Technology as a strategic factor which helps in the development or Essay

Technology as a strategic factor which helps in the development or dismissal of subsequent firms - Essay Example The concept of disruptive innovation as rendered by Clayton M. Christensen is found to be dealt mainly on two aspects. He observed the emergence of disruptive technologies mainly along two ends-disruptions based along low ends and that emerging out from development of new markets. The first set of disruptive technologies is found to produce products which are much cheaper than those produced out of traditional technologies. Further adding to the cheapness of the product the usage of the same is also found to catch a simplistic note which is a little complex than such produced out of existing technologies. Hence products produced out of such disruptive technologies are generally found to gain market in lower economy areas. The second set of disruptive innovations is noted as such as would focus on the creation of new markets for the products which fail to be consumed by the existing market. Further such disruptive innovation helps to create a market for such people who fail to get used to the usage patterns of existing products. Thus this type of innovation helps to create a niche market for the products which were previously regarded as inconsumable. The reason for disruptive innovation practices for producing products at lower ends of the market as bringing in a holocaust for the manufacturing firm can be analysed as follows. It is found firstly that firms tend to invest more on products which are produced through the means of efficient technology and thus are expected to fetch higher returns for the company when being sold out in the market in large scales for their increasing demand. However it must be considered that the pace of emergence of new technology is much faster than that of the growth of market demands for the products. Thus secondly when the products produced out of disruptive innovation practices are rendered in the market in a spontaneous fashion the demand for such also starts rising. To this end it is found that the concern is not in a position to make

The traditional Chinese legal system Essay Example for Free

The traditional Chinese legal system Essay The traditional Chinese legal system has been designed to keep order, rather than to enforce a system of individual rights and equality. (Orts, 2001) The state is protected by reinforcing a social and moral structure that mirrors relationship within family to the relationship of the individual to the state. (Orts, 2001) At the heart of traditional Chinese thought is the idea that everything is dominated by a cosmic universe of which there are three forces: Heaven, Earth and Man. Worship of a Supreme Being is not part of the traditions beliefs, however the political foundation of the state is based on a supernatural order that Heaven’s representative on earth is the Emperor. (Orts, 2001) The Emperor therefore expected his subjects not merely to follow but to worship. The basis for his rule is almighty, but the laws by which he governs have no divine origin except that they are promulgated by the Emperor. (Orts, 2001) A new dynasty could, and usually did, wipe out the previous Code and establish an entirely new one. Since these laws were valid only to the extent that they had come from the Emperor, it would be difficult for a new dynasty to justify using the previous code. (Orts, 2001) Three major schools of thought dominated the Chinese empire: Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism (Fa Jia). (Orts, 2001) Taoism is both a religion and a philosophy, but since its primary influence is on Chinese art and poetry, it has little to say that is applicable to the legal system. The Confucian and Legalist schools of throughout have competed to dominate the imperial system of justice. (Orts, 2001) As the first â€Å"unified† Chinese imperial dynasty, the Qin dynasty relied on a legalist code of laws to ensure unity, obedience and loyalty to the governing body. (Fu, 1996) The later Han Dynasty maintained the Empire using a very different code derived from the teaching of Confucius. Though both dynasties ruled a vast unified Empire for a number of years, the methods, laws and governments they used were markedly different. The question underlying the contrast between legalism and Confucianism is whether either provides a formula for long-lasting, peaceful imperial rule. Although it was very short, the Qin is one of the most important legal system because it is the closest China came to a purely Legalist system. (Fu, 1996) The best original source on law in the Qin dynasty is from the grave of a Qin official discovered in the 1970s. (Fu, 1996)A set of administrative laws inscribed on sheets of bamboo set out common crimes and their punishments. These range from killing children or slaves without permission (as in later dynasties, a parent could seek approval from the magistrate to kill a child who had failed to obey them) to failure to care for one’s horses or not using the standard weights and measures. (Fu, 1996) The Qin were able to centralize their rule in central-eastern China as the most powerful of the Warring States. (Fu, 1996) Under the Qin, a centralized bureaucracy was established and the separate portions of the Great Wall were unified. The Qin dynasty also saw the construction of a road system, the division of the empire into states, and adoption of a series of standards in currency, weights and measures and an official script. (Fu, 1996) Under Qin ruler Qin Xioagong, Shang Yang wrote a series of reforms that would form the basis for the legal system under the Qin. (Fu, 1996) Although there was little time to implement his reforms before the Han took over, Shang’s reforms are considered the basis of the Legalist approach. In 356 BC, Shang ordered the destruction of documents on Confucian thinking, which unfortunately included volumes of material on the pre-Qin Confucian material such as the Book of Songs, and the Book of Documents. (Fu, 1996)He also organized the military into ranks and implemented Li Kui’s book of law. Six years later, Shang reformed the tax system and a standardized system of land allocation. (Fu, 1996)Shortly after the death of the Qin Xiaogong, Shang found himself the victim of one of the harsh punishments he advocated when he was executed by being pulled apart by four chariots. Following the death of Shang Yang, the campaign against Confucian scholars continued and hundreds of Confucian scholars were buried alive. (Fu, 1996) The Qin dynasty is important in comparison to later systems because despite the substantial success it had in establishing an infrastructure and a solid base of power from which to exert authority, the system collapsed upon itself. (Ren, 1997) The harsh punishments caused revolts by people who had incentive to revolt because they would otherwise be executed. (Ren, 1997) The rule of law during the Qin dynasty was influenced by the philosophical tenets of legalism. (Fu, 1996)Legalism is a philosophy that advocates strict adherence to