient culture and the need for blacks to take on the challenges of the community, while embracing stoicism. The inclusion of entertaining humor in the literary content was largely impacted by her skills of playing musical instruments and natural history. The creation of the poem was largely influenced by William Starkey Braithwaite work, an author who highlighted the socio-economic and political challenges that minority communities faced in the United States, and the need to remain steadfast in the quest for a free America. Considered to be one of the founding women poets, who based their literature on the new role of African Americans, Johnson’s poem â€Å"Let Me Not Lose My Dream† was laced with a feeling of sadness and optimism that blacks faced in their effort to assume prominence in the society. On the oth er hand, Gwendolyn Bennett was another significant poet of this period. The poet was born in July 1902 in Giddings, Texas. Her parents were Joshua and Maime Bennett. Bennet’s poem â€Å"Heritage† features her life as a young woman in Brooklyn’s Girls High, through her adulthood. The nature of treatment she received was characterized by benignly cold reception from the mainstream white community. Through the poem â€Å"Heritage,† particular practices such as the intellectual capabilities of the blacks during Harlem Renaissance were tolerated without question, and without meticulous thought. The poem highlighted the future role of the blacks, in social and political circles. â€Å"Heritage† is illustrative of a keen intellectual mind, which Bennet summoned during the Harlem Renaissance period to articulate the social change in the American society; that democratic transformation in the society was inevitable, and that art and literary genre had becom e a significant avenue used to communicate the much needed change in the society (Hull 13-15). Despite the significant, but the largely different titles of the two poems, Johnson’s â€Å"Let Me Not Lose My Dream† and Bennet’s â€Å"Heritage,† are two literary works that indicate the need to conserve fruitful society norms of the blacks such as social democracy, fair representation in all aspects of the society and justice for all. Whereas the former poem served to motivate the rising blacks not to be cowed in their effort to assume socio-economic and political significance in the society; the latter holds that not all new developments may yield positive outcomes. The poems by Georgia Douglas Johnson and Gwendolyn Bennett are, thus, illustrative of the enormous skills and resourcefulness that inspired the change empowerment of blacks during the Black Arts Movement. By reexamining the contribution of these poets, one can have a glimpse of delight of the bla cks during Harlem Renaissance, despite the enormous social challenges they faced . Themes present in the two poems Ethnic Pride Featuring the historical Black Arts Movement was an explicit ethnic delight that was captured in the philosophy of the empowerment of the community, who through scholarly work and creation of literature could reverse the pervading ethnic bigotry and traditions to enhance

Poverty in Rural America Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Poverty in Rural America - Essay Example A system based on free market economics makes it difficult for the most vulnerable to gradually move forward towards greater security. Farm workers who must perform physically demanding work on minimal wages cannot continue to work forever and this means that a need exists to find ways for trying to ensure that individuals can meet their needs to retire in dignity. This essay presents a discussion about poverty in rural America to conclude that perhaps efforts to stimulate entrepreneurship that is personalised and tailor made for individuals using community funds by empowered local leadership may work better. Tax credits, temporary financial assistance and allocation of low paying but draining jobs to poor individuals have failed to present lasting solutions for improving the lot of the rural poor in America and elsewhere. The term ‘poverty’ refers to a lack of income or other resources needed for maintaining a minimally acceptable standard of living (Goreham, 572 – 573). According to the previously mentioned author, poverty in the United States of America has often been associated with urban slums and ghettos, but historically and today, poverty in the United States of America is far more prevalent in the rural areas compared to the urban areas of the country. According to the United States Census Bureau, about 13% of the total population of the United States of America, about 37 million people, lived below the poverty line in the year 2005 (GAO, 1). In addition, the U.S. Census Bureau stated that for the past four years, the poverty rate in the United States had been increasing (Spriggs, 14). However, the fact that nearly eighty-five percent of America’s high poverty counties were not metropolitan suggests that rural poverty is the more prevalent and acute compared to urba n poverty (Landon, 14 – 15). Thus, it is clear that it

Drug and Alcohol Addiction Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Drug and Alcohol Addiction - Research Proposal Example This research will begin with the statement that drug and alcohol addiction has been one chief source of various ills in our society which deserves to be addressed seriously for an intensive permanent resolution. We can never deny the fact that somewhere in history, alcohol drinking and substance use have heretofore prevailed to be part of our culture and we have often found a great deal of change through them in terms of economy and socio-political affairs from societal to global scale. Like poverty and the cold war between nations, drug and alcohol addiction is an appalling crisis that would not cease to torment and misshape the moral sphere of living. On this ground, I have decided to conduct further research on drug and alcohol addiction, being a subject area of huge significance especially in determining certain causes or factors if issues that emerge out of trouble within the family, search for identity, the problem with career, and several other more personal conflicts.  To me, it is quite essential to examine individual concerns that are directly influenced by addiction to alcohol and drug since an addicted drug user or alcohol drinker eventually affects other people in his circle. As observed in reality, every person who has abused the use of drugs and alcohol bears a negative impact on the lives of others who may commit quality-of-life crimes themselves. Moreover, studies demonstrate that drug and alcohol addiction is widely associated to cases of human trafficking, murder, sexual assault, theft and robbery, juvenile delinquencies, different forms of violence, suicide, and other criminal or unlawful acts that run contrary to promoting ethics, health, and life of peace. The paper would aim as well to cover discussion of the existing measures implemented by the American government, how effective these measures are, and what else can be done to improve such measures on preventing and possibly finding solutions to eradicate drug and alcohol addiction co mpletely among the youth.

