Monday, September 30, 2019

The Biography of John Forbes Nash †The Mathematician

John Forbes Nash, Junior was born on the 13th of June, 1928. He is one of the renounced mathematicians in annuls of history, and an American born brilliant citizen. He bagged a Nobel memorial prize in 1994 in the field of Economic sciences. This Nobel Prize he shared with other game theorists like Reinhard Selten and John Harsanyi. John Nash is a senior research officer of the mathematics department in Princeton University. In addition to his attainments, he made significant contributions to game theory, equations of partial differentiation, and geometrical differentiation.Family Background Nash is equally an important figure in Hollywood movie. Of notable was â€Å"A beautiful Mind† which was credited as the eight Oscars. The early life of John Nash was spent in West Virginia. His father, John Forbes Nash (Snr) was an electrical electronic while his mother was Margaret Virginia Martin. John Nash was a voracious reader in his early life. Some of the materials found accustomed with were Time Magazine, Life Magazine and Compton’s Encyclopedia. At a tender age of twelve, John demonstrated a life of self-worth irrespective of rejection from his colleagues.He returned vibes and a sense of intellectual superiority for social rejection from his peers. This in a way made him suffered no inferiority complex. For John Nash, the rejection was rather an opportunity to carry out scientific researches without distraction but with utmost concentration. Since there was less interest in his contribution amidst his peers, he maximized the time working alone in his rooms – demonstrating scientific prowess. He demonstrated oddity, doing things in his own way. This was noted by his mother and sister. Attempt at resolving it failed.Nash confessed that it was a book title – Men of Mathematics that got his interest in mathematics ignited. Though he was in high school, he visited Bluefield College regularly for extra study. With Westinghouse Scholarship, Nas h attended Carnegie Mellon University at Pennsylvania where he bagged Bachelor’s and master’s degree in mathematics. He crossed over to the study of mathematics after some academic experience firstly in the department of chemical engineering and chemistry. He bagged master’s degree in 1948. Shortly, Nash took a summer job where he worked on Navy research project at White Oak, Maryland.This was for a while. Academic Achievements Professor of mathematics, R. J. Duffin recommended the appointment of John Nash into the Princeton’s Mathematics department. The singular whole write-up was – â€Å"This man is a genius†. Following this recommendation, Solomon Lefschetz (Chairman, Princeton University Mathematics Department) pursued and persuaded John Nash to drop his second interest in Harvard University for his department. On evaluating that Princeton University placed more value on him, John Nash joined the team at Princeton in 1948.At this univers ity, his work on equilibrium theory speaks volume in the current mathematical world. With a dissertation report in ‘non-cooperative games’, he earned a doctorate degree two years later. Four of his published articles on this theory are; â€Å"equilibrium Points in N-person games†, in the Proceedings of the national Academy of Sciences, â€Å"The Bargaining Problem† in Econometrica, â€Å"Two-person Cooperative Games† in Econometrica and â€Å"Real Algebraic Manifolds†, Annals of mathematics (on algebraic geometry). â€Å"His most famous contribution in pure mathematics was the Nash embedding theorem.The theorem showed that any abstract Riemannian manifold can be isometrically realized as a sub-manifold of Euclidean space. His contribution to the theory of nonlinear parabolic partial differential equations is also noted†. He is a genius indeed. Personal Life, Marriage and on Schizophrenia In mid 50s, Nash suffered arrest on moral charge of gay sexual involvement. This led to him losing a post at RAND Corporation. According to Nasar, â€Å"After this traumatic series of career-threatening events, he decided to marry† John Nash met his wife Alicia Lopez-Harrison de Larde in 1951.She is a student of physics in Massachusetts Institute of Technology where Nash lectured. Six years later they got married. In 1959, Nash was admitted to psychiatric hospital for mental treatment where he was diagnosed of paranoid schizophrenia, depression and low self-esteem. Shortly after the incidence, the pregnant Lopez-Harrison birthed their son. He remained nameless for over a years when John Nash could have a fair say on his child. According to Sylvia Nasa’s 1998 biography of Nash in A beautiful Mind, Nash remarried his wife on June 2001 after an interval of seven years divorce.The Nobel Prize won in Economic (1994) was said to be have been somehow instrumental to the reunion. Alicia suffered â€Å"boarder†. In he r words â€Å"†¦we lived like two distantly related ones under the same roof† Nash received some other awards; he was awarded the John von Neumann Theory Prize for his invention of ‘non-cooperative equilibria (now called The Nash Equilibria). He won the Leroy P. Steele Prize as at 1999. Also in 1994, he won Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. His recent work on advanced game theory has invented two popular games viz. Hex and So Long Sucker.In all, he had published 23 scientific reports. What a successful life lived! References Kuhn W. , Harold; Sylvia Nasar (Eds. ). The Essential John Nash (PDF) Introduction, xi. Princeton University Press. Retrieved on 2008-04-30. Nasar, Sylvia. A Beautiful Mind, page 46-47. Simon & Schuster, 1998 Levy, Emanuel (2003, page 145). All about Oscar: The History and Politics of the Academy Awards. Continuum International Publishing Group, ISBN 0826414524. Retrieved on 2008-04-30. http://cepa. newschool. edu/het/profiles/nash. ht m http://nobelprize. org/nobel_prizes/economics/laureates/1994/nash-autobio. html