law and obedience to authority. The laws in question tend to focus on punishment for disobedience. (Fu, 1996)The characteristics of legalism were necessary for the government to exercise the degree of control that it did, in order to unify China, and administer this large empire. (Fu, 1996)The legal philosophy of legalism defines law as a tool used by the powers that be to enforce behavior demanded of the leadership in question. As such, legalistic philosophy focuses upon the punitive aspect of law, rather than a positive aspect(Fu, 1996). A 1975 discovery of Qin legal documents gave historians their first detailed look at the specifics of administrative and criminal law in the Qin dynasty. (Fu, 1996) In terms of punishment given for offenses, the Qin legal code offered a gamut of severity that included several forms of execution, five types of mutilation, forced labor, shaving of a beard, and any number of monetary fines. (Fu, 1996) Theft of property had many penalties that were predicated on a number of factors. Such factors included the social rank of the perpetrators, the number of participants, and the value of the property stolen (or targeted for theft). (Fu, 1996)Punishments in the category of theft ranged from monetary fines to terms of bonded service. In the area of violent crimes, the penalties are clear and precise. An act of violence against a spouse or child warrants cutting off of a beard, as does mutilation of another in a fight. (Fu, 1996) The killing of children is punished with tattooing and hard labor. This only applies if the child in question is without physical or mental defects; in other cases, it is not illegal to kill a child. Conspiracy to commit murder is punishable by death, as is the murder of a male heir to a relative. Despite the reputation of Qin justice as cruel and arbitrary, investigation of crimes was done in a fairly meticulous manner. (Fu, 1996) Torture of witnesses, for example, had to be documented, and was only allowed in cases where a witness’ statement, freely given, did not make sense or contradicted known facts of the case. (Fu, 1996)It is also noted in Qin law that flogging is not the preferred way to obtain accurate information. In general, the laws of the Qin dynasty, rather than being arbitrary and cruel, reflect a sophisticated consideration of such matters as intent, mens rea, and degree of severity. (Fu, 1996)While the penalties outlined may seem to be quite extreme, they reflect nothing more than the practices and standards of the time and culture in which they were executed. (Fu, 1996) The Han dynasty is recognized for centralizing the Chinese empire and dissolving the noble-run state system. (Perenboom, 2002) In the place of the feudal system, the Han developed a bureaucracy, ostensibly merit-based, which would last for the next two millennia. Although we know less about the Han legal system than we do the later dynasties, the Han dynasty is worth a discussion because of the foundations it laid for physical and political infrastructure. (Perenboom, 2002) The population of the Chinese Empire under the Han was about 50 million. (Perenboom, 2002) It was during this period that the Silk Road, the trade route to the west, was developed. (Perenboom, 2002) Although the Han adopted Confucianism as the official state doctrine legalist influences remaining in the penal emphasis of the system and the formulaic quality of the laws (the crime of x is punished with y). From a Confucian perspective, modeling proper conduct was the best way to maintain order. (Perenboom, 2002) These rules of behavior are called li, a general code of proper human conduct in human society. (Perenboom, 2002) These rules incorporate institutions and relationships that are necessary for harmonious living. Legalists, however, propounded a written law with specific punishments that would deter bad behavior, which is referred to as fa. (Perenboom, 2002) Where li is designed to prevent conflict, fa is designed to punish it, and thereby deter. The school of philosophy based on the teachings of Confucius (551-479 BC) formed the basis of the traditional political system beginning in the Han Dynasty. (Perenboom, 2002) Confucius was from a minor noble family in what is now Shantung province. Although he never obtained an official position of any significant power, his students passed on his teaching on government and social relationships. (Perenboom, 2002) Confucianism recognizes five key relationships in society, each with its correct virtue. One of the most important was the relationship between father and son, and the primary virtue in that relationship was filial piety. (Perenboom, 2002) Another key relationship was that between ruler and subject, where loyalty was the proper attribution. (Perenboom, 2002) Brothers should exhibit, not surprisingly, brotherliness, and between husband and wife love and obedience was paramount. (Perenboom, 2002) Finally, between friends there should be faithfulness. (Perenboom, 2002) The moral feelings and obligations between people generally, and in the five relationships especially, are called jen. In Confucian thought, there is no separation between duties and mores in and to the family and the state. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) Although the emperor has the greatest responsibility because he must care for his subjects as his children but he has little accountability to them. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) The people’s relationship with the emperor is within the relationship of filial piety, they depend on him to be fair and act in their best interest, but they have no right to expect him to do so, and no recourse when he did not. The emperor was not accountable to the law; he had absolute authority to change and overrule the law on a case-by-case basis. He could also issue edicts to change the laws, and create ex post facto law. The hierarchy of relationships (li) was primary to the codified law (fa), and where the two conflicted the li should triumph. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) Individual rights were subjugated to the paternalistic authority of the state. (Rosett, Cheng, Woo, 2003) Adherents to Confucianism were suspicious of an institutional law but accepted it as a necessary evil. Confucianists argued that a legal system of fa would encourage people to act exclusively in self-interest and lead to corruption. (Hucker, 1975) If everyone acted in their proper roles in accordance with the li and in the interest of their family and the state as the two concentric duties, theoretically there would be no need for a legal system. (Hucker, 1975) Practically, however, Confucian officials knew punishment would still be necessary where people failed to obey the li. However, Confucian scholars continued to argue that the moral training of the ruler was more useful to promote harmony than coercion. (Hucker, 1975) In the end, the Chinese legal system had a healthy amount of both. (Hucker, 1975) The first Han Emperor, Gaozu (256-195 BC), was one of only two Chinese emperors to rise from the peasant class. (Hucker, 1975) During the