Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders, and the P.A.N.D.A.S. Conne :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Over the top Compulsive Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorders, and the P.A.N.D.A.S. Association As somebody who's been tormented by an Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Disorder since youth, I can say it appears to be sad on occasion. For such a long time a victim feels that what they have is definitely not an authentic affliction and that he is separated from everyone else in his fight. Fortunately, as of late, increasingly more examination is being done on Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, and more answers are being found. Over the top Compulsive Disorders are the fourth most regular mental finding. In some cases the beginning of manifestations is unexpected, yet as a general rule it is a steady movement. Encouraging occasions that could prod the beginning of an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder can incorporate enthusiastic pressure (residential or work related), expanded degrees of duty, medical issues, and deprivation. As per the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fourth Edition, the basic highlights of an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder are repetitive fixation or impulses that are sufficiently serious to be tedious (i.e.: they take over an hour out of each day) or cause stamped trouble or huge hindrance. Eventually over the span of the confusion, the individual has perceived the fixations or impulses are inordinate or outlandish. Note this is troublesome concerning youngsters since kids tend to not understand that their impulses are over the top or nonsensical while grown-ups do ((1) .) . Individuals create impulses by attempting to disregard considerations or driving forces, or by attempting to kill them with different contemplations or activities. Impulses are mental acts, and incorporate rehashing words, requesting things, hand washing, and different movements. The objective of these impulses is to forestall or diminish tension. Since Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI's, for example, Prozac, Luvox, Zoloft, and Paxil are powerful in controlling Obsessive Compulsive Disorders, it's accepted that serotonin guideline is a piece of the reason for OCD. Serotonin is a significant compound dispatcher in the mind, and assumes a job in an individual's state of mind, animosity, motivation control, rest, craving, internal heat level, and torment. Cerebrum imaging considers have portrayed different anomalies in parts of the minds of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder victims. These parts incorporate the caudate core, the basil ganglia, the thalamus, orbital cortex, and cingulated gyrus. Clutters that have the over the top habitual indications of nosy, monotonous practices are frequently called OC Spectrum Disorders. Among these incorporate Trichotillomania, Monosyruptomatic Hypochondriasis, Body Dismorphic Disorder, and some dietary problems.

ETH501, Business Ethics, Mod 3 Session Long Project Essay

ETH501, Business Ethics, Mod 3 Session Long Project - Essay Example One such right is worker protection. This incorporates physical and data protection. No organization can disregard the representative security on the grounds of different moral structures. In the event that we take a gander at testing or observation of workers without their assent on GPS or through some other methods for innovation, we can say that it ought to be debilitated in light of the fact that it renders a bigger number of disservices than points of interest to the general public. For instance, by following you representatives through GPS, you are getting sure private data and some data they might not have any desire to let you know. This strips them of their basic right. It may help the firm on lessening the current packaging burglary and spare them a ton of cash. These advantages are just for the firm. In the event that we take a gander at the weaknesses achieved by this observation of workers without their assent, they will incorporate costs, for example, costs for the organization, cost for the general public and cost for the representative who is being checked. For the firm, the expense would be the expense of hardware being utilized. For the general public , the expense would be that the cash spent on new innovation could have been utilized for the advantages of the representatives. For representatives, these costs will be unequivocal, For instance, this may give them stress. This may likewise cause them to lose their employment. In any case, regardless of whether the employee’s observation is supported or not is far from being obviously true. All things considered, there are more possibilities that the worker observation done by The Coca-Cola Company through GPS framework is legitimized. An organization which is as large as Coca-Cola itself by and large glances at the costs they are confronted with before taking such choices and possibly go with the choice if the advantages surpass the expenses. Subsequently, they should consider it as progressively invaluable and thus chose to go ahead with it. Be that as it may, organizations are generally worried about their own expense and advantage examination and they may have

The Benefits of Online Mind Mapping in Education - Focus

The Benefits of Online Mind Mapping in Education - Focus Most teachers are already familiar with mind mapping and similar brainstorming techniques and know about their use in facilitating creativity and the free flow of ideas. However, in contrast to regular paper mind maps, online mind mapping offers a range of additional possibilities for both students and teachers that make it one of the most practical applications that can be employed in a classroom. In this article, we want to give you a quick overview of what online mind mapping is and how you can use it in the classroom, with MindMeister, the market-leader in online mind mapping.   What Is Online Mind Mapping? Online mind mapping is a means for teachers and students to work collaboratively and brainstorm together in real-time. The software basically offers a two-dimensional canvas which allows teachers and students to explore ideas, concepts and other types of information visually. Mind maps can easily be shared with individuals or whole groups of students, who can then contribute to them by adding their own ideas, images, links to external websites, files, notes or even tasks. Being web-based, online  mind mapping software runs inside the web browser and requires neither installation nor updating. This is especially important because it frees up IT resources and can easily be managed by teachers, who are able to add new students to the system with just a few clicks. 5 Uses of Online Mind Mapping in the Classroom 1. Note Taking and Revising:  Teachers can easily prepare an overview mind map for a new topic, and share it with their entire class. Each student can then expand the map with their own notes and use it for later revisions of the material. 2. Creating Stunning Presentations:  Using the built-in presentation mode, users can turn their mind maps into engaging slideshows with just a few clicks. Besides being able to present their slideshows in class, teachers can also embed them in blogs or websites. 3. Monitoring Student Participation:  With MindMeisters History View users can go back in time and replay the entire change history of a mind map. Teachers can thus make out the thought process of their students as well as retrace the participation of each map contributor. 4. Research and Writing:  Mind maps are the ideal format to brainstorm and outline texts before starting the actual writing process. Students can then export their outline as a Word document and use it as the basis for further expansion. 5. Conquering Learning Disabilities:  Students with learning disabilities such as dyslexia or high-functioning autism can benefit tremendously from the visual depiction of information provided by mind maps. “Mind mapping records the interconnections and structures of complex texts for me and takes the pressure off me holding them in my head.” Donna Nicholson Arnott, dyslexic student in higher education Benefits of Online Mind Mapping Online mind mapping has helped millions of students  optimize their study time and improve test scores, and more and more teachers are convinced by the numerous benefits this technique offers: Improves collaboration and teamwork Structures information visually Displays connections and hierarchies Enhances memory through the use of mental triggers Increases productivity and makes note taking more efficient Facilitates a free flow of ideas and fosters creativity Is a great presentation tool Doesn’t feel like work! The Market Leader in Online Mind Mapping MindMeister  is the market leader in online mind mapping and is already  used by over 200.000 teachers and students  worldwide. The tool offers  free mobile apps for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, which enable students to effectively bridge home and school activities. The  intuitive user interface  is especially designed for a quick and easy mapping experience that doesn’t require training and is suited for students of eight years and up. “My grade 3 students had it figured out in no time” Jennifer Friske, Elementary School Teacher Start a Free Trial Now! MindMeister’s Edu Campus plan is available for as little as 1 $  per user and month  and offers a number of features developed especially with the needs of academic institutions in mind, such as group sharing, bulk export of mind maps, and multiple license admins. Contact [emailprotected] now to start a 30-day free trial, or visit www.mindmeister.com/edu for more information.

