The importance of the Viet Cong in the Communist victory in the Second Indochina War Essay Example for Free

The importance of the Viet Cong in the Communist victory in the Second Indochina War Essay Assess the importance of the Viet Cong in the Communist victory in the Second Indochina War. The Second Indochina War, which was waged throughout 1964-75, was an undefined success for the Communist cause. Whilst this result was derived from a combination of both intrinsic and international factors, due credit must be given to the extremely vital role that the ‘Viet Cong’ successfully executed. Whilst the ‘Viet Cong’ may have resembled a dynamic and competent fighting force, the foundation of their infamous reputation was primarily based upon their use of guerilla warfare tactics. These tactics, unlike conventional warfare, involved a combination of unpredictable and even primitive military strategies which is reflected in the maxim â€Å"When the enemy advances, withdraw; when he defends, harass; when he withdraws, pursue.†[1] Such tactics enabled Communist forces of the NLF to become an elusive and deadly arch-rival. To further enhance their military capabilities, Communist forces excavated a vast network of underground tunnels which were reinforced with concrete, in an effort to survive artillery bombardment as well as air strikes sanctioned under operations ‘Barrel Roll’ as well as ‘Rolling Thunder.’ As seen in ‘Source 1’ the Viet Cong also implemented various booby trap systems using punji stakes, mines and deep pits in an effort to maim and potentially kill US and ARVN forces. These tactics were extremely successful for they not only accounted for â€Å"73% of total US casualties and 11% of combat deaths†[2] but they also denied the victims of such acts any targets to shoot at, for the VC usually deserted the area. What enhanced the success of such tactics was that when these maimed soldiers returned home, they took with them a demoralizing message of the atrocities occurring in Vietnam. The psychological victory of the TET offensive, January 1968, also highlighted the strategic importance of the Viet Cong. The battle, which lasted all of a few days, involved a major deployment of VC and other Communist forces against 36 major towns within South Vietnam. The offensive concluded with the VC symbolically siegeing the US embassy in Saigon in a deliberate ploy to both humiliate and expose the US’s inability to quell the spread of Communism. Despite the fact that the VC were crippled after the almost suicidal battle, the event represented a major turning point in the Vietnamese conflict. As a result, the following night international broadcasts were made which expressed the flawed nature of LBJ’s foreign policy. Consequently the guerrilla tactics implemented by the ‘Viet Nam Cong San’ were vital to the success of the Communist regime for they gradually wore US and ARVN forces down in a war of attrition and psychological victories. Another contributing factor to the Communist victory was their ability to engage in a ‘total war of attrition.’ This concept of ‘total war’, which was described by General Ludendorff in 1935, involves â€Å"the complete mobilization of all resources, including policy and social systems, to the winning of war.†[3] The Viet Cong fulfilled this concept for not only did they sacrifice their material possessions, but more importantly their lives. Whilst the VC were obviously devoted to the cause, unfortunately this was not a uniform policy throughout all Communist units, for many individuals had personal agendas to fulfill, often involving the black-market. The well known phrase â€Å"Soldiers by night, farmers by day†[4] epitomized the Communist people’s whole hearted commitment to the cause. This contrast in roles was a valuable tool for it ensured that the home front remained productive, whilst also enabling the Viet Cong to dissolve back into society after combat, so as to fight another day. What furthered the importance of the Viet Cong’s ‘total war’ strategy was that allied soldiers would often exterminate whole villages in retribution for fallen comrades, often killing unarmed civilians. Evidence of this can be seen in My Lai massacre of 1968, in which 450 women and children were executed for ‘harboring’ VC forces. Source 2, a quote by Robert McNamara, accurately summarizes the repercussions of such a successful Communist strategy stating, â€Å"The picture of the world’s greatest superpower killing 1,000 non-combatants a week, while trying to pound a tiny backward nation into submission†¦ is not a pretty one.†[5] In comparison to the committed nature of the Communist forces it appears that the United States fought a limited war which was justified by Lyndon Johnson in 1965 for Vietnam was only a â€Å"little piss-ant country.