Qatar Olympic Committee Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Qatar Olympic Committee - Essay Example QOC provides opportunities for members of the community to participate in sport and sport-related activities within and outside Qatar. QOC was funded on 14 March 1979. In 1980, QOC joined the International Olympic Committee, and in 1981, joined the Olympic Council of Asia. In 1982, QOC joined the Arab Sports Games Federation. Since its inception, QOC has been led by five presidents, the current being H.H. Sheikh Tamin Bin Hamad Al-Thani since December 2000 (Olympic.qa, 2014). The General Assembly is the supreme governing body of the QOC. The company has its headquarters in West Bay Doha, Qatar. Currently, QOC is organizing the hosting of the World Boxing Championships in 2015, Handball World Cup for men in 2015, Real World Cycling Championships in 2016, Qatar World Cycling Championships in 2016 and the FIFA World Cup in 2022 (Olympic.qa, 2014). QOC has sixteen departments, which include: Secretary General, legal affairs office, secretary general’s office, assistant secretary general, finance, Sports Affairs, Operation & Maintenance, Engineering Projects, Procurement & Stores, Planning & Development, Human Resources, and Public relations & Marketing among others (Olympic.qa, 2014). Currently, QOC employs close to five thousand employees, and it is considered one of the largest government agencies in Qatar and the entire region. QOC’s vision is â€Å"to become a leading nation in bringing the world together through sustainable sport development† (Olympic.qa, 2014). The company’s mission is to place sport and physical recreation activity all over Qatar so as to enhance the harmonious development of men and women in the true Olympic spirit (Olympic.qa, 2014). In order to accomplish the mission and vision statements, QOC has developed a list of objectives and activities. First, it aims to spread the principles of Olympics throughout the country based on the framework of sport activities. Secondly, QOC helps in the training of sport administrators through

BASIC STATISTICAL MEASURES Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

BASIC STATISTICAL MEASURES - Essay Example The descriptive statistics provided by the authors on their research findings forms a good basis for understanding the role played by these traits in influencing performance and efficiency of a virtual team. In the course of reading this article, I will apply myself to the issues brought about in the question paper. Consciousness variance affects virtual team performance performance in a negatively for extroversion incongruity values below 0.76/0.46=1.52. Since 77% of the sample that forms the majority falls is in this range, then it is evident that conscientiousness variance impacts negatively on performance of virtual teams (Turel & Zhang, 2010). This supports the second hypothesis which states that within-virtual-team conscientiousness variance will have a negative influence on performance of virtual team. Secondly, within-virtual-team extroversion variance does not have a positive effect on virtual team’s accomplishments since this measure did not receive any backing in the presence of a term of interaction. Thirdly, a variation in terms of extroversion helps reduce the negative impact of conscientiousness deviation on virtual teams’ performance to a great extent. Therefore, the interplay between within-virtual-team conscientiousness variations and within-virtual-team extrover sion variations will have a positive impact on virtual the performance of virtual teams. Lastly, variations on perceived problem solving methods within the team impacts negatively on performance of that particular team; hence members of a team who have similar levels of perceived of perceived requirements for problem solving make a positive contribution to group performance (Turel & Zhang, 2010). Therefore, team performance is negatively influenced by perceptions on requirements for solving problems within that particular team. In this study, nominal scale was used as seen in the selection of those interviewed, who

Legislative Supremacy of Parliament and the Separation of Powers Essay

Legislative Supremacy of Parliament and the Separation of Powers - Essay Example Constitution in a codified form is one which is written or contained in a single document and is a single source of law in a state. There are 3 types of constitution:- 2) Entrenchment - It is the second fundamental feature of constitution. It tells us whether the constitution is legally protected from modification without a procedure of constitutional amendment or not. The procedure of modifying a constitution is called amending. Amending an entrenched constitution requires wider acceptance. 3) Distribution of sovereignty - Sovereignty means right to have a full control over a governance's area by a group of people or an individual. Sovereignty is an important part of constitution and it is located or seen in a state. There are three types of distribution of sovereignty: 4) Separation of powers - Constitution usually explicitly divides power between various branches of government. The standard model, described by Baron de Montesquieu, involves three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. Constitutions vary extensively between these branches. 5) Lines of accountability - This feature of constitution explain that who is accountable to whom. In other words we can say that who has the right or the supreme power to appoint or dismiss the ministers. Parliamentary supremacy or legislative supremacy is a well known concept in law that applies to parliamentary democracies. ... 2) Lower house known as the 'House of Commons'. 