The field of psychology

The field of brain science may have become regarded as a science. Objectivity and the logical strategy are both piece of the therapist's method of activity. Be that as it may, even the best of analysts can just estimate about what makes individuals act the manner in which they do. Absolutes are not part of brain science . Everything is relative and open to theory. Scholars give us their perspectives or thoughts regarding life. In the field of brain research, there have been various zones of intrigue. Human improvement is one of the most mainstream territories of enthusiasm for the individuals who study brain science. Freud, Erikson and Piaget are for the most part incredible scholars with various thoughts concerning human turn of events. Every scholar created thoughts and stages for human turn of events. Their speculations on human advancement had people going through various stages. Every hypothesis contrasted on what these stages were. These hypotheses likewise contrasted with thei r regard towards paradigmatic suspicions, learning and improvement, and relationship towards instructive practice. Freud is known as the dad of brain research. Albeit a portion of his work has been excused, its majority despite everything holds weight in the realm of brain science. Freud accepted that human improvement was energized by inward powers. He accepted the most remarkable of every inward power was our sexual being. Freud connected everything with sex. This incorporates any real joy at all. In this way, when Freud talks about the sexual needs of youngsters, they are not a similar sort of sexual needs that a grown-up would understanding. Youngsters experienced sexual delight in various manners. Sucking their thumbs or holding their fecal matter could be viewed as sexual delight for little youngsters. Freud likewise determined certain zones of our body as erogenous zones. Those territories incorporated the mouth and privates. This all fit in to Freud's fixation on sex. A fixa tion that could be connected to the time that Freud lived in. It was an exceptionally moderate for every...

Importance Of Cost Control In Construction Projects

Significance Of Cost Control In Construction Projects The motivation behind this report is to clarify the significance of cost control in development ventures and its capacity. The Cost Control is a significant procedure in development venture. It is broadly polished by temporary workers and necessities to do for the duration of the life of task. The primary goal of cost control of a task is to pick up the most extreme benefit inside the assigned period inside the spending plan. To screen and control genuine consumption against the assessed venture spending plan. The task spending plan is spoken to by the delicate cost/contract aggregate. As indicated by Nunnally (1998), cost control of a task includes the estimating and gathering the cost record of a venture and the work progress. It additionally includes the examination of real advancement with the arranging. The fundamental goal of cost control of a venture is to pick up the most extreme benefit inside the assigned period and agreeable nature of work. An efficient methodology of cost control will give a decent outcome in gathering significant information in assessing and controlling of the expense of the coming activities in future. In the wake of setting up the reports dependent on the genuine costs, it is essential to circulate the rest of the financial plan for the future time frames and gauge or re-gauge the expense of the work yet to be finished. Any new data must consider since the initiation of agreements. It is critical to guarantee that there ought not be any under case or over case of the work done. This is required to keep up a consistent income. Likewise it helps the customer and the contractual worker to deal with their use and salary. The cost control strategies by and large utilized in development ventures are: Cost Value Reconciliation, Control of Project Cash stream, Break  ¿Ã¢ ½ Even Analysis, Budgetary Control, and Contractors cost Control, Cost Comparison, Schedule Control and Asset Register 2. Presentation The cost control is a procedure that ought to be proceeded through the development time frame to guarantee that the expense of the structure is kept inside the concurred cost limits. The cost control can be isolated into significant zones: the control of cost during configuration stages and the control of cost by the contractual workers once the development venture has begun. As per Nunnaly (1998), cost control of ventures includes the estimating and gathering the cost record of a task and the work progress. It includes the examination of real advancement with the arranging. The fundamental points of the cost control: a) To pick up the greatest benefit inside the assigned period inside the spending plan. b) To keep the absolute consumption inside the sum concurred by customer, much of the time dependent on inexact gauge of cost arranged by the amount assessor in the beginning periods of the plan procedure. There is a requirement for severe cost discipline thought all phases of plan and execution to guarantee that the underlying evaluation, delicate figure and last record whole all are firmly related. c) To give the structure customer great incentive for cash  ¿Ã¢ ½ a structure which is sufficiently built, of acceptable appearance and appropriate to play out the capacities for which it is required, joined with efficient development and format. d) To accomplish a reasonable and sensible dispersion of the accessible assets between the different pieces of the structure. The cost controlling framework we can use as an apparatus for assessing the new activities dependent on past experience. To win another venture As an amount assessor for a development organization to inquire about this task, I have begun with perusing course readings to get hypothetical comprehension of the subject. From that point I have talked about the method of cost control with my partner and supervisors to get commonsense information on this application. 3. WHAT IS COST CONTROL? Controlling what amount is spent on a specific thing on venture. Anything over a specific sum needs endorsement of more significant position authority The way toward controlling the costs of cost in an undertaking, from the beginning of client⠿â ½s thought to the fulfillment and last installment on location A functioning procedure to control the reasons for the cost changes, to report those cost changes, and to screen cost variances inside the task 4. Proclamation OF FACTS IN COST CONTROL As indicated by Nunnally (1998), cost control of an undertaking includes the estimating and gathering the cost record of a venture and the work progress. It likewise includes the examination of genuine advancement with the arranging. The primary target of cost control of an undertaking is to pick up the greatest benefit inside the assigned period and palatable nature of work. A methodical strategy of cost control will give a decent outcome in gathering significant information in evaluating and controlling of the expense of the coming ventures in future. 5. THE PURPOSE OF COST CONTROL To screen and control real consumption against the evaluated venture financial plan The task spending plan is spoken to by the delicate cost/contract total. 6. THE IMPORTANCE OF COST CONTROL There has as of late been extraordinary requirement for a comprehension of development financial aspects and cost control, especially during the plan phase of activities. The significance of this due to a great extent to the accompanying:- * The expanded pace of advancement all in all has brought about customers being more averse to endure delays brought about by updating structures when tenders are excessively high. * The clients⠿â ½ necessities today are more mind boggling than those of their Victorian partners. An increasingly viable arrangement of control is in this way attractive from beginning up to the culmination of the last record, and from there on during cost-being used. * The customers of the business regularly speak to huge associations and monetary foundations. This is a consequence of takeovers, mergers and some open possession. De-nationalization has frequently implied that these enormous associations stay flawless as a solitary substance. There has accordingly been an expanded accentuation on responsibility in both people in general and the private segments of industry. The effectiveness of these associations at development work is just tantamount to their counselors. * Contractor⠿â ½s net revenues have in genuine terms been diminished significantly during the previous decade. This brought about their more prominent cost-cognizance trying to review potential misfortunes and stay serious. * There has, by and large, been move towards the end of waste, and a more prominent accentuation on the proficient utilization of the world⠿â ½s rare assets. This has required a longing for improved techniques for determining and control of expenses. * There is a general pattern towards more noteworthy cost-viability, and in this way a need to analyze development cost, not exclusively with regards to introductory expenses, however as far as entire life costs. * World downturn has commonly delivered a deficiency of assets for capital purposes and development when all is said in done. This has been combined with high swelling and intrigue charges, bringing about an expansion in the expense of development. In spite of the fact that the relative expenses contrasted and different items might be comparable, the obvious significant expenses have brought about more noteworthy alert, especially with respect to customers. 7. POST  ¿Ã¢ ½ CONTRACT COST CONTROL Task cost control begins at venture origin stage by the customer. From there on costs are controlled consistently and at each phase of the undertaking up to conclusion of the development contract. 8. THE PROJECT BUDGET For cost control on a task, the development plan and the related income appraisals can give the standard reference to resulting venture checking and control. For plans, progress on singular exercises and the accomplishment of achievement fruitions can be contrasted with the undertaking plan with screen the advancement of exercises. The last point by point quote gives a standard to the appraisal of money related execution during the undertaking. To the degree that expenses are inside the nitty gritty quote, the undertaking is viewed as under monetary control. Overwhelms specifically cost classes signal the chance of issues and give a sign of precisely what issues are being experienced. Costs arranged development arranging and control center upon the classes remembered for the last nitty gritty cost estimation/cost plan arranged by the contractual workers. For cost control checking reason, the first detail quote is commonly changed over to a task spending plan, and the undertaking financial plan is utilized in this manner as a guide for the board. Explicit things in the nitty gritty quote become work cost components. Costs brought about over the span of the undertaking are recorded in explicit occupation cost records to be contrasted and the first quote in every classification. Notwithstanding costs, data on material usage and work sources of info and productivities inside each cost code is additionally commonly checked in the task financial plan. With this data, genuine materials utilization and work utilized can be contrasted with the normal necessities. Therefore, cost invades or investment funds on specific things can be distinguished as because of changes in unit value, work efficiency or in the measure of material devoured. The quantity of cost code related with a specific task can change impressively. For contractual workers, on the request for 400 separate cost records may be utilized on a venture. In creating or executing an arrangement of cost accounts/cost codes a fitting numbering or coding framework is basic to encourage correspondence of data and legitimate conglomeration of cost data. Specific cost accounts are utilized to show the consumptions related with the particular ventures and to demonstrate the uses on specific thing all through an association. Cost coding is additionally utilized for contrasting the spending plan and genuine use, which is normally alluded to as cost/esteem compromise. Test of material order structure demonstrating the cost code with the recompense and remaining permit