† [6] Unlike the VC who were quoted to â€Å"take on tanks, if necessary, with bows and arrows†[7] the US were always too concerned over the repercussions of their actions rather than having a committed aim to quell the ongoing conflict. Throughout the conflict it is obvious that US Foreign Policy was always â€Å"fighting with one hand behind its back†[8] due to LBJ’s attempts to maintain his ‘guns and butter’ approach which involved balancing civil works as well as ‘prolonging’ the Communist conflict. The United States incapacity to end the conflict was further highlighted by their fear of provoking Soviet or Chinese involvement. On many occasions, US forces had the ability to severely cripple the Communist campaign, but yet their incompetence always seemed to get the better of them which is why they never ‘got the bloody job done.’ The ‘Viet Nam Cong San’ ability to seduce the ‘hearts and minds’ of the Vietnamese home front was a vital stepping stone to the Communist victory. As a result of the intimate contact that NLF forces had with villagers throughout the conflict, an almost unbreakable bond was formed. Unlike the Allies who attempted to indoctrinate and relocate villagers through the use of ‘strategic hamlet programs’, as well as the NVA who were renowned for the use of shock tactics, the VC successfully offered support and protection in a passive manner. Consequently the VC’s relationship with villagers was extremely valuable for it often resulted in the donation of intelligence, concealment and in some cases converted soldiers. The importance of this relationship is highlighted in the quote â€Å"By 1967 US personnel couldn’t breathe without the NLF actively knowing.†[9] In comparison, the United States public was rife with division over the Vietnamese conflict. This division in America exposed the US politician’s inability to even win the hearts and minds of its own people let alone a competing nation. An extract of Source 3, â€Å"War is not simply a conflict between armies; more and more it is a struggle between competing social systems†[10] highlights the United States need for civil unity. However the anti-war movements, highlighted by the Kent State University killings as well as the ongoing debate between the ‘doves’ and the ‘hawks’, did not permit the stable and devout home front that was required to achieve victory. The final, and in a sense the most crucial, factor highlighting the importance of the Viet Cong was their strict observance to a program of logical and decisive aims. Unlike the Americans, who it seemed only aimed to â€Å"prolong the life of a corrupt and inefficient political system†[11] the NLF, of which the VC are a member, had a clear program of ambitions. Source 4 is a reliable document which illustrates such goals, the first and foremost being to â€Å"Overthrow the camouflaged colonial regime of the American imperialists and the dictatorial power of Ngo Dinh Diem.†[12] Consequently the Viet Cong’s progressive strategies were extremely important for they not only dictated the path the conflict would take, but also when and by what means they should engage in combat. In comparison to the VC’s established goals, an American author, William Broyles Jr, stated that â€Å"There was no single goal in Vietnam; there were 2.8 million goals, one for every A merican who served there†¦ the end one being to get out of Vietnam†[13] In hindsight, the dynamic role that the Viet Cong played throughout the Vietnamese conflict was vital to the Communist victory. Whilst the Viet Cong did match the large scale fighting of the NVA, its effective use of guerrilla warfare substantially crippled both the moral and fighting capabilities of the US and ARVN. Their selfless dedication to a state of ‘total war’ and their capacity to win the hearts and minds of the people essentially laid the foundations upon which Communist forces were able to launch a successful final campaign. Finally, their unwavering devotion to the Communist cause arguably provided the defining blow to the foreign imperialist’s occupation of South Vietnam. ________________ [1] ‘The Vietnam Experience; FIGHTING FOR TIME’ [2] ‘VIETNAM; THE VALOUR AND THE SORROW’ [3] http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/ [4] ‘ATLAS OF CONFLICTS; THE VIETNAM WAR’ [5] ‘ATLAS OF CONFLICTS; THE VIETNAM WAR’ [6] ‘CONFLICT IN INDOCHINA 1954-1979’ [7] ‘Contested Spaces; CONFLICT IN INDOCHINA’ [8] ‘VIETNAM; THE VALOUR AND THE SORROW’ [9] ‘VIETNAM; THE VALOUR AND THE SORROW’ [10] ‘THE AGE OF WAR; The United States Confronts the World’ [11] ‘VIETNAM; THE VALOUR AND THE SORROW’ [12] ‘Contested Spaces; CONFLICT IN INDOCHINA’ [13] ‘ATLAS OF CONFLICTS; THE VIETNAM WAR’

Understanding Of Human Growth And Development Social Work Essay

Understanding Of Human Growth And Development Social Work Essay The field of psychology has vast areas of interest, and Human growth and development is one of the most popular topics being studied by social workers today. The purpose of this report is to show how essential it is for a trainee social worker to attain a firm understanding of human growth and development, and to ultimately achieve a foundation of knowledge in this area. This report will show that, with practice, preparation, assessment, reflection and finally application, this foundation of knowledge can be effectively used in positive intervention methods. (Crawford 2006) There have been many great theorists over the years, all of who had different ideas on human growth and development. This report will highlight and discuss 3 theories based on the work of Erikson, Bowlby and