Qin dynasty, he was a low-level police officer in Jiangsu province who was detained in his duty of transporting prisoners by bad weather. According to the laws of the legalist Qin, this failure, even though he was not at fault, was punishable by death. Having nothing to lose, he led the prisoners in revolt. (Hucker, 1975) This group eventually grew into an army and he ended up in position to overthrow the Qin and establish a dynasty of his own. (Hucker, 1975) Although Confucianism was embraced as the official state doctrine, Gaozu recognized the importance of creating a written legal code. (Dull Chu, 1972) The official in charge of the legal code was Xiao He, who had served with Gaozu during the uprising. The code eventually the legal code took up 906 volumes, and was divided into 60 sections. (Dull Chu, 1972) Under Emperor Wu Di, the official Dong Zhongshu required that the verdicts be supported by a rationale which applied the statutes to the facts of the case. (Dull Chu, 1972) It was during this period that the first laws against the killing of slaves appeared. In addition, nobles and officials were not permitted any deference compared to peasants when it came to prosecution and punishment. (Dull Chu, 1972) Dong also imbued the laws with elements cosmic harmony. He believed that the legal system should try to sort out imbalances in yin and yang and reflect the harmony of the five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. (Dull Chu, 1972) Despite the wide application of laws, severe and grisly punishments were still popular. (Dull Chu, 1972) Typical punishments included killing of the defendant’s relatives, facial tattooing (particularly for theft), castration, amputation of the nose or of one or more of the feet, wearing an iron collar, exile, and a variety of methods of execution, such as death by cutting in two at the waist, boiling and beheading. Among the non-capital punishments, minor offenders were often subject to long terms of servitude on state projects. (Dull Chu, 1972) Exile was also used as a common punishment during the Han dynasty. (Dull Chu, 1972) Despite the similarities between Qin and Han law and punishment, the Confuscian philosophy of the Han dynasty became the one from which the rule of future dynasties would derive, while the legacy of the Qin dynasty was largely lost in the annels of history.

Your Choice Furniture Essays -- Information Systems Case Study

Executive Summary â€Å"Your Choice Furniture† established in 1992 was a family business with long history, which has been handed down from generation to generation. As like most of the tradition businesses, the method of management for the shop was usually used manually. According to this situation, we found out the various essential elements of â€Å"Your Choice Furniture†. 1 The Brief main issues : 1.1 â€Å"The book-keeping, invoicing, stocktaking, payroll functions and customers’ details, weekly wage bill employee’s details are kept manually.† 1.2 â€Å"The manual system is extremely time-consuming† and difficult to manage the track of inventory. 1.3 There is no fixed staff but need to extend the opening hours, which needs labour-saving. 1.4 The shop needs to be possibly going online. 2 Evaluate Feasibility : 2.1 Operational feasibility: Most of these problems would be by the information system to help to increase efficiency. 2.2 Technical feasibility: Customized approach to provision the â€Å"Your Choice Furniture† of net technical requirements, most of the problems they face by the information system to help them solve. 2.3 Economic feasibility: Information system can replace the previous manual handling operations to save a lot of time and labor costs. Base on the case of â€Å"Your Choice Furniture†, we marked this system's analysis to formulate solutions in this report; it assisted in evaluating the impact of recent change information technologies of â€Å"Your choice furniture† business system for evaluating how well the firm will be performing. The deeper part of this report has shown the need of "Your Choice Furniture" for new business system, which will help the company to support their customers and employees, also more ef... ... to develop comparative advantages and conduct the uneven competition and make a joint effort to accelerate its advancement, and therefore, increase their respective competitiveness on a global scale. References Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2010, Management Information Systems: Managing the digital firm, 11th Global edn, Pearson Education, Inc, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey. Mustaffa, S and Beaumont, N 2002, â€Å"The effect of electronic commerce on small Australian enterprises†, Technovation, Vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 85-95. (online ScienceDirect) Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, D.B.A. 2006, Cases on information technology : lessons learned,Vol 7, Hershey, Pa. : Idea Group. Marshall, KP & Swartwout, N 2006 â€Å"Marketing and Internet Professionals' Fiduciary Responsibility: A Perspective on Spyware..† Journal of Internet Commerce, vol. 5, no. 3, pp. 109–126. (online EBSCOHOST)

Recruitment and Selection Strategies Essay

Summary: The recruitment and selection strategies that a company chooses are vital to the success of a business. Recruitment and selection strategies just thrown together are likely to fail. This is why a new business, such as Landslide Limousine must define the necessary criteria for recruitment and selection processes that will support its employee selections. This criterion will include hiring an adequate and qualified staff, a commitment to fair employment practices, and pre-employment standards to include background and reference checks. To determine the criteria for these requirements, the company’s organizational goals, the forecasted demographic changes, analyze workforce needs, workforce diversity objectives, organizational branding, and the methods needed for recruiting, screening, and selecting the proper candidates will be looked at. By assessing these areas we will be able to provide Landslide Limousine effective strategies for the recruitment and selection of personnel to provide a high quality and reliable service to its customers. We will also need to take into account that Landslide Limousine is a new company moving into Austin, Texas, and will need to follow local, state, and federal laws for the area in the employment processes. Organizational Goals Mr. Stonefield has set a goal for his company Landslide Limousine to be the  best limo service in Austin, Texas. He plans on hiring up to 25 employees within the first year with only a 10% turnover rate. He does expect to have a net annual revenue of -$50,000 for the first year, but an annual expected revenue growth of -5% for future years. To meet these goals there needs to be the right employees in place that will â€Å"buy in† to the company. These employees will understand the vision that Mr. Stonefield wishes for his company and want to help him reach it. Forecasted Demographic Changes Landslide Limousine is expecting to have a high turnover