Play Analysis - Sample Essay of Man and Superman

The comedy Man and Superman depicts a microcosm of English convention in the early 20th century. It is an adaptation of the Don Juan epic touching on the philosophy of Nietzsche’s ubermensch. The play’s social commentary is strongly influenced by these topics, but it contains undertones that speak to a more specific topic on the implementation of social revolution. Framed in this way, the play is a platform for concepts embodied in the socialist rhetoric of the Fabian Society. During the late 19th Century and Early 20th century, George Bernard Shaw was an active member often using his dramatic works as a vessel by which he could communicate his political views. In the setting of Man and Superman, Shaw uses the metamorphosis of the protagonist as a metaphor for the type of social revolution sought by the Fabian Society. The Character Jack Tanner Jack Tanner is an unconventional character at a time when convention dictated action. He is wealthy, middle-aged, and unattached. As a confirmed bachelor, he preaches free love and constantly decries the institution of marriage. Most notably he is the author of The Revolutionist’s Handbook. This book details opinions on many controversial topics from the overthrowing of governments to the role of women in the daily life. The type of person that he represents is not readily accepted by his peers. In the eyes of Roebuck Ramsden, Jack Tanner is initially viewed in a negative light. Ramsden describes Tanner’s book as â€Å"the most infamous, the most scandalous, the most mischievous, the most black guardly book that ever escaped burning at the hands of the common hangman† (337). Ramsdens views are significant. He is an older gentleman that holds an important position in society. He is introduced as, â€Å"more than a highly respectable man: he is marked out as a president of highly respectable men† (333). It is therefore not unreasonable to think that the views of Ramsden might also be the views held by other important gentlemen in society. Ramsden’s views are shared by like-minded characters in the play. After defending Violet for the circumstances in which she is having a child, Tanner finds himself apologizing to her. Violet says, â€Å"I hope you will be more careful in the future about the things you say. Of course one does not take them seriously; but they are very disagreeable, and rather in bad taste† (376). Regardless of her own motivations at that time, she wanted nothing to do with Tanner’s support. This is in stark contrast to the reception one typically gets as a lone defender. How Tanner Views Himself These reactions to Tanner are generated from the way in which Tanner views himself. He says to Ann, â€Å"I have become a reformer, and like all reformers, an iconoclast. I no longer break cucumber frames and burn gorse bushes: I shatter creeds and demolish idols† (367). This is an extreme stance from which to approach life. It is understandable then that people might be offended, or even threatened, by what he represents. Tanner is unrealistic in his ideas on how to change society. In order to affect these changes in a direct manner, one would truly have to be a superman. Were Tanner to be an ubermensch by the definition of Nietzsche, it is conceivable that he might have been able to pull off a social revolution without subtlety. The main characteristic of the ubermensch is that he/she acts in accordance with his or her desires. However, he repeatedly demonstrates that this is not the case. He is conflicted over his feelings for Ann. Even though he claims that he disliked her, he somehow always attends to her. He claims to be an intellectual but is corrected by his chauffer when quoting Beaumarchais. He freely admits he is a slave to the car and his chauffeur by extension. He admits that he is intimidated by women and needs protection from at least one, namely Ann. Though he gives a long-winded diatribe to Ramsden that claims is almost without shame and almost never regrets his actions, he clearly contradicts himself. Tanner Dreams He Is Don Juan In the third act, Tanner dreams he is Don Juan, choosing whether he belongs in heaven or hell. Of course, this is the Shaw version of Heaven and hell rather than the traditional version in which the Devil punishes the wicked. Don Juan describes Heaven as a place in which â€Å"you live and work instead of playing and pretending. You face things as they are; you escape nothing but glamour, and your steadfastness and your peril are your glory† (436). If hell is a place in which you don’t face reality, then that has a clear connection to the state Jack Tanner finds himself in at the beginning of the third act. He is shirking responsibility in his personal life as well as avoiding the feelings he has for Ann. Choosing the Life Hes Been Avoiding In choosing to go to heaven at the end of the third act, Jack Tanner subconsciously chooses the life he has been avoiding. This is the life that accepts Ann. This is also the life that does not avoid convention but embraces it. Heaven is a place where one contemplates the true nature of the universe. In this case, Jack chooses to contemplate the true nature of his world rather than live an existence only concerned with self-gratification. Here again, Ramsden’s view of Tanner is significant. When Tanner has professed his love for Ann at the end of the play, Ramsden is congratulatory. He says, â€Å"you are a happy man, Jack Tanner, I envy you† (506). This is the first such supportive remark offered by Ramsden. Until this point, they had remained at odds with each other. Tanner’s engagement to Ann probably suggests he has a reasonable nature. Since Ramsden is an influential person, this changed view of Tanner will extend to Ramsden’s sphere of influence. In this light, Tanner has the opportunity to be a much more influential person. We have a clear example of the effectiveness of this kind of man in Ramsden. Ramsden was appalled to hear that Tanner considered him, â€Å"an old man with obsolete ideas† (341), but Ramsden was just like Tanner in his youth. He says to Octavius, â€Å"I have stood for equality and liberty of conscience while they were trucking to the Church and to the aristocracy. Whitefield and I lost chance after chance through our advanced opinions† (339). In his day, his opinions were advanced enough to lose him favor in eyes of his contemporaries. Mendoza, an acquaintance they met in Spain, reported that Ramsden, â€Å"used to supper with several different ladies† (471). This is something Ramsden staunchly disagreed with in Tanner’s personal life. It is clear that a change occurred in Ramsden. It must also be true that a change occurred in society in order for a man with such radical opinions to become a man of honor. This suggests that Tanner evolved in the same way that Ramsden did. Their views became milder as did their lifestyles. This is similar to the method of affecting change that was espoused by the Fabian Society. The Fabian Society was and still is a socialist organization that encourages the advancement of socialist principles through gradual rather than revolutionary means. Here, it is implied that Ramsden and now Tanner became more effective at advancing their own principles after adopting their milder lifestyles. Construction Cumbers the Ground... When he says, â€Å"construction cumbers the ground with institutions made by busybodies. Destruction clears it and gives us breather space and liberty† (367), Tanner did not realize that these words would apply to his own circumstance. His old life, which he thought was liberated, was actually holding him back. It was only in the destruction of that life that he was able to liberate himself. The taming of his radical nature caused his influence to expand. The Fabian Society believed that the destruction of state-created national, political, and moral character. Tanner’s change is a metaphor for this creation of a character. Tanner believed he had strong moral passion, but this passion was undirected. Instead, he had the foundation for a strong moral character. In submitting to Ann and accepting the traditional Victorian lifestyle, he gained a springboard from which to extend his social ideas. In so doing, he developed a stronger moral fiber, the moral fiber of a leader rather than an eccentric.

Montresor Essay - 888 Words

The story begins with Montresor’s monologue, explaining why he wants to take revenge on Fortunado, actually a friend of him. â€Å"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge†. Although the writer doesn’t give the detail explanation of what, on earth, Fortunato did by the â€Å"thousand injuries†, we can still feel the anger of Montresor, burning in his mind. He wants to revenge, using his own way. â€Å"It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile NOW was at the thought of his immolation.† He knew Fortunato’s characteristics well, including†¦show more content†¦Fortunato, a respected and feared man, however, is easily induced when it comes to the Italian wine--Amontillado. He is so proud of his ability that he is confide nt to take on this challenge, even though he has a cough and is already somewhat drunk. During the time in the catacombs, Montresor deliberately persuades him to go back, pretending to worry about his health. In fact, it makes Fortunato want to pursuit the wine more eagerly and imperatively. At least we can read in their conversation, â€Å"Let us go, nevertheless. The cold is merely nothing†, and â€Å"The cough is nothing†. He allows himself to be led into the catacombs further and further, by Montresor, without any awareness. However, in my opinion, perhaps Fortunato has been suspicious of what Montresor did, but he didn’t show that feeling, and he only wants to pursue the good wine. But he is so stubborn, who is too obstinate to the Amontillado only. The organization of language in this story has much to tell. First, from what Montresor said, we can tell he is really desperate to take revenge on Fortunado. The most striking thing is Montresor’s voice. It has uninterrupted calm and confidence. He kept suggesting Fortunato to go back, in order to pretend he’s warm hearted. He tells the story from beginning to end with no emotion, as I mentioned before. If he is gleeful at gaining his revenge, of if he feels guilty about his crime, he does not speak of it directly, andShow MoreRelatedMontresor And Fortunato715 Words   |  3 Pagesand being the bigger person. In the short story of â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† by Edgar Allan Poe, the readers are introduced to two main characters, Montresor and Fortunato. Poe puts them in a bad situation which leads Montresor hating Fortunato, making it hard on Montresor to let go of the situation. On account of his hatred, he wants revenge. Montresor does not care how he will achieve this, he just knows that he wants the other to suffer. However, Fortunato knows nothing about Montresors great schemeRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Montresor887 Words   |  3 Pagesï » ¿Character Analysis of Montresor If written with skill, â€Å"Villains† can be some of the most interesting characters in literature. The character of Montresor from Edgar Allen Poe’s â€Å"A Cask of Amontillado†. Poe, being the horror writer that he was, portrays this dark character in exactly that way. The story begins with Montresor explaining to the reader as a narrator that a man named Fortunato has insulted and hurt him for a great deal of time. Montresor never explains what exactly Fortunato did toRead MoreQuotes About Montresor766 Words   |  4 PagesThese people are the type who organize terror attacks or murder people. Montresor is a character from Edgar Allan Poe story,  ¨The Cask of Amontillado ¨. Montresor is a man who made a plan to kill a man and the followed through with it. He is an example is one of those very people. Montresor manipulated a man by getting him drunk, so he could kill him. Montresor is vengeful because of peoples wrongdoings against him. Montresor is an evil person because he plotted to kill a man. These are the basicRead MoreMontresor Character Analysis1127 Words   |  5 PagesMontresor was a man who seemed to be very hurt and angry, he had many issues and unresolved problems going on in his life. These different episodes of emotions leads to Montresor being a very manipulative and revengeful person. Which later leads to him accomplishing his revenge in the death of Fortunato. In â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†, Montresor is fixed on getting revenge on a former friend of his because of insults. And though Montresor accomplished his plan of revenge, his heart and soul is foreverRead MoreMontresor And Fortunato Essay772 Words   |  4 Pageshe became addicted to. Montresor on the other hand wasn’t as social as Fortunato so he was more of a loner and focused on his career into adult hood. He became extremely successful in his career endeavors and he also found the love of his life, Sara, while doing so! His life was perfect, him and Fortunato remained friends but they were not as close as they had once been because of their different life paths. Fortunato longed to spend more time with his friend so Montresor would feel bad and giveRead MoreMontresor And Zaroff Essay1074 Words   |  5 Pagesme without wor rying about punishment. These words are from the intriguing character Montresor, or the author of the story Edgar Allan Poe. Montresor, from the short story of â€Å"the cask of amontillado† is a serial killer who murders people who insult him. In this short tale he murders a man by the name of Fortunato who ends up insulting the wrong person. Another character that would make great friends with Montresor would be General Zaroff, from the short story â€Å"the most dangerous game† by Richard ConnellRead MoreIs Montresor An Unreliable Narrator Essay940 Words   |  4 Pagesthe eyes of a wine enthusiast, called Montresor. The author chooses to write the story through Montresor’s point of view, because it makes the reader really think, and shows them how a murderer thinks. It also adds suspense, leading up to the immolation of Fortunato. In the story Montresor talks about how he is in a toxic friendship, with a man named Fortunato. Montresor apparently suffered ma ny injuries due to Fortunato, but when Fortunato insults him, Montresor can not tolerate it any more. He swearsRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Montresor1160 Words   |  5 Pagesthe deepest abyss instill fear throughout many stories, such as deranged Montresor from Edgar Allan Poe’s â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado.† In the sinister text, the protagonist Montresor has his eye set on disposing of his nemesis the antagonist, Fortunato, who has in someway done him â€Å"a thousand wrongs† (Poe 67). As Montresor leads an unaware Fortunato into the vaults of his forefathers to get the drink Amontillado, Montresor keeps up the pretense of a cordial, caring friend until the story’s disturbingRead MoreCharacter Analysis Of Montresor903 Words   |  4 Pages One person who takes this quote to an entirely new level is Montresor from â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†. In this short story by Edgar Allan Poe, Montresor has had enough of his boorish friend Fortuna to and vows for revenge. Before Montresors retaliation, he approaches the sickly Fortunato and offers him some of the rare Amontillado which he has locked away in the cellar of his home. While on their way to retrieve the alcohol, Montresor tells Fortunato to drink for his heavy cough, intoxicating himRead MoreMontresor And Fortunato Analysis1610 Words   |  7 Pageswall to trap him, leaving him to die of starvation. In 50 years, no one has any inkling of what took place in those catacombs, except for Montresor. However, is Montresor’s plot of vengeance truly a success? It seems victorious, as though Montresor got his revenge and enjoyed it through and through until the very end, but Poe hints that it’s not that simple. Montresor lived for 50 years with a guilty conscience, a weight upon his shoulders that is much too heavy for anyone to shake. He murdered a man