Bronfenbrenner. Furthermore, the report will also throw light on the pros and cons of these theories, identifying and discussing potential issues that may arise from failure to mature, as described in each theory. Finally, the report will identify the role of social workers in relation to their intervention with a client or family. The outcome of this report will be a sum-up of the key identifying points of each of the 3 theories. Using practical examples, the report will explore the effects of the theories and outcomes that may arise from failure to mature. The practical examples used will aid, guide and shape the discussion by highlighting the life span of the individual problems or issues, and will provide an underpinning reason for using each of the theories. Each theory chosen in this report is taken from a different discipline of social science; psychodynamic, sociological and psychosocial. These three disciplines all have a different emphasis, but structured in all of them is the core principle of determining what can potentially influence life course development. The first theory outlined in this report is Bowlbys attachment theory. This theory fundamentally sees the earliest bonds formed between children and their caregivers as a key factor in human growth and development, having an immense impact on progression and continuing throughout life. This theory will be examined, using social work examples with infants. There will be an explanation of how the theory is vastly important for attaining a firm understanding of the foundational relationships infants build for a healthy development. The second theory discussed in this report is Bronfenbrenners theory of ecological development. Bronfenbrenners theory describes the influences of further environmental factors on children, and their positive or negative development. For this theory, social work examples will be chosen from older adults in order to help attain an understanding of how environmental factors, at micro and macro levels, can influence social workers in relation to the stages of development. The final theory discussed in this report is Erik Eriksons model of life stage development. This theory addresses identity as an individual moves through the stages of life, and how they negotiate crisis points in a successful or unsuccessful progression, this effecting healthy development. For this theory, examples of middle-later stages of life will be discussed, and how progression through the life stages can successfully or unsuccessfully result in a healthy or unhealthy development of the individual. So, what can human growth and development be determined as? Before we discuss in depth the main theories, it would be appropriate to give a definition of human growth and development, and highlight why it is so fundamentally important for social workers to have a firm understanding of the various theories. According to Baltes cited in Crawford (date), human development is multi-dimensional; it is made up of biological, cognitive and social dimensions. Physically, from the moment we are conceived till the moment we die, we are developing biologically. Our bodies are consistently moving from one biological change to another. Subsequently, the growth of our intellectual and social development comes. This begins from very early stages in the course of life and continues across the span of each life. (Thompson) Both Freud and Erikson agree that every individual is born with a number of basic instincts, that development occurs through stages, and that the order of these stages is influenced by biological and sociological maturation (Sigelman, and Shaffer 1992). The Requirements for Social Work Training state that all social work programmes must: Ensure that the teaching of theoretical knowledge, skills and values is based on their application to practice. (Department of Health 2002) Theorists, such as Bowlby, Bronbenfrener and Erikson, have different perspectives on life span development stages and the individuals evolved behaviour as a consequence or a response to developmental milestones crises. These theories are rooted in the disciplines of sociology, biology and psychology. Each theory provides an explanation, in line with development, for arising issues and problems that individuals face and are all relevant to an understanding of the life course development. (Thompson) Social work practitioners need to have a wide range of knowledge from a span of theoretical disciplines to ensure that all aspects of an individuals make-up are considered and appreciated when working with them. (Crawford and walker) Using theory can give an explanation as to why an action resulted in a particular consequence. This can help us review and possibly change our practice in an attempt to make the consequences more effective. (Beckett) Developmental theory provides a framework for ordering the lifecycle and accounts. For factors that may shape development at specific stages. It discusses the multiple. Bio-psycho-social factors impacting development, explores the tasks to be accomplished. At each stage and considers successes and failures in light of other stages. Developmental theories also aim to recognