Change Model Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Change Model - Assignment Example How change is introduced in an organization greatly determines how it will be accepted by the employees which will contribute to organizational success. Companies want to grow and expand in the long run but the problem arises where change is an intimidating step among the management and employees since the outcome is unknown and since they are moving out of their comfort zone (Van de Ven & Sun 2011). For change to be effective, a detailed plan has to be made in advance, implementation has to be slow and steady and most importantly is that the people it affects have to be consulted and involved in the change process rather than being by- standers. The change has to be measurable, ideally achievable and realistic. Some important questions need to be answered before introducing the change; what is it that we want to attain from the change, how will we know that we have attained the change we long for, who are the people that will be directly affected by the change and what is their expe cted response? It is by answering these questions that will form the basis of how to explain to the employees of the reasons for the change and help them understand and contribute positively towards the achieving the change (Van de Ven & Sun 2011). ... Since opening up the shop in Shanghai is for a short time, the organization may be testing the waters to see how well their company will respond to international change where the people as well as their culture are different. In the first stage of unfreeze, the organizations tries to break the status quo by explaining that these changes are necessary and should be accepted for the company to grow. The key to this stage is to develop a compelling message to the employees of the need for change perhaps due to worrying financial results, poor customer satisfaction, or just the need for improvement and expansion of the company for it to grow (Van de Ven & Sun 2011). For the change to be successful, it is important that the employees be prepared psychologically by changing their core beliefs and attitudes about the organization. If the company wants to go global, there is need to change the mindset of the employees, stopping them from looking at the company in its regional state but as an international company. For goals to be achieved, they have to be foreseen before they are worked towards achieving them. The first part is very hard and stressful since when change starts, people have to start adapting to the new ways of doing things which pushes them off balance. It is for this reason that during early stages of the new store would seem slow and progress to be almost none. If this phase is not handled carefully, rebellion is likely to be seen among the employees (Mariana & Violeta 2011). The second phase is the change part where people are inculcated into the new radical ways of doing things. People have to see that the change is meant to benefit the entire company.

Nutrition And Childrens Learning

Nutrition And Childrens Learning Abstract Does what our children eat affect their learning attainment and achievement? And if yes how serious is the effect? Those serious questions have been matters of concern among parents, educators, and health professionals. Prior studies provided evidences on the strong relationship between nutrition and education progress. This research paper is intended to highlight and consolidate the various factors that implicate learning. Also, it illustrates the negative effects of imbalanced diets on childrens health and academic future. This research suggests the serious relationship between prenatal mothers eating habits, breast feeding, anemia, mineral deficiencies, socioeconomic status, malnutrition and obesity from one side and the childrens learning outcomes in the other side. Numerous serious educational issues are addressed in this paper. Including, but not limited to, attention span problems, information processing impairment, information retention issues, cognitive growth complications, and working memory impairment conditions. Eating habits affect equally the childrens physical and mental growth. Therefore, introducing balanced meals to children, especially breakfast, is recommended to ensure healthy growth. Introduction Cognitive development, represented in thinking and learning abilities, is implicated notably by the interaction between nutrition, hereditary genes and the surrounding environment. All these components/factors combined implicate the cognitive growth of children. The role of nutrition in children physical and mental development starts during the early years of their life. Many studies have focused on the relationship between nutrition and childrens mental and physical health. Behavior also is implicated by the quality and quantity of nutrients the child receives. The role of health and nutrition in promoting child development and educational outcomes is increasingly being recognized(Bundy, 1997; Bundy Guyatt, 1996). Research findings tie the mothers nutrition during pregnancy to the childrens brain health and development after birth and during the first two years of life. The childrens cognitive development starts before birth. Furthermore, some researchers suggested that breast feeding augments healthy cognitive development and higher IQ levels. Breakfast is the most important meal especially for preschoolers. Any nutritional disorder, especially during the early stages of life, can lead to serious mental and cognitive issues. Malnutrition and obesity, both, disturb the mental and physical development of children equally. Proper nutrition has always been linked to progressive cognitive development. Malnutrition can results from administrating unbalanced meals or can be secondary to certain medical conditions. Malnutrition leads to deficiency in some essential minerals and other elements. Iron and zinc depots are always depleted by malnutrition. Therefore, malnourished children are always susceptible to recurrent infections which impede their school attendance and thus their learning progress. Moreover, it affects the childrens behavior and social interaction with others. If under-nutrition was evaluated as a negative health risk, overfeeding is viewed as health jeopardy as well. Overfeeding leads to obesity which interferes with the childrens various aspects of growth. Parents should promote healthy eating habits among their children to enhance their mental as well physical growth. Literature review The core of literature on child nutrition and its projecting implications on school performance are addressed in five major areas: (1) nutrition during pregnancy and its prenatal effects on fetuses (2) socioeconomic and medically-induced food insufficiency and malnutrition, (3) essential elements deficiency such as Iron and zinc, (4) effect of eating breakfast, and (5) obesity and its health and educational implications. Extensive research work suggested that chronic hunger, iron deficiency, and poor breakfast patterns are frequently interrelated (Taras, 2005, p 199). Pregnancy is a crucial phase of development. Improper nutrition during pregnancy affects the newborns more than their mothers. Imbalanced supply of certain nutrients during pregnancy leads to serious fetal developmental or congenital malformations. For instance insufficient dietary folic acid or B9 during pregnancy results in motor disabilities and cognitive impairment in offspring. Vitamin B9 is essential in the proper functioning of brain as well central and peripheral nervous systems. Lower levels of B9 have been connected to chronic depression and other mental disorders, as well as in birth defects that affect the neural tube cells (NutritionalSupplementsCenter.com, 2005). Those fore-mentioned serious health defects are found to forgo schooling and engaged in activities besides learning at schools. Moreover, interrupted sleep is one of symptoms of folic acid deficiency. Interrupted sleep is one of the major issues that negatively implicate childrens learning. Interrupted sleep lowers their attention, retention and concentration levels. Therefore, it can be concluded that lower levels of Folic acid insult the children learning process directly. Whether in the form of interrupted sleep issues or manifest itself as mental retardation and/or emotional instability. In the postnatal life, it was suggested that breast feeding is interrelated to IQ levels. Studies in this regard involved more than 3,000 breast-fed infants in New Zealand and England. This study revealed that breast feeding is responsible for increasing the average IQ with around 7 points. However, the same studies indicated that this IQ spurt can only take place under certain hereditary conditions. Breast-fed infants who carry special gene called FADS2 have great chances to have higher IQ than their counterparts who dont have it. Studies suggest that IQ scores are somehow correlated to school performance. Students with above average IQ typically do well in school especially in achievement tests. However, their scores might not be conclusively attributed to their intelligence. Certainly, intelligence does play a significant part in school achievement, but many other factors are also involved. Motivation, quality of education and family socioeconomic status; are all among the other factor involved in elevating the IQ. Conversely, some research studies pointed that for some reason some students dont perform well in the classroom although they have high IQ scores. Meanwhile, other students achieve at higher levels than it would anticipated from their IQ scores alone (J. E. Davidson, 2003; p. 155-156). Balanced healthy meals in the early childhood, especially in the first two years of life, are required to meet their accelerated mental and physical growth development. Therefore, it is their adult partner responsibility to provide them with a variety of nutritional diet array after the age of two. Nutritional meals should include whole grain, dairy products, protein, vegetables and fruit. Excessive intake of carbohydrates, salt and saturated fat should be avoided as possible. Whole grain is an important source of minerals and fibers. Mineral and fibers are essential for healthy growth and development. Healthy balanced diets help developing healthy strong children both physically and behaviorally. Nutritionally rich diets notably improve the childrens attitude. As children grow their share of healthy nutrition should proportionally increase to meet the growth spurt they experience. Their diet should include all the elements that support their physical growth. That includes plenty of Calcium for stronger bones and teeth as well vitamin C. raising healthy children in the early childhood guarantees successful learners in the adulthood. Sound body sound mind has proven to be true. Let alone balanced healthy meals help children establish positive relationships with their counterparts and peers; it affects their readiness to school. Poor nutrition may have knock-on effects for their educational achievement and attainment (Jukes, 2006. P14). Negative effects of malnutrition, for the most part, on brain development are manifested as cognitive impairments and/or emotional issues that last throughout their education time. Physically febrile students are subjected, more than others, to frequent sickness attacks. Therefore, they dont attend school regularly and miss more school days than average. Consequently, they miss, in total, long periods of learning. Socioeconomic status as well the general health condition can lead to malnutrition. Regarding the socioeconomic status, information provided by research about the extent of learning disabilities in low-income communities is still not enough. However, research evidence suggests that a significant number of children are affected (Jukes, 2006. P16). For example, studies have found prevalence of serious mental retardation ranging from 5 children per 1000 in Bangladesh, to 17 per 1,000 in Jamaica, 19 per 1,000 in Pakistan (Durkin, 2002). Worth noting, mental retardation is one of the serious developmental cognitive disorders that affect the early childhood. Children with mental retardation have lower to slim chances to enroll in the regular educational system. What seriously hinders their enrollment is their deteriorated mental health condition and/or the parents schooling decision. Socioeconomic status is not the only contributor to malnutrition. Some medical issues impair the absorption of certain essential elements such as Iron and Zinc. Whether Iron and/or zinc deficiencies were medically-induced or due to other etiologies, they lead to major chronic and sometimes fatal complications. Anemia is one of the most commonly wide spread malnutrition disorders. It affects mostly children and young adults. Studies on anemic children indicated that anemic children showed delayed responses than non-anemic Iron-replete children. The research findings reveled that children with iron deficiency respond after repeating orders or stimuli at least twice. However, there was no difference in the IQ level between anemic and non-anemic children. Iron deficiency anemic children were neither able to categorize information nor able to solve problems quickly. They displayed delay in their ability to solve problems than their iron-replete counterparts. All these complications were found to be attributed to iron deficiency. Iron constitutes major element in the CNS composition. Moreover, studies revealed that anemic children suffer from impaired vision. Impaired vision affects the learning process of visual learners. When iron was administrated into the anemic childrens regular meals they showed improvement in their academic performance, attitude and general health conditions. Zinc is an example of another essential element needed for children and adolescents healthy growth. Zinc is very essential for working memory. Research work disclosed that malnourished children suffer from severe information retention issues. Furthermore, they showed inability to focus their attention normally in any given task. Accordingly, they experienced severe learning impairment and performed poorly at school. Researchers concluded that zinc-related learning impairment was mainly due to their inferior attention span than normal children. Breakfast is not only the most important meal that feeds body with most energy but also it contributes to most nutrients adequacy. Breakfast consumers are more likely to have better overall diet quality and micronutrient and macronutrient and fiber intakes that more often align with current dietary recommendations (US dept. of Health, 2005). Studies revealed that breakfast skippers are more susceptible to obesity. Moreover, they are less likely to be engaged in any physical activities. Several studies support the benefits of breakfast intake. Research findings revealed that constant intake of breakfast meal enhances the childs cognitive functions; academic performance; academic achievement; school attendance rates; psychosocial condition; and mood. Breakfast consumption could impact cognitive performance by alleviating hunger the prevalence of which is well documented and has been associated with emotional, behavioral, and academic problems in children and adolescents (Rampersaud, G. ; Pereira M.; Girard, B.; Adams, j.; Metzl, J.; 2005). Studies revealed that socioeconomic status as well breakfast composition, are among the factors that interfere or augment the magnitude of academic performance. There is extensive proof that daily breakfast intake affect greatly the health condition of children and adolescents. Healthy breakfast should include variety of food groups. Studies indicated that breakfast skippers show low performance compare to others. Decreased attention and other memory related issues were also reported among breakfast skippers. Attention and retention impairment were also reported. Weight gain and its physiological and academic complications are among the health hazards associated with skipping breakfast. Overweight is another crucial factor which impacts the learning process equally to malnutrition. Researchers have studied the relative relationship between birth weight and weight gain during the first two years of life for learning outcomes. The study findings suggested strong relationship between learning expectations and weight gain. Abnormal weight gain increases the risk of failing at least one grade in school. Moreover, further studies indicated that child oversize causes impaired cognitive development and poor academic achievement. Researchers attributed poor academic achievement in obese children to the lack of self-confidence and motivation. Psychological burden associated with obesity is another main factor that implicates the overweight children academia. Conclusion Childrens performance in school is impacted by many etiological factors. Children are expected to perform well in school until some interfering factors disturb their progress. Prenatal nutrition can affect the childs adult life either positively or negatively. Improper nutrition during pregnancy can lead to both serious developmental and congenital defects. These defects are responsible for cognitive and physical growth delay or cessation in severe cases. Children with such defects are expected to perform very poorly in school. In the same time, they are not expected to achieve what they suppose to attain in their corresponding age time frame. Breast feeding was suggested to positively alter the childrens IQ levels. However, studies showed that it does affect it only if the favorable hereditary variable was present. FADS2 is the genetic variable that helps absorb fat in the mothers milk and provide the brain with all the fat needed for healthier growth. Thus, breastfeeding does elevate the childrens IQ by 7 points only in the presence of FADS2 gene. Socioeconomic status interferes with providing healthy comprehensive meals. Therefore, children from low socioeconomic classes are more susceptible to malnutrition disorders. Malnutrition and imbalanced meals can lead to behavioral disorders, memory impairment, delayed cognitive response and emotional disorders. Anemia can also develop as a secondary complication to certain health/medical issues. Whether Anemia was due to malnourishment or secondary to medical issues, it depreciates the academic performance and impairs the childrens progress in school. Moreover, it interferes with their ability to comprehend, process, and retain any introduced knowledge. Iron and zinc are major elements for healthy brain growth and properly functioning working memory. Children with zinc and iron deficiencies showed remarkably delayed responses to any given instruction, behavioral abnormalities and disturbed working memory. Furthermore, they suffered from sleeping disorders which aggravated their academic status. Visual disorders were reported among anemic children. Visual disorders negatively impact visual learners. Breakfast intake is the most important meal of the day, especially for children. Breakfast is important for the childrens daily performance and behavior at school. Studies revealed that breakfast skippers are more susceptible to obesity when they grow up. Skipping breakfast alters the glucose supply to the brain and put it into the energy saving mode. Consequently, this conservative mode disturbs the memory and the ability to stay focused. Overweight is another burden that traumatizes the childrens academic achievement. Due to the psychological inferiority which obese people experience, they suffer from lack of self-confidence. Low self-esteem, lack of motivation and inability to participate in various activities create unfavorable learning conditions. These conditions, by turn, hinder their academic progress and schooling outcomes. Abnormal weight gain increases the risk of failing at least one grade in school.