rate the first year. To keep the business going successfully it is necessary for the individuals hired to help out in other areas when needed. For this to be accomplished, the applicants need to be qualified in a variety of areas. The company will also need to think ahead and hire individuals who might be bilingual because of the proximity of Austin, Texas, to the Mexico border. An applicant who is not bilingual should not be dissuaded from applying, it would just be an added benefit for the company. Analysis of Workforce Needs Landslide Limousine will employ up to 25 people within the first year these employees will include customer service representatives, dispatchers, drivers, HR assistants, and managers. Customer service representatives will handle the calls from customers and potential customers. They will be the frontline to the business and must have high customer service qualities. Dispatchers will convey information that the customer service representative gathers to the drivers about where and when to pick up and drop off clients. Drivers will drive the customers to their locations in an efficient professional manner. HR assistants will help the manager in making sure that the company is following the applicable local, state, and federal employment laws and help handle any HR related issues with the employees. A manager will oversee the rest of the employees and ensure that the company is maintaining its perspective on the company’s goals and objectives. Workforce Diversity Objectives Landslide Limousine’s success will depend on its ability to hire qualified  candidates from a diverse pool of applicants. For this reason the hiring individual must be familiar with equal employment opportunity laws, fair employment practices related to the recruiting and hiring processes, and employment eligibility that allow an individual to work in the United States. The last is especially important with Austin, Texas, close to the Mexico border the immigration laws must be strictly adhered to (â€Å"Do your applicants,† n.d.). This will ensure that the employees have the proper credentials necessary for employment in the United States. Organizational Branding Mr. Stonefield wants his company to be the best there is in Austin, Texas. To do this he must ensure that his goals and visions for the company meet the needs of his consumers. He will also need to ensure that the employees hired are a good fit for the company and the image that he wishes to portray. In this type of industry, the contact made with the customer is a big influence on how he or she perceives the company. If there is a choice between attitude and skills, the individual with the correct attitude toward customer service should win out every time. Work skills are something that can be taught with training, customer service skills have to do with the attitude that an individual has and how he or she can handle situations with customers effectively. Methods for Recruiting Candidates This will be a key component in an effective recruitment and selection process. The methods for recruiting candidates will be from several sources. We cannot use internal sources at this time because the company is just starting up in the Austin, Texas, area. This is something that will be considered for future job openings in the company. For the initial job openings the sources will be external, and the areas to consider are newspaper advertisements, state employment services, job fairs, and using word of mouth. These methods will bring in applicants who may have the experience needed for the line of work the company is looking to fill. Another area to consider would be online job-related sites such as carreerbuilder.com and monster.com. Networking through professional organizations and keeping an eye out for changes among the competition as  also very useful. The company must know exactly what type of applicant they are looking for before advertising the positions and accepting resumes (Richason IV, n.d.). One last area to consider would be a temp service agency that specializes in providing other companies employees who will work for them on a temporary basis. These employees are hired by the temp service agency to meet the requirements requested by the company. By hiring through a temp agency, the screening and selecting of candidates is completed by them. Employees hired by this type of agency do have the opportunity to be hired as a permanent employee of the company. Methods for Screening Candidates The company needs to ensure the individual doing the hiring is knowledgeable in equal employment opportunity laws and affirmative action provisions pertaining to the position. This is the first opportunity in the recruitment and selection processes that an employer can express his or her commitment to equal opportunity. This is a critical part of any effective recruitment and selection process. When screening applicants for a position the reviewer must look for suitable qualifications. These are the experience of the applicant, his or her credentials, educational requirements for the position, and the presentation of his or her qualifications. A quick review of applications and resumes can help a company identify qualified applicants by looking for key words. Interview Methods Once the applicants have been narrowed down, the individual doing the hiring can conduct preliminary phone interviews. These phone interviews or screening interviews will describe to the applicant in more detail the job position and requirements, assess the applicants communication skills, review his or her work history, and to determine if he or she is interested in a face-to-face interview. The face-to-face interview is the most common interview method, which involves the applicant and the interviewer meeting face-to-face in an office. These interviews can be behavioral, situational, structured, and  unstructured or a combination thereof. A behavioral interview will typically ask an applicant to explain his or her work experience, skills, and activities as examples of his or her past behavior. A situational interview will ask questions about hypothetical events. The applicant is asked how he or she would react in a particular situation. A structured interview has a standard set of questions that are asked of every applicant. An unstructured interview adapts the questions based on the applicant’s intelligence, understanding and answers. It is recommended that these different types of face-to-face interviews be melded into one for Landslide Limousine. The interviewer should have some structured questions to ask of all applicants, unstructured questions based on the interviewees understanding and answers. Behavioral and situational questions will ask the interviewee questions based on his or her past behavior and questions based on hypothetical events. Testing Procedures There are several types of tests that can be administered. Cognitive tests will test reasoning, memory, math skills, reading comprehension, and knowledge of a job or function. Personality and integrity tests will determine if an individual has certain traits or