Gas Agency

Software requirement specification for BuzzyBUY. com (Online Shopping and auctioning Web Site) Prepared by Table of Contents 1. Introduction 2 1. Purpose 2 2. Document Conventions2 3. Intended Audience and Reading Suggestions2 4. Product Scope2 5. References 2 2. Overall Description 3 1. Product Perspective3 2. Product Functions3 3. User Classes and Characteristics 3 1. Administrators 3 2. Buyers4 3. Sellers 4 4. Casual visitors4 4. Design and Implementation Constraints5 . User Documentation6 6. Assumptions and Dependencies6 3. External Interface Requirements6 1. User Interfaces6 2. Hardware Interfaces6 3. Software Interfaces6 4. Communication Interfaces7 4. System Features7 1. Listing7 2. Account Creation8 3. Selling8 4. Buying8 5. Rating8 6. Others8 5. Other Non Functional Requirements9 1. Performance Requirements9 2. Safety Requirements9 3. Software Quality Attributes 9 4. Business Rules9 6. Appendix A: Glossary9 7. Appendix B: Analysis Models10 1. Introduction: 1. Purpose: The p urpose of this SRS is to specify the requirements of the web based software application buzzybuy. om, which is an online shopping and bidding system. The module to be developed is the first version of buzzybuy –version 1. 0. This Software Requirements Specification provides a complete description of all the functions and specifications of buzzybuy –version 1. 0 2. Document conventions: IEEE standards used. Proper sub numbering system for sub topics based on the importance and priority of the matter. 3. Intended audience and reading suggestions:The expected audience of this document is the faculty in charge of software engineering lab for 6th semester Computer Science, NITK suratkal .It will be used as a reference for grading in the lab for even semester of 2006. There is no suggested reading to be done before going through the document. 4. Product scope: Buzzybuy. com is designed to run on both any modern platform with GUI. It is assumed that the back end that will be used for implementation is MySQL and the front end that will be used is PHP. 5. References: 1. The applicable IEEE standards are published in â€Å"IEEE standards collection†, 2001 edition. 2. Software Engineering, A Practitioner’s approach, 6th edition. By Roger S Pressman. McGraw hill international. 2. Overall description 1.Product perspective:This is proposed to be an enhanced model of the present day existing shopping and auctioning portals. Many flaws in the present online shopping portals haven’t been able to exploit the full potential of e-commerce market. The Software Requirements Specifications intends to identify the flaws in the current existing system and propose an alternative or a solution to them. 2. Product Functions: †¢ It consists of two modules 1. Customer module 2. Administrator module †¢ A customer should have a user account for carrying out transactions. †¢ Transactions include buying, selling and auctioning. Administrator pr ovides the customer with an account following proper registration procedures to prevent malpractices in the transactions. †¢ Any visitor is allowed to browse through the product list, their prices and bidding procedures. †¢ Buying, selling and bidding procedures are kept transparent so that any user is able to go through the procedures. 3. User classes and characteristicsThere are 3 kinds of users for the proposed system 1. Administrators: They create user accounts and give it to the required customers. ? To educate consumers about Buzzybuy’s range of products and indigenous services. They must provide rules for the transactions. ? They must maintain the website and update the same making necessary changes at times. ? They must take care of the security issues involved in the transactions. ? They must inform the users about their transaction status and keep them updated about the progress through emails. ? They must receive feedbacks from their customers or any user s about their system and act upon the relevant ones. ? Look up at all the legal issues involved with the business. ? Keep place for advertisements in the website as a revenue generating option.The place has to be maintained and proper listings done. ? Any failures in the system have to be detected and repaired. 2. Buyers: They are the genuine customers of the website. They can see the listing, bid for various things, and also buy them to various payment options. 3. Sellers: These are the people involved in selling their products through buzzybuy. They consider this as a virtual market place. They need to be provided with proper advertisement place, and ratings of customers. The sellers too are rated based on the feedback they get from previous transactions completed from customers.These feedback data are treated with great respect and are transparent to everyone. The sellers too value this very highly. 4. Casual visitors: These people don’t come to the site on specific intens ions of buying or selling. They just visit to see the listing and too see the products. They need not have an user account. They can be future potential customers. They sellers can lure them with advertisements on the site based on their budget. The following usecase diagram states the above data in a graphical form: [pic] Fig 1 Usecase Diagram for BuzzyBuy 4. Design and Implementation Constraints The main constraint here would be the checking the genuineness of the buyer, which is not always possible. There can be security risks involved. †¢ The design constraints are that the browser at each place may not follow similar screen resolutions, browsers etc. This can lead to the website not having the impact it is planned to have. †¢ Also the rules of the land will prohibit certain items to be sold on the site. Hence all those factors need to be filtered in. †¢ Also storage space constraints may come if the listing becomes too large. Hence a strong server needs to be cho sen to host the database. 5.User Documentation: 1. Online user help with all the necessary help needed to use the site in a bulletin format. 2. Problem addressable forms 3. Software and database specification 4. Details of rules and regulation to sellers as well as buyers. 6. Assumptions and Dependencies None as per now 3. External Interface Requirements: 1. User Interfaces: Each part of the user interface intends to be as user friendly as possible. The fonts and buttons used will be intended to be very fast and easy to load on web pages. The pages will be kept light in space so that it won’t take a long time for the page to load.The staring page will ask the user what kind of a user is he, either seller, buyer or a casual visitor. Based on which the future pages will be loaded in a sequential manner. Each listing page will have a area to put the bid, the product details with photo etc. Each page also will have a search engine to search the products available so that it is re adily available and the user need not search for it. Each button will have an online help link to help the user in understanding the process. 2. Hardware Interfaces: A web server will be used to host the WebPages and the database management system.Most pages will be dynamic pages built with php. Each page will be optimized to the type of web browser and resolution being used. A minimum of PIII system running at 733 MHz will be needed to run the modules. Normal modes of network modes used in Internet technology will be used. 3. Software Interfaces: The incoming message mostly includes requests for a specific task, which on the course of the development will be decided in detail and dealt with in design specification document. The incoming messages from the messages will be converted to a specific format in the database language, the processing made and the request served.The operations will be intended to be made as fast as possible. 4. Communications Interfaces: The web server maint enance and other activities to be done using FTP transfer protocol. The security and other issues will be dealt with in the course of the project, as there is little idea as to how these things work to our team as per now. There will other communication interfaces with the users of the site with site-specific email, forms and complaint addressable mechanisms. These things as far as possible will be automated. 4. System Features 1.Listing: This includes the listing feature of the website where any search or other request of a user to a particular subject is served. The pertinent web pages are loaded and the particular database is initialized. There are listings based on the priority as by user preferences. This is actually the listing of web pages to the users by time of selling, deadline, price, quality etc. Listing includes listing of o Products to be sold directly o Products open for bidding till a particular date o Sellers in a particular area or with specific ratings o Used prod ucts on for sale. Just casual listings of random things o Payment options to buy or sell. |Action |Software reaction | |User logs in the system |The system authenticates | |User defines the information to view |System provides the necessary details as requested by the | | |particular employee | |User views the information | |Table No 1. The table states a typical control passing in the system during logging in Listings will be made very fast and user friendly. Proper security is also a very pertinent point here. 2. Account creation: This includes creating user accounts to each of sellers and buyers separately. This includes taking pertinent information from them and then initializing the database. The database needs to be properly updated on each transaction by the user and all the details of his/her account should figure in the account listing.The security of the account also should be dealt with. 3. Selling:Here the seller can list his/her things on his /her quoted price. Or else he can keep it for a bidding process where he is not sure of the price. The details of which will be kept in the user database. The details of his goods on selling list will be updated to him on a regular basis to his email id. The process of selling can include some bargaining too, but the details are yet to be thought of.The payment and feed back details are kept transparent. 4. Buying:There are 4 ways of buying or intending to buy o Direct buying o Bidding o Group buying o Tracking The details of which will be dealt with in the design specification. Each of these details are kept in the user account where he is kept updated about all his moves. 5. Ratings: Each products, buyers and sellers are constantly rated based on the feedback and the market behavior so that users feel secure about the system.These ratings are given based on a best pointer of five, the details of which are yet to be worked out. These ratings are intended to bring some trust and credibility to the concept of an online market. 6. Others: Include money transactions, legal issues, regional tastes, costs involved, business models used etc pertinent issues but won’t be seen in detail in the document as the things are beyond the reach of the design team. 5. Other Nonfunctional Requirements: 1. Performance Requirements: As stated before. 2.Safety Requirements: Suitable safety has to be taken while allowing a product to be sold on buzzybuy. They have to follow the legalities of the land, and must be ethical. There could be possible misuse of the system by bogus user, bidding and buying without paying up. It is not always possible to check the postal addresses. Also during money transactions the unreliable networks may cause further problems. So such practices need to be avoided. 3. Software Quality Attribute: The system is easy to load and light .It adds to the quality and usability of the system. Some others quality considerations such as adaptability, availability, correctness, flexib ility, interoperability, maintainability, portability, reliability, reusability, robustness, testability, and usability will also be very seriously taken to consideration. 4. Business Rules: Nothing is above customer satisfaction. So the rules need to be kept flexible to meet user needs and preferences at different times. Other models can be applied but is beyond the scope of the team. . Appendix A: Glossary 1. SRS: Software requirement specification 2. GUI: Graphical user interface. 3. PHP: Personal home pages 4. IEEE: Institute of electrical and electronic engineers. 5. FTP: File transfer protocol 6. SQL: Structural query language. 7. Appendix B: Analysis Models [pic] ———————– Central Processing server Listing Selling Buying Administration Administrator Casual visitor Seller Buyer Buyer Seller Casual visitor Administrator Administration Buying Selling Listing Central Processing server

Literary analysis of “A Good Man is Hard To Find” Essay

In the short story A Good Man Is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Conner, the reader is taken on a journey and tags along with a self-centered family as they explore the sights of the rural south while en route to their destination, a family vacation in Florida. As they travel the dusty road, O’Connor (2012) takes them from heaven, â€Å"all at once, they would be on a hill, looking down over the blue tops of trees for miles around,† (p. 139) and spirals them down to hell â€Å"then the next minute, they would be in a red depression with the dust coated trees looking down on them,† (p. 139) where they meet their sudden and unexpected demise. Through it all, O’Connor spins a violent, dark and dismal tale, utilizing symbolism, allusions, irony and psychological aspects to effectively convey her theme of good versus evil, and reminds us that good does not always win. O’Connor (2012) starts us in an unnamed city, with a family of six as they discuss their upcoming vacation to Florida. The husband, Bailey, is succinct and short with his words. His wife and mother, both remain unnamed in the story but have quite contrasting personalities. Bailey’s mother, the grandmother, is self-centered and often manipulative. His wife, the children’s mother, is quiet and meek as she cares for her youngest child, the baby. His 2 older children, John Wesley and June Star, are outspoken and disrespectful, and their rude behavior goes unpunished. They travel the back roads of Georgia together as the grandmother tells tales of the past and points out uninteresting sights, which fall on the deaf ears of her family. The family stops for lunch at a roadside diner, and the reader gets a further glimpse into their everyday interaction, and for a moment, things actually seem hopeful for the dysfunctional family. After their meal, the family continues on to their destination, and the grandmother and children manipulate Baily into taking a detour to visit an old, mysterious estate that the grandmother once visited in her younger years. A sudden and  embarrassing thought of the grandmother leads to a car accident where miraculously, nobody sustains any serious injury. A moment of hope in rescue turns dismal as their rescuer turns out to an escaped killer, the Misfit, who eventually kills the family. The grandmother, who in more ways than one is responsible for the family’s untimely end, has a moment of grace in her last moment and dies with a smile on her face (p. 134-146). O’Connor’s story is filled with symbolism and allusion, in order to further convey her dark theme of death and ideas surrounding it. An example of such symbolism is when the family is passing the town of Toombsboro. O’Connor (2012) writes â€Å"outside of Toombsboro she woke up and recalled an old plantation that she had visited in this neighborhood once when she was a young lady† (p. 138). The name of the town, Toombsboro plays on the word tomb, which represents death. This alludes to the reader that death may be in the family’s future. O’Connor continues with the symbolism after the family has crashed, and their hope for rescue comes in the form of a hearse. The family sees a car slowly driving towards them, lumbering along the twists and turns of the road they had just traveled. As it appears in front of them, O’Connor (2012) writes â€Å"it was a big black battered hearse-like automobile† (p.140). Again, the image of a hearse, which is used to transport the dead, brings the idea of death to the mind of the reader, and further alludes to the death that the family is about to encounter. O’Connor (2012) furthers her death allusions and symbolism when she writes â€Å"the Misfit pointed the toe of his shoe into the ground and made a little hole and then covered it up again† (p. 142). The Misfit in this case, is digging a hole and then covering it back up, symbolizing the digging of a grave, and then filling the grave back in. O’Connor’s use of symbols of death advance her theme and add to the dark tone of the story. O’Connor also uses a number of psychological aspects to further relate her characters to her readers. As O’Connor starts the story, all members of the family appear in one way or another to be self-centered, which relates to the psychoanalysis term of the â€Å"Id,† which are the unconscious desires of the character and the gratification of those desires. In one passage, the grandmother speaks to the children of an old southern gentleman she once  knew, Mr. Teagarden. O’Connor (2012) writes â€Å"she would have done well to marry Mr. Teagarden because he†¦ had bought Coca-Cola stock when it first came out and that he had died†¦ a very wealthy man† (p.137). This comment by the grandmother hints on her unconscious materialistic desires about money, and is even shameful enough to impart this negative personal quality onto her grandchildren. Moreover, this quality is seen in the children when O’Connor writes about June Star as she speaks about the roadside diner where they have stopped. June Star says â€Å"I wouldn’t live in a broken-down place like this for a million bucks† (O’Connor, 2012, p. 137). June Star is showing her materialistic desires when she states that she has no care to live in anything but luxury, even for a large sum of money. Further in the story, the children throw a tantrum, even resorting to violent tactics, in order to get their way and visit the old estate where hidden valuables are rumored to be stashed. O’Conner (2012) writes: â€Å"The children began to yell and scream that they wanted to see the house with the secret panel. John Wesley kicked the back of the front seat and June Star hung over her mother’s shoulder and whined desperately into her ear†¦ The baby began to scream and John Wesley kicked the back of the seat so hard that his father could feel the blows in his kidney† (p.139). Again, O’Connor illustrates the Id of the children as they seek gratification of their desires, which is to get the hidden valuables. This shows the materialistic values that the young children hold. O’Connor’s use of psychoanalytic ideas helps further convey her theme and tone to the reader. O’Connor also employs a number of examples of irony in her story to better involve the reader. The grandmother states â€Å"I wouldn’t take my children in any direction with a criminal like that aloose in it. I couldn’t answer to my conscious if I did† (O’Connor, 2012, p. 134). This statement, while foreshadowing to a certain degree, turns ironic at the end of the story, as it is the grandmother that detours the family down the dirt road, where they ultimately come into contact with the Misfit, and are killed. It is also ironic in that the grandmother does have to answer to her conscious, and O’Connor (2012) describes the grandmother, after being shot by the Misfit, as having â€Å"her face smiling up at the cloudless sky† (p. 145), showing that the grandmother died at peace. Again, this is ironic in that the  grandmother was directly responsible for her children and grandchildren’s deaths, yet she died at peace with the world. O’Connor’s use of irony throughout the story is an excellent way to further her overall tone, and engage the reader deeper into the story. O’Connor’s story brings the reader into the realm of death by her use of symbolism, irony, and psychoanalysis. Her use of symbols and allusions of death, seeking gratification for personal desires, and the idea that the characters meet an ironic death, all build a solid base in which to convey her theme that living a good, pure and wholesome life may spare you from evil. The character’s may feel on top of the world as they travel down the dusty, winding road of life, but ultimately die, due to their selfish ways, in a reddened, deep ditch, at the edge of a dark woods. References O’Connor, F. (2012). A Good Man Is Hard to Find. In P. Schakel, & J. Ridl, Approaching literature: Reading, thinking, writing (3rd ed., pp. 134-146). Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s.

Media Manipulation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Media Manipulation - Essay Example Those people oppose to the media argue that the media has failed to play its designated role in society. Nonetheless, today, it is clear that the media as shifted from its role as a tool for information, and has become a major tool for manipulation in society. The advancement of technology has allowed for the widening of the media. Today, there is media forms include books, newspapers, television, radio, internet, and movies, among many others. Therefore, people today are exposed to a variety of information sources; hence, there is a flood of information from different media, directed to the public. Furthermore, since the media is in business, the different media forms are in a competition. This competition has contributed to the divergence of the media from its ideal role as a tool for information. Although there is an overflow of information in society, people are hungry for the truth. This is because, the media, which should ideally be a source of true information, is owned by ind ividuals, who are only interested in pursuing their interests through the media. For this reason, the media ceases to be a tool for information, and becomes a tool for manipulation. There is a high level of manipulation and bias in the media today. According to the Centre for Research on Globalization

Changing of Pop Music Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Changing of Pop Music - Research Paper Example Chorus should be repeated uphold verse-chorus  structure  posses a  sound  which is melodic and have hooks which are  catchy. Numerous changes have taken place over the years (Simpson & Weiner, 1989). One group that changed pop culture is The Beatles. How the Beatles changed pop music The Beatles came into limelight by changing the whole idea of pop music in the world. This was after they overwhelmed the world with their creativity in sound making, which showed their  integrity  with what  was referred  to as â€Å"fab four’s success† (Frith, et al, 1990). The group comprises of George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This new  mix  sound, which  was developed  by Beatles, was a mixture of rock and roll with black rhythm and blues. Their unique sound comprised of sounds, which were easy to sing along with the lyrics. Their music made  youths  be interested to listening to music again as they had influenced individuals in both America and Britain. They were the first British  group  to become  successful  and popular in America (Gillet, 1970). The popularity and revolutionizing of music by the Beatles  was encouraged  by their mainstreaming into success globally. Before they came into limelight, most musicians who were  famous  always sang solo and their bands  were never given  consideration. ... They had  energetic  lyrics that  were accompanied  by funky beats, which had youths all over the world singing along to them (Frith, 2004). They did not only  influence  people into their new dress code and singing, as they  were involved  in  political  affairs by preaching peace while hallucinogenic of drugs. Moreover, they also borrowed the Indian mysticism of  meditation  to the society. Their lead singer John Lennon started singing when he was 17, and he had already started his own band in the name of Black Jacks. His  band  was comprised  of members from his class who studied in Liverpool’s Quarry Bank Grammar School (Frith, et al, 1990). When they were representing their school, they  were known  as Quarry Men. Paul McCartney  was introduced  to the  band  in 1957 during a  preparation  of their performance in the church hall. He officially joined the  band  in October same year after auditioning. In 1958, the band chan ged their music from  normal  sniffle and jazz where they ventured into rock and roll. Their banjo player who decided to leave the band took this  badly, and George Harrison took his  part. The Quarry Men could not  establish  itself, and early 1959 witnessed their break up (Denisoff & William, 1986). The three managed to  attain  a  contract  of playing at Casbah Coffee Club found in Liverpool. Shortly, the club owner’s son called Pete Best who was a drummer joined them. They tried out some names before settling for The Beatles. In June 1962, the band went for an audition at Parlophone Records situated at Abbey Road Studios, which  was owned  by George Martins. He loved the band and their songs. However, he was not  comfortable  with Best who had

Demand & Supply Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Demand & Supply - Essay Example Law of supply, on the other hand, proposes that firms would supply more of a good at a higher price than they would at a lower price. Again all other factors, notably scarcity of the good, are held constant. This results in an upward sloping supply curve. The market equilibrium is attained at a point where the demand and supply curves intersect giving us the equilibrium price. In this analysis the impact of an increase in consumer income is shown by a shift in demand curve outside. On this demand curve the consumer demands more of the good at the same price. Similarly a specific choice pattern of consumer would result in a differing demand curve. For instance take the example of a consumer who is collector of paintings from a particular historic period. This consumer can pay any price for a desired painting up to a certain point and his demand curve may be shaped accordingly. Whereas the supplier would continue to be governed by the basic law of supply.

Implenting Dorothy Orem's nursing theory on a psychiatric practice Essay

Implenting Dorothy Orem's nursing theory on a psychiatric practice unit - Essay Example The contribution of the patients toward their care is apparent. This proceeds to the evaluation of the role of nurses in the sustainability of effective nursing techniques. Evaluation However, prior to the evaluation of the contribution of the Orem's theory to the generation of effective nursing techniques, it is vital to evaluate the description that is painted from the embrace of the theory. Orem's theory is established from a connection of actively interrelated assertions that steer towards the development of a common idea. The theory places its aim at configuring out different avenues upon which the central aim can be attained (Z?eleznik, 2010). This aim is narrowed along the improvement of the service, as the desires and interests of the patient are prioritized. The developments of these assertions are built along a logic approach. This implicates that the development of the theory is founded on an interweave of logical assertions and principles. This perception assists in the d evelopment of an effective theory in terms of acceptance (Barbosa & Severinsson, 2010). Pointing on the nature of the theory, a general conclusion can be ascertained on its simplicity in terms of ease of understanding. It is eminent that the utilization or the adoption of this theory is highly pegged on the ease upon which its effective implementation can be achieved. The developments of complications along the deciphering of its content are highly reduced since the perception or the development of a reliable conclusion is easily attained. The development of successful scientific theories is strengthened by the ability to allow for the integration of increased abilities to evaluate each hypothesis proposed by the theory. It is eminent that the integration of successful evaluation methodologies is essential in the development of ultimate faith in scientific theories. This can be reflected in the Orem's theory, which allows for the utilization of simplified methodologies towards the e valuation of its relevance. Such backgrounds contribute grossly to the development of convenient nursing options for the medical world. It is apparent that the development of the Orem's theory focused on achieving these assertions. This is with regard to the structure upon which it is developed. The simplicity in deduction plays a contributory role in the development of effective adoption models for the theory. Upon evaluating the streaking points that seek to define the perception upon which the theory is developed, it is essential to identify the details that jolt the theory. Apparently, Orem's theory is founded on three principle assertions that can be defined as the sub theories to the main idea. Amongst these is the theory of self-care, a theory that seeks to improve the standards upon which health care can be improved. This aspect of the general Orem's theory seeks to identify health care as an international religion subscribed by each individual. The central aim rests at ensu ring that the perceptions of safety (with regard to health) are not solely based on the shoulders of the nurses but to the patients, as well (Barbosa & Severinsson, 2010). The theory seeks to re-cluster the whole ideology of effective health by distributing it to the individuals that stand to reap the utmost benefits of effective health care practices. This refers to the patients who can be defined as

Effective Managment of Change Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Effective Managment of Change - Research Paper Example The change process was initially started by chairman Vanvelde who was employed in 2000. However, his policies remained quite successful in first 2 years i-e 2001 – 2002 but then failed to eradicate structural issues in the company. The company continued to expand its business operations in both domestic and global markets with the passage of time and diversified its business. The chairman enabled the firm to operate in new markets and improve its financial position by 2004 but internal inefficiencies had still remained a headache for strategic planners. As far as changes in the later period of 2005- 2008 is concerned, it is worthwhile to mention that M&S developed and implemented PLAN A in 2007 under guidance, supervision and leadership of Mr. Stuart Rose to eradicate structural problems and restore its competitiveness in the marketplace. The policies of Mr. Stuart helped in eradicating many management and administrative inefficiencies and restoration of employees’ confidence over strategic planners in M&A. The report will critically evaluate the overall change management and implementation process followed by a detailed SWOT analysis of Marks and Spencer in 2010. The report will also include forecasts about any future changes (and their management) and will finally end up with a conclusion. Change Management is a technique adopted by strategic planners and top managers to improve organisational efficiency, productivity and environment. The strategy is widely used as a part of Restructuring and Reengineering Program within an organisational context to ensure a discrimination organisational culture, open information sharing, shared values and experimentation so that employees can contribute more for goal accomplishment and financial gains. Our company Marks and Spencer is a leading manufacturer / producer, marketer and seller of top quality ready-made garments or apparel, shoes, food

Explain what meant by the term Ricardian Equivalence. Does it meant Essay

Explain what meant by the term Ricardian Equivalence. Does it meant that public debit does not matter Discuss - Essay Example It suggests that debt management systems that a government uses cannot affect the total demand in an economy. As a result, the public will continuously save its excess monetary incentives to cater for the future increase in tax obligation. The theory has been instrumental in several nations including US in the management of economic complications such as inflation. It provides basic incentives and guidelines that enable investors in various economies to embrace the applications. However, it has been exposed to criticism from various scholars and individuals who question credibility. The stakeholders state that the theory is full of suppositions and assumptions but lack factual guidelines. They affirm that it cannot provide factual solutions to the current economic dynamics. The meaning of  Ricardian Equivalence, discussion on public debit and its relevance to economist Ricardian equivalence theory holds that consumers in various economic set ups are continuously internalizing their government budget constraints. Economically, the theory has real budget constraints and functions that represent expenditure in various fiscal or economic periods as determined by a government. Normally, the constraints are given in two periods (period1 and 2). They give a credible procedure of how government expenditure is arrived at and how key functions that include interest rate and value of holdings affect expenditure rates. g1 + b1 = (1+r) b0 + t1 and g2 + b2 = (1+r) b1 + t2. As indicated g1 and g2 are key denotations of government spending in both periods while t1 and t2 denote real tax revenue that a government is able to collect within the periods. Consequently, b0, b1 and b2 represent the value of the real asset holdings that a government has at the end of the periods. As usual r represent the real interest rate between the fiscal periods or period one and two respectively. These constrains gives a clear understanding on how government expenditure and allocation of resour ces is done. It also facilitates the understanding of the contribution of each element in calculating government expenditure. This empowers them to evade the effects of any tax changes that may obstruct their spending competence. Tax variations do not affect demand levels because consumers make adequate preparations to counter the effects of tax increases. The theory suggests that it is no longer an economic issue if an administration finances its costs with debt or tax raise (Ghosh & Ghosh 2008 p. 279). This is recommendable according to the theory because the sources of finance cannot affect the level of demand for various securities and other commodities in a fiscal system. This explains why public debt remains a key source of debt finance. It ensures that consumers are cushioned from the effects of economic hostilities. Indeed, the theory emphasizes the imperativeness of debt financing and increase in taxation in ensuring the achievement of balanced economy. Its development enab led economists to manage the balance of recompense deficit effectively. This is essential in ensuring that a country operates within its limits and strengthens its internal resource enlistment sectors. It also ensures that consumers and investors continuously study how budget is run, and make capital reserve for future tax increases (Ghosh & Ghosh 20

Examine and analyse the concept of HRM and Innovation, using lessons Essay

Examine and analyse the concept of HRM and Innovation, using lessons from the worlds most innovative firms to support your study - Essay Example It is stated as a science as it requires appropriate and constant application of the theory in practices for greater efficiency (Jackson 1-20). The present era of competition and rapidly changing world, has made innovation a significant factor, which is critical for every business organization its success and sustainability. The organizations with more innovation capability are performing well in the present economy and innovation has become a benchmark on which the success of an organization is assessed. The relation between HRM and innovation has been studied from various possible approaches and it has been evaluated that the HRM has a significant relation with innovation both directly and indirectly. It is has been found that the impact of the HRM practices on employees have created immense opportunities for innovations. Toyota Motor Corporation is one such organization that takes into consideration the HRM practices and innovation for greater market share. Thus, to obtain a better understanding of the stated issue, this thesis aims to evaluate the concept of HRM and Innovation. HRM is a system, which generally comprises of specific practice that stimulates innovation. The empirical studies also have recognized that HRM influences and supports activities, which facilities innovation such as intellectual development, knowledge expansion and development of new products. It has been identified that the HRM plays a crucial role in motivating innovation in organization, as it increases individual creativity, enhances knowledge sharing between the employees and shapes their skills and behaviors for better performance and greater innovations for the success of the organization (Karlsson 1-64). The roles and objectives of HRM in an organization is indeed very vast and it comprises all the aspects of employees from the time they enter into an organization till the time

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty” by James Thruber Essay Example for Free

The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† by James Thruber Essay James Thurber is one of the best known humorists in America, and the work â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty† is considered to be one of the Thurber’s â€Å"acknowledged masterpieces†. The story was published in 1939 in the New Yorker magazine to great applause, and was first collected in his book â€Å"My World and Welcome to It†. In 1947, Hollywood released a movie of the same title, starring Danny Kaye and Virginia Mayo. The name of the main character Walter Mitty and the derivative word â€Å"Mittyesque† have entered the English language, describing an intellectual person, who spends more time in heroic day dreams than paying attention to the real world, or more seriously, one who deliberately tries to trick or persuade others that he is something that he is not. In military circles, this usually refers to people who try and fake a successful career. The idea for Walter Mitty was got from a book â€Å"Malice Aforethought† by a leading British crime-fiction writer Antony Berkeley Cox. Here the main character is named Dr. Bickleigh, who runs away from unbearable reality into fantasies markedly similar in character to those of Mitty. Nevertheless, Walter Mitty is very much a Thurber protagonist, so much so that he has been called â€Å"the archetype for dreamy, hapless, Thurber Man†. Like many of his physically unimpressive male characters Thurber often paired with larger woman in his cartoons, Walter Mitty is dominated and put upon by his wife. Like a man who saw the unicorn, he escapes by way of fantasies. The title itself describes what this story is all about. Walter’s negative manner of speaking of himself makes the reader realize that he is not very happy in his life. He is an ordinary man, who first dreams about being a commander of a hydroplane who should get his crew out of danger from the hurricane. This short story is about a man, Walter Mitty, and his wife who make a trip to town, Waterbury, to run instructions. Mrs. Mitty needs to stop at the hair salon and she commands her husband to leave the car at the mechanic and go to the store to buy overshoes and some unknown objects that he couldn’t recollect. Throughout the trip to town the old man is lost in day dreams, where he is heroic at the end. These fantasies are the secret life of Walter Mitty. The real-life setting in this story is rather mundane: a hairdresser, a parking lot, a hotel lobby, a drugstore – all everyday elements of every town or city. The dimness or banality of these locations reflects the dullness of Mitty’s everyday life. This is pretty contrasted with the environment of Walter’s fantasies: a â€Å"Navy hydroplane† in a storm, an operating room, a courtroom, a dugout, a wall before a firing squad. These locations are tense, gripping, and out of the ordinary. The main character is a middle-aged, middle-class man, flees from the routine drudgery of his suburban life into fantasies of heroic conquest. In the story Walter Mitty proves that he is a very forgetful and a really stubborn man with a vivid imagination. He is constantly being distracted, and starts to dream often. His daydreams all has him as a successful, brave, heroic person, who is called in to save the day. Walter imagines himself the hero of his fantasies as a navy pilot commander, doctor, sharpshooter, bomber pilot, and noble victim of firing squad. His daydreams changes throughout the story. In his final vision, he sees himself facing a firing squad. It is another expression of his exceptional courage and bravery. Reading the story the reader understands that these dreams mean something more, the old man Mitty feels that he can be a lot more than what he is in his everyday life. The catching is the way Thurber introduces the changes of events Mr. Mitty is imaging. The story begins with him in one of his fantasies as a daring Navy pilot and then his wife cuts in saying â€Å"Not so fast! You are driving too fast! †. Walter was going so fast, because he was caught up in his imagination of being a naval pilot, he did not pay attention to how he was going. This was one of his many dreams. He imagines all these stories because he wants to make his life interesting. And his wife doesn’t seem to support him, she is always nagging. Mitty’s wife treats him more like a child than a husband. She only sticks to her guns and doesn’t let anything get by her. Thurber writes his story around Mitty’s daydreams and his return to reality. This novel seems to be the bunch of stories put together in one. In a Walter Mitty’s second daydream he is a â€Å"know-it-all† doctor, who fulfils a very difficult operation, on a millionaire banker. He seems to be brave saying â€Å"I could have killed Gregory Fitzhurst at 300 feet with my left hand†. In the real life he isn’t the one to perform an important operation; he is merely an occasional bystander of the hospital. Mitty has no courage, and has no charisma and would never participate in such a daring act in reality. The next dream depicts Walter as a commander of a bomber in the military, resolving to fly it to the other troops to drop off more ammunition. He isn’t putting up a flight or wearing a handkerchief over his eyes, he is behaving like a man. And again his imagination is interrupted. Walter’s last dream finds him in front of a firing squad, very quiet, getting ready to be executed. The old man is actually just a observer of the Waterbury trial, wishing that he was an accused. Mitty hits the District Attorney, who tries to wake a beautiful woman up from devastation. Here Walter Mitty is urbane and triumphant too. Once again the creative mind of the man has him doing something totally out of his league. Life places a great gap between wish and reality. This is true for Walter Mitty, the main character in the story â€Å"The Secret Life of Walter Mitty†. This man is far from being a respected man with a good career and his wife looks him down upon him. So he fabricates his own perception of reality, his daydreams, where he, Walter Mitty, is a hero and a leader. The way Mitty is in reality really contrasts the way he is in a fantasy world. His incapacities in the real world quickly turn into abilities in â€Å"fantasy land†. The man avoids weakness and does not let any pessimistic views ruin the complete spirit of his ideas. Every time the main hero has a daydream, he seems more and more unwilling to live in the real life. Why should anyone live in reality when you could live in a fantasy like that? Although Thurber’s humorous stories, essays and illustrations were popular during his lifetime, the author has received little scholarly attention. Some literary critics rejected his works as little more than pattern and whimsical. Lately critics have become attentive to James Thurber’s literary mastery, such as his use of wordplay and attention to narrative form. The scholars have also debated the darker themes of his work which hide beneath the merriment. Others, referring to his tendency to depict domineering women, like Mrs. Mitty, and ill-fated men, like Walter, blame his treatment of women and views of marriage. In common with Charles Dickens’ Scrooge and George Orwell’s Big Brother, Walter Mitty has outgrown his literary roots to become an everyday metaphor for a certain type of character or behavior. This type of character had an influence on other humorists, notably Mad founder Harvey Kurtzman, playwright George Axelrod (who employed Mitty-like fantasies in The Seven Year Itch) and animation director Chuck Jones (who created a Mitty-like child character for Warner Bros.cartoons). Works Cited 1. James Thurber. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. The Creative Company, 2008. 32p 2. Steve King, Thurber: Mitty and Dangerous, http://www. todayinliterature. com/stories. asp? Event_Date=3/18/1939 3. MediaGuardian, Who is Walter Mitty? , 2003-08-05 http://www. guardian. co. uk/media/2003/aug/05/iraqdossier. hutton 4. James Thurber, The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, http://www. geocities. com/SoHo/Cafe/6821/thurber. html