Physical Therapy :: Cheathouse Essays

Physical Therapy â€Å"Where am I? How did I get here?† is what many stroke patients say after recovering from an acute or severe stroke. A stroke is also known as a cerebrovascular accident, a life-threatening event where the brain is deprived of adequate oxygen. A physical therapist’s duty is to provide assistance and education that will help patients rehabilitate and return to a normal routine. As of today, there is a new treatment called treadmill training with partial body weight support that facilitates recovery of a patient’s ability to walk sooner after a surgery. Is the expense for treadmill training with partial body weight support which includes expensive equipment and constant physical therapy supervision worth it if it decrease the amount of time it takes a person to get better? Is it ultimately more efficient than traditional physical therapy? My argument will state that treadmill training with partial body weight support is worth the expense and provides better tec hniques than traditional physical therapy. After a stroke, patients are usually referred to physical therapy to begin the recovery process. There are many types of physiotherapy treatments for different types of strokes and injuries. The two kinds of strokes are ischemic stroke which occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted by blood clots. The blood clots are caused when the arteries harden and a cluster forms which then limits blood and oxygen supply to the brain. The second kind of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when there is bleeding into or around the brain. If one of the two strokes were ever to occur, getting oxygen and blood to your brain immediately is very important because permanent tissue damage and death could even occur. Physical therapists help not only stroke patients but a large variety of people who have physical limitations. A new treatment approach that is being studied involves â€Å"treadmill training† with partial body weight support. In this approach a physical thera pist patterns the movement of the involved or weak leg while the patient is supported in a sling type apparel while walking on a treadmill. This is a new technique that is showing good results. However, there are no long term studies as of yet. I believe that treadmill training is very beneficial to stroke patients because it helps them regain speed and strength in a short amount of time. Treadmill training is very costly, but increases your chances in walking by about three to four weeks faster than regular physical therapy.

Describe and Evaluate Two Approaches to the Treatment of Self-Defeating Behaviour