The Diagnosis and Treatment of Antisocial Personality Disorder Essay Example for Free

The Diagnosis and Treatment of Antisocial Personality Disorder Essay The Diagnosis and Treatment of Antisocial Personality Disorder Introduction            Antisocial (dissocial) personality disorder is a person-oriented disorder which is majorly characterized by a universal pattern of violating other people’s rights.            It is a mental health condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of altering, exploiting, or violating the rights of others (Franz, 1993, p.4).            It is said to begin in childhood or early adolescence and continues all the way into the adulthood stage. A person suffering from antisocial personality disorder can be identified after noting a gross disparity between the person’s behavior and the prevailing social norms.            Symptoms of antisocial personality disorder:            Persistent attitude of irresponsibility and failure to regard the social norms, policies and duties. Marked readiness to blame other people for the behavior that is responsible for the person being into conflict with the society. Extremely low level of tolerance to frustration and a low threshold for discharge of aggression, with violence included. Conspicuous lack of concerns for the feelings of other people in the society. Lack of adequate capacity to gain positively from experience, more specific punishment.            Generally, the treatment and diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder can be viewed from several different perspectives; depending on the major factor associated with the disorder.            Despite the fact that, conduct disorder is different from antisocial personality disorder, the presence of conduct disorder in either the childhood or the adolescence stage may in one way support the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder. The diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder is majorly based on behavioral patterns and personality traits of the person (.Frownfelter, Donna, Elizabeth 2006, p.61).            The diagnosis is somehow faced with a critically complex situation that inhibits its success; it is very difficult to obtain a reliable measure of personality traits. The diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder can be effective after a few conditions have been met; the person must be at least 18 years old before the diagnosis. There should also be evidence of conduct disorder in the person as a child, whether or not it was ever formally diagnosed by a professional. In the general population, antisocial personality disorder is found to be more prevalent in males than in female with a ratio of 3:1, thus careful investigation should be made to the male population as it is more vulnerable to the disorder. Similar to most personality disorders, antisocial personality disorder will generally decrease in intensity with age; with the people in the 40s and 50s experiencing few of the most extreme symptoms of the disorder. The diagnosis of antisocial personality disorde r is specifically done by a trained mental health professional, for instance, a psychologist or psychiatrist. This type of psychological diagnosis is beyond the level that can be addressed by family physicians and general practitioners due to inadequate skills to perform the operation. There are no; genetic, laboratory, or blood tests that are used in the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorders. Most of the people suffering from antisocial personality disorder, generally, do not often seek out treatment until the disorder significantly starts to interfere or in other words impact a person’s life. This in most cases happens when the coping resources of a person are stretched too thin to take care of stress and other life events. In the diagnosis process, the mental health professional compares the person’s symptoms and life history with the majorly known symptoms of antisocial personality disorder. The conclusion from the comparison will make a determination of whether your symptoms meet the criteria necessary for an antisocial personality disorder diagnosis.            The major causes of antisocial personality disorder are most likely due to biological and genetic factors, social factors (for instance, how a person interacts in his or her early development with family and friends and also other children), and psychological factors (the individual’s personality and temperament, modified by their environment and acquired coping skills to cope up with stress. If a person is suffering from antisocial personality disorder, from analytical researches, there is a slightly high chance of â€Å"passing down† the disorder to his or her siblings (Barron Frank, 1963, p.87). Psychotherapy            The treatment of antisocial personality disorder majorly involves the employment of long-term psychotherapy with a therapist equipped with enough experience in the field of this disorder.            The population that is suffering from antisocial personality disorder experiences a state of lacking connections between feelings and behaviors. The practice of helping the subject population on how to draw the lines between feelings and behaviors is of great benefit to the people suffering from antisocial personality disorder. In the treatment of antisocial personality disorder, threats are never an appropriate motivating method; by threatening to report their noncompliance with therapy to the courts or warden. However, it is appropriate to put more efforts to assist the people suffering from this disorder find better reasons that may be needed to work on this problem; for instance, submitting themselves to additional psychological examinations. The effective psychotherapy treatment for antisocial personality disorder is limited. Psychoanalytic approaches that reinforce appropriate behaviors and trying to make connections between the person’s actions and fe elings may be of greater assistance.            Emotions usually form a key element of treatment of antisocial personality disorder.            Patients often have had little or no significant emotionally-rewarding relationships in their lives.            In the treatment of antisocial personality disorder, a very close therapeutic relationship can only occur when a good and solid rapport has been established with the client and he or she can trust the therapist implicitly.            The issue of confidentiality is highly preserved in the treatment of antisocial personality disorder.            Since the clinician has to occasionally report on the patient’s progress in therapy, this should be done in a way that does not reveal the significant details of the therapy. The limitations of therapy should be discussed with the patient up-front, in a clear manner, to avoid later misunderstanding. The patient’s emotions form the basic platform of consideration from which various emotional states, like depression, are experienced. This calls for the clinician to be supportive and empathetic to the patient during this time (Gazzaniga, Heatherton, 2006, p.38).            Dealing with â€Å"safe issues† and discussing more real-life concerns, (one way of treating this disorder), is rather less effective in long term behavioral change as compared with an approach emphasizing the discovery and labeling of appropriate emotional states. The therapist should usually take a neutral stance in the matter of interacting with the authority figures. Often people suffering from antisocial disorder find themselves in a group setting, simply because they are not given any choices of treatment. This inhibits treatment, since in most of the groups the individual can remain emotionally-closed and has little reason to share with others. Family therapy is of great assistance in boosting education and understanding amongst the family members (.Frownfelter, Donna, Elizabeth 2006, p.84).            Philip W. Long, M.D. adds, †This confusion, guilt, the temptation to make restitution for the patient’s criminal acts, and the frustrations of working with someone who is seen to be quite ill but who will not be treated should all be discussed openly with family members.† Hospitalization            Antisocial personality disorder can also be treated through hospitalization even though, inpatient care is rarely appropriate. With this type of disorder, loss of freedom is one of the major characteristics and it may be more of a motivating factor than in other personality disorders; thus some specialized treatment facilities have commenced to treat people suffering from this disorder. This method utilizes a strict behavioral approach of placing patients on a token economy mainly considering their treatment progress. Little research has been conducted to confirm the long-term effectiveness of this method. As with other treatments of personality disorders, this method focuses on feelings and connecting antisocial behavior to appropriate feeling states. Since inpatient programs are found to be intensive and expensive, the treatment gains are maintained by the community follow up and support, either by the hospital or professionals, or with the use of self-help suppo rt groups. Medication; no research has suggested the effectiveness of medication in the treatment of this disorder.            Medication should only be used to treat clear, acute and serious Axis concurrent diagnoses (Kirk, 2005, p.101). Self-help strategies            Another method for the treatment of antisocial personality disorder is self-help strategies.            This method involves very few professionals hence it is often overlooked by the medical profession. Groups tailored specifically for antisocial personality disorder can facilitate the implementation of this method especially for the people with this disorder.            Individuals suffering from this disorder feel more at ease to discuss their feelings and behaviors in front of their peers in this type of supportive modality. Usually a group is of great help and beneficial to most people suffering from this disorder, only when they overcome their initial fears and hesitation to join such a group. There are several support groups existing in different parts of the world to help those who are affected by this disorder and share common experience and feelings. In a general field of view, antisocial personality disorder can be best managed if the affected are in a good rank to interact amongst them bravely (Barron Frank, 1963, p.98). Outpatient Therapy            Outpatient therapy is another method in the treatment of antisocial personality disorder even though it is found not to be very successful in the treatment.            This method is commonly executed with the children with the following specifications:-Have experienced serious injuries with them, are undergoing learning difficulties, arte experiencing some problems in the execution of their daily living obligations, have chronic as well as acute conditions that in one way or another inhibit their development (Zarit, 1980, p.76).            