dispositions and will predict if the individual will engage in certain types of conduct. Medical examinations are required by the Department of Transportation to carry a commercial drivers license (CDL) and in Austin, Texas, a CDL is required to drive a limousine. Drug testing required for every employee before and during employment. Also criminal background checks are recommended because of the nature of business the company does. These tests should be administered without regard to color, race, sex, national origin, age, religion, or disability (â€Å"Employment tests and,† 2010). Before giving a test for pre-employment there are a few things that need to established to ensure that the test is legally defensible. These things are to make sure that the right tests are given and that the company has certified the tests validity and reliability. A valid test must measure the criteria needed for predicting job performances. It also must be reliable, which means that the test must measure an item consistently or that an individual’s score should be close to the same every time it is  taken. Because employment testing can be challenged in court, the company needs to make sure that the tests do not violate any local, state, or federal Equal Employment Opportunity Laws, including Title VII (Quast, 2011). There are several laws that need to be considered when administering these tests. They are the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 (ADEA), the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII). The use of these tests and applicant selection procedures are prohibited if they are discriminatory. Avoid questions of a personal nature or ones that may be considered offensive. Also the company should not just rely on these test results to choose the right candidate for the position (â€Å"Employment tests and,† 2010). Interview Process Considerations Interviews are scheduled when the hiring individual has free uninterrupted time. This allows them the opportunity to review the resume and conduct an informational interview with the applicant. Refrain from focusing on his or her credentials or experience. The interviewer needs to present hypothetical scenarios to the applicant and ask how he or she would evaluate and solve the problem. Listen to his or her responses without interrupting and make notes on the key points of the conversation (Richason IV, n.d.). Methods for Selecting Candidates The methods used for selecting the right candidates for the positions will be varied, depending on the position applied for. The interviews and tests will be a consideration for positions needing filled. The notes taken during the interview process will be compared to the applicants resume to see if anything was missed. The selections will be based on how competently he or she answered the questions and the questions that were asked by him or her during the interview. The limousine driver position needs a valid commercial driver’s license for the state of Texas, and is a requirement for working in the Austin, Texas, area. Applicants who do not ask questions are either uninterested in working for the company or shy and therefore might not be a good fit for the company (Richason IV, n.d.). Conclusion The recommendations that have been made will ensure the continued success of the company. The company’s organizational goals, forecasted demographic changes, workforce needs and diversity objectives, organizational branding, and the methods needed for recruiting, screening, and selecting candidates have been considered in the development of this plan. The recruitment and selection process must adhere to local, state, and federal laws to ensure compliance and avoid legal issues. By following these recommendations Landslide Limousine will hire an adequate and qualified staff while ensuring a commitment to fair employment practices and pre-employment standards. References Do your applicants have the right to work in the u.s.?. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.firstchoiceresearch.com/docs/I-9 Employment Eligibility.pdf Quast, L. (2011, September 13). [Web log message]. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/lisaquast/2011/09/13/pre-employment-testing-a-helpful-way-for-companies-to-screen-applicants/2/ Richason IV, O. E. (n.d.). Methods of recruitmant and selection. Retrieved from http://smallbusiness.chron.com/methods-recruitment-selection-2532.html The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, (2010). Employment tests and selection procedures. Retrieved from website: http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/factemployment_procedures.html

Promoting Health and Well-being

The aim of this assignment is to carry out a health promotion campaign on an area that I feel is being publicised regularly in the media. The area that I have chosen is binge drinking as it is growing concern in today's society and by carrying out this campaign I hope to raise awareness within my chosen target group. I will look at the different aspects on binge drinking and the different campaigns undertaken by the government in order to control binge drinking. I will carry out both primary and secondary research in order to devise my health promotion campaign. What is binge drinking? There is no actual definition of the term ‘binge drinking' although it is usually defined as drinking more than half the recommended weekly intake in one session. It is important to recognise that the majority of people do not consider themselves to be binge drinking as they may be oblivious to the recommended weekly allowance or they may be on a night out and do not realise that they are binge drinking/. People ‘binge drink for many reasons but it often caused by: * Peer pressure from friends * To escape from the pressures of life in order to relax. * To increase self confidence and self esteem to deal with social situations * To have fun Binge drinking is also drinking with the intention of getting drunk, drinking as much as possible in a short pace of time and also to the point in which you lose control. Binge drinking is caused by the decrease of alcohol prices so people are able to afford more. Also most people today have an increased disposable income to which they are able to spend anywhere, and most people feel spending it on drink it beneficiary. Drinking surveys in the UK normally define Binge drinkers as men drinking eight or more units of alcohol in one drinking session and for a woman it would be six or more units. This is double the maximum recommended ‘safe limit's' for men and women respectively. Many experts and institutions now use this as a definition of binge drinking. The ‘National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism' defines binge drinking as a pattern of drinking that brings a person's blood alcohol concentration (BAC) to 0.08 grams percent or above. Below is a graph that shows the results of a survey carried between 1998 till 2005 of the percentage of people drinking more than the daily number of units of alcohol: (www.sirc.org/publik/binge_drinking.shtml) (www.sirc.org/publik/binge_drinking.shtml) Read