Sunday, September 29, 2019

A Christmas to Remember Essay

When I was younger, there were two things that I looked forward to each year: Christmas, and the thoughts of getting the most popular toy topped the list; spending time with my grandfather was a close second. When I was six, in December of 1990, I found out that I was going to spend Christmas at my grandparents’ house. It was everything I could possibly hope for. Little did I know at the time, it was going to be a Christmas I would never forget, and that would change me forever. Christmas, for me, meant the pretty presents, wrapped in shiny paper with huge bows on them, which sat under the tree. It meant the Christmas tree, so beautifully decorated. It meant the splendid Christmas meal made of turkey, ham, vegetables and my mom’s apple pie. But most of all, the holidays meant the shiny new presents that I would be receiving I would sit around for weeks, trying to come up with a Christmas list good enough to rival what I knew my friends would be getting as well. That year I had to have a Gameboy, and the Super Mario World game that went along with it. I realize, now, that I was very spoiled, but I didn’t care. The holidays were a time about me, and only me. And this Christmas was going to be the best one of all, spent with my grandpa. A lot of young kids are intimidated by their grandparents, whether it be the typical â€Å"old person smell,† the inability to relate to young people, or just the fact that they are boring. Not me though, I had the coolest grandfather in the world. He used to dress up like in different costumes just because he felt like it. The two of us always went out hunting or fishing or sometimes just to sit out on their pond and talk. Some girls are â€Å"Daddy’s girls,† but I was a â€Å"Granddaddy’s girl.† I had never spent Christmas with my grandparents before and could only imagine just how wonderful it could be there. Early in December, my mom told me that we were going to be spending my entire holiday break in Arkansas with my grandparents. In hindsight, I should have known that something was wrong for both my parents to take a month off of work but I wasn’t thinking about that. I wasn’t thinking about anything but my grandpa! The end of school came and went, and in no time we were in the car driving  from Dallas, Texas to Magnolia, Arkansas. I watched out the window as we left the flat lands of Texas and entered the small hills of Arkansas. There was even snow on the ground! Upon arriving to the house, I could sense something was different. The atmosphere of the house wasn’t quite as joyful and boisterous as usual. My grandfather wasn’t his usual self; he was trying to be the energetic man we all knew, but it just wasn’t the same. Even when my aunts, uncles and cousins got to town, things were still very hushed. My cousins and I all knew something was wrong, we just couldn’t quite figure out what it was. I constantly heard the hushed whispers of my mom with my grandma and my two uncles. Within a couple days everything came to light. In the middle of the night a few weeks before Christmas, the lights were turned on and my grandfather was taken to the hospital. Even in my groggy state, I knew that things were going to change a lot in the next few days. At the hospital I was informed that my grandfather was not expected to live much longer. He had been diagnosed with colon cancer before I was born and had been in remission, but it was back and it was spreading uncontrollably. The next few days were hard on all of us. We were in and out of the hospital. I forgot that it was even Christmas time. I think my whole family did. My grandpa was constantly in surgery to try to remove the infected cancerous parts. All of this taking a toll on his body, he was put into ICU. Christmas was now only a couple days away, and being in ICU meant that there was no hope to spend the holiday with him. Christmas day was the most disheartening experience of it all. On Christmas morning, we didn’t even want to open presents. It didn’t seem right to have something so joyous while he was hanging on for life in a cold stark hospital bed, but we did anyways. I got the Gameboy that I had wanted so badly, only I could have cared less about getting the toy that I had been so excited about only weeks earlier. Rather than cooking at home we went to the hospital and ate in the cafeteria. Reflecting back, I think it was hardest on my grandmother. They had spent nearly 50 Christmases together and for the first time, she was getting a glimpse of what it would be like to spend the rest without him. The next morning, my grandfather passed away. The complications of his cancer, along with his age, had been too much on him and his body just gave out. I am thankful that I got to spend the last Christmas with the man that I loved so much. There isn’t a Christmas that goes by that I don’t think about my grandfather, and all of the experiences I have shared with him. Christmas in Arkansas has become a tradition in our family. That year Christmas stopped being about pretty bows and wrapping paper, and started being about memory. I learned that memory is a way of holding on to the things you love, and the things you wish to never lose. In a world changes way too fast, the best we can do is wish each other Merry Christmas and learn that life does, in fact, move on.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Concept and components of business cycles Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Concept and components of business cycles - Essay Example Whenever talks are made concerning the economic or business fluctuations, notions of aggregate economic income or output is anticipated. This is because, while business cycles are expressed in terms of fluctuations in GDP, there is usually an accompaniment by labor unemployment rate fluctuations too (Parkin, 2012). However, economists have often noted that there is variation in the lengths of a complete business cycle, as the duration may range from between two to twelve years, but averagely six years. Business cycles are significant in the sense that they highlight the economic relationships that exists in the economy. For instance, while growth in the economy will fall and rise with cycles, it generates a long-term trend line for growth. Economic growth above the trend line would result in a fall in the unemployment rate. Based on Okun’s Law, a 1% rise in GDP above the trend line would result in a 0.5% decline in the employment (Parkin & Bade, 2001). A business cycle is often comprised of four main stages that form its components. These are the recession (trough), contraction, recovery and expansion, and growth (peak). Even though the concept of the business cycle is used in relation to the larger economy, its phases can be applied to several sections of the business or a particular industry. The expansion and recovery phase relates to the period in which the business is rising, and consumer confidence is growing in the economy. As such, companies seize the opportunity to expand, and incomes and spending rates increase. This period is often associated with significant aggregate increase in factors such as total income, output, trade and employment rates. It persists for approximately six months, and is characterized by a widespread expansion of economic units/sectors in the economy. An extended period of this phase results in a boom in which the

