Is the Family a Fabricated Thing

Introduction The family has traditionally occupied a central place in society with communities hailing it as the basic unit of society. Families provide the social core in all societies and the nuclear family is present in all societies in the world. The unifying function of the family has been credited with the development and advancement of societies since time immemorial.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is the Family a Fabricated Thing? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More For this reason, the family unit is unanimously considered as the basic building block of a successful and functional society. This is the ideal institution within which children are created and brought up in a protected environment until they are able to take care of themselves. The family also serves as a tool for socialization since the shared moral and social values of the community are inculcated in the children withing the family setting. For these reasons, the family is assumed to be an innate experience with some authors suggesting that the family is a natural institution. However, this notion has been questioned by anthropologists whose studies have led them to question the â€Å"naturalness† of the family unit. The findings of these scholars have led them to conclude that the family is not a natural thing but rather a construction of the society. This paper will set out to discuss the ideas of some of the most outstanding anthropologists of the 20th century, Adam Kuper, David Schneider, and Claude Levi-Strauss, in order to show that the family is a fabricated thing. The Idea of the Family The family is regarded as the basic unit of society and at its most base level; it is made up of a man, woman, and their children. Kuper (1982) states that the family preceded the formation of the society and in these early stages, it comprised of a male figure who exercised jurisdiction over his wives and children. Each family paid no regard to the other and acted in its own self-interest. The aggregation of families was the next step in social evolution and the ties of kinship became the basis of societies. The family provided the basis on which societies were ordered with expanded extended families serving as the social core.Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reproduction is universally considered to be the basis of family relations since each person must have a biological father and mother. This simple parent-child relationship makes it possible to perform genealogical tracing since it is a biological fact that a man and a woman must be involved in procreation. Therefore, the concept of kinship was formulated based on this blood relation and relationships though marriage unions between previously unrelated parties. The naturalness of the family has been presupposed for many centuries due to th e prevalence of this social grouping. However, the arguments made by anthropologists suggest that the family is a cultural construct. Family: A Fabricated Concept Adam Kuper’s Ideas Adam Kuper suggests that the family was formulated as an organization through which people could live in harmony and accomplish greater exploits. Before the concept of family, each individual acted at his own discretion and there was no order or system of laws in place. Kuper (1982) records that the original state of human society was characterized by promiscuity rather than family life and this status quo was detrimental to the raising of children. This primitive existence was unsustainable since violence and anarchy reigned. The family unit emerged as a more ordered system of procreation within which the child could exist in a more secure environment. As the family concept became more sophisticated, legal paternity became recognized and the child could grow in an environment where he/she had a m other and a father. The extended patriarchal family group provided the basis for jural order and continuity (Kuper 1982, p.73). The earliest form of government was therefore based on the family concept. The political ideas were grounded in the assumption that â€Å"kinship in blood is the sole possible ground of community in political functions† (Kuper 2008, p.723). The family was formulated as the best structure to foster social stability and encourage good governance. The prohibition of some relationships in some cultures while the same relationships are allowed in others is further proof that kinship is a culturally constructed concept. Human beings formulate the laws governing who should marry whom and therefore forms a family and they vary from society to society.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Is the Family a Fabricated Thing? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Kuper (2008) documents that in the nine teenth century, there was no crime in incest, and there were no rules articulating which marriages were allowed or forbidden. Before the 1880s, incest was an acceptable practice in England and there were no laws against the practice. The social perception of incest only underwent a radical change when the danger of sexual relations between fathers and daughters, or brothers and sisters began to be publicized by the National Vigilance Association. Following this, incest came to be conceived of as an offence with a victim. Because of this change in public perception, the British Parliament passed a Law in 1907 that made incest a crime and criminalized sexual relationships between members of the immediate family. As such, the family is a fabricated institute that is prone to changes based on the public needs. Kuper (2003) argues that the family was necessary to ensure survival in the primitive societies where division of labour was necessary. In these pre-modern societies, the nuclear family comprised of male and female enabled the parties to specialize in various activities for sustenance. The males typically acted as the hunters while the females were gatherers within a nuclear family setting. This economic function increased the value of the family and kinship was integral for survival Kuper (2003). It is conceivable that without the economic need of family, this institution would never have been created. Further reinforcing this supposition is the observation by anthropologists that with the rise of the individualist modern society, the economic functions of family have shrunk and each sex can manage to exist without the need of the other. Another indication that family is a fabricated concept is the difference in preference placed on a particular side of the family by different cultures. While some cultures emphasize on matrilineal descent (kin from the mother’s lineage), others emphasize on patrilineal descent (kin through the father’s lineage ).Advertising Looking for essay on social sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More In addition to this, the location of residence differs with some cultures promoting marriage residence at the mother’s family house while most promote residence at the father’s family house (Kuper 2003). If the family was a natural construct, there would be universal preferences and all cultures would follow the same conventions. The fact that different ideals are practiced by different cultures proves that family is a human construction. The rapid changes in society that were experienced in the 1950s and 1960s demonstrated that the family was not an integral component of the society. During this period, consensual unions became widespread and the traditional family unit was dismantled in some circles. Some people began to view the family as a major source of discontentment within the society and this greatly discredited the nuclear family as an unshakeable institution. The sentiments of the time are best articulated by Leach who asserts, â€Å"far from being the basi s for the good society, the family with its narrow privacy and tawdry secrets, is the source of all our discontents† (Kuper 2003, p.332). The nature of partner relationships has also experienced significant changes over the decades with a marked decline in the importance of the social origin of a partner being exhibited in all modern societies. In the past, great weight was placed on marriage with major kinship involvement in the process (Dykstra 2006). Today, marriage unions are primarily a matter of personal choice and preference with the families on both sides of the partners being involved only marginally. In addition to this, the frequency with which family unions are dissolved has risen tremendously. The increased rate of marriage dissolutions is blamed on the heightened emphasis on the emotional side of relationships, which leads to higher expectations and demands by both partners on each other (Dykstra 2006). In traditional marriage unions, emphasis was placed on the s ocial and material benefits of the union. Claude Levi-Strauss’s Ideas Claude Levi-Strauss is credited with advancing the Structuralism theory in which he argued that the phenomena of the external world are apprehended as having distinct characteristics because of the way our senses communicate these perceptions (Voss 1977). Human beings are predisposed to categorize things into separate units or segments and assign these things named classes. Any material object of culture or belief system is in imitation of human apprehension of nature (Levi-Strauss 1970). Man’s perception of nature as segmented is therefore responsible for his view of society as ordered. Advocates of the family as a natural unit might argue for the â€Å"natural† nature of the family structure since it exists universally. Both primitive and civilized societies have some concept of family, which is typically made up of females and at least one male figure either related to the female(s) by bloo d or by marriage. Levi-Strauss refutes this assertion by highlighting that cultures are bound to have some similarities since they are all products of human minds (Voss 1977). For this reason, universal features such as the family unit can occur. Levi-Strauss suggests that the basis of marriage rules was to create bonds between otherwise unrelated people. He argues that the since pre-historic times, communities had the option of intermarrying among themselves or giving away their women to other communities (Johnson 2003). The communities that gave away their women cemented political alliances and thus reduced the risk of being annihilated by superior enemies. The incest taboo was formed out of the need to enforce exogamy and therefore increase the society’s chances of survival. Voss (1977) best articulates this idea by stating that â€Å"if survival of a society is dependent upon alliance, strong sanctions against incest must be interdicted† (p.28). The family concept was formulated as an important unifying force through which the social cohesion was fostered and propagated. Levi-Strauss formulated the alliance theory in which he argued that sibling groups were linked through the exchange of sisters in marriage thus extending sibling solidarity to larger groupings (Kuper 1982). Levi-Strauss argued that â€Å"all the pre-modern societies of the world were organized on the basis of cross-cousin marriage† (Kuper 2008, p.726). He further stated that the family as a function of marriage was an institution that was formulated to create and maintain alliances. These alliances took place through the exchange between groups as people married for strategic reasons such as to strengthen political alliances (Levi-Strauss 1969). Kinship served the practical purpose of preventing war by setting up a diplomatic alliance between groups. The class structure that is based on family status is a cultural construction. Levi-Strauss considers the practice of to temism an expression of the differences among members of the society. Totemism, which is the naming of individuals or clans after particular plant or animal species, was a widespread practice since historical times (VonSturmer 1970). This practice emerged from the need of man to develop a system of social ordering by giving different class structures. Human beings are able to distinguish each other according to their mutual social status, which is normally articulated in the form of social classification. David Schneider’s Ideas Throughout the 19th century, Americans held the view that the family relationship was biologically given and of huge importance to the society. Many Europeans also shared this assumption and they presumed that kinship was a biological outcome. However, Schneider argues that if this were the case then the same set of ideas would have been developed by other peoples across the world. This is not the case and the family structure varied from continent to continent, and tribe to tribe. For this reason, David Schneider suggested that kinship was a function of civilization and not a feature of primitive society. According to this anthropologist, there is nothing natural about kinship and it is the production of the society. Social conventions alone may lead to a family relationship even if there is no biological relationship between or among parties. This view is corroborated by Johnson (2003) who reveals that a person is regarded as family based on some socially prescribed duties and privileges that the person fulfils in his/her relation to others. The manner in which people act towards each other is based on the concept of kinship, which is a construction of man. Schneider (1984) argues that there is no such thing as kinship and that â€Å"kinship† is in fact a creation of anthropologists and it has no concrete existence. Schneider (1984) suggests that family is a social construction that is useful for the allocation of right s and their transmission from one generation to the next. The family was formulated as an entity through which continuity could be guaranteed. Patrilineage in many societies served as a landholding corporations with parents leaving property to their children. Dykstra (2006) notes that resources are â€Å"passed down from one generation to the next, in the form of gifts or inheritances for example, or in the form of financial support† (p.1). Schneider (1984) theorizes that biological kinship is culturally constructed and it was formulated to help establish paternity with a fair degree of likelihood. He elaborates that primitive man lived at a time when promiscuity prevailed and there was no way of establishing who the child’s father was. The concept of â€Å"marriage of pairs† was formulated to help establish paternity and this was the earliest and greatest act of human intelligence. The bonds and ties that are attributed to the sexual reproduction that occurs in the family setting are not natural but a function of the society. Schneider (1984) observes that sexual relations can occur and have significance even outside kinship. However, the social and cultural attributes that are created when sexual reproduction occurs in a nuclear family setting are formulated by the society. Biological relations are for this reason afforded special qualities by the society. This has led to the ties being regarded as natural and inherent in the human condition. The ties between biologically close members are not natural since they would not be special without the social and cultural connotations ascribed to them. The socialization process is responsible for inculcating the concept of kinship in children. As a child grows up in the family, he/she is taught the logic by which his/her specific culture classifies kin and these concepts become ingrained in him/her. The child is often ignorant as to what kinship terms such as â€Å"uncle†, and â€Å"aunt y† mean but he/she is brought up to attach special meaning to the relationships. Schneider (1984) points out that the classifications of â€Å"relatives† may extend beyond the simple biological and genetic relationships with stipulated descent being included in the categories. Without the socializing process, the concept of the family would die out as individuals would not be confined to this socially prescribed structure. Schneider strongly rejects the understanding that family has to do with reproduction and he assertively declares that kinship is essentially undefined and vacuous which since it has little that can justify it (Read 2003). The inadequacy of blood relationships for a definition of family is accentuated by the inability for this consanguinity to account for practices such as adoption that still make fatherhood and motherhood possible. Read (2003) argues that it would be more convincing to state that family is a social convention rather than a function of procreation and parturition. Schneider argues that the family is a fabrication since some cultures do not have words that can reasonably translate to â€Å"father† or even â€Å"child†. In his ethnographic work among the Yapese, Schneider noted that the relationship between the biological father and offspring could not be translated as â€Å"father† and â€Å"child† in the English sense of the word (Schneider 1984). The Yapese people were able to exist without this genealogically based kinship relationship and even the passing down of property from generation to generation was not done on the basis of biological relationships. Further Evidence In addition to the thoughts of the renowned anthropologists referenced herein, current developments in the family structure provide more evidence that the family is a cultural construct. The traditional gender-specific division of labour has had to change with the increased participation of women in the labour mark et. Dykstra (2006) notes that the interaction between the partners who make up the family has become â€Å"more of a matter of negotiation† with the traditional gender-specific notions being all but discarded in most developed nations. The recent legitimization of gay and lesbian family formation in many Western countries further reinforces the assertion that family is a fabricated concept. For centuries, homosexual relationships were frowned upon by societies with severe penalties being imposed on individuals who engaged in these unions. Schneider (1997) reveals that the notion of sodomy was so abhorred in Western culture that if â€Å"justified killing and enslaving so many in the 15th and 16th centuries† (p.271). This has changed and homosexual unions are today tolerated on a greater scale. Schneider (1997) notes that gay and lesbian rights are today asserted with antidiscrimination laws and fringe benefits being accorded to this previously marginalized sub-group. T he traditional notion of family has had to be reinvented as non-heterosexual couples form relationships and become â€Å"families†. Discussion The idea that family is a fabricated concept has led to the fall of kinship studies as modern anthropologists have abandoned the subject due to the many internal problems and theoretical weaknesses contained in it (Kuper 2003). In spite of the different approach taken in their arguments, the three thinkers analysed in this paper, Levi-Strauss, Kuper, and Schneider all contend that family is a cultural construct. The paper has demonstrated that the prevalence of families in all communities is not an indication of their naturalness. Renowned anthropologists such as Levi-Strauss have demonstrated that the seemingly universal concept is not an indication of the naturalness of the family unit. Rather, it is a statement of the scientific operations of classification of objects and phenomena which occurs in both Western and primitive societie s. The universal family structure as we know it is a product of identical mental manipulations, which explains the seemingly self-consistent systems exhibited all over the world. The fact that the family unity is â€Å"not what it used to be† is proof enough that the family is a fabricated unit that keeps evolving with the culture of the society. In the recent past, alternative household organizations such as single-parent families and singles have become prevalent hence necessitating a review of the importance of the nuclear and extended family. These realities suggest that the assumption of genealogy or biology as the basis of the family is faulty since if this were the case, the family structure would remain static through time. In spite of the understanding that the family is a fabrication, this unit will continue to play an important role in society. The nuclear family is still the engine-room of socialization and it continues to bestow economic benefits for its members. Even Schneider (1984) acknowledges that kinship is a privileged institution since it is the major building block out of which all social systems are constructed. Conclusion This paper set out to examine the ideas of prominent anthropologists in order to demonstrate that the family is a fabricated thing. A review of these ideas has revealed that family is an ideological illusion constructed by man over the centuries. The paper has demonstrated that the concept of family started from the individual actor playing for economic and political advantage and using the family as a tool for social cohesion. The paper has convincingly shown that most aspects of kinship are not natural but rather the social construction of various societies over the centuries. The family relationship is not primarily one of genealogical and reproductively, instead, it is culturally specified and the manner in which it is expressed and perceived is a fabrication. It can therefore be authoritatively stated that family is not inherently human or universal; rather, it is a cultural construction that is arbitrary and variable in nature. References Dykstra, A 2006, Family relationships: the ties that bind, Amsterdam Study Centre for the Metropolitan Environment, Amsterdam. Johnson, C 2003, Claud Levi-Strauss: The formative years, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. Kuper, A 1982, ‘Lineage Theory: A Critical Retrospective’, Ann. Rev. Anthropol, vol. 11, no. 1, pp.71-95. Kuper, A 2003, ‘What Really Happened to Kinship and Kinship Studies’, Journal of Cognition and Culture, vol. 3, no. 4, pp. 329-335. Kuper, A 2008, ‘Changing the subject – about cousin marriage, among other things’, Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, vol. 14, no.1, pp. 717-735. Levi-Strauss, C 1969, The Elementary Structures of Kinship, Beacon Press, Boston. Levi-Strauss, C 1970, The raw and the cooked, John and Harper, New York. Read, D 2001, What is Kinship? In The C ultural Analysis of Kinship: The Legacy of David Schneider and Its Implications for Anthropological Relativism, University of Illinois Press, Urbana. Schneider, D 1984, A critique of the study of kinship, University of Michigan Press, Michigan. Schneider, D 1997, ‘The power of culture: notes on some aspects of gay and lesbian kinship in America today’, Cultural Anthropology, vol. 12, no. 2, pp. 270-274. VonSturmer, J 1970, Claude Levi-Strauss: the anthropologist as everyman, Cornell University Press, Ithaca. Voss, S 1977, ‘Claude Levi-Strauss: The Man and His Works’, Nebraska Anthropologist, vol. 145, no.1, pp. 21-38. This essay on Is the Family a Fabricated Thing? was written and submitted by user Doctor Spectrum to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

How Do People Labelled With A Mental Illness Deal with Their Stigmatization

How Do People Labelled With A Mental Illness Deal with Their Stigmatization Introduction Erving Goffman (1963, p. 3) was the man who originally described stigmatization as it applied to different situations. In his book titled Stigma: Noted on the Management of Spoilt Identity, he was able to define stigma and explain the way it applied and affected the stigmatized people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Do People Labelled With A Mental Illness Deal with Their Stigmatization? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More This book was the pioneer of a profuse research about the disease’s nature, the causes, implication on the victim and the impact of stigma. Since the seminal essay of Goffman’s studies on stigma, research on the same issue has been very productive. Consequently the studies provide a number of important elaborations, continual expression and fine-tuning of the concepts that related to stigma and the mental health patients. Literally, the concept of stigma can be applied to different scores of situations ranging from mental illness, urinary incontinence, pregnancy outside marriage, lesbianism, being in debt and even foreign dancing!. Amidst this profusion of investigation and studies, it is imperative to understand why the stigma concept exists, why it still has implications on mentally ill people, explore its effects pervasiveness and persistence on mentally ill people. The definition The term stigma had been in use since ancient times referring to mark left by pricking. This was initially adapted to mark slaves and identify them as having a lower social status in the society. The same has been transferred into modern world to people suffering different conditions. The terms were originally and officially defined by Goffman in 1963 as the attribute which deeply discredits an individual or a group of people (Goffman 1963, p. 3). The issue of stigmatization has been of particular interest to the sociologists, since its impact causes significant loss to the victims especially the social status where stigmatization is evident. Actually, Bruce Link and Jo Phelan, 2001, note that the consequences are the immediate aftermath of negative labelling and prejudice. In most cases the loss of social status quo is a downward placement of an individual (Link Phelan 2001, p. 371). Researchers have observed that the impact of that kind of loss also leads to loss of jobs, housing, and even breaking of a marriage (Link et al 2004, p. 511). Link and Phelan (2001), notes that the reason why a person would discriminate another is because of inadequate explanation of the consequences of the stigmatization, (p. 372). First, prejudice on an individual happens because of blatant rejection of the stigmatized people.Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Second, the organization and the daily patterns of the social institutions describe struct ural discrimination and then reduce the chances of the stigmatized people to advance (Goffman 1963, p. 3). Third, stigmatization could be manifest via social-psychological processes happening in the life of the victims. For instance, self-esteem is greatly affected (Link Phelan 2001, p. 274). Concept of Stigma The study of the stigmatization is often faced with some hitches especially of the exhaustive description of the concept of stigmatization. Most of the investigators prefer to use the Goffman’s description and the idea that this reduces the status of a person to a lower level individual (Goffman 1963, p. 4). There are five presumptions of the important to understand basically a biological issue, the problems of the disabled are because of the disability, the disabled individual is victimized, the disability is a core concept in the definition and the presence of the disability is synonymous with requiring assistance of social support (Corrigan et al. 2002). Mental Heal th The phenomenon of stigmatization was explored by Goffman where he mentioned physical deformities, medical conditions, behaviours of certain kind, prejudice against a tribe, and religion among other things (Goffman 1963, p. 6). Individuals who possess stigmatizing characteristics could face problems of respect, consideration and acceptance. Mental health is the most prejudiced condition and it has undergone extensive research where most of the projects have sought to explore the occurrence of the problems and the reason why there is so much stigmatization against it (Goffman, 1963, p. 7). However, not much has been researched concerning how the victims actually deal with this form of prejudice. Communication with the mental health suffers and survivors show that the issues are not sufficiently dealt with. The stigmatized individuals on the other hand talk of having experienced very painful conditions when they are excluded, despised, rejected and separated in a number of day-to-da y encounters (Link et al. 2004, p. 511). Even though many people talk of their friends, family members, colleagues, neighbours and bosses, these stories mostly point at the mental health service system as the main cause of then discrimination (Link et al. 2004, p. 511). Even with all these, there is still very little concerning the victims survival tactics.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on How Do People Labelled With A Mental Illness Deal with Their Stigmatization? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More How Labelled People Handle the Situations Some progress has been made concerning the elimination of stigma of mental sickness on the victims. The cause of the stigma initially comes with labelling. The mentally sick people have often been referred to as ‘psychos’ or ‘schizos’. Sometimes the labelling extends to jokes even on television referring to these people as ‘loony bins’ and so o n. However, when one is actually suffering some form of mental sickness, then these works are not just jokes or gimmicks, rather they are perpetuating the stigma related to the mental health condition (Link Phelan 2001, p. 375). The individual feels ashamed and very emotionally hurt. Even so, there are some ways that these prejudiced individuals use to cope. Stigma can make an individual hungry or upset and it can still result in misunderstanding from the public with regard to this medical condition. Stigma is putting a mark on an individual with mental illness as in this context (Link Phelan 2001, p. 377). Therefore any stereotyping, calling of names, creating some divisions and excluding from some groups based on their condition amounts to discrimination and therefore stigmatization. It has been observed that while people may not find it easy to mock a person suffering from some form of disease like breast cancers, they easily tend to ridicule mentally ill people often and they find it very funny. Stigma against the men tally sick versus the physically handicapped is evident. The term mental illness itself is an indication that the medical condition is not in the physical body but the brain. Therefore some people do not take it as a legitimate condition therefore they do not regard is on the same level as the physical illness. Rather they look at it as a choice by an individual based on their actions. The sick people are blamed for allowing the condition in their heads. In reality, the problem is caused by very complex factors and in most cases they range from the combination of genetics, the physiology make up of the person and the life experiences. Most of these conditions are beyond the control of the individuals. To survive these prejudice, the stigmatized individual resort to a number of options that help them to survive and eliminated the stigma. Some people usually accept the label as being called ‘Psycho’ or ‘loony’ or any other label for that matter (Heitzeg 1996, p. 350).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More As a result they adopt to live with these negative names and they are accepted in the society as insane people and hence they feel the stigma is reduced. Many people choose this alternative so as to reduce the rejection in the society or to try and reduce discrimination (Heitzeg 1996, p. 350). This tactic draws less attention to them and they survive the world. Goffman suggest that the stigmatized individuals could respond to the same situation in different ways. The response is based on individual beliefs. Some could even act in certain ways to show stigmatization by the mere fact that they believe they have a problem (Oetzel et al. 2006, p. 117). Some people could even try to pass or to conceal their problem from other people and the society at large so that they appear to be ‘normal’. Other people on the other hand, some people could attempt top â€Å"cover† or reduce the significance of the condition they are facing (Williams Healy 2001, p. 112). There are s ome cases where the stigmatized persons choose to reject the discrimination from the society especially the negative discrimination and then they redefine the discrimination in a positive way (Williams Healy 2001, p. 112). They in turn show pride and show off the stigma to be seen by everyone instead of hiding their condition from the public. For instance, a person who has ever suffered from mental illness and is now stigmatized by the idea that once crazy always crazy could take up a more activist role by leading and organisation that fights for the rights of mentally ill people (Heitzeg 1996, p. 356). Or on the other hand such an individual can take up the role of educating the public concerning the condition by giving presentations to the community, various organizations and so on. This education strategy can help the society to understand the condition better and how to deal with the condition. As a result, they can be able to provide more supportive roles (Heitzeg 1996, p. 356 ). Being labelled is a problem in the society especially when the society makes the label to be a very negative condition. The label affects socialization of the people and they get social isolation to a point that they can even fail to find marriage partners in life. The stigmatized individuals tend to keep away from the active societal participation so that they do not expose they deficiencies (Thompson et al. 2004, p. 530). As a result, they are often passive community or society members and they can silently suffer the stereotyping or the discriminatory behaviour. For instance, many theories on how people relate show that their relationships only come from or are instigated by physical and other external factors of which individual have no control over. Sometimes the impact of illness can affect crucial bodily function like reducing the sexual functioning when the individual perceive that they will always face rejection (Hinshaw Stier 2008 p. 371). Stigmatized individuals are a ble to develop survival strategies which include adaptation where they intentionally withdraw from other people so that they can protect themselves from situations that can cause identity threats (Phillips et al. 2002, p. 492). People suffering from mental illnesses on average have been found to also suffer depression and very low self esteem compared to the normal population. Because of isolation, they also suffer lack of social skills of which they can develop good relationships with others (Satche, 2000, p. 32). Conclusion Many people suffering mental illness often manifest by showing misplaced or irrational fear of others. Because of the problems, these people are not able to maintain relationships, they isolate themselves, they cannot easily adapt to change and they suffer emotionally progressively. However, those who adapt positively to the condition, they are able to overcome the stigma and become even prominent people and educators and activists. They grow their self esteem and get empowered by being mentally ill. Reference List Corrigan PW, et al., 2002. Challenging Two Mental Illness Stigmas: Personal Responsibility and Dangerousness. Schizophr Bull, Vol. 28, pp. 293–310 Goffman, E., 1963, Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall. Heitzeg, N. A., 1996, Deviance: Rulemakers Rulebreakers. St.Paul, MN: West Publishing Company. Hinshaw, S. P., Stier, A., 2008. Stigma as Related To Mental Disorders. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, Vol. 4, pp. 367–393 Link, B., et al., 2004. Measuring Mental Illness Stigma. Schizophrenia Bulletin, Vol. 30, pp. 511–41. Link, B. G., Phelan, J. C., 2001. Conceptualizing Stigma. Annual Review of Sociology, Vol. 27, pp. 363–85 Oetzel, J., Duran, B., Lucero, J., Jiang, Y. 2006. Rural American Indians’ Perspectives Of Obstacles In The Mental Health Treatment Process In Three Treatment Sectors. Psychological Services, Vol. 2, pp. 117 œ128. Phillips, M. R., et al., 2002. Stigma and Expressed Emotion: A Study of People with Schizophrenia and Their Family Members in China. Bri J Psychiatry, Vol. 181, No. 488–493 Satcher, D. 2000. Mental Health Gets Noticed. Psychology Today, Vol. 33, No. 1, p. 32. Thompson, V., Noel, J. G., Campbell, J., 2004. Stigmatization, Discrimination, and Mental Health: The Impact of Multiple Identity Status. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, Vol. 74, No. 4, pp. 529–544 Williams, B., Healy, D., 2001. Disclosure of Minor Mental Health Problems: An Exploratory Theoretical Study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, Vol. 35, No. 1, pp. 108-116

3 Cases of Nonequivalent List Items

3 Cases of Nonequivalent List Items 3 Cases of Nonequivalent List Items 3 Cases of Nonequivalent List Items By Mark Nichol When a list of items in a sentence is not a simple matter of a, b, and c, writers can easily err in erroneously constructing the sentence, mangling the syntax in the mistaken belief that nonequivalent items are equivalent. Each of the sentences below presents a distinct problem with parallel structuring of lists, and the discussions and revisions that follow the examples explain and resolve the problems. 1. If you have a kitten, pregnant, or nursing cat, we recommend that you feed it kitten food. This sentence reads as if it refers to three types of cats: kitten cats, pregnant cats, and nursing cats. However, â€Å"kitten cat† is redundant, so kitten must appear syntactically distinct from the two other types of cats mentioned. The references to those types may be combined into a compound phrase, but it must follow a conjunction and a shared article, and the punctuation between them must be omitted to allow them to share the article: â€Å"If you have a kitten or a pregnant or nursing cat, we recommend that you feed it kitten food.† 2. Companies need to embrace innovation, cultural change, and embark on the digital-transformation process to become more nimble and keep up with the changing business environment. This sentence attempts to refer to three actions: embrace of innovation, embrace of cultural change, and embarkation on the digital-transformation process. But â€Å"cultural change† is not provided with its own verb, and the comma that precedes the phrase prevents it from sharing one with innovation. In order to share, the comma must be replaced by a conjunction. In addition, because such a revision results in two, not three, list items (the combination â€Å"embrace innovation and cultural change† and the phrase about embarkation), no internal punctuation is required: â€Å"Companies need to embrace innovation and cultural change and embark on the digital transformation process to become more nimble and keep up with the changing business environment.† 3. Factors influencing technology selection and implementation include the entity’s goals, marketplace needs, competitive requirements, and the associated costs and benefits. Because â€Å"associated costs and benefits† is only tangentially related to the entity, it should not be part of the list describing various aspects of the entity; the sentence must be revised so that â€Å"competitive requirements† is clearly the final item in the list: â€Å"Factors influencing technology selection and implementation include the entity’s goals, marketplace needs, and competitive requirements and the associated costs and benefits.† Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Style category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Comma After i.e. and e.g.List of Greek Words in the English Language15 Names and Descriptions of Effects

Psychological Disorders and Therapy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Psychological Disorders and Therapy - Essay Example PTSD symptoms can be clustered into intrusive symptoms – flashbacks reliving traumatic experiences, avoidant symptoms – withdrawal from possible triggers (place, event, people) of traumatic experiences, and hyperarousal – the feeling of being threatened always occurring as insomnia, irritability, extreme startle response. Nevertheless, PTSD is curable. Effective treatment to PTSD is a combination of psychoanalysis – a therapy that deals with the patient’s unconscious and repressed memories, and drug therapy. SSRIs are the first line of medication approved by the US FDA as it was proven effective to decrease anxiety, depression, and panic reducing aggression, impulsivity, and suicidal thoughts in patients. a. Features: PTSD is a complex disorder, classified as anxiety disorder (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder par.1) or emotional disorder (Dryden-Edwards 1). DSM-IV-TR described it a â€Å"normal reaction to abnormal events† (qtd. in Post-traumatic Stress Disorder par.1), wherein terribly threatening experiences like rape, military combat, torture, genocide, extreme disasters, etc. have disrupted the patient’s memory, emotional reactions, mental processes, and nervous system (PTSD par.1-2; Dryden-Edwards 1), making PTSD a unique psychiatric disorder, since its diagnosis depends on factor/s outside the victim – a deviance from psychiatry’s general emphasis on factors internal to individuals (PTSD par.2). b. Symptoms: DSM-IV-TR identified six criteria symptomatic of PTSD: (1) Traumatic stressor – patient’s exposure to life-threatening horrifying experiences; (2) Intrusive symptoms – flashbacks reliving traumatic experiences; (3) Avoidant symptoms – withdrawal from possible triggers (place, event, people) of traumatic experiences; (4) Hyperarousal – a threatened feeling always occurring as insomnia, irritability, extreme startle response; (5) Symptom duration – one month

Analysis of design learning space with the culture of modesty by Research Paper

Analysis of design learning space with the culture of modesty by observing how Saudi female students embrace existing learning space and the dress code at Riyadh city university - Research Paper Example Traditionally, privacy has been attained through demarcations of separations that were labelled by creating walls, fences, and doors with the sign of prohibition. However, these mechanisms are somewhat old-fashioned since architecture has gone a long way to increasing privacy in facilities. For instance, in 1978, Dan Graham presented his two-way mirror module Two Adjacent Pavilions in a model shown at the Museum of Modern Art in Oxford that enhanced privacy by using a dissimilar model from the previous architecture prototypes. This article studies the abstract architectural quality of privacy as presented in enclosed border-defined space in modern architecture and provides a proposal on privacy in the learning space as done by Riyadh City University in Saudi Arabia. Modern architecture also known as modernist architecture is a word used to imply to an all-embracing movement, with its meticulous definition and scope changing widely. The word is frequently applied to modern movements at the set of the new century. There are efforts to settle the principles of fundamental architectural design with fast technological progression and the transformation of society (Colquhoun, 2002, p. 120). Simultaneity, clarification, superimposition, contradiction, and art are the words that are mostly used synonymously to identify contemporary architecture. Nonetheless, architecture has been a phenomenon that has been dated from the Stone Age and was known to enhance protection from outside forces. As modernization came to pass, architecture has been changing with time and is more comprehensive of many human needs. Privacy is one of the key factors, which is defined as the quality of being isolated from the existence or view of others or the situation of being obs cured or hidden. In the quest to enhance this phenomenon, architects have gone to build walls, furniture, fences,

The Great Gatsby Essay Example for Free

The Great Gatsby Essay The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, introduces the reader to scenes of violence that contribute to the meaning of the complete work. Wealthy, powerful characters such as Tom Buchanan are the major causes of violence introduced because they are selfish and careless. Through an accident that killed Myrtle Wilson, or the passionate murder of an innocent man, Fitzgerald incorporates themes of the novel. The violent act that begins the downward spiral in The Great Gatsby is when Tom Buchanan hits Myrtle, his mistress, in the face. It was a body capable of enormous leverage — a cruel body (Fitzgerald, 12). † is how Nick describes Tom’s intimidating physique when he first meets him. So it is not surprising that when Myrtle begins to taunt him by repeating his wife’s name that he reacted and â€Å"broke her nose with his open hand (Fitzgerald, 41). † This scene of violence demonstrates that people like Tom, living in East Egg, think that they are better than everyone else and can disrespect or ignore others because of social status. This is the underlying cause of the deaths in the novel. One of the most tragic scenes of violence occur when Daisy Buchanan is driving in the car with Gatsby, returning home from their dramatic visit to the city with her husband. She is hysterical because Tom revealed that Gatsby is a bootlegger. While passing through the Valley of Ashes, Myrtle runs out to the car because her husband is forcing her to move and she needs help. â€Å"The ‘death car,’ as the newspapers called it, didn’t stop; it came out of the gathering darkness, wavered tragically for a moment and then disappeared around the next bend (Fitzgerald 144). is how the killing is described. As a result of Daisy’s recklessness, she brutally ran over Myrtle Wilson. Besides the fact that Myrtle was murdered, the importance of this scene is that Daisy did not even stop to take a look at the damage her state had caused. Her ignorance ultimately was the cause of Gatsby’s death. Fitzgerald purposely included wealthy, irresponsible characters in his novel that caused the violence and completed story. To sum up the importance of the crowd with â€Å"old money†, this is a quote from when Nick is speaking to rejected Gatsby. He says, â€Å"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made. (Fitzgerald, 188)† It is clear that all they cared about was themselves, and after the murders occurred, they left town and did not attend one funeral. The last act of violence, when Gatsby is murdered, leaves an important impression on the reader and the novel. George Wilson is devastated by his wife’s death and thinks that God wants him to kill the person who is responsible for it. Naturally, he went to the Buchanan’s to get some answers because it was their car. Tom was in a fragile state because he truly loved Myrtle, and directed George to Gatsby. Gatsby did not kill anybody but he paid the price for it. He was laying in his extravagant pool and saw â€Å"that ashen, fantastic figure gliding toward him through the amorphous trees (Fitzgerald, 172). † First George shot Gatsby, then he shot himself and ended two innocent lives. It was because Gatsby constantly chased one single dream his whole life that the scene of violence had to happen. Daisy was not good for him, and dreams keep getting pushed farther and farther away from people because the past is haunting and unchangeable. The violent scenes Fitzgerald included in The Great Gatsby are the altering moments that support the underlying themes of the past, society and class, and love. Tom’s powerful nature, cheating on his wife, and violence represent the danger and authority. Fitzgerald made a point to include careless, wealthy characters in the novel that contributed to completing the violence and work as a whole.

Essay --

Elizabeth Kelly March 10, 2014 Research Paper Being a famous boxer, you might think it would be easy, but the boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, had a hard time making his way to the professional league. He nearly drowned as a kid, was abused sexually, and was not the tallest kid in school. Even as an adult Ray faced depression, drug addiction, and being an occasional heavy drinker. But even all that did not stop him from pursuing his dream, one he never had a plan for, after two of his brothers talked him into the rough sport. On May 17, 1956, the well-known boxer, Sugar Ray Leonard, was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. Named after his mother’s favorite singer, Ray Charles, his real name, is not often used. When Leonard was three years old, they moved to Washington D.C. Being one of six kids was hard for the parents of Leonard. Then seven years later, his family finally moved into a nice, permanent home in Palmer Park, Maryland, a Baltimore suburb. Sadly as a child, Ray witnessed many crimes and deaths in his neighborhood. He also had some friends die in these areas. When Cicero, Ray’s dad, was a child, he worked long hours in the field. Then later he met Getha. They started dating, then got married and had children. With finances often tight, his parents, Cicero and Getha, had to work hard for their large household. Ray Leonard’s mother, Getha, worked as a nurse. His father, Cicero, worked as a late night supermarket manager so he was usually gone during the night. Ray Leonard was never a problem in school. He got good grade and never was a problem for his parents or the teachers. As a child, Leonard loved to read comic books. He had a friend who was someone who fought in lots of fights and was f... ... in the ring, Leonard decided to retire in 1984. Sugar Ray did not stay retired because in 1987 he started fighting again. As more fights passed, he decided to retire for good in 1997 with a record of 36-3-1 and 25 knockouts. In that same year of 1997 Ray Leonard was inducted into the Hall of Fame. After Leonard’s fantastic career ended, he has been introduced to the camera in a good and different way. Sugar Ray is Khole Kardashian’s godfather, so he has been on a couple episodes of â€Å"Keeping Up with the Kardashian’s†. Leonard has also been season 12 of â€Å"Dancing with the Stars†. Even after all Sugar Ray Leonard has been through, he still managed an outstanding boxing career. He was abused, had gotten in a divorce, and lived in unsafe areas with many crimes, but nothing could stop the boxing star from playing the sport he loved.

A Fortune by Joy Monica

A Fortune by Joy Monica T. Sakaguchi Maybe you are a thief and living by stealing wallets, emptying them from money and put them back. Or perhaps you are a rich man with a son; you maybe love but never show. And maybe you are the son of a man, who never noticed or loves you. Love and money are big things in life, and they are very important in everyday life. In the short story â€Å"A fortune† by Joy Monica T. Sakaguchi from 2000, is the relationship between a teenager and his dad illustrated. The short story ‘’A fortune’’ is about a young man who is a pickpocket.He crooked teeth, oily hair and bony knees. When he was only five years old, he started to steal. There is maybe a good reason why he had become a pickpocket. It all started in his childhood, with his mother, father and his uncle. It was his father who taught him to steal; he said that it was easy for a little boy to pickpocket, because when you are little, you are not always noticed. The fa ther was also that ma would find out, because the narrator used to save the wallets, and once a month his father found them and yelled at him. ’Hey, stupid, how many times I gotta tell you not to keep the wallets? Whatca gonna tell your ma if she finds them? That you old man’s got you stealing from him? ’’. His mother was an ugly lady with a curly black wig and cried all the time. But some credit he had to give her, because she tried to raise him well. She was always worried that he would end up like his â€Å"Stinking, rotting, lout-of-a-father†. His uncle was drunk all the time, and the only job he ever had, was to dress up as Santa Claus on every Christmas Eve.He always hid a bottle of Whisky in a pillow under his Santa Claus jacket. Sometimes he pulled the white bead to the side and asked for a stiff drink. The narrator is in many ways a bad person. Because steeling and actually taking a total stranger with him home, is illegal. But when he ste els, he doesn’t see that it is wrong and forbidden. He grew up with it. But even though his father left the town, he continued on steeling. But in another way he is a good man, because he tries to help a kid which father is a yuppie, and have a lot of money.The kid’s father is ignoring his son, and he always yells at him. And when the narrator sees them in the fish market, he follows them and listens to their conversation. He decides to steal the Yuppies wallet, because his does not deserve money. The meaning of the title â€Å"A fortune† is that the teenager isn’t his father’s fortune, but the money is. And when the narrator where a kid, he wasn’t his father’s fortune. He needed love and contact with his parents.So he created his own fortune of money, he believed that money could replace the missing love. But when he met the boy, he saw the meaning of love. Love is a need, and every kid should be loved by its parents or guardians. Th at is why he takes the kid at home, and takes care of him for the night. The main themes in this story are love and money. There are different meanings about what is most important. If you have all the money you want, you can buy everything but love. And when you have love, you can take care of your friends and family.