3. The third component of parliament is 'Queen'. 4. The government of UK is a parliamentary democracy and a constitutional monarchy. 5. UK's constitution is uncodified. 6. UK's constitution is not entrenched i.e. no special procedure is required for modification. 7. UK's constitution is unitary i.e. sovereignty is ultimately contained at the centre. In other words we can say that sovereignty resides only in the centre of the state. 8. UK's constitution throws a light on the concept of separation of powers i.e. it involves three branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. 9. In UK's constitution the line of accountability derives from the monarch or head of state, a component of Parliament. Definition of Parliamentary supremacy and Separation of powers:- Parliamentary supremacy or legislative supremacy is a well known concept in law that applies to parliamentary democracies. Under this a legislative body has absolute sovereignty i.e. it is supreme to all other government institutions. In other words, it is the supreme power and has all the authority and it may change or repeal any prior legislative acts. Parliamentary supremacy exists in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. The doctrine of parliamentary supremacy may be summarized in three points: Parliament can make law concerning anything. No Parliament can bind its successor (that is, it cannot pass a law that cannot be changed or reversed by a future Parliament). No body except Parliament can change or reverse a law passed by Parliament. Separation of powers is a political doctrine (In Latin known as "doctrina", which means code of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions.) under which the legislative (a type of representative

Homicide investigation in the last 10 yrs in the U.S Essay

Homicide investigation in the last 10 yrs in the U.S - Essay Example The Orange County Medical Examiner, on December 19, 2008, confirmed that the remains were that of the missing child (Orlando Sentinel). They were found a quarter of a mile from the Anthonys’ residence. The investigation was conducted by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, and the autopsy report listed the cause of the toddler’s death as â€Å"homicide by undetermined means† (People Weekly). Let us check the timeline of the case to see if the process of investigation was carried out dutifully, or if there are areas of improvement that would have expedited the case. On July 15, 2008, Cindy Anthony, the dead toddler’s grandmother and suspect’s mother, called the sheriff’s office to report that her daughter Casey stole the family car and some money. Cindy also reported a possible missing child. On July 16, 2008, Casey went through interrogation and provided a string of statements that were later found to be contradicting some hard evid ences. On that same day, she was arrested for obstructing a criminal investigation, filing false official statements, and child neglect. On July 17, 2008, the case was presented to the court and Casey was denied of bail. From July 17, 2008 until Caylee’s body was found, investigators exerted all efforts to locate the missing child. Pictures and reports showing detectives doing their job demonstrated how carefully they executed the investigation. Immediate apprehension of the suspect was done, along with careful assessment and management of the Anthonys’ residence. Every individual linked to Casey was interviewed, including the babysitter that Casey claimed took her daughter. Thorough canvass of the scene provided the detectives several leads, making them believe the high probability that the case is not of a missing child, but homicide. Cadaver dog alerts to the odor of human decomposition in Casey Anthony’s car. Trace evidences such as hair strands similar to t hat of the missing child, dirt, and questionable stain were found inside the same car. All these were found 2 days after the child was reported missing (Orlando Sentinel). The investigators handling the case obviously did a spectacular job in solving the mystery of the case. The media was deeply involved since the story created a public outcry. Some key pointers that aided in securing valuable evidences were the cordoning of the â€Å"crime scene†, prohibiting access from anyone not involved in the investigation. Detailed records of activities of everyone possibly involved in the case were kept, and possible witnesses were identified. In the reports, one could easily see how most people willingly cooperated in telling everything they know, while some were hesitant in providing information. The Sheriff’s Office was able to secure photographs and other data that could either support or discredit information provided to them. In interrogating Caylee’s family member s, the investigators ensured that they were separated from one another to avoid any possibility of influencing each other’s opinion and making up plausible justification for questionable statements (Orlando Sentinel). However, Casey Anthony’s attorney Jose Baez asserts that the Miranda was not read to the suspect. Detectives explained that during those times, they see Casey Anthony merely as a mother of a missing child, and not a possible suspect (Orlando Sentinel

Pizza Hut Essay Example for Free