The treatment of antisocial personality disorders by the method of outpatient therapy involves a team of specialists conducts the exercise of evaluating each and every affected child after which a personalized treatment plan is formulated. The formulated team may comprise of highly skilled personnel such as; Language pathologists; whose main task is to evaluate the children’s communication with the world. Occupational therapists, who evaluate self care skills in the children with several types of diagnoses, and various levels of disabilities. Recreational therapists, whose main duty is to enhance and encourage high level of functional independence, leisure activities, and recreation via various techniques such as; group recreation and field trips, adaptive equipment specialists, who work in conjunction with the other therapists to establish a better way to assist the children in achieving their set of realistic goals. This is majorly achieved via the exercis e of designing and fabricating special equipment or improving the status of existing equipment. Physical therapists also form a major component of the formulated team since they aim at enhancing the children’s flexibility and mobility via play and exercise (Mann, 1989, p.56). Schema Therapy            In addition to the so far discussed methods of treating antisocial personality disorder, schema therapy is another effective method to serve the same purpose.            Schema therapy is an integrative approach to treatment that unites the best aspects of cognitive behavioral, interpersonal and psychoanalytic therapies into a single compact model.            It is best remarked to help people to change negative patterns with which they have long-lived.            The deeper patterns that are mainly targeted by this method in the treatment of antisocial personality disorder are enduring and self-defeating schemas which are said to begin early in life.            These patterns majorly comprise of dysfunctional thoughts and feelings; which pose obstacles for accomplishing one’s target goals as well as satisfying one’s needs. These patterns are worsened by enduring in most of the schema beliefs which in turn lead to enhancement of the antisocial personality disorder. This method (schema therapy) of treatment aims at assisting the affected person to disintegrate these negative schemas of thinking, behaving and feeling; (which are known to be very tenacious), to develop healthier alternatives to substitute them (Wade, Tavris, 2000, p.49). Stages of schema therapy            Firstly, the assessment phase; in this stage, schemas are identified during the initial sessions. Questionnaires can also be used to get a clear picture of the constituent schemas involved.            Secondly, the emotional awareness and experiential phase; in this stage, patients get in touch with the respective schemas and acquire some knowledge on how to deal with the schemas when they are carrying out their obligations in their day-to-day life (Vreeswijk, Broersen, 2012, p.128).            Thirdly and lastly, the behavioral change stage; this is the focus stage during which the affected person is actively involved in substituting negative, behaviors and habitual thoughts with new and healthy behavioral patterns.            On a broad base, the goal of schema therapy is to assist patients to have their core emotional needs met. This is achieved by learning how to carry out the following practices:-            Heal schemas and vulnerable modes by having the needs met in and outside of the therapeutic relationship. Establish healthy behavioral patterns and modes. Abandon the usage of maladaptive coping styles and modes that pose an obstacle to contact with feelings. Adopt reasonable limits for angry, overcompensating or impulsive behavioral patterns and modes.            In schema therapy, an imagery dialogue between the â€Å"schema side† and the â€Å"healthy side†.            Schema therapy interventions are more experiential as well as emotion focused.            They can also be behavioral. Limited Re-parenting is one of the most distinctive and central areas in schema therapy.            According to Myers, 2004, p39, it is known to be the heart of treatment in schema therapy. Research has been conducted and it is clearly evident from the outcomes that; a relatively large percentage of those affected by this personality disorder can achieve full recovery across the complete range of symptoms.            The patients engaged in these studies attributed a great concern of the effectiveness of the treatment and the relatively low dropout rate to limited re-parenting. Limited re-parenting comprises of the establishment of a secure attachment via the therapist. A broadly conducted research supports that secure attachment is at the root of adaptive functioning, well-being as well as flourishing. Most of the maladaptive schemas are found to mainly relate to the state of generally unmet needs in the childhood as well as lack of appropriate relationships (Barlow, David 2001, p.28).            They are generally considered as a pattern of established unstable behaviors to the daily life situations. Maladaptive schemas can as well be bodily sensations associated with traumas.            They have an overall negative result, that is; a person may view him or herself in collaboration with difficulties thus establishing one’s true identity. The antisocial behaviors may also comprise of schema modes; which are found to be emotional states as well as ways of coping which every person must experience in one moment or another. Conducted researches have outcome that; those people who are suffering from antisocial personality disorders in most cases tend to be hypersensitive and may be greatly affected by a simple image or a word of offense (Gelfer, 1996, p.59).            