also Six Dimensions of Health Worksheet From this graph we can see that a higher percentage of men drink more than the recommended daily number units of alcohol than woman. But in 2004 we can see that the percentage of men binge drinking has decreased and the percentage of women has slightly decreased. Statistics: Binge drinking has become more and more common in today's society especially with college students as it has become the norm that they go out and get drunk on a typical night out. Below are few statistics that I have found on binge drinking: ‘Joseph Rowntree Foundation found that over 50% of 15 to 16 year-olds have participated in binge drinking, and another report showed that 44% of 18 to 24-year-olds are regular binge drinkers.' (http://www.thesite.org/drinkanddrugs/drinking/problems/bingedrinking) â€Å"Almost one in every six female drinkers aged over 16 now drinks more than double the recommended daily amount of three units,† the Joseph Rowntree Foundation found. (http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6783/is_2009_May_6/ai_n31616613/ These statistics are very shocking as at the age of 16 girls should not be consuming alcohol never mind drinking the double daily amount of recommended units. This shows that there are no barriers to the age that young people will start experiencing alcohol ‘one third of fourteen year olds and half of fifteen years are drinking alcohol weekly' (www.bbc.co.uk/insideout). If they are doing this now at such a young age then this could lead to serious implications with their health in later years. Two in three of the 1,600 under-18s who needed medical treatment after drinking binges last year were girls. (http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2009/03/22/binge-drinking-shame-of-britain-s-teenage-girls-115875-21217342/) This statistic that was published by the Sunday Mirror in March of 2009 we can see from this that young women are putting themselves at risk by binge drinking. In Northern Ireland a shocking 44% of young people admitted to having their first alcohol drink aged between 11-13 years with an unbelievable 15% of young people admitting to being just 10 or younger when they had their first alcoholic drink. (Northern Ireland Statistics ; Research Agency) 2008 (http://www.derrycity.gov.uk/care/alcoholcare.html) This statistic proves how many young people in Northern Ireland locally have had an alcoholic drink and this could lead to binge drinking very easily. We can see from this statistic that the percentage of people is increasing throughout the number of age groups. Ireland is listed as having one of the highest levels of binge drinking among the 15-16 year age group. In a recent European School Survey Project on Alcohol and Drugs 1 in 4 young people in Ireland and the UK claim they have been drunk 20 times within the previous 30 days. (Northern Ireland Statistics ; Research Agency) 2008 Within the UK the binge drinking problem is also a major concern with â€Å"More than a third of British adults drink over the safe daily alcohol limit,† (The Guardian newspaper) January 2009 (http://www.derrycity.gov.uk/care/alcoholcare.html) However the amount of adults and young people binge drinking is on the increase governments have had to put forward other ways to tackle this social problem in the form of strategies. Below are three strategies that are put in place in the UK today. * The know your limits campaign – This strategy was launched in 2008 by the Public Health Minister as part of a à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½10 million government campaign to tackle binge drinking. Its aim was to make aware to people the units in drinks so that they may be encouraged to stick to these guidelines. They advertised this campaign through adverts, radio, the press and billboards. It has a budget of à ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½6million from 2008 and 2009 to target those at most risk of binge drinking, the 18 to 24 year olds. It provides people with guidelines of how to stick with the recommended daily units of 2-3 units a day for women and 3-4 units a day for men. As well as this it puts out there images of how binge drinking can affect the individual's health particularly through the advert on ‘You wouldn't start a night like this, so why end it that way', in which the girl is shown a pouring drink all over her clothes and vomiting. (www.dh.gove.uk/en/news/recentstories/DH_084904) * The safe sensible Social Strategy – This strategy was launched in 2007 by the Department of Health and Home Office. It set out goals to which they hoped to promote sensible so that harm to the person was reduced. The aims that they set out are: * Minimise health harms * Minimise violence and antisocial behaviour * Ensure people enjoy alcohol safely and responsibly They aimed to encourage a safe environment by focusing on support and information for those who are at most risk. * The Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy – This strategy was set up for England alone by the government to decrease the harm caused by alcohol and binge drinking. It was not established to cut out drinking alcohol completely but to prevent, minimise and manage the effects of binge drinking. Target group: For this assignment I will be taken a sample of the population in order to carry out a questionnaire so that I am able to get their views and opinions on binge drinking. When deciding on what group I chose to target for binge drinking I took into consideration what age group and sex the health promotion campaign would benefit, will the target group be willing to participate and will they be interested in the research carried out. I have chosen a target group which I will focus my study on and focus the types of questions I will be asking. I have chosen females between the ages of 15 – 18. Rationale for my chosen target group: The reason that I have chosen females between the ages of 15 – 18 was because I could relate to them as they are girls around the same age as me. I also chose this target group as they are easy to access as it relates to year 12 to year 14 within my school. Another reason that I chose to target this age group and this sex was because, when I was looking at the statistics that I gathered both locally and nationally I found out that, over 50% of 15-16 year-olds have participated in binge drinking and almost one in every six female drinkers aged over 16 now drinks more than double the recommended daily amount of three units. Within my area in Derry it has become increasingly popular to drink at a young age and drink is very easily accessible and Fake identification is also on the increase and I would like to be more aware of these issues. So by carrying out this health promotion activity on binge drinking I feel that I can either prevent or delay them to a later age so that they are a lot more sensible and totally aware of the dangers and effects of binge drinking. Resources While carry out this assignment, I have had to gather different forms of research for the chosen topic. I will now discuss the types of secondary research that I have