Pizza Hut Essay PIZZA HUT was established on June 15 1958 in wichita university campus, wichita, kansas by two brothers FRANK and DAN CARNEY. The brothers had the concept of opening a pizza parlour which was relatively new during the 1950s and the potential of this business was seen by the two. They borrowed around six hundred dollars from their mother to buy second-hand equipments, machineries and rent a small space to open the first Pizza Hut. The next year, the second store was opened in Topeka, Kansas and within a decade Pizza Hut reached three hundred and ten Pizza parlours in various locations serving approximately a million people. In the year 1970, Pizza Hut already had 5,025 branches in the united states alone with half of it franchised. During the same year , the company in 1986 alone amounted to $2 billion. In the years 1990, the total sales of Pizza Hut reached $4 billion world wide. By the year 1996, the sales in the domestic market which is the United States, have reached over $5 million; the company had the largest share of the market in the same year for 46. 4%. in the year 1998, Pizza Hut launched their campaign, â€Å"The Best Pizzas under one roof†, in celebration of the company’s 40th anniversary. COMPANY OVERVIEW: Pizza Hut operates in ninety seven countries throughout the world. As of 2008, Pizza Hut had 7,564 units in the united states and 5,611 units outside the united states (source: Data moniter). Pizza Hut(UK), a privately held company, specialized in the operation of pizza restaurants and takeaways. Pizza Hut(UK) is a subsidiary of United states based Yum! Brands. The company primarily operates in the UK, with the Pizza Hut brand operating worldwide. Its headquartered in Borehamwood, UK. BUSINESS DESCRIPTION: Pizza Hut (UK) specialized in the operation of pizza restaurants and takeaway services. The company operates in four distinct categories of menus: restaurant menu, children’s menu, collection menu, delivery and take-away menu. MAIN MENU: Pizza Hut (UK) restaurant menu includes pizzas; starters and sides; pastas; salad station and salads; lunch buffet and light lunch; desserts, and drinks. The children’s menu includes pizza triangles, delicious margherita pizza, desserts, drinks and buffet. KEY EMPLOYEES: MAJOR PRODUCTS AND SERVICES: The company’s key products and services include the following: Big New Yorker Pizza. Quad Pizza. The Edge Pizza. Stuffed Crust Pizza. Grand Pan Pizza. Sicilian Pizza. Italian Pizza Twisted Crust Pizza. 4 For All Pizza. Pastas. Buffets. Cheesy Bites. Stuffed Crust. SERVICES: Full service restaurants Delivery and Take-Away service. PIZZA HUT SYMBOL: {draw:frame} PIZZA HUT MISSION STATEMENT: We take pride in making a perfect pizza and providing courteous and helpful service on time all the time. Every customer says, â€Å"I†ll be back! †. We are the employer of choice offering team members oppurtunities for growth, advancement, and rewarding careers in a fun, safe working environment. We are accountable for profitability in everthing we do, providing our shareholders with value growth. CORE VALUES: P. E. A. L. S. PASSION for excellance in doing everthing EXECUTE with positive energy and urgency. ACCOUNTABLE for growth in customer satisfaction and profitability. RECOGNIZE the achievement of others and have fun doing it. LISTEN and more importantly, respond to the voice of the customer. MAJOR COMPETITORS: Domino’s Pizza, Inc. Papa John’s International, Inc. McDonald’s Corporation ACHIEVEMENTS: {text:list-item} In 1986 Pizza Hut introduced delivery service, which played a vital role in the career of Pizza Hut. Out of all existing Pizza chains, Pizza Hut had the largest market share, 46. 4%. However, Pizza Hut’s market share has slowly eroded because of intense competition from their rivals of Domino’s and other fast food take away restaurants. These competitors alway look forward to enhance their customer numbers. Also, many other Pizza chains started to diversify and offer new non-pizza items such as buffalo wings, and italian cheese bread in order to increase their varieties and to increase the buyer power. The current chain in the Pizza chain is the same till today. All these Pizza supply chain try to come up with some newer, bigger, better and Pizza for comparatively low price. These chains are also strengthened new Pizza variations. For example, chicken is now a common topping found on Pizza’s. {draw:frame} A 1-800 number customer hotline and A customer call-back program. WHERE DO THEY BUY* ? WHY DO THEY BUY PIZZA* ? {text:list-item} Employing economies of scale, Pizza Hut has made its offering more affordable. Its delivery offer for four personal pan pizzas has been very successful, which helped the business to grow by 25%. The Pizza Hut recently launched a range of vegetarian personal pan pizza’s at very nominal and affordable price. Pizza Hut consolidating its position by opening more restaurants in the big cities where it already has the presence. {draw:frame} {text:list-item} {text:list-item} Though Pizza Hut have low competition, although they do have competitors such as dominos pizza, yet they have an advantage over these as Pizza Hut are the restaurant as well as take away unlike dominos pizza, this results Pizza Hut may have more sales therefore more income. Pizza Hut has a very strong market segment, they attract more customers by providing different varities, new products and tastes very often which leads increasing customer numbers and a higher percentage in sales, which may lead to greater profits. The major strength’s of the Pizza Hut are as follows: Pizza Hut is very strong in its financial situation and international turnover. Thus, it is good to manage its chain in the period of recession. Pizza Hut is BRAND LEADER in the united kingdom. Pizza Hut has good balance in its business over twenty thousand franchises around the world. It is also the part of the largest chain restaurant in the world. Since, it provides a skeletal structure to the fast food industries and services. Innovative range of Pizza’s under one roof. It is purely owned by YUM!. Pizza Hut is lacking