Friday, September 27, 2019

Economics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 9

Economics - Essay Example Although, Federal Reserve uses monetary policies tools such as open market operations, the discount rate and reserve requirement, the tools affect the economy either positively or negatively (Giuseppe, 2009). More so, increase or decrease of the reserve requirement affects interest rates in a short period as financial institutions lack funds to issue to investors. Nonetheless, higher discount rates make borrowing less attractive from Federal Reserve for many banks while low discount rate make borrowing more attractive for banks because they have access to more deposits. More so, it is necessary to establish how monetary policy caused the financial crisis in the country Considerably, Federal Reserve plays a crucial role in determining money supply in the economy that eventually affect credit availability and the interest rates in the United States. More significantly, Federal Reserve lowered interest rates in 2001 as it induced investors to borrow money to finance mortgages and purcha se of houses for speculation. However, in 2004 Federal Reserve increased the interest rates making payments of mortgages difficult thus, leading to increase in house prices. More so, businesses and individuals had accumulated a lot of interest from the mortgages, making it difficult to pay leading to high defaulting rate of the borrowed funds. More than that, the boom in house markets impacted on financial market lead to high levels of delinquencies and foreclosures. Considerably, the recession period was marked by high levels of economic downturn as the decline in the gross domestic product increased with high levels of unemployment during the recession period (Giuseppe, 2009). In addition, there is a lower level of money in the economy with a high level of bankruptcies and default in loan repayment crisis as real income declines with the economic downturn becomes worse impeding the Federal Reserve to take action as the economic recession period showed likelihood of economic depres sion era occurrence. In addition, the Federal reserve set reserve requirements limits for banks and financial institutions as it decreased reserve requirements between 2001-2005 by about 20% funds reserves owned by banks were used to give out more loans to businesses and individuals. As a result, there was an increase in money supply available in the economy thus, leading to inflation. However, in 2005 to 2008 Federal Reserve revised its monetary policy reducing the growth of GDP as it enhanced reduction of money supply in the economy. Nonetheless, the development of collateral mortgage obligations structured product served as a security for borrowing of money thus, individuals later had easer availability to loans .as they used insurance as security for the provision of safety for the loan borrowed if defaulted (Blanchard, 2008). Nonetheless, Federal Reserve failed to recognize liquidity problem in 2007, as it increased the interbank rates while failing to provide an immediate solu tion to the increasing money supply. As a result, interest rate rose to unprecedented levels that eventually led the economy into a period of recession. With the worsening of the economy, the Federal Reserve provided solutions meant to solve challenges that the USA economy was facing in the year 2008 as it uses monetary policies to solve the financial crisis. Federal Reserve increased money supply in t

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Automatic storage management for Oracle database 11g Research Paper

Automatic storage management for Oracle database 11g - Research Paper Example Despite the growing functionalities and capabilities of data management systems, traditional storage management systems could not help the organizations in leveraging their data management capabilities efficiently. Hence, the outcome emerged in the form of underutilization and overprovisioning. On the other hand, increasingly changing needs and requirements of organizations and data management systems are forcing the IT industry and researchers to discover effective techniques for data management and storage (Roussos, 2007; Joshi & Chalaka, 2006). However, the integration of autonomic features in data management system improves the performance of data management process by increasing effectiveness, speed, consistency and accurateness, eventually presenting fault free infrastructure for data management and storage. Without a doubt, these autonomic features are believed to be critical in Database Management Systems (DBMSs) for the reason that these autonomic systems take the approach o f what instead of how. Additionally, a wide variety of tool and applications can be employed by database management systems for the management of storage (Chaudhuri & Narasayya, 2001; Raza, Mateen, Hussain, & Awais, 2009). In this scenario, automatic storage management provides an excellent support for the rearrangement of dire groups to unaffected space of the disk (Raza, Mateen, Sher, Awais, & Hussain, 2010; Lightstone, Lohman, & Zilio, 2002). Oracle Data base 11g contains a wonderful feature known as Oracle Automatic Storage Management that follows the principle of combines stripe and mirror everywhere (SAME). In addition, Oracle Automatic Storage Management is responsible for managing groups of data storage in disk groups that can collect and store database files from a number of databases (Townsend, 2011; HP, 2008). This paper presents a detailed analysis of oracle automatic storage management for Oracle 11g. The basic purpose of this research is to present an analysis of autom atic storage management in the context of its working, its features and capabilities. This research will summarize the concepts discussed in other researches. Automatic Storage Management (ASM) for Oracle Database 11g In Oracle 11g, Automatic Storage Management (ASM) is designed to simplify the management of Oracle related files by facilitating the database administrators to reference disk groups instead of files and disks separately, which can be administrated through automatic storage management. Basically, the functionalities and capabilities offered by the automatic storage management are believed to be an extension of the OMF (Oracle Managed Files) features which further comprise mirroring and striping in order to provide secure and impartial storage management. In addition, a wide variety of templates are used to control the extent of the granularity and redundancy of the mirroring and striping. Though, Oracle provides a variety of default templates for each type of file store d by ASM, however extra templates can also be developed according to needs of the organizations. In addition, failure groups are also established in a disk group in order to accommodate the varying needs of the databases and required intensity of redundancy. If a database uses a two-way mirroring then it will require a disk group to establish and maintain two failure groups in order that individual files can be written and stored at two places (Oracle-Base2, 2013; Abraham, Bagal, Bauer, Belden, Bridge, & Chan, 2012). Additionally, the ASM

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Complex Interdependence According To Nye and Keohane Assignment

Complex Interdependence According To Nye and Keohane - Assignment Example The two authors argued that bilateral relationships between French vs. German and U.S vs. Canadian determined the three hypothetical characteristics of complex interdependence. Nye and Keohane argued that the concept of complex interdependence in the 1970s emanated from international monetary relations. In this context, the significance of international organizations would therefore change. According to them, the concept of complex interdependence would change global politics. This would derive from the assertion that state policies and processes would have different objectives and instruments. Indeed, under complex interdependence, global politics would be universal where economic, environmental, and social globalism levels would increase as military globalism reduces. Keohane and Nye think that the concept of complex interdependence will lead to a reduction of military globalism since powerful nations with reliable expectations will not use force to solve global differences. More so, the politics of complex interdependence would be universal and hence limited chances of military globalism. Regional powers with reliable needs will desist from using force to solve global conflicts. In addition, world powers like the U.S facilitated and funded the establishment of postwar international institutions like IMF, UN, World Bank, and NATO that safeguarded and promoted the concept of complex interdependence. Moreover, the rise in economic, environmental, and social globalism levels would motivate world leaders in pluralist democracies to solve territorial disputes out of fear of economic and social development distractions that would deny such democracies significant investment capital.