Spiral of Silence Free Essays

Name: Edmund Marcio Lugao Diploma in Mass Communication Subject: Communication Theory Introduction: I do not like V-neck but I am a Gay and what say you? I do not use handbags similar to those used by women and what say you? â€Å"Gay men have muscular bodies and like to show off by wearing V-neck and sleeveless clothes. They prefer tight and light coloured clothing. They like to carry big handbags similar to those used by women and so on. We will write a custom essay sample on Spiral of Silence or any similar topic only for you Order Now In a seminar in Penang on Sunday, Sep 16, 2012, Deputy Education Minister Mohd Puad Zarkashi said not many people understood or knew the early â€Å"symptoms† of homosexuality, bisexuality and transgender inclinations to prevent its spread. The Malaysian Government Education Minister has endorsed a list of the identifiable gay and lesbian guideline for the schools and parents to prevent the spread of what it perceives as a phenomenon among teenagers, especially students. In that seminar, the majority of the audience are teachers. In that situation, are them practicing the Spiral of Silence? Content: We will always choose to remain silence if someone evaluate their views fall in the minority. According to Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann (1916 – 2010) (Appendix I) â€Å"Spiral of Silence† been introduced as an attempt to explain in part how public opinion is formed. She wondered why the Germans supported wrong political positions that led to national defeat, humiliation and ruin in the 1930s-1940s. The description of Spiral of Silence is audience will be unwilling to publicly express their opinion if they believe they are in the minority. They will also be more vocal if they believe they are a part of the majority. Thus, the more marginalized you become, the less you speak and so spiral into a fully marginal position. This works because we fear social rejection. and that when a person appears to be rejected, others will back away from them, fearing being rejected because they associate with the rejected person. It also makes marginalization a powerful way of eliminating political and social competition. Public opinion is the â€Å"attitudes or behaviors one must express in public if one is not to isolate oneself, in areas of controversy or change; public opinions are those attitudes one can express without running the danger of isolating oneself. According to Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann, one view dominated the public scene and others disappeared from the public awareness as it adherents became silent. In other words, the people fear of separation or isolation those around them, they tend to keep their attitudes to themselves when they think they are in the minority. (Appendix II) Example, in a co mpany, the managing director decides to increase their working hour from 8am to 10pm and send e-mail to all employees. Majority of them accept this time changes and few employees are not satisfied with his decision but they cannot or ready to express their through publicly. That might have few possibility which are â€Å"Fear of isolation† like transfer. They may feel unsupported by the other employees, â€Å"Fear of Rejection† By rejecting their personal opinion from the public will help to avoid fight or they may try to save their job by suppressing or avoid personal statement in public. Spiral of silence theory describe as a dynamic process. The prediction about public opinion in mass media which gives more coverage for the majorities in the society and gives very less coverage for minorities. In this reality world, this social environment, people have fear of rejection to express their opinion or views and they known well what behaviors will make a better likelihood. We called this as â€Å"fear of Isolation†. Example, When Barack Obama’s (Obama) pastor of twenty years, Rev. Jeremiah Wright conducted radical sermons that caused much public outrage, Obama had no choice but to concur with the public. It can be said that Obama was caught in the spiral of silence where if he had supported his pastor’s comments in any way, he would have had a very hard time winning the elections. Obama can be said to be in the minority and at the bottom of the spiral while the public, with their opinions against the pastor, as being at the top of the spiral. Hence, Obama had to give a speech, where he had to declare in public that he was not in agreement with his pastor’s comments, failing which he may not have a chance of winning the elections. Being the part of minority, people will concern they loss their confidence and silent or mute to express their views because of the fear of isolation or they feel alone or unsupported. Sometimes the minorities withdraw their expressed opinion from public debates to secure themselves from the majority. The maximum numbers get more vocal space in the society and lesser number become less vocal space or become silent. In another example, this is a well known fact that gun control is a prevailing issue in United State. However, those politicians rarely touch on this topic during the elections. Especially senator John McCain. Senator McCain has a strong support from the National Rifle Association (NRA) and speaking for gun control will only result in him losing a very critical support for the elections. On the other hand, while it seems as though the general public are divided by being for and against gun control, the other politicians too avoid bringing up the issue of gun control for fear of rejection by the public, just in case the future trend becomes such that most people’s opinions are opposite the politicians’. Hence, once again, the politicians are caught up in the spiral of silence where they have to succumb to present or future trend of public opinion to win the elections. Neumann mentioned that the suppression of the minority’s opinions in the spiral of science is caused by media. Because of the influential nature of media (Agenda-setting theory), the media tends to set the agenda as to what the public’s opinion on an issue is, although it may not be correct. Hence, Neumann describes a condition called â€Å"pluralistic ignorance,† where people have a wrong idea of what the public’s opinion really is. She believes that the television in particular, is one media whose power of influence on public opinion, should not to be underestimated. In an attempt to describe the extent of the power of television, Neumann claims that she has never found a spiral of silence that went against the tenor of that media. In concurring with Stuart Hall’s pessimistic evaluation of the media’s intrusive role in democratic decision making, she suggests, that media in general and the television in particular, is the authority in giving people a sense of what the public opinion on an issue is. Hence, people can tell when they are not in the same opinion with the general public through information received from the media and so those people will tend not to voice out their opinions. Neumann claims that just because those people keep silent, it does not mean that they will change their opinions to suit the public. The German Public Opinion Research Center developed a â€Å"train/plane test† that determines whether people are willing to voice out their opinions. It found, very importantly, that those favoring the majority tend to willingly express their views, whereas those in the opposite court do not. Also, it found that the willingness to speak out depends on whether the future trend will be in harmony with their current views. As such, people feel safe to talk to those who share their same views than those who do not. The test also revealed that low selfesteem will cause one not to talk about his opinions and also, males, young adults and people from middle and upper classes find it easier to speak out. Lastly, the test identified that existing law encourages people to express their opinions when they feel they are in the minority. Conclusion: Ending Spiral of Silence theory has both micro level and macro level explanatory process. It works well during the public campaign, Senate and Parliament. Spiral of silence theory will also helps to raise question about considering the role and responsibility of media in the society. This theory will not considering the other explanation of silencing. In some cases the person may feel the majority’s ideas or opinion is much better than his own view and it overly negative view of media influence the average people too. edmund’s word October ©2012 References: 1) The Spiral of Silence Theory. Communication Theory (http://communicationtheory. org/the-spiral-of-silence-theory/) 2) The Graduand Google Blog. Spot ( ©2008) http://thegraduand. blogspot. com/2008/04/spiral-of-silence-theory-elisabeth. html) 3) Spiral of Silence Theory. Changing Minds. org ( ©2012) (http://changingminds. org/explanations/theories/spirals_silence. htm) 4) Noelle-Neumann, E. ( ©1984). The Spiral of Silence. University of Chicago, Chicago (http://changingminds. org/explanations/theories/spirals_silence. htm) 5) Noelle-Neumann, E. ( ©1984). A First Look at Communication Theory – Spiral of Silence 7th Edition. University of Chicago, Chicago. page 372 – 381 (http://www. afirstlook. com/docs/spiral. pdf) How to cite Spiral of Silence, Essay examples