with its varied range of products to attract customers of all lifestyles. There are complex computer systems and internal conflicts from franchisees, this may drive to de-motivation of staff. Lowering the quality of products, services to the customers and could lead to a lack of ideas. One of the major issue presented in developing a profitable delivery concept was whether there would be a charge for service taking into account that, for competitive reasons, as the company cannot charge for its delivery. This lead the company to increase its price slightly over pizza’s in traditional restaurants. This caused dissatisfaction for the customers. Since, they would pay 10% more for any size of pizza’s. The management also included that, the franchisees must also increase the size of the pizza as they could find the profit from the 10% additional price. But, this wasn’t a fare idea by the top management because the franchisees strongly disagreed with this concept and they find no reasons for delivery and increasing the size of the Pizza. There was major arguement between company and the franchisees, which was solved by providing some incentives by the company. Oppurtunities: The main oppurtunities of the Pizza Hut includes: Market share. Pizza home delivery. Growth into new market. Always looking at consumer satisfaction. Pizza Hut can readily grow in any other markets because it has cohesive and well structured organisation. Pizza Hut also holds a very strong market share. Pizza Hut has expanded its menu in indian market. Pizza Hut has targeted upscale products and a downscale consumer base; this would increase the sales and the revenue of the company. THREATS: There are various threats to the Pizza Hut as it should know more about its customer’s tastes. It should also carry some research to judge the company and its competitors on reputation, product quality, service, strength and price. Pizza Hut must also analyse about the buying decisions of the customers. Domino’s Pizza clearly intanded to gain total market leadership. So, Pizza Hut should try to maintain its position over its competitors. Pizza Hut improve its customer’s loyality quotient as it is comparitively low from its competitor’s. It is a truism to say that it is much more difficult to capture or recapture a customer than to maintain an existing one. Rising in the competition undermines Pizza Hut as consumers go for greater convenience. This would result in decreasing the sales of the Pizza Hut as these sales will switch to smaller companies who are offering their products at lower price. Increase in the cost of ingrediants especially cheese could threaten the margin of the company revenue. EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONTEXT: It is very important to consider the external environment research for PIZZA HUT. Since, these external changes could drive the company to difficulties. These external environmental context will include PEST analysis which stands for political, environmental, social, technology, which determines the impact of the drivers in the company. P. E. S. T. ANALYSIS: POLITICAL: The political analysis of the Pizza Hut contains health and safety guidelines, labelling of GM (genetically modified) food, animal rights campigns, Bovine spongiform encephalopathy-1998 BRANDING STRATEGY: STRENGTH OF BRAND: A brand is the media between consumers and the company. The promise of the brand always reflects in the mind of the consumers. A strong brand can shape the way consumers think and can create preference in the market place. Following certain principles and behaviours, organisations can strengthen their brands by consistently delivering on their brand promise and making powerful connections with the consumers. Pizza Hut is a International brand reaches over 100 countries. Though other fast food markets maintains the flexibility to respond to the needs of its consumers. Pizza Hut consider the consistent look as a whole and feel for every restaurant. This driven Pizza Hut to be a one of the leading brands. STRENGTH OF SYMBOL AND LOGO: ROLE OF THE CUSTOMER: What people eat(or don’t eat) has always been determined by a complex interplay of social, economic and technological processes (schlosser, 2001). These explanation of the schlosser gives a clear picture of why the consumer makes a purchase. The consumer is identified by a being complexly psychological and on the most part illogical. THE THREE LEVELS OF EXPLANATION OF BUYING AND CONSUMPTION BEHAVIOUR (Dubois, 2000). {draw:text-box}. {draw:text-box} {draw:text-box} Dubois makes the observation that â€Å"people who are hungry notice advertising for food products†. This contention is supported when an example is given; â€Å"In the united states, the television campaign ‘ARE YOU HUNGRY ? ’ which was broadcast late at night by burger king was so successful that it forced the hamburger chain to stay open later† (Dubois, 2000). So, according to this paper narrates that, it is determined that mid-night advertisements for the delivery service or take-away food centres is advisable and consumers tend to attract more towards food products when they are hungry. The reliant on the natural human wants created by hunger. It is hoped that this review when coupled with the findings from the survey will give the debate, depth, purpose and concluding definition. RECOMMENDATIONS: The implement of ORGANIC PIZZA’S may increase the target market and enhance the buyer’s power. The consideration of cultural ethics is important when a new branch of Pizza Hut is launched in other countries. Pizza Hut can develop MEALDEAL as rest of the competitors offer. Example: MCPIZZA. In order to compete with its external environment.