The Best Environmental Books for Readers Who Want to Save the Planet

The Best Environmental Books for Readers Who Want to Save the Planet We all started out as environmentalists. As young readers, we fell in love with classic environmental books like The Lorax   by Dr. Seuss and The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein. The Lorax spoke for the trees in the lighthearted but cautionary tale of environmental destruction brought on by unmitigated capitalism. The Giving Tree embodies the relationship between humans and nature. Like the tree, nature gives us oxygen-rich air to breathe and sustenance to help us survive. Like the boy, we continue to  take from the planet’s rich resources with no regard for the future. Some of us are still the energetic environmentalists of our youth. Others have left that life behind in the dust. Most of us lie somewhere in between, but there is still time to recapture the essence of our environment-loving youth! Although…the planet is literally engulfed in flames, so time is running short. Together, we can make The Lorax proud and save The Giving Tree. We can be the people who care a lot. Changes we make today will make the planet better for us and future generations. The following in the best environmental books will inspire readers to make changes and save the planet. Best Environmental Books in Nonfiction If you’re ready to save the world, but need some motivation and a road map, then these nonfiction environmental books were curated just for you. Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer Everyone who cares about the environment should have Braiding Sweetgrass in their collection. It captures the reverence between indigenous people and the earth. That is the relationship we should embody in order to save the planet and save humanity. Robin Wall Kimmerer is a botanist and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer draws on her life as an indigenous woman and scientist and shows how other living things around us offer gifts and lessons. Plants and animals are our oldest teachers. As “the younger brothers of creation,” humans must awaken our ecological consciousness. We must offer our thanks to these other beings in return. Choked: the Age of Air Pollution and the Fight for a Cleaner Future  by Beth Gardiner Air pollution kills more people than smoking, AIDS, diabetes, and traffic accidents combined. It is strongly linked to numerous ailments including strokes, heart attacks, cancers, dementia, and premature births. Over 40% of Americans and nearly 95% of people worldwide breathe polluted air every day. In Choked, Beth Gardiner, an American journalist living in London, travels the world to tell the story of this invisible plague. Scientists share pollution’s effects on the body as ordinary citizens fight for a cleaner future. Downriver: Into the Future of Water in the West  by Heather Hansman The Green River supplies water to nearly 33 million people. Moreover, The Green is overused and at risk of depletion as the West gets hotter and drier each year and more people depend on The River’s resources. In Downriver, environmental columnist Heather Hansman weaves journalistic research about the river’s history and current threats into the story of her solo pack-raft trip from Wyoming to Utah along the Green River. The End of Ice: Bearing Witness and Finding Meaning in the Path of Climate Disruption  by Dahr Jamail This book, inspired by the rapidly receding glaciers of Denali National Park, brings together the author’s personal introspection and interviews with leading climate change experts. However, The End of Ice is not for the faint of heart. Readers will not find calls for technology-based solutions or policy changes to save us. Instead, Jamail relies on his firsthand knowledge to inspire a call to action against our current climate crisis and to reconnect with our planet. Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? by Bill McKibben Thirty years ago, Bill McKibben was one of the first to sound the warning about climate change in the groundbreaking classic The End of Nature. In Falter, McKibben expands on that previous bold proclamation. He declares the whole breadth of human existence is in jeopardy. According to McKibben, not only is climate change shrinking our inhabitable space, the rise of new technologies like artificial intelligence and robotics is exacerbating our demise. Despite the book’s bleakness, McKibben does draw on his work in building 350, the global movement to combat climate change, to offer solutions to save both the planet and humanity itself. Global Warming and the Sweetness of Life: A Tar Sands Tale  by Matt Hern (Author), Am Johal (Author), and Joe Sacco (Illustrator) Authors Hern and Johal embark on a road trip from socially liberal and consciously “green” Vancouver to the tar sands of northern Alberta, home of the world’s most industrial site. In Global Warming, they talk to the people whose lives and livelihood depend on or are imperiled by the extraction of oil from Alberta’s reserves. Along on the journey is friend and illustrator Joe Sacco. Sacco contributes insights, illustrations, and a comic about the contradictions of life in an oil town. How To Give Up Plastic: A Guide to Changing the World, One Plastic Bottle at a Time  by Will McCallum Every year, about 8 million metric tons of plastic is dumped into our oceans. Over time, these plastics break down into microplastics, which are even harder to remove. By 2050, there could be more plastic in the ocean than fish by weight. Will McCallum, Head of Oceans at Greenpeace UK, wrote How to Give Up Plastic for those who are ready to kick the plastic habit. Tips to help readers #BreakFreeFromPlastic range from replacing shampoo bottles with shampoos bar to lobbying supermarkets to eliminate plastic packaging. Inconspicuous Consumption: The Environmental Impact You Dont Know You Have  by Tatiana Schlossberg In Inconspicuous Consumption, former New York Times science writer Tatiana Schlossberg wants readers to stand up to climate change and pollution by making simple but impactful choices every day. When most of us think of climate change, we think of melting ice caps, massive flooding, and devastating forest fires. We may even think about air pollution and greenhouse gases, but we might not consider our everyday habits like a streaming marathon, enjoying a hamburger, or cranking the air conditioner. In fact, it is our daily activities and the way we use resources and create waste that seriously impact climate change. With knowledge and wit, Schlossberg seeks to empower readers to make more informed choices as consumers. We all have to work together in order to solve this massive climate crisis. No One is Too Small to Make a Difference  by Greta Thunberg Thanks to her School Strike for the Climate in August 2018 and her continued environmental activism, Greta Thunberg has become a household name. No One is Too Small is a collection of Thunberg’s speeches on global warming and climate change including Our House is on Fire, I’m Too Young to Do This, and Our Lives are in Your Hands. On Fire: The (Burning) Case for a Green New Deal  by Naomi Klein In On Fire, Naomi Klein, the woman who environmentalist Bill McKibben calls the Intellectual Godmother of the Green New Deal, is not here to make us feel better. On Fire is a collection of Klein’s essays on climate change over the past decade as well as new material on the high stakes and potential consequences of our political and economic choices. These essays detail the planet’s slow death from the “rotting underwater mass grave” that is the Great Barrier Reef to the children of the Democratic Republic of Congo whose “lungs are filled with dust from mining cobalt for the phones that have become extensions of our arms.” As climate change literally has parts of the world on fire, the current state of politics, xenophobia, misogyny, and fascism only exacerbate the crisis. Klein sees the battle for a greener world as the fight of our lives. Klein’s Green New Deal may be the bold climate action we need to create a just and thriving society. Rising: Dispatches from the New American Shore  by Elizabeth Rush Winner of the Outdoor Book Award and lauded as “the book on climate change and sea levels that was missing” by the Chicago Tribune, Rising is a guide through the many places along the United States coastlines where climate change is a clear and present danger. From the Gulf Coast and the shores of Miami to New York City and the Bay Area, for the plants, animals, and people who call these places home, there are only two options: “retreat or perish in place.” Rising offers firsthand testimonials from those facing those choices along with profiles of the environmentalists and activists fighting for change. Signs on the Earth: Islam, Modernity, and the Climate Crisis  by Fazlun Khalid Similar to the way Naomi Klein’s This Changes Everything  presented the need for environmental change in the framework of Capitalism, Fazlun Khalid’s Signs on the Earth brings that narrative to the Islamic faith. Khalid argues consumerism, industrialization, and the unsustainable addiction to economic growth need to be rethought. His radical reconstruction of prevailing systems draws inspiration from sacred Muslim tradition. However, Khalid recognizes that environmental concerns are a collective responsibility. He calls on people from all faiths and none to work together to leave a healthy planet for future generations. Sudden Spring: Stories of Adaptation in a Climate-Changed South by Rick Van Noy Rick Van Noy is not a scientist who studies climate change. He is just a concerned citizen who wants to understand its impact. Van Noy drives through the south stopping along major cities like Charleston, New Orleans, and Houston to witness what rising sea levels and storms have done to these cities for himself. Through personal observations and interviews with local officials and residents, Van Noy highlights how many Southern communities are adapting to the impacts and challenges of a warmer climate. Sustainability Made Simple: Small Changes for Big Impact  by Rosaly Byrd and Laurèn DeMates From the founders of The Sustainability Co-Op comes a great introduction on how to live more sustainably in order to help the planet. In Sustainability Made Simple, Byrd and DeMates offer realistic guidance to readers who are looking for relatively easy ways to incorporate sustainability into their daily lives without making drastic life changes. Their practical advice includes information on how to find out what is recyclable in your town and ways to conserve energy and reduce e-waste. These simple yet transformative changes provide the opportunity for anyone to practice sustainability. Action taken now will improve the lives and health of our communities and our planet. A Terrible Thing to Waste: Environmental Racism and its Assault on the American Mind  by Harriet Washington Poor people of color are often disproportionately harmed during environmental crises. In A Terrible Thing to Waste, Washington argues the negative effect of this environmental racism leads to cognitive damage that is robbing communities of color and America as a whole of intellectual power. Although IQ is a biased and flawed metric, it is useful for tracking cognitive damage. Washington uses extensive scientific research to show the reported Black-White IQ Gap is most likely caused by environmental racism. Additionally, Washington provides potential solutions to solve this devastating problem. There is No Planet B: A Handbook for the Make or Break Years  by Mike Berners-Lee The challenge of tackling the crisis of climate change is immense. We know climate change is destroying the planet. We still dont know the best method to fight it. Also, we do not know where to start. Mike Berners-Lee has analyzed the data and crunched the numbers. In There is No Planet B, Berners-Lee presents a course of action that is both practical and enjoyable including alternative food choices that reduce emissions and alternative energy options that keep fossil fuels in the ground. The Unlikely Thru-Hiker: An Appalachian Trail Journey  by Derick Lugo Derick Lugo is a black man from the city who is unfamiliar with the outdoors and hiking culture. With a can-do attitude and an extremely overweight backpack, he sets off to conquer the infamous Appalachian Trail. Throughout his journey, Lugo perseveres with tenacity, humor and a commitment to grooming that earns him the trail name “Mr. Fabulous.” Although Lugo’s story doesn’t directly related to the fight against climate change, hikers on the Appalachian Trail can participate in the Appalachian Mountain Club Mountain Watch Program. The main purposes of the program are to gain a better understanding of how climate change is affecting plants on the trail, to increase public awareness, and to promote conservation. Visionary Women: How Rachel Carson, Jane Jacobs, Jane Goodall, and Alice Waters Changed Our World  by Andrea Barnet Visionary Women is the story of four women who shaped the world in which we live today by standing against corporate culture and its war on nature. Jane Jacobs fought for livable cities and strong communities. Jane Goodall showed the kinship between humans and animals. Rachel Carson warned us about the adverse effects of pesticides in the classic environmental book Silent Spring. Alice Waters encouraged us to improve our eating habits. Together, these women changed the course of history. Their work offered people a new way to look at and live in the world. The Wizard and the Prophet: Two Remarkable Scientists and Their Dueling Visions to Shape Tomorrows World  by Charles Mann In The Wizard and the Prophet, award-winning author Charles Mann reveals the diametrically opposed views of two little-known 20th century scientists that helped shape our ideas about the environment. Nobel-winning agronomist William Vogt believed that abusing the planet’s resources would ruin us. His mantra was “Cut back! Otherwise everyone will lose!” On the other hand, Norman Borlaug championed innovation to overcome Earth’s limits as the only way we can all win. Borlaug’s research saved millions from starvation by producing high-yield crops. Mann explores the effects of these diverging viewpoints on humanity’s greatest challenges with journalistic analysis and historical context. Fiction Books About the Environment If you want to read some of the best environmental books, but prefer a fictionalized version, then the following list is for you. The Drowned World  by J.G. Ballard In 2010, Time Magazine named The Drowned World one of the top10 best post-apocalyptic books. The novel has also been deemed as a founding text in literary genre of climate fiction. In 2145, global warming has melted the ice caps. Tropical temperature, flooding, and accelerated evolution has made London unrecognizable and mostly uninhabitable. Biologist Dr. Robert Kerans and his team of scientists confront a cityscape where nature is on the rampage. The Monkey Wrench Gang  by Edward Abbey When George Hayduke returns home from war, he is devastated by the threat of environment destruction in the American Southwest. Hayduke joins a band of three other misfits to create The Monkey Wrench Gang. The others members are radical feminist Bonnie Abzug, wilderness guide and outcast Mormon “Seldom Seen” Smith, and wealthy surgeon Doc Sarvis. Together, The Monkey Wrench Gang is ready to destroy any structure that threatens their beloved natural habitat. Salvage the Bones  by Jesmyn Ward Winner of the National Book Award, Salvage the Bones follows an impoverished family in the days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. Esch lives in the coastal town of Bois Sauvage, Mississippi with her three brothers and their alcoholic and widowed father. As a hurricane builds over the Gulf of Mexico, Esch’s family and community must come together against all odds. Looking to read more environmental books? Check out: Books About Climate Change Solutions Climate Change Books to You Understand Our Environment Environmental Comics to Celebrate Earth Day