This calls for a special and soft procedure to be developed so as to sort out the issue of antisocial disorders in a non-harassing manner thus more effective methods were adopted to deal with the antisocial disorders. The focus of limited re-parenting extends over a broad range of needs such as early connection, sufficient limits and autonomy. The schema therapy group of treatment resulted in significant reductions in the disorder’s symptoms and global improvement in functioning. A collaborative randomly controlled trial with 14 sites in six countries is further in progress to explore the productive interaction between groups and schema therapy.            Schema therapy is generally cost effective and is much more accurate as far as treatment of antisocial personality disorder is concerned. To conclude, the ultimate goal of schema therapy is to assist patients to have their core needs met. Multisystem Therapy            Furthermore, antisocial personality disorder can be treated using a method called Multisystem Therapy (MST); which is one of the most successful methods for the treatment.            This is an intensive, family-focused and community-based treatment technique for chronic as well as violent youth. This method is goal oriented with its objective being; to help caregivers manage and nurture their challenging adolescents in a much better manner (.Andrews, 1961, p.38).            Juvenile justice is one of the major forms of multisystem therapy; it deals with the problems of adolescents who have significant histories of committing crime. There are other systems whose task is to sort out the situations in other serious behavioral issues; for instance, drug abuse, abuse and neglect, as well as psychiatric disorders. The target goal for this method of treatment is to drastically reduce the antisocial behaviors as well as criminal activity amongst the youth. This is achieved at a relatively lower cost by reducing the rates of incarceration. Multisystem therapy empowers both the youth and the parents with the required skills as well as resources to facilitate independency and establish a way to deal with the complex environment as well as social problems. The method of multisystem therapy was specifically innovated to deal with adolescents’ antisocial behaviors. It typically aims at chronic as well as substance-abusing juvenile offenders aged between 12 and 17 years. This bracket of population is much more vulnerable to out-of-home placement.            Unlike other several methods of treatment where the affected person sees a therapist at a clinic; in multisystem therapy, the therapists go to the subject’s home and community (Levine, Gallogly, 1985, p.39).            This clearly explains why this method is preferred in the treatment to other methods (it has direct exposure to the environment of the affected person hence effective decisions can be made to address the problem. In the process of designing a treatment plan, the multisystem therapists collaborate with parents, caregivers and family members. The plan builds on the strengths of in the family members’ lives; which creates success environment during and after treatment.            Generally, the major obligations of multisystem therapy include:- Enhance family relations, Assist the affected person develop a vocation, Expose the youth to friends who deviate from the antisocial behaviors, Create a support network which in turn assist the caregivers maintain the changes, and advance on the caregivers’ parenting skills.            Conducted research has shown that, multisystem therapy is more effective as compared to other standard treatments. This has been supported by the follow-up studies made with the youth and families. This guarantees the long-term effectiveness of the multisystem therapy. This method of treating antisocial personality disorder has been found to be cost effective as noted from a broadly conducted research over a great extent of the world (.Paris, 1996, p.98). References Andrews, M. F. (1961). Creativity and psychological health;. Syracuse, N.Y.: Syracuse University Press. Barlow, David H.. (2001). Clinical handbook of psychological disorders: a step-by-step treatment manual. 3rd ed. New York: Guilford Press, Print. Barron, Frank. (1963) Creativity and psychological health; origins of personal vitality and creative freedom.. New York: Van Nostrand, Print. Co-occurring conditions toolkit: mild traumatic brain injury and psychological health : concussion, posttraumatic stress, depression, chronic pain, headache, substance use disorder.. (2010). Washington, D.C.?: Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health Traumatic Brain Injury. Franz, M. (1993). Psychotherapy. Boston: Shambhala. Frownfelter, Donna L., and Elizabeth Dean. (2006). Cardiovascular and pulmonary physical therapy: evidence and practice. 4th ed. St. Louis, Mo.: Mosby/Elsevier, Print. Gazzaniga, M.S., Heatherton, T.F. (2006). Psychological Science. New York: W.W. Norton Company, Inc.[ Gelfer, M. P. (1996). Survey of communication disorders: a social and behavioral perspective. Gray, P. (1999). Psychology (3rd ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. Kirk, S. A. (2005). Mental disorders in the social environment: critical perspectives. New York: Columbia University Press. Levine, B., Gallogly, V. (1985). Group therapy with alcoholics: outpatient and inpatient approaches. Beverly Hills, Calif.: Sage Publications. Mann, J. John.(1989). Models of depressive disorders: psychological, biological, and genetic perspectives. New York: Plenum Press, Print. Myers, D. G. (2004). Psychology (7th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. Paris, J. (1996). Social factors in the personality disorders: a biopsychosocial approach to etiology and treatment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Vreeswijk, M. v., Broersen, J. (2012). The Wiley-Blackwell Handbook of Schema Therapy Theory, Research and Practice.. Hoboken: John Wiley Sons. Wade, C., Tavris, C. (2000). Psychology (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Zarit, Steven H.. (1980) Aging and mental disorders: psychological approaches to assessment and treatment. New York: Free Press, Print. http://www.div12.org/PsychologicalTreatments/disorders.htmlhttp://www.nimh.nih.gov/about/updates/2013/mental-disorders-as-brain-disorders-thomas-insel-at-tedxcaltech.shtml Source document