Word count – 2553 Describe and evaluate two approaches to the treatment of self-defeating behaviour. Module Five Jane Ovington May 2012 Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 1 of 9 Introduction This essay aims to describe and evaluate two approaches to the treatment of self defeating behaviour. To do this I am using the description of Anorexia Nervosa as a self defeating behaviour, one which has far reaching consequences.I will include possible origins, causes and maintenance of Anorexia and describe two of many ways in which a therapist may help with this condition whilst weighing up the strengths and weaknesses of each. Main essay What is self defeating behaviour? Self defeating behaviour could be described as behaviour that when compared to other possible courses of action, it is never the best possible action for that individual. A self defeating behaviour will at some point have been used successfully as a coping strategy to get thro ugh a difficult situation.This course of action is then stored in the subconscious by that individual as something that ‘worked’ and therefore the behaviour will be re-produced again in times of perceived trouble. The self defeating behaviour will by its very nature actually serve to ensure that the fear or consequence that the person is trying to avoid will in fact come to pass. (Chrysalis Year 2 Module5) What is Anorexia? Anorexia is an eating disorder whose main feature is excessive weight loss and obsessive exercise.A very low weight is achieved which is then maintained abnormally low for the patients age and height. The sufferer develops an intense desire to be thinner and an intense fear of becoming fat. Their body image becomes completely distorted and their body weight and shape become the main or even sole measure of self worth as maintaining an extremely low weight becomes equated with beauty, success, self-esteem, and self-control. It is not seen as a problem by the sufferer. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 2 of 9Contrary to popular belief this psychological and physical condition is not usually about food. It is a self defeating behaviour used as a way of taking control and trying to make life better and is accompanied by a variety of changes in behaviour, emotions, thinking, perceptions, and social interactions. The name Anorexia nervosa is somewhat misleading as it literally means â€Å"nervous loss of appetite. † However, for people with this disorder all waking thoughts are dominated by food, weight, and body image and incredible levels of self control are used to fight feelings of intense hunger. http://ehealthmd. com/content/what-anorexia-nervosa) Approximately 95% of those affected by anorexia are female and most often teenage girls. Higher incidence of anorexia is often seen in environments where thinness is deemed to be especially desirable or a professional requirement, such as athletes, models, dancers, and actors. In order to enter the state of Anorexia Nervosa, a person must lose weight. The majority set out to do so deliberately because rightly or wrongly they feel that they are too fat.For most people, dieting to lose weight is a struggle. Most dieters ‘cheat' or give up before they lose all the weight which they had intended to shed and for those who do reach their intended weight there is a measure of satisfaction and re-education of eating habits which allow them to maintain a healthy weight. In contrast, the soon to be anorexic finds slimming easy, rewarding and something they can be good at from the start, something they can control which brings feelings of success, power and triumph.The sense of satisfaction gained from the suppression of hunger and the level of self denial required to be successful is frequently reported by anorexic sufferers to be very empowering and so here we see how effective this behaviour may be viewed by the su fferer as a coping strategy. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 3 of 9 My own experience of this condition was one that arose when my best friend died at the age of 17. I knew for many months prior to her death that death would almost certainly be the outcome of her condition. I felt ‘out of control’ there was nothing I could do to change the course of events.The one thing I could control however was what went into my mouth. This gave me a comforting sense of taking control of something. Something I turned out to be good at, something I could focus on to make all the other uncontrollable feelings subside. Once these feelings arise, a fear of losing control prevents the sufferer from resuming normal eating habits. Their experience is dominated by these ‘feel good feelings' of control and power but it is perceived by the sufferer to be precarious and vulnerable and therefore threatened by any behaviour that may cause unwante d weight gain.The sufferers preoccupation with maintaining this new postition begins to distort all other interests, concerns and relationships. In some cases the current position is never enough and weight loss progresses until it becomes life threatening. In most cases it seems that the anorexic starts out with similar behaviour and similar intention to the ordinary slimmer but something goes wrong and the slimming behaviour is inappropriately prolonged (My own experience). Ironically, while Anorexia starts out as a feeling of taking control, it rapidly descends into a fear of losing the control the sufferer perceives themselves to have taken.All the while the condition is actually controlling the sufferer. While the media definitely plays a role in how we view ourselves, anorexia is a way of coping with what’s going on in a teen’s life. Stress, pain, anger, acceptance, confusion and fear can all become triggers for this debilitating eating disorder. The goal is one of trying to make their whole life better. Families can play a huge role. Some families are over protective and smothering which can create a need or rather a demand for independence. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 4 of 9Some families are critical of weight gain, academic or sporting accomplishments or are rigid and even abusive. Some younger people do not feel safe in their own homes, they don’t know where to turn or what to do and the need to find a way to deal with what’s going on in their lives. Life transitions such as a break up, a divorce, death of a loved one, failure at school or at work are all stressful incidents that need to be dealt with. Genetic factors can also play its part in contributing – anorexia in teenage girls occurs eight times more often in people who have relatives with the disorder. Anorexia – a guide to sufferers and their families R. L Palmer 1980). My own Mother was grossly overwe ight at the time of my condition and I viewed her as someone who was completely out of control with no respect for herself. This was a very negative view, one which I could not see in myself at the other end of the spectrum! Effects on families and friends For parents and others who are close to a person who is trapped inside the condition of anorexia, there can seem like there is no escape. It is difficult for them to understand and empathise with self destructive behaviours.It becomes extrememly distressing to see a loved one wasting away whilst refusing offers of food which seem such a tantalisingly simple solution to the problem. Feelings of helplesness and guilt set in, along with frustration, anger and despair. (Quote from my Mum from 1991). My Mother set about criticising my ‘ridiculous behaviour’ in a bid to scare me into eating this only served to make me more determined to empower myself with what had turned from self defeating behaviour into self destructive behaviour and ultimately formed a self defeating behaviour in my Mother. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 5 of 9Treatment The idea of being ‘cured’ of Anorexia by the sufferer is usually completely undesirable because what that ‘cure’ implies is that they will eat more food, put on more weight and become fat, the very thing they are trying to avoid! Therefore, Anorexia has to be acknowledged as a problem by the sufferer before effective treatment can take place. Traditionaly the disorder is treated with a combination of individual psychotherapy and family therapy to look beyond the basic issue of food intake and address the emotional issues that underpin the disorder using a psychodynamic approach. Important ethical considerationsIt is important for therapists to consider that Anorexia Nervosa, although starts out as a self defeating behaviour, it’s consequences lead to many serious medical conditions which can range from malnutrition, loss of concentration and loss of periods to total organ failure and death. Therefore a therapist should never aim to treat the condition alone, but any psychological intervention to treat the underlying causes should take place alongside appropriate medical care. Any therapists working with an anorexic client would always need written medical consent and specialist supervision and should be experienced in this field of work.However, members of the sufferers family and close friends may also benefit from therapy to address any stress, anxiety and guilt surrounding the issue and in the absence of any other contraindications, medical consent for this group would not be necessary. The psychodynamic approach The psychodynamic approach will view the clients behaviour as being derived from some internal conflict, motive or unconscious force. Once it is discovered where this conflict began the therapist can set about working through those issues to a resolutio n. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 6 of 9Generally, it is believed that if behaviours are discontinued without addressing the underlying motives that are driving them, then a relapse will occur. During my battle with Anorexia, I was hospitalised and fed to increase my body weight. I ate willingly and was quickly considered cured and discharged from the hospital. However, I had deliberately manipulated the situation with the view that the sooner I could ‘escape’ the quicker I could get back on with the job. Taking control, to bring back the feel good feelings and the sense of empowerment that meant even more to me after having been ‘overpowered’ in the hospital.Clearly this treatment was very ineffective. Later I sought help through a therapist who, using a psychodynamic approach, was able to take me back through the death of my friend and deal with the grief in an appropriate way. This eventually helped me to let go of controlling my food intake as a way of dealing with these suppressed emotions. Behavioural symptoms in the psychodynamic approach are viewed as expressions of the patient's underlying needs. Often issues can disappear or lie dormant with the completion of working through these issues.However, a psychodynamic approach to anorexia is not all encompassing. During the recovery process, anorexics will frequently suffer from feelings of panic as they learn to lessen their control. As weight is gained, they will feel anxious much of the time and suffer from low self esteem or perhaps even feel that they are a ‘bad' person and have to become a ‘people pleaser' to make up for it. Anorexics are very often perfectionists and can be very harsh on themselves. All these things combined can make the process of recovery a very stressful, anxious and self deprecating experience (My own experience).A cognitive behavioural therapy approach may best meet the needs of a client feeling this way. Anorexics are often not fully aware of the initial cause of the condition and therapy may be a way to Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 7 of 9 lift the lid off of buried emotions to enable sufferers to deal with their underlying emotions. During the grip of the disorder the over-riding emotion felt is fear and this fear over rides the body's natural wisdom around food and eating, the sufferer distrusts themselves and fears that their ‘secret greedy self' may emerge and they will lose control completely.The sufferer will hate their ‘secret greedy self' and cognitive behavioural therapy would be a valuable tool in rebuilding self trust, improving self esteem, and overcoming fear and anxiety that arises through the process of recovery. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a time-limited and focused approach that helps a person understand how their thinking and negative self-talk and self-image can directly impact their eating and negative behaviours. CBT usually focuses on identifying and altering dysfunctional thought patterns, attitudes and beliefs that may perpetuate the sufferers restrictive eating.A researcher in the early 1980’s by the name of Chris Fairburn developed a specific model of CBT to help in the treatment of Anorexia, using the traditional foundations of CBT therapy – helping a person understand, identify and change their irrational thoughts (the ‘cognitive’ part) and helping a person make the changes real through specific behavioural interventions such as promoting healthy eating behaviours through rewards. (http://psychcentral. com/lib/2006/treatment-for-anorexia/all/1/) Strengths and weaknessesIt is clear to see that both approaches are somewhat lacking and a multi-model approach should be taken to ensure success. The psychodynamic model will uncover the initial cause of the behaviour and addressing these issues will go a long way toward a successful outcome. However, it does not address the subsequent negative thought processes that keep the sufferer a prisoner within the condition. This is something that a CBT approach can successfully address but a CBT approach could fail to prevent a relapse if the underlying reasons for the negative self talk are not uncovered.Both treatments together will hold more strength in long term success, but neither seeks to address nutritional issues, food related symptoms or deep seated behavioural rituals of the eating disorder. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 8 of 9 Summary Anorexia although initially can be viewed as a self defeating behaviour, is a complicated and mulit-faceted field and I would expect a consistent and long course of therapy that may focus on a psychodynamic approach alongside person centred counselling, alongside cognitive behavioural therapy, alongside appropriate medical intervention.Hypnotherapy may also be used to improve sel f esteem, reduce stress and anxiety, coping with panic and confidence building to help the sufferer relax levels of control and resume a more healthy relationship with themselves. As the anorexic begins to regain trust in themselves and their body, they can begin to feel back in control of their emotions and thoughts, thus lessening their levels of anxiety and helping toward a successful recovery. Ultimately, the pace of therapy has to be set by the client and the client has to admit to the problem in the first place before any type of therapy can begin.References: I personally suffered from this disorder from the ages of 17-21 and some of the information used has been based on my own experiences and that of my Parents. (Chrysalis Year 2 Module 5) R. L Palmer – Anorexia Nervosa. A guide for sufferers and their families. Penguin Books 1980 (http://ehealthmd. com/content/what-anorexia-nervosa http://psychcentral. com/lib/2006/treatment-for-anorexia/all/1/) Jane Ovington  œ Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 9 of 9 any type of therapy can begin. has to be set by the client and the client has to admit to the problem in the first place before Describe and Evaluate Two Approaches to the Treatment of Self-Defeating Behaviour Word count – 2553 Describe and evaluate two approaches to the treatment of self-defeating behaviour. Module Five Jane Ovington May 2012 Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 1 of 9 Introduction This essay aims to describe and evaluate two approaches to the treatment of self defeating behaviour. To do this I am using the description of Anorexia Nervosa as a self defeating behaviour, one which has far reaching consequences.I will include possible origins, causes and maintenance of Anorexia and describe two of many ways in which a therapist may help with this condition whilst weighing up the strengths and weaknesses of each. Main essay What is self defeating behaviour? Self defeating behaviour could be described as behaviour that when compared to other possible courses of action, it is never the best possible action for that individual. A self defeating behaviour will at some point have been used successfully as a coping strategy to get thro ugh a difficult situation.This course of action is then stored in the subconscious by that individual as something that ‘worked’ and therefore the behaviour will be re-produced again in times of perceived trouble. The self defeating behaviour will by its very nature actually serve to ensure that the fear or consequence that the person is trying to avoid will in fact come to pass. (Chrysalis Year 2 Module5) What is Anorexia? Anorexia is an eating disorder whose main feature is excessive weight loss and obsessive exercise.A very low weight is achieved which is then maintained abnormally low for the patients age and height. The sufferer develops an intense desire to be thinner and an intense fear of becoming fat. Their body image becomes completely distorted and their body weight and shape become the main or even sole measure of self worth as maintaining an extremely low weight becomes equated with beauty, success, self-esteem, and self-control. It is not seen as a problem by the sufferer. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 2 of 9Contrary to popular belief this psychological and physical condition is not usually about food. It is a self defeating behaviour used as a way of taking control and trying to make life better and is accompanied by a variety of changes in behaviour, emotions, thinking, perceptions, and social interactions. The name Anorexia nervosa is somewhat misleading as it literally means â€Å"nervous loss of appetite. † However, for people with this disorder all waking thoughts are dominated by food, weight, and body image and incredible levels of self control are used to fight feelings of intense hunger. http://ehealthmd. com/content/what-anorexia-nervosa) Approximately 95% of those affected by anorexia are female and most often teenage girls. Higher incidence of anorexia is often seen in environments where thinness is deemed to be especially desirable or a professional requirement, such as athletes, models, dancers, and actors. In order to enter the state of Anorexia Nervosa, a person must lose weight. The majority set out to do so deliberately because rightly or wrongly they feel that they are too fat.For most people, dieting to lose weight is a struggle. Most dieters ‘cheat' or give up before they lose all the weight which they had intended to shed and for those who do reach their intended weight there is a measure of satisfaction and re-education of eating habits which allow them to maintain a healthy weight. In contrast, the soon to be anorexic finds slimming easy, rewarding and something they can be good at from the start, something they can control which brings feelings of success, power and triumph.The sense of satisfaction gained from the suppression of hunger and the level of self denial required to be successful is frequently reported by anorexic sufferers to be very empowering and so here we see how effective this behaviour may be viewed by the su fferer as a coping strategy. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 3 of 9 My own experience of this condition was one that arose when my best friend died at the age of 17. I knew for many months prior to her death that death would almost certainly be the outcome of her condition. I felt ‘out of control’ there was nothing I could do to change the course of events.The one thing I could control however was what went into my mouth. This gave me a comforting sense of taking control of something. Something I turned out to be good at, something I could focus on to make all the other uncontrollable feelings subside. Once these feelings arise, a fear of losing control prevents the sufferer from resuming normal eating habits. Their experience is dominated by these ‘feel good feelings' of control and power but it is perceived by the sufferer to be precarious and vulnerable and therefore threatened by any behaviour that may cause unwante d weight gain.The sufferers preoccupation with maintaining this new postition begins to distort all other interests, concerns and relationships. In some cases the current position is never enough and weight loss progresses until it becomes life threatening. In most cases it seems that the anorexic starts out with similar behaviour and similar intention to the ordinary slimmer but something goes wrong and the slimming behaviour is inappropriately prolonged (My own experience). Ironically, while Anorexia starts out as a feeling of taking control, it rapidly descends into a fear of losing the control the sufferer perceives themselves to have taken.All the while the condition is actually controlling the sufferer. While the media definitely plays a role in how we view ourselves, anorexia is a way of coping with what’s going on in a teen’s life. Stress, pain, anger, acceptance, confusion and fear can all become triggers for this debilitating eating disorder. The goal is one of trying to make their whole life better. Families can play a huge role. Some families are over protective and smothering which can create a need or rather a demand for independence. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 4 of 9Some families are critical of weight gain, academic or sporting accomplishments or are rigid and even abusive. Some younger people do not feel safe in their own homes, they don’t know where to turn or what to do and the need to find a way to deal with what’s going on in their lives. Life transitions such as a break up, a divorce, death of a loved one, failure at school or at work are all stressful incidents that need to be dealt with. Genetic factors can also play its part in contributing – anorexia in teenage girls occurs eight times more often in people who have relatives with the disorder. Anorexia – a guide to sufferers and their families R. L Palmer 1980). My own Mother was grossly overwe ight at the time of my condition and I viewed her as someone who was completely out of control with no respect for herself. This was a very negative view, one which I could not see in myself at the other end of the spectrum! Effects on families and friends For parents and others who are close to a person who is trapped inside the condition of anorexia, there can seem like there is no escape. It is difficult for them to understand and empathise with self destructive behaviours.It becomes extrememly distressing to see a loved one wasting away whilst refusing offers of food which seem such a tantalisingly simple solution to the problem. Feelings of helplesness and guilt set in, along with frustration, anger and despair. (Quote from my Mum from 1991). My Mother set about criticising my ‘ridiculous behaviour’ in a bid to scare me into eating this only served to make me more determined to empower myself with what had turned from self defeating behaviour into self destructive behaviour and ultimately formed a self defeating behaviour in my Mother. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 5 of 9Treatment The idea of being ‘cured’ of Anorexia by the sufferer is usually completely undesirable because what that ‘cure’ implies is that they will eat more food, put on more weight and become fat, the very thing they are trying to avoid! Therefore, Anorexia has to be acknowledged as a problem by the sufferer before effective treatment can take place. Traditionaly the disorder is treated with a combination of individual psychotherapy and family therapy to look beyond the basic issue of food intake and address the emotional issues that underpin the disorder using a psychodynamic approach. Important ethical considerationsIt is important for therapists to consider that Anorexia Nervosa, although starts out as a self defeating behaviour, it’s consequences lead to many serious medical conditions which can range from malnutrition, loss of concentration and loss of periods to total organ failure and death. Therefore a therapist should never aim to treat the condition alone, but any psychological intervention to treat the underlying causes should take place alongside appropriate medical care. Any therapists working with an anorexic client would always need written medical consent and specialist supervision and should be experienced in this field of work.However, members of the sufferers family and close friends may also benefit from therapy to address any stress, anxiety and guilt surrounding the issue and in the absence of any other contraindications, medical consent for this group would not be necessary. The psychodynamic approach The psychodynamic approach will view the clients behaviour as being derived from some internal conflict, motive or unconscious force. Once it is discovered where this conflict began the therapist can set about working through those issues to a resolutio n. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 6 of 9Generally, it is believed that if behaviours are discontinued without addressing the underlying motives that are driving them, then a relapse will occur. During my battle with Anorexia, I was hospitalised and fed to increase my body weight. I ate willingly and was quickly considered cured and discharged from the hospital. However, I had deliberately manipulated the situation with the view that the sooner I could ‘escape’ the quicker I could get back on with the job. Taking control, to bring back the feel good feelings and the sense of empowerment that meant even more to me after having been ‘overpowered’ in the hospital.Clearly this treatment was very ineffective. Later I sought help through a therapist who, using a psychodynamic approach, was able to take me back through the death of my friend and deal with the grief in an appropriate way. This eventually helped me to let go of controlling my food intake as a way of dealing with these suppressed emotions. Behavioural symptoms in the psychodynamic approach are viewed as expressions of the patient's underlying needs. Often issues can disappear or lie dormant with the completion of working through these issues.However, a psychodynamic approach to anorexia is not all encompassing. During the recovery process, anorexics will frequently suffer from feelings of panic as they learn to lessen their control. As weight is gained, they will feel anxious much of the time and suffer from low self esteem or perhaps even feel that they are a ‘bad' person and have to become a ‘people pleaser' to make up for it. Anorexics are very often perfectionists and can be very harsh on themselves. All these things combined can make the process of recovery a very stressful, anxious and self deprecating experience (My own experience).A cognitive behavioural therapy approach may best meet the needs of a client feeling this way. Anorexics are often not fully aware of the initial cause of the condition and therapy may be a way to Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 7 of 9 lift the lid off of buried emotions to enable sufferers to deal with their underlying emotions. During the grip of the disorder the over-riding emotion felt is fear and this fear over rides the body's natural wisdom around food and eating, the sufferer distrusts themselves and fears that their ‘secret greedy self' may emerge and they will lose control completely.The sufferer will hate their ‘secret greedy self' and cognitive behavioural therapy would be a valuable tool in rebuilding self trust, improving self esteem, and overcoming fear and anxiety that arises through the process of recovery. Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) is a time-limited and focused approach that helps a person understand how their thinking and negative self-talk and self-image can directly impact their eating and negative behaviours. CBT usually focuses on identifying and altering dysfunctional thought patterns, attitudes and beliefs that may perpetuate the sufferers restrictive eating.A researcher in the early 1980’s by the name of Chris Fairburn developed a specific model of CBT to help in the treatment of Anorexia, using the traditional foundations of CBT therapy – helping a person understand, identify and change their irrational thoughts (the ‘cognitive’ part) and helping a person make the changes real through specific behavioural interventions such as promoting healthy eating behaviours through rewards. (http://psychcentral. com/lib/2006/treatment-for-anorexia/all/1/) Strengths and weaknessesIt is clear to see that both approaches are somewhat lacking and a multi-model approach should be taken to ensure success. The psychodynamic model will uncover the initial cause of the behaviour and addressing these issues will go a long way toward a successful outcome. However, it does not address the subsequent negative thought processes that keep the sufferer a prisoner within the condition. This is something that a CBT approach can successfully address but a CBT approach could fail to prevent a relapse if the underlying reasons for the negative self talk are not uncovered.Both treatments together will hold more strength in long term success, but neither seeks to address nutritional issues, food related symptoms or deep seated behavioural rituals of the eating disorder. Jane Ovington – Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 8 of 9 Summary Anorexia although initially can be viewed as a self defeating behaviour, is a complicated and mulit-faceted field and I would expect a consistent and long course of therapy that may focus on a psychodynamic approach alongside person centred counselling, alongside cognitive behavioural therapy, alongside appropriate medical intervention.Hypnotherapy may also be used to improve sel f esteem, reduce stress and anxiety, coping with panic and confidence building to help the sufferer relax levels of control and resume a more healthy relationship with themselves. As the anorexic begins to regain trust in themselves and their body, they can begin to feel back in control of their emotions and thoughts, thus lessening their levels of anxiety and helping toward a successful recovery. Ultimately, the pace of therapy has to be set by the client and the client has to admit to the problem in the first place before any type of therapy can begin.References: I personally suffered from this disorder from the ages of 17-21 and some of the information used has been based on my own experiences and that of my Parents. (Chrysalis Year 2 Module 5) R. L Palmer – Anorexia Nervosa. A guide for sufferers and their families. Penguin Books 1980 (http://ehealthmd. com/content/what-anorexia-nervosa http://psychcentral. com/lib/2006/treatment-for-anorexia/all/1/) Jane Ovington  œ Chrysalis North2A – Tutor , Steven Lucas, page 9 of 9 any type of therapy can begin. has to be set by the client and the client has to admit to the problem in the first place before