Lab Report on Effect of Enzymes Essay

ntroduction The enzyme catalase is present in cells in order to speed the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), which is a toxic chemical to the human body. When hydrogen peroxide is broken down, the end products are Water (H2O) and Oxygen (O2). In this report, the reaction of catalase to hydrogen peroxide is being tested. Furthermore, the effects of temperature, concentration, and pH level on this reaction are being considered. We hypothesize that he experiments will show that Catalase speeds the breakdown of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen, and the oxygen will produce a larger bubbling effect in the solutions where the optimum conditions for enzymatic activity are present. These optimum conditions should be in warm temperature, high concentration, and high pH levels. First, the reaction of catalase to hydrogen peroxide is tested with no additional factors. Then, to study the effect of temperature, three ranges of temperature are introduced in the second experiment. Next, to study the ef fect of concentration, three different levels of catalase are studied in the third experiment. And finally, to study the effect of pH, solutions with three levels of hydrogen concentration are tested in the fourth experiment, again with hydrogen peroxide and catalase. Methods Experiment 1: To test the catalase-hydrogen peroxide reaction with no additional factors, we marked three test tubes to the 1 cm and 5 cm marks. Catalase was added to the 1 cm mark of test tube 1 and test tube 3, while test tube 2 was filled to the 1 cm mark with water. Hydrogen peroxide was added to the 5 cm mark in test tube 1 and test tube 2, while a sucrose solution was used to fill test tube 3. All test tubes were mixed and we waited 20 seconds for bubbling. Test tube 1 represented the experiment, while test tube 2 was the negative control for hydrogen peroxide, and test tube 3 was the negative control for the catalase. Experiment 2: To test the  effect of temperature on enzyme activity, the solution created in test tube 1 of the previous experiment was recreated in three separate test tubes. Test tube 1 was placed in an ice bath. Test 2 was placed in warm water. Test tube 3 was placed in boiling water. Experiment 3: To test the effect of concentration, three separate test tub es were set of to have three different concentrations of the reactant (catalase), while the substrate was consistent across all three test tubes. Test tube 1 was filled in the same fashion as test tube 1 in the first experiment. Test tube 2 was then filled to 2 cm with catalase and then to 7 cm with hydrogen peroxide. Test tube 3 was filled to 3 cm with catalase, and then to 8 cm with hydrogen peroxide. Experiment 4: Finally, to test the effect of pH Level on enzyme activity, three test tubes were again created. The concentration of catalase and hydrogen peroxide are again the same as in test tube one in the first experiment. However, 2 cm of water adjusted to different pH levels were added. In test tube 1, 2 cm of water with pH of 3 is added to the 1 cm of catalase and 4 cm of hydrogen peroxide. In test tube 2, 2 cm of water adjusted to the pH adjusted to 7 was added to 1 cm of catalase and 4 cm of hydrogen peroxide. In test tube 3, 2 cm of water adjusted to the pH adjusted to 11 was added to 1 cm of catalase and 4 cm of hydrogen peroxide. Discussion The discussion section includes your interpretation of the results and provides the answer to the research question described in the introduction. Specifically, discuss whether or not your hypotheses were supported. Also, include a comparison to previous studies, discuss the limitations of your study (briefly), and detail unexpected findings. Finally, summarize your conclusions and discuss the significance of your results in a broader context. Use the appropriate tense as described above. References The references section is a list of all references cited in the text. Arrange references alphabetically according to author name, not chronologically. The name of the journals containing the cited papers should be written out in full. Town/city and country names should be provided for non-journal references. Each article reference should be given as in the following example: Alfano J.R., Collmer A. (2004) Type III secretion system effector proteins: double agents in bacterial disease and plant defence. Annual Review Phytopathology, 42, 385–414. Books or other non-serial publications which are quoted in the references must be cited as follows: Gage J.D., Tyler P.A. (1991) Deep-sea Biology: A Natural History of Organisms at the Deep-sea Floor. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK: 504 pp. Lester R.N., Hasan S.M.Z. (1991) Origin and domestication of the brinjal eggplant, Solanum melongena, from S. incanum, in Africa and Asia. In: Hawkes J.G., Lester R.N., Nee M., Estrada N. (Eds), Solanaceae III: Taxonomy, Chemistry, Evolution. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; London, UK: 369–387.

