Autoethnography

Katrina Washington Professor J. Longacre English 111 Sec. 26 November 25, 2012 Segregate the Other Segregation occurs within the African American race and also towards African Americans by society. Sometimes in life you can be segregated by your own race. Or maybe the outsiders see it as you being an â€Å"other† just because you have different opinions about certain things that they feel is right or wrong. Being the black sheep of a crowd within your very own kind is never a good feeling. In my own personal experience of life, I am always the other out of every group of black people which is my race.Various times I am embarrassed for the way the engage their ignorance into their actions and words. I am a black woman of intelligence and perseverance. I do not tolerate any type of foolery of people’s stupidity to make myself fit in with that particular crowd. I attend the University of Tennessee at Martin, a predominantly white school, where I am always overlooked by my words due to dominant opinions already made about us black folk. However, there was a very heated situation that happened recently that almost lead out of control.The night of the election really took a turn for the worse on campus. Needless to say that since there was a black man versus a white man running for presidency, there were lots of racist actions shown and racist words thrown. This situation made me feel very nervous and uncomfortable because I knew how the turnout would be. Once Barack Obama was announced as president again†¦ things on campus got a bit out of hand. Almost all the black students were outside in the parking lot acting like wild monkeys.Yes I understand they were happy and all, but it shouldn’t have been that ridiculous. There were several white students hanging out windows bellowing racist remarks and insults. Once they started throwing out those dirty words, I felt sick to my stomach. Disgusted and irritated just by the sound of the word  "Nigger†! Black students that heard those bad remarks took things in their own hands and it almost became a riot right there in the parking lot. Me trying to bring down some of the heat, I tried to tell them to calm down and that it wasn’t that serious.They just looked at me as if I had the word weirdo written across my forehead. They ignored my words and thoughts of expression due to my opposite opinion on how to handle things. I then immediately became the â€Å"Other†. I hate to be stereotyped as the average loud, gang banging, trash talking, attitude having black person. And what I was trying to warn them to not fit into the typical stereotypes. However, they thought I was stuck on stupid or something and mentally put me in a little segregated group of my own for my unspoken actions for help.It made me feel eliminated by my own race for thinking outside their mentality structures; fortunately, I do not abide by the status quo. Being the other is never a good spot to sit in. Your voice is never heard and you are always judged if you disagree with what they think. When you don’t agree with their opinion about whatever, they judge you as being weird or strange. Why do you have to be strange just because you want to speak for yourself and not follow behind others? It’s so annoying and pitiful when you talk to someone about your feelings or what have you, and they act like they really care.Yes people always say they understand what you’re talking about when you tell about a bad experience, especially some sort of struggle or downfall. Unfortunately, most of the time people just tell you they understand to shut you up. The people that agree with you will never understand what the under covering of the words you speak simply because they are not you. It’s needless to say that they’ll blackmail you with your own information once you think you can trust them. There is always a story behind people’s words and their opinion counts too.Being the other is a tough role seeing that people can hear you, but they’re not listening. People hear your cries, but can’t feel your pain. If you ask me, it feels so much worse to be put down by your own race rather than any other. To add extra burden to the plate, high school days were no easier to be myself. I attended a school full African American; there were no white or Hispanic kids what so ever. I never wanted to attend a school with strictly one race, even though I’m African American, I always felt like the only white student there.All the students just took things too far with the names, insults, and ignorant ways. They insulted the way I dressed, talked, and even how I spent my personal time outside of school. â€Å"Why you talk so proper like a white person? † they asked. â€Å"Why you dress like them little rich snobby white girls? † they said. Always upset that they judged me to be something I’m not by the look of my appearance or the sound of my voice. Every time I stood up to defend myself, they said they understand why I don’t act like them; but everybody knows they were saying it to shut me up.They always avoided me and treated me like an outsider because of my significant differences. Even though I am still African American just like them, they still looked to me as the other. I say it is a form of racism within my own race and even social group. How can you segregate someone of your own kind? Every race should get along, but also every race should stick together and have each other’s back. No matter the difference in personality, style, voice, or appearance. We are all the same and it is so stupid to be judged off of those things.Author Christopher Sunami of Essay â€Å"Racism† states, â€Å"Race enters the picture only in as much as it is an easy trait to identify and a hard one to change. For this reason, people of a different racial group are the best and easiest targets for â€Å"Othering. †Ã‚  We live in a world filled with different religions, lifestyles, and races. Remember back in the day how all black people were slaves to the whites? There were whips and chains to prove the black people’s place in the world. Times were terrible and black people had no clue how to get away or how to make everyone believe that it should discontinue.However, in the present time period, statistics say that slavery is still about, just in a different approach. The current approach to slavery usually takes place at work or within social groups around your very own community. Be that as it may, there really is no bright side. There is a cleaner word for slavery but it sort of has similar meanings. The word I’m referring to is â€Å"the other†. The word basically means any group identifiable as a whole to which they don’t belong personally. The biased title of being â€Å"the other† occurs everywh ere none stop.Unfortunately it will not stop, being that the other has no voice and is alienated consistently for his/her opinion or thoughts. As shocking as it may appear, being the other can actually form in its own race group. Being discriminated against by other races is bad enough, but it is more degrading to be discriminated against within your own race group. Author Chris Gosden of the article, â€Å"Race and Racism in Archaeology† says â€Å"All human beings make value judgments concerning other people and things all the time and these are based on physical and formal qualities of persons. People judge other people off of the simplest things imaginable. It is really irrelevant to do such things to people just because they enjoy being themselves. Gosden also mentions that there are two types of discrimination. There is positive discrimination, which is usually making a good judgment to probably better something or someone. There is nothing wrong with judging someone t o let them know that they are doing something wrong or giving off the wrong impression to people whom they do not know.People should realize that it is a form of slavery to discriminate against someone of your same race, eyes need to be opened wider, ears need to listen harder, and racial groups need to grow closer. Gosden also states, â€Å"One pervasive argument about racism is that it is a product of colonial and capitalist relations over the last few hundred years, so that nothing like it existed in earlier periods of human history. † Racism has been taking its toll on the world and certain races for so many years. Needless to say that racism affects a particular race more than any other.African Americans usually get judged harder for the color or â€Å"colour† of our skin if I may. I am an African American myself and I get racist remarks thrown at me here and there just because of my skin color. It is a darn shame that things have not gotten better in this particu lar situation by now. It is actually almost as bad as slavery was back in the day. The reason being is because back in the day slavery was out in the open without any type of sugar coating. Now it is all sneaky and under cover. Most people act to be blind to this type of thing either because they’re ignorant or just in denial to the truth of reality.One thing everybody needs to be sure of, is that almost anything can happen. There is so much going on in this scandalous world that people just look over. Back to the racism in the same race issue†¦ people can’t just continue to look over that like it is okay. There is enough struggles African Americans go through, the last thing they need to be doing is discriminating against each other. African Americans struggle with poverty, unemployment, and believe it or not, an unheard voice to the authorities of this place we live in.Not to mention the people that calls themselves Christians and true believers of God. They are usually the main ones who back stab their kind. Author Christopher Sunami also states, â€Å"In America this has historically been a white-against-black issue, although this has shifted somewhat recently. In some communities, Latinos have replaced blacks at the bottom of the social structure. † I feel this is very untrue seeing that the employment rate of Latino’s is higher than the African American employment rate. It was and always will be a white against black racial issue.No matter what people say or how many things are proven, I see it every day out of my African American eyes. It is most definitely nothing I am proud of; however, I would never turn my own kind away because of his/her difference. It is so ignorant that people are this way, acting just like those other racist groups. The belief of all racism ceasing to exist has been sitting on a wing and a prayer, and I severely fear that it will remain the same. Work Cited Sunami, Christopher. (2006): n. page. P rint. Gosden, Chris. â€Å"Race and Racism in Archaeology: Introduction. † March 2006, n. pag. Print.

Distracted While Driving

Distracted While Driving Virtually anyone who has a driver’s license has been introduced to the idea that distracted driving causes accidents. However, the consequences of distracted driving are far more than just predictable and often taken lightly. Predictable events can be avoided. Since these are predictable events they are preventable. The choices that drivers make affect more people than they may realize, thus making them responsible for the consequences that result from those choices.On a daily basis more than 15 American deaths and another 1,200 injuries are attributed to drivers that are distracted while driving on the very roads most of us use every day (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 7). Distractions can be controlled at a minimum by drivers that make the choice to drive responsibly. There are three types of distractions that have been labeled as the â€Å"triple threat† to driving; Visual distraction, manual distraction, and cognitive distraction ar e the makeup of this triple threat (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 6).Paying more attention to texting than to crossing the street or driving a car portrays a visual distraction that can result in dire consequences. Texting has proven to take at least part of the driver’s visual focus away from the task of driving in order to read or send a text message (Gardner, page 1). Contents of text messages usually require the driver’s visual focus, even if for just a few seconds. The visual awareness is negatively affected when this happens because the driver is no longer watching the road and cannot react to unforeseen events in a timely manner.Elevated risks of being in an accident that involves texting while driving presents a serious public safety hazard. â€Å"This problem may become more severe as more texting teens become licensed drivers, and more adults add text messaging to their battery of cell phone communication abilities† (Gardner, page 1). The mor e attention that is paid to texting means that more attention is being diverted from performing activities that require visual perception, and which can escalate to manual distractions (Gardner, page 3).One or both hands off the wheel of a car while driving is most often related to multi-tasking, and is considered a manual distraction that is categorized as a â€Å"preventable† contributor (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 6). Preventable driving behaviors that include dialing, talking and listening to cell phones contribute to road hazards at alarming rates. Delays in reacting to potential hazards while driving caused by preoccupations with mobile communications result in accidents that are often times more severe to the drivers and passengers involved in the accident.Additional contributing factors to manual distractions are the use of GPS navigation systems, eating, drinking, and bending down to grab something off of the floor or inside a handbag while driving. Mult i-tasking while driving is often dictated from our hectic lives at the cost of injury to ourselves or to others in correlation with both manual and cognitive distractions. Cognitive distractions occur when a driver’s mind is not focused on driving.Listening to a favorite radio station, talking to another passenger, and being preoccupied with issues pertaining to work or family formulate a distractive environment for a driver. Drivers who talk on cell phones are four times more likely to crash than non-distracted drivers (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 7). This means that driving while talking on a cell phone is as risky as driving while drunk. Cognitive overload is described as being out of sync with the rhythm of the road and the rhythm of talk (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 7).There are five tips on how to avoid common driving distractions: turn off your cell phone, use a hands free device only in cases of emergency, make sure all passengers have a safety belt equipped, eat before or after you drive, and program your GPS before you leave your driveway or parking lot. If you have to deal with any of these or other issues while driving pull over to the side of the road to address the given situation. Following these steps can assist in preventing the loss of life due to distracted driving.The cognitive distractions caused by the use of mobile phones while driving usually cause vehicular accidents to be more severe, however there are steps that can be taken to improve both personal and public safety; it’s up to us to take those steps (Professional Safety, page 1). Visual, manual and cognitive distractions that occur simultaneously while driving are a recipe for vehicular related fatalities involving American teenagers, and often times unsuspecting victims as a result (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 6).Hand-held cell phones involve visual distraction while dialing, manual distraction while holding the phone, and cognitiv e distraction throughout the whole use of the device (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 7). Informing old drivers and introducing new drivers to the dangers of being distracted while driving may raise support in preventing the use of hand held devices while driving. If our society does nothing to stress the importance of awareness while driving, the fatality statistics will only become more severe each passing month.It can be very tempting to answer the cell phone, respond to a text message, reprogram the GPS, and perhaps even grab that bite to eat on the way to work but is the risk worth the cost? Resisting the temptation and focusing on the road will enable a driver to react to unexpected events and maybe avoid a collision with another unsuspecting driver. Personal responsibility ultimately is the solution to distracted driving and contributes to saving lives. â€Å"Just as it is no longer socially acceptable to drive without a seat belt, or drive drunk, it must no longer b e acceptable to text while driving† (Gardner, page 10).Driving is a demanding visual, manual, and cognitive activity that has no room for multi-tasking in it without risk to someone’s life or injury (Harvard Men’s Health Watch, page 7). References Distracted driving: Fast lane to disaster. (May 2012). Harvard Men’s Health Watch, 16(10), 6-7. Distracted Driving Problem Extends Beyond Texting. (February 2012). Professional Safety, 57(2), 24. Gardner, L. A. (November 2010). Wat 2 do abt txt’n & drv’n (aka: What to do about the problem of texting while driving? ). CPCU Ejournal, 63(11), 1-13.

Our War On Drugs Essay

A drug can be described as a chemical substance that influences how an individual’s body and mind works (Rees 2005 p. 5). It is uncommon today to hear the word drugs on televisions and read them in magazines. Drugs are virtually everywhere and there is continual development of these drugs. They are used by people for various reasons ranging from medicinal to recreational purposes. Drugs that are taken as medicines include antibiotics and penicillin among others. However some drugs are illegal. They include: cocaine, ecstasy, marijuana, cannabis, heroin, crack, methamphetamines, LSD (acid), alcohol and magic mushrooms. These illegal drugs are also known as recreational drugs and many are gotten from plants growth in various parts of the world. Amphetamines are drugs that can be inhaled, or eaten in form of tables. Heroin is smoked or taken as an injection. Marijuana on the other hand consists of a brown resin. It is mostly smoked in cigarettes and it can also be eaten (Rees 2005 p. 30). Abuse of drug use is known as drug addiction. When a person constantly takes these illegal drugs for recreational purposes this addiction develops as a process and not instantly. Addiction to drugs affects individuals of multicultural, geographically diverse, across gender and racial classes. The initial steps are very moderate but their increased use results to a state of life threatening situation. Withdrawals are hardly achieved as the issue becomes of medical concern. Those who abuse drugs have their various reasons. They argue that drugs help them alleviate stress, boosts their morale and confidence, makes them feel good about themselves among many other things. Drug abuse has various adverse effects. Some of the effects include rises in blood pressure, vomiting, impairs memory and judgment capability of an individual. Other effects are poor decision making, accidents, impaired health and poor relationships. The consequences of these are physical, psychological and emotional instability on the drug abuser. The individual hence suffers from depression (Rick 2005 p30) A large number of people who abuse drugs decide to quit at some point but this is often difficult since once a person is addicted to drugs, it is almost impossible to avoid taking them as they mostly experience withdrawal symptoms. The symptoms are for instance body aches, sweating, and flu in the case of heroin. Nicotine on the other hand results to fatigue and premature aging affecting the skin, body shape and body weight. On the other hand, fast withdrawals could result to dangerous impacts. For instance tranquilizers could be dangerous resulting in high blood pressure, vomiting, temperature and stomach cramps (Rees 2005 p. 42) Our War on Drugs The war on drugs is a move undertaken by the United States including help from other participating countries whose priority is to eliminate trade in illegal drugs. It traces its origin way back in 1880 where there was a memorandum of understanding between United States and China to prohibit trade in opium between the two countries (http://www. nh-dwi. com/caip-213. htm). Today in America, mostly the youth experiment with these illegal drugs and they do it for various reasons. Some do it for recreational purposes whereas others are simply addicts as they cannot do without them. The United States government and the general public have become concerned about drug abuse and addiction. The government became more concerned about the issue in the 1960s when the youth mostly college students protested against the Vietnam war and in the 1960s and 1970s they began using licit and illicit drugs on a large scale for the first time (Fleckenstein Hanson & Venturelli 2005 p. 125). As a starting point the United States government introduced new strategies for tackling this issue of drug use and abuse. These strategies include demand reduction, inoculation, supply reduction, interdiction and drug courts. The use of drug courts has become a common strategy. The supply reduction is a strategy aimed at reducing and controlling supply of illegal drugs. Demand reduction aims at reducing the individuals’ tendencies to abuse drugs especially the youth. It places emphasis on reforming behaviors. Inoculation on the other hand attempts to protect drug users by informing them on their responsibilities. Drug courts on the other hand integrate incentives, sanctions, treatment and ensure that nonviolent drug addicts are placed in rehabilitation programs. Lastly interdiction is a policy aimed at stopping the supply of these illicit drugs (Fleckenstein, Hanson & Venturelli, 2005 p. 25). In the United States of America, there are quite a number of law enforcements Acts on drugs that have been established to control drug abuse. They include: Harrison Acts that looks into the production, sale, importation and distribution of opium. The other Act is the Narcotic Drug Import and Export Act aimed at alleviating use of narcotics but it is exceptional for medicinal and other legitimate use. Heroin Act of 1924 prohibited the manufacturing of drugs. The Marijuana Tax Act also controlled the production, sale and distribution of marijuana. The Opium Pappy Control Act restricted the cultivation of opium poppies in the United States except if one is licensed to do so. Narcotics control act on the other hand intended to establish suffer penalties to individuals who broke the marijuana or narcotics laws. Drug Abuse Control Amendments (DACA) was established to adopt stuff controls over barbiturates, amphetamines, LSD among others moreover; the Narcotic Addict Rehabilitation Act (NARA) was established to rehabilitate drug addicts in the three programs that is voluntary, sentencing to death addicts who are convicted and the pretrial civil commitment. In 1988, the Anti-Drug Abuse Act introduced the office of National Drug Control to oversee policies on research controlling drug abuse. Lastly the 2000 Drug Addiction Treatment Act gave a go ahead to physicians to prescribe narcotics for the treatment of oploid addiction (Fleckenstein, Hanson & Venturelli, 2005 p. 135). The white House National Drug Control Strategy in 2006 declared it stand and wish to balance the reduction in supply and demand of illegal drugs in the United States of America. It also outlined programs intended to curb abuse of drugs. In the same year, the National Drug Control Strategy pointed out its aim of supporting random student testing, intervention, screening, prevention, treatment and support for drug courts examining methamphetamines and making the United States southwest border secure (uninfo. state. gov/xarchives/display. gtm/? p. ). Another regulatory law enforcement body concerning drug abuse in the United States is the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Its mission is to control drugs and provide laws and regulations regarding drug abuse. The National Drug control Strategy established a ten year plan to reduce drug abuse. It also aims at reducing America’s demand for drugs by offering treatment and supply through law enactments (http://www. usembassy-mexico. gov/bbfbfdossier-combDrogas. htm). The above drug laws indiscriminate use of drugs and it is through the legislation that licit and illicit drugs are determined. The government of the United States tries to meet public needs and control pressure through these rules and regulations. Due to the advancement in technology in today’s society, trained experts and government agencies provide information and protection on drug abuse. Are we winning the war on drugs? In my opinion, I do not believe that we are winning the war on drugs. I have based my judgment according to various reasons. Since the prohibition of drug abuse in 1937 in the United States of America; marijuana once considered for Mexican immigrants has been actively used by 20-37% of the youth in the United States. The same applies to the use of cocaine, ecstasy and methamphetamines (World Drug Report, 2000). The continual trade in drugs is also another factor that has severely affected efforts by the government to prevent drug abuse and addiction. The United States of America is largely affected more so because of its population and largest budget that focuses on enforcement. President George W. Bush in February 2002 established a National Drug Control Strategy based on the Principles of stopping the usage of drugs, disrupting the market and curing America’s drug addicts (Policy and Program Development, 2002). Evidence also shows that the criminal law in the United States has had only small success in preventing drug abuse. It is approximated that in 2004, 39% of students in the 12th grade used an illicit-drug, 34% was marijuana, cocaine 5% and LSD 2%. Also, those aged 12 and above who use illegal drugs as estimated by National Survey is 19. 5 million in the United States (Fleckenstein, Hanson & Venturelli, 2005 p. 140). In the United States, family structures have changed considerably having half of all women working outside home and the divorce rate is quite high. This has affected the nurturing of children by all these single parents. Family and friends have also contributed to the increasing drug abuses since they are ready to bail out and offer excuses for those who have been convicted (Fleckenstein, Hanson & Venturelli, 2005 p. 40). To conclude, it is therefore evident that the war on drugs is still far from being over. It is therefore essential that the society works hard to stop abuse of drugs which is causing deaths on a massive scale. It is essential for individuals to know that the effects of drugs on the social life, economic life, emotional and spiritual life are adverse. The extreme case of addiction to these drugs is the exposure of the individual person to death.

Cover Letter stating interest and intent Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Cover Letter stating interest and intent - Essay Example In addition, as a study student during Seoul Korea educational trip, I acquired effective public administration policies. The leadership and administration skills remain imperious in effective management of Fort Collins community and initiation of economic activities. Besides the aforementioned skills, I have had comprehensive experience in sustainable and successful research as a beneficiary of Seoul Metropolitan Government. Moreover, economic development experience gained as an intern at City of Clermont would be domineering in assisting me establish viable economic activities for improvement of Fort Collins and its community. Furthermore, I would have the greatest ability to initiate efficient planning and management programs that would uplift economy of Fort Collins’ community Moreover, I have acquired exceptional planning, coordination, and management skills as an intern and student. I anticipate to graduate with a masters degree in urban and regional planning and I believe that the course have equipped me with unbeatable organization techniques that would successful execute the outlined duties and responsibilities. Moreover, intern experience at Osceola and City organizations granted me an immediate experience in public participation, interaction, planning, and development skills that I believe would be authoritative in administration and management of the organization. Furthermore, my flexible and accommodative interpersonal skills, natural preference for change and working with people would be indispensable in establishing a result-oriented workforce at your supportive

The argument for net neutrality Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

The argument for net neutrality - Research Paper Example This method can be seen just as the current method of obtaining water from the utility company. The flow information, or data, can be seen as the flow water to a home. From that point the amount of water coming into a home can be increased by purchasing a larger inlet pipe from the provider. This is the same concept with Internet service providers. Once the water reaches a home it can be distributed and used around the home as much as needed up to the max flow that the pipes allow. This same concept is the same with the Internet. Information flow comes in to the home and distributed to devices until the â€Å"pipe† is full. Internet service providers now want to not only charge for the pipe coming into the home but also split up the types information within the flow into tiered charges as well. This is where the idea of net neutrality comes into play. Net neutrality states that the flow from the pipe is a stream of data just like the water is from the water company and should not be filtered to charge for certain types of data coming through. The Internet is a flow of information and should not be restricted based on the types of information coming through the pipes. Problems in the absence of neutral net services The issue of net neutrality received widespread media attention when some broadband service providers (BSPs) such as Verizon, Comcast, and AT &T proposed to charge popular online Web sites for priority delivery of the latter’s content to their residential and commercial customers. The proposal encountered stiff resistance from those who were supposed to be charged, and thus erstwhile competitors such as Google, Yahoo!, and Microsoft were soon lobbying before the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that would prevent the BSPs from carrying out their proposed plan and thereby maintain what was termed the â€Å"neutrality† of the Internet (Guo, et al, 2010, p.244) Commercialization is intruding virtually in every segments of human life and internet is also not an exception. When internet was introduced, people visualized or welcomed it as an ocean of free or unpaid knowledge. However, business people quickly realized the huge business potential of internet and quickly started their efforts to transform internet from a free service to a paid service. Many internet service providers in America like Verizon, Comcast, and AT &T, started to restrict their free internet services one way or other which resulted in the creation of the topic; net neutrality. Enforcing fees for using some kind of network services is just like restricting the natural right of people to get drinking water. Knowledge is a property which cannot be restricted or used for commercial purposes. It should be remembered that what would have happened, had our ancestors try to hide their knowledge instead of distributing it freely to the future generation. What would have happened if the inventor of electricity asked for patents or fees for his discov ery? Knowledge, technological advancements, discoveries and inventions should be used for the

Organisational Leadership and Performance Essay

Organisational Leadership and Performance - Essay Example Leadership is essential for any organisation to become successful. In today’s knowledge based global economic environment, the topic of leadership has become more important and debated. Leadership has emerged as a subject almost inseparable from the basic concepts of organisational behaviour at the various levels of an establishment. Characteristics of a Leader What does a leader need to have? In other words, what does an individual need to emerge as a leader? Robbins et al (1998: 395) think that the following traits are important for an individual to become a leader: †¢ â€Å"long term vision; †¢ people and team-building skills; †¢ decisiveness; and †¢ self-confidence† In today’s dynamic world, the factor of long term vision has become more important since resources are limited and demands are increasing. Soft skills are important for people management and essential team building. Decisiveness and self-confidence helps the leader to decide his/her course of action. These leadership traits are necessary at the management level of a given organisation so that it can remain dynamic to stay competitive and survive. Leadership Development Leadership development must begin at the level of staff development and the related realm of education management is utterly concerned with the behaviour and training of the human resources of the organisation.... and team-building skills; decisiveness; and self-confidence† In today’s dynamic world, the factor of long term vision has become more important since resources are limited and demands are increasing. Soft skills are important for people management and essential team building. Decisiveness and self-confidence helps the leader to decide his/her course of action. These leadership traits are necessary at the management level of a given organisation so that it can remain dynamic to stay competitive and survive (Brown and Eisenhardt, 1995). Leadership Development Leadership development must begin at the level of staff development and the related realm of education management is utterly concerned with the behaviour and training of the human resources of the organisation (Bhindi, 1996). Thus education management becomes an integral part of the operations. Prospective staff members should be educated in the direction of becoming leaders at their levels. Definitely, the policy of leadership development, if implemented in a right way, can make a big difference to the organisation. Both the intra-organisational and inter-organisational behaviouristic patterns can be maintained, tuned and improved if leadership development programmes are initiated within the organisation (Boaden, 2006). According to Robbins et al (1998), leadership development has the phases of conceptual understanding, skill building and coaching. A feedback process and a development centre are also required. Conceptual understanding of leadership should be imparted to as many staff members as possible, especially those who belong from the young generation so that they can correlate their personal growth plan to the leadership practices that are productive, sensible and sustainable. (Robbins et al, 1998)

Strategic Planning (Tourism Focus) Continued Essay - 1

Strategic Planning (Tourism Focus) Continued - Essay Example Masdar City, Masdar Power, Masdar Carbon, Masdar Capital and Masdar Institute (Masdar-b, n.d). This paper will attempt to deal with the company’s Masdar City as this unit is engaged in infrastructural development that lead to the growth of the travel and tourism industry. This unit strives to develop a â€Å"global clean-technology cluster† called Masdar City which is situated â€Å"17km from downtown Abu Dhabi† (Masdar-c, n.d.). Masdar City can be developed as a major tourists’ destination. The company is aiming to develop this city backed with renewable energy and it is well designed with 40,000 residents. The primary essence of the Masdar City is on innovative technologies through R&D. United Arab Emirates (UAE) is now focusing on its tours and travel industry. The UAE Government has aimed to develop its important cities as a popular tourist attraction. For example, in Dubai, the leisure and hotel industry has grown significantly. The travel and tourism industry of Masdar City has a direct competition with Dubai. Moreover, other Gulf countries like Saudi Arab, Kuwait, and Oman etc are also trying to develop their travel and tourism industry. On the other hand, Middle East courtiers like Egypt are major tourist destinations and they are the major competitor of Masdar City in travel and tourism industry (Deulgaonkar, 2011). Tourism and travel industry primarily belong to global market as it targets entire global population. Therefore, the competition in travel and tourism industry is very high. The Masdar is highly respectable company of UAE and it has developed a higher corporate image in the market. The company is a focus-point for the entire nation as it is one the most developed renewable energy company. It has been continuously working for the development of the entire country especially for Abu Dhabi. One of the major tools for the company is its communicational and promotional activities. Its corporate website

Cultural Environment of International Business Essay

Cultural Environment of International Business - Essay Example Customers and business partners both have different lifestyles (Wetherly, 2011). The management of an organization operating globally has the maximum response to handling cultural differences existent in any global workplace. Â  Definite handling of the cross-cultural interface is a critical source of a firm’s reasonable advantage. Managers need to develop not only understanding and open-mindedness towards cultural modifications but also purchase an appropriate degree of real knowledge about the beliefs and values of foreign colleagues. Cross-cultural proficiency is paramount in many managerial tasks, including: production of products and services, foreign business partners interaction, foreign distributors and other partner’s selection, construction of international business ventures, interacting with current and potential customers from abroad, overseas trade fairs and exhibitions preparation and advertising and publicity campaigns (Cavusgil, Knight, & Riesenberger, 2012). Â  Molinsky et. al (2012) inform that managers working for global firms have to learn the art of code switching between cultures. It means that the managers are required to understand and act according to the cultures in which, they are working. They have to learn about diverse cultures and have to develop a ‘global mindset’. The global managers working for international organizations are required to show skills in adopting new contexts and excelling in the norms of diverse cultures (Molinsky, et. al, 2012). Therefore, a person having international management capability must be comfortable at cultural code-switching. Â  Managers working in different cultures work differently. For example, some managers give precise instructions and detailed work to be done, and others give instructions that are vague and incomplete.

Article Review Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Article Review - Essay Example 366). That is, operational or primary teams comprise permanent workers with diversified skills organized to produce a product. Secondly, service teams are likely to be based on the need to service a particular or group of client(s) to provide particular service to a wide range of customers. Finally, cross – functional teams consist of representatives from various functions and disciplines. These tend to be set up for a particular purpose. They could be part-time or full-time for a fixed period of time. It is important to note that the organization on a whole should be committed to team work or else all efforts will prove futile. This concept of teamwork if carried out appropriately and effectively will be transferred into relationships with customers and suppliers which have been proven to be mutually beneficial. The quality of team members will make the difference between a successful and an unsuccessful team. Hence, time and effort must be placed into the selection process. The findings of Dr Meredith Belbin, though theoretical, suggests that â€Å"imperfect people can make perfect teams† (p. 367) and â€Å" the roles, skills and contributions of individual members of a team are complementary† (p. 367).

Charting trip across the US Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Charting trip across the US - Essay Example We were making an adventurers religious journey organized by the Presbyterian churches of USA. It entailed all youth members around the nation. This was back in 1856, when the Natives’ policies in the United States of America were not fully defined. We began the train in an open caravan of the time at around 8pm. We were to follow the direction as shown in the diagram below. One of the most demanding moments was when we got to the famous Gunnison National Forest. This is a forest known to have poisonous serpents, and other large animals. Therefore, we had to camp on the western side of the forest, to facilitates the continuation of the journey the following morning. At around 3am, we continued with the journey, hoping for the best. At Utah, State at the central region as one approaches west; we met a group of youths having their way to Reno. They looked hostile and unfriendly, so we kept a safe distance as they were three times the members of my group. They were Indians and Mexicans, just like most of us; this meant that they had come from the southern-west boarder. Between the two regions, the journey was excellent as we met other three groups a distance of 102KM from the Capital of Utah. The trail took us 4 days, and we arrived to the destination point safe and sound. Reno was familiar to me, as this was my home area; I learnt in Roselle Park, and luckily got and employment in the same region. 1. The Concentration Policy – this was an idea to concentrate these native in one large reservation. It was to prevent them from interfering with the white settlers in their railroad constructions and other travelling adventures. The policy affected the trail in a great way; we had to get a permit. It came to a success because the initiators of the trip were white religious leaders (Marger 36). 2. Termination Policy – it is the policy that ended the Bureau of Indian Affair. It also ended the government’s social responsibilities.

Explain the integers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Explain the integers - Essay Example All authors believe that teachers should use a variety of representations and even some relatively unconventional tools. Following is the explanation of various approaches towards teaching mathematics in schools. Mental mathematics, linking cubes, drawings, mental images, concrete materials, equations, base-ten blocks, computer programs can all be used with the goal of students to find the representations they personally can manipulate (physically and or mentally) with most ease and meaning. By choosing the representation that represents how they personally think, students can attach meaning to the situation and it becomes more accessible. Parents should also learn their childrens learning style even if it differs from their own. Parents are also encouraged to "pretend" they enjoy mathematics and can do them "as well and anybody" (Dedyna, 2002, Press). For Thompson, one of the simplest ways of teaching vocabulary is to explain the concepts first, and then attach the term to it. This strategy can be used in conjunction with etymologies (word origins) because when students know these roots, they can make connections between common English words with which they are familiar and mathematics terms. After the space race focus, researchers world wide have in the last twenty years taught us a lot about childrens understanding of numeracy and how they come to develop these ideas. Young-Love ridge (2002) drew attention to the fact that many of the understandings children had on entering school were not well matched to the curriculum and what they were taught. Baroody et al (2005) mentions the work of ten different researchers or research groups who assisted the understanding of childrens mathematical thinking in the last twenty years. Young-Love ridge (2005) acknowledged that teachers in Australia and United States that were given a framework, were better able facilitate their students learning. She valued the work of Fuson and Renick in the United

Compare the ways Old Man, Old Man and Warning Deal with the theme of old age Essay Example for Free

Compare the ways Old Man, Old Man and Warning Deal with the theme of old age Essay The U.A. Fanthorpe poem, Old Man, Old Man and J Josephs Warning, deal with the theme of old age in very contrasting ways. Both deal with similar issues, yet come out with very different views. The first thing we see in both poems is the immediate tone portrayed. Old Man, Old Man, starts talking of someone who lives in a world of small recalcitrant / Things in bottles, with tacky labels, while Warning begins with the colourful image that When I am an old woman I shall wear purple / With a red hat which doesnt go, and doesnt suit me. Purple and red tend to suggest a vivid and lurid tone, and the immediate contrast between the two sets the character in Old Man, Old Man as being reclusive and isolated, living in his own confined world, while in Warning we see the author looking forward to old age, seeing it a time for enjoyment of life. Old Man, Old Man continues to explain to the reader how old age brings deterioration and isolation to people, talking of how small things distress and having his hands shamble among clues, implying that old age brings more constraint and misery to a person, while we see that in Warning the coming of old age will give the author an excuse to break societys constraints, such as dressing strangely and wasting money on brandy and summer glovesand say weve no money for butter. A strong sense of bitterness and melancholy is created in Old Man, Old Man as the author describes a regimented, authoritarian past world, which has gradually worsened into a narrow, emotionless one. The man is seen to be upset by small incidents, have a deteriorating sense of humour and vision, and, despite his age, is still attempting to impose order on his world with his timetabled cigarette. The mans previous interests are belittled by using sarcastic phrases such as Lord once of shed, garage and garden, showing us that this man used to only be able to control his environment, and now he has lost the hammer, he cannot even do this. The traditional view of eccentricity is portrayed in both poems, however, Joseph also adds an element of freedom, showing her rebellion against taste and sobriety. Her excitement is shown in the language with the excessive use of the word and as well as the enjamberment, which stress the enthusiasm she has, and showing her to be breaking free of the rules of language in the same way she will break free from the rules of society. Further rebellion is shown as she talks of running her stick along the public railings and learn to spit. Sprawling sentences such as You can wear terrible shirts and grow more fat / And eat three pounds of sausages at a go portray her excitement, as well as anticipation. Use of words such as I, and shall give a sense of force and individuality. Both poems have a similar structure, as they move from past to present in their tense. In Old Man, Old Man, we see a move to the present as Fanthorpe writes Now television has no power to arouse / Your surliness; your wife could replace on the walls / Those picture of disinherited children. This not only suggests the man has rage pent up inside, but also poses the question as to why the children have been disinherited their fathers love. The description continues as Fanthorpe says Now you ramble / In your talkfretting / At how to find your way. We see here that the man is slipping into a loss of control, and a change of personality. In contrast to this, we see Warning describing a present of constraints while she remains in the sobriety ofyouth. Joseph describes to us the way in which Now we must have clothes that keep us dry / And pay our rent and not swear in the street. The word must shows a lack of freedom and constraint in present existence. This verse is designed as a contrast to the previous verse, which had concentrated on the promises of old age. A sense of restraint is portrayed as Joseph lists all the constraints she has in her life. While Old Man, Old Man had showed a deterioration from a more happy existence to a worthless one, Warning tends to show one that has begun with constraint and will end with happiness and freedom. In the final verses of Old Man, Old Man, we see a turning points, where the daughter (and author) intervenes, showing that he has literally and metaphorically lost his way in the world with the phrase Where is Drury Lane? In the final verse, we see a slight raise of the grim tone, as we can see Fanthorpe prefers her father in this softer, less threatening manner, as the two have become more equal in terms of power. This is shown with the phrase I love / Your helplessness and Let me find your hammer. Let me / Walk with you to Drury Lane. This marks a point in the poem where the theme is now the relationship with the daughter and father rather than just the father. In a similar way, Warning changes in its theme towards the end, but not for the same tone. We see in the final verse Josephs confidence wane slightly, as she says Maybe I out to practise a little nowSo people who know me are not too shocked and surprised / When suddenly I am old, and start to wear purple. This provides a relatively quiet ending, almost an anticlimax, to a colourful, liberated poem, as the tone becomes more restrained and the drive of her dream starts to lose pace. Circularity is also shown as the first and last lines of the poem both talk of wearing purple. In conclusion, both poems take different views in addressing old age, and even though some elements in structure are similar, both contain inherently different views, as Old Man, Old Man is a melancholy remainder of the deterioration the old go through, while Warning shows a more bright outlook, explaining the opportunities and liberation that will follow with the coming of old age. This may be to do with the fact that in Old Man, Old Man, Fanthorpe describes what she has previously seen, while in Warning Joseph is merely hypothesising what life may be like in the future.

Stress: Causes, Definitions and Impacts

Stress: Causes, Definitions and Impacts Rosalina Das Definition â€Å"Stress is the trash of modern life-we all generate it but if you dont dispose of it properly, it will pile up and overtake your life.†Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ ¢Danzae Pace â€Å"a reaction of a particular individual to a stimulus event†. (Skinner, 1985) â€Å"stress may be viewed as the body’s response to any real or imagined event perceived as requiring some adaptive response and/or producing strain† (Elliot, 1988) â€Å"stress can be considered as any factor, acting internally or externally that makes it difficult to adapt and that induces increased effort on the part of the person to maintain a state of equilibrium both internally and with the external environment†. (Humphrey, 1992) â€Å"stress is caused by a multitude of demands (stressors), such as an inadequate fit between what we need and what we are capable of, and what our environment offers and what it demands of us†. (Levi, 1996) a particular relationship between the person and the environment that is appraised by the person as taxing or exceeding his or her resources and endangering his or her well being. (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984) As can be inferred from the definitions above, there are three main ways to define stress. Firstly, we can define stress as a factor of stimuli a person is subjected to. The greater the pressure, the more will be the stress perceived. This takes into account the cumulative nature of stress. Secondly, stress can be defined as the response to aversive stimuli. This train of thought was publicised by Selye who also called the physiological changes that the body undergoes as a response to stimuli as the general adaptation syndrome (GAS). Stress is a usual human reaction to pressure when confronted with challenging situations. This pressure is not only about what is happening in our surrounding, but also about the demands that we place on ourselves. Stress is essentially a reply to a stimulus that interrupts our physical or mental equilibrium. A stressful event can trigger the â€Å"fight-or-flight† response which results in a sudden flow of hormones namely adrenaline and cortisol through the body. Stress is the â€Å"wear and tear† our bodies go through as we adjust to our continually changing environment. It has both physical and emotional results on us and can craft positive or negative feelings. Stress is not a medical condition, but severe stress that continues for a longer period of time may lead to a diagnosis of depression or anxiety, or other severe mental health problems. Causes of Stress Stress triggering events are different for different individuals. According to surveys, stress related to work contributes the highest percentage. In the united states, 40% workers admit to have stress caused due to their work and 25% blame work as the biggest cause of stress in their lives. In general, change in an existing situation of a human being causes stress. This is caused due to lack of control over the existing situation. The changes might be good or bad changes, but they might cause stress to a person. The few common causes of stress are: Job interview Examination New relationship/ Breaking up of old relationship Marriage Serious illness in oneself or a friend or family member Moving to a new place Death of friends or family/ Birth of a child Unemployment Insufficient resources to manage the family Caring for a disabled friend or family and many similar situations. This stress is causes as one has to re-adjust their life in accordance with the new phenomenon. The below diagram depicts the three major reasons of stress in college going students. Stress isn’t always caused by outside factors, sometimes it comes from inside. People can stress themselves by worrying about things. The internal factors causing stress are: Fear and uncertainty about events that are outside someone’s control. Worrying about such events can only cause stress, but not any improvement of the situation. Attitudes and perceptions of the world. A person’s point of view of events and situations can make a huge difference. The same situation may be perceived differently by different people and thus generate different level of stress. Unrealistic expectations. When expectations don’t match reality, it causes stress. The below graph shows the causes of stress in American citizens according to a survey. Types of stress All animals, including human beings have a natural stress response and it is very helpful. But severe stress can cause both physical and mental harm. There are various kinds of stress depending on its causes and effect. A little amount of stress, called â€Å"acute stress† is the most common form of stress. It could be tolerable, in fact it might be constructive in the sense that it keeps a person active and alert. It is usually for a short term of time. Also stress in long-term termed as â€Å"chronic stress,† can have major effect on both physical and mental health of a person. It often develops when a person loses hope of getting out of a bad situation and they stop giving effort to get out of it. â€Å"Episodic Stress† is the kind of stress that originates from a continuous exposure to mismanagement and crisis in life. This is usually found in type ‘A’ personalities as the are always in a hurry, but always late. Episodic stress is caused by constant worrying, pessimism, anxiousness and depression. â€Å"Traumatic stress† is the kind of stress caused by events threating one’s life. For example being in a major accident, involved in war, physically or mentally assaulted or having faced a natural disaster can causepost-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD). Symptoms of stress The signs of stress can show in various forms. Listed below are various signs of stress. Physical Signs of Stress Increased heartbeat Sweating/ freezing hands Headache Shallow or erratic breath Causing nausea, stomach upset Fatigue Disturbance in sleep Weight gain/loss Increased/decreased appetite, increased alcohol consumption Cognitive Signs of Stress Forgetfulness Being unmindful, Difficulty in concentrating Difficulty in understanding Negative self-assessment and negative self perception Emotional Signs of Stress Getting angry, irritated easily Anxiety, feelings of panic Fear Crying Increased conflicts in personal life Getting frustrated easily Impact of stress Stress is a major concern of the modern world. The below statistics depicts how it has impacted the human race. 43% percent of adults suffer from stress related health problems Stress related ailments contribute to 75%-90% of all doctor visits. Stress is declared as a hazard of the workplace by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) declared. More than $300 billion is spent annually to cope up with stress in the American industry. Untreated, chronic stress reactions can cause a lifetime prevalence of emotional disorder in more than 50% of people. In long term, stress can cause serious impact on our body. Skin.Stress causes various skin problems likeacneandpsoriasis. Muscles.Stress can cause neck,shoulder and lowback pain. It also worsensrheumatoid arthritis. Stomach.Stress causes and aggravates stomach problems like irritable bowel syndrome, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) ans peptic ulcerdisease. Heart.Stress causes coronary artery disease,heart attack, heart failure,high blood pressure, arrhythmia or erratic heartbeat,blood clotting and atherosclerosis or hardening of thearteries. Lungs.Patients having asthmaand chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are severely affected by stress. Reproductive system.Stress is found to have a impact in causing lowfertility, sexual problems in men, complexion duringpregnancy and painful menstrual periods etc. Immune system.Constant stress adversely affects the human immune system. This impacts even more for persons having chronic illness like AIDS. Stress can worsen the situation of such patients. Panic Attack. Apanic attackis a sudden, intense fear or anxiety that may make a person feel short of breath, dizzy or makes the heart pound very fast. Stress can cause panic attacks. Stress Management Stress managementrefers to the verity of medical andpsychotherapiestechniques which helps in controlling a patient’s stress levels. The treatment may be there for chronic stress or episodic Stress or traumatic stress. Managing stress is all about taking charge. If one controls one’s thoughts, emotions, schedule, and the way one deals with problems, then they can overpower stress. Step #1: Identifying the source of stress The first step to manage stress is to identify the sources of stress in one’s life. The sources are not always evident and most of the times it is hard to find the real source. This might because we are well acquainted with our way of life and it’s hard to point out what is wrong with it. It is important to find the root cause of stress because that is the key to treat it. Step #2: Change the situation We should try to avoid the situation that is causing stress. If the situation is unavoidable, then we must try to alter it. Figuring out the key points to bring about a change in the current situation helps in dealing with stress. This might involve changing few things like communication, relationship or any other way of life. But this change has to be ensured so that it can lead to a less stressful situation. Step #3: Adapt to the change It is hard to adapt to any change. But we must ensure that changing the life style doesn’t result in more stress. Also it is advisable to cope up with the changes made as soon as possible. We can adopt to stressful conditions and also regain our sense of control by modifying our attitude and perception. Step #4: Avoid further unnecessary stress Stress can’t be always avoided. But we should make a conscious effort to keep it at bay. Isolating situations which causes unnecessary stress can help. Situations which might cause this kind of unnecessary stress could be eliminated in advance. We should just make sure that the peace of mind should be preserved at all cost. Step #5: Time Management Stress can be avoided by proper usage of time. Dividing up your work into small segments of doable chunks and dedicating proper amount of time to all activities in a day can reduce the stress in work environment. One should dedicate some buffer time for unexpected activities so that in case of any emergency, the time table is not shattered. Step# 6 Meditation and breathing exercises When stress takes over, the sympathetic ANS pumps adrenaline and other hormones into the body to prepare it for action. Usually, the parasympathetic ANS eventually takes over and calms the body down. You can help the parasympathetic ANS take over by practicing meditation and breathing exercises. Combine meditation and breathing into one exercise by doing the following: Sit down comfortably and close your eyes. Begin taking slow, measured breaths. Take note of where in your body the breaths originate. After a while, let your body breathe entirely on its own while still focusing on the breath. Notice which parts of the body your breathing moves: From your hands and feet to the top of your head. If you begin to think about anything other than breathing, set your concentration back on those breaths and how they affect your body Simple things can lead to relieve stress. For example talking to a trusted person (friends or family), calling up someone and have a friendly chat, talking to experts via phone helpline or internet, exercising, taking deep breaths, eating a healthy diet, taking a vacation, time management etc. Conclusion As can be inferred from the definitions above, there are three main ways to define stress. Firstly, we can define stress as a factor of stimuli a person is subjected to. The greater the pressure, the more will be the stress perceived. This takes into account the cumulative nature of stress. Secondly, stress can be defined as the response to aversive stimuli. This train of thought was publicised by Selye who also called the physiological changes that the body undergoes as a response to stimuli as the general adaptation syndrome (GAS). Stress is a usual human reaction to pressure when confronted with challenging situations. This pressure is not only about what is happening in our surrounding, but also about the demands that we place on ourselves. Job traits and Hackman Oldham model Motivation and job satisfaction is important. Factors like job satisfaction, job expansion, job turnover, job enrichment, etc. should be ensured to ensure the minimal level of stress occurring at workplaces. Hackman Oldham job traits model present in their paper have selected to study the impacts of job traits on job stress. In their study on a telecommunication company, Richard Hackman and Edward Lowler (1971) concluded that employees’ job satisfaction is higher and their performance and attendance in workplace is better when they feel traits like skill diversity, task nature, independence and engaging with other further in their job. This study paved the ground for Hackman and Oldham job traits model in 1975. Through a research, they found that employees’ job satisfaction and performance increase and their turnover and absenteeism decrease when they enjoy high levels of job traits such as skill diversity, job nature, task importan ce, independence and job feedback. Hackman and Oldham job traits model consists of three parts: (1) job major aspects including skill diversity, job nature, task importance, independence and job feedback; (2) mental conditions including the feeling of having an important job, accountability, being informed of job results; and (3) working and individual ramifications including promoting inner motivation on job qualitative performance improvement, job satisfaction promotion and mitigating job relinquish. Stress is part of life and sometimes unavoidable. Sometimes a little amount of stress is helpful too. It is only when stress lasts for a longer period of time and exceeds one’s capability of handling it, stress becomes harmful. Stress impacts one’s physical and mental health, relationship, family, work environment and one’s whole life. But stress can be handled. Instead of stress manipulating one’s life, one can learn to manipulate the stress by oneself. By enhancing one’s vision, raising the available resources regarding stress, one can cope up with stress. It is important to know one’s strength and limits regarding handling stress. It is always advisable to take external help if needed to cope with the anxiety and stress in one’s life. Useful contacts Emotional / Relationships Problems 1. Aasra, Mumbai Direct crisis intervention and counselling services for people who are depressed or feeling suicidal. Phone:+91 22 2754 6669 Timings:All Days :24 Hours Email:[emailprotected] Website:www.aasra.info Depression, anxiety, obsession and mental health Rethink Mental Illness Support and advice for people living with mental illness. Phone: 0300 5000 927 (Mon-Fri, 10am-2pm) Website:www.rethink.org Depression Alliance Charity for sufferers of depression. Has a network of self-help groups. Website:www.depressionalliance.org CALM CALM is the Campaign Against Living Miserably, for men aged 15-35. Website:www.thecalmzone.net Contact the Stress Counselling helpline Talk in confidence, 24 hours a day. Call:0800 092 3189 Useful books The Relaxation Stress Reduction Workbookby Martha Davis, Elizabeth Robbins Eshelman, Matthew McKay Publishers New Harbinger Publications: ISBN 1572242140 The Anxiety and Phobia Workbook By Edmund J. Bourne The Feeling Good Handbook By David D. Burns,David D. Burns (Preface by) References http://www.rose-hulman.edu/StudentAffairs/ra/files/CLSK/PDF/Section%20Two%20Instructor%20Resources/Sources%20of%20Stress%20Among%20College%20Students.pdf http://www.globalresearch.com.my/journal/management_v03n01/0007_Article_167_Final_JoGM_Jan2012_V3N1_PG093_105.pdf http://www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/learning/FileStore/Filetoupload,217650,en.pdf http://www.mind.org.uk/media/977061/how-to-manage-stress-2012-2-.pdf http://www.purdue.edu/swo/generalwellness/KnowItAll/stress/DifferentKindsofStress.pdf http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/stress/2011/impact.pdf http://www.webmd.com/balance/guide/causes-of-stress http://m.medlineplus.gov/topic/stress.htm http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/stress.html http://www.angeloflifehealthandnutrition.com/energy-and-stress-relaxation.html http://www.apho.org.uk/resource/view.aspx?RID=44871 http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/effects-of-stress-on-your-body http://www.webmd.com/balance/stress-management/stress-management-effects-of-stress Every Child Matters Policy: Outcomes, Aims and Application Every Child Matters Policy: Outcomes, Aims and Application Are the objectives of the Every Child Matters policy set by the government being met in actual use and practice? Contents (Jump to) Abstract Chapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 – Method Chapter 3 – Results 3.1 Every Child Matters Green Paper 3.2 Childrens Act 2004 3.3 Children’s Trusts   3.4 Every Child Matters: Change for Children   Chapter 4 Discussion Chapter 5 – Conclusion   Tables – Diagrams Bibliography   Abstract In September of 2003 the policy initiative â€Å"Every Child Matters† was presented to Parliament, sparked by the death in 2000 of eight-year-old Victoria Climbie, who was a victim of child abuse, and murder by her aunt Marie-Therese Kouao, and bus driver Carl Manning (BBC New, 2005). The striking as well as earth shaking factor in this tragic instance is the very strong possibility exists that Victoria’s suffering, and death could very well have been prevented. While it is impossible to predict what might have happened, the official inquiry into this case as headed by Lord Laming, investigated every facet, including the child protection system (BBC News, 2003). The preceding uncovered that there were at least twelve incidences whereby the system failed Victoria Climbie in terms of her welfare. Most noteworthy, in terms of the system becoming alerted to the potential of child abuse and or problems, were the child’s two visits for injuries to the hospital, the sec ond, which entailed a two-week stay (BBC News, 2003). The horrific summary just provided does not do justice to the details contained within this case that outraged the public as well as authorities. The Laming Report uncovered that information sharing between agencies failed to take the necessary and required steps to intercede (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, 2003). The Inquiry resulted in the recommendation of a structure that would eliminate the potential for ambiguity in the decision making process for children and families (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, 2003). This examination of child care policies shall analyze if the resulting Every Child Matters policies are meeting the purpose for which they were developed and devised. Chapter 1 – Introduction The death of Victoria Climbie resulted in an Inquiry conducted by Lord Laming to investigate the childcare system and make recommendations based upon the findings. In keeping with the aforementioned, the Inquiry Report recommended the following changes as well as inputs to the system (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, 2003): Elimination of what the Inquiry termed as â€Å"buck passing†, through guidance procedures, Implementation of a coherent set of practices, policies, protocols and strategies for service delivery, Placement of the preceding into statues that define a clear process for monitoring as well as decision making of performance and follow up, Reduction of what the Inquiry called the ‘gap’ between the intention of the agencies, and the achievement as demonstrated by actual performance, eliminating the unpredictable facets of service delivery though the improvement of efficiency as well as effectiveness, Addressing the preventive aspects with families and increasing the support invention process that has deteriorated through proper funding and staffing, Understanding that the protection as well as support of children calls for a broader scope than just the statutory agencies. The process needs to include close association with community-based groups to broaden the scope of involvement, information, alerts and resources. A change in the manner that the agencies approach, see and work, as represented by the utilisation of their resources. The preceding calls for all agencies to carry out their part of the process, with a clear delineation to staffing of their primary responsibilities to children and families. The recommendations in these areas consisted of the following: Services must be child as well as family oriented, Be responsive to needs and opportunities, Services must have adequate resources, Be capable to delivering measurable national outcomes with regard to children, Be clear in terms of accountability throughout the agencies and organisation, Be transparent in its work processes and open to detailed scrutiny, Services, procedures, guidelines, protocols and policies must be clear as well as straightforward in terms of being understood, Services need to be placed on a statutory foundation, given the powers to ensure delivery of the outcomes desired. To achieve the aforementioned ends, the Inquiry set forth structure changes that recommended major changes within the structures that deliver services to children and families (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, 2003). It also identified that a key weakness in the system were the circumstances under which case reviews were conducted, adding that the that structure needs to be replaced by one that is more comprehensive as well as active (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, 2003). Another critical aspect in the problems uncovered by the Inquiry was the referral and response levels of the agencies. The Inquiry made specific reference to sections 17 and 47 of the Children Act 1989 whereby (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, 2003): Section 17 The segment of the Children Act 1989 places the responsibility as well as duty on the local authority for the safeguarding and promotion of welfare for children that are in need in their area. Section 47 The section of the Children Act 1989 calls for the local authority to make inquiries in instances where it is believed and or thought necessary whereby a child is suspected of being exposed to harm. The problem with the preceding, especially Section 47, is that the Inquiry found that considerable confusion existed as to what inquiries should be made, with permission from the child’s carer required before other invention measures could be introduced if the preceding was refused (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, 2003). Under Section 17, the social services could respond only when exceptional circumstances dictated, after permission as outline above had been obtained (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, 2003). Furthermore, it was found that once the Section 17 designation assigned a label to a case, it was downgraded in terms of status and frequently poor follow up ensued (The Victoria Climbie Inquiry, 2003). The aforementioned aspects were brought forth in order to have a basis for understanding the reasons and dynamics of the recommendations of the Victoria Climbie Inquiry (2003), the resulting policies, and performance since enactment. This examination shall investigate how the objectives of the Every Child Matters policy is being met through the use of council and agency support. This document is structured to present the methodology utilised, followed by the results of the research process, which is then discussed to determine the significance of the findings, and the implications. A conclusion has been utilised to summarise the examination, drawing upon the information and research uncovered to formulate what the preceding uncovered. Chapter 2 – Methods The methodology utilised in this examination entails a combination of evidence based research techniques and quantitative research. The term research in this examination represents a systematic inquiry â€Å"characterized by sets of principles, guidelines for procedures and which is subject to evaluation in terms of criteria such as validity, reliability and representativeness† (Hitchcock and Hughes, 1995, p. 5). In the context of this paper, social research represents â€Å"the collection and analysis of information on the social world, in order to understand and explain that world better† (Hitchcock and Hughes, 1995, p. 5). Key to the preceding process is the collection of evidence to support the research process, which requires much fuller information to fulfill its directive (Evans, 2006). The foregoing calls for a strong design in the research process to generate the evidence base (Potter, 2007). The foregoing was accomplished by reviewing the legislation as well a s historical development of the Every Child Matters initiative, starting with the reasons that prompted its development. Quantitative research represented conducting the gathering of information systematically, looking for relationships in the examination in the context of the study. Newman and Benz (1998, p. 2) tell us that â€Å"Most quantitative research approaches, regardless of their theoretical differences, tend to emphasize that there is a common reality on which people can agree.† With that underpinning, this examination strived to look for a clear delineation of facts that would closely approximate the preceding statement. To this end, surveys and studies were used as a basis for correlating facts, combined with the key purposes behind varied legislation. This look into the programmes that have led up to and are part of the â€Å"Every Child Matters† initiative shall utilise evidence based practice to uncover the facts, assess what has been gathered, and critically appraise the process and strategies in their present state. Chapter 3 – Results 3.1 Every Child Matters Green Paper The †Every Child Matters† Green Paper (literacytrust.org.uk , 2003), contains four main proposal areas that were devised in response to the recommendations as made under Lord Laming’s Inquiry Report concerning the death of Victoria Climbie. These four key areas are (literacytrust.org.uk, 2003): support of parents and carers, early intervention, along with effective protection, accountability and integration, reform of the workforce To aid in achieving the preceding, the Green Paper recommended a ‘Parenting Fund’ of  £25 million to be added for a three-year period to underwrite the changes (literacytrust.org.uk, 2003). The critical aspect as identified under the Victoria Climbie Inquiry (2003) was early intervention, which the Green Paper advised represented improving the information sharing between agencies and authorities, the utilisation of a singular and unique identification number so that all information would fall under the same file, and the development of a common data network that is coordinated among all authorities and agencies to ensure that all information resides in one file database (literacytrust.org.uk, 2003). Governmental changes as identified under the Green Paper called for the creation of a Director of Children’s Services to deliver education to local authorities and children’s social services as well as the position of the Minister for Children, Young People an d Families in the Department of Education and Skills that would have the responsibility for coordination of policies across all agencies and authorities (literacytrust.org.uk, 2003). 3.2 Children Act 2004 The Children Act 2004 put into place the legislative foundation to enable the policy changes as put forth under the Every Child Matters Green Paper (literacytrust.org.uk, 2004). The objective was the maximisation of opportunities, along with minimising risk for children and young people via the leadership of the Director of Children’s Services within the local authorities (Brachnell Forest Borough Council, 2007). The Children Act 2004 advises that the total number of children in the program has remained fairly consistent over the past ten years, with only minor upward and downward fluctuations (Department for Education and Skills, 2004). The Children Act 2004 was enacted on 15 November 2004 and established (Department for Education and Skills, 2004): A Children’s Commissioner whose responsibility is to champion the interests and views regarding children as well as young people. Makes it the duty of Local Authorities to co-operate with other Local Authorities as well as agencies and bodies to improve the well being of children through information sharing and other forms of cooperation. Made it the duty of Local Authorities to implement local Safeguarding Children Boards that include key partners to participate. The provision for databases that contain information that enables better sharing capabilities between all authorities, agencies and other bodies. The development of an integrated inspection framework, along with Joint Area reviews to provide an assessment on progress The important facets of the preceding changes and modifications to the Children Act 1989 is that it set forth the following (Department for Education and Skills, 2004): Duty to Cooperate The Children Act 2004 under section 10 sets forth the duty for local authorities and agencies to cooperate with the guidance under the Act, thus representing the authority as well as framework for children’s trusts. Guidance on the Children and Young People’s Plan Under section 17, it contains the key facet regarding the implementation of children’s trusts via a strategic plan for local authorities and allied services, partners and agencies. Guidance with respect to the roles as well as responsibilities of the Director of Children’s Services with regard to the Lead Member of Children’s Services. Guidance on Working Together with the objective to Safeguard Children. Guidance under section 11, on the Duty to Safeguard and Promote the Welfare of Children The preceding aspects were actualised under the Children Act 2004 through a national framework for change that specifies areas, working inwards to achieve targeted timetables as shown below: 3.3 Children’s Trusts Children’s Trusts represents the framework whereby all services for children and young people are brought together in an area, supported by the Children Act 2004 (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007a). The central foundation of the Children’s Trusts is that they represent the active core of support for those who work daily with children, young people as well as families, with the objective being the delivery of improved outcomes via more integrated as well as responsive services (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007a). The integrated strategy utilises the following methodology for effective results and working processes (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007a): the use of a joint needs assessment, sharing decisions on priorities, the identification of the resources available, and the devising of a set of joint plans to deploy the preceding. The critical aspect of the foregoing is the joint commissioning that pools resources to deploy the best outcome by directing action to those resources and the people best qualified to complete the services (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007a). In March of 2007 a national evaluation of the Children’s Trust Pathfinders was conducted that took in all 35 units and included a number of evaluative reports conducted on various segments of the program (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007b). The evaluation resulted in a number of recommendations that identified shortcomings and limitations in the delivery of services (national children’s bureau, 2006): The evaluation stated that a clarification is needed regarding exactly what the term participation means as there were different interpretations uncovered in the analysis. The approach procedures concerning participation were determined to be less than effective in terms of being systematic. To move participation beyond listening to active engagement that involves users. The development of support systems to enables the end users, children – young people – families, to fully participate as well as engaging them in a strategic manner. To see that participation utilises a broad range of differing and diverse methodologies to solicit as well as gain the views of children, young people and families. Recognition that the community as well as voluntary sectors have important roles and have users that have difficulty interacting with official bodies. Take the time, along with the commitment to construct as well as improve the infrastructure needed for effective participation by end users. The study of user participation that entailed case studies in eight children’s trusts, along with three additional sites involved 107 professionals from management as well as differing levels in education, health, social care as well as local authorities (national children’s bureau, 2006). The perception of professionals was positive in terms of the increased engagement with users, children, young people and families, commenting that it helped to raise their self esteem as a result of being part of the process (national children’s bureau, 2006). User perceptions among those surveyed indicated a lack of participation, and or limited experience, also commenting that there was a lack of information regarding this aspect (national children’s bureau, 2006). The users cited that they would be interested in participatory engagement, as long as it was meaningful, as opposed to being tokenistic, and if such participation actually resulted in change (national childr en’s bureau, 2006). In addition to the preceding, the surveyed users indicated that feedback in terms of important issues as to where they were, and the actions being taken, and or the outcomes would be useful in transparency (national children’s bureau, 2006). The survey participants also indicated that they felt more involvement would improve relationships. Those surveyed added that they felt that listening was not a culture trait in the country, thus participation was not, in their opinion, a positive process unless they could see results based upon a broad feedback from issues they participated in, as well as those of other users (national children’s bureau, 2006). The users surveyed also added that they felt that participation was not really representative, voicing the opinion that the same people were asked about their views and opinions repeatedly, as opposed to the process seeking out more individuals to participate (national children’s bureau, 2006). The methodology, in terms of gathering opinions was also questioned, in that the field of reach could be widened through the utilisation of questionnaires as well as discussion groups (national children’s bureau, 2006). It was suggested that such measures should be advertised broadly, and utilise a wide variety of measures in order to make the process participato ry as opposed to being selection based (national children’s bureau, 2006). The manner in which the overall process operates, is designed and performs was also raised. Users, community and volunteer groups indicated that this represented a key area as the process is supposed to represent one of inclusion, thus, their inputs in these areas should be consulted (national children’s bureau, 2006). One specific example was the drafting of questionnaires. Users felt that they should be included in the process to design the questions that would appear on questionnaires as well as assist in the discussion panel formulations to make the process truly participatory (national children’s bureau, 2006). The preceding represent limitations that users felt did not involve them in the overall process that was designed to aid and benefit them. The foregoing factors represent clear indications that users want to as well as should be a more active part of the process. Their views indicated that they desired to be included in the developmental phases as opposed to being interview subjects, and felt that they should have a deeper, and more meaning participation level as members of the public, especially as members of the public for whom the services are targeted. Strategic involvement represents an important issue in that it engages users and provides inputs that the overall process can utilise in modifying and improving service delivery as well as the notification process on the part of the public as to potential abuse issues. The foregoing view is brought forth by Petr (2004, p. 79) who points to the importance of the inclusion of parents and users in the process as a means to heighten participation. The foregoing approach is also espoused by Northridge et al (2005), who state research partnerships should be an inclusive pro cess that involves participants and community agencies in the process. Boyden and Ennew (1997) also advocate the importance of users in the participation process in terms of taking part and being involved, as well as the benefits of gaining insights from their inputs. The study concluded that users want greater participation in the process, and that a variety of methods and approaches need to be utilised to obtain the views, ideas, input and concerns (national children’s bureau, 2006). It also recommended that a broad variety of methods should be utilised and exploited in order to obtain the views of users as well as their recommendations and suggestions, providing more transparency in the processing and outcome of the aforementioned to make the system more effective and user, community based (national children’s bureau, 2006). 3.4 Every Child Matters: Change for Children â€Å"Every Child Matters: Change for Children† (HM Government, 2004) represented the national framework to improve outcomes for children as well as young people (Brachnell Forest Borough Council, 2007). The policy indicates that it is committed to seeing that five key outcomes are achieved that are important to a child’s well being, these represent â€Å"†¦ being healthy; staying safe; enjoying and achieving; making a positive contribution, and achieving economic well being †¦ (HM Government, 2004). The initiative sets forth key objectives and targets with regard to the underpinning of the entire framework of children’s services. The foregoing are represented by the following (HM Government, 2004). : The improvement as well as the integration of all services, covering a child’s early years, in the schooling environment, along with health services. To provide more specialised help to prevent problems, promote opportunities, and most importantly to act early as well as effectively in the event that problems arise. To reconfigure services so that they revolve around the child and family under children’s centres, extended schools, and through professionals engaged in multi disciplinary teams. To develop and have engaging as well as dedicated leadership throughout all levels of the system. The development of an atmosphere of shared responsibility throughout the system and across system lines that focuses upon the safeguarding of children, as well as protection from harm. To heighten the listen atmosphere, centring on children, young people and families in the assessment processes, along with planning facets, and especially in face-to-face encounters. The preceding bear strong similarity to the recommendations and findings as set forth under the study conduced by the National Children’s Bureau (2006), which pointed out that these lofty objectives have not fully been met. The five outcomes as represented by â€Å"†¦ being healthy; staying safe; enjoying and achieving; making a positive contribution, and achieving economic well being †¦Ã¢â‚¬  (HM Government, 2004), upon deeper examination entail the following: Be Healthy physical health emotional and mental health sexual health lifestyles that are healthy the election not to partake of illegal drugs and that carers as well as families actively promote healthy choices Stay Safe safety from maltreatment, violence, neglect and exploitation sexually safety from accidental injury as well as death safety from bullying and discrimination safety from criminal activities, crime and anti social behaviour that security and stability are seen to Enjoy and achieve that children and young people are ready for school that children and young people attend school that they achieve social as well as personal development and have recreational activities they enjoy Make a positive contribution that children, young people and families are engaged in decision making as well as support their communities that children, and young people engage in behaviour that I law abiding, both in an out of school that they develop self-confidence that they develop behaviour that is enterprising Achieve economic well-being that young people engage in higher education, training and or employment that young people are prepared and ready to be employed that children and young people live in homes that are decent in sustainable communities that they have access to transport and that they live in households free of low income All of the preceding have been set as objectives to foster the development of children and young people through adulthood as well as address the tragic situation as brought forth by the Victoria Climbe situation. In order to attain the foregoing, local children’s services under the Children Act 2004 are held accountable for the deliverance of improved outcomes via inspection (HM Government, 2004). The preceding is to be accomplished by (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007c): Robust and active inter-agency accountability and governance The â€Å"local authority director of children’s services† establishment of cooperative arrangements with like service units and local authorities (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007c). The partners in this arrangement include entities from the â€Å"public, private, voluntary and community† sectors (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007c). Area child protection committees are replaced by local safeguarding children boards Under the foregoing â€Å"Every Child Matters: Change for Children† (HM Government, 2004), the integrated strategy represents the following elements (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007c): The joint assessment of the local needs that involve users. The utilisation of a singular plan that is shared between all children’s service units. The pooling of budgets. The use of joint area reviews for the inspection of children’s services on the local level. Integrated frontline service delivery to improve user outcomes at the strategic level. In terms of integrated processes, â€Å"Every Child Matters: Change for Children† (HM Government, 2004) calls for (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007d): The use of â€Å"new common initial assessment† frameworks to â€Å"reduce duplication and improve referrals† (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007d). Improved information sharing. The re-engineering of â€Å"local processes and procedures †¦ to support integration around the needs of children. The integrated frontline delivery represents the manner via which the foregoing is accomplished within the overall framework (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007e): â€Å"Integrated, accessible and personalised services â€Å" represent the manner via which the preceding will be approached, building the processes â€Å"around the needs of children and young people† as opposed to service, and or professional boundaries (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007e). The shift of focus to prevention as well as safeguarding. Services to be co-located in locations such as children’s centres as well as extended schools. The reform of workforces to result in staffs that are well trained, with the credo that children are the focal point, understanding that their needs are uppermost. The â€Å"development of multi-disciplinary teams† along with professionals. The strategy representing the improvement of outcomes is founded upon â€Å"changing the behaviour of those working with the users via more integrated as well as responsive service delivery (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007e). The foregoing calls for the use of specialist support that is embedded throughout the system, and which can be accessed by all service units (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007e). The key to the process is in workforce reform in terms of attitudes, trained staff, the internal development of common skill sets and knowledge base, utilising the element of trust as well as information sharing (everychildmatters.gov.uk, 2007e). Chapter 4 – Discussion In equating the results achieved under the programmes established for Every Child Matters the Department for Children, Schools and Families published a report equating evidence in support of the plan (2007). The Report assessed the achievements as well as shortcomings and limitations of progress thus far as achieved: Table 1 – Results Findings – Every Child Matter Be Healthy (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2007) Table 2 – Results Findings – Every Child Matter/Stay Safe (Department for Children, Schools and Families, 2007) Stay Safe < UK Iron and Steel Industry: Market Trends UK Iron and Steel Industry: Market Trends Basic Iron and steel in UK – Analysis Headlines UK’s basic iron and steel market contracted by 6.8% to  £10.6 billion in 2013 as prices of steel declined due to the overcapacity in steel production Industry of structural metal products increased its purchase of steel due to the growing private housing sector in UK in 2013 Motor vehicles, trailer and semi-trailers decreased their share of purchases in the industry by 12% as it is substituted with aluminium in pursue of lower CO2 emissions In 2013 EU Commission creates Communication Action Plan for a development of competitive and sustainable steel industry in Europe Basic iron and steel industry is expected to continue falling by 2% in 2014 due to oversupply in UK steel production and iron ore mining globally MArket Trends Basic iron and steel market in the UK declined by 6.8% to  £10.7 billion in 2013. Although the main buyer in the industry – structural metal products increased its share of purchases over the year, the industry still felt the pressure from overcapacity and declining prices of steel in Europe. Structural metal products producers were the key buyer in the basic iron and steel industry accounting for 18% of the B2B purchases which stood at  £1.9 billion in 2013. The share increased usage in construction sector which was boosted by the rapidly growing private housing segment and overall construction output in the UK. Private Housebuilding was driven by the government’s deposit guarantee programme Help to Buy designed for purchases of new homes in the UK. Motor vehicles, trailer and semi-trailers accounted for 12% of the purchases in the industry. Despite a 1.3% increase in number of vehicles manufactured, acquisitions of basic iron and steel declined by 12%. Demand of steel from automotive industry is declining due to increasing use of aluminium. Vehicle manufacturers are reducing vehicle weight in order to cut CO2 emissions in order to comply with new EU standards. Basic iron, steel and ferroalloys accounted for 46% of the market size in the industry in 2013. After experiencing a 2% decrease its market value stood at  £4.9 billion. The decline was determined by the decreasing prices of steel products. HRC Europe steel prices declined by 6.4% in 2013 due to oversupply of steel in the global market. As well as global steel market, the European market has been confronting a growing overcapacity of steel production and declining demand over the recent years. To address the issues of struggling EU market of iron and steel industry, an EU-wide plan named Commission Communication Action Plan for a sustainable and competitive steel industry in Europe was created on June, 2013. Currently, the plan is offering to reduce or remove electricity feed-in tariffs related to renewable electricity on energy-intensive industries to make them more competitive internationally. In 2013 import penetration fell by 9% and accounted for 65% of the market size reaching value of  £5.8 billion. The imports decreased due to the overcapacity in the global steel production and restart of Teesside steel plant which increased the output of steel in the country in 2013. Currently active antidumping duties on Chinese wire rods are about to expire. In April, 2014 European steel association Eurofer inquired for an over 20% anti-dumping charge for Chinese wire rod in order to protect EU producers. The new query will prolong the duty by approximately 15 months until the answer is given. production Trends Overcapacity has been pressuring UK’s as well as the global iron and steel market. Production capacity of steel increased by 118 million tonnes over the last two years and is expected to total in 2,2 billion tonnes in 2014. However, UK’s production decreased only by marginal 1% over 2013. Though different segments managed to grow as e.g. production of basic iron, steel and ferroalloys recorded a 2% increase and accounted for 62% of total industry’s production. While the industry has marginally declined some companies managed to increase their production. E.g. Teesside Steel Co owned by Thailand SSI renewed its production in the UK in 2013. In addition, during the same year Teesside Steel Co recorded its production record in Red car plant after expanding its production capacity. The steel output in the industry was also supported by improvements of the Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant. Its blast furnace was rebuilt increasing steel production over the same year. Recycling of metal waste and scrap industry accounts for 16% of basic ferrous and non-ferrous industry costs in UK. Approximately 13 million tons of scrap metal are being processed by steel industry annually. Recycling is important to UK producers as it allows to keep emissions, energy consumption and total costs at bay in comparison to steel production from ore. Mining of metal ores made 12% of total costs in UK during 2013. Despite an increase in production of basic iron and steel at constant price of 1.2% , costs related to mining of metal ores declined by 1%. Decrease in metal ore costs was driven by decline in price of iron ore in second half of the year as global production of iron ore grew by 5% accounting for approximately 2 billion tonnes in 2013. Exports of basic iron and steel accounted for 65% of total production and recorded a 0.7% growth in 2013. Exports were driven by the growing demand from emerging economies such as Turkey which accounted for 11% of the UK’s exports. Growing Turkish construction and transportation expenditures positively affected the demand for UK’s production. Steel, basic iron and ferroalloys experienced a 2% increase in the share of industry’s exports. 2013 profits almost doubled which left them standing at  £783 million. The industry benefited from a 7% decrease in its costs which had positively reflected on the profits. Competitive Landscape The top 5 companies in the basic iron and steel industry accounted for 20% of total production in the UK in 2013. The leader with 14% was Tata Steel UK Ltd. The company was followed by other industry’s players accounting for a less significant share of production: Caparo Steel Products Ltd (2%), Hill Smith Holdings Plc (2%), and Thamesteel Ltd (1%). Tata Steel UK Ltd a subsidiary of the Tata Steel Europe is a UK-based company that specializes in production of basic iron and steel. It has 3 plants located in the UK with 18,000 employees. In October, 2013 the company announced it will build Vacuum Induction Melting (VIM) furnace at its Stocksbridge site in South Yorkshire, UK. It has also increased its steel output from Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant due to the reconstuction of its blast furnace. The development had a significant impact on growing steel production in the UK in 2013. By 2016 the company is planning on investing  £400 million in long products business. However, due to the sluggish demand in the market Tata Steel has been considering selling parts of its operation in the UK due to the underutilization. Caparo Steel Products Ltd of Caparo Group is a company located in the UK that specializes in production of basic iron and steel. The company is based in London, UK, with additional locations in the UK, India, Spain, Poland, North America, Canada, and Dubai. Caparo Steel has 1,000 employees in the UK. In October, 2014 the group announced plans to invest â‚ ¬4 million in its UK and Polish operations. The company has been reviewing its operations in UK and announced plans to consolidate its production in one site considering to close the wire company in Wrexham, UK. However, workers are expected to keep their jobs as company anticipates using the other base for testing technologies and steel distribution. Hill Smith Holdings Plc is a company that produces galvanized iron and steel. It operates under the following segments: Infrastructure Products, Galvanizing Services, Building and Construction Products and employs over 700 workers. The company has also upgraded its plant in Chesterfield, UK. In general, production volumes of steel products increased by 18% in 2013 due to the the expansion into emerging markets. On April, 2013 the group acquired a large plant in Kent, UK operated by Medway Galvanising Co Ltd. In addition, Hill Smith Holdingd acquired trade and specific assets of Arkinstall Galvanizing Ltd. Thamesteel Ltd is a UK-based subsidiary of Al-Tuwairqi Holding. The company specializes in steel manufacturing and operates a 50 acre site in Sheerness, on the Isle of Sheppey, UK and employs 400 workers. The plant went into administration in 2012 it became the property of Al-Tuwairqi Group. However, the new negotiations have been taking place in 2013 to reopen a rolling mill using imported steel billets and then exporting its production again. New mill is expected to employ around 120 workers; however, the plan is still in state of negotiations. Prospects Basic iron and steel industry in UK is expected to further decline by 2% in 2014 and over the period of 2013-2019 the industry is anticipated to record a negative 1% CAGR. Drawing of iron and steel is expected to record an 11% drop in turnover due to the continuing surplus in the industry and slumping demand. Average global iron ore price in 2014 is expected to decline approximately 49% in 2013 translating into further decreasing costs for the industry. It is not expected for global iron ore price to return to US$100 level for near future as world production output is going to further increase at faster pace than demand. By 2018 global iron-ore surplus is expected to reach 300 million tons. UK’s market of steel is expected to remain weak over the forecast period due to the overcapacity of steel production in UK and globally. As a result production of basic iron, steel and ferroalloys is anticipated to experience slowdown in its CAGR. Due to prolonged decline in production of steel in Europe, steel industry is expected to become one of the main focuses by EU Commission over the forecast period. Reduction and restructuration of capacity in the industry will also play a significant role as EU Commission is aiming at reaching the contribution of steel market towards EU GDP to increase from current 15% to 20% by 2020. The industry is expected to be less pressured by the prices of power and gas as the Government has announced its prediction of wholesale prices to remain fairly steady until 2020 when electricity price is expected to reach  £54 per MWh. However, latter prices are expected to challenge the competitiveness of electricity from wind farms and nuclear plants further.