Mans Evil Nature in Lord of the Flies by Golding Essay Example for Free

Mans Evil Nature in Lord of the Flies by Golding Essay When young boys are abandoned on an uninhabited island without adults, even they are capable of murder. This is the scenario depicted in the British author, William Goldings novel, Lord of the Flies, written and published in 1954 during World War 2. Comparing the characters of Jack, Ralph, Piggy and Simon with Freuds theory of id, ego and superego, one can prove that man has an underlying evil nature. The characters are represented with Jack as id, Ralph as ego, and Piggy and Simon as superego. Freuds theory of id, ego and superego influences the spheres of ones being. The id represents violence, and the drive to kill. The id is the desire to hurt others, and to dominate. In contrast the ego persuades one to make actions that make ones actions acceptable by others around them. It also controls the need for acceptance and the need to be in control. Though different, the superego lies within ones spirituality and need for order. It values rules, and commandments. Jack as id, represents the carnal drives in man. He illustrates this through painting his face. By painting his face, Jack suppresses his ego and superego, causing Jack to be capable of acts of violence without having any repercussions. Jack portrays this violence in different ways. First, Jack enjoys hunting because he gets to kill pigs. Often, in Lord of the Flies, Jack is consumed by killing pigs, and desires nothing more. The drive to kill rules his thoughts. In Jacks statement Were strong-we hunt! If theres a beast well hunt it down. Well close in and beat and beat and beat-(83), he demonstrates his carnal desire to hint and kill. Next, Jack also strove to control others. He would even resort to torture, What d you mean by it, eh? said the chief (Jack) forcefully What d you mean coming with spears? What d you mean by not joining my tribe? The prodding became rhythmic. Sam yelled.'(166). The desire to kill is what proves that Jack has an evil nature, and the fact that he came from a civilized society shows that anyone can become like him. Ralph displayed himself as being ego through his need for acceptance and his leadership. Ralphs need for acceptance is so strong that he would even go as far as to insult an other so all the boys would like him, and see him as  fitting in. An example of this is when Ralph said Hes not Fatty, cried Ralph his real names Piggy!(20) when he had promised Piggy earlier that he would tell no one else his name is Piggy. Ralphs desire to be one among the crowd made him stoop so low as to insult and hurt another, just so he could look better. When Ralph begins to fall away from the group, he begins to lose all his leadership. Often times Ralph would forget all the important things he would need to remember to become chief, and start to digress to savagery, just so he could be with the group. With Ralphs need for acceptance and loss in leadership power, it is apparent that even he was naturally evil. Piggy and Simon were the representations of superego. Piggys need for rules and Simons mysticism both suggested that superego was the largest influencing force in their lives. Piggy would often try to set up rules, and other tools of civilization to create order. Without that order, Piggy knew that there would be no hope in there situation. He proved this need for rules with his need to take names, Piggy moved among the crowd, asking names and frowning to remember them.'(17). Different from Piggy, Simon had a strange quality of mysticism about him. He had an understanding about the nature of the beast that no one else had. He illustrated this understanding when he had this vision, Fancy thinking the Beast was something that you could hunt and kill! said the head. For a moment or two the forest and all the other dimly appreciated places echoed with the parody of laughter. You knew, didnt you? Im part of you? Close, close, close! Im the reason why its no go? Why things are what they are?(130). With Piggys need for rules and Simons understanding of the nature of the Beast it is apparent that they both had the capabilities of the same savagery as the other boys. Through Freuds theory of id, ego, and superego, it is apparent that man does have an underlying evil nature in the novel Lord of the Flies. Jack, Ralph, Piggy, and Simon each display these aspects of mans evil nature, and also prove that if it can happen to  them that it can happen to anyone. Young children are typically thought of as more pure and innocent that those more experienced in the world. If they are  capable of such acts, it is sad to think what the rest of the world is capable of.

Tackling Problem Behaviour in Classrooms | Case Study

Tackling Problem Behaviour in Classrooms | Case Study Single Subject Design Abstract The following addresses the case study level C, case 2. It concludes on how to tackle problem behavior faced by teachers in class rooms through single subject research designs and offers a few solutions on how to counter act them. Dependent Variable The dependent variables (DV) in this case are two specific behaviors demonstrated by Rachel, which are: Not raising her hand before answering a question Unnecessarily communicating with her peers during class lecture Independent Variable The independent variable (IV) will be the response of the teachers to Rachel’s problematic behavior, that is how they reprimand her and the corrective measures they take to correct her behavior in class so that she learns to follow the class room norms and maintain discipline and abides by the rules similar to her peers. Behavior Which Needs To Be Changed Rachel demonstrates two sets of behavior related to disturbing classroom discipline which she needs to rectify in order to maintain the decorum of the class room. Firstly, Rachel needs to learn to raise her hand before answering questions asked by her teachers during comprehension and reading activities like everyone else instead of just blurting out answers without being called upon or waiting her turn. Secondly, she must learn not to pass notes to her friends or talk to her peers during class unnecessarily and pay attention to the lecture and focus on what is being taught. Single Subject Research Designs (SSRD) In SSRD, basically, the participant is passed through a non-treatment (baseline) and a treatment (experimental condition) phase and his performance is identified during each phase. Since Rachel is the only one in her class demonstrating problem behavior, she will be the only test subject and will