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

International relation theory Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

International relation theory - Essay Example While neo-realist theory contends the effect of state principles and capabilities for the international system, neo-liberalist theory emphasizes on a wider view of the international politics, focusing on the plurality of state actions including the economic and cultural aspects. Taking these two schools of thought for discussion, we bring out an analysis of which theoretical perspective provides the most plausible account of international politics, with particular reference to the films, Independence Day, and Lord of the Flies. The article examines how the international theories appear to be true on the movie and analyze whether the theory is portrayed in the film as normal or deviant from the world in it. According to Neo-realism, the international political structure is defined by the principle of anarchy, mentioning that there is no central authority of governance for the international system. Kenneth Waltz, regarded as the founder of Neo-realism, argues that, unlike the tradition al realism, the conduct of the states is determined by this structure of the international system. The states are inclined to be formally equal in the system and they act without subordinating to each other. The needs and abilities of a state determine their capabilities and power on the international system. ... Anarchy and self-preservation alone are not sufficient to explain the war of all against all† (Pechlivanis 2012). The international relation is shaped by the balance of power among the states, which is attained by the states’ abilities to constrain to the relative powers for relative gains, through internal and external balancing. The great powers within the international system could be classified as the unipolar, bipolar and multipolar systems, owing to the number of powers contained in the system. According to neorealist, bipolar system would be a stable one as it is balanced through internal balancing alone, eliminating the need for external balancing. This is because there is no greater power to be formed from alliances and therefore lesser chance for great wars. On the other hand, Neoliberalism tends to view the international system from a wider perspective, demanding for a stronger state that promotes its interests. Unlike the neo-realism that views the state as a single entity, neo-liberalism includes plurality of its affairs. It focuses on security, integration of states and conflicting nature of the international politics in respect to the political economy and cooperation between the states. Neo-liberalism insists that states should have the goal of absolute gains rather than concerning about the relative gains for establishing power. The collaboration among the competitive states can be achieved in an anarchic international system with a rational decision and preferences of the states. Neo-liberalism contends that international institutions can successfully pave a way for the states to cooperate in the international system. â€Å"Institutions exert a causal force on international relations, shaping state preferences and locking

Monday, September 23, 2019

Global Communications For US Brands Like Abercrombie and Fitch Essay

Global Communications For US Brands Like Abercrombie and Fitch - Essay Example Some important rights of the consumer are: 1) the right to choose, 2) the right accurate information, 3) the right to safety and 4) the right to value for money. Being a meticulous consumer, the British customers know where and how to get the best value for their money, and they usually know who to approach when things go wrong. It is essential for any organization who wishes to penetrate the British market, that value does not always mean the â€Å"cheapest† or the â€Å"most expensive†. It means that the consumers’ perception of it is if the standard or quality is commensurate with the price of the commodity. In the end, it is normally up to the customer to decide whether the price of the goods they are willing to purchase is worth it. (ii) In order to have a competitive advantage; A&F must incorporate the three (3) Cs or the Strategic Triangle by Ohmae. The three Cs are customer, corporate and competitor. In any business strategy, the organization’s primary concern should be its customers. Thus, it is recommended that management should implement an advertising strategy that could reach a larger portion of the market in order to edge out the competitor and penetrate more potential household consumers. However, before launching an entry into any new place, territory or country it would be best to assess the needs and wants of the target market and to know how far the competitor has come. The best advertisement campaign recommended will be a combination of the public information model where media and local press releases will be used extensively to inform the public of the A&F presence and to build wholesome image of whole organization; and the two-way symmetrical model which is a two way communication between the company and the public to sort out conflicts...

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Strategic Management company Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4000 words

Strategic Management company - Essay Example Thompson, M and Strickland, P. (2004) mentioned that the term Strategic management refers to the managerial process of forming a strategic vision, setting objectives, crafting a strategy, implementing and executing the strategy and then over time initiating whatever corrective adjustments in the vision, objectives, strategy and execution are deemed appropriate 1. Michael J. S. & David W. G. (1997) stated that Strategic management process requires competent individuals to insure its success 2. The production system of Coopers Creek was one of the key reasons to become successful in international markets. The production system at Coopers Creek was set up to produce in 25-30 tonne batches; a modular approach based on grape truckload capacities. The company had the capacity to crush 100-120 tonnes of grapes a day, giving it a major aggressive advantage. Coopers Creek was involved in infrequent production-based collaborations with a group of local West Auckland wineries. As well as grape devastating at key times, the wineries swapped grapes, shared kit and jointly purchased key inputs; for example, Coopers Creek shared the expenses of container-loads of barrels with three other wineries. Coopers Creek was vigorously involved in the Canadian and US Country Action Groups in conditions of combined promotional efforts. A clear and entrepreneurially astute strategic vision is a prerequisite to effective strategic leadership. Managers cannot function effectively as either leaders or strategy makers without a future oriented concept of the business - what customer needs to work toward satisfying, what business activities to pursue, what kind of company to try to create. Coopers Creek has followed following steps and has been able to achieve success in their market. Charting a company's course begins with senior management looking at the road ahead and addressing the following questions: where do we go from here What changes lie ahead in the business landscape And what difference will these changes make to the company's present business Peter M. G. Linda E. S. & Jack D. W. (2005) have stated that forming a strategic vision is thus not merely a wordsmithing exercise designed to create a catchy company slogan. Rather it is an exercise in thinking carefully about where a company needs to head to be succes sful. It involves selecting the market arenas in which to participate, putting the company on a strategic path, and making a commitment to follow that path 3. Three elements of strategic visions: The number one is coming up with a mission statement that defines what business the company is presently in and conveys the essence of which we are what we do and where we are now. Using the mission statement as a basis for deciding on a long-term course, making choices about where we are

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Summarise the key factors that influence the health of children today Essay Example for Free