Feminism in Poetry Essay Example For Students

Feminism in Poetry Essay That Is barefoot, pregnant, and chained to the stove. Ideas Like this are what started the feminist movement. Women desired to be judged by their worth as a person rather than their physical appearance or biological factors. Women sought out social, economic, and political equality. Many women wanted to do their part to support the cause. Some of the most notable influences of the feminist movement were poets such as Sylvia Plate, Lucille Clifton and Anne Sexton. Through their poems, the truth was exposed. This encouraged women everywhere to demand Justice and equality. Although there are many feminist themes poets can write about, Sylvia Plate writes of male domination. In her poetry, all men appear to be the opposing force that keeps women from living a happy life. For example, in her poem Dread, Plate exploits her father as being a fascist Nazi. Much like the Nazi, a fascist is known for being controlling with the power to oppress societies. Plate felt like a Jew amongst her Nazi father (40). However, towards the end of the poem, the representation of Plashs father and husband (or all men) go from Nazis to Vampires (72). It is clear that In this change of metaphor that Plate went from living the terrors of a male dominant society to living with the undead terrors of her memories. In the same way, Plashs poem Lady Lazarus conveys the message of male dominance. For example, the speaker states that l am your opus, am your valuable it seems the woman in the poem feels as if she is a possession to men. However, in the final stanza she informs Herr God, Herr Lucifer to beware because Out of the ash I will rise and I eat men like air (79-84). The woman rises from the she Like a phoenix, stronger and with a new sense of empowerment. It Is as If men mean nothing and hold no more significance In her life. Plate uses these powerful poems to make a clear position in the feminist movement against the social inequalities that women faced in their everyday lives. Next, the feminist movement was partially about being proud of being a woman. Lucille Clifton, a strong, blunt woman presents such feminist themes. Clifton asserts her feminist ideas in the form of a womans body. In her poem Homage to My Hips, a persons first Impression might be of a woman proud of her full figure. However, hips In this poem are a symbol of the strength and life that women possess. Therefore, when she says hips, she is speaking for all the women. For instance, Clifton points out that: These hips are big hips; they need space to move around in. They dont fit into petty places. These are free hips. (1-6). Undoubtedly, Clifton believes that women should have the same opportunities as men. If they are limited by their actions, there is no room for them to thrive. In the same way, Clifton illustrates her feminist views through the womans body In her poem Wishes for Sons. The poem directed toward men, talks specifically about the biological factors of a woman. Clifton wishes men to experience menstruation, the cramps, hot flashes, and the blood clots. Clifton wishes them one week early and wearing a white skirt (5-6). Indeed, she wants men to experience the embarrassments and fears a woman faces. Equally important, she wishes for men to experience the arrogance of gynecologist, not unlike themselves (18). Truly, question, why are males considered the stronger ones? Women are strong and can endure great pain that a man would collapse under. Lucille Clifton is one of the most rueful feminist poets, because she is direct and not afraid to speak her mind. .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 , .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 .postImageUrl , .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 , .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605:hover , .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605:visited , .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605:active { border:0!important; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605:active , .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605 .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u50237f10cb77ebced16fe62bcc585605:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Analysis of "But these things also" EssayThrough her poetry, she empowers women to stand up and be strong. Finally, Anne Sexton is known more for her confessional poetry. However, her support of the feminist movement is evident throughout her poems. In her poem Little Girl, My String Bean, My Lovely Woman, Sexton praises and gives her advice to her daughter. Before the feminist movement, having a daughter was not celebrated. This poem is evidence that Sexton stepped out of the social norm and took one step closer to liberation of all women. Sexton writes of Old wives speaking of womanhood. I remember that I heard nothing myself. I was alone. I waited like a target. (35-38) Again, this is referring to how no one ever talked about the challenges of womanhood. By making aware of these challenges, Sexton stood alone and took the criticisms of society. Furthermore, Sexton tells her daughter that her bones are lovely (52). Like many girls that are coming of age, they view themselves through the eyes of society or men. Sexton wanted to tell her before they enter (50). In the final stanza, Sexton tells her daughter that if she is sure of yourself she will strike fire, hat new thing (95-98). To summarize, if her daughter stays true to herself as a woman, she will succeed in her new life. Because Sexton ties her intimate life in with her poetry, it makes the message of feminism even more meaningful. In conclusion, there are the many sides to feminism. Plate exposed a more daring approach. She wrote of the role of women in a male dominated society and the constant struggle of woman versus man. On the other hand, Clifton has a more passive but straightforward approach. She spoke of matters that women then were too embarrassed to speak of. This is why she might have felt she had to be the voice for all women. Her bold poetry made her one of the most popular poets of the feminist movement. Lastly, because she was a confessional poet, Sextons intertwined her feminist views with her personal life. This method made her feminist message more meaningful and passionate. Many women, along with these popular poets set out to change the course of history. They strives for equality and fought hard to obtain it. It would be in vain if women today did not take advantage of the rights that they struggled to achieve.

M.L. KINGS I HAVE A DREAM SPEECH - AUG. 28, 1963 I Am Happy To Join Wi

M.L. KING'S "I HAVE A DREAM" SPEECH - AUG. 28, 1963 I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation. Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclaimation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon of hope to millions of slaves, who had been seared in the flames of whithering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity. But one hundered years later, the colored America is still not free. One hundred years later, the life of the colored American is still sadly crippled by the manacle of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the colored American lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the colored American is still languishing in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land So we have come here today to dramatize a shameful condition. In a sense we have come to our Nation's Capital to cash a check. When the architects of our great republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every Anerican was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed to the inalienable rights of life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given its colored people a bad check, a check that has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check, a check tha t will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and security of justice. We have also come to his hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is not time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promise of democracy. Now it the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now it the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality to all of God's children. I would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to underestimate the determination of it's colored citizens. This sweltering summer of the colored people's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end but a beginning. Those who hope that the colored Americans needed to blo w off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the colored citizen is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the colored person's basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as long as our children are stripped of their selfhood and robbed of their dignity by signs stating "for white only." We cannot be satisfied as long as a colored person in Mississippi cannot vote and a colored person in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no we

7 derechos de los indocumentados si son arrestados

7 derechos de los indocumentados si son arrestados Si eres uno de los 11 millones de indocumentados que viven en los Estados Unidos, estos son tus derechos en los casos de arresto o si la Policà ­a te para en la calle o te ordena parar mientras manejas un auto. Derechos de los indocumentados La policà ­a no puede entrar en una vivienda sin que tenga orden judicial (warrant). La excepcià ³n es si tiene motivos fundados de que se est cometiendo un delito (atacando a una persona, traficando con drogas, etc.). Si la policà ­a llama a la puerta, pedir el warrant muy educadamente y sin perder los nervios. Si no la tienen sà ³lo pueden ingresar si se les da permiso, pero se les puede decir que no. Si la policà ­a para a un inmigrante en la calle o cuando est manejando o en el trabajo recordar que se tiene el derecho a permanecer en silencio. La à ºnica excepcià ³n son algunos estados en los que se est obligado a decir el nombre. Verifica si resides en uno de esos estados. Si es asà ­, se dice. Si la policà ­a lo para a uno se le puede preguntar si se puede ir (free to leave, en inglà ©s). Si la respuesta es afirmativa (hay que oà ­r el yes), se puede ir, pero sin movimientos bruscos. Nunca perder la calma (aunque por dentro se està © muy nervioso). Si se es arrestado se tiene el derecho a pedir hablar con un abogado. Es muy conveniente cargar siempre con el nombre y el nà ºmero de telà ©fono de un abogado de inmigracià ³n con buena reputacià ³n (o incluso ms de uno, por si no contesta o no puede hacerse cargo del caso). Si se est como indocumentado en Estados Unidos no cargar con documentos como el pasaporte u otros como la matrà ­cula consular que puedan probar que se est ilegalmente en el paà ­s. Si se tienen se guardan en un lugar seguro, pero no se les lleva con uno. La razà ³n de lo anterior es que para que el gobierno pueda deportar a una persona es necesario que pruebe que est aquà ­ ilegalmente (o que ha hecho algo que amerita la deportacià ³n). Si no se dice nada, si no hay rà ©cords de ninguna clase entonces tiene difà ­cil probar su caso. Lo ms aconsejable es no hablar ni mostrar documentos y esperar por el abogado. Si se est ilegalmente en el paà ­s y se tienen personas dependientes como por ejemplo hijos menores, tomar la precaucià ³n de hablar con personas de confianza quià ©n debe hacerse cargo de ellos, cules son las instrucciones, cà ³mo acceder al dinero ahorrado para gastos, etc. Es incluso muy conveniente hacer un escrito ante notario. Jams firmar algo que no se entiende. Esto puede ser porque est en inglà ©s y sà ³lo se habla espaà ±ol o porque no se acaba de entender las consecuencias del documento que se le pone delante. Tampoco firmar ningà ºn papel si no se est de acuerdo con lo que dice, aunque se entienda. En estos casos esperar por el abogado. Una vez que se firma es muy difà ­cil dar marcha atrs. NO importa lo mucho que insistan. Si no se quiere firmar o no se entiende, no se firma. Muy importante Jams dar o enseà ±ar a la Policà ­a un documento falso. Jams decir que se es ciudadano americano si es una mentira. Esto es muy grave. Permanece callado, si asà ­ se desea. Pero no mentir, si se habla. Si la policà ­a lo para a uno, permanecer siempre en calma. Jams mostrarse violento, muy nervioso, hacer movimientos extraà ±os o salir huyendo, esto à ºltimo es considerado como una violacià ³n migratoria que amerita la deportacià ³n. Saber que existen en las carreteras retenes migratorios internos en algunas partes del paà ­s. A tener en cuenta De los estimados 11 millones de indocumentados presentes en Estados Unidos, aproximadamente menos de cinco podrn beneficiarse de las medidas anunciadas por el presidente Obama que les protege frente a la deportacià ³n. Si crees que puedes calificar para esas medidas, infà ³rmate con abogados u organizaciones de apoyo a inmigrantes que sean reputados. Evita ser và ­ctima de un fraude migratorio y considera reportar los casos que sepas. No  pagues a personas que ofrecen cosas que simplemente no existen o que cobran por sus gestiones cantidades completamente desorbitadas. Y ten presente que por ahora DAPA y DACA extendido no se estn aplicando. Y si recibes una carta para presentarte en Corte es el momento de buscar abogado. Tener presente que puede haber una demora grande en los casos en las Cortes migratorias. De interà ©s En algunos estados, como por ejemplo Nueva York o California, algunos indocumentados podrà ­an ser considerados PRUCOL. En estos casos, tendrà ­an derecho a algunos beneficios sociales de los que generalmente los indocumentados estn excluidos. Y es que hay importantes diferencias entre estados en lo que afecta a indocumentados: unos son muy estrictos y otros han pasado medidas para hacerles la vida un poco menos difà ­cil. Finalmente, la presidencia de Donald Trump est teniendo un  gran impacto en las comunidades migrantes. Esos son 9 asuntos migratorios sobre los que ya se ha pronunciado y conviene estar familiarizados. Adems, conviene saber cules son las 7 nuevas prioridades de deportacià ³n, segà ºn orden ejecutiva de enero de 2017. Este artà ­culo es meramente informativo. No es asesorà ­a legal.