The Role Of An Occupational Therapist

The Role Of An Occupational Therapist Health care like health itself is a dynamic process which can be subject to change over time. There are an increasing amount of tensions within medicine between various groups of health care practitioners, and between the evaluation of treatment and responding to patients views. This reflects the different strains and demands bearing down on medicine from numerous quarters. I am interested in exploring from the counsellors perspective, in this case the occupational therapist, what exactly they do in an effort to socialize people back into society. For example looking at the role of occupational therapist and the patients environment: physical access to buildings; availability of family and monetary support for living at home. To answer the above question I examined areas such as what is the doctor-patient relationship or in this case the occupational therapist-patient relationship, drawing on Goffmans (1969) work, who states we all play roles throughout our lives, we present ourselves to society, and we are socialized to these roles throughout our lives, especially in childhood. Society has given us our roles- doctor, patient, sick role, etc. and we as actors can perform the role. I also looked at Occupational therapies link to Functionalism, concentrating on Durkheim and Parsons and also drawing on the work of Marx and Weber and how Marx led to the acknowledgment in occupational therapy that labour is the collective creative activity of the people. Description of the research strategy For my research into how occupational therapy contributes to the promotion of health in society, I chose to use qualitative research and in this case qualitative Interviewing. Several researchers have argued that structured interviews are unnatural and restrictive. Informal interviews get deeper. Therefore I used semi-structures face to face interviews. I feel that using semi-structured in depth interviews allowed me use a more open framework, allowing a focus on the conversation and the topics that the interviewee brings up. I started with more general questions and topics to allow the conversation to build up a relationship so the participates felt comfortable and at ease so that they could talk about some sensitive issues if they arose. Semi structure interviews are less intrusive then other methods of research. They allow us to not only gather answers but also reason for the answers, therefore giving a more comprehensive analysis into this area. Therefore I found the major benefi ts of this type of interviewing where that: It is less intrusive to those being interviewed. This is because the semi-structured interview encourages two-way communication. Those being interviewed can also ask questions of the interviewer and feel as though they have their own input. Using this type of interviewing confirms what is already known but also allows the opportunity for learning other information outside of whats being asked. Conducting semi-structured interviews often will provide not just answers, but the reasons for the answers. When individuals are interviewed they tend to open up more and feel more at ease to talk about sensitive issues. (Silverman: 2001) Access I found access to interviewees a little difficult. Getting contacts was the first step, which was done through another occupational therapist I know who passed on a number of email address of willing participants. Once contacted it was difficult to arrange meeting points, days, and times that suited all, but all these issues where overcome and two interviews were successfully scheduled. Ethical considerations Mason (1996) puts forward ways to deal with ethical issues in qualitative which I tried to follow throughout this pilot. This included, deciding what is the purpose(s) of my research, e.g. self-advancement, examining which individuals or groups might be interested or affected by your research topic- in this case it would not be ethically sound to interview the patients themselves as there seen as a vulnerable group, and considering what are the implications for these parties of framing your research topic in the way you have done (1996:26-30). The main ethical considerations I took when interviewing the Occupational therapist, was that before the individual became a subject of research, he/she was notified of: à ¢-  My aims, my methods, my expected benefits and possible hazards of the research I was conducting. à ¢-  I made it clear to the interviewee of his/her right to abstain from participation in the research and his/her right to end at any time that they feel necessary to do so. à ¢-  The confidential nature of his/her answers. I also made it clear during my researching, that no individual would become a subject of research unless they have been given notice and that they freely consent that they would like to participate. No pressure of any kind was used to persuade an individual to become a subject of my research. I will make sure that the confidentiality of individuals from whom I gather my information, shall be kept strictly private. I also stated that at the end of my research any information that would reveal any person involved in the interviewing, will be destroyed, unless already consented that this precise information will be used. http://www.idrc.ca/eepsea/ev-65406-201-1-DO_TOPIC.html Evaluation of Research Process One important use that pilot studies have in qualitative research is to develop an understanding of the concepts and theories held by the people you are studying- what is often called interpretation. This is not simply a source of additional concepts for your own theory, ones that are drawn from language of participants; this is a type of concept that Strauss (1987, pp. 33-34) called in-vivo codes.2 More important, it provides you with an understanding of the meaning that these phenomena and events have for the people who are involved in them, and the perspectives that inform their actions. These meanings and perspectives are not theoretical abstractions; they are real, as real as peoples behaviour, though not as directly visible. Peoples ideas, meanings and values are essential parts of the situations and activities you study, and if you dont understand these, your theories about thats going on will often be incomplete or mistaken (Maxwell, 2004a: Menzel, 1978). Looking at my research questions, through my pilot study I found I had problems in developing the questions as I often got confused between intellectual issues- what I wanted to understand by doing the study- and practical issue- what I wanted to accomplish. According to LeCompte and Preissle, distinguishing between the purpose and the research question is the first problem in coming up with workable research questions (1993, p. 37) I decided to focus on three kinds of questions that are suited to process theory, rather then variance theory. For example I tried to base my research questions around (a) questions about the meaning for events and activities to the people involved in these, (b) questions about the influence of the physical and social context on these events and activities and (c) questions about the process by which these events and activities and their outcomes occurred. For example What does your typical working day involve? Because all of these types of questions involve situation-specific phenomena, they do not lend themselves to the kinds of comparison and control that variance theory requires. Instead, they generally involve an open-ended, inductive approach in order to discover what these meaning and influences are and how they are involved in these events and activities. Decisions about where to conduct my research and whom to include were an essential part of my research methods. I found sampling to be problematic for the qualitative research pilot, because it implies the purpose of representing the population sampled. It ignores the fact that, in qualitative research, the typical way of selecting settings and individuals is neither probability sampling nor convenience sampling. Instead it falls into a third category, known as purposeful sampling (Patton, 1990, p.169). This is a strategy in which particular settings, persons, or activities are selected deliberately in order to provide information that cant be gotten as well from other choices. For example, Weiss argued that any qualitative interview studies do not use samples at all, put panels people who are uniquely able to be informative because they are expert in an area or were privileged witnesses to an event (1994, p.17); I used this form of purposeful selection by choosing full trained Occup ational Therapists to interview. I think selecting those times, settings and individuals that can provide you with the information that you need in order to answer your research question is the most important consideration in qualitative selection decisions. On the negative side, I feel as though one of my interviews suffered slightly due to it been chosen because of its convenience of where and when the interview could take place. Although convenience and cost are real considerations, they should be the last factors to be taken into account after strategically deliberating on how to get the most information of the greatest utility from the limited number of cases to be sampled. Convenience sampling is neither purposeful nor strategic and I feel as though a different individual could have brought more information to light had I chosen more wisely (Patton, 1990, p. 181) If conducting this study again I think I would test out the use of participation observation. In this case it would be of that in an open setting, usually public and in this case a hospital. Gold (1958) states that, when using this technique the participant observer enters the setting without intending to limit the observation to particular process or people and adopts an unstructured approach. Occasionally certain foci crystallise early in the study, but usually observation progresses from the unstructured to the more focused until eventually specific actions and events become the main interest of the researcher. It is important to differentiate between significant and relatively unimportant data in the setting. I also feel several other valuable things were brought to my attention on conducting this pilot study. I found that I need to revise my interview guide, adding questions about issues I hadnt realised were important, such as asking respondent to go through a typical day. I also discovered additional useful questions, such as asking participants to describe specific medical terminology that would illustrate what they had been saying. For example, probing more around phrases such as sensory function, neuromusculoskeletal function, body structure, and client centred. I found that taking a step back and listening to participants experiences in new ways was very important to the collection of the data and feel as though in the future it will help me if I put everything know about Occupational Therapy to one side and do the interview as if I know nothing about this area. Codes Equipment Environment Medical language Patient Life Intervention Medical OT/Patient Academic Skills OT/Patient Social- Work Physical- Work Role of Occupational Therapy In qualitative research, the goal of coding is not to count things, but to fracture (Strauss, 1987, p. 29) the data and rearrange them into categories that facilitate comparison between things in the same category and that aid in the development of theoretical concepts. Above is a diagram of the codes produced after my interviews once the data had been worked through in a systematic manner. Through doing this, many connections were highlighted. For example, looking at the codes Medical Language and Medical OT/Patient. Basically, all patient information, evaluations, and interventions must be documented.(Interview 1, p.3) ..Help them overcome the effects of disability caused by physical or psychological illness, ageing, or accidents (Interview 2, p.2) Therefore this process of coding is the process of combing the data for themes, ideas and categories and then marking similar passages of text with a code label so that they can easily be retrieved at a later stage for further comparison and analysis. Coding the data makes it easier to search the data, to make comparisons and to identify any patterns that require further investigation. http://onlineqda.hud.ac.uk Main Findings After conducting this pilot study and fieldwork, I found that Occupational therapy and Sociology are two completely different sciences. While this is true they encompass a strong underlying relationship. According to Alice J. Punwar and Suzanne M. Peloguin, Occupational therapy is a diverse profession and is hard to define because it has undergone many changes since its beginnings. Early definitions emphasize the use of occupation as a remedial activity to help restore the individual to an improved state of physical and mental health. Now occupational therapy is defined as the use of purposeful activity or interventions designed to achieve functional outcomes which promote health, prevent injury or disability and which develop, improve, sustain, or restore the highest possible level of independence of any individual who has an injury, illness, cognitive impairment, psychosocial dysfunction, mental illness, developmental or learning disability, or other disorder or condition. It inclu des assessment by means of skilled observation or evaluation through the administration of interpretation of standardised or nonstandardised tests and measurements. On the other hand Sociology is understood as the study of human social life, groups and societies (Giddens: 2001) coalescing both of these definitions. Durkheim and Parsons are two of the main theorists whom contributed to the elements of functionalism. Each society has particular social needs or functional prerequisites that must be met in order for the society to strive and survive. Included in these prerequisites, is the need to reproduce new generations, meaning the need for food, clothing, control conflict and the maintenance of social order and of social solidarity. Societies achieve these social needs by developing structures and institutions that have valuable functions. The purpose of any activity or structure is the roll it has in the maintenance of society itself. Society can be viewed as one main structure wit many interrelated and inter-pendent parts. For example, the family, economy and education all work together in an effort to help society survive. Institutions can be seen as being beneficial to societies as the institutions exist for survival of societies. Most literature suggests that they shouldnt come under criticism and instead should be supported. Relating this back to occupational therapists, they should be seen as having a positive role in society. Within a functionalist perspective, roles and social roles are important. The belief is that individuals are socialised through these social roles into society, parent, student, occupational therapist. These social roles largely determine an individuals behaviour. Looking at Kavanagh Faves (1995), two occupational therapists working with homeless people, they stated that Roles are a source of identity and are the frame work of everyday life. Sociologists and Occupational therapists have put this view under criticism. They have argued against the determinism inherent in this view. Mocellin (1995) is an occupational therapist who believes the focus on roles to be stereotyping and that carrying out occupational roles, for example that of a housewife, may not always be therapeutic. Looking at Talcott Parsons model of roles and his theory of the Doctor-Patient relationship, in Bury, M. (2005), he began with the idea that being sick/ill was a type of dysfunctional deviance and that this required reintegration with the social organism. Being ill allows individuals to be excused from their occupation and other responsibilities such as looking after the family, cooking and cleaning. This was seen as potentially detrimental to social order if it wasnt controlled. The development of Parsons sick role was seen as being essential to controlling this deviance to make being ill a transitional state back to the individuals usual role. For Talcott Parsons, Physicians demonstrate Parsons the shift to affect-neutral relationships in contemporary society, with physician and patient being protected by emotional distance. Medical education and social role expectations teach normative socialization to Occupational therapist to act in the interests of the patient instead of their own material interests, and they are lead by an egalitarian universalism instead of a personalized particularism. Physicians have mastered a body of technical knowledge, it is seen as functional for social order to permit physicians professional autonomy and authority, controlled by their socialization and role expectations. Weber and Marx, look at how people exist within the world and are concerned with how that existence is shaped. Marx believes that the problems in society come from different social organisations instead of being a natural phenomenon. This is what is meant by people being constrained by circumstances, but it is important to remember the other element that stresses peoples ability to act. Drawing on earlier work of the philosopher Hegel, Marx identified that we create ourselves in a historical process, of which the motive force is human labour or the practical activity of men living in society (Bottomore Rubel 1963, p.18). Marx noted how the division on labour traps us into particular lifestyles or activities and the influence of Marx led to the acknowledgment in occupational therapy that labour is the collective creative activity of the people (Wilcox 1993) Conclusion After conducting this pilot study it is clear that my research question is still unanswered but it has provided me with ideas, approaches and clues I may not have foreseen before conducting this study. I feel this may increase the chances of getting clearer findings in my main study and has permitted a thorough check of my planned statistical and analytical procedures, giving me a chance to evaluate their usefulness for the data. I also feel it has greatly reduced the number of unanticipated problems as I now have an opportunity to redesign parts of my study to overcome these difficulties again. Overall, carrying out this smaller scaled study will hopefully lead to a rich and in-dept qualitative research project, and the end result being my research question being answered in great detail. The role of an Occupational Therapist The role of an Occupational Therapist The following essay will give a critical evaluation of the role of an Occupational Therapist (O.T) within vocational rehabilitation in the private mental health setting. Firstly the essay will describe a critical analysis of vocational rehabilitation and the added value of an O.T within this setting. Secondly it will analyse the trends within vocational rehabilitation and how these relate to O.T philosophy and core tenets, thirdly an examination of concepts of management that relate to vocational rehabilitation and finally a justification of the identification of a model relevant to vocational rehabilitation. Work can be seen as being an important part of health and wellbeing and also social inclusion. Waddell Burton (2006) suggest that work is therapeutic, helps promote recovery and rehabilitation. Leads to better health outcomes, minimises physical mental and social effects of long term sickness absence and worklessness, decrease the chances of chronic disability, long term incapacity from work and social exclusion. Also promotes full participation in society, independence and human rights, reduces poverty and improves quality of life and wellbeing. Work can be divided into four different areas: paid (contract, material reward), unpaid (housework, caring, volunteering), hidden (illegal, morally questionable) and substitute (sheltered workshop, work projects, day centres) (Ross 2007). The demand for work is extremely high due to the amount of people that are living. Compared to other countries, the United Kingdom employment figures are high with people being employed with a health related condition increasing (Department of Health 2008). It has been estimated that 175 million days were lost in 2008 due to illness with 600,00 people turning to incapacity benefit. (Department of Health 2008) It has been shown that 40% of medical certificates issued have been related to mental ill health with the average time off working being 15 weeks. (Department of Health 2008) Work has been shown to be good for your health and employers who adopt a good approach to health, by protecting and promoting it, are important in stopping illness from occurring. This is an area in which O.Ts can provide a key role in supporting and maintaining people back into work or who are already in work to stay there. Vocational rehabilitation is important. This has been shown in the governments new mental health strategy No Health Without Mental Health (Department of Health 2011). One of the aims is working to help people with mental health problems to enter, return to employment and stay in it. The application of O.T within this area is important as our core philosophy is to enable individuals to engage in meaningful occupations, therefore there is a key role for O.Ts to play within vocational rehabilitation. The following quote demonstrates that meaningful engagement in occupation can be important, which reflects O.Ts core ethics and philosophies. Not everyone wants to be employed but almost all want to work, that is to be engaged in some kind of valued activity that uses their skills and facilitates social inclusion (College of Occupational Therapist 2007 p9). Currently within vocational rehabilitation, employment specialists are trained in advice and guidance and REC level 3 advanced certificate in recruitment practice. Employment specialities tend not to be mental health professional but have skills in vocational rehabilitation or industry experience (Waghorn 2009). O.Ts already have these skills and also can add a holistic client centred approach from an occupational perspective. O.Ts can also add an educative approach, combine medical and occupational models and use activity analysis. They can assess occupational function/performance, build therapeutic relationships, carry out psychosocial assessments and interventions, cognitive evaluation and training, help with work life balance for the client and work with clients strengths. (Waghorn et al 2009, Devline et al 2006 Joss 2001, cited in College of Occupational Therapist 2007 p15) An O.T can bring seven core skills to vocational rehabilitation: collaboration with the client e.g. building therapeutic relationships, assessment e.g. Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool, enablement, problem solving, using activity as a therapeutic tool, group work and environmental adaptations e.g. graded return to work (Duncan 2006 p45) Current themes and drivers within mental health are social inclusion, return to work agenda, recovery. Social exclusion happens when people are unemployed have poor skills, low incomes, poor housing, high crime, bad health and family breakdown (social inclusion and co-production 2011) A report called Mental Health and Social Exclusion was published in June 2004 by the Office of the deputy Prime Minister. It aimed to improve the lives of people with mental health problems by getting rid of obstacles to employment and social participation. There are five main reasons why social exclusion occurs for people with mental health problems. Firstly stigma and discrimination, in which an O.T can help by activity speaking to employers about mental health and how reasonable adjustments, could be made. An O.T can help by increasing low expectations, help promote vocational and social outcomes, help provide ongoing support whilst in employment by regular outreach appointments and help access basic services e.g. dry runs on transport, membership to sports centres (Office of the deputy Prime Minister 2004). Overall an O.T can help people remain in their jobs longer and return to employment faster and manage the work environment better by grading work, breaking down activities and rebuilding them step by step and making adaptations to the work environment for example. Another trend is recovery. Recovery is building a meaningful and satisfying life, as defined by the person themselves, whether or not there are ongoing or recurring symptoms or problems (Slade et al 2008). Recovery encourages people to develop relationships which give their life meaning. There are five stages of recovery: moratorium (withdrawal, loss, hopelessness), awareness (realisation), preparation (strengths and weakness regarding recovery), rebuilding (positive identity, goal and taking control), growth (living a meaningful life, self management of illness, resilience, positive sense of self) (Andresen, Caputi Oades, cited in Slade et al 2008). Satisfying work supports recovery and as such O.Ts can have a great impact here by ensuring clients are in jobs they really enjoy and able to cope with the work demands. By working in a client centred way, listening, help identify and prioritise personal goals for recovery; identify examples of own lived experience. Also pay attention t o goals which will enable the service user to get back into work, suggest non-mental health resources (friends, contacts, organisations), encourage self management of problems, discuss what the service user needs in terms of psychological treatment, convey an attitude of respect and continue to support, an O.T can help a service user to achieve their ideal job. The return to work agenda is about helping people in and/or return to work. O.Ts can aid this by grading work activities e.g. working hours to start with 16 hours per week and gradually increase by 5 hours per week until full time hours are achieved for example. Also by providing support whilst in job by light touch support, setting up group work activities and training the service user. A practice called place then train helps increase motivation and confidence by placing someone in work and then training them instead of the other way around. It improves employment outcomes and peoples mental and physical health over a long period of time (Centre for Mental Health 2011). Its philosophy emphases rapid job searching, individualised job placement in work followed by on-the-job training and ongoing support (Twamley et al 2008). Currently the concepts of management in vocational rehabilitation within the private mental health sector follows the following structure: Area manager Service lead Employment specialists Volunteers With the introduction of an O.T manager the following structure will be placed: O.T Manager Band 5/6 O.T Employment specialist/ Volunteers O.T.A Referrals will either come from people themselves or via the community e.g. mental health teams, doctor surgerys, job centres. With new referrals the degree of risk, impact of O.T on service user, consequences of service user not receiving treatment, length of waiting time and the appropriateness of skills and abilities will be considered. To get people on board for the change in management, people will be listened to for their points of views, concern will be shown, the manager must be approachable e.g. leaving door open and using positive body language, change will be promoting in a positive manner e.g. it will benefit the patients and questions will be encouraged, integrity and charisma will be shown, also have a good ability to communicate, set direction and unify and manage change. The Lewins stages of change (Mullins 2007) will be adopted where first unfreezing will take place followed by moving and then refreezing. Unfreezing is about getting ready to change by understanding that change is necessary and moving out of comfort zones. Its about weighing up benefits and negatives of the change. Moving or change is when people are unfrozen and decide to move toward a new way of working. This is often the hardest for people and support is needed. Refreezing is stability once the changes have been completed. These changes have been accepted and become the norm. People create new relationships and become comfortable with the new routines. The O.T manager will provide supervision to the band 5/6 O.T and have supervision from a paid outside O.T at that equivalent level. The Band 5/6 O.T will have supervision from the O.T manager and the Occupational therapy assistant (OTA) / employment specialist and volunteers will be supervised by the band 5/6 O.T. Volunteers will be looked after by the OTA. Management will be in a democratic style by listen to people opinions and having staff work with the manager, not against. Make sure that management set examples by dressing correctly, not being late for work; develop an image, project self confidence, influence others and establish personal authority (Martin et al 2010). Also address self management by managing time, self and case load e.g. size up task, knowing themselves (need for breaks, strengths and weakness), prioritising and planning control(keeping a dairy, decreasing interruptions). Bad management will be discouraged such as not resolving problems, criticising staff, poor decision making, disorganisation, failing to deal with staff issues, done give recognition, inflexibility, and have an uncaring attitude and poor communication skills (Moore et al 2006) Management will consider professional duties and responsibilities such as the code of ethics, continues professional development (competence), health and safety (risk assessments) and deal with the present. A number of factors may influence management style: confidence in staff e.g. their abilities, need for certainty (risks of handing over control), personal contribution and stress (overload, worry, pressure) (Martin et al 2010). The justification of a model relevant to vocational rehabilitation is the Model of Human Occupation (M.O.H.O). M.O.H.O looks at peoples motivation (volition), routine planning (Habituation) and the influence of environment on occupation (performance capacity). Some of these areas will be affected by the service user. Volition is the thought and feelings we adopt whilst doing things. This involved three areas: personal causation, value and interest. To change motivation these areas will need to be addressed. By looking at the service users present and potential abilities relating to work and how able they are to bring about work (what is good, right and important) e.g. security, accomplishment and interests, having positive feelings associated with working. Habituation looks at reoccurring patterns of behaviour that make up our daily routines. A service user can change their habits by learning new ways of doing occupations and by changing their perceived role to one of a worker/bread winner. Performance capacity is how the musculoskeletal, neurological, cardiopulmonary and other body systems are used during performance. If there is a problem in performance capacity, the environment must be addressed. Work is an increasing important aspect in our lifes. Some of us live and breath work spending the majority of our waking hours working. Work gives us a sense of identity, an occupation, money to spend. It also provides us with a role in the community helping others with our knowledge in a particular area. Work provides us with a purpose, includes us within society preventing social exclusion, increases self esteem and gives us a role/meaning within society. Definition Work can be seen as the idea of doing, either mental or physical, giving an economic reward, social interaction, the structuring and organisation of time, opportunity for social interaction, contribution to society and self identity (Baker Jacobs 2003) What can Occupational Therapy offer that is different? Occupational Therapy can offer an approach which looks at the whole of a person by putting the client at the centre of their treatment from an occupational perspective. Occupational therapists can also educate people, focusing on independence and ensuring participation in meaningful activities. Occupational Therapists are able to combine medical and occupations models. This means they can look at the impact that physical, social and cultural environments have on everyday activities. Patch Three The following patch will give a critical evaluation and analysis of social policy, legislation and ethical issues impacting on vocational rehabilitation in a report style. Legislation No Health without Mental Health (Department of Health 2011) The government is helping people with mental health problems to enter, stay in, and return to employment. This can by achieved by using light touch support, increase confidence in returning to and remaining in work, help manage conditions and help the interaction between appropriate work and well being. It consists