How Walmart Can Improve Sales Essay

1. What strategies would you recommend to current CEO Mike Duke? 2. How can Wal-Mart benefit from Internet retailing? â€Å"The internet has interesting aspects and will definitely serve a growing market throughout the 21st Century.† (David, P. 69) Wal-Mart.com allows customers easy and convenient access to Wal-Mart’s millions of products without leaving their homes; 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year; in turn will boost sales because Wal-Mart.com is able to display all products available, unlike store, which have limited space. As long as Wal-Mart.com continues to offer low prices and low shipping prices with the same quality of service, with easy checkout, it can be most profitable allowing Wal-Mart to benefit from internet retailing. 3. How aggressively should Wal-Mart expand internationally and where? I don’t believe Wal-Mart should move progressively when expanding internationally. It is the right time to expand internationally, anywhere east of the North America continent. Wal-Mart expanding internationally keeps them from being vulnerable to fluctuations of the U.S. dollar, allowing them to generate earnings from the countries east of the U.S. Wal-Mart should expand aggressively, which will allow customers all over the world â€Å"to associate their name with low cost, greatest selection of quality merchandise and highest standards of customer service.† (David, P. 68) 4. Should Wal-Mart expand the convenient store concept in China and other markets? I believe it is a good idea to expand the convenient store concept in China and other markets. According to Convenience Store News; â€Å"small formats are leading store growth in the Asia-Pacific region with traditional convenience stores seeing significant growth. China added more than 4,000 new c-stores in the past 12 months.† (Kress, 2012) 5. Should Wal-Mart get a foothold in Europe before competitors seize the initiative?

Capture of Fort Ticonderoga in the American Revolution

Capture of Fort Ticonderoga in the American Revolution The Capture of Fort Ticonderoga took place May 10, 1775, during the American Revolution (1775-1783). In the early days of the conflict, multiple American commanders recognized the strategic importance of Fort Ticonderoga. Located on Lake Champlain, it provided an important link between New York and Canada as well as held a treasure trove of badly-needed artillery. Moving forward in early May, less than a month after war started, forces led by Colonels Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold advanced on the forts small garrison. Storming the fort on May 10, they met minimal resistance and quickly captured it. Fort Ticonderoga served as a launching point for the American invasion of Canada in 1775 and its guns were later removed for use in ending the Siege of Boston. Gibraltar of America Built in 1755 by the French as Fort Carillon, Fort Ticonderoga controlled the southern part of Lake Champlain and guarded the northern approaches to the Hudson Valley. Attacked by the British in 1758 during the Battle of Carillon, the forts garrison, led by Major General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm and the Chevalier de Levis, successfully turned back Major General James Abercrombies army. The fort fell into British hands the following year when a force commanded by Lieutenant General Jeffrey Amherst secured the post and it remained under their control for the rest of the French Indian War. With the end of the conflict, Fort Ticonderogas importance diminished as the French were forced to cede Canada to the British. Though still known as the Gibraltar of America, the fort soon fell into disrepair and its garrison was greatly reduced. The state of the fort continued to decline and in 1774 was described by Colonel  Frederick Haldimand as being in ruinous condition. In 1775, the fort was held by 48 men from the 26th Regiment of Foot, several of which were classified as invalids, led by Captain William Delaplace. A New War With the beginning of the American Revolution in April 1775, Fort Ticonderogas significance returned. Recognizing its importance as a logistical and communications link along the route between New York and Canada, the British commander at Boston, General Thomas Gage, issued orders to the Governor of Canada, Sir Guy Carleton, that Ticonderoga and Crown Point be repaired and reinforced. Unfortunately for the British, Carleton did not receive this letter until May 19. As the Siege of Boston commenced, American leaders became concerned that the fort afforded the British in Canada with a route for attacking their rear. Governor Sir Guy Carleton. Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives of Canada Voicing this, Benedict Arnold appealed to the Connecticut Committee of Correspondence for men and money to mount an expedition to capture Fort Ticonderoga and its large store of artillery. This was granted and recruiters commenced attempting to raise the forces required. Moving north, Arnold made a similar plea to the Massachusetts Committee of Safety. This too was approved and he received a commission as a colonel with orders to raise 400 men to attack the fort. In addition, he was given munitions, supplies, and horses for the expedition. Major General Benedict Arnold. Photograph Courtesy of the National Archives Records Administration Two Expeditions While Arnold began planning his expedition and recruiting men, Ethan Allen and militia forces in the New Hampshire Grants (Vermont) began plotting their own strike against Fort Ticonderoga. Known as the Green Mountain Boys, Allens militia gathered at Bennington before marching on to Castleton. To the south, Arnold moved north with Captains Eleazer Oswald and Jonathan Brown. Crossing into the Grants on May 6, Arnold learned of Allens intentions. Riding ahead of his troops, he reached Bennington the next day. There he was informed that Allen was at Castleton awaiting additional supplies and men. Pressing on, he rode into the Green Mountain Boys camp before they departed for Ticonderoga. Meeting with Allen, who had been elected colonel, Arnold argued that he should lead the attack against the fort and cited his orders from the Massachusetts Committee of Safety. This proved problematic as the majority of the Green Mountain Boys refused to serve under any commander except Allen. After extensive discussions, Allen and Arnold decided to share command. Moving Forward While these talks were ongoing, elements of Allens command were already moving towards Skenesboro and Panton to secure boats for crossing the lake. Additional intelligence was provided by Captain Noah Phelps who had reconnoitered Fort Ticonderoga in disguise. He confirmed that the forts walls were in poor condition, the garrisons gunpowder was wet, and that reinforcements were expected shortly. Assessing this information and the overall situation, Allen and Arnold decided to attack Fort Ticonderoga at dawn on May 10. Assembling their men at Hands Cove (Shoreham, VT) late on May 9, the two commanders were disappointed to find that an insufficient number of boats had been assembled.  As a result, they embarked with around half the command (83 men) and slowly crossed the lake. Arriving on the western shore, they became concerned that dawn would arrive before the rest of the men could make the journey. As a result, they resolved to attack immediately. Forces Commanders Americans Colonel Ethan AllenColonel Benedict Arnoldapprox. 170 men British Captain William Delaplaceapprox. 80 men Storming the Fort Approaching the south gate of Fort Ticonderoga, Allen and Arnold led their men forward. Charging, they caused the sole sentry to abandon his post and swept into the fort. Entering the barracks, the Americans awakened the stunned British soldiers and took their weapons. Moving through the fort, Allen and Arnold made their way to the officers quarters to compel Delaplaces surrender. Reaching the door, they were challenged by Lieutenant Jocelyn Feltham who demanded to know on whose authority they had entered the fort. In reply, Allen reportedly stated, In the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress! (Allen later claimed to have said this to Delaplace). Roused from his bed, Delaplace quickly dressed before formally surrendering to the Americans. Securing the Fort Taking possession of the fort, Arnold was horrified when Allens men began to plunder and raid its liquor stores. Though he tried to stop these activities, the Green Mountain Boys refused to adhere to his orders. Frustrated, Arnold retired to Delaplaces quarters to await his men and wrote back to Massachusetts expressing concern that Allens men were  governing by whim and caprice.  He further commented that he believed the plan to strip Fort Ticonderoga and ship its guns to Boston was in threat. As additional American forces occupied Fort Ticonderoga, Lieutenant Seth Warner sailed north to Fort Crown Point. Lightly garrisoned, it fell the next day. Following the arrival of his men from Connecticut and Massachusetts, Arnold began conducting operations on Lake Champlain which culminated with a raid on Fort Saint-Jean on May 18. While Arnold established a base at Crown Point, Allens men began to drift away from Fort Ticonderoga and back to their land in the Grants. Aftermath In the operations against Fort Ticonderoga, one American was injured while British casualties amounted to the capture of the garrison. Later that year, Colonel Henry Knox arrived from Boston to transport the forts guns back to the siege lines. These were later emplaced on Dorchester Heights and compelled the British to abandon the city on March 17, 1776. The fort also served as a springboard for the 1775 American invasion of Canada as well as protected the northern frontier. Major General Henry Knox. Photograph Source: Public Domain In 1776, the American army in Canada was thrown back by the British and forced to retreat back down Lake Champlain. Encamping at Fort Ticonderoga, they aided Arnold in building a scratch fleet which fought a successful delaying action at Valcour Island that October. The following year, Major General John Burgoyne launched a major invasion down the lake. This campaign saw the British re-take the fort. Following their defeat at Saratoga that fall, the British largely abandoned Fort Ticonderoga for the remainder of the war.