Summarise the key factors that influence the health of children today Essay There are plenty of factors that can influence childs development today, its important to be able to try and give your child all the main stuff like food, shelter, warmth etc. for them to develop and grow up correctly. One of the factors is Diet/exercise. Good nutrition and plenty of exercise are the building blocks for strong growth, healthy development and lifelong well-being for children. However many children today dont receive proper meals and the exercise that they need to grow up strong and healthy. Children that don’t receive proper meals (at least 3 meals a day) can be affected physically and mentally, they wont have the energy to do physical activities which then affects their exercise, and wont be able to function properly at school by being too tired because lack of food provides lack of energy for the body to function. Parents that have low income or cant provide for the child to have proper meals can apply or free school meals at school, and sign the child up for breakfast club as well. That way children will get their breakfast, snack, and dinner which should give them enough energy for the day at school. Once children receive the right amount of food and exercise they will be able to feel good about themselves/their bodies and their abilities, they will be able to cope with stress and emotions better, also they will avoid feelings of low self esteem, anxiety and depression. https://www. apa. org/topics/children/healthy-eating. aspx Another factor is genetics which influence the health and development of the child. This is because some illnesses are inherited through genes. For example Downs Syndrome, this has resulted from a chromosomal abnormality. The child can have problems such as heart defects and chest infections. Illnesses such as meningitis can cause epilepsy and hearing problems. These kind of illnesses must run in the family, and its a 50/50 chance that the child will be born with one of the genetic illnesses. http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/Genetics/Pages/Facts. aspx Income is a big factor that can influence plenty of children today especially in poor areas of Britain. Parents that find it hard to provide and fulfil the needs of their children limit their development and achievements. Having low income will not only affect the childs eating, dressing and overall well being but also their education. Children that come from low income families, cant afford to go on school trips, buy better school equipment or new school uniform, therefore sometimes this might result in children getting bullied because children with more income will notice the less fortunate and will begin to pick on them. Its important for the teachers to treat all children the same no matter what their income is or if they cant afford certain things. Generally people with a high level of earning enjoy a better lifestyle, with better housing, better food, warm clothes and own transport Meggit C. (2001:9) http://www. jrf. org. uk/publications/does-money-affect-childrens-outcomes UnStable family is another important factor which might influence childrens health and well-being. Children that come from a broken home (their parents have separated or they live with their other family instead of parents) will find it hard to cope at school because they might get bullied for the simple reason that they dont live with both of their parents. For example, if a child isn’t able to live with both of their parents and lives with their grandparents or other family members because of certain reasons, other children at school might be curious and ask questions to why the child doesn’t live with their parents etc. young children don’t realise how cruel or nasty they might sound when they ask questions so without thinking about how the other child might feel, they ask what they want. Broken family can affect the childs emotional development especially at young age if the child used to live with both parents and then all of the sudden theyve separated because they didn’t get on, the child wont be able to understand why this has happened and might become depressed or very emotional. http://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/PMC3171291/ Different countries also affect the way children live and develop especially countries such as Africa or Pakistan where they have different policies that enable access to basic services and rights for children. For example An uneducated teenage mother living in rural areas of Africa where there is no hospital nearby, without clean water, proper meals, shelter or little income will find it difficult to care for her child. The country that children live in can affect them big time, for example in Pakistan the children go to work at very young age so they don’t have time for education which will limit their chances of getting a better job in the future. They have to work long hours for little money that wont even get the food on their table. As well as this, children that live in rural countries are more immune to catch any dangerous diseases from dirty water or animals etc. http://www. unicef. org. uk/ E2. Describe how immunisation programmes aim to prevent disease in children. Immunisation is a way to protect small children against serious diseases. Once children have been immunised, their bodies can fight those diseases if they end up catching them. If a child is not immunised they will be at risk from catching the disease and will rely on other people immunising their children to avoid becoming infected. An immunisation programme protects people against specific diseases by reducing the number of people getting the disease and preventing it from being passes on. With some disease like smallpox or polio its possible to eliminate them completely. Reason for immunisation against disease. As a parent it might be hard to watch your baby get an injection, however vaccination is an important step toward getting your child protected from serious and dangerous diseases. Vaccinations are quick easy and extremely effective. Not every disease can be immunised against, disease such as chicken pox or scarlet fewer are two of many that children cant be immunised against. How are they carried out? Immunisations are usually carried out in childs health clinics. The doctor will discuss any fears the parent might have about particular vaccines. No vaccine is completely risk free, and parents are asked to sign a consent form to give permission for the immunisation. Immunisations are only given if the child is well, and might be postponed if the child has a reaction to any previous immunisations or if the child is taking any medicine that might interfere with their ability to fight infections. Care of children after immunisation. Children should be observed closely after immunisation: -if fever occurs, keep the child cool, offer plenty of fluids and give childrens paracetamol -if the temperature remains high or if there are any other symptoms, such as convulsion call a doctor immediately. Children are usually very sensitive after their vaccines, so its important to keep a very close eye on them all the time to make sure theyre fine and no symptoms occur. http://www. nhs. uk/Conditions/vaccinations/Pages/reasons-to-have-your-child-vaccinated. aspx E3. Describe the signs and symptoms of the chosen childhood infectious disease. German Measles. What is it? Rubella, also known as German Measles is an infectious disease caused by the rubella virus. The virus passes from person to person via droplets in the air expelled when infected people cough or sneeze, the virus may also be present in the urine, face and on the skin. The hallmark symptom of rubella are an elevated body temperature and pink rash. German measles are contagious for 2-3 weeks. The disease starts a week before the rash develops and is contagious for a week after the rash has disappeared. Its most contagious while the rash is visible. Its important to keep