act as her own control group. In this type of design a non-treatment stage is first initiated till the performance in question validates steadiness. When the behavior becomes steady, the treatment stage is started. Since Rachel’s obtrusive behavior is already very consistent we can move on to the next phase in our research design. Based on the data collected through direct observation of Rachel’s behavior, in Mr. Smith and Mrs. Patel’s biology class during reading and comprehension activities, and the personal insight of the observer a treatment plan for Rachel will be developed as a corrective measure for her behavior. The behavior in demand, the dependent variable in the experiment, that is, Rachel not raising her hand before answering a question and passing notes to her friends in class and talking to her peers will be measured through appropriate data collection methods. In this scenario event recording (frequency of the target behavior is noted with each one having a specific beginning and end) and interval recording (observation of an individual during specified observation periods divided into equal time intervals) will be most appropriate. The observer has to be discrete while collecting data so that the subject remains unaware that he/she is being observed as this might cause them to bec ome cautious and change their pattern of behavior causing distortion in the data collected leading to incorrect results. It is always wiser to assess a group of students than a single individual as to ward off suspicion. (Sachse-Lee) The event recording chart shows on which specific occasions Rachel has spoken out of turn in class and on which ones she waited to be called on. A written record provides an actual proof of her behavior and provides a justification for taking corrective measures against her actions. The interval recording chart shows how many times the problem behavior has occurred over a specific period of time. If the frequency of occurrence of problem behavior is greater than what otherwise might be considered normal, it calls for corrective measures to be taken to correct the situation, which is the case for Rachel. The results of a single subject experiment are classically understood by mentioning to the behavioral chart in which the data is shown graphically. For example, the ‘number of lectures’ can be plotted on the x-axis and the ‘number of times hand raised before answering a question’ can be plotted on the y-axis. The effectiveness of IV can be measured by the direction of the behavior before and after the experimental condition was implemented. Statistics are not usually used to understand the outcomes of single subject experiments but if the slope of curve moves upwards and becomes steeper it means that Rachel raised her hand before answering a question a greater number of times after the implementation of experimental conditions than she did under the baseline conditions. A distinct slope is stronger indication that the behavior is varying than if the slope is a gentle one. (Strain) ABA Change Format An ABA design is such type of single subject research design in which contributors are first presented to a baseline state (A). In the baseline state, no treatment or experimental variable is presented. After this the participants obtain the experimental state or treatment (B), after which they arrive to the baseline condition (A). The ABA design enables the experimenters to detect behavior before treatment, throughout treatment and after the treatment. To establish a course of action or experimental conditions to rectify Rachel’s behavior is important to first establish goals, that is, what is hopped to be accomplished after the experiment or what kind of short term and long term behavioral changes are expected to be demonstrated by Rachel. Short term Rachel raises her hand to answer and awaits her turn to speak in class. Rachel stops talking to her peers unnecessarily during lectures or pass notes to her friends. Rachel concentrates more on what is being taught and improves her grades. Long term Rachel discontinues all problem behavior and learns to follow the discipline and norms of any institute that she may attend after graduating and develops a sense of responsibility and maturity. Teachers are faced with challenges even before they begin to educate students. Not only are teachers responsible for teaching the core academic subjects such as reading, math, science, and social studies, but teachers are also presented with nonacademic challenges that influence their instruction (Lassen, Steele, Sailor, 2006). First of all, in the face of discretion Rachel cannot be made to feel the center of attention or that steps to rectify her behavior are being taken. As this can cause her to rebel and worsen the condition by making her behavior more extreme. Secondly, sending Rachel to the office every time she demonstrates any kind of problem behavior must be terminated. It only makes her feel like she is being bullied or unfairly targets. Under both these scenarios Rachel’s behavior cannot be improved or rectified. A more group focused approach is required for positive results. The entire class should be told what kind of behavior constitutes as acceptable or unacceptable in class with a set of rules mandatory for all to follow under the pretense that problem behavior will lead to negative marking which will affect their grades. Another approach can be to reinforce positive behavior instead of punishing negative behavior. Students who behave in a desirable or exemplary manner in class can be rewarded via a small token of appreciation, which be wither verbal appreciation, a piece of candy or deciding which chapter to be quizzed on. The teachers can be as creative as they like. Bibliography Sachse-Lee, C. (n.d.). A Meta-Analysis of Single-Subject. Retrieved March Sunday, 2014, from http://ldx.sagepub.com/content/33/2/114.short Strain, S. L. (n.d.). Evidence-Based Practice in Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special Education: Single-Subject Design Research. Retrieved March Sunday, 2014, from http://jei.sagepub.com/content/25/2/151.short How Can a Midwife Support the Family? How Can a Midwife Support the Family? Title: Describe the positive and negative aspects of being in the NUCLEAR FAMILY. How can the midwife support the NUCLEAR FAMILY. Undergraduate Degree Level Essay 2,500 words Essay The family unit is an entity which is defined by environment and culture as much as behaviour. Different civilisations and cultures will define â€Å"the family† in different ways. Economic considerations are often