What are the social benefits of using lie detectors Research Paper

What are the social benefits of using lie detectors - Research Paper Example The danger of using lie detector is that innocent people will be mistakenly pronounced as being guilty since the test only measures physiological responses. Such responses may be caused by a number of emotions, for instance, fear and anger of which guilt is only one. The device has an equally unacceptable rate of falsely accusing innocent people. One question that is emerging is that; how reliable are the polygraph tests? Cheating is human. There has never been, nor ever be, an honest society. So long as human beings lack the means to quantify lies or weigh hypocrisies, there is no need of any individual or society, supposing that any other society is more dishonest than another. Various culture of the world can be distinguished on the basis of how it copes with deceit, the types of lies it denounces, the type of institutions it fashions to expose the deceits(Messer and Jones, p 108). The lie detector and its used have been great in the modern society. The instrument has become one of the greatest projects of the twentieth century, aiming at improving the effort to transform the central moral question of our collective life and how to fashion a just society. The instrument also drew its legitimization from two noble half-truths about our political life which states that: democracy depends on transparency in public life and that justice depends on equal treatment for all persons. As a society based on the political principles rather than a common history or shared kinship, the modern society has decided to resolve social conflicts with public rules regardless of any other factors taking place behind the scenes. Social rules are often in conflict and the society is quick to justify them in the name of science. Science, in itself, is considered as the least arbitrary and the most transparent form of rule making. This has led to the treatment of deceit and

British Media and Cultural Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

British Media and Cultural Studies - Essay Example It is often called as Pop culture or popular culture since this is followed by people irrespective of their class or religious affinities. Mass media plays a very importanty role in disseminating values or ideas of mass culture. In fact, mass culture is possibly acquired due to modern communications and electronic media. These agencies use their wide networks and mass reach to popularize and transmit ideas and values that are picked by the population. Thus mass culture is different from so called subcultures where there is a certain distinctiveness due to community or religious or regional concepts. This culture or concept actually gains recognition because it is loosely based on ideas of freedom and liberalization. People can choose to be free from their regional and religious disparities and gain common ground for interaction with each other. This could in a form of music, art, films, fashion or the form of language they use to comminicate with each other. Earlier. It was thought t his mass culture or pop culture is only associated with young population. But it is not so , even the adults or the older generation identifies itself with with the value system or the new ideas. Thus mass culture is the value system whose appeal cuts across all barriers of education, sex, age, religion or community. Paul Hodkinson talked about the concept of subcultural substance in h... These four criterias should be used to ascertain the worthiness of something being a subculture. Thus these criteria are used as a tool for description and analysis of different subcultures. A subculture is a distinct subset of a culture, which coexists within a culture and is distinguishable from the majority culture by its values, ideas and a common way of life. Fischer defines a subculture as, "...a large set of people who share a defining trait, associate with one another, are members of institutions associated with their defining trait, adhere to a distinct set of values, share a set of cultural tools and take part in a common way of life" (Fischer, 1995). Identity: The people of a subculture have a distinct feeling of identity which they share with other members.of their group. This feeling is the feeling of oneness amongst them. Commitment: The commitment of the members of a subculture towards a common shared way of life is another important factor. The people follow certain rules or set of practices that they follow in their everyday routine. And they show a particular commitment to guard or protect their unique practices or the values that make them distinct from others. This is passed on from generation to generation within the community. Consistent distinctiveness: The third criteria of consistent distinctiveness is the existence of a set of shared tastes and values which is distinctive from those of other groups and reasonably consistent, from one person to the next and over the years. This is again passed from generation to generation. Autonomy : As per Hodkinson, autonomy is the fourth criterion to be evaluated when defining something as a subculture. Autonomy is nothing but a action of self government. This is not a sort of