Graphic Design in Society Essay Example

Graphic Design in Society Essay Example Graphic Design in Society Essay Graphic Design in Society Essay EPARTS 191 – DESIGN IN SOCIETY ASSIGNMENT TASK 2 Essay Graphic design is the art of communication. The designer takes an idea and creates a visual experience to communicate an idea, or to send a specific message to the responder through both printed and electronic means. Imagine a world without graphic design, you may not realise it right now but graphic design is everywhere. It’s what attracts you to a product or business and forces you to understand the message at the point of its creation. If the message is not clear then the graphic designer has failed. In this essay I will be discussing the history of graphic design, notable and popular styles, and the age old debate of computer versus the creative process, what the future holds and in turn proving that graphic design is the most important design discipline in our society. Graphic design has always existed, it has always been there for artists to express themselves and documents show that it goes back to the late 19th century at least but in my opinion graphic design never became more important and known until the Bauhaus was opened in 1919. The Bauhaus or House of Building was an art school in Germany which pioneered simplistic design and became a style of design itself, although it only existed for 14 years. The style is still heavily popular today within examples such as Ikea who produce simplistic furniture, advertisements, accessories etc and sell unfathomable amounts each year. This couldn’t happen and continue to happen if it wasn’t for successful graphic design and the elegant Swiss style I talk about below. : With each era a new style emerged to match the changes in society, throughout the 1960’s when the hippy lifestyle was adopted it was shown heavily through the art produced. Posters were full colour, bright and flowing and colour theory was well used. The responder’s eyes were immediately drawn to the swirling and often unorthodox patterns which assisted in making it unique. The American ‘Big Idea’ style became popular in around 1950’s and is still used today. In brief this style is generally a provocative or stimulating mage with short headline over the top; it was also known as the ‘picture is worth a thousand words’ approach (Heller Balance 2001). Another notable style is the Swiss approach which also uses simplistic techniques as well as symmetry and gridlines (which made most designs produced relatively predictable) to produce more logical designs as opposed to emotional or subjective. Why is it that in these modern times everything is computer based, computer done or needs a computer to begin it but does that take away from ones creative thinking? It’s debatable whether the speed and efficiency of computers stops graphic designers from studying their project/s in finer detail and thus not providing as higher results as hand drawing or rendering. In my opinion nothing can ever make lead up sketches obsolete, putting a pencil to paper and loosely drawing ideas is umpteen times faster than computer aided design (although using a tablet may increase speed). From my experience drawing on paper first allows you to relax and not concentrate as hard, in which ideas come about more freely than if you were to concentrate into drawing on a computer program such as Illustrator. Graphic design is innovation and advancement; it documents the growth of society and the changing of views, ideals, opinions and any other kind of free speech a person can express. If you look around, you can pinpoint most graphic designer’s styles down to someone work prior, be it taking inspiration or taking tips it becomes somewhat of a building block. With newer technology comes newer ways to do things but traditional methods will never go out of style, how can you say a design discipline that has successfully been around for roughly 100 years can die out? In conclusion, what a boring and colourless life we would live in without graphic design; who would be there to trick us into purchasing and believing things. Heller, S. Balance, G. (2001). Graphic Design History. Allworth Communications Inc.

How to calm the mind before high-pressure tasks like public speaking

How to calm the mind before high-pressure tasks like public speaking The write road to brilliant public speaking Writing before high-pressure situations can raise your performance in them, according to new research. It may seem counter-intuitive, but taking a moment to focus on your fears by jotting them down can help you to rise to the challenge. And this can apply to anything that gets your adrenaline pumping, whether its facing public speaking, nailing a sales pitch, or representing your company in the annual bowling tournament. Under pressure Its a frustrating fact of life that the skill levels we know were capable of can seem to slip when were counting on them most. But feeling the pressure doesnt have to result in a performance dip, says University of Chicago psychology professor Sian Beilock, who co-authored the study with graduate student Gerardo Ramirez. They found that students who wrote down their anxieties 10 minutes before a maths test achieved significantly better results than another group, who were asked to sit quietly during the same time period. The researchers increased the pressure by telling the students they were to be recorded, and that they could win money if they did well. Not only did the first group outperform the second, they also beat their own scores from a previous test in which they had no additional pressures. Free your mind This problem of under-performing, or choking, often occurs when we overload our working memory. This is the part of the brain that temporarily holds onto and sorts out information relevant to our immediate task. Essentially, it enables us to do well. But when the pressure gets too much, it can no longer put the work in working. No doubt this is what happened to the students who sat and stewed before the maths test. But committing our fretting to paper acts like an intervention for the brain, focusing and calming the mind, while allowing us to re-evaluate the fears in question. For those students who are most anxious about success, says Beilock, one short writing intervention that brings testing pressures to the forefront enhances the likelihood of excelling, rather than failing, under pressure. Stepping up And even for those of us who thrive on pressure, this practice is still pertinent. Beilocks book, Choke: What the Secrets of the Brain Reveal About Getting it Right When You Have To, examines how everyone from boardroom executives to top athletes (Andy Murray, take note) can raise their game, or at least avoid letting the side down. We think this type of writing will help people perform their best in a variety of pressure-filled situations, says Beilock, whether it is a big presentation to a client, a speech to an audience or even a job interview.

Deontology and Utilitarian Scenario Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Deontology and Utilitarian Scenario - Essay Example Utilitarianism, which is a teleological framework, on the other hand, decides on whether some thing is right or wrong by looking at the consequences or ‘teleos’ of the relevant action or non action. I.e. the action itself is not value neutral and the intrinsic nature of the action is not very relevant. It is what is achieved by that action that is determinant in ascertaining whether something is right or wrong. As such the same action can be right in one instance and wrong in the other instance, depending on the circumstances and consequences. This is directly at odds with deontological frameworks which provide that a given action will be universally right or wrong irrespective of the surrounding circumstances. The foregoing also highlights why deontology is considered to be a specimen of absolutism while utilitarianism exemplifies relativism. Utilitarianism, like the philosophies put forward by John Stuart Mills, look at whether something is right or wrong by looking at the consequences of that action in that it looks to see whether the action produces the greatest aggregate happiness amongst the relevant people. Application of deontological principles to the ethical problem at hand In applying deontological principles, mainly in the form of Immanuel Kant’s philosophy on ‘categorical imperatives’, I can ascertain what I should or should not do when I’m standing on the bridge with the mad fat ethical philosopher. The only thing I must put my mind to is whether I should push the villain and kill him or not. The surrounding circumstances are irrelevant. It is only the intrinsic value of the action of pushing him and killing him that I must put my mind to. As such, at first glance it can be said that under Kant’s philosophy the ‘right’ thing to do would be not to kill the villain. This general conclusion can be supported by applying some of Kant’s categorical imperatives. For example, applying the categorical imperative that is similar to the Golden Rule in the Bible and provides for the principle of universalizability, if I was the fat person on the bridge looking down at the tracks, I certainly would not have wanted to be thrown down on to the tracks for want of a heavy inanimate object. If I would not want to be thrown down, then equally I should not throw the villain down. Furthermore, it is very clear that the villain is necessary only because there is a lack of any other heavy object. The fact that he is human is irrelevant. Only his mass and physical being is necessary. This goes directly against Kant’s categorical imperative that one must not use humans simply as a means to an end. The fact that I would be merely using the villain and disregarding his humanity if I did throw him down the tracks would go directly against this categorical imperative which emphasizes that respect for the person. Note how in the above discussion the consequences of throwing down th e villain were not discussed. This is because in relation to this specific action, it was irrelevant that by killing the villain the innocent people will be saved. However, ethical principles apply equally to action as well as non actions. It is one thing to think about throwing down the villain and killing him, but there is another thing to think about in the same circumstances. Presumably, I am the only one on the bridge and I have the power to save the five innocent

Popular Culture Artifact Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Popular Culture Artifact - Essay Example The featured artifact is drawing of the iconic Former South African President and Statesman Nelson Mandela. The icon chosen for the portrait is the diamond. Diamonds have been salient features in contemporary popular culture. In 1938 the New York advertising agency of N.W. Ayers was commissioned to change public attitudes toward diamonds. The campaign was conceptualized to shift popular regard of diamonds as a scarce, expensive and very hard stones to a symbol of commitment and everlasting love. Thus in 1947 and Ayers advertising copywriter came up with the slogan "a diamond is forever". "As an N.W. Ayers memorandum put it in 1959: "Since 1939 an entirely new generation of young people has grown to marriageable age. To the new generation, a diamond ring is considered a necessity for engagement to virtually everyone."(Sut Jhally: Image-Based Culture: Advertising and Popular Culture -1990). In the featured artifact the diamond icon represents the immortality of what the featured person has come to stand for. The Portrait pictures Nelson Mandela who committed his life to fighting for the emancipation of South Africans out of the shackles of apartheid. What makes the diamond icon more appropriate in the assembling of this artifact is the eternality of the values of peace and equality. This is what Mandela fought for. These values like a diamond are forever. The banner text also contributes to manufacturing of meaning impact in the artifact. It denotes the that fact that coal and diamonds are formed in exactly the same variables, pressure and heat the only differentiating factor being that diamonds were subjected to more pressure and heat than coal. Again these associative meanings coalesce sound meaning in interpreting the artifact. The meaning in this aspect is drawn from the excruciating and extenuating circumstances in his struggle for human rights. The ordeal would either make him or beak him and as such the very circumstances that made some of his fellow citizens fall made a jewel out of him. The jewel as a crystal three dimensional gazing stock contributes to the whole meaning worth as it has become a popular symbol of excellence and invaluable worth. The artifact employs the meaning dissemination channels provided thorough the conventions and inventions formula. Through the conventions the artifact taps into the significance of mundane appreciation of art, mere drawings of people, great and non-entities as well as objects. Drawings have an intricate appeal to human art appreciation. The Mona Lisa drawing by Learnado Da Vince is arguably the most popular and famous portrait. What has made the artifact famous is the fact that the immaculate masterpiece was hand drawn. The artist used his finger to originate the painting. Drawings as medium are valuable for their appeal to human senses as they express human prowess in creativity and reproduction of reality. The featured artifact, by virtue of being a hand drawn artifact, will effectively prompt recipient appreciation by its nature demonstrative of the human artistic dexterity. This aspect will also be enhanced by the fact that the drawing pictures a prominent international icon. Nelson Mandela is more than just an international celebrity;