gathered and why these are of importance: * Internet – I have found information regarding statistics for binge drinking rates within the UK and Derry. I have referenced the sites that I have used throughout my assignment. * Newspaper article – An article that was published in March of 2009 in the Sunday Mirror stating that ‘Two in three of the 1,600 under-18s who needed medical treatment after drinking binges last year were girls.' * Television documentary – In one of my lessons in my health and social care class I watched a programme on the effects of binge drinking that the celebrity Michelle Heaton took on in order to show the British Public what they are doing to their health and bodies. It really showed both me and the viewers the reality of the dangers of binge drinking throughout numerous weeks. It definitely portrayed the negative sides of binge drinking. I felt that it highlighted the dangers of binge drinking and the serious risks involved. * Health promotion leaflet regarding alcohol – Alcohol ; Young people has been put together in Northern Ireland. It includes questions and answers on alcohol and there are also useful contact details to contact in order to get advice and guidance. The leaflet was useful as it was easy read and educational for the reader. * A leaflet – I also used another leaflet that I found in my local hospital which clearly set out the dangers of binge drinking on the human body through a diagram. I felt that this was beneficial to me as a reader as it was easily set out. I have used all the above resources which have enabled me to gain a greater understanding of the definition of binge drinking. I felt that this has enabled begin my health promotion campaign with a greater understanding of the term binge drinking. Promoting health and well-being Health and well being can mean different things to different people. Health and well being can be described in different ways like: The achievements and maintenance of physical fitness and mental stability. This is a positive definition of health and well-being. The absence of physical illness and disease and mental distress is a negative definition of health and well-being. The holistic definition of health and well-being is the combination of Physical, Intellectual, Emotional and Social health. I think health and well-being means being able to run a mile because if you can't run a mile you are not healthy. You might not exercise regularly so you are not healthy. I think hardly ever going to the doctor means that you are not healthy because you don't now if you have any diseases and you don't know if you are ill so you have to go to the doctor. I think to be healthy you will need to have a good figure, need to go to the doctors regularly and doing exercise regularly. Physical needs are all about our body working. Everyone's body is unique and we need all our cells to work because we need to do certain things at certain at time like going to the gym regularly. There are certain physical needs every one needs like food, water, shelter, warmth, clothing, rest. If we didn't have theses things our body wouldn't work the way want it to work. Intellectual needs are the things that keep our brain working like education, mental stimulation and employment. If our minds or brain does not work regularly, this will affect our health. A disabled person will have a problem on learning new things. Emotional needs are all about people being loved, respected and secure. Read also Six Dimensions of Health Worksheet People need to feel, recognise and express their different emotions to cope with situation in their life like: when you fall in love and then get married, you find out that your partner is having an affair, you need to be able to get over it. Social needs are those that make us adapt to environment like making new mates. You need these because it will affect your health. This can include you having a relationship with some one. You need to enjoy your self because this can affect your health. http://www. european-quality. co. uk This is a picture of Maslow's hierarchy of needs. It shows things that a person will need in life to survive and it shows what a person that might not need as much as other things The triangle shows important needs at the bottom and complicated needs at the top. The triangle is set like this because it is showing the things we need in life to survive like food, drink and etc. this is shown at the bottom. At the top it is showing what we don't need in life to survive like self-actualisation. This is the complicated need of a person in life. There is a table that is showing life stages from infancy to later adult hood. Infancy aged around 0 to 3 years Child hood aged around 4 to 10 years Adolescence aged around 11 to 18 years Adult hood aged around 19 to 65 years Later adult hood aged around 65+ years People's health will change during life at Infancy and child hood. At this age the child will need help going round. The baby will need help to sleep. It needs protecting and the baby will cry for food. This is a physical need of child. The baby will learn how to play with toys. How to communicate with others. The baby will start listening to music. The parents will need to teach the child to read by reading bedtime story. This is an intellectual need of a child. The baby will need love and care from parents. This is an emotional need of a child. The baby will need to make new friends and will need to go to nursery. This is a social need of a child. At adolescence peoples health change dramatically. This person will start going on to sports like running, gymnastic. The person will become healthier and will have a good diet. Some times the person will have a bad diet so he or she will be not healthy. This is the person's physical need of a person. There hormones will be high! This person will go to school to be educated. He or she will learn new skills. They will learn how to play games like jigsaw, chest. This is the intellectual need of adolescence. Adolescence will start to understand what hormones are and will start to develop it. He or she will star to have relationship with the opposite sex (male or female). This is an emotional need of a child. These teenagers will start making mates. He or she will start to go out with mates. It will star doing activity (hobbies). It might go to clubs. This is a social need of a child. A disabled person's life will change dramatically like he or she might recover the disability. If the person is disabled he or she will need different types of health. This depends on how the he or she is disabled. The disabled might need help like: how to walk, accessibility such as lifts, needs potential help. Some disabled need help every time. He or she might need help to go to the toilet (can't control bladder). This is physical need of a disabled person. The disabled person will need to learn how to use a wheelchair. They might need to be educated. This is an intellectual need of a disabled person. The disabled will need ways to deal with bullies like: people laughing at them. It will need love from parents, sisters, brothers