Employment law The WritePass Journal

Employment law Abstract Employment law ) Employment Law 2012, Oxford University Press, p.227 Collins, H (2010) Employment law. Oxford University Press p.167 Emir, A (2012) Selwyns Law of Employment, Oxford University Press, p.509 Employment Act 2008 Employment Rights Act 1996 Iceland Frozen Foods Ltd v Jones [1982] IRLR 439 Sandwell West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust v Westwood UKEAT/0032/09 Western Excavating (ECC) Ltd v Sharp [1978] ICR 221 Employment Law Introduction Employment Law ) aims to tackle perceptions that there are ‘too many’ employment laws, through lobbying for reform, while ensuring that reforms are not at the expense of compromising fairness for individuals. The report argues that although businesses complain about the amount of employment legislation, in reality the UK has one of the most lightly-regulated labour markets among developed countries. Only the United States and Canada have lighter overall employment regulation (OECD Indicators of Employment Protection, 2008: cit in: BIS, 2012). Arguments in favour of more Employment Legislation The UK’s ‘light touch’ employment regulations may be reflected in their flexible working legislation. The right to request flexible working does not enforce employers to comply with individual requests, only to offer the procedures for them to do so. It is therefore argued that it is individuals (particularly with dependents) and the social organisations who support them, who favour increasing employment legislation, in order to provide fairness at work that ensures a work life balance (Burnett et al, 2012). In a 2012 report by Working Families and One Plus One, Happy Homes and Productive Workplaces, from a sample of over two thousand respondents, nearly eighty percent of respondents felt that flexible working was the most beneficial working arrangement (Burnett et al, 2012). However, the report argued that in order to support flexible working, further legislation was needed in order to promote arrangements that are mutually beneficial and embedded as a culture of flexibility, rather than an approach that manages requests as an exception to the norm (ibid). Along with relationship and family support organisations, a growing number of business and HR associations support further employment legislation and reform to push forward the benefits of flexible working (CIPD, 2013). Drawing on the findings of the 2011 Workplace Employment Relations Study (WERS) the CIPD suggest that employment legislation needs to increase, due in part to a lack of effective mechanisms to tackle labour relations. The report points to recent socio-economic and political changes in the UK where an increase in employment law is becoming ever more essential. For example, the facilitation of employment legislation during the 1980’s and 1990’s discouraged union membership and reduced collective bargaining powers. This is reflected in the WERS study, in 2012, which shows very low levels of employee engagement in collective bargaining, only six percent in privat e businesses, with fourteen percent of employee trade union membership in the same sector (Wanrooy et al, 2011). The near absence of collective bargaining, although removing employer constraints on freedom of action, raises concerns over employee voice, where employment legislation may be seen as an attempt to close this gap (CIPD, 2012). Danzinger and Waters Boots (2008), argue that in reality flexible working legislation does not go far enough. Unions and parent advocacy groups argue that many workers who would benefit from flexible arrangements do not ask for them out of fear of being refused, or because of a fear that asking may jeopardise their careers. Research suggests that employees will only ask for flexible work if they believe their requests will be approved. It is also argued that flexible working legislation may reinforce gender inequalities by linking flexible work and care responsibilities, reinforcing a ‘mother career track’ that pairs women with demotions of pay and position. Further, unfair dismissal claims, involving refusal of flexible working, tend to favour women, who can rely on anti-discrimination legislation, such as in Adedeji v The City of London Corporation (2007) (see Appendix 2), in order to strengthen their claims (ibid). Future Changes to Flexible Working Legislation New flexible working employment legislation to come into effect in 2014 appears to address some of the above criticisms. The government plans to extend the statutory right to request flexible working arrangements to all employees (with over twenty-six weeks service) whether they are a carer or not. This removes the present requirement that the employee must have caring responsibilities. In addition, the procedure for considering flexible working requests, which is currently very prescriptive, will be relaxed and employers will instead be required to consider requests in a reasonable manner and within a reasonable time frame (ACAS, 2014). Currently, it is possible for an employee to claim compensation due to the employer’s failure to comply with the procedures laid down in the Flexible Working (Procedural Requirements) Regulations 2002. In Bryan v Corporate Advertising Ltd ET/2105111/10, although the tribunal rejected Mrs Bryan’s claim that she was constructively dismissed and subjected to indirect sex discrimination, it was however held that the company had breached the procedures laid down by the 2002 Regulations. This procedural breach may no longer by relied upon under the 2014 legislation. However, successful claims may still be used under anti-discrimination legislation. In Commotion Ltd v Rutty [2006] IRLR 171 (EAT), it was upheld that the employee had been subject to constructive unfair dismissal and indirect sex discrimination, due to the employer’s failure to have any lawful reason to reject flexible working conditions. However, in Winfindale v Debenhams Retail plc (ET/2404134/10, 20 Aug 2010), it was held that there was no indirect sex discrimination where an employer showed that they took seriously a request to return from maternity leave on a part-time basis to a managers role. According to a Equality and Human Rights Commission report (2009), proposed changes in flexible working legislation will continue to fail to encourage workers in management positions to request flexible arrangements (EHRC, 2009). The report suggests that under current legislation, employee’s in management positions are less likely to make a request for flexible working, and when they do, they are less likely to succeed (ibid). In the government’s Consultation on Modern Workplaces Report (2012), it is argued that current legislation that prioritises certain groups reinforces the idea that flexible working is only for those in caring roles, whereas the aim of the new legislation is to promote a culture where flexible working is a legitimate ambition for all employees (HM Government, 2009). Although the legislation proposes to ‘allow’ but not ‘require’ employers to prioritise competing requests, employers will continue to have to show that all competing requests cannot always be accommodated, in their entirety, on business grounds (ibid). Drawing on the CIPD report (2005), a large majority of employers find compliance with the current legislation relatively straightforward. Of those who have had problems, the main barrier to compliance is that managers find it difficult to manage employees on different flexible working arrangements. Given that the new legislation attempts to widen the right to request flexible working to all employees, employers may face an increased challenge to accommodate competing requests. However, according to the same report, since the introduction of the current legislation, less than one-tenth of employers have faced grievance or disciplinary proceedings, or an employment tribunal claim. Further, research shows that it is large multi-national companies that benefit most from flexible working arrangements. Among those benefits are improvements in staff retention, improved morale and a reduction in costs (CIPD, 2005). These reported benefits need to be balanced against arguments that oppose mor e legislation promoting flexible working (ibid). More significantly, the statutory provision to enable greater flexibility in the workplace looks set to increase in the future. In a recent report, Management Futures – The World in 2018 (2008), the findings predict that organisations will become more virtual, the premium for talent will increase, with new aspirations and ambitions of a multi-cultural, widely dispersed workforce (Chartered Management Institute (CMI),2008). Conclusion This report has attempted to provide an insight into the contextual background surrounding employment laws in the UK today. The focus on flexible working legislation may be seen as a salient debate, given the competing claims from employers, employees and the organisations that support them (Burnett et al, 2012). At the same time, against a backdrop of socio-political and economic changes there has been an increasing legislative response to address both the rights of individual workers and a drive to improve competition, efficiency and development in the market (Pettinger, 1998). Given the predictions of further changes in the labour market, statutory provision looks set to increase in response. The debate for or against increasing legislation surrounding flexible working therefore needs to be balanced with the benefit to both businesses and the rights of individuals (CIPD, 2005). Word count: 2644 Bibliography Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) (2014) Employment Law Update. Available [online] from: acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=3909 [Accessed on 4th January 2014] Anderman, S.D (2000) Labour Law:Management Decisions and Workers Rights:4th Edition. Oxford: Oxford University Press British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) (2005) Employment Law: Burden or Benefit? BCC Available [online] from: britishchambers.org.uk/ [Accessed on 4th January 2014] British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) (2010) Employment Regulation: Up to the Job? March 2010. Available [online] from: thamesvalleychamber.co.uk [Accessed on: 4th January 2014] Biagi, M (2000) Job Creation and Labour Law: From Protection Towards Pro-action. The Hague: Klvwar Law International Burnett, S Coleman, L, Houlston C, Reynolds, J (2012) Happy Homes and Productive Workplaces: Summary Report of Research Findings. Available [online] from: oneplusone.org.uk [Accessed on: 4th January 2014] Busby, N James, G (2011) Families, Care-giving and Paid Word: Challenging Labour Law in the 21st Century. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd Chartered Institute of Personal Development (CIPD) (2012) Flexible Working Provision and Uptake Survey Report. May 2012. Available [online] from: cipd.co.uk/binaries/5790%20Flexible%20Working%20SR%20(WEB2).pdf [Accessed on: 4th January 2014] Chartered Management Institute (CMI) (2008) Management Futures: The World in 2018. CMI. Available [online] from: managers.org.uk-research-policy-published-reports [Accessed on 4th January 2014] Civicus (2008) Strategic Directions 2008-2012 World Alliance for Citizen Participation Available [online] from: http://civicus.org/downloads/SDConsultation/Annex%209%20-%202008-2012%20CIVICUS%20Strategic%20Directions.pdf Danzinger, A Waters Boots, S (2008) Memo on the Impact of the United Kingdoms Flexible Working Act. Georgetown: Georgetown University Law Centre Davies, A (2011) Employment Law and Workplace Law Handbook: Human Resources. Cambridge: Workplace Law Group Ltd Department for Business Innovation and Skills (2012) Employment Law Review – Annual Update 2012. Available [online] from: gov.uk/government/uploads/government/publication [Accessed on 4th January 2014] Department of Trade and Industry (dti) (2006) Employment Flexibility and UK Regional Unemployment: Persistance and Micro-economic Shocks. Employment Relations Research Series No.65. 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Decision Support Systems and Competitive Advantage Assignment

Decision Support Systems and Competitive Advantage - Assignment Example These systems do not make decisions by themselves, but through the presentation of information in a manner that enables decision-making possible and informed (Power, 2002). Â  Their application majorly in most organizations is to help create competitive advantage. This refers to an organization’s resources, capabilities or skills that significantly enhance its success within the market it operates and against rivalry situations it encounters. Such results from carrying out activities better than competitors thus creating value and superior performance to consumers and clients alike (Parsaei, Kolli & Hanley, 1996). A decision support system can only create a competitive advantage for an organization when certain criteria are met. These involve: using it and making it become an important and significant strength of the particular organization once it is implemented; being unique and proprietary to the organization and taking of the advantage provided by its sustainability until the adequate payback is received, which normally takes at least three years. These criteria have to be carefully considered to derive the benefits of the decision support s ystems throughout (Power & Business Expert Press, 2009). Â  Managers have increasingly integrated the use of decision support systems in their organizations through the use of sophisticated data-driven systems to obtain information that was initially present in ordinary files and those on computer storage systems (Green, Stankosky & Vandergriff, 2010).

The Results of Safety Training at the Moline Plant and Recommendations Essay

The Results of Safety Training at the Moline Plant and Recommendations for Future Trainings - Essay Example As the research discovers the tendency of decrease of safety incidents was slowed down in the middle of the evaluation period, which corresponds to our pre-training expectations. In this regard, one of the most important factors that contributed to the mentioned positive trend from the very beginning of the evaluation period was the high level of employee`s motivation in relation to observance of safety rules, confirmed by the questionnaires distributed in the beginning, in the middle, and in the end of the evaluation period. The decline in the level of employee`s motivation in relation to observance of safety rules was marked in the middle of the evaluation period, which correlates with the slowed decrease of safety incidents. In this regard, the important conclusion can be drawn that for safety trainings to remain maximally effective for prolonged periods of time, they should be integrally incorporated into the work process at the Moline plant in the future. This paper stresses that building on the above-mentioned considerations, some relevant recommendations can be made as to the ways to achieve the most effective inclusion of regular safety trainings, and safety culture as such as well, to the work process at the Moline plant. Firstly, the practice of involvement of contract trainers has had mixed results and should be reevaluated. As a matter of fact, two of the four trainers received relatively low ratings from the students.