Make one up Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Make one up - Essay Example The red winged black birds are categorized as generalist birds because they can adapt to a different environment. The red winged blackbirds are found in Southern Alaska, Yucatan peninsula, Canada, and California. The birds keep migrating to various parts of the continent depending on the season. During winter, the birds migrate to southern and central parts of United States. They inhabit open grassy areas such as wetlands. They also inhabit saltwater and fresh water marshes especially if cattail is present Great Blue Heron The Great Blue Heron species have characteristics that make them categorized as specialists. It is among the large wading birds in the Heron family. Great Blue Herons have distinct features such as reddish brown thighs, light feathers, and grey rusty neck. They have long green legs with the males having a puffy trail of feathers behind the head. The males are lighter than the female. The birds are rare to find and do not easily adapt to new ecosystems (Peterson, 20 10). Unlike the other birds, Great Blue Heron fish for food during the day and at night. They like doing most of their activities early in the morning and at dusk. The birds feed on fish, salamanders, snakes, frogs, among other aquatic insects. Herons swallow their food as whole after they catch them. The birds cannot feed on other food apart from aquatic food, which is a characteristic of specialist. They have unique behavior since most of the activities are either done in the morning or at dusk. The herons are said to be private, and never hunt in groups. However, during breeding, the birds do so in groups. When not hunting, the birds sleep in a flock of about one hundred. The birds are extremely territorial and always defend their nests. American Dipper The American Dippers are specialists. It is a thick dark, gray bird with some having a brown head and white feathers on the eyelids. The white eyelids cause the eyes to flash white as they blink. Both male and the female look alik e. They have short tails that are often raised up. American Dipper feeds on insects and their larvae, small fish and fish eggs. They look for food in water or at times over turn a rock to expose the prey. In order for them to survive in such conditions, the birds have lots of feathers, slow metabolism and the ability to carry oxygen for a long time. The birds prefer living on rocky and unpolluted streams. Cliffs on the stream or bridges help them build nests. However, the birds prefer to build their nests on mountainous streams. This is a characteristic of specialist species. They can survive on cold climate and can eat only insects on land and fish (Ross, 2011). American Robin American Robin can live on the road, and in the forest which is a characteristic of generalist. The type of birds can survive in both cold and hot climate which is another characteristic of a generalist. The bird is a member of the thrush family and the name American Robin came about because the bird resemble s a similar bird in Great Britain. Most of them feed on berries, worms, insects and larva. Most of them are seen looking for worms which they take to their young ones. American Robins live in forests, urban areas, and on road sides. The birds can survive in different ecosystems (Ralph, Sauer, & Droege, 2012). Snail Kite Snail Kites are specialist since one can only get them in three areas; they have specific food and living in specific places means that they

What is the relationship between social and economic development Do Essay

What is the relationship between social and economic development Do these imply democracy Use a case study to illustrate your argument - Essay Example Social development is driven by scientific, religious, cultural, economic, or technological forces. Social change can be observed in society relations, social institutions, nature, and the behavior of people. The need to cope with challenges is the prime motivator of social change or development. With enough resources and technology social development can happen very fast. Social development as early as the history of human beings, but in the last five centuries the rate has drastically increased. Improvements in social organizations have also helped in social change (Cleveland 1999, p. 4). Science and technology are the major factors that are known to have contributed to a great extent towards social development. A few centuries ago the social status of many communities is in no way comparable to the current status. People used to be confined in a specific geographical location for long periods with minimal changes in their ways of living. Currently, people move all over the world, interacting with different people from different parts of the world. This has been made possible by the increased discoveries and innovations in the transport and communication industries. Though the internet, in has been made easier for people to access information about others thousands of kilometers from them. The internet is one of the most effective tools of social change. It has really changed the way of living of people especially the youth. People have changed their cultures slowly by slowly due to the effect of other people from different areas. Successful social development depend s on factors such as stability of a government with a flexible system, availability of resources, and a community with a diverse social organization. Religion as a factor of social development cannot be ignored in this study. It is through religion that many communities have developed. The activities of mainly

Giotto Di Bondones Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints Essay

Giotto Di Bondones Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints - Essay Example 1305 – 1310 (Olga’s). Rendered with tempera on wood panel, this amply dimensioned painting depicts Giotto’s version of the Virgin with her Holy Infant being surrounded by the angelic entities whose spatial orientation appears to enhance the already magnified theme by the enormous significance which Giotto necessitated for the size of the subject at the center to possess. The contour and definitiveness of the black veil which highly contrasts the mild flesh suit of her child indicates how the Madonna, in the simplicity of her aura and strength in character as a mother, manages to secure the innocent even to beyond a physical warm keeping. The delicate treatment given to the shapes especially of the painting’s chief concerns and the shades cast about the throne seemingly manifest gradual departure from the Byzantine standards so as to entertain a style which takes to greater consideration keen details of human sentiment. This naturalist approach may be obser ved to have been pioneered by Giotto Di Bondone in the way he worked with colors and symbolic arrangement of figures in space which chiefly acquired a linear perspective to serve his purpose of radiating inner human experience. Such modifications in the convention of Western art can be attributed to the essence of marking a transition from the grieving centuries of the Middle Ages to the much sought-after tranquility in the time of Renaissance by which intellectual restoration in arts, sciences, and humanities flourished. Since this period entailed new hopes for the European nations awaiting for enlightenment to be ushered back in full measure, Giotto took the opportunity of getting critical attention in his involvement with artistic reformation which may be perceived in most of his murals and frescoes (Giotto-The Inventor). The undertones of past suffering during the Dark Ages through the chosen mood of shades and the artist’s strokes of varying sharpness or lightness signif y Giotto’s innovative contribution in allowing discernment of certain relevant human emotions flow out of the general impression the enthroned structure makes. It particularly responds to the summon of Renaissance for people to obtain back their religious faith and reverence toward the church and its superior role of resolving medieval lack of spiritual vitality as one further understands the painter’s idea of substantial expansion when Giotto seated the Madonna and child on the throne for which he provided a generous portion of space which likely represents the continuous sensibility of religion and the adherence to the struggling progress of Christianity. The ability to achieve prominence and the desired stimulus in the simplicity of style or in less intricate patterns may have influenced the 15th century contemporaries of Giotto Di Bondone to acquire similar interest of attaining to flexibility of form. As such, the three-dimensional persuasion of Leonardo Da Vinci in ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’, c. 1491-1508, made central the well-lighted faces to locate emphasis upon a sublime moment of holiness and humility in the manner the head of each essential character is bent down. As the painting expresses a dramatic effect which can be emotionally identified as either peace or compassion, Da Vinci rather strayed the audience from the original knowledge of the Virgin’s Immaculate Conception into a new concept (The Virgin) like how Giotto did justice to enthroning the plain situation of the virgin with the child to most probably suggest a sense of vision that must remain in thought and practice of all Italians. With Giotto’s type of profound creativity to follow, Da Vinci apparently fashioned

Imaginary dialogue between Parmenides and Heraclitus Essay

Imaginary dialogue between Parmenides and Heraclitus - Essay Example Ultimately, just as the river changes so do the properties of the universe. Parmenides: The water flows because of natural elements like the tilt of the Earth, not because the universe is fundamentally changing. The universe is the same now as it always has been and as how it always will be. Parmenides: I recognize that you make a strong argument Heraclitus. I agree with you that humans have no understanding of the future. However, this does not mean that anything different is occurring. Instead the fact that humans can remember the past but cannot recall the future is only an illusion. In actuality the future is the same as the past. Parmenides: Unfortunately Heraclitus your view of the universe and free will is mistaken. Since the universe is the same, all the elements in the universe are also the same. Since all the elements in the universe are the same, then cause and effect is the same and humans have no free

Giotto Di Bondones Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints Essay

Giotto Di Bondones Madonna and Child Enthroned with Saints - Essay Example 1305 – 1310 (Olga’s). Rendered with tempera on wood panel, this amply dimensioned painting depicts Giotto’s version of the Virgin with her Holy Infant being surrounded by the angelic entities whose spatial orientation appears to enhance the already magnified theme by the enormous significance which Giotto necessitated for the size of the subject at the center to possess. The contour and definitiveness of the black veil which highly contrasts the mild flesh suit of her child indicates how the Madonna, in the simplicity of her aura and strength in character as a mother, manages to secure the innocent even to beyond a physical warm keeping. The delicate treatment given to the shapes especially of the painting’s chief concerns and the shades cast about the throne seemingly manifest gradual departure from the Byzantine standards so as to entertain a style which takes to greater consideration keen details of human sentiment. This naturalist approach may be obser ved to have been pioneered by Giotto Di Bondone in the way he worked with colors and symbolic arrangement of figures in space which chiefly acquired a linear perspective to serve his purpose of radiating inner human experience. Such modifications in the convention of Western art can be attributed to the essence of marking a transition from the grieving centuries of the Middle Ages to the much sought-after tranquility in the time of Renaissance by which intellectual restoration in arts, sciences, and humanities flourished. Since this period entailed new hopes for the European nations awaiting for enlightenment to be ushered back in full measure, Giotto took the opportunity of getting critical attention in his involvement with artistic reformation which may be perceived in most of his murals and frescoes (Giotto-The Inventor). The undertones of past suffering during the Dark Ages through the chosen mood of shades and the artist’s strokes of varying sharpness or lightness signif y Giotto’s innovative contribution in allowing discernment of certain relevant human emotions flow out of the general impression the enthroned structure makes. It particularly responds to the summon of Renaissance for people to obtain back their religious faith and reverence toward the church and its superior role of resolving medieval lack of spiritual vitality as one further understands the painter’s idea of substantial expansion when Giotto seated the Madonna and child on the throne for which he provided a generous portion of space which likely represents the continuous sensibility of religion and the adherence to the struggling progress of Christianity. The ability to achieve prominence and the desired stimulus in the simplicity of style or in less intricate patterns may have influenced the 15th century contemporaries of Giotto Di Bondone to acquire similar interest of attaining to flexibility of form. As such, the three-dimensional persuasion of Leonardo Da Vinci in ‘The Virgin of the Rocks’, c. 1491-1508, made central the well-lighted faces to locate emphasis upon a sublime moment of holiness and humility in the manner the head of each essential character is bent down. As the painting expresses a dramatic effect which can be emotionally identified as either peace or compassion, Da Vinci rather strayed the audience from the original knowledge of the Virgin’s Immaculate Conception into a new concept (The Virgin) like how Giotto did justice to enthroning the plain situation of the virgin with the child to most probably suggest a sense of vision that must remain in thought and practice of all Italians. With Giotto’s type of profound creativity to follow, Da Vinci apparently fashioned

Unmet needs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Unmet needs - Essay Example HSV-2 has a higher bracket since it incorporates those between 20% and 80%. HSV-2 is common between women than in men. In the USA, the HSV-2 viruses are prevalent among black people than the whites and the Latinos. This virus only affects the humans. This is through close personal contact. The infections occur through inoculation of the virus into susceptible mucosal surfaces. This will cause the viruses to thrive under room temperatures thereby causing drying. The unmet need associated with the disease is that the medical practitioners have not been able to identify a cure and a permanent way to eradicate the disease. This has caused continued suffering from infected people. In this disease state presentation, I have an idea that can help the society eradicate the disease completely. The idea is to encourage the society to use the product that we are going to develop. This is the mass production of latex condoms. Latex condoms have been proven scientifically to minimize the exposure of the genital organs during sexual activities. Sexual activities are the main cause of herpes. Secondly, I have devised a specific glove, the latex glove. This will be used when inserting the hand in an oral cavity. Thirdly, I have developed another idea of anti-viral therapy that is going to be used to reduce episodes of asymptomatic viral shedding (Leslie and Robbins 8). The second disease state that am going to look at is arthritis. This is a disease state with minimal disease action during ant rheumatic treatment or a disease state with tenacious nonappearance of medical and radiological ciphers of disease activity deprived of being pickled for a precise time. The causative agent for second factor is the absence of autoantibodies. The factors that cause this disease are many. They include heredity. Arthritis is a disease that is normally inherited from