paramount in the transition from an extended family to the nuclear family and social commentators often refer to the difficulties in establishing a new household base (in areas of high rent or commercial property value) as being one of the major obstacles to the emergence of the nuclear family as the common features of society. To quote Margaret Mead: Nobody has ever before asked the nuclear family to live all by itself in a box the way we do. With no relatives, no support, weve put it in an impossible situation. It is not surprising perhaps that members of the nuclear family can find themselves in emotional and practical turmoil. (Mead M 1972) Cultural factors may also be significant such as the Hindu â€Å"joint family† where a marriage will being two family groups together as one family unit. (Bengtson V L 2001) The first task in this essay is to describe and define the nuclear family. It first appeared in the scientific literature just after the war and was used to describe the family structure of a mother, father and their children. A formal definition could be: The nuclear family is a social group characterised by common residence, economic cooperation and reproduction. It contains adults of both sexes, at least two of whom maintain a socially approved sexual relationship, and one or more children, own or adopted, of the sexually cohabiting adults. (Murdock, G P 1949). In modern social literature it is also sometimes used in the context of stable single parent families or families where the parents are a non-conjugal couple. In this essay we shall consider the nuclear family to be in the original Murdock tradition. In the context of the implications for midwifery, we should also consider the implications of a being nuclear family. The literature often describes its positive features as including being a haven which encourages intimacy, love and trust where individuals may escape the competition of dehumanising forces in modern society†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ a place for escape from the rough and tumble industrialised world, and as a place where warmth, tenderness and understanding can be expected from a loving mother and protection from the world can be expected from the father. (Popenoe D 1997) The family life was famously pilloried by Nancy Mitford in her autobiography: â€Å"The great advantage of living in a large family is that early lesson of lifes essential unfairness.† (Acton H 1999) Although this was clearly intended as a flippant comment, one can suggest that the concept of the family as a haven is still both admitted and encouraged by social scientists, but in modern UK society the mechanisms of social protection and support that are currently available to most somewhat reduces the role of the father as â€Å"protector† and some commentators now add the concept of facilitating the ideal of personal fulfilment (or family fulfilment) as being the major role of the family unit The media would have us believe that society is decaying (The Guardian 2004) and cite the suggestion that the move towards self sufficiency, personal gratification and the move away from the extended family unit is evidence of that degeneration. The transfer of responsibility for the elderly from the family to the state and, to a lesser extent, the responsibility for childcare being assumed by the state is often put forward as further evidence of that decline. Such considerations are of peripheral importance to this essay and therefore will not be discussed further. We can examine the factors which are relevant to the change in prevalence of the nuclear family however, and these are often cited as Increase in sole occupancy dwellings and smaller family sizes Average age of marriage being older Average number of children decreasing and first birth at later age The historical pattern of fertility. >From baby boom to baby bust (instability) The ageing population. The trend towards greater life expectancy. Rising divorce rates and people who will never marry. (after Kidd K E et al. 2000) Clearly many of these factors have a resonance in the field of midwifery and we shall discuss them further. We should note however, that despite comments being made about the move away from the nuclear family structure that in the UK it is still the most prevalent stable family structure accounting for in excess of 70% of all households. If we consider briefly how the nuclear family developed, we can look back to the days of the industrial revolution when social scientists point to the move from the extended family unit to a mobility dictated by the absence of a welfare state and family members moving to live with others who were in employment. Such changes were seen as an influence to extend and modify the family unit as a whole. As the welfare state evolved, the economic pressures referred to above became less of a compelling factor and the nuclear family emerged. Some commentators use the term â€Å"dispersed extended family† due to the fact that a nuclear family is now able to keep in functional contact with other family members through the medium of telephone, fast easy travel and now email (Shaw M et al. 2002) Other factors that have changed and that are relevant to our considerations here are the relationships between parents and their children. In the past it was comparatively common to find that parents had children for economic reasons and were typically very authoritarian. The advent of social prosperity and the social support mechanisms available to UK households now mean that the economic necessity for having children is no longer viable. Parent / child relationships are said to be more loving and warmer and children are typically allowed a longer period of childhood in modern day life. There is also a considerable body of evidence to show that children are dependent on their parents for much longer than they used to be.(Wilkinson R et al. 1998) We should not suggest that this comparatively rosy assessment of the nuclear family is the only consequence of social evolution. We can point to evidence that the traditional order of life events marriage, sex and children is becoming progressively reordered. Marriage is progressively less likely to come first and progressively more likely not to happen at all. In the last three decades the levels of cohabitation has trebled and the number of babies born outside marriage has increased fivefold. In the same period the number of single parent families has increased by a factor of three. Other significant statistics are that over the last 30 years the divorce rate has doubled which currently has the effect of finding that 50% of children under the age of 16 have had to live through their parent’s divorce. The midwife is often central to the portal of support systems to the newly pregnant mother and thereby to the family. The possibilities of interaction between the midwife and the family are virtually endless and the opportunities for support and guidance at a vulnerable time in life are legion. (Pennebaker J W et al. 2002). We shall therefore use a few examples by way of illustration. One of the prime reasons cited for relationship breakdown is depression in one or both partners. This is a well recognised sequel of childbirth and the midwife can clearly play a major role in spotting the early signs, enlisting prompt intervention and offering support to the whole family unit in such circumstances. (Davidson L 2000) One recent paper examined the role of the midwife in actually preventing (or minimising) the onset and severity of post natal depression with the simple expedient of holding â€Å"debriefing† sessions. (Small R et al. 2000). The aim was to allow the mother to verbalise her experiences and to gain support and empathy from the midwife. The paper was both long and involved but, in essence, it examined the practice of debriefing, which has been successfully employed in other fields of healthcare as a means of reducing the burden of psychological morbidity, in its application to the field of midwifery. The authors point to the fact that there has only been one other qualitative trial in this area in the field of reproductive medicine and that was after spontaneous abortion when it was found to have a marked beneficial effect. (Bland J M et al. 2000) This particular paper emphasises the role that the midwife can play in providing support. The significance is that the debriefing process, as such, does not measurably reduce the incidence of maternal depression but that the support that was provided was found to reduce the psychological distress felt by the mothers. The downside of such an intervention is that it can be seen as causing introspection and medicalising of the patient’s symptomatology. Empathetic handling and a sympathetic approach would clearly be part of the midwife’s clinical acumen (Lavender T et al. 1998) and nearly all of the women who underwent the debriefing sessions said that they found then helpful. In terms of bonding and fostering the loving relationships that were commented on earlier, one could postulate that the role of the midwife in the promotion of breastfeeding activities is fundamentally important. The literature does not show any good evidence base for this hypothesis, mainly because of the fact that it would be both hard to quantify and measure, but the trial from Graffy (J et al. 2004) does support the fact that positive help and advice from healthcare professionals in the immediate postnatal period helps to promote maternal bonding which, in turn is associated with and increase in bonding in later life (Hamlyn B et al. 2000). Curiously enough the trial did not find that the intervention significantly increased the rate of breast feeding, which may be a reflection of the fact that the modern mother in the UK is bombarded with promotional messages about breast feeding from many different sources and the intervention of the midwife is not fundamentally critical to achieving this goal. The mothers interviewed afterwards who were successful in their attempts at breast feeding commented on the fact that they felt emotionally satisfied with a greater frequency than those who were not able to do so. >From the point of view of our considerations here we should note that there were a significant number of women (26% in this trial) who positively refused any help or support from any of the healthcare professionals, and this group may well benefit from careful handling and empathetic intervention in the pregnancy when the midwife is the main healthcare professional in contact with the expectant mother. The midwife has a number of constraints upon her professional involvement and, generally by virtue of time constraints she has little time to act as a councillor to the family’s problems. We should therefore consider the effect of the modern concept of the seamless interface of care and multidisciplinary team working. (Kvamme O J et al. 2001). If the midwife is working in the hospital setting and becomes aware of family difficulties she should consider it part of her professional remit to pass on her concerns and knowledge to other appropriate professionals in the healthcare team whether that is at the level of the primary healthcare team or to a specific councillor or other related agency. Clearly this is easier if the midwife is already working in the community setting (Haggerty J L et al. 2003) as both continuity and coordination are more easily controlled The thrust of this essay is to suggest that a role of the midwife is to support the newborn child as it begins its presumptive relationship with its new family and this can sometimes best be achieved by supporting the family unit during and after the birth of the child. In this regard we could finish this examination of the nuclear family with a comment from Pearl S. Buck who criticized the current system on part of emotional security aspects. He said The lack of emotional security of our young people is due, I believe, to their isolation from the larger family unit. No two people no mere father and mother as I have often said, are enough to provide emotional security for a child. He needs to feel himself one in a world of kinfolk, persons of variety in age and temperament, and yet allied to himself by an indissoluble bond which he cannot break if he could, for nature has welded him into it before he was born. (ODQ 2004) References Acton H 1999 Nancy Mitford: A Biography (Paperback) Macmillan : London 1999 Bengtson V L 2001 Journal of Marriage and Family ; Feb 2001 ; 63 , 1; Bland J M , J. Lumley, and R. Small 2000 Midwife led debriefing to reduce maternal depression BMJ, December 9, 2000 ; 321 (7274) : 1470 1470. 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Small R, Judith Lumley, Lisa Donohue, Anne Potter, and Ulla Waldenstrà ¶m 2000 Randomised controlled trial of midwife led debriefing to reduce maternal depression after operative childbirth BMJ, Oct 2000 ; 321 : 1043 1047. The Guardian Saturday September 25, 2004 Wilkinson R, Marmot M, ed. 1998 Social determinants of health. The solid facts. Copenhagen: WHO, 1998 : 308. ################################################################ 8.12.06 Word count 2,576 PDG