Human Resource Management Strategies

Human Resource Management Strategies Introduction The importance of international human resource management is getting increase everyday as we have globalisation and internationalisation over the world. As a result, numbers of the multinational companies are getting increase. According to Brewster et al. (2007), the multinational companies are increasing and there is economic dominance as 80% of the industrial output for the world is produce by the worlds 1,000 largest companies. Brewster et al. (2007) also mentioned that as the number of multinational company increases, global transferring is increasing such as sending works between team members of the company based everywhere over the world. In addition, through this trend, diversity is increasing within the organisation and the multiculturalism must be carefully considered by the organisation to utilise its human resources effectively in their organisation. The one of crucial role of human resource manager is developing effective human resource management policies and practices for organisation such as recruitment, reward, training, development, flexibility, work-life balance, employee relations and communications (Brewster et al, 2007). However, these policies and practices can be varied between national cultures. Rosenzweig and Nohria (1994) argued that HR is the area of management most likely to be subject to national differences (Cited in Brewster et al, 2007). In these days, many large companies are trying to expand the company from their own country of origin to all over the world. These multinational companies are all facing same issues, which are developing policies and practices for the human resource management in their subsidiary overseas operations. In this paper, as a senior human resource manager of a multinational company in the Great Britain, will be discussed the main factors which will be considered while developing policies and practices for subsidiary in Latin America and also differences of policies and practices between the UK and the Latin America subsidiary operations. Culture Before start its operations, it is crucial that company looks for cultural differences between home and subsidiary countries. Briscoe et al. (2009) defined the culture, Culture is the characteristic way of behaving and believing that a group of people have developed over time and share. Brewster et al. (2007) argued that it is important managers to know how organisation formation and process, leadership idea, human resource practices can be affected by national cultural differences in this borderless world. These differences could make crash when the company start operations in various countries. According to Briscoe et al. (2009), these differences will become striking challenge for the company when people in the company has less knowledge or uncomfortable with these differences. In result, both operations and their human relations within the company will be failed. Briscoe et al. (2009) also added that when company uses their home country practices for activities such as recruiting in their overseas subsidiary, it will lead alienation and lack in trust and could be further more consequences. As many authors and scholars mentioned, it is important to look at the cultural differences between home country, which is the Great Britain, and overseas operations in Latin America. For the point of departure, Elvira and Davilla (2005) recommended to use the Hofstedes research as it is widely known, accepted and used to explore the cultural differences. Briscoe et al. (2009) also mentioned that Hofstede made the first major study and best known of the studies of the differences in national cultures. Hofstede discovered that the cultural differences could be divided and described by four factors: power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, and masculinity (Brewster et al, 2007). Power distance The power distance dimension shows the level of equality within a society. According to Elvira and Davilla (2005), that the larger the power distance, the lesser the equality in a society, and the small the power distance the higher the level of equality in a society. It can be clearly defined that the Latin American countries are highly scored in the Hofstedes power distance index ranking table (Hofstede, 1991 cited in Brewster et al., 2007). According to the Hofstedes ranking table, five of ten countries at the top of table are all Latin American countries; it is Guatemala, Panama, Mexico, Venezuela, and Ecuador. The rest of Latin American countries also highly placed in the ranking table. Lucas et al. (2006) argued that high power distance countries like the Latin American countries, there are strong trend of hierarchical organisations and monocratic leadership. This argument can be proved by Hofstedes mentions, that the high power distance societies are more likely to be centralised and pyramid shape and a lot of superiors existed, large income gap between professions, a large scale of unskilled labours, and a higher respect for office jobs than jobs in manufacturing sector (Hofstede, 1982 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005). By contrast, the Great Britain scored low, which is rank 42 in the ranking table with Costa Rica, the one of Latin American countries. Not like the others, Costa Rica has lower power distance in their society. The Great Britain, however, scored low compare to the most of Latin American countries. Lucas et al. (2006) explained that the low power distance countries like the Great Britain mostly have horizontal structures and more democratic style of management. This kind of societies often called as equal society. Uncertainty avoidance Uncertainty avoidance dimension refers to the degree which members of a society desire structures, which has clear rules for appropriate performance (Elvira and Davilla, 2005). Brewster et al. (2007) also argued that the uncertainty avoidance is about the degree, which societies feel threatened by indefinite situations and try to escape ambiguous situations. According to Hofstedes uncertainty avoidance index ranking table (Hofstede, 1991 cited in Brewster et al., 2007), Latin American countries such as Guatemala, Uruguay, Peru, and Chile has highly ranked, which was in the top ten of table. The rest of Latin American countries also have highly ranked in the table. The companies in high uncertainty avoidance countries like Latin American countries, has strong bureaucracies, task-oriented, rules, and job constancy. In result, in Latin American countries, they fight with uncertainty situations through these strong bureaucratic management styles an in addition, Hofstedes mentions can support this argument that they are less willing to make individual or risky decisions, ritualised, and dependent on power to control uncertainty (Hofstede, 1982 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005). By contrast, the Great Britain clearly divided into different category from the Latin American countries, which can be seen from the table. They placed in rank 47 in the rank table, which is nearly bottom of table, it means they are totally different from the Latin Americans. Lucas et al. (2006) argued that the companies in the low uncertainty avoidance countries are encouraging more diversification in the views and have more flexible structures. In result, companies in the Great Britain are not relying on the power or others in their organisation to deal with the uncertainty situations, totally opposite from the Latin American. Individualism Individualism is the degree to which people prefer looking after themselves and performing individually rather than group working (Elvira and Davilla, 2005). Great Britain has ranked high in the Hofstedes individualism index ranking table (Hofstede, 1991 cited in Brewster et al., 2007), placed in third place following the USA and Australia. Great Britain is one of the highly individualist cultures in the world. According to Lucas et al. (2006), in highly individualist cultures like Great Britain, people in the society cares themselves and their family, and it is important for them to make achievement for themselves. By contrast, most of Latin American countries has ranked lower in the table, especially, Venezuela, Panama, Ecuador and Guatemala has places at the bottom of table. It means that they are low in individualism, which can be said that they are highly collectivist countries. According to Elvira and Davilla (2005), companies in collectivist countries, they concern individual as well as family welfare and people have a sense of duty and loyalty for the company. Hofstede (1991) argued that there are strong relationship between high power and collectivism. Hofstede added that if people dependent on each other in the group, they usually dependent on power distance figures. However, Hofstede explained that there are exceptions, for instance, France, which has high power distance with strong individualism (Hofstede, 1991 cited in Brewster et al, 2007). Masculinity Masculinity is the opposite of femininity (Lucas et al., 2006). According to Brewster et al. (2007), masculinity measures the extent to which the dominant values are male, such as assertiveness, the acquisition of money and goods, and not caring for others. Elvira and Davilla (2005) also argued that these values are related to the social role of men overcome other values like life quality, human relations, service, caring for the weak and goals related with womens roles. According to Hofstedes masculinity ranking table (Hofstede, 1991 cited in Brewster et al., 2007), Latin American countries has a dispersed scale of highs and lows. Venezuela, Mexico and Colombia highly ranked in the table, which is in the top eleven, however, Costa Rica and Chile ranked nearly bottom of table while the others are placed in the middle of table. Great Britain also expressed moderate value in the table; ranked at the ninth, which can be said it is a bit highly masculinity culture. Policies and practices So far, discussion of the cultural differences between home and overseas operations has been made. Theories and analyses of cultures and cultural differences are clearly studied and it will lead to help on developing the companys policies and practices in Latin America. However, in advance, defining and studying of the general policies and practices in Latin America will make this development further forward. Elvira and Davilla (2005) argued, at present, human resource management policies and practices in Latin America are mostly influenced by dominant global theories or imported practices from foreign countries. In result, these imported policies and practices are often cause failure when they implementing on their original plan. Montano (1991) also argued that these policies and practices would not fit to the general Latin American workers (Montano, 1991 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005) Another trends in Latin American countries are, that there are strict manufacturing processes and management control systems that stop workers development by reducing their decision making rights. In addition, there is an informal structure that symbolically compensate is going on for the impersonality of firm bureaucracies (Elvira and Davilla, 2005). Montano argued that theories are not needed to control the Latin American workers, while informal structure exist, Latin American companies will staying at the market (Montano, 1991 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005). Recruiting, staffing promotion In Latin America countries, recruiting is normally based on personality characters and physical characteristics (Elvira and Davilla, 2005). Abarca et al. (1998) highlighted, in Chilean companies, it is crucial that they primarily consider the physical characteristics such as appearance, age, and gender for selecting managerial staffs. In addition, it is vital to have good relationship with rich families, colleagues, or geographical bonds because it is most effective way to be promoted in the company hierarchies rather than their talent and ability (Abarca et al., 1998 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005). Husted and Serrano (2002) also argued that many companies in Latin America have been run as family business for several generations (Husted and Serrano, 2002 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005). In result, labour markets are small in Latin American countries and it means that people finds difficult to find jobs. As mentioned earlier in the precious section, about the Masculinity, quite many Latin American countries seem as high masculinity society and this fact is partially supported by Elvira and Davilla (2005) as they mentioned that women in Latin American countries are mainly works in manufacturing sector rather than authority positions because of few reasons and the one is companies in Latin America has negative attitude toward women in authority roles. Reward recognition It is crucial to develop motivation schemes for workers in the company to utilise their ability well. Before actually build the motivation scheme, it is important to consider the meaning of work for them. According to Elvira and Davilla (2005), in Latin America, family is central in workers lives. Generally, important aim for work is seen as to provide high life quality for the workers family. For this reason, companies in Latin America try to provide support and benefirs for workers family. According to Elvira and Davilla (2005), companies in Latin America provide health care, scholarships, support for purchasing education materials, and mortgage credit. Due to a family-oriented culture in Latin America, companies are never giving up thinking motivation schemes for workers as well as families. Elvira and Davilla (2005) also mentioned that many companies in Latin America hold many family events such as yearly family-day visits to the company, organise picnics, many different parties for the family, celebrate Mothers Day and Childrens Day, and offering some training courses as well. Training development Wilkens and Pawlowsky (1997) reported that 90 percent of the workers in an assembly plant in Mexico were unskilled or at most semi-technically skilled. This is due to lack of investment on training programmes by companies (Wilkens and Pawlowsky, 1997 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005). Chantell et al. (1999) and Lawrence and Lewis (1993) also argued that it is serious problem for Mexican workers that they have shortage of knowledge, education, and analytical and communication skills. Because this shortage delays the functioning of management practices, for instance, Just-In-Time production systems (Chantell et al., 1999 and Lawrence and Lewis, 1993 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005) The companies consider training the workers in modern management practices, however, they know that not all practices would match which local characteristics and some might be refused by workers or could be modified according to the Latin Americans style and experience (Chantell et al., 1999 and Sargent and Mattews, 1998 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005). Peterson et al. (2003) found the good example of training that US subsidiary taught Mexican employee to express their opinion at the company because they use to have fear of being sanctioned (Peterson et al., 2003 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005). Relations communications The information or communications flows mostly from top to bottom, as there are hierarchy and vertical structures at the companies in Latin America. There are often communication barriers exists for managers as Latin American managers prefer and favoured centralisation preferences (Wilkens and Pawlowsky, 1997 cited in Elvira and Davilla, 2005). The companies in Latin America, they consider personal contact vey seriously as they importantly consider the harmony and good labour climate. Elvira and Davilla (2005) argued, Social interaction and friendship are important conditions for good and stable labour relations here. Thus, someone who is courtesy and diplomacy can be highly valued. Conclusion To develop the human resource management policies and practices, it is crucial that we clearly define the cultures of the home and subsidiary countries as well as cultures of the company. Defining is not just enough to be success. The company needs to find out best matches of policies and practices for both subsidiary and company itself. In other word, we need the policies and practice, which can make both subsidiary and company in home country happy about it. There are often big difference between national cultures and company cultures. It is not great idea company to push their subsidiary to adapt original company culture and also conversely, it is also not great idea company to adapt whole culture of the subsidiary country. The headquarter might seriously consider the various different types of approaches that it mentioned earlier in this paper such as ethnocentric, polycentric, geocentric, or regiocentric. Based on research, company could decide which approach is the best answer for them. The best-known culture of Latin America is the paternalism management, in other word, family style of management. Each members of company are dependent on each other, cares each other and they higher valued for group loyalty. This is what we dont have in the home country in Great Britain. The company can utilise this advantage culture with what they are good at. However, company also need carefully consider about employees priorities such as family-oriented living or religiosity. It might be a too obvious suggestions, however, it is crucial to clarify what is good about Latin American culture and also same for companys culture and should be well mixed them to make synergy effect. There is no one best answer, however, at least this study found reasonably good answer based upon research and analysis. Human Resource Management Strategies Human