North Koreas Influence of Peace in North East Asia

North Koreas Influence of Peace in North East Asia North Korea and North East Asian Peace and Security Current security issues in North East Asia, raised by North Korea Nuclear Test. Please examine how far North Korea can affect the peace and stability in Northeast Asia and how other countries such as America, Japan, China, and Russia react on this issue. And lastly, How to solve this security issues permanently and increases future stability in the area? Abstract The following dissertation will discuss and evaluate North Koreas influence and effect upon peace and security within the North East Asia region. This dissertation will evaluate North Koreas relationships with other countries in the North East Asia region such as South Korea, Japan, and China. Countries from outside the immediate North East Asia region like the UnitedStates, Russia (as the largest successor state of the Soviet Union) and to a lesser extent Britain and France also have an interest in the North East Asia Region. All these countries have an interest in preventing the proliferation of nuclear weapons and nuclear tests. For instance these countries must consider how the actions or the potential actions of the North Korean government are able to influence or effect peace and security within the North East Asia region. Nongovernmental organisations like the United Nations and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), as well as the International Atomic Energy Aut hority (IAEA) have taken a great deal of interest in how North Korea effects the peace and security of its immediately neighbouring countries. These organisations are taking North Koreas nuclear programme as well as its ballistic missile capacity into account when they regard the North Korean threat to peace and security going beyond the confines of the North East Asia region itself. This dissertation will evaluate the development and changes in North Korean government policies that have influenced and arguably threatened peace and security of the North East Asia region from Koreas initial division at the end of the Second World War through to the present day. North Korea has been regarded as a threat to the peace and security of the North East Asia region ever since Pyongyangs decision to invade South Korea provoked the Korean War of 1950 to 1953. The Korean War as will be discussed set the mould for North Korean defence and foreign policies, whilst ensuring the importance of the relationship with China and Russia. The North Korean regime, as will be shown, has been very reluctant to embrace and adopt any kind of economic or political reforms, preferring to use its scant resources on maintaining and expanding its military capacity. It is also continuing its nuclear weapons programme, long drawn talks having yet to result in effective nuclear disarmament, and thu s undermining peace and security within the North East Asia region, and when issues of nuclear proliferation are concerned outside that region. Finally the following will explore whether there are any ways in which North Korea can finally become a country that its neighbours in the North East Asia region could trust and believe will not threaten their common peace and stability rather than a country that they mistrust. The United Nations is an organisation that could offer the North Korean assistance to overcome its failed economy in return for the ending of North Koreas nuclear programme and potentially aggressive foreign policy. The main onus for international efforts to contain North Korean nuclear weapons development has been by the United States, China, Japan, Russia, and South Korea. The prospects for the international community being able to monitor and eventually close down North Koreas nuclear weapons programme, dismantling any weapons already constructed will also be discussed and evaluated. Introduction Korea has a long history of being a definable and separate nation state, although it was for many centuries subject to Chinese and later Japanese control (Lenman, 2004, p.450). Japanese control of Korea was ended by its defeat in the Second World War, which would inadvertently lead to the partition of Korea (Whitakers, 2007, p.892). The division of Korea was caused by the way that the Allied powers liberated the country from Japanese occupation, United States troops cleared the south, with the Soviet Union being responsible for clearing the north. This was intended to be a temporary division along the 38th parallel that would provoke the hottest conflict of the Cold War, as well as creating a dispute that continues to destabilise the peace and the security of the North East Asia region. As with the division of Vietnam the division was purely carried out as a reflection of the distribution of American and Soviet armed forces at the time of the Japanese surrender in September 1945 (Gad dis, 2005, p.41). It was Kim Il Sung who had previously fought the Japanese for many years that emerged as North Koreas first political leader, and he would be the man most responsible for his countrys attempt to re-unite Korea by force. Kim Il Sung was also responsible for North Koreas subsequently militant defence and foreign policies that has remained stridently anti-Western, militaristic, and potentially aggressive towards its immediate neighbours in the North East Asia region ever since. It was Kim Il Sung that decided to re-unite Korea by force, after his realisation that diplomacy would not bring about such a re-unification led to the plan to invade South Korea, although he seems to have pre-empted similar plans that the South Koreans had hoped to implement. Kim Il Sung went ahead with that invasion with the approval of the Soviet Union and China, and the apparent indifference of the United States, which had already withdrawn its military garrisons from South Korea during 1949. However, the Nor th Korean invasion which, was launched in June 1950 persuaded the United States to lead the United Nations forces into defending South Korea and driving the North Koreans back across the 38th parallel. The United States had been able to take advantage of the Soviet Unions representative not been at the United Nations due to the Soviet decision to boycott the organisation due to Communist China being excluded from the Security Council (Evans Newnham, 1998, p. 293). The United States decision to intervene in the Korean War started its long -standing military alliance with South Korea to guarantee South Korean security from the continued threat of North Korean aggression. The Korean War itself would drag on for three years with the North Koreans having to rely on large-scale Chinese military intervention and covert air support from the SovietUnion. North Korea only survived after the American led United Nations forces had captured the majority of North Korean territory due to Mao Zedo ng sending in the Chinese army. The conflict could have escalated, due to the involvement of Soviet aircraft that could have provoked a war between the superpowers yet both Moscow and Washington did not want an all out war to start due to the Korean War (Hobsbawm, 1994 p. 228). After the Korean War the prospects for Korean re-unification seemed to be remote, with the two Korean states being integrated into the alliance systems of the Soviet Union and the United States respectively. North Korea was therefore firmly in the communist camp, and initially enjoyed strong and productive political, economic and military relationships with both China and the Soviet Union. South Korea was a willing member of the United States alliance system and received substantial monetary and military backing from the United States, and later significant economic investment from Japan that would make it wealthier than North Korea. The United States government was not bothered by the Seouls regime lack of democratic practices just as long as it remained fervently anti-Communist (Hobsbawm, 1994 p. 228). Kim Il Sungs North Korean regime was in contrast avowedly Marxist-Leninist in ideological outlook, whilst trying to create a strong sense of North Korean nationalism that was decided ly anti-American and increasingly isolationist in perspective (Heywood, 2003 p. 179). The Korean War meant that neighbouring countries such as South Korea, Japan, and China kept an interest in political and diplomatic developments that involved North Korea, the former as potential enemies, the latter originally as an ally. The balance of power during the Cold War meant that North Korea could only pose a threat to the peace and security of the North East Asia region if that suited the Soviet Union, and to a lesser extent China. The Kremlin to a large extent kept the regime in Pyongyang in check, not wishing to provoke further conflict, and realising that the United States would not tolerate North Korea attempting to invade South Korea again, or indeed developing its own nuclear weapons. On the other hand the Soviet Union exported missile and nuclear technologies to North Korea as part of its military and economic aid packages to the Pyongyang regime (Gaddis, 2005 p. 60). The fighting during the Korean War was heavy, the agricultural sector being particularly adversely affected, and the war had devastated North Koreas economy. American bombing had also heavily damaged the North Korean capital city, Pyongyang. The number of North Korean fatalities, 419,000 was testimony to the high human costs of the conflict, with around 3 million people dying during its course (Castleden, 2005, p.299). The scale of destruction did not prevent a strong economic revival and rapid industrialisation, although most of those improvements were brought about by considerable amounts of help from China and the Soviet Union (Castleden, 2005, p.300). Large-scale industrialisation in North Korea would therefore have undoubtedly been much harder to achieve without that substantial aid that North Korea received from China and the Soviet Union. The Soviet decision to export nuclear technology to North Korea, for the non-military use of generating electricity would later allow Pyongy ang the opportunity to start its own nuclear weapons programme. That would have been unthinkable at the height of the Cold War, as neither the Soviet Union nor the United States would allow any of their satellite states to disturb the nuclear power balance between them. However, once the North Korean regime believed that the Soviet Union and China would no longer offer North Korea any meaningful kind or level of protection that is indeed precisely what the North Korean regime decided to do (Lenman, 2004, p.451). North Korea would continue to operate a planned economy even though that would eventually fail to adequately support its military build up and its civilian population. The North Korean government opted to keep its military infrastructure expanding rather than attempt economic reforms or adequately providing for its people (Heywood, 2003 p.137). The Soviet Union would have certainly disapproved of North Korean plans to develop its own nuclear weapons, yet the Soviet Unions in fluence upon North Korean military and defence policies had waned long before its own disintegration in 1991 (Gaddis, 2005, p.264). North Korea arguably became a threat to the peace and stability of the North East Asia region due to the nature and character of its hard line Stalinist regime. Kim Il Sung was a Marxist dictator in the mode of Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong. However for the majority of the Cold War period the North Korean threat was seen to be much less pronounced to the non-communist parts of the North East Asia region than the more obvious threats of the Soviet Union and China (Gaddis, 2005, p.60). Kim Il Sungs craving for power meant that North Korea dedicated and continues to dedicate a large percentage of its national budget and resources towards internal repression and building up its military strength to threaten the other countries of the North East Asia region. However, North Koreas conventional weapons would not be enough to successfully invade South Korea whilst the United States continues to offer full protection against such attacks, even if their purchase had almost bankrupted the Pyongy ang regime (Castleden, 2005, p.303). Despite the faltering of the North Korean economy in the last two decades or so, Pyongyang seems to be more interested in threatening South Korea and Japan with nuclear weapons and ballistic weapons than feeding its own population. Although North Korea should be wary of what happened to its erstwhile ally, the Soviet Union whose excessive and unsustainable military expenditure played a major part in its eventual collapse (Tipton, 1998, p.434). However, although the North Korean regime decided to start its nuclear weapons programme that decision violated North Koreas formal and legal pledges not to proliferate its own nuclear weapons. North Korea had signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and had joined the IAEA, which meant that it was not supposed to start its own nuclear weapons programme at all (Evans Newnham, 1998 p. 68). For the North Koreans there were other examples of small and large sized states that had already broken their promises and legal commitments not to develop their own nuclear weapons. Those states nuclear weapons programme with varying degrees of reaction from the official nuclear powers of the United States, the Soviet Union, Britain, China, and France. Countries such as Israel, India, and Pakistan have gone on to successfully acquire their own nuclear weapons with little or no action been taken against them to make them give up those devices. The North Korean regime understood that it could dev elop nuclear weapons with the possiblity that the United Nations and the leading powers would not be able to take any effective action to take those weapons off North Korea (Fukuyama, 2006 p. 80). Chapter One North Korean defence and foreign policy misrepresented or a threat to peace and security? Since the foundation of North Korea as a separate nation state its defence and foreign policies have been geared towards the re-unification of Korea on Pyongyangs terms, rather than South Koreas terms (Rayner Stanley, 2006, p.234). As far as the North Korean regime of Kim Il Sung was concerned the re-unification of Korea was not an issue that should concern any other countries apart from North and South Korea themselves. It was the context of the Cold War that complicated the strategic, military and diplomatic situation concerning the dispute between North and South Korea about which country should over power the other to dominate a reunified Korean state. In military terms North Korea is the strongest, in economic terms South Korea is the strongest (Tipton, 1998, 434). On the one hand the assistance of China and the Soviet Union was useful for the economic development of North Korea and also as a means of building up the countrys military power. On the other hand the Cold War meant that the United States was more alert about the need to protect the countries in the North East Asia region that were opposed to communism, like Japan, South Korea and South Vietnam (Gaddis, 2005, p.60). The Cold War meant that the United States was unwilling to allow any more parts of North East Asia to fall under communist rule. After all the presence of United States forces in Japan had allowed the United Nations forces to resist Kim Il Sungs invasion of South Korea. North Vietnam would eventually overcome South Vietnam despite the best efforts of the United States, yet the terrain of Vietnam was different from that of Korea and the North Vietnamese had better military tactics than the North Koreans (Hobsbawm, 1994, p.228). Whilst the Cold War continued, North Korea was not seen as the main threat to peace and security in the North East Asia region, superpower rivalry meant that the Soviet Union and the United States mistrusted each other more than they mistrusted any other stat e. China would also emerge as a major power within the region, one that eventually took independent policy