Analyze the impact of geography and economic Essay Example for Free

Analyze the impact of geography and economic Essay Geography and economic activity often determine the future of any civilization. Here, one is forced to admit that most of the obvious differences among the ancient civilization can be drawn based on their geographical location and, of course, their economic history (Wells, 561). Let us take the example of Roman and Mesopotamian civilizations. Roman civilization is centered on a powerful city situated on the Capitoline Hills. In the beginning of Rome’s history, most of the people were either farmers or small-scale traders. When Rome expanded into central and southern Italy at the beginning of the Punic Wars, its policy-makers were faced with this fundamental question, â€Å"How do we protect our trade interests? † The answer was expansionism. Rome acquired territories in the East either by conquest or forced capitulation of kingdoms (for example, Bithynia and Pergamum). Rome’s economic interests led to the expansion of the Roman Republic. When this republic was becoming larger and larger, the need for a more despotic, efficient form of government was becoming a reality. From 88 B. C. to 31 B. C. , the Republic became an avenue of power struggle between powerful public officials. (Such necessity was never a probabilistic tendency, rather a deterministic one) Rome, in 100 B. C. was not yet a center of trade and commerce. As such, only by expansion can Rome protect its economic interests (Wells, 585). The Mesopotamian civilization is situated on the so-called ‘Fertile Crescent’ or the junction of the Tigris-Euphrates Rivers. Its geographical location was suited for trade and commerce. In fact, it was the center of trade in the Middle East, controlling the flow of goods from the ‘Far East’ to the Pillars of Hercules (Toynbee, 266). Hence, most of the city-states founded on the Fertile Crescent were prosperous and relatively peaceful. Wars usually occurred as a means of settling disputes among rulers of city-states. Expansionism was never an important issue. Unlike Rome, most of the city-states preferred to negotiate rather than engage in costly wars. For example, when Uruk defeated a powerful city-state in 1560 B. C. , it was faced with an important fundamental question, â€Å"Is it necessary to occupy the city-state? † The answer was an obvious no. Occupation only entailed increased cost and resentment from the local population. It was more rational to keep the city under constant political surveillance than to actually occupy it. Only at the time of Sargon that was political view radically altered. 2. What do surviving works (art or architecture) tell us about culture? Compare pagan art to Christian art and Greek art to Roman art. Art and architecture define the ideology and prevailing beliefs of particular historical periods (Zaide, 419). Historical periods here do not simply refer to space and time, rather to actual events conforming to specific ideologies (Zaide, 420). Art and architecture also define the way of life of particular groups of people located in specific milieu. Hence, one may argue that works of art generally reflect the exterior and interior tendencies of people; that is, works of art define the psychology and behavior of peoples. For example, the painting ‘The Night watch† (by Rembrandt) reflects the ideological resistance of the Dutch nation against Spanish imperialism. Christian art is essentially different from pagan art in two respects. First, Christian art rests on the twin principles of equality (not to be confused with the ‘equality’ espoused by the French Revolution) and simplicity (Zaide, 549). Early Christian art depicted the symbolic reign of Christ on earth; this is symbolic of the simplicity of Christian life. During the reign of Constantine the Great, Christian art (although still rests on the concept of simplicity) became the emblem of imperial authority and the Divine Trinity (note that early Christian art only depicted the image of Christ). Constantine the Great ordered the construction of great basilicas to proclaim this new interpretation of Christian art. Second, Christian art centered on a single set of ideology. Christian art and philosophy centered on the nature of the Divine Trinity, the simplicity of Christian life, and the majesty of the Roman Church. Pagan art was a ‘hot spot’ of eastern, Greek, and Roman religious philosophy. Pagan art was simply the result of the mixture of pagan philosophies. Roman art is different from Greek art in two respects. First, Roman art was generally a modification of Greek art. The invention of concrete during the 1st century A. D. greatly advanced Roman art and architecture. For example, the simple amphitheatre of the Greeks was transformed into a colosseum. Concrete allowed the construction of more complex structures. Second, Greek art was essentially religious in character (this is assertion is debatable for some historians). Roman art and architecture was a mixture of religious and political philosophies. Works Cited Toynbee, Arnold. A History of the World. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1964. Wells, Herbert. An Outline of History. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1947. Zaide, Gregorio. History of Art. Manila: Manila Publishing Company.