Resource Management Strategies It is very difficult to define Human Management Resources. This term basically work with in two different approach. It is used to explain the body of management movements covered in books as a one way and other way it is a term equally and extensively used to contribute meticulous loom to the managing persons which is obviously diverse from the first aspect i.e. of personnel management. Armstrong, 2007 Aims of HRM: The main and the primary aim of the human resource management is to achieve the sucsess in organization by the pople. According to Ulrich and Lake (1990), HRM systems can be the roots of organizational potentialities that allow firm to learn and capitalize on new chances. Armstrong, 2007 Introduction How well did your manager manage your stress? The basic and the important task of the Human Resource Management is to manage the employees and get the work done properly by satisfying the employees by giving them bonus or some kind of awards if they are working good for the company and in short we can say that company should give rewards to the employees which are working hard and should give something in returns to the employees so they will be more interested in the working of the company. Basically the topic says that how manager manage your stress. That clearly means that manager is the person who is answerable to the head persons for the work and task been performed. Thus manager is the person who will manage everything and make sure that the work is been done on time and with the perfection. Thus manager manage stress by giving him/her extra complements about the work and will give a good feedback to the head persons which will give rise to the extra bonus and rewards to the particular person. Atkinson, William. Electric Light Power, Vol. 82. Zofi, Yael Sara, For the Continuing Care Professional, Vol. 58 Ross, Judith A., Harvard Management Update, Apr2009. Specific HR Strategies: The specific HR strategies set out what the organization intends to do in areas such as: Continuous improvement Providing for continuous and focused incremental innovation sustained over a period of time. Talent management How exactly the firm intends to win the war of talent. Resourcing Retaining and attracting high-quality people. Knowledge management Capturing, creating, sharing, acquiring and using instruction to improve the performance and learning. Reward There should be a perfect goal of the organization that what organization need to do in the longterm implement and develop the reward policies, processes and practices will help the further accomplishments of the business objectives and needs of stakeholders. Learning and developing The employees should be encouraged to develop and learn by providing them such an environment. Employee relations Determine the aim of the organization about the basic requirement that they want to achieve i.e. which they want to get it done and what are the needs that are to be distorted in the traditions in which the business runs its connection with employees and their trade unions. Susman. Broker Magazine, Jun/Jul2004. Miller, Jeffrey. Insurance Advocate, 3/10/2008. Lacey, Holda. Travel Trade Gazette UK Ireland, 6/10/2005. Bolton, Brian. Personnel Psychology, Spring80, Vol. 33. Let us take an example to understand it more clearly; here we will focus on the current stress management system employed by KFC and its analysis. KFC hasnt employed any particular system to monitor stresses of their employees but they are compliant to the local labor and health safety law. This permits them to discount their stress management system. As compliance with those laws make them to stop doing any unethical and unlawful activities. There are other issues which are also related to stress management this things are not part of any law but these are the management practice by the KFC authority. These are presented below: Employees are allowed to take leave in case of stress related physical disorders and this leave are on payment. In case of burglary or something unwanted on the work place which can cause stress on their employees mind they send them to leave on  payment. They solve other minor stress related issues by counseling the problem and supporting morally or physically whichever is needed or both (varies to demand of the situation). As these topics indicate that they are protected by the law mentions above which gives a substantial protection against stress. And this also allows KFC to maintain good level of satisfaction. In spite of not having a proper stress management system but complying with these laws control the stress at workplaces. How well did your manager manage your stress? The manager is a person in the job unit who takes all my stress away as when I have a stress of going college he is the person who manages my job properly and give me an alternative way. The manager is a person whom you can directly approach and who is answerable to the employees and the head authorities as well. Manager at the market place has all the authority to do but he always does the thing which will give the maximum benefit to the company and will give up maximum to the organization as if organization gets good profit than obviously that manager will get a reward out of it and will probably get a promotion as well. The manager is a person who manages the employees stress at the work place as well. There are so many kind of stress seen at the work place like too much work, sometimes have to work overtime, sometime the target is very high to achieve. Thus this are the ways to be taken into consideration by the manager at the workplace as the manager wants to decrease the stress of the employee on the workplace. The stress is reduced by the manager to get the accuracy in the work and to get the things done with perfection. The stress on the employee makes the employee to work less and because of this the work done will never be perfect because while doing the work attention is very necessary to be kept in doing things properly. The manager manage the stress and give bonus or rewards to the employees at times so that the employees are happy and do the work with which the company gets the best work done and because of that again the employees will be eligible to get the bonus out of it. Stress is the most common word in todays life as plenty of people like us great effort at get their work life balanced. This is a so called fact that stress has sometimes a contrary effect on the employees commitment to work, staff turnover, staff work and productivity, attendance levels, as well as on customer satisfaction and organizational image and reputation. Managers job is to manage the things going in the business and manage the whole staff and also supervise the whole floor to get the perfect accuracy in work. The people are sometime told to work more to get the work done but due to that also the employee feel stressed because of the hard professional life so this is to be taken into control to avoid the problems taking place in the future in the business unit. Middleton, Gemma. Accountancy Ireland, Apr2008. Donaldson-Feilder, Emma, Strategic HR Review, 2008. Noer, David. BusinessWeek Online, 7/27/2009. Urwin, Tony. Occupational Health, Aug2006. Guld, Michael. Supervision, Oct2008. Some of the present information about KFC regarding Stress Management is as follows: There are stressors which are common in nature as other organizations. These stressors mainly transfuse the stress into the employees of KFC. Among those stressors some of them very highly influence some varies from moderate to low degree influence. Other insignificant stressors are not considered for the simplicity if the model. There are also existing relations between the stressors which increase the complexity of the model. As task demand highly influence the role demand of a job and both of them are a stressor of KFC so this interdependence also plays a great role in determining the stress. Level of Stress: a) High High level of stress has been created by the task demand, temperature of the kitchen and nationality. It is seen in the survey that all the respondents give emphasis on the task demand as it puts a lot of pressure on them. Temperature is an issue when it is a rush time and kitchen are very busy at that time some of employees feel stress working in the kitchen and nationality plays a part as many of the migrant people work in KFC and in this study 2 of them are surveyed and it is found that there tolerance level to bear the stress is quite low than the British employees. b) Moderate Among Moderate level of influencer role demand space and sex of the employees are prominent. As role demand can create confusion which leads to the work place stress it is marked as moderate level of stressors for KFCs case and outcome of the survey and observation also supports this classification. Sex has been classified as moderate level of stressors as it is seen that male employees are more vulnerable to stress than the female employees. And also space is a factor which can create stress employees can feel suffocating working in a congested space. c) Low Noise and age are the two low level stressors. Age is an issue which can influence the level of stress in KFCs work place. Employees with lesser age like teen feel much stress than middle aged employees. And noise plays a very little role in altering the level of stress at existing workplace. Conclusion: From the above all discussion we can clearly conclude that there are basically four aspect of four kinds of stress that is to be controlled by the manager at the work place when the employees are stressed by work, mentally, physically, behavioral and cognitive. The stress is to be control to keep the business running smooth and perfect. Thus in short we can say that the stress factor is always to be kept in control by the manager for the smooth working of the organisation and the employees should have the bonus and rewards at times so that the employees remains stress free while working and do the maximum they can do. Thus this are all the aspect which is been controlled by the manager on the work place and keep the business running smoothly and accurately as well. Task 3 Introduction Defination of HR Scorecard: The measurement tool of measuring the performance and the offering of the human resource management practices to the financial performance of the organization is known as HR Scorecard. Bryan E. Becker Mark A. was the developer of HR Scorecard, which was presented in the books by Huselid and Dave Ulrich. The HR Scorecard basically keeps a eye on the human resource management practices as a strategic asset and provides a perfect road map of six steps which is designed to help the organizations integrate human resource systems with organizational strategy. Becker, Huselid and Ulrich, 2001. Rhodes, Jo; Walsh, Paul, International Journal of Human Resource Management, Jun2008. The 7 Stages in using HR Scorecard approach: There are basically seven steps which covers the HR Scorecard approach to get the strategic results oriented in the HR Systems. Defining the Business Strategy: The HR system starts from the basic decision called the business strategy, which will figure out the business plans of the business unit according to which the business is going to run and in accordance to which the task will be taking place. Outline the Companys Value Chain: To calculate the Value chain of the company and to achieve the business goals of the company the business should be basically engaged in certain strategically required activities. To achieve the goals and everything which is been decided by the business to achieve can be very much useful with the value chain analysis. Identifying the Strategically required Organizational Outcomes: There are strategic goals that are to be achieved by any of the organization and to identify the strategic goals perfectly and go accordingly is the organizational outcomes. Every company must produce critical, strategically relevant outcomes if it is to achieve its strategy. Identifying the required workforce competencies and behaviors: There are some of the HR experts, who refer to the required, and the necessary workforce competencies and behaviors like these as HR deliverables. The behaviors and the competencies such as working proactively, courteous behavior, personal accountability, commitment and motivation produce strategically relevant organizational outcomes, and thereby drive organizational performance. Identify the Strategically relevant HR Systems Policies: If it comes to the mind of the HR manager and he/she knows that how actually what is required from the employees competencies and the behaviors are than he or she can turn to the task of identifying the HR activities and policies that will help to produce tese competencies and behaviors. Design the HR Scorecard Measurement system: After getting the outcomes from the strategic role done and after completion of the final strategically required organizational outcomes and the employee competencies and behaviors, and specific HR system policies and activities the question is how exactly we should measure them all. And thus for this reason the HR scorecard is proved to be very crucial in this kind of measurement process. Periodically Evaluate the Measurement System: There are no such assumptions which should take place like the HR Scorecards diffirent propotion and attachment will always stay the same. In fact reducing grievances is not having the assumed affect on raising morale. Desseler, 2005. Walker, Garrett, Human Resource Management, Winter2001 Hagood, Wesley O., Public Personnel Management, Winter2002 Becker, Ulrich, Dave. Harvard Business School Press Books, Jan2001 Human Resources Department Management Report, Jan2003. Benefits of HR Scorecard: Basically in the construction taking place for HR Scorecard, avoid the temptation to merely fill in the boxes. The key questions for this are like what would you like this tool to do for you? Or, in another way we can say like how would you like managers outside of HR to think about your measures? Thus we believe that the scorecard will offer the following benefits: It reinforces the refinemnt between the HR deliverables and the HR doables. The deliverables which influences the strategy implementation and the doables which does not. It enables you to create value and control costs. The work of HR is always to keep a cost under control and at the same time serving in the strategic role means that HR must also create the value. Thus the HR scorecard is usefull to human resource managers to efficient balance those two goals. It assesses HRs contribution to strategy implementation and, ultimately, to the bottom line. The performance which is measured should be provided to the Chief HR Officer with the answer of the questions. The HRs contribution in the firms performance is the cumulative effect of the scorecards HR deliverable measure should provide that answer. It lets HR professionals effectively manage their strategic responsibilities. The HR Scorecard clearly gives the full view of the performance to the HR managers and with this they can focus that how exactly their decision affect to the successful implementation of the firms strategy. It encourages flexibility and change. The basic problem of the performance measurement is that they become institutionalized and actually inhibit change. In fact one criticism of management by measurement is that people become skilled at achieving the required numbers in the old system and are reluctant to change their management approach when shifting conditions demand it. Becker, Brian E, Richard W., Harvard Business School Press Books, Jan 01, 2005. Ulrich, Dave. Human Resource Management, Fall97. Singh, Kuldeep. IIMB Management Review (Indian Institute of Management Bangalore), Jun2005. Here, we will take an example of Tesco; we will see how the Tesco is following the various strategies to sustain its employees as well as the customers. Let us see the activity plans in Tesco; Provides tools for highly structured monitoring and evaluation of training development: Specific define actually what needs to do. Measurable has a object that can be measured contrary. Achievable is possible within the trainees current role, skills and experience. Realistic is achievable within the time and resources available. Time framed has a clear deadline. Tesco also uses a method 360-degree appraisal. All stake holders have contact with the employee, assess the persons performance and give feedback. For e.g.: a store departmental manager may get feedback from their manager, other dept managers, the HR department and their team. Helps to identify areas that may require further development. Tesco does casuall approach asking the employees to write down: 3 things that they are good   3 things where they could do better. Managers and trainees hold: Formal four weekly review sessions. A weekly informal review session. Conclusion: The HR scorecard has particularly seven stages and in which all the HR scorecard is maintained from the planning stage till the final sales. The HR scorecard is very necessary to get the exact figure and to get the exact outcome of the business unit. It gives the clear picture of the business and from which the HR manager can see that how accurately the business is going and find out all the details out of that. The scorecard maintained does not carry the exact outcomes but it gives the relevant outcome with which the HR manager can know that how the business in running and what need the changes and about the perfection of the business and the performance of the different employees as well. The employees contribution is also recorded in the HR Scorecard. HR scorecard gives the details of the employees in detail about their progress and their work efficiency and also how much they are been paid. Thus in short we can say that the HR Scorecard gives the every important detail about the employees of the company and also gives up the progress and the contribution of the employees.