of six main objectives: more people will have good mental health, more people with mental health problems will recover, more people with mental health problems will have good physical health, more people will have a positive experience of care and support, fewer people will suffer avoidable harm and fewer people will experience stigma and discrimination (Department of Health 2011 p6). Its outcome strategies is to focus on how people can be best empowered to lead the life they want to lead, to keep themselves and their families healthy, to learn and be able to work in safe and resilient communities and how practitioners can be supported to deliver what matters to service user. Occupational Therapists can provide high quality employment support which will include building confidence in returning to and retaining work, changing employers and service users beliefs, that they can perform the job and their condition is manageable. Support Interaction between appropriate work and wellbeing and help employees to make appropriate recruitment decisions and manage workplace health. New Horizons (Department of Health 2009) This mentions that work can be good for mental health and wellbeing and support recovery. Those who are unemployed are at an increased risk of developing mental illness and benefit from early support. Employment should be seen as an important outcome to the treatment of mental illness in health care settings. O.Ts can help change attitudes to mental health, can improve health and wellbeing in work, provide swift intervention when things go wrong, coordinate help tailored to individuals needs and build resilience from the early years and thought working lives. Health, Work and Wellbeing Caring for Our Future (Department of Health 2005) Suggests that work is recognised by all as important and barriers to starting, returning to or remaining in work are removed. For people to remain in and return to work, that healthcare services meet the needs of people of working age. That health is not affected by work and good quality advice and support is available. Ensure work offers opportunities to promote health and wellbeing and access to the retention of work promotes and improves population, people with health conditions and disabilities are able to optimise work opportunities and people make the right lifestyle choices from an early age. O.Ts already recognise the importance of work for their patients wellbeing and can provide the assistance necessary to fulfil their key roles in helping patients to remain in and return to work. O.Ts can help people return to work following and absence by employment advice and helping to find a suitable job by adapting the work place environment e.g. time flexibilities. National Skills Framework 5 years on (Department of Health 2004) Help to prevent social exclusion in people with mental health problems, improving their employment prospects and opposing stigma and discrimination. O.Ts can help prevent social exclusion by building confidence, motivation and skills, speak to employers about mental health and how reasonable adjustments could be made, help provide ongoing support whilst in employment and help reduce stigma and discrimination by educating people. Working for a healthier tomorrow (Department of Health 2008) Is concerned with the health of people of working age (females 16 to 59 and males 16 to 64). Identifies factors that prevent good health and changes in attitudes, behaviours and practices. Three main principal objectives: prevention of illness and promotion of health and wellbeing early intervention improvement in health of those out of work O.Ts can prevent illness and promote health and wellbeing by using activity as a therapeutic tool, ensuring early intervention and help those out of work by doing group work to build confidence, motivation and reduce anxieties. Ethics There are at least five potential ethical issues which may be encountered within vocational rehabilitation in a private mental health charity organisation. These are confidentiality, consent, autonomy and welfare, human rights, issues of power and control (College of Occupational Therapists 2005): Confidentiality Safeguarding of confidential information relating to clients, only disclose information when client has given consent, there is a legal justification or it is in public interest to prevent harm. Only disclose to third parties if there is a valid consent or legal justification to do so. Keep all records locked away securely and only make available to those who have a legitimate right or need to see them. Clients can see their records and prior to producing material, issues of confidentiality will be addressed. Use the confidentiality model: Protect (look after information), inform (ensure service user is aware), provide choice (allow service user to decide if information will be disclosed and improve (look for better ways to protect, inform and provide choice) (Department of health 2003) Consent Making sure the client has the capacity to consent. The 2005 Mental Capacity Act makes provision for people who are thought to lack capacity to make their own decisions. It has five key areas: a presumption of capacity every adult has the right to make choices and must be assumed to have capacity to do so unless it is proved otherwise; the right for individuals to be supported to make their own decisions appropriate help must be provided before anyone suggests that they cannot make their own decisions; that individuals must retain the right to make what might be seen as eccentric or unwise decisions; Best interests anything done must be in the best interest for the service user and Least restrictive intervention anything done should be the least restrictive of service users basic rights and freedoms. (Department of health 2007) Autonomy and welfare Respect clients autonomy and promote dignity, privacy and safety of client. Give patients the right to make choices and decisions about their own healthcare and independence. Provide sufficient information to enable them to give informed consent and in a language that can be understood. Make sure client understands the nature, purpose and likely effect of intervention and acknowledge refusal. Human rights A right not to be discriminated against regardless of persons religion, sex, race, colour or mental health A right to respect for private and family life e.g. medical record keeping, parental involvement, collection of data A right not to impact on the individuals freedom of thought, expression or conscience e.g. spoken language and access to interpreters Issues of power and control Respect individuals, enable client to take power and promote partnership Management of Quality Issues Quality assurance The service provided will ensure that it meets the needs and expectations of clients and communities, that there is an understanding of service delivery systems and its key services, that data is analysed, problems are identified, performance is measured and that a team approach to problem solving and quality improvement is used. Clinical Governance Involvement Make sure service users, carers and public are involved within the service by holding focus groups, open days, suggestion boxes, questionnaires, panels e.g. to find out opinions on waiting times, attitudes of staff and the physical environment Risk management Establish what could go wrong and rank this. Think how probable it is likely to occur, what can be done about it and what action should be taken if incident happens again (Health Safety executive 2006). E.g. service users deliberately harming herself in occupational therapy session or a spillage on the floor. The Healthy and Safety at Work Act (1974) states that it is the duty of the employer to ensure so far as is reasonable practical, the health, safety and welfare at work of all his employees (section 2 (1) Health and safety at work act 1974). Although it is the duty of the employee to take reasonable care for the health and safety of him/her and others who may be affected by his/her acts of omission and to co-operate with their employer in regard to any duty or requirements imposed (section7 Health and Safety at Work Act 1974) Clinical audit Identify topics relevant to vocational rehabilitation e.g. referral response times, set standard (3 days), collect data (computer package), analyse data (if standard not met then why) and implement change. Other examples may be how the service compares with standards set by other clinical governance activity. Clinical effectiveness Ensure that all treatment is up to date and based on evidence based practice, National Institute of Clinical Excellence and National Service Framework guidelines. Staffing and staff management All staff recruited have the skills and qualifications needed to do the job e.g. that they are Health Professional Council (HPC) registered, induct them, give supervision and appraisal and deal with poor performance. Also supervision on a regular basis and appraisal once a year. Use an indirect approach which is more centred around the person, talk less and listen more, provide a supportive relationship, ask questions, accept and use ideas, reflect and summaries ideas (Enthwistle 2000) Education, training and Continues Professional Development (CPD) Ensure mandatory training is given e.g. fire training, child protection, health and safety. Complete CPD portfolios and HPC audits; provide training and opportunities to enhance CPD such as visits to another vocational rehabilitation service. The HPC (2011) states five standards for the CPD. A registrant must maintain: an up-to-date and accurate record of their CPD activities demonstrate that their CPD activities are a mixture of learning activities relevant to current or future practice make sure that their CPD has contributed to the quality of their practice and service delivery ensure that their CPD benefits the service user present a written profile containing evidence of their CPD on request Use of information systems Use information systems to record treatment sessions that service users attend, time spent preparing treatment sessions, time spent on phone calls to service user and time spent in case discussions. Also handling patient identifiable information by applying the data protection act and locking information away. The data protection act implies that anyone collecting personal information must fairly and lawfully process it, process it for limited, specifically stated purposes, use the information in an adequate relevant and not excessive way, use information accurately, keep information on file no logger than necessary, process information in accordance with legal rights, keep information secure and never transfer information outside U.K without adequate protection (Direct Gov 2009) Patch Four The following patch will provide a reflective narrative of the learning experienced throughout the module utilising the Gibbs reflective cycle. This has been developed from Kolbs ideas and develops the features of the experience-reflection-action cycle (Jasper 2003): Description Action plan Feelings Reflective cycle Conclusion Evaluation Description The Gibbs cycle consists of six stages and asks a series of questions about the experience. Description stage is what happened, feelings stage is what where you thinking and feeling, evaluation stage summarises what is good and bad about the experience, description stage involves making sense of the situation, conclusion stage is what else could have been done and the action plan stage asks if the situation arose again, what would you do. To begin with the whole assignment seemed extremely daunting as I had never participated within a role emerging placement/role before. I had also never completed a patch work text and knew very little of both. As part of the assignment we were asked to discuss ideas with peers. I felt it was a good idea to share information with others and thought that this would be an ideal opportunity to reflect on things I was not sure about and where to go for more information. Whilst discussing ideas with my peers I was thinking how what we had discussed would fit into my assignment and in what patch. It made me feel a little more comfortable sharing with other as we could bounce ideas and thoughts off each other. I feel other peers also felt that group discussions were useful and helpful. From start to finish I felt good about discussing information and still feel that this was of great benefit to all of us. Exchanging views helped put things in some kind of order and others could help in areas where I had difficulties. I do not feel there was anything negative about this experience in general. Sharing ideas with others went well as we all had views to share. To contribute, I helped others to see what went in each patch and gave ideas about the assignment. Overall there is not much I would have done differently with this peer review work. The aim was to share and discuss information and this was done successfully. If I were to do peer review work again I would do the same by sharing ideas and information with others. During my visit to a vocational rehabilitation setting I got to see how the service was run, where referrals come from, meet staff and service users and view leaflets. Upon arrival I felt overwhelmed by information and was intrigued about the service. I was thinking how I could relate this to my assignment and what role an occupational therapist would play within such a service. The service manager, who showed me around, knew about occupational therapy as previously they had worked as an assistant in such a role. This made me feel happier as I could share some ideas with them. I felt the visit went extremely well and it was a positive learning experience. From the start I felt comfortable about visiting the service and knew I would collect lots of relevant information from it. Access to information and ideas was the most significant factor for me. Actually seeing a vocational rehabilitation service running was a great inspiration and thought provoking for me, as I could see where parts of my assignment would fit in. I feel the whole visit went well and managed to collect a lot of relevant information. To complete patch work two we were asked to produce a leaflet aimed at our intended service users. I found this patch difficult because selecting relevant information was not easy e.g. font, colours, headings, content, pictures. When I first started the leaflet I had previous knowledge from another module, so had an idea how to construct the framework. I was thinking what type of content would go into the framework of the leaflet and how. Others mentioned that the leaflet should be easy to read and with bullet points, pictures and a calming background. I felt this would be a good idea, by aiming the leaflet at my service user group in particular. I thought that the leaflet was starting to take shape and it was aimed at who it was intended for. To start with I felt a little lost as to what to so but with help from my peer review group I eventual found a way. The most significant thing to me was being able to reflect ideas with other people about the leaflet. I feel that putting the leaflet together was a good experience as it has taught me how to present information to a targeted audience by using easy to understand phrases rather than jargon. Also working in peer review groups was a good experience as we were able to share ideas with each other and share information. The only thing that didnt go so well was working out how to transfer the leaflet from publisher to a word document, also slimming down the content without vital information being lost. I feel the leaflet went well and managed to collect and produce the correct information. Others did help by offering encouragement and ideas which aided me in producing the leaflet. I realise now that I should have consulted my peer group earlier to starting the leaflet as their ideas helped and guided me. To complete patch three we were asked to critically evaluate and analyse social policy, legislation and ethical issues impacting vocational rehabilitation. I found writing this patch extremely difficult as I had no idea of legislation, ethical issues and quality issues relating to this subject. When I started this patch I felt very nervous and worried as to how I would find such information. I was wondering how I would go about doing this patch and what was involved. When I was looking for information I found a vast array. I had to sieve through relevant legislation and apply it to

Web Filters are Not the Solution Essay -- Critical Thinking Essays

Web Filters are Not the Solution The scene is perfectly clear in my mind. Twelve years old and just home from an overnight stay with a friend, I walked in the door with a Sex Pistols patch on my backpack, a clip-on earring in my ear, and a cherry Kool-Aid dye job. The initial looks of shock and horror on the faces of my parents were priceless - that is until they opened their mouths. I was grounded for a month, forbidden to stay overnight at any friends house for the rest of the year, and told that any music I bought would have to be screened by my parents first. In the age of the Apple IIe and long before MP3s ever existed, my parents knew - or at least believed - that such a policy would give them control over what music I heard. They were wrong. Adolescents, by nature, are resourceful and cunning, and I was no exception. Within days, I had arranged an elaborate system of shadow purchases and smuggling to ensure that the punk rock well from which I had started drinking would never run dry. To be certain, todays determined parent wou...

Educational Philosophy :: Education Teaching Classroom Teachers Essays

Educational Philosophy â€Å"I’m gonna be a teacher!† I remember telling my second grade teacher, Ms. Akers. It was time to prepare for Open House and we were doing projects based upon our chosen life profession. It was wonderful being in the second grade – you could be anything in the world. And I wanted to be a teacher. That was nearly twenty-five years ago, and my decision still stands. Experience and maturity have changed my views on many issues, but I still want to help shape future generations. I believe our future is held in the hands of today’s children and it is everyone’s responsibility, and an educator’s privilege, to help children discover who they are and whom they can be. While there are many approaches and disciplines related to education, I believe it is naà ¯ve to think that any one approach is all-inclusive. Just as several subjects are studied to make a whole education, several approaches, when combined, can create a more wholesome educational experience. I agree with the Progressivism view that education must be relevant to the needs and interests of students and that learning increases when we are engaged in meaningful activities. A student’s full potential cannot be reached if his/her basic needs such as food, clothing, and compassion are not met. While we are not social workers, we can show the student that he/she is valued and cared for by the way we interact with him/her. Likewise, if a student is not interested in the subject being taught, he/she will be less likely to concentrate and learn. It is our job as educators to create interesting environments with stimulating approaches to learning. It has been my experience that the Behaviorism approach of positive reinforcement is a very effective method. If we, as teachers, provide positive reinforcement whenever students perform a desired behavior/task, they soon will learn to perform the behavior/task on their own. Children need to learn on their own in a relaxed environment and be given support when appropriate. Educational Philosophy :: Education Teaching Classroom Teachers Essays Educational Philosophy â€Å"I’m gonna be a teacher!† I remember telling my second grade teacher, Ms. Akers. It was time to prepare for Open House and we were doing projects based upon our chosen life profession. It was wonderful being in the second grade – you could be anything in the world. And I wanted to be a teacher. That was nearly twenty-five years ago, and my decision still stands. Experience and maturity have changed my views on many issues, but I still want to help shape future generations. I believe our future is held in the hands of today’s children and it is everyone’s responsibility, and an educator’s privilege, to help children discover who they are and whom they can be. While there are many approaches and disciplines related to education, I believe it is naà ¯ve to think that any one approach is all-inclusive. Just as several subjects are studied to make a whole education, several approaches, when combined, can create a more wholesome educational experience. I agree with the Progressivism view that education must be relevant to the needs and interests of students and that learning increases when we are engaged in meaningful activities. A student’s full potential cannot be reached if his/her basic needs such as food, clothing, and compassion are not met. While we are not social workers, we can show the student that he/she is valued and cared for by the way we interact with him/her. Likewise, if a student is not interested in the subject being taught, he/she will be less likely to concentrate and learn. It is our job as educators to create interesting environments with stimulating approaches to learning. It has been my experience that the Behaviorism approach of positive reinforcement is a very effective method. If we, as teachers, provide positive reinforcement whenever students perform a desired behavior/task, they soon will learn to perform the behavior/task on their own. Children need to learn on their own in a relaxed environment and be given support when appropriate.