your child off school for six days from the start of their rash. There is no specific treatment for the rubella infection. The condition is usually mild and improves without treatment. Although paracetamol or ibuprofen can be used to reduce the fever and treat any aches or pains. Liquid infant paracetamol can be used for young children. If the child has a high temperature, its important to keep the child cool by using a damp flannel, also making sure that the child has plenty of fluids to prevent the child from dehydration. Cough medicine can be used to help your child with their cough. If youre a woman and get infected with the rubella when youre pregnant it may lead to complications such as miscarriage or cause the baby to be born with serious birth defects. The birth defect can be cataracts and other eye problems, deafness, heart and lung problems, a less developed brain, low birth weight and inflammation of the brain, lungs, liver and bone marrow. http://www. netdoctor. co. uk/diseases/facts/germanmeasles. htm Meningitis. Meningitis is an infection of the meninges (protective membranes) that surround the brain and spinal cord. The infection causes the meninges to become inflamed (swollen) which in some cases can damage the nerves and brain. There are two types of meningitis: -Bacterial meningitis: which is caused by bacteria such as Neisseria meningitides or Streptococcus pneumonia and spread through close contact. -Viral meningitis: this is caused by viruses that can be spread through coughing, sneezing and poor hygiene. Viral meningitis is the most common and less serious type of meningitis. Bacterial meningitis is spread by: -sneezing -coughing -kissing -sharing utensils -sharing personal possessions such as a toothbrush. Symptoms. Bacterial meningitis. It has a number of early warning signs that usually occur before the other symptoms, these are: -floppy and unresponsive -cold hands and feet, shivering -pale or blotchy skins with blue lips. The early symptoms os bacterial meningitis are similar to those of many other conditions and include: -staring expressions -fever -vomiting and refusing feeds -unusual crying and becoming irritable (not wanting to be held) As the condition gets worse it may cause: -very sleepy, hard to wake up -seizures -unable to tolerate brightness -red rash Viral meningitis -vomiting -diarrhoea -fever -headaches -photo phobia How is it treated. As in the case of bacterial meningitis, vaccinations programmes have successfully eliminated the threat from many viruses that used to cause viral meningitis. This is the MMR vaccine which provides children with immunity against mumps, once a leading cause of viral meningitis. Viral meningitis usually gets better within couple of weeks, with plenty of rest and pain killers for the headache. Bacterial meningitis is treated with antibiotics. These will be given intravenously (through a vein in arm) Treatment will require trips to the hospital with serve cases treated in an intensive care unit so the bodys vital functions can be supported. Bacterial meningitis can place tremendous strain on the body and the brain. It is estimated that the quoter of people with meningococcal disease (the combination on meningitis and blood poising) will have complications. COMMON CHILDHOOD INFECTIOUS DISEASES ; ILLNESSES. Complied by DCE group B 2013. http://www. meningitis. org/symptoms E4. Explain how the practitioner can respond to the particular needs of a child with the chosen infectious disease. Its important that support given to the child and family is family centred. This means that the childrens parents have a key role in making decisions about the sort of care their child receives, where the care takes place and how they can establish networks of supports. Professionals carers such as doctors, nursers, social workers and early years workers should recognise the needs of the child and the whole family and aim to meet those in an honest, caring and supportive manner. Care plans should be drawn up with the parents involvement, and should take account of the physical, emotional and social needs of the whole family. Whether you are working in a family home as a nanny, in a nursery or in a school, you should be informed of everything that goes on, so you are able to offer appropriate help. You can help by -offering practical and emotional support to the child and their family -developing a strong emotional bond with the child and provide a safe, trusting relationship which will help the child and the parents. There should always be a back up person in case the childs key person is away. -always finding time to listen to the child -observing the child closely and try to see if the child is experiencing any areas of difficulty. -allowing the child to express their feelings. Encourage children to use play as a form of therapy, to realise feelings of tension, frustration and sadness. You could offer activities such as playing with play dough, bubble blowing, water play, small world play and home corner play. -reassure them that they are very much loved by their family and their carers. Children who are ill often regardless and may want to play with toys that they have long since outgrown. They may have short attention span and tire quickly, so toys and materials should be changed frequently. A child with measles shouldn’t be present at the setting for at least 6 days because other children are at risk of catching the disease. On the other hand children that has meningitis should be also kept at home or in hospital for closer care. CACHE Level 3 Child care and Education Diploma written in July 2012. Published by Meggit C. Bruce T. Grenier J. E5 +E6 + C1. Describe one common long term childhood condition and explain the support available in an early years setting for parents and families caring for a child with this condition. Epilepsy. Epilepsy is a condition of the nervous system affecting 150,000 children in the UK. Its not a mental illness and cant be caught of another child. A child with epilepsy experiences seizures of fits. A seizure is caused by a sudden burst of excess electrical activity in the brain, causing a temporary disruption in the normal message passing between brain cells. A type of seizure a child has depends on which area of the brain is affected. Some seizures involve convulsions, or strange and confused behaviour, but others such as absences may be harder to recognise. Treatment. The aim of medical treatment is to control the childs tenancy to have seizures, so that they can get on with their life with as little seizures happening possible. Avoiding the things that disturb seizures and taking anti-epileptic drugs are the main treatment methods. Each anti-epileptic drug is selected to different kind of seizures that the child is experiencing. Even though the drugs help control seizures, there isn’t a cure that gets rid of it completely. Children with epilepsy should be treated as any other child. Epilepsy is not an illness and children should be encouraged to take part in all activities and daily routine, unless otherwise advised by the childs parents or doctor. Teachers and practitioners should be aware of the childs individual needs and what is best for them if they have a seizure, for example, what kind of seizure the child has, what starts it off, how long the seizure normally lasts, if the child needs any rest/sleep after the seizure or if they need to go home, is the child normally confused after the seizure, does the setting have a medical room where the child can recover, and is there a nursery nurse that can help the child in case there’s any additional help needed. The practitioner needs to make sure that all the details of any GPs or doctors the child has are up to date e. g. telephone number, address etc. in case they need to make contact with any other professionals. Also they should take a record of exactly what happened during the seizure, this will help to build up a picture of the childs condition. The parents should be called straight