Challenges Faced when Grandparents Raise Grandchildren Essay

There has been a drastic increase in recent years of grandparents raising their grandchildren. Statistics have shown that between 1970 and 2000, the number of grandchildren being raised in a grandparent-headed household has actually doubled from 2.2 million to 4.4 million (Hayslip & Glover, 2009). Research has also shown that more than half of of these children are under the age of six (Brintnall-Peterson, et. al., 2009). New Mexico ranks sixth in the nation for the number of grandchildren living in grandparent-headed households (Goodman & Rao, 2007). A substantial amount of research has been done in the last decade to explore the effects, both negative and positive, that this increasing trend has had on grandparents and their grandchildren. There are many reasons why grandchildren live with their grandparents. Reasons include parent’s incarceration, drug abuse, death or divorce, unemployment, mental illness, abuse or neglect, child abandonment, or even deployment (Goodman & Rao, 2007; Bunch et al., 2007). Goodman and Rao (2007) list three different types of caregiving roles for grandparents: transitional, custodial, and co-parenting. In the transitional role, parents are away temporarily and are expected to return after a brief period of time (after incarceration or deployment, for example). Custodial grandparents assume responsibility when a parent dies or is deemed unable to care for the child. Co-parenting grandparents are residing with the child and a parent due to financial hardship or other reasons. These grandparents share the responsibilities of raising the children with the parents. For the purpose of this paper, information focuses on transitional and custodial grandparents and the effects that this rol e has on their financial, physical, social, and emotional well being. Financial Challenges When a child comes into any home, even in the best of circumstances, there are financial ramifications. This is especially true for grandparents who assume custody of their grandchildren. Even when grandparents feel positively about taking on the custodial role, they report substantial financial hardship and loss of financial freedom (Hayslip & Glover, 2009). In many cases, the dreams and plans for retirement are postponed to meet these financial challenges (Bunch et al., 2007). Additionally, grandparents often draw on savings and retirement funds to make ends meet. One grandmother in Dunne and Kettler’s (2008) study explained that she had spent thousands and thousands of dollars out of her retirement fund to support her granddaughter. Her son made no effort to help financially. There are also legal ramifications that come with assuming custody of a grandchild. Sometimes the grandparent does not have legal custody of the child, making it difficult to get educational, medical, and financial help without first hiring an attorney. Without documented legal custody, frustration increases when enrolling children in school, daycare, or when seeking medical and dental care (Bunch et al., 2007). Physical Challenges Current research has shown that grandparents that raise grandchildren experience lower physical health than their non-custodial peers (Kelch-Oliver, 2011; Brintnall-Peterson et al., 2009) due to higher levels of emotional stress (Lumpkin, 2008). In Bunch, Eastman, and Moore’s (2007) study, the research showed that grandparents can feel overwhelmed with addressing their own physical and emotional needs. This is due, in part, to parenting with pre-existing health challenges. However, the research also found that many grandparents report deteriorating health because it becomes difficult to interrupt their new responsibilities to seek healthcare for themselves. Furthermore, this same study conducted a questionnaire for grandparents that addressed health concerns. Out of 23 custodial grandparents, none of them listed their health as â€Å"very good.† In another study, the researchers found that grandmothers tend to downplay health issues, but that the phy sical stresses of their new responsibilities often resulted in an increase in insomnia, hypertension, alcohol consumption, and smoking (Erbert & Aleman, 2008). Physical health seems to be a recurring theme in the studies involving grandparents that are raising their grandchildren. Most of the research found a negative impact on health when assuming responsibility and custody of grandchildren. This presents other difficulties as well. In Goodman and Rao’s (2007) study, they interviewed many grandparents and grandchildren that expressed fear surrounding the grandparent’s mortality. The grandmothers were worried about what would happen to the grandchildren if their health continued to deteriorate. In another study, the grandchildren expressed extreme concern about losing their grandparent (Erbert & Aleman, 2008). Social Challenges Social ramifications of grandparents raising grandchildren can be very difficult for both the grandparent and the grandchild. While non-custodial peers are in the best position to provide needed support to custodial grandparents, grandparents often feel socially isolated as they raise their grandchildren. Hayslip and Glover (2009) conducted a study specifically examining the social challenges of custodial grandparents. The grandparents in this study described a lack of validation by society that resulted when others around them did not acknowledge their sense of loss or provide empathy and support for their situation. The custodial grandparents often made comparisons of themselves to non-custodial grandparents and expressed a sadness in the loss of a more traditional grandparent role. This feeling seemed to cause some grandparents to further isolate themselves from their peers and to be less likely to seek support for themselves. Interestingly, the study did not stop with the custodial grandparents and their feelings. The researchers also interviewed non-custodial grandparents and their perceptions of their custodial peers. The peers were given sample scenarios and discussed their impressions in a packet, which they then mailed back to the researchers. The findings indicated that the custodial grandparent’s concerns regarding a lack of support and empathy from others may not be completely accurate. Their peers seemed to be more sensitive to their loss than the custodial grandparent had perceived. There was a high level of empathy for most of the circumstances outlined in the study (Hayslip & Glover, 2009). One major factor of social isolation for both grandparents and grandchildren appears to be social stigmas attached to the reasons of the custody circumstances (Goodman & Rao, 2007; Dunne & Kettler, 2008). There is often a high level of shame associated with situations involving substance abuse, incarceration, or child abuse. Changes in custodial arrangements can present social challenges for children as well. When moving in with grandparents, children face the loss of friends, schools, and other family support (Dunne & Kettler, 2008). Social losses can create stress in other areas, leading to behavioral problems and emotional challenges. Emotional Challenges Stigmas and shame related to the reason of assumption of the custodial role can cause substantial emotional and psychological challenges for the grandparent. Hayslip and Glover (2009) state, â€Å"grandparents may also experience loss that comes from a sense of failure resulting from social stigma associated with behaviors of their adult child which resulted in the need to care for a grandchild.† This study also recognizes that custodial grandparents often, but not always, experience a decrease in general life satisfaction. Another study found that depression, stress, and anxiety are significantly higher in grandparents who are raising their grandchildren (Dunne & Kettler, 2008). These findings were particularly notable when dealing with the behavioral challenges of granddaughters and the emotional concerns for grandsons. The emotional well-being of the custodial grandparents is directly related to their ability to cope with the stress of their situation. Since coping refers to an individual’s capability to manage the demands of an environment, coping skills are crucial for the emotional well being in a home with high-stress circumstances (Lumpkin, 2008). Coping with stress can often be more challenging when the grandparent is caregiving in the shadow of losing their own child. This can cause an overwhelming sense of loss and stress as they deal with their own emotional needs in addition to the needs of their grandchild (Bunch et al., 2007). Further stress can occur in the grandparents’ marriage after assuming the role of caregiver to their grandchildren. In a study with 23 grandmothers, every one of them reported a negative impact on the relationship with their partner (Bunch et al., 2007). Reasons included having less privacy, less time, disagreements about child rearing decisions, and drastic changes in leisure time. These grandmothers also reported lower levels of satisfaction with themselves as parents when compared to parents in the general population, further adding to emotional challenges. Behavioral Challenges Many children living with their grandparents exhibit behavioral problems, often due to disrupted family relationships (Brintnall-Peterson et al., 2009). Before coming to live with their grandparents, the grandchildren may have experienced high levels of trauma and family dysfunction, leading to abandonment issues (Kelch-Oliver, 2011). Brintnall-Peterson and colleagues (2009) put together a web-based fact sheet series to help grandparents that are raising grandchildren with these issues. These researchers argue that there are many resources focused on helping grandparents with legal, school, health, and economic issues but there is a drastic shortage of resources for developmental and relationship challenges. They created a fact sheet series entitled â€Å"Through the Eyes of a Child: Grandparents Raising Grandchildren.† This fact sheet offers easy to read, academically useful, and low cost education about behavioral and relational issues for children who are living with a grandparent. The fact sheet focuses on attachment theory to address â€Å"interactions among behavioral, cognitive, emotional, interpersonal, and social-contextual dynamics in relationships rather than focusing on any one of these domains.† These researchers believe that attachment theory is particularly helpful when addressing thes e children because of the parental deprivation, trauma, and loss of development that has already had an effect on the child’s life. This approach also emphasizes the importance of sensitive and responsive caregiving to improve the child’s relationships, especially with the custodial grandparent. Since children that are living with their grandparents are often struggling in school or experiencing anger and depression, it is critical that custodial grandparents seek help in constructive discipline. Clear rules and boundaries can also provide a sense of security for children that are confused and overwhelmed (Erbert & Aleman, 2008). Benefits of Grandparent-Headed Households Although raising grandchildren provides many challenges and concerns for custodial grandparents, many grandparents express joy and optimism while raising their grandchildren. Some reported greater feelings of self-esteem and grandmothers expressed a feeling of relief that they no longer had to worry about their grandchildren’s safety once they were no longer in the care of neglectful or abusive parents (Goodman & Rao, 2007). Grandparents also expressed contentment and purpose in their lives, especially when it came to the protection of their grandchildren (Erbert & Aleman, 2008). One grandmother said that she could not imagine her life without her granddaughter in her home and that if her biological mother showed up, she would fight to protect her and not let her go. Another grandmother voiced her commitment to determine herself whether her daughter was well enough to resume custody or visitation. Grandchildren also experience positive effects when living with their grandparents. One study showed that children living with their grandparent experience less trauma than if they were with a non-relative because of the increased sense of family support (Goodman & Rao, 2007). Perhaps the most compelling argument for the benefits of grandparent-headed households is the findings that grandchildren often begin to achieve their potential in school, sports, music, or art once they feel safe and stable (Dunne & Kettler, 2008). Grandparents expressed a deep sense of pride in their grandchildren, and themselves, during interviews with Dunne and Kettler (2008). Conclusion Present research indicates that are there are many challenges when it comes to grandparents raising their grandchildren. Although there can be financial, physical, social, and emotional repercussions for grandparents and their grandchildren, sometimes it is the best option in an otherwise impossible situation. Research shows that children appear relatively well adjusted and happy living with their grandparents (Kelch-Oliver, 2011). Since it is apparent that the numbers of custodial grandparent households will continue to rise (Goodman & Rao, 2007), ongoing support is critical for grandparents. Social and emotional support is invaluable and grandparents should seek out support groups to help them feel less alone in raising their grandchildren. Education about various parenting approaches is also beneficial. Better access to educational resources would help provide clearer direction when it comes to behavioral and emotional challenges that grandchildren face. If the grandparent feels better equipped, it would drastically improve overall feelings of contentment in both the grandparent and their grandchildren.