and family. This is an emotional need of a disabled person. A disabled person will need help have difficult making new mates because he different to everyone around him. Many parents don't let their disabled children out because he or she might get lost or might have got into a fight or might have done serious damage to themselves. This is a social need of a disabled person. At adult hood it is a time to take on roles of independence, lifestyles, marriage, and family. During adult hood people health changes because of many reasons like: Physical, this is a time where we are our healthiest and will reach our peak performance. Intellectual, at adult hood, it will be harder to learn new things because our brain is becoming weaker day by day. They can try to learn new things but this time it will be harder. They can learn to play games like: darts. People go to school at adult hood so they can get educated. Emotional, at adult hood people will become more emotional. Their hormones develop. They might fall in love with the opposite sex. They might loose a member of there family. Social, at adult hood people will go out more with mates. They might go clubbing or they might go to a strip club. They will have more confident. They will make friends easily. Some people might find making friends hard. This can be because he or she might be shy. At later adult hood people over the age of 65, health will change very quickly like he or she will retire. This means they are very old. Many older people start doing things they have not done when they were younger and when they were at work. They might go on a vacation. They might start to play some type of sport like golf. Some older adults are not able to be as active in their retirement as others because they are not as healthy as they used to be. They might also loose their partner or a member of his or her family. The standard definition of negative health and well-being is when someone thinks that health isn't injuries, illness or disease. But this is a negative definition of health and well-being. For example, David aged 40, works in a super market. He takes drugs like cocaine, cannabis, and magic mushrooms. He thinks he is healthy because the drugs make him feel good and tough and he hasn't been ill for 15 years. His hasn't been for a check up and hasn't been to the doctor. He doesn't know that he has lung cancer and asthma. Rebecca aged 20, works as a car instructor. She doesn't exercise regularly. She smokes because all her mates smoke. She thinks it is cool smoking so she doesn't go to her local doctor for check ups. She hasn't been there for 7 years. She thinks she is healthy because she is skinny and she is good looking. This two are examples of negative health and well-being. The standard definition of positive health and well-being is the state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This means if someone is not feeling well he or she goes to the doctor and also has regular check-ups to ensure the body stays healthy. For example: Tom aged 30, works in hospital. He thinks he is healthy because he goes to the gym every day for 3 hours. He likes weight lifting because it makes his muscles bigger. He isn't on medication and goes to doctors regularly for a range of checkups. He doesn't take drugs. Tom has no illness. He also has a healthy diet and goes out often with his friends. Clair aged 15 thinks she is health because she runs a mile every day and goes to the gym regularly. She likes taking gymnastic classes. She goes to a private school called Challenge College. In school she has joined many after school clubs like chess club, basketball and others. She goes to her GP regularly and she doesn't have any dieses. Theses two are examples of positive health and well-being. Here is the 1948 definition of health and well-being: The World Health Organisation takes a more positive view when it describes health as ‘a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of dieses of infirmity' (WHO, 1946) Here is the recent definition of health and well-being: The more up to date world health organisation definition of health is â€Å"the extent to which an individual or group is able, on the one hand, to realise aspirations and satisfy needs and, on the other hand, to change or cope with the environment. The later definition of health and well-being is better. This is because the old version does not include the health change day to day but it includes the recent definition of health and well-being. In the 1948 definition of health and well-being it doesn't say anything about life stages changes every day but it mentions about the mental and physical health. The meaning of holistic health is, when a person refers to (P. I. E. S) physical, intellectual, emotional and social. For example everything and everyone around us and affect our health. We need to be prepared for any challenge in life. Here are some examples: Samantha aged 20, works as a train conductor is always looking at all her aspects of her life like: Physical: She always goes to the gym because she likes to be fit and healthy. She is always eating healthily. She goes to doctors for regular checkups. Samantha goes jogging every morning. Intellectual: she is always thinking on how she can improve her life. She goes to college so she can be educated and she is learning how to drive a car. She has started to play games like chess and monopoly. She has started playing for the girl's basket ball team. Emotional: she has broken up with her boyfriend. She hasn't let the broke up upset too much. She is still living with her parent. She looks after her nieces and nephews. Her grandparents have passed away. She doesn't care much about this because she didn't now them at all. Social: Samantha is always thinking of new ways of making new mates. She likes going out with her mates. She likes going to Hollywood bowls. She spends most of her time with her boyfriend called David. Dom aged 60, doesn't work because he has retired and he is disabled. He always looks at his aspects of his life like. Physical: He has to sit in a wheel chair. He rides in his and thinks it is fun. His granddaughter is looking after her. He goes doctors for check ups. He is exercising his upper body because he can't exercise his lower body. Intellectual: Dom has started to take chess clubs lessons. He has started to learn French. He has joined a basketball team. He is learning how to play basketball. He is learning how to play other sports so he can stay fit. Emotional: Dom has lost his wife in a car accident. The death of his wife affecting him for a long time. He has four grand children. He looks after three of them in his spare time. Social: Dom can't do things he dreamt to do along time ago because of his disability. He goes out a lot but can't do everything a normal person can do. He has lots of mates. Lots of his mates come and see him and see how he is doing. In school and at home I asked people what they think health and well-being means to them. I asked Junayed, my parents, my brothers, my friend Tom and my friend Ashlie. Here are the results of my health quiz.