after any seizures, in case they want to come and pick the child up or come over and make sure their child is okay. Epilepsy can affect children in educational way due to children having them in settings. Children usually cant detect when theyre going to have a seizure, so if they have one while playing with another child, the other child might freak out and wont be able to understand whats going on. Practitioner should then explain to the other child what happened and make sure the other child is okay. Guidelines for helping a child who is experiencing a seizure. Do: -protect the child from injury by moving any furniture or other solid objects out of the way during a seizure -make space around the child and keep other children away -loosen the clothing around the childs neck and chest and cushion their head -stay with the child until the recovery is complete -be calmly reassuring Do not: -restrain the child in any way -try to put anything in their mouth -try to move them unless they are in danger -give the child anything to eat or drink until they are fully recovered -attempt to bring them around Call an ambulance if: -if its the childs first seizure and you do not know why it happened -it follows a blow to the head -the child is injured during the seizure -the seizure is continuous and shows no signs of stopping. CACHE Level 3 Child care and Education Diploma written in July 2012. Published by Meggit C. Bruce T. Grenier J. http://www. epilepsysociety. org. uk/about-epilepsy#. Uwnw7Pl_voA E6. The key person that the child has will be able to help a lot, not only emotionally but also physically and verbally. The key person will look after the child in the setting so if the child has a seizure the key person will know what to do. To help and make the childs life a little bit easier the key person should know what triggers the seizures and try and do everything to avoid these things, for example, if flicking lights set off the seizures, the key person would make sure there are no flicking lights in the room that theyre in. As well as the child, the key person is able to speak to their family and give out any verbal support if theyre struggling with their childs condition. If that’s not enough, the key person can transfer the family to health clinics or support groups so the family can get their questions answered if theyve got any, and can make their lives easier to live with this condition. Another source of help available is Epilepsy Society which is a group that helps children and families that suffer from epilepsy. This group helps with getting the right amount of stuff that the families are entitled to such as: free prescription to your epilepsy drugs, financial help towards the travel to your medical appointments and work/setting, welfare benefits and tax credits, also if the child needs any daily equipment the group offers to cover the costs. The entitlements that the child gets depends on how bad their epilepsy is and how they cope with it on the daily basis. http://www. epilepsysociety. org. uk/what-help-available#. Uwi8UPl_voA C1. Its important to work as a team to be able to support the child with a long term illness as well as his/hers family. By working as a team, youre able to share important information with other professionals such as the childs doctor, GPs, counsellor etc. as to how the child is getting on in the setting or at home and how you could improve their development. You need to keep in contact with the childs doctor to let them know if theres any changes that occurred or if the childs development has improved. Sharing information like this will help practitioners as well as the childs family and doctors be able to plan the next steps theyre going to take to help the child in the future. Another advantage to why working as a team is important because youre able to plan in order to help the childs development. For example, if a practitioner spoke to the childs doctor and the doctor advised them to make sure the child receives enough physical movement, the practitioner could plan an activity that will involve some physical movement and also can ask for advice from other team members about their chosen activity. This will help the childs development and how they get on in the setting. Holistic approach is important as well, if the practitioner is able to observe the child and identify what the child needs or what would help them get on in the setting easier, they can consider different approaches. For example, instead of using the same resources that they would normally use while carrying out a certain activity, the practitioner could see what other resources they can gather and use something new instead of the old things that the child can get bored of easily. Holistic approach means looking at the childs full development, their emotional, physical, verbal, mind etc. and being able to work on developing these aspects to help the child progress further. E7 +B1 Children aged 4 wont like to be separated from their parents or carers while going to the hospital thats why its important for the practitioners to prepare children before they go and make sure you know how they feel. One of the games the practitioner could carry out is a simple game like snap,uno, or happy families. This game is a good way for the practitioner to talk to the child and find out how they feel about the current situation. Once the child opens up about their feelings, the practitioner can reassure them and explain what will happen. Its important to reassure the children because of the fact that theyre only young they wont understand whats going on, and will only get the negative point of view. Another game that can be helpful is Jigsaw puzzles, the child can start with simple puzzles and progress to more challenging ones, perhaps with family help. Its important that not only the practitioner but also the family is able to prepare the child before they go into the hospital. The child will be more open and will trust the family more, so its important that the family is involved. As well as this, the family can be more reassuring and calming so the child doesn’t feel under pressure, or isn’t scared about whats going to happen. Its important that the child knows where they going and why. http://boardgamegeek. com/geeklist/17609/definitive-list-of-games-suitable-for-kids-4-years D1. Explain why it is important to identify and respond appropriatly when children are unwell. Its important to identify and respond to children when theyre unwell simply to show that you care. Children don’t understand what we do and why we do it, theyre too young to understand, but if as a practitioner youre able to gain their trust by showing that you care about them and giving them enough attention so they feel comfortable around you then youre able to progress and get on with the child easier. Its easy to identify if a child is unwell, every child is different therefore they will show their signs and symptoms differently, however you should know the child and how they normally would act and behave around the placement, so when theyre unwell youll be able to notice that something is wrong. For example, if there’s a child in the setting that normally is very bubbly and happy, and one day they come in and act out of character by sitting on their own, or not playing with toys etc. the practitioner is able to identify that theres something wrong so they could go and talk to them and find out what’s wrong. If the child is seriously ill its the childs right to get looked after properly, the practitioner should ask other professionals if theres certain things they should do. For example if a child is very sleepy and theyre not normally like this, the practitioner could ask other staff members if there’s anything in particular that they should do like put the child to sleep for a while or ring their parents to come pick them up etc.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Introduction to Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology

Introduction to Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology Edward Cordero The first theoretical perspective in sociology is called Functional Analysis. Functional Analysis is the theory that society is made up of different parts that collaborate to promote unity and equality. Functional Analysis is sometimes referred to as functionalism and structural functionalism (Henslin, 2012, p. 24). Auguste Comte and Herbert Spencer, both outstanding sociologists, developed this theory because they believed society is similar as living organisms. By comparing society to living organisms and their organs, Comte and Spencer concluded that in order for a humans or animals to function properly, their organs must work together. In this case, in order for society to be prosperous, people must work as a team to make it happen. Emile Durkheim saw nothing different about Comte and Spencers judgement. He also stressed the idea that society is made up of many parts that works together to fulfill their functions (Henslin, 2012, p. 25). What differs Durkheim from Comte and Herber t is that he acknowledged society as being normal (Henslin, 2012, p. 25) if each part of society is working together as a team. If society does not collaborate, then it is deemed an abnormal or pathological state (Henslin, 2012, p. 25). Robert Merton developed a scale to measure the consequences of peoples action in a society. If a person does something that is purposeful to society, it is called a manifest function. If a person does something that is not planned to help society change, it is called a latent function. A negative consequence that causes damage to society is called a dysfunction. When functionalists conduct their research, it is important that they target large groups such as: industries, organizations, or structures because Functional Analysis is a macro analysis. Macro-level analysis is supposedly designed to target large scale patterns in society (Henslin, 2012, p. 28). Situations that attract functionalists attention can include how the parts of society fit togeth er to make the whole and what each part does, and how it contributes to society (Henslin, 2012, p. 25). Functional Analysis is important because this is the area that helps sociologists examine and explain social phenomena that can have a positive or negative impact. The second theoretical perspective of sociology is the Conflict Theory. The Conflict Theory is the idea that society is made of different groups that compete each other for scarce resources. The Industrial Revolution that transformed Europe has prompted sociologist Karl Marx to develop this perspective on social life. Marx believes that in a society, a higher class group exists and controls the lower class. According to sociologist Lewis Coser, he believes conflict is most likely to develop among people who are in close relationships (Henslin, 2012, p. 27). Therefore, if a negative change occurs in the arrangement on how power or privilege is distributed in their society, it could lead to conflicts. Conflict theorists also focuses on large groups when conducting research because Conflict Theory is a macro analysis. They target structures, groups, countries, and even cultures. The strength of the Conflict Theory is that it allows conflict theorists to examine the change of a circumsta nce and understand the conflict that comes along. This allows better understanding on why events, such as protests, occur in society today. When conflict theorists conduct research, they look at how opposing interest run through every layer of society (Henslin, 2012, p. 27) or what causes inequality in a society. What also gains their attention is when they try to understand how the upper class controls their power on the lower class. The third theoretical perspective in sociology is called Symbolic Interactionism. Symbolic Interactionism is the theory that society uses symbols that have meaning to communicate with one another and to understand the world around them. Sociologists, George Herbert Mead and Charles Cooley, teamed up to design this theory to better understand our social life. Symbolic Interactionism is considered to be a micro analysis. Micro analysis involves a small group when examining how an individual uses symbols to communicate and interact in society. The Conflict Theory is important because it helps conflict interactionists analyze how social life depends on the ways we define ourselves and others (Henslin, 2012, p. 23). Since Symbolic Interactionism focuses on an individual and their interaction with others, this could help lead them to understand social order and change in a society. What attracts conflict interactionalists is when they examine how people make sense out of life and their pla ce in it (Henslin, 2012, p. 23). They look at how each society dresses differently or how each social order is different. Most importantly, they might find it interesting on how symbols, despite having different meaning in every society, creates social life. I will be applying the theoretical perspectives of sociology to the Dakota Pipeline Protest, an event that has been affecting a society in the U.S. When applying Functional Analysis to the Dakota Pipeline Protest, researchers would first want to know what the manifest function of the Dakota pipeline is. The manifest function of the Dakota pipeline project is to build a 1,200-mile-long pipeline, from North Dakota to Illinois, that will transport about 470,000 barrels of crude oil each day. This is considered the safest way to transport crude oil in regards to environmental concerns. The Researchers might also be interested in the dysfunctions of the pipeline. The dysfunction of the project is that the pipeline is projected to go under Lake Oahe. Any rupture from the pipeline could cause a huge environmental effect. Researchers would also be curious about the organizers. They might consider questioning their reason for introducing the project, as well as the benefit of the pipeline. Th e organizer of the Dakota pipeline, Energy Transfer Partner LP, is the company that wants to engage in this business of transporting oil. They got the approval to push forward with the project because it is the safest and the most environmental-friendly way to transport oil. Finally, researchers might also want to examine what the possible latent functions of this project will be. A possible latent function of the project is that it can lower fuel prices in the U.S. and cause a boost in the economy. This can also lead to low cost on electricity bills or air fares. When applying Conflict Theory to the Dakota Pipeline Protest, researchers might want to first examine who is the high and low class. The high class in this event would be the Government officials as well as the organizers of the project. The low class would be considered the group that disapproves the construction of the Dakota pipeline. In this case, the low class would be the Native American tribes from all over the United States. Researchers would also examine what is the cause to the inequality that is taking place. According to the Native Americans, they have been living in the area where the pipeline is projected to go across. The Government does not consider the fact that this is a sacred area for them and that Lake Oahe is life for them. Lake Oahe provides them their daily water supply and they strongly believe water is life. Researchers would also be curious about what else the Native Americans are trying to protect and why do they still have the interest to keep protesting, despite the physical abuse from the Government. Besides the water, the Native Americans have ancestors who were buried around the area. It is disturbing for them to witness a construction going on in the area that is valuable since their ancestors. Finally, conflict theorists would want to know exactly if this pipeline is absolutely necessary for society and whether excessive force should be used against the protestors. Excessive force has been used on the Native Americans. Government authorities are authorized to use police dogs, pepper spray, and tear gas. These people are simply protecting their land and they have every rights to voice their concerns. They have the right to protest. Symbolic interactionists would be interested in studying the symbols that are being used by the Native Americans in the Dakota Pipeline Protest. Researchers might probably want to first verify if it is just Native Americans that are involved in the protest. They must interview individuals and question their race. They must try to examine how the project is affecting individuals society and to determine if it is only Native American who are voicing their opinions. Researchers would definitely interview individuals to find out how meaningful the land is to them. It is important for the researcher to understand what the land symbolizes because that is the foundation of the protest. They might also examine if the symbolism of the land differs to each individual involved. Symbolic interactionists might also study the clothing of the Native Americans, as well as the songs they sing traditionally on the construction site. Based on the media, some Native Americans wore traditional clothing t o represent their ancestors and to show that they will continue to fight for them. The traditional songs are sung near the construction site to promote unity. The weapons that the Native Americans use to counter the excessive force from the Government might also attract researchers. Instead of using guns or modern day weapons, the Native Americans are seen using sling shots, horses, or even their flags as weapons. The researchers might want to interview individuals face to face and question them on their choice of weapon. Based on videos from media, it shows that these Native Americans are taking pride into their culture. Work Cited: Henslin, J. M. (2012). Sociology: A Down-to-Earth Approach. NJ: Pearson.