Drought Causes, Stages, and Problems

Every year as summer approaches, areas around the world grow concerned about seasonal drought. Throughout the winter, many places monitor precipitation and the snowpack to prepare for what the warmer, drier months may bring. In addition, there are areas where drought is a regular year to year occurrence that lasts longer than just the summer. From hot deserts to the freezing poles, drought is something that affects plants, animals, and people worldwide. What Is a Drought? Drought is defined as a period in which a region has a deficit in its water supply. Drought is a normal feature of climate which happens in all climate zones from time to time. Usually, drought is talked about in one of two perspectives- meteorological and hydrological. A drought in terms of meteorology takes into account deficiencies in measured precipitation. Each years measurements are then compared to what is determined as a normal amount of precipitation and drought is determined from there. For hydrologists, droughts are monitored by checking stream flow and lake, reservoir, and aquifer water levels. Precipitation is also considered here as it contributes to the water levels. In addition, there are agricultural droughts that can impact crop production and cause changes to the natural distribution of various species. The farms themselves can also cause droughts to happen as the soil is depleted and therefore cannot absorb as much water, but they can be impacted by natural droughts as well. Causes Because drought is defined as a deficit in water supply, it can be caused by a number of factors. The most important one though relates to the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere as this is what creates precipitation. More rain, sleet, hail, and snow can occur where there are moist, low-pressure air systems. If there is an above average presence of dry, high-pressure air systems instead, less moisture is available to produce precipitation (because these systems cannot hold as much water vapor). This results in a deficit of water for the areas over which they move. The same can also happen when winds shift air masses and warm, dry, continental air moves over an area as opposed to cooler, moist, oceanic air masses. El Nino, which affects the oceans water temperature, also has an impact on precipitation levels because, in years when the temperature cycle is present, it can shift the air masses above the ocean, often making wet places dry (drought prone) and dry places wet. Finally, deforestation for agriculture and/or building combined with the resultant erosion can also cause drought to begin because as the soil is moved away from an area it is less able to absorb moisture when it falls. Stages of Drought Since many areas, regardless of their climatic region, are prone to drought, different definitions of the stages of drought have developed. They are all somewhat similar, however, usually ranging from a drought warning or watch, which is the least severe. This stage is declared when a drought could be approaching. The next stages are mostly called drought emergency, disaster, or critical drought stage. This final stage begins after a drought has occurred for a long period and water sources begin to be depleted. During this stage, public water use is limited and oftentimes drought disaster plans are put into place. Short and Long Term Consequences Regardless of a droughts stage, there are short and long term consequences with any drought because of nature and societys dependence on water. Problems associated with drought can have economic, environmental, and social impacts on both the areas where they occur and areas that have relations with those where the drought happens. Most of the economic impacts of drought are associated with agriculture and the income generated from crops. In times of drought, the lack of water can often cause a decline in crop yields, and thus a reduction in income for farmers and an increase in the market price of products since there is less to go around. In a prolonged drought, unemployment of farmers and even retailers can occur, having a significant impact on the economy of the area and those with economic ties to it. In terms of environmental problems, drought can result in insect infestations and plant diseases, increased erosion, habitat and landscape degradation, a decrease in air quality and that of what water is present, as well as an increased risk of fire because of drier vegetation. In short-term droughts, natural environments can often rebound, but when there are long term droughts, plant and animal species can suffer tremendously, and over time desertification can happen with an extreme lack of moisture. Finally, droughts have social impacts that can cause disputes between users of available water, inequalities in water distribution between wealthy and poor, disparities in areas in need of disaster relief, and a decline in health. In addition, in rural developing countries population migration can begin when one area experiences drought because often people will go to areas where water and its benefits are more prevalent. This then depletes the natural resources of the new area, can create conflicts among neighboring populations and takes workers away from the original area. Over time, increased poverty and social unrest are likely to develop. Drought Mitigation Measures Because severe drought is often slow in its development, it is relatively easy to tell when one is coming and in areas that are capable, there are several mitigation measures that can be used to reduce the impacts felt by drought. The most important steps in lessening the effects of drought though are soil and water conservation. By protecting soil, it is better able to absorb precipitation, but it can also help farmers to use less water because it is absorbed and not as much run off. It also creates less water pollution by the pesticides and fertilizers present in most farm runoff. In water conservation, public use is often regulated. This mostly includes watering yards, washing cars and outdoor fixtures such as patio tables, and swimming pools. Cities such as Phoenix, Arizona, and Las Vegas, Nevada have also implemented the use of xeriscape landscaping to reduce the need to water outdoor plants in dry environments. In addition, Water conservation devices like low-flow toilets, shower heads, and washing machines can be required for use inside the home. Finally, desalination of seawater, water recycling, and rainwater harvesting are all things that are currently under development to build on existing water supplies and further reduce the impacts of drought in dry climates. Whatever method is used, however, extensive monitoring of precipitation and water usage are the best way to prepare for a drought, inform the public on the problem, and implement conservation strategies.

North Korea Foreign Policy - 1689 Words

Assess the impact of foreign involvement on North Korea’s foreign policy and isolation: North Korea is, as stated by Bruce Cummings in North Korea – Another Country, â€Å"The Author of most of its own troubles†. The country is close to entirely isolated from the rest of the world maintaining only small contact with certain nations. Since the ceasefire of the Korean War, North Korea has become increasingly detached from the majority of the world; however what factors have led to this increased isolation? The heavy bombing of the North during the war, the continued existence of missiles aimed at the North, the fall of the Soviet Union, the Carter and Clinton governments steps on reconciliation with North Korea and the Bush Governments†¦show more content†¦With a loss of one of the countries few remaining large allies, North Korea would have been driven further into isolation after this collapse. North Korea’s foreign policy was becoming increasingly reclusive in the late 20th century. Anders Lewis, a right-wing American historian and a heavy detractor towards much of Bill Cummings’ sympathetic work towards North Korea quoted Kim Jong Il in his essay, The Historian Who Defends North Korea as saying; â€Å"‘the imperialists’ aid is a noose of plunder and subjugation aimed at robbing ten and even a hundred things for one thing that is given†. It was clear that the North was still self-excluded and heavily isolated from much of the world; however between 1993 and 2001, the government of Bill Clinton made several important steps which improved North Korea’s foreign relations and reduced the countries increasing level of isolation. Korea had â€Å"suffered a fractured 20th century† and the Clinton government realized this and worked towards reconciling with the fragile and tense culture which had been created in the North. Cummings observed several key points about the progress of the Clinton government’s steps on reconciliation with North Korea and states â€Å"It took the road of negotiation and accomplished several things no previous administration ever did†. When focusing in on this progress,Show MoreRelatedForeign Policy and Terrorism in North Korea Essay2016 Words   |  9 PagesIntroduction North Korea appears on the international stage as a country existing beyond the world we all know. It isolates its citizens from the rest of international community and does not obey any rules determined by international law, but requires respect and recognition. Moreover, North Korea is one of the countries that remains aggressive towards its neighbors and applies various terrorist techniques, i.e. illegal contraband, political terror and mass abductions of other countries’ citizensRead MoreNorth Korea Is A Rogue State Essay1544 Words   |  7 Pages North Korea is a rogue state. A nation whose actions and behavior could set off a deadly regional conflict. A conflict which could involve the use of nuclear warheads, cause massive loss of life. Since the end of the Korean War tensions have run high between North Korea and the surrounding countries. The biggest cause for concern for the U.S. and South Korea is North Korea’s continual test of nuclear weapons paired wi th its aggressive behavior towards its regional neighbors. North Korea’s irrationalRead MoreMr. Trump And Foreign Policy1661 Words   |  7 PagesMr. Trump has proven since he is not like his predecessors before him. He is going to change how the United States deals with foreign-policy. He plans to go with the American first logit, but according to NPR he has already broke his promise about putting Americans first. NPR stated the following â€Å"†¦ American role in the world, a so-called America First agenda. His decision to strike Syria in response to a sarin gas attack was another surprising turn-about. White House officials say this is a signRead MoreNorth Korea s Confrontational And Unpredictable Behavior1261 Words   |  6 PagesThe impact North Korea poses on the global community outweighs its geographical size. Having only a landmass about the size of Mississippi, North Korea houses a population of 23 million people. This small communist county is one of the most isolated and controlled places in the world. Formed after World War II and having only two leaders during its time of existence, this country has displayed defiant acts against the global community throughout its history. Currently under heavy sanctions byRead MoreKorean War : The Cold War1598 Words   |  7 PagesSoviet Union and the United States broke due to their ideological differences after World War II, in the midst of the Cold War was the Korean War. The Korean War began on June 25, 1950 when the North Korean People’s Army poured across the 38th parallel, a border between South and North Korea, to attack South Korea. The size of the war quickly grew as it began to involve countries like China, Soviet Union, and the United States. With nothing to show rather than early back-and-forth across the 38th parallelRead More North Korea And The New Administration Essays971 Words   |  4 Pagesago, war erupted in Korea on June 25,1950, along the thirty-eight parallel that separated North and South Korea, The Korean War set all the rules for East/West superpower conflict in the nuclear age. And in so doing brought the world closer to an all out atomic race that is still proliferating today. The international community today is witnessing an increasing spread in weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles. Especially, the nuclear threat of the ambiguous North Koreans, which haveRead MoreNorth Korea Has No Ambition for Nuclear Proliferation Essay examples1467 Words   |  6 Pages There has been an increase in the support of taking forceful actions towards North Korea which has seemed to be unpredictable in its steps and decision taken especially in terms of security. It has maintained its stand on the nuclear arsenal and other programs associated to it, creating a threat to the security of the whole region and the whole in general (Kim, 2002 pg.6). It has also refused to involve itself in any form of negotiation making the other nations abandon further negotiations andRead MoreThe Political Tensions Between North Korea And South Korea Essay1473 Words   |  6 Pagesinternational conflict includes North Korea and South Korea. There is persistent opposition in this region of Asia, mainly due to the clash of political systems and religious ideologies that officially began 66 years ago. The Korean War lasted from 1950 to 1953, and it ended when the United Nations and United States met with North Korean representatives to sign the armistice agreement. This ended the 37-month long war (Wright). However, the divide between the North and the South have still been greaterRead MoreEffective Measures For Foreign And Security Policy1615 Words   |  7 Pagesmeasures for foreign and security policy is, of course, challenging for any country. When the decision involves highly sensitive issue such as denuclearization of another country, it is something that no one can resolve easily even with great length of time, specified plans, much power, or money. Gill states in his report, â€Å"Despite differences on tactics and approach, the primary strategic goal on which nearly all parties in China agree is stability, both at home and in China’s foreign relations, particularlyRead MoreThe Function of the Truman Doctrine and Marshall Plan in Preventing the Spread of Communism During the Cold War952 Words   |  4 PagesThe foreign policy of the United States during the Cold War fully supported the growth of democratic nations. The USSR, however, wa nted countries to become communist like them. These opposing views led to tension between the two nations. As a result, in 1947, President Truman issued the Truman Doctrine which stated that the United States would supply aid to any country as long as they pledged to be democratic. The Marshall plan was enacted in 1948 and it was similar to the Truman Doctrine except

A Sad Love Story Free Essays

A sad Love Story.. A boy proposed his girlfriend for marriage, Girl: Tell me. We will write a custom essay sample on A Sad Love Story or any similar topic only for you Order Now . Who do you love most in this world? Boy: You, of course ! Girl: What am I to you? Boy: The boy thought for a moment and looked intently in her eyes and said â€Å"u r missing part of my heart † She smiled, and she accepted his proposal. ::  ¦ ::  ¦ : :  ¦ ::  ¦ ::  ¦ ::  ¦ After their wedding , the couple had a sweet and happy life for a while . However ,the youthful couple began to drift apart due to the busy schedule of life and the never-ending worries of aily problems and soon after their life became difficult . ::  ¦ ::  ¦ : :  ¦ ::  ¦ ::  ¦ ::  ¦ ::  ¦::  ¦ : : All the challenges posed by the harsh realities of life began to drift away their dreams and love for each other . .. The couple began to have more quarrels and each quarrel became make their relation more worst. One day , after the quarrel , the girl ran out of the house.. .. At the opposite side of the road , she shouted,† You don’ t love me †¦ !† The boy hated her childishness and out of impulse, said ,†May be, it was a mistake for us to e together ..! You were never da missing part of my  ¦ †¦ !† Suddenly, she turned quiet and stood there for a long while .. .. He regretted what he said but wordsspoken cant be taken back. With tears in her eyes, she went home to pack her things and Before leaving the house,she left a note for him: â€Å"If I ‘m really not da missing part of ur  ¦, let me go.. n search for sum 1 whu is. .. It is less painful thisway†¦ let us go on our separate ways and search for our own partners .. .† ::  ¦ ::  ¦ : :  ¦ ::  ¦ ::  ¦ ::  ¦ ::  ¦::  ¦ : : Five years went by. .. He never remarried but he had tried to find out about her life indirectly .. †¦ . She had left the country and was living her dreams. He use to regret on what he did but never tried to bring her back. . In the dark and lonely night , he lit his cigarette and felt the lingering ache in his heart. He couldn’ t bring himself to admit that he was missing her . †¦. One day , they finally met†¦ . At the airport , He was going away on a business trip . He saw her, She was standing there alone, with just the security door separating them. She smiled at him gently . Boy: How are you ? Girl: I’ m fine. How about you.. . Have you found your heart ‘ s missing part.. .? Boy: No . Girl: I’ ll be flying to New York in the next flight . Boy: I ‘ll be back in 2 weeks time . Give me a call when you are back †¦ You know my number †¦ . Nothing has changed . With a smile , she turned around and waved good- bye .. â€Å"Good-bye . . . † Same evening he heard of a plane crash which was headed to New York . He tried to know about her and found that,She died . Midnight. †¦ Once again , he lit his cigarette. †¦ . And like before, he felt the lingering ache in his heart. †¦ He finally knew , she was that missing part that he had carelessly broken . . . Sometimes, people say things out of moments of fury†¦ .. We take outour 99% frustrations at our loved ones. †¦ And even though we knowthat we ought to†think twice and act wisely†, we actually dont do it. Thing s happen each day , many of which are beyond our control . Try not to hurt ur loved once, bcz amoment of anger cud b a lifetym punishment †¦ u How to cite A Sad Love Story, Papers

Strategic Information System Case Study of Kinokuniya Bookstore Austr

Question: Discuss about theStrategic Information Systemfor Case Study of Kinokuniya Bookstore Australia. Answer: Introduction Strategic information system is one of the key systems or sections in the business which is extremely important in the day to day operations of a business. Without information system operations will definitely face significant difficulties to operate the day to day activities in the business. Most of the organisations in the contemporary business environment have strong strategic information system integrated in the operations which helps them to mitigate any organisational issue or challenge which might be internal or external. The role of strategic information system is of paramount importance which could be understood only with the effective research and analysis. The use of accounting software package has become a common tool for many organisations all across the world. In the contemporary business environment of Australia the use of accounting software package has become imperative given its role in handling the overall finance and relevant information effectively (Galliers and Leidner, 2014). The present report is important as it discusses about the organisational structure and the key issues related to operation. This study will also discuss the possible system acquisition method which helps in handling the accounting practice in the organisation. Overall the present study will discuss the process of adoption of the accounting software and the challenges and issues related to it. Kinokuniya is bookstore chain and is one of the best bookstores available in Sydney. It is a Japanese brand which has been able to operate its business effectively in Sydney and some other places in Australia. Given the steady emergence of this bookstore chain it will serve as an effective reference to complete the study. Kinokuniya is a leading small and medium scale bookstore chain operating in Sydney. The root of the organisation is mainly in Japan and it has started its business in Australia recently. The organisation has served almost all the book lovers in Sydney which clearly shows the amount of interest books still create. The Japanese bookstore chain believes in discussing art and culture. The bookstore is unique in nature as it has huge stock of books and one could find a rare collection here which is not possible in any other bookstore. The organisation is presently operating in Sydney with the focus on expanding its business operations in the other parts of Australia and the planning is under process (Willcocks, 2013). The organisation has been able to generate significant amount of revenue in the last few years which has encouraged the organisation to expand its business in the other markets. The current organisational structure of the organisation is simple yet suitable for the organisat ion. Kinokuniyas current organisational structure is a flat structure which helps the organisation to make decisions easily and effectively. The flat organisational structure helps the organisation to make effective improvements in its operational styles as there is no work of the mid level management in this kind of structure. The advantage of this structure is that it helps the upper management to directly communicate with the lower level employees and in the case of Kinokuniya it becomes extremely important as it is essential to get the feedback of the book lovers coming in the store to improve the overall service system of the company (Baltzan, 2012). The flat organisational structure of the organisation is advantageous but it also leads to certain operational problems. It could be said that the main operational problem which could emerge in a flat organisational structure is lose of hold over the employees as under one manager there are number of employees working and this breaks the communication with some of the employees. It is important for the employees to understand their roles and responsibilities in the organisation and for that it is important to communicate effectively all along the operational line. In the present case the main operational problem that the organisation Kinokuniya has faced is wrong coordination in different departments. The finance department of the organisation is responsible to record and calculate all the financial aspects of the business and due to miscommunication and poor coordination there has not been proper and effective information gathering which would help to keep records as well as plan th e overall financial budget for the organisation. In a flat structure it is at times tough to control employees effectively (Cassidy, 2016). Hence in this scenario it is important that the organisation puts in place a strong system which would help to ensure that financial errors and decision making are done effectively in the business. The flat organisational structure in Kinokuniya the bookstore chain could lead to significant understanding issues as lesser layers of management could make employees pompous and casual in their work which wouldnt help to make effective business decisions as well as lead to poor customer relationship which would definitely affect the overall business turnover the organisation. Hence it could be said that the quality of performance could be bad with flat structure operating within the organisation. In this case the organisation has faced this problem as most of the consumers trying to take help from the employees have failed due to the ignorance of the employees working in the organisation (Morecroft, 2015). It has been seen that the organisation has effective training and development program in place but the employees have become highly casual which has led to poor performance of the employees. The organisation has also not been able to make expansion decisions properly as complex decision making is not effective with the help of flat organisational structure. The most suitable system acquisition method in this case for Kinokuniya would be to go for an ERP solution. There are number of key operational issue in the organisation and hence for this reason Enterprise Resource Planning is effective for the organisation. The ERP will be an effective system which would help the organisation to make sure all the procedures and resources in the organisation are perfectly managed. With ERP Kinokuniya will be able to manage its financial decisions, employee performance effectively keep records and communicate with the employees successfully (Bradford, 2015). ERP will be effective for the organisation as it will help to reduce cost for the company and manage the entire operation effectively. The ERP system is able to effectively automate the system and manage the business effectively. The Enterprise Resource Planning is an extremely effective software system for the organisation for this bookstore as it will help to keep records and information in a p roper way and it will also help in financial decision making which would definitely help to reduce cost and develop a stronger financial budget for the organisation (Azevedo, Romo and Rebelo, 2012). Every organisation has a specific sales process through which it sells that generates revenue. The sales procedure flowchart is given below: Fig 1: Sales Procedure Flowchart As per the above flowchart followed by the organisation Kinokuniya it could be said that there is a huge role of the business manager in this case in the sales process. the user orders a book in the bookstore or may be online which directly reaches the business and he or she checks the order form and issues it to the warehouse where the storekeeper checks the inventory and it goes to the stockouot and from there to the delivery sheet where the entire information is recorded from the side of the storekeeper and then it reaches the user. Apparently it might look lengthy but it is a simple process and is easy to reach to the consumers if the employees operate effectively (Bernus, Mertins and Scmidt, 2013). ERP is normally secured system but server frauds are very common nowadays and hence if the main server on which the software is based is hacked or breached then there is a possibility of network breach and data theft. Hence it could be said that the common issue with ERP is its vulnerability to outer programs like malwares and spywares which are used to breach the safety and security of the ERP software through its main server (Davenport, 2013). The development and adoption of the accounting system software package is important. The adoption of accounting software package has become very important in the business as it helps to keep all the possible financial records or information and helps to manage the finance effectively. The accounting software packages are largely internet based and hence provide online support which helps the organisation to get online support whenever possible. The development of accounting software packages are being done for a long time now and its adoption in Australia could be considered as extensive. The adoption of accounting software helps in easing the pressure of financial works and also makes it systematic which reduces hassles and financial errors in the business (Hall, 2012). The current market size of accounting software packages is huge at the present moment. The accounting software is used almost all across the world with emerging and developed economies using the accounting software extensively in business and other organisations to have proper information on finance and to make suitable decisions. In the last few years the market size has grown by around 85% which is a significant rise in the market share (Beynon-Davies, 2013). There are number of companies in the world providing accounting software packages but SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, MYOB, XERO, Oracle E-Business Suit, Intuit have emerged as winners in the market. These organisations have been able to gain significant market share and sustainable competitive advantage only because of their excellent customer response and technical support and great customised service to the client which other organisations have not been able to do. These organisations have been able to reduce and minimise the arduous task of managing finance and have made it easy which is definitely a great point about them (Romney and Steinbart, 2012). There are number of gaps or challenges in handling accounting software packages for the consumers. One of the biggest challenges is handling the highly mechanical software systems. For most of the consumers it becomes tough to understand the procedure of handling these softwares and this stands to be one the challenges. On the other hand services of Oracle and SAP are very expensive and this is a definite gap which the companies can work upon. Lack of accuracy and features create problems at times for the business consumers to handle accounting software effectively (Christauskas and Miseviciene, 2012). The key suggestions which could be given to these organisations will be to develop their service system and they should become more customers centric and understand the needs and wants of the consumers. They should also think about making the service cost effective and mechanically easy. More user friendly interface is a must for accounting softwares to be embraced more by consumers an d hence this should also be looked at seriously (Kirchmer, 2012). Conclusion The present report has tried to discuss the key aspects of information system used at workplaces. The importance of accounting software has increased in the recent years and hence it is important to understand the key challenges and gaps to use to accounting software which the present report has tried to reveal. It has also discussed the flowchart through which Kinokuniya bookstore gets its sales and has finally recommended suggestions to the accounting software developing organisations to provide better services to consumers. References Azevedo, P.S., Romo, M. and Rebelo, E., 2012. Advantages, limitations and solutions in the use of ERP systems (Enterprise Resource Planning)A case study in the hospitality industry.Procedia Technology,5, pp.264-272. Baltzan, P., 2012.Business driven technology. McGraw-Hill/Irwin. Bernus, P., Mertins, K. and Schmidt, G.J. eds., 2013.Handbook on architectures of information systems. Springer Science Business Media. Beynon-Davies, P., 2013.Business information systems. Palgrave Macmillan. Bharadwaj, A., El Sawy, O.A., Pavlou, P.A. and Venkatraman, N.V., 2013. Digital business strategy: toward a next generation of insights. Bradford, M., 2015.Modern ERP: select, implement, and use today's advanced business systems. Lulu. com. Cassidy, A., 2016.A practical guide to information systems strategic planning. CRC press. Christauskas, C. and Miseviciene, R., 2012. Cloudcomputing based accounting for small to medium sized business.Engineering Economics,23(1), pp.14-21. Davenport, T.H., 2013.Process innovation: reengineering work through information technology. Harvard Business Press. Galliers, R.D. and Leidner, D.E., 2014.Strategic information management: challenges and strategies in managing information systems. Routledge. Hall, J.A., 2012.Accounting information systems. Cengage Learning. Kirchmer, M., 2012.Business process oriented implementation of standard software: how to achieve competitive advantage efficiently and effectively. Springer Science Business Media. Morecroft, J.D., 2015.Strategic modelling and business dynamics: a feedback systems approach. John Wiley Sons. Rainer, R.K., Cegielski, C.G., Splettstoesser-Hogeterp, I. and Sanchez-Rodriguez, C., 2013.Introduction to information systems. John Wiley Sons. Romney, M.B. and Steinbart, P.J., 2012.Accounting information systems. Boston: Pearson. Willcocks, L., 2013.Information management: the evaluation of information systems investments. Springer.

Hawthorne and Poe an Example of the Topic Personal Essays by

Hawthorne and Poe by Expert Hyperwriter | 19 Dec 2016 The works of Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are among the most recognizable in American literature because of their haunting mood and the disturbing, sad, sometimes dreadful feelings they evoke. But whereas Hawthorne was deeply concerned with the dark secrets of the human soul, his characters constantly finding themselves in the swirl of ethical debate, Poe made no such pretensions. While Hawthorne was a moralist who wrestled with sin and evil, Poe was a skillful craftsman who gave life to the phantasms that dwelt in the realm of his imagination. By analyzing some of their more popular works in this essay, we shall compare and contrast their use of perversion, mystery, and horror or the symbols thereof and to what extent they focus themselves on the nature of evil and sin. Need essay sample on "Hawthorne and Poe" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed Hawthornes Young Goodman Brown probes the psychology of Puritan Salems witchcraft frenzy to offer insights into the moral complexity of human nature (Modugno). At dusk, Goodman Brown starts on a journey to the forest, passing through a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest to where the witches of the village congregate at midnight. Goodman Brown echoes the common mans dread when passing through such paths: What if the devil himself should be at my elbow! And sure enough, there appeared an old man with the twisted staff which bore the likeness of a great black snake. People Frequently Tell Us: I'm not in the mood to write my essay now. I don't have the time Specialists recommend: College Papers For Sale The setting in itself does not terrify, nor does the twisted staff: the realization that the entire village has fallen prey to witchcraft including the minister and Goody Cloyse who taught Goodman Brown catechism, and perhaps, his own wife Faith herself - does. When Goodman Brown finds Faiths ribbon in the forest, he is maddened with despair, crying: There is no good on earth; and sin is but a name. Come, devil; for to thee is this world given. Losing all hope, he plunges headlong into the forest. Yet all is not lost: while the leader of the fiend worshippers declares that Evil is the nature of mankind. Evil must be your only happiness, Goodman Brown and Faith were the only pair, it seemed, who were yet hesitating on the verge of wickedness in this dark world. Before the mark of baptism was laid on their foreheads, Goodman Brown implores Faith to look up to heaven, and resist the wicked one. Whether it was all a dream or heaven intervened is not known, but the next morning Goodman Brown finds the town of Salem as it was before. But the experience had changed him: he now looks upon everyone with distrust. He could not listen to the singing of psalms during the Sabbath services. When the minister spoke from the pulpit with power and fervid eloquence . . .Goodman Brown turned pale, dreading lest the roof should thunder down upon the gray blasphemer and his hearers. Poes Ulalume also speaks of a lonesome journey into the ghoul-haunted woodland of Weir: Here, once, through an alley Titanic/Of cypress I roamed with my soul/Of cypress with Psyche my soul. Psyche begs him to fly, seeing a star which she mistrust, but the poet/narrator prevails upon her to continue, until they arrive at a legended tomb that of the lost Ulalume. The poet/narrator cries in anguish upon realizing that it was on that very night a year before that he brought a dread burden down here. In this poem, Poe makes use of symbols (leaves that were withering, crisped, and sere; a miraculous crescent with a duplicate horn, the dim lake of Auber, the misty mid-region of Weir) only to set the mood, which is one of melancholy and dread, not to arouse any inner struggle about moral values. A reader accustomed to look for a moral in a story will find The Cask of Amontillado, a gothic tale of revenge written by Edgar Allan Poe, devoid of any allusion to conscience.The narrators only concern is to execute his vengeance in cold blood and escape unpunished. But here is an intriguing note: the narrator assumes the reader knows the nature of his (the authors) soul. Of course we do not know until we come to the climax, where the narrator (Montresor) entombs his friend Fortunato alive in a granite wall in the catacombs. Could it be that Poe believed every human soul was potentially capable of unbelievable cruelty? If so, he and Hawthorne have at least a thing in common: a Freudian belief in the latent animal nature of man. (Incidentally, Melville, a friend of Hawthorne, describes, in Moby Dick an angel as nothing but a shark well-governed). In The Tell-Tale Heart, Poe again narrates a murder most foul, provoked by what the killer perceived as the victims vulture eye. Here Poe describes from the murderers point of view how he committed the deed, and why he finally broke up, telling searchers to tear up the planks upon being tormented by the beating of the victims hideous heart. The narrators anguish is not caused by knowing he had committed a grave wrong: he is only concerned only with fear of punishment, like Montresor in The Cask of Amontillado. The constant allusion in Hawthornes works about the dark secrets concealed in the human heart also appears in The Ministers Black Veil, where the town parson surprises his parishioners by wearing a black crepe to hide his face. Till his last breath he refuses to remove the veil, resolutely clutching at it when it was to be forcibly taken away. His final words ring as an indictment against the hypocrisy of men and society. Why do you tremble at me alone? . . .Tremble also at each other! When . . .man does not vainly shrink from the eye of his Creator, loathsomely treasuring up the secret of his sin; then deem me a monster, for the symbol beneath which I have lived, and die! I look around me, and, lo! on every visage a Black Veil! The black veil may be a symbol of sin, against which the stern moralists of Hawthornes day zealously guarded their congregations. Hawthorne probably saw through the Puritans impeccable religious conduct, or perhaps imagined that despite their avowals of faith they harbored sins known only to themselves. It is possible that Hawthornes works are an echo of the powerful sermons delivered by the likes of Cotton Mather in colonial America, making the sinners cringe in fear of hellish damnation. Rappacinis Daughter, another Hawthorne tale, tells of a young woman, Beatrice, who was exposed by her father from childhood to the flowers of a gorgeous shrub, inhaling its poisonous fumes until she became immune to it and possessed of the ability to kill by her breathe anyone who comes to her. To Dr. Rappacini, this made her terrible as she was beautiful. He chides his daughter for accusing him of having made her life miserable. Wouldst thou then, he says, have preferred the condition of a weak woman, exposed to all evil, and capable of none? Beatrice drinks the antidote which kills her. In this tale, Hawthorne explores the complexity of human nature. The poisonous flower may symbolize many things. Its outward appearance of beauty that secretly kills can be taken as the material things most people crave but instead of happiness bring them sorrow. Whereas Hawthorne wrote from the viewpoint of the conscience-stricken Puritan, Kennedy believes that Poes works were influenced by the violence of that period of American history: Writing in the wake of Charles Brockden Brown, Catherine Maria Sedgwick, and James Fennimore Cooper, all of whom depicted episodes of bloody cruelty, Poe was yet the first important American writer to foreground violence and to prove its psychological origin (4). Through the works of Poe, the reader can see his darkly passionate sensibilities: a tormented and sometimes neurotic obsession with death and violence and overall appreciation for the beautiful yet tragic mysteries of life (Merriman). To Hawthorne, the symbols of perversion, mystery, and horror in his works were but instruments to bring into focus, despite its aura of light and beauty, the horrible nature of sin. WORKS CITED Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Ministers Black Veil. 16 April 2007 Young Goodman Brown. Fictions. Ed. Joseph Trimmer. Fort Worth:Harcourt Brace College, 1998. 614. Rappacinis Daughter. Fictions. Ed. Joseph Trimmer. Fort Worth:Harcourt Brace College, 1998. 619. Kennedy, Gerald. A Historical Guide to Edgar Allan Poe. New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 2000. 4 -5. Merriman, C.D. Edgar Allan Poe. 12 April 2007 http://www.online-literature.com/poe/> Modugno, Joseph R. The Salem Witchcraft Hysteria of 1692 and Young Goodman Brown. 12 April 2007. Poe, Edgar Allan. Ulalume 16 April 2007.

Mental Health Essay Example

Mental Health Essay Example Mental Health Paper Mental Health Paper Essay Topic: Eva Luna within an individual and controls their mind and body. However in contrast to this Hippocrates (460-355bc) believed in a biological cause of mental illness. His belief about the treatment of mental illness extended to a kind of brain pathology that was to be treated with proper diet, drink and abstinence from sexual activity (Davison Neale, 1997). The Greek concept of mental illness was well spread through to the Roman Empire. Platos (428-348 B. C. ) regarded mind as a cause of madness. He believed that the cause of mental illness is a persons ignorance of a psyche; the force that kept the human being alive; which leads to the self-deception (Mora, 1985). It was at that point that a psychological viewpoint of mental illness was also presented. During this era many thought that both mind and body was a cause of mental illness but, unfortunately both approaches could not be synchronised, so the mind and body position went separately through this period. During the middle ages the Hippocratic viewpoint of mental illness was gaining prominence with many doctors believing the causes of mental illness to have a biological basis. Constantinus Africanus (1020-1087) founder of the first medical school founded in Salerno, claimed melancholia was a result of an excess of bile causing an imbalance to the system of the body. (Mora, 1985) Later during the renaissance period (15th-16th century) there had been a period of witch-mania, which led to Pope Innocent the 8th sending monks to be the inquisitors of witches. From this the Malleus Maleficarun (1486) â€Å"the witchs hammer was published serving as the instruction manual for the inquisitors (Romm Friedman, 1994). During this time the mentally ill were among those persecuted and witchcraft or possession was declared as the cause of their illness. This witchcraft hysteria pushed the biological theories on mental illness backwards as those who favoured applying a biological theory to the illness feared the punishment of the inquisition. It wasnt until the 18th century that a major shift from the supernatural explanation to clinical explanation of mental illness happened. This was through a complete rejection of witchcraft and various other scientific accomplishments in other areas. Legislation was created by the government to â€Å"deal† with what they considered as undesirables leading to the birth of mad houses for the purpose of detaining individuals. Acts such as The Vagrancy Act (1744) and the Mad Houses Act (1744) were created during this time. From these newly formed acts care for the mentally ill was based upon institutionalised care which saw the building of large asylums used to house the mentally ill using the medical model of treatment. The medical model is based on a biological theory with the aim to find medical treatments for diagnosed symptoms; this model treats the body as a very complex mechanism as it attempted to offer physical pathological explanations to mental illness. Mental illness was regarded as being ill and requiring medical treatment and intervention. According to Davison Neale, an important contribution to the biological aetiology was Louis Pasteur’s establishment of the germ theory of disease, which claims that disease is caused by infection of the body by minute organisms. This theory provides an excellent basis to develop the aetiology of specific mental disorders due to viral diseases. The changes in physical pathology are believed to result in symptomatic changes of mood, behaviour, perception and thoughts that characterise the medical diagnosis of mental illnesses. The field of Psychiatry uses the tool of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to make diagnoses. It lists over 200 mental health conditions and the criteria required for each one in making the diagnosis. Treatments for mental illness through the medical model are based upon reliving of symptoms through medical interventions and providing a cure. These medical interventions would be delivered in medical settings such as hospitals and involve treatments such as: E. C. T. and medication. These treatments are aimed to cure the symptoms and behaviour associated with mental illness. The medication aims to combat the chemical imbalance that the medical model has attributed to the cause of most mental illnesses. Schizophrenia is one of the most commonly diagnosed severe mental illnesses with the most widely used form of treatment is the use of anti-psychotic medication. Anti-psychotic drugs are believed to work by changing the activity of chemicals that transmit messages in the brain. The chemical they work on is dopamine. All antipsychotic drugs can cause side effects but these can be different for each patient. The medical model tends to define recovery in negative terms; symptoms and complaints need to be eliminated, illnesses need to be cured or removed. Patients need to be relieved of their conditions and returned to their pre morbid, healthy, or more accurately not-ill state (Pratt, 2007) The Mental Health Act (1983) defines individuals suffering with mental illness as patients. The Act deals with people who have a mental disorder; it contains the effect of detention and covers the interests of a persons health and safety. This act supports the medical model by determining that treatment is needed for the persons disorder implying the same basic philosophy of the medical model of diagnosis, treatment, and cure. The social model examines our relationship and the environment. It was developed in response to the medical model and the impact it had on individual’s life. The social model provides a different perspective, it does not concern with how bad a person’s illness is. It establishes that society erects barriers that prevent people, in turn restricting their opportunities. The philosophy of the social model is to rid society of these barriers, rather than relying on curing the person. The social models primary focus is being on family and group relationships. It considers the social class, risk, vulnerability increase. Early life experiences, peer group, education and sexual experiences are also considered important. The social model of care aims to give other reasons for mental illness, in that it is not just biological. It gives explanation through the environmental factors of life. The social model philosophy is that illness is caused by the society in which we live and is not the fault of an individual person, or an inevitable consequence of their limitations. Recovery is a life orientation that highlights the potential of people with severe mental illness to seek increasingly productive and meaningful lives through activities of their own choosing. The Psychological model is based upon the academic field of psychology. It attempts to explain mental illness through study of the human mind and behaviour. Psychology applies knowledge from the field of study to aspects of human activity, including the problems of individuals daily lives and the treatment of mental illness. Psychologys primary concern is the interaction of mental processes and behaviour and not simply the biological of neutral processes themselves. In 1879 Wilhelm founded a laboratory at the Leipzig University in Germany specifically to focus on the study of psychology. William James later published his 1890 book, Principles of Psychology which laid many of the foundations for the sorts of questions that psychologists would focus on for years to come. The psychological model of care is split into three areas of theory. * Behavioural: inappropriate behaviour learned from negative life experiences, Behavioural Therapies/approaches focus on the need to re-learn more adaptive and appropriate patterns. * Cognitive: perception and interpretation of the world. * Psychoanalytical: Fixation at one of life’s earlier stages. Behaviourism is the psychological theory of the study of behaviour. It rejects the idea that internal mental states such as beliefs, desires, or goals can be studied scientifically. Behaviourism was the dominant model in psychology for much of the 20th century, largely because of the creation and successful application of conditioning theories as scientific models of behaviour. Cognitive psychology studies cognition, the mental processes underlying behaviour. It uses information processing as a framework for understanding the mind. Perception, learning, problem solving, memory, attention, language and emotion are all well researched areas. Cognitive psychology is associated with a school of thought known as cognitivism, whose adherents argue for an information processing model of mental function, informed by positivism and experimental psychology. Psychoanalytical Sigmund Freud, who was trained as a neurologist and had no formal training in experimental psychology, had invented and applied a method of psychotherapy known as psychoanalysis. Freuds understanding of the mind was largely based on interpretive methods and introspection, but was particularly focused on resolving mental distress and psychopathology. Freuds theories became very well-known, probably because they tackled subjects such as sexuality and repression as general aspects of psychological development. These were largely considered taboo subjects at the time, and Freud provided a catalyst for them to be openly discussed in polite society. Although Freuds theories are of virtually no interest today in psychology departments, his application of psychology to clinical work has been very influential. (Jarvis, 2000) Psychotherapy treatments involve a range of techniques which use dialogue and communication and are intended to improve the mental health of the individual. Most forms of psychotherapy use spoken conversation; though some also use various other forms of communication such as writing, art work or touch. More often than not psychotherapy involves a therapist and client on a one to one basis or as group. The therapy addresses specific forms of diagnosable mental illness, or everyday problems in meeting personal goals. Treatment of more everyday problems is referred to as counselling but the term is used interchangeably with psychotherapy. Psychotherapeutic interventions are often designed to treat the client in the medical model, although not all psychotherapeutic approaches follow the model of illness/cure. Some practitioners, such as humanistic schools, see themselves in an educational or helper role. Mental health care practice has now evolved into a mixture of the three models of care and is referred to as the bio psychosocial approach. The bio psychosocial approaches to treatment are broadly speaking holistic. Biological psychological and social factors are all incorporated into individual patient assessment. The bio psychosocial model of medicine is a way of looking at the mind and body of a patient as two important systems that are interlinked. The bio psychosocial model is also a technical term for the popular concept of the mind-body connection. This is in contrast to the traditional biomedical model of medicine. The bio psychosocial model draws a distinction between the actual pathological processes that cause disease, and the patients perception of their health and the effects on it, called the illness. As well as a separate existence of disease and illness, the bio psychosocial model states that the workings of the body can affect the mind, and the workings of the mind can affect the body. (Gilbert. P, 2002) stated that: At its best the bio psychosocial approach is holistic but is also more than that. The bio psychosocial approach addresses the complexity of interactions between different domains of functioning and argues that it is the interaction of domains that illuminate important processes. Gilbert, P (2002). Government policies and guidelines dictating the standards of care for the mentally ill now give consideration to the bio psychosocial approach to care. The National Service Framework for mental health was launched in 1999 and sets out how mental health services will be planned, delivered and monitored. The NSF lists seven standards that set targets for the mental health care of adults aged up to 65. These standards span five areas: health promotion and stigma, primary care and access to specialist services, needs of those with severe and enduring mental illness, carers needs, and suicide reduction are also considered. A primary concern of anti-psychiatry is that an individuals degree of adherence to communally, or majority, held values may be used to determine that persons level of mental health. Other organisations such as Mind Freedom International and World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry maintain that psychiatrists exaggerate the evidence of medication and minimize the evidence of adverse drug reaction. An article published through the anti-psychiatry movement stated that: â€Å"Psychiatry should be abolished as a medical speciality because medical school education is not needed nor even helpful for doing counselling or so-called psychotherapy, because the perception of mental illness as a biological entity is mistaken, because psychiatrys treatments  other than counselling or psychotherapy (primarily drugs and electroshock) Hurt rather than help people, because non-psychiatric physicians are better able than psychiatrists to treat real brain disease, and because non-psychiatric physicians acceptance of psychiatry as a medical specialty is a poor reflection on the medical profession as a whole (Stevens. L, 2006). The medical profession does not have a precise understanding of why some individuals develop a psychiatric disorder and some do not. Some have developed a general theory to explain the causes of these disorders and their course over time called the stress vulnerability model. This theory was originally introduced as a means to explain some of the underlying causes of schizophrenia by Zubin Spring, (1977). Therefore Psychiatric disorders have a biological basis, but environmental factors can influence their course over time. The stress-vulnerability model points out that a positive outcome of a psychiatric disorder is more likely if environmental stress is minimized or managed well, medication is taken as prescribed, and alcohol and drug abuse are avoided. Conclusion Through the evolution of mental health care it has been made clear that the three separate models of medical, social and psychological approaches of care are not each in their own right complimentary to the holistic needs of individuals suffering with diagnoses of mental illness. Pressure from such groups as the Anti- Psychiatry movement is helping to change attitudes and perceptions about mental health. Critics of psychiatry generally do not dispute the notion that some people have emotional or psychological problems, or that some psychotherapies do not work for a problem. They do usually disagree with psychiatry on the source of these problems; the appropriateness of characterising these problems as illness and on what the proper management options are. Mental health care is delivered with assessments and needs of the individual being assessed through a collaborative approach of Effective Care Co-ordination. ECC assesses individual’s needs through the bio psychosocial philosophy i. e. : medical assessment, social needs and or psychological interventions. All mental health service users have a range of needs which no one treatment service or agency can meet alone; this system of ECC allows a service user access to the most relevant response. Hopefully providing the individual the necessary tenets of care they require. References: Davison, G. C. Neale, J. M. (1997) Abnormal psychology (7th Ed. ). New York, John Wiley Sons Inc. Department of Health. (1999) National Service Framework, Mental Health. The Stationary Office Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth edition. Copyright 2000 American Psychiatric Association. Gilbert, P.(2002) Clinical Psychology. Understanding the bio psychosocial approach: Conceptualisation. Kingsway Hospital, Derby. Flanagan, C. (2003) Psychology for AS: AQA Specification: The Complete Companion, Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes Ltd | | | | | | | | | Bottom of Form Mora,G. (1985) History of Psychiatry. Baltimore, M. D. : Williams Wilkins. Mental Health Act 1983. [Online] Available: dh. gov. uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4005756 [Accessed 3rd February 2010] Stevens, L. Why psychiatry should be abolished as a medical speciality. [Online] Available: http://antipsychiatry. org/abolish. htm. [Accessed 23rd February 2010] Sue, D et al. (1990) Understanding abnormal behaviour (3rd Ed. ). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. The 1832 Madhouse Act and the Metropolitan Commission in Lunacy from 1832 [Online] Available: http://studymore. org. uk/3s. htm [Accessed 25th February 2010] UPIAS [Online] Available: gmcdp. com/UPIAS. html [Accessed 6thMarch 2010] Zubin, J. The aim of this essay is to explore and explain how differing theoretical approaches used by mental health practitioners can affect the way care is provided. This will be achieved through examining the influences of each model and their effects upon the practice of mental health care. Some historical information will be provided to give explanation of the background into the evolution of social and moral perspectives that have shaped mental health care practice throughout the ages. There are 3 principle theoretical approaches used in practice today those being the biological, psychological and social models. People who exhibited behaviour that deviated from what society considered the norm would be considered to have an evil mind. Treatment during these times would be conducted in the forms of spiritualistic ceremonies and crude forms of brain surgery, (trepanning) done by the shaman. The motive for this practice would be to allow evil spirits to be released. It has been suggested that stone-age cave dwellers may have treated behaviour disorders with this treatment of trepanation. (Sue et al, 1990). It appears inevitable that they explained mental illness through a non-scientific cause, because they had not developed scientific techniques to provide a materialistic cause. The supernatural concept of mental illness still existed throughout ancient times with many civilisations such as the Egyptians, Greeks and the Roman Empire believing the cause to be one of a supernatural reason. It was with the ancient Egyptians came the first signs of changes to the treatment of the mentally ill. Egyptians like the early Stone Age societies mainly regarded mental illness as magical or religious in nature; however their society which was obsessed with life after death meant that the health of the mind or soul played an essential part in ones overall health. There is evidence to suggest that an ancient temple near Saqqara was being used as a rudimentary hospital for the treatment of the mentally ill which could mean that Egyptian society with its fixation on the health of the soul has the first recorded evidence of a mental healthcare system for their society. (Flanigan, 2003) According to Davison Neale, the Greek philosophy of mental illness was a doctrine of demonology that an evil being, such as the devil dwells

Jack the Giant Slayer Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Jack the Giant Slayer - Research Paper Example Jack the Giant Slayer is an adventure film of 2013 previously named Jack the Giant Killer. This adventure film based on fables â€Å"Jack the Bean stalker† and â€Å"Jack the Giant killer â€Å". The director of the film is Bryan Singer and the screenplay is by Christopher McQuarrie, Darren Lemke and Dan Studney. The stars of the epic films are Evan McGregor, Ian McShane, and Nicholas Hoult. Billy Nighy, StanelyTucci and Eleanor Tomlinson are also stars in the film. The film depicts the yarn of a youthful farmhand and a princess (IMDb.com, Inc. , 2013). Style and Directing Jack is the farmhand who rescues the young princess he has fallen in love with from giants.  Work on the film began as early as 2005. In 2005, Daren Lemke hatched the idea of the film and development of the film began. In January 2009, Caruso as the director started to work on the film, however on September that year Singer took Caruso’s place. Principal photography of the film begun in Norfolk, S omerset and Gloucestershire in April 2011, all these locations are in England. The premiere of the film was on 26 February 2013. Storytelling    The power of storytelling in the film, whereby the film depicts a bedtime story that giants wandered about England consuming and crushing anyone on their way. After recurring wars between human beings and the giants, a permanent solution hatched. This solution was a powerful crown that possessed magic. The wearer of this crown who was King Eric could control and tame the giants. King Erik sent away the giants back to their homeland of Gargantua. After sometime, King Erik died and he is buried together with beanstalks and the magical crown. Time passes and the legend of King Erik is becomes a narration to children Isabelle the princess and Jack a peasant as a bedtime story. Both Isabelle and Jack grow to become young attractive youths. While Isabelle runs from a forced marriage to Lord Roderick, she bumps into Jack and they develop a bond to each other. While Isabelle is with Jack at his place, suddenly a magic bean plants itself and grows to take Isabelle to the clouds, to Gargantua where she remains stranded.    If one watches the TV spots and trailers of Jack the Giant slayer, they will discover that the marketing is quite poor relative to the movie. The action sequence is not as creative and flowing as the legend itself. Bryan Singer the director of the movie seems more concerned with old traditional story telling than the targeted audience.     The movie has gently tried to twist the original and much familiar story. Isabelle and Jack both have a good childhood since they have parents who read for them. The movie depicts the importance of storytelling in child upbringing and development. Jack the Giant Slayer, as most fables are full of good life lessons. Life lessons come in the stories of scary villains, dangerous adventures, villains and courageous heroes who challenge them. Fairy tells highlight virtue s of self-sacrifice and bravery. Storytelling shows the evils of selfishness, jealousy and greed. The mother of the princess uses storytelling to motivate her young daughter to emulate the heroes in the fairy tells and to practice good things in the world.   We can attribute Jacks attitude to the stories he grew up listening. For instance, his heroism and bravery is because he emulates the heroes in the stories.   Acting Acting is not impressive. The actors are Nicholas Hoult acting as Jack the farmhand, Eleanor Tomlinson acting as Isabelle the youthful princess (Goodykoontz& Jacobs, 2011). Other actors are Stanley Tucci acting as Lord Roderick the Kings adviser, Ian McShane acting as King the princess father and Billy Nighy as Fallon the leader of the giants. The acting is poor, Nicholas Hoult who is acting as Jack the peasant has an odd haircut and he is just an average actor. Elenor Tomlinson as Isabelle the princess is very bland and not particular captivating or useful in

Global Leadership and Managment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Global Leadership and Managment - Essay Example The dissatisfaction amid the Cuban public generated a productive environment for Castro to get control as a leading actor. His concerned behavior toward the subjugated quickly made him a role model within his country. Castro created close associations with the Soviet Union, â€Å"nationalized the local industry† (Ramonet and Castro, 2009), detained or executed enemies, and formed an environment of eternal stress with the United States of America. There was an obvious and passionate link between Castro, his adherents, and the state of affairs when he took leadership. The contemporary restlessness of the Cuban public toward the administration made it convenient for Castro to get control as a rescuer. Castro showed a transformational leadership approach, as he was capable to persuade his adherents’ standards, moral values, principles, as well as long-standing objectives on a profound affectionate level (Coltman, 2005). Transformational leaders express the difficulties with in the existing arrangement and have a persuasive image of what a fresh society or group could be; Castro was capable of influencing his adherents to bring about more than what was generally anticipated from them. Another former great leader was Martin Luther King, Jr. â€Å"He was raised in the contemporary, conventional way of segregation between Blacks and Whites† (King and Carson, 2001). King’s best accomplishment was his leadership during the ‘great protest rally’ within Washington, DC on August 28, 1963. His objective was to support the development of the â€Å"Beloved Community† (King and Carson, 2001), foreseeing a fresh social structure in which all sorts of individuals as well as groups would reside together in harmony and uniformly share the wealth of ‘God’s creation’. He consequently utilized his brand new authorities to deal with prejudice. The rapport between King, his adherents, and the state of affairs, was appare nt. There was ethnic separation. Blacks wanted a compelling, powerful, dominant leader to lead them and bond them for official development. King was mainly attacked â€Å"as their leader without initially even wanting it: he just happened to be at the right place at the right time† (Phillips, 2000). Due to this, he is considered as a citizen leader. â€Å"Citizen Leaders generally do not select leadership† (Phillips, 2000). They do not even try to find it, and they are not provided with conventional types of appreciation. Martin Luther King Jr. showed motivational leadership; he encouraged the lives of a number of his adherents nationally. All through his leadership, King showed idealistic obligation to peacefulness, constantly attempting to enlighten young black individuals why they must abstain from self-protection in front of dangerous aggression by Klansmen in addition to â€Å"white vigilantes† (Phillips, 2000) who were usually in union with legal authoriti es. References Coltman, L. (2005). The Real Fidel Castro. Yale University Press. King, M. L., and Carson, C. (2001). The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr. Grand Central Publishing. Phillips, D. T. (2000). Martin Luther Kin

Definition And Importance Of Communication English Language Essay

Definition And Importance Of Communication English Language Essay Communication is like a bridge between people, the way in which it happens depending very much on the art of communication, the creativity of the human beings, the message of the communication and on the context in which it takes place. Because of its complexity, communication has been defined in many ways, some definitions being broad and inclusive, others restrictive (Littlejohn, Foss, 2008:3): The process that links discontinuous parts of the living world to one another (Ruesch, 1957:462), A system for communicating information and order (Websters Third New International Dictionary, 1986:460), A participative, two-way sharing of understanding, commitment and purpose, leading to appropriate action (Robbins et al, 2000:633). Communication is an interdisciplinary concept as it is approached from different fields such as linguistics, psychology, ecology, mathematics, etc., enabling us to transmit and share facts, ideas, data, feelings, attitudes. It plays a key role in all the fields of activity, therefore it should be effective so as to be an element of success for every relationship, organization, meeting, research, etc. Still, there are many barriers to effective communication (e.g. language, inappropriate choice of words/channel, different cultural backgrounds, difference in attitudes and values, etc.) which lead to misunderstandings and failure in interaction. Communication is not based just on a simple verbal interaction between people, but also on the body language and the facial expression which are also means of communicating a message. More than that, communication and technology have developed so much lately that we can even speak of forms of communication that move from the traditional human fo rms toward impersonal communication with entities to which we cannot transmit feelings or experiences, e.g. banking networks, computers, phones, etc. and we can also speak not only of human or impersonal communication but also of animal communication. However, if we are to consider a simple model of communication which states that it is a process of information transfer from a sender to a receiver via a medium, the process starting from an inner state of the sender which produces the transfer of the signal and ending with an inner state of the receiver when the signal is delivered (ShannonWeaver, 1949), we can ask ourselves if this simple model is suitable for communication in general, be it human, impersonal or animal. In their book Animal Signals Maynard Smith and Harper (2003:3) defined the signal as: any act or structure which alters the behaviour of other organisms, which evolved because of that effect, and which is effective because the receivers response has also evolved. Here, the signal is understood as having a corresponding response, a modification of behaviour. Still, it may fail sometimes, for example because of poor design or noise. On the contrary, communication means a successful accomplishment of the signalling act, so there is no such concept as failed communication. Thus, it is this possible failure that makes the clear distinction between signalling and communication. In the previous definition, there is no reference to the notion of information but this does not mean that signalling does not use it. If we think of both impersonal and animal signalling, the idea that the signal carries information is implicit, even Maynard Smith and Harper (1995:305) stated that: it is not evolut ionarily stable for the receiver to alter its behaviour unless, on average, the signal carries information of value to it. Hence, information is carried but the relevance of the signal is important as the receiver may ignore the signalling behaviour if the signal is of no use to him and has nothing to gain from it. An important difference between human communication and animal signals (maybe we could even think of this difference when referring to impersonal devices signalling) is the presence of language. People are able to communicate with the help of language, having the power of combining and creating different messages by using symbols, words and their creativity. More than that, people have thoughts, desires, beliefs being able to show and recognize their intentions to communicate, they may use different stimuli to attract the receivers attention and to engage in activities with similar goals and objectives. Animals, on the other hand, have no intentional system (Davidson, 198 2) and none of the above mentioned human traits. The speech acts mark also a difference between human communication and animal/impersonal signals. The communicative acts help us not only to communicate but also to influence each other in various ways. In conclusion, if we take into consideration the particularities of human communication and the limitations of animal/impersonal signalling, we can notice that there are similarities but also differences, thus it would be difficult to say that a simple model would cover all cases. The general terms of human communication being established, we turn to examine other important aspects/models of successful and effective (human) communication. Characteristics of communication Two-way process: The two-way process refers to a communication where the participants take turns in being speaker-listener, writer-reader, the process being complete only if there is a feedback from the receiver to the sender on how well the message is understood. Verbal and nonverbal: Verbal communication uses sounds and language to express ideas and concepts while non-verbal communication uses gestures, touch and body language to send and receive wordless cues between people. Language familiarity: Effective communication means that the sender must use a language the receiver is familiar with, otherwise the communication will be a failure. Interest in the message: The receiver has to be interested in the subject the sender has to convey, so that the communication process is successful. Perception: There should be a consensus between the message that is sent and the one that is received. The intended meaning has to be the same for an effective communication. Continuity: Communication is continuous because in everything we do, we have to convey or receive information, the exchange of information being a continuous process. Formal or informal: Formal communication conforms to established professional rules and standards while informal communication is casual, unofficial and does not conform to any regulations. Components of communication Communication becomes effective when it achieves the desired response from the receiver. These are the components by means of which communication can be effective: Context every communication starts with a context and is affected by the context in which it occurs. The context could be cultural, social, physical, etc. and it is the sender who chooses the message to communicate within such a context. Sender/encoder This is the person who conveys the message. He/she uses words, visual aids or body language to send the message and produced the desires response, the verbal or nonverbal symbols chosen being essential for a correct interpretation of the message by the receiver. Message The message is the essence of what the sender wants to communicate and it is the starting point of the communication process because the sender starts by planning the message he/she wants to transmit. Medium It is the channel which is used to conduct the communicative act. It is essential to choose the right medium in order to have an effective communication. Receiver/decoder This is the person to whom the message is addressed, the understanding of the message depending also on the relationship between the sender and the receiver, but also on the reliance that the encoder has on the decoder. Feedback Feedback is very important for the communication process as the sender has the possibility of analysing the efficacy of the message and to understand if the message has been interpreted correctly. Models of communication There are many code models for understanding the communication process and it would be difficult to consider all of them in this paper, therefore we are going to consider only some significant models which serve the purpose of understanding the process of communication. Aristotle The ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first to give a model of communication. Incorporating few elements, his model is suitable for public speaking (www.eou.edu). SPEAKER MESSAGE LISTENER According to this model, the speaker/sender has the most important role in communication, taking complete charge, carefully preparing and presenting his thoughts in order to influence the listener/receiver. Aristotles model is the most common model for public speaking where the message is sent to influence the receivers and make them act accordingly. Shannon and Weaver (1949) Claude E. Shannon was an electrical engineer and mathematician who published a paper which referred to a theory of probability for evaluating the success of electronic transmission of information, a concept which became known as the information/communication theory. His model was based on five constituents involved in the process of communication: 1. An information source which produces a message or a sequence of messages to be communicated to the receiving terminal. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 2. A transmitter which operates on the message in some way to produce a signal suitable for transmission over the channel. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 3. The channel is merely the medium used to transmit the signal from transmitter to receiver. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ During transmission, or at one of the terminals, the signal may be perturbed by noise.à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 4. The receiver ordinarily performs the inverse operation of that done by the transmitter, reconstructing the message from the signal. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 5. The destination is the person (or thing) for whom the message is intended. (Shannon, 1948:380, 1949:4). In 1949 Shannon s theory was reviewed by Warren Weaver who actually extended the term communication, using it in a very broad sense and making the understanding of the theory easier for those who were not familiar with mathematics. Shannon and Weaver published a work together The Mathematical Theory of Communication which contributed significantly to the application of the communication theory within different fields. NOISE MESSAGE SOURCE TRANSMITTER CHANNEL RECEIVER DESTINATION Roman Jakobson (1960) Jakobsons model of the functions of language makes a distinction between six factors of communication that are necessary for the communication to take place: addresser, message, addressee, context, code and contact. The ADDRESSER sends a MESSAGE to the ADDRESSEE. To be operative, the message requires a CONTEXT referred to (referent in another, somewhat ambiguous, nomenclature), seizable by the addressee, and either verbal or capable of being verbalized; a CODE fully, or at least partially, common to the addresser and addressee (or in other words to the encoder and decoder of the message); and, finally, a CONTACT, a physical channel and psychological connection between the addresser and the addressee, enabling both of them to enter and stay in communication. (Jakobson, 1960:353). CONTEXT MESSAGE ADDRESSER CONTACT ADDRESSEE CODE According to Jakobson (1960) each of these factors determines a different function of language (termed by him as referential, emotive, conative, phatic, metalingual and poetic), each verbal message fulfilling more than one of these functions. M. A. K. Halliday (1978) David Crystal (2003) In A Dictionary of Linguistics and Phonetics Crystal defines communication using a classic variant of the model of communication. Communication refers to the transmission of INFORMATION (a message) between a source and receiver using a signalling system: in linguistic contexts, source and receiver are interpreted in human terms, the system involved is a LANGUAGE, and the notion of response to (or acknowledgement of) the message becomes of crucial importance. In theory, communication is said to have taken place if the information received is the same as that sent (Crystal, 2003:85). INFORMATION SOURCE LANGUAGE RECEIVER RESPONSE MESSAGE COMPREHENSION Possible diagram of Crystals model The examples presented here prove the long existence of the different models, each of them having a pattern of development, a contribution and an influence on the process of communication. However, an important aspect of the communicative process is language which helps us to communicate, to actually convey the message to other individuals, to interact and create systems for communicating. In general linguistics, language is analysed as a formal system, Noam Chomsky (1975) referring to it as being innate, a biological necessity and a highly abstracted individual competence. Still, when communicating, people do not rely only on the rules of language as a formal system, but also on the environment, the social context and the knowledge they have of the topic. Even if linguists like Chomsky or Pinker claim that people are somehow wired to language, people also have the ability to become aware and to respond to the environmental cues when using the language. It is because of these abiliti es and reactions that language plays an important role in communication and has an impact on human interaction. Language performs many communicative functions, one of the main functions being the communication of information, and even if there have been many attempts to give some general rules for the main functions of language, the results have been inconsistent, this functional approach being less well documented (Brown and Yule, 1983:1). Brown and Yule used only two terms to refer to the main functions of language, the distinction being made between transactional language and interactional language, which actually correspond to the classifications representative/expressive found in Buhler (1934), referential/emotive (Jakobson, 1960), ideational/interpersonal (Halliday, 1970b) and descriptive/social-expressive (Lyons, 1977) . According to Brown and Yule (1983), transactional language is that language which is efficient, the speaker (or writer) having in mind the efficient transfer ence of information, the receiver having to get the message correctly, as there is no place for misinterpretation because of the terrible consequences that it may have, for example a teacher giving the wrong information to students at the beginning of an exam or a fireman misguiding his colleagues during a fire. Interactional language refers to the language used in everyday conversations or social relationships, the sociologists and sociolinguists being the ones concerned with the use of language to establish and maintain social relationships (Brown and Yule, 1983:3). Everyday conversations are more subject to interactional than transactional use of language, phrases like Terrible weather, isnt it. or Thats a nice shirt/blouse suggesting the speakers intention to develop a conversation and be friendly not his/her intention to convey a message. Conversational analysts such as Brown and Levinson (1978) believe that agreement and a common point of view are essential for this type of la nguage, repetition being one of the means by which agreement is emphasised. A distinction has to be made here between spoken language which is generally considered to be more interpersonal than informative, and written language which is considered to be primarily transactional. Spoken and written language are produced differently and with different effects. Spoken versus written language There are differences between the spoken and the written language which refer not only to the way that they are produced and to their effects, but also to their evolution and independence. Language is considered to be a natural ability, the capacity to acquire it being innate. Still, the views are different when referring to spoken or written language. There are many linguists who believe that written language is a human invention and not a natural ability. Darwin (1871) wrote about the instinct of speaking that we can observe even with little children while there is no such instinct as writing that can be observed with children. Saussure (1916) stated that writing exist only to represent speech, while Bloomfield (1933) claimed that writing is only a way in which speaking can be recorded, there being no such term as written language. Even if this view about writing has been sustained by many renowned linguists, it is not universally accepted. Linguists from the Prague Linguistic Circ le, such as Pulgram (1965) or Vachek (1973, 1989), view written language as an independent system equal to spoken language, the two systems mutually influencing each other .