Improving Listening for Communication Skills

Improving Listening for Communication Skills   Listening guidelines for myself for improving this important and necessary skill Introduction: Listening may be defined as the process of receiving, understanding, remembering, evaluating, and responding to verbal [spoken or written]and/or nonverbal messages (DeVito p.148). Listening is vital in the business world and is one of the most important and most valued communication skill we can have because at work we spend most of our times listening to co-workers, supervisors, and managers. Poor listening is inevitable and the good news is that listening can be improved through training. 1. How can I improve my listening skills in work situations to improve my overall performance? In todays workplace if we are going to function effectively in increase our overall performance we need to listen. In work situations one of the ways I can improve my listening skills is by improving my listening ability by strengthening the skills needed at each step of the listening process such as attention and concentration (receiving), learning(understanding), memory(remembering), critical thinking(evaluation), and competence in giving feedback (responding) (DeVito p. 148-149). I can face the speaker and maintain good eye-contact (a sign of honesty and a basic ingredient for effective communication). I can then start being attentive. Attentive means to be present, to pay and give attention to the speakers verbal and nonverbal messages. Understanding requires that I learn what the speaker means. I dont interrupt and I dont offer solutions if I am not being asked to. It is always polite to wait for the person that speaks to pause if clarifying questions need to be asked. These questions need to be used only to endure understanding. Also, if I want to communicate feedback I ask permission to do so. At work is imperative at the end of a message to rephrase in my own words what I heard to make sure I understood correctly the meaning of the message. Effective listening depends on remembering. (DeVito p.152) Taking notes and sometimes recording the message can be helpful with remembering the message. Evaluating is useful after a message has been clearly understood. Responding happens in two phases: immediate feedback responses that I make while speaker is still talking and delayed feedback- responses that I make after the speaker has stopped talking. 2. How can I improve my listening behaviors with a significant other? Personally, we want partners who listen to us. If we are to understand what a person means and what a personal is feeling, you need to listen with some degree of empathy, the feeling of anothers feelings. (Rogers, 1970) At home I can improve my listening behaviors with a significant other by engaging actively in the following behaviors: communicate a clear willingness to listen (DeVito p.162). First, I need to let my spouse know that I am open to listen to his thoughts and feelings. Create an atmosphere of openness and trust because this help my significant other with self-disclosing revealing information about himself that might be difficult to communicate. When listening to my spouse it is important that I look directly to him and I position my body towards him. In close intimate relationships, the emphatic style is the preferred mode of listening and depending on the situations nonjudgmental, active and depth could also be used. Emphatic listening allows me to understand my spouses meaning of the message the way he sees it and the way he feels it. It is essential that I echo his nonverbal expressions to demonstrate that I understand and feel my spouses thoughts and feelings. Lastly, it is desirable at the end of a message to give positive feedback and ask questions. It is important that I state to him in clear and honest language what I liked about his message, to stress my good intentions and to mention areas of agreement or disagreement. Asking questions is helpful in case I need to secures additional information and to reaffirm my interest and concern for my spouse. Research shows that practicing these behaviors and especially engaging in emphatic listening helps me to enhance my relationship (Barrett Godfrey, 1988; Snyder, 1992). 3. How can I improve my listening skills with a child? Every parent knows that parenting is hard work. When I became a mother, I realized that I have not always displayed the best listening skills with my son Daniel. Over the years through instruction and practice I have improved my listening skills. Here are the most significant ones that I have found useful and rewarding: it is crucial to let the child know that you are interested in listening to what he/she needs to communicate. Avoid all distraction and fully tune your attention and your body to all his/her verbal and nonverbal communication. Physically get down to the childs level and bring active, emphatic and objective listening styles listening to them and their messages. From a childs prospective it is necessary to feel that the parent is seen as a base to which they can always return when they need help and support. In my experience, whenever I use these types of listening I communicate to my child that he is a valuable person worthy of my time and attention. I also demonstrate that I appreciate, feel, and see his world through his own eyes instead of my own and that I can walk in his shoes and feel the way he feels. Acceptance is paramount here. This is a special time when the child gets to express without being interrupted or judged. It is crucial for parents to do this because they get to create a caring and loving relationship with the child and a positive and supportive environment for their child to grow. 4. How can improve my listening skills with someone I dislike, but need to communicate with? Sometime I encounter a situation where I need to communicate with someone that I make up I dislike. How can I improve my listening skills in these types of situations? Polite listening style is essential here. Politeness may be signaled through listening (Fukushima, 2000). To start I can accept the reality that I need to communicate with this person and the dislike is more about me and is not about the other person. Next, I need to scan my body language that could leak out my attitude. Listening with curiosity and with intent to learn also helps. Show empathy with the speaker. Show that I understand the speakers thoughts and feelings by echoing the feelings of the speaker. (DeVito p.162). The goal here is not to agree with him/her, but to assess what they are trying to express. Finally, give the person consistent feedback to show that I am attentive and they are being listened to. Conclusion: Great communicators are great listeners. Listening is a vital component in communication and in interpersonal communication because it helps us know others. After carefully reading chapter 6 and completing this assignment I come to believe that to improve my relationships with others and increase my overall performance at school or work I must participate in cultivating proven and effective listening skills. This requires effort, openness and a willingness to change a few unhealthy habits with new ones. It is self-evident that by developing a daily practice my relationships and life can benefit increasing my chances of becoming likeable, loveable, friendly and agreeable, and these are all qualities I value and consider worth changing for. Works Cited: DeVito, Joseph A. (2016) The Interpersonal Communication Book 14th edition: Boston: Pearson Education, Inc Barrett, L., Godfrey, T. (1988). Listening. Person Centered Review 3 (November), 410-425

A Bond between Sisters :: Personal Narrative

A Bond between Sisters The kitchen is sweltering, like everywhere else in the house, so the ice melts quickly as I drop it into the pitcher of freshly brewed mint tea. A fly buzzes around my head, and I try not to flinch as I pour five glasses of the light green liquid. One is for dad, who is in the garden picking tomatoes, another for mom who is diligently preparing for tomorrow's birthday party, and one is for my youngest sister Rachel who is running around the neighborhood with her dog. I take a sip from one of the remaining cups and carry the last to my other sister, Anna. Though I have not heard from her in hours, I know she will be sitting in the same position I last saw her: reclined on the porch chair, feet rested on the railing, and mind deeply lost in her newest science fiction or fantasy novel. "Anna, would you like some tea," I offer as the screen door slams behind me. She doesn't move. "Anna," I try again, this time touching her shoulder with my elbow. She turns her chin towards me, but her eyes continue scanning the page until she has reached an appropriate stopping point. She lifts her slightly glazed, hazel eyes towards mine, unwilling to disengage from the world created by Anthony Piers or Terry Brooks. The corners of her mouth curl upwards, eyes slightly squinting from the bright sunlight, and she reaches out her empty hand, decorated with an intricate henna design, to grasp the sweating glass of tea. My sister and parents have settled on henna as an acceptable form of body art, as opposed to piercings, tattoos, or even hair dye. My sister's artistic talents and desire to decorate herself have been evident since she was little when she longed for the day she could wear the makeup that mom donned every Sunday. One morning, my sister's desire and daring five-year-old spirit got the better of her, and she snuck a tube of bright red lipstick to church. Our mother was mortified, but most of the congregation thought it amusing to see Anna's crimson lips. Anna's artistic side has manifested itself in many other ways. She carried a sketchbook, making drawings of the various churches we visited, our family, or the creatures in her imagination. In her late elementary school years, Anna discovered the joy of using beads to make jewelry.