decisions from those of the Soviet Union. The United States government however, remains wary of North Koreas intentions towards the rest of the North East Asia region (Gaddis, 2005, p.61). The peace and security of the North East Asia region altered during the 1960s, not as a result of changes in the Cold War, but as a result of alterations in the relationship between North Korea, China, and the Soviet Union. The regime of Kim Il Sung had not wished for North Korea to be reliant upon either China or the Soviet Union as soon as the country had recovered from the Korean War and had become economically self sufficient. By the mid 1960s the North Korean regime believed that it become self-sufficient and no longer such high levels of aid from China or the Soviet Union. Kim Il Sung wanted to maintain military links with China and the Soviet Union, yet did not wish for North Korea to be a mere client state of Beijing or Moscow. North Korea was not going to be like the majority of communist states in Central and Eastern Europe were in relation to the Soviet Union. Although of course the North Koreans did not have to worry about invasion by the Soviet Union if it took much of a n independent from Soviet policy (Castleden, 2005, p.301). North Koreas military power was originally reliant upon Chinese and Soviet built equipment and the regime could not afford weapons from any other countries outside of the communist bloc (Gaddis, 2005, p.61). Under Kim Il Sungs leadership North Korea could not get away from its close economic links with the Soviet Union until the latters collapse in 1991, which in turn would have very detrimental affects upon North Korea (Watson, 1997, p.246). The strong relationship between China and the Soviet Union declined dramatically towards the end of the 1960s resulting in border clashes between the two states. The break down in the relationship between China and the Soviet Union meant North Koreas most powerful allies would spend more time arguing with each other than the United States. Pyongyang did not back either state publicly although Kim Il Sung regarded the Soviet Union as a more reliable ally, and unlike Beijing, Moscow did n ot occasionally make insulting comments about the North Korean leader (Watson, 1997, p.240). Whilst the North Korean economy seemed to enjoy impressive growth rates from the 1950s through to the 1970s, the country arguably did not have or develop the infrastructure or indeed have the resources to become a serious threat to peace and security in the North East Asia region. North Korean economic policy was heavily influenced by the planned economies of China and the Soviet Union, and was as unsuccessful in North Korea as they had been in China and the Soviet Union (Heywood, 2003 p. 152). Kim Il Sungs regime collectivised agriculture and began the process of large-scale industrialisation. The collectivisation of agriculture commenced in 1946 when estates with Japanese owners were confiscated in the north under Soviet guidance (Tipton, 1998,p.304). Collectivisation and the modernisation of agriculture increased the life expectancy of the North Korean population. Industrialisation at least during the 1950s and 1960s appeared to be impressive. However much of that economic growth was due to the revenues raised from the export of natural resources to the Soviet Union and the receipt of aid from the Soviet Union (Watson, 1997, p.246) Economic growth could have been stronger if it had not been hampered by Kim Il Sungs decision to make expenditure on the military as high as possible, and his governments main priority. The military build up was meant to unnerve the South Korean government. In terms of total expenditure South Korea spent more on its military expenditure than North Korea. This was mainly due to North Korea being regarded as an ever-present threat to South Korean security. There were differences as to how the two countries military expenditure was regarded in the North East Asia region and beyond. South Koreas military expenditure was seen as being justified as it would deter North Korea. On the other hand, North Koreas military spending was viewed as being unjustified, aggressive and a sign of Kim Il Sungs megalomania, policies that his son, Kim Jong Il has continued (Gaddis, 2005, p.61). North Korea had one major disadvantage if its regime wished to outspend South Korea in terms of their defence budgets, as they were poorer. Whilst North Korea found it difficult to find foreign investors, South Korea was able to attract very high volumes of investment, especially from the United States and Japan. South Koreas increasing levels of wealth meant it could easily match North Koreas military build up, without reducing the living standards of its population, or driving its government towards insolvency (Tipton, 1998, p.304). In terms of any future conventional war between North and South Korea, South Korea held key advantages. Firstly, the South Korean population was twice the size of its neighbour to the north, potentially allowing for its armed forces to have twice the number of personnel in war- time conditions. In 1985, South Korea was estimated to have a population of 41.2 million compared to North Koreas population of 20.1 million people (Watson, 1997, p.262). South K orea was economically more productive and therefore wealthier than North Korea, with the latters seemingly impressive growth rates beginning to slow down by the start of the 1980s. An example of the growing disparity between the countries was the per capita income, whilst it was $790 for North Korea in 1982, it was $1,840 for South Korea in 1983. In economic terms, North Korea could not realistically afford its high levels of military expenditure, although Kim Il Sungs regime was determined to carry on with spending money it believed kept the regime in power and made it a continuing danger to its capitalist neighbours (Watson, 1997, p.262). In the following decade North Korea was widely regarded as bring an increased threat to the peace and security of the North East Asia region, despite the countrys economy going in to a steep decline. Whilst the North Korean regime refused to scale down its military expenditure its agricultural sector, especially suffered an alarming drop in productivity that contributed to an estimated two million North Koreans dying of starvation during the 1990s. Despite famine and economic decline the North Korean regime still used scarce resources to develop its nuclear weapons programme. North Korea barely increased its economic productivity during the 1990s and was by then considerably poorer than South Korea. To give a stark contrast, South Korean per capita gross domestic product (GDP) reached an impressive $13, 700, whilst North Korean GDP languished at $900. It was a paradoxical situation in which, although the North Korean regime could increasingly threaten its neighbours with missiles and nuclear weapons, yet it would eventually need emergency aid from those countries to prevent more of its own population starving to death (Pipes, 2001, p.152). On paper at least, North Korea has impressive conventional military strength with around 3,500 tanks and 2,500 armoured personnel carriers, whilst the army had 950,000 troops. The North Korean air force has 590 combat aircraft, whilst the navys 88 submarines could pose a serious threat to shipping in the North East Asia region in the event of a future war. However it is the potential development and possible of nuclear weapons that causes a greater concern than North Koreas conventional arsenal (Whitakers 2007, pp.893-94). South Korea has smaller armed forces yet still has a standing army 560,000 strong and 2,330 main battle tanks. South Korea would no doubt have to increase those numbers if 94, 450 Americans were not based in South Korea (Whitakers 2007 p. 895). However, it was not just North Koreas strength in terms of conventional weapons that means it is regarded as being a threat to peace and security in the North East Asia region. The United States government has long suspected that North Korea has played a part in sponsoring and supporting terrorism within the North East Asia region and indeed further afield. The suspicions of the United States have been founded upon the anti-American rhetoric that the North Korean regime its content to produce from time to time (Gaddis, 2005, p.261). South Korea had previously accused North Korea of trying to undermine internal stability by supporting dissident South Korean groups and calling for the re-unification of Korea (Tipton, 1998, p.304). North Korea was one of the countries that the administration of Ronald Reagan denounced as being terrorist states back in 1985. The Reagan administration viewed North Korea as being a risk to international peace and security within and beyond the North East A sia region (Ward, 2003, p.349). North Korea did not have any moral or political hang ups about selling weapons such as assault rifles to other countries that found it hard to acquire weapons due to arms embargos or sanctions. For instance, North Korea sold surplus Soviet manufactured assault rifles to Iran during the early years of the Iran-Iraq War. Such arms sales may have contributed to the United States accusing North Korea of being a terrorist state. The North Koreans could have countered that these claims were hypocrisy on the part of the American government that sold a much greater volume of weapons to any state or organisation that was anti-Communist, or if it suited the United States interests to do so. Hypocrisy that was demonstrated by the Iran –Contra Affair in which the money from arms sales to Iran was used to fund the Contra forces in Nicaragua (Fisk, 2006, p.278). North Korea also supplied ballistic missiles to the Iranians and even sent engineers to Iran to e nsure those missiles successfully reached Iraqi targets, especially Baghdad. The willingness of the North Koreans to sell missiles to the highest bidders certainly increased concerns about Pyongyang posing a threat to peace and security (Fisk, 2006, p.281). Surveillance and interceptions of cargo ships have provided evidence that North Korea will sell weapons to terrorist organisations as well as any state that can afford them. For instance, the Spanish navy intercepted a North Korean merchant ship that was officially taking cement to South Yemen. Once aboard that ship the Spanish found ballistic missiles that could have been used by the terrorist group that had brought those missiles. The Middle East is a volatile region at the best of times, so the ability of North Korea to supply ballistic missiles to governments and terrorists groups in that region is another concern for the United States and other Western countries (Davies, 2003 p. 238). It was during the early 1990s that the prospect of North Korea carrying out a successful nuclear weapons programme became the cause of major international concern. In the United States, the administration of President Bill Clinton was determined to persuade the North Korean regime to halt that nuclear weapons programme peacefully by preference, or by force if necessary (Clinton, 2004 p. 561). Aside from the United States, South Korea, China, Russia, and Japan were, and still are the countries that are most anxious to prevent North Korea acquiring and keeping nuclear weapons. Britain and France have also been involved in international efforts to prevent North Korea acquiring nuclear weapons as members of the United Nations Security Council, and as signatories of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (Evans Newnham, 1998 p. 381). South Korea and Japan are particularly anxious and insecure about North Koreas attempts to produce nuclear weapons because they would be the most obvious targ ets if North Korea ever decided to use nuclear weapons. That anxiety is increased because the South Koreans and the Japanese are well aware that the North Koreans have the technical capacity to fit nuclear warheads to its force of ballistic missiles that can reach all the major cities in South Korea and Japan. China is also anxious that the nuclear weapons programme of North Korea does not provoke a military confrontation between North Korea and the United States that would bring widespread destruction and shatter the peace and stability of the North East Asia region. China remains keen to continue its impressive economic growth rates and also hopes to maintain political stability in the region, a stability that North Korea has a strong propensity to disrupt. China is therefore willing to act as a go between to prevent conflict arising between the United States and North Korea that would be very damaging to the North East Asia region as a whole (Cheek, 2006 p.136). That also means t hat China is willing to back the efforts of the United States, South Korea, and Japan to reduce the North Korean threat to peace and security (The Guardian, February 14 2007). Russia, as the main successor state to the Soviet Union, on the other hand has attempted to maintain strong economic, military, and economic links with North Korea. Those links leave Kim Jong Il hoping North Korea has more leeway in its disputes with the United States and the United Nations over its plans to acquire nuclear weapons. Whilst Russia is caught between promoting its economic links with North Korea without harming its relationship with the United States that improved with the latters war on terror in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, it would normally put its relationship with the United States first. The Russians and North Koreans remain keen upon maintaining a strong relationship between each other, although that is based on pragmatism rather than a common ideological outlook. Whilst the Russian government believes that like the Chinese government it could help resolve the international disputes that currently mean that North Korea is regarded as been a threat to peace and s ecurity in North East Asia region (Meir, 2004 p. 417). North Koreas defence and foreign policy was seen and remains seen as a serious and increasing threat to the peace and security of the North East Asia region because of the nature of the Pyongyang regime itself. That is due to Kim Il Sung and his son and successor Kim Jong Il concentrating upon the maintaining of their personal hold on power. That hold on power is through a strong military with undoubted loyalty to the national leader, and via a system of forced labour and prison camps that detain political dissidents or opponents of the regime. The regimes internal position is also protected and promoted through a cult of personality for Kim Il Sung and now Kim Jong Il that rivals other cults of personalities witnessed in other communist regimes. It most closely resembles the cults of personality experienced in the Stalinist era of the Soviet Union, or China under Chairman Mao Zedong, especially during the tumultuous period of the Cultural Revolution (Castleden, 2005 p. 301). The Nor th Korean regime during Kim Il Sungs lifetime not only managed to copy Chinese and Soviet propaganda techniques; the North Koreans also managed to emulate their purges. Such pronounced levels of dictatorship have always managed to make the United States suspicious of North Korean intentions. The South Koreans and the Japanese tend to reinforce American concerns over the de-stabilising effects of North Korean defence and foreign policies. The South Koreans and the Japanese therefore have fears for their safety as without an American military presence in the North East Asia region they would not be able to defend themselves from North Korean attacks. As the United States and its North East Asian allies do not trust North Korea, the United States uses satellites to monitor North Korean military activity and its nuclear installations, whilst the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) constantly carries out surveillance operations (Lane McCormack, 1993 p. 178). Chapter Two Containing the North Korean threat to peace and security in the North East Asia Region To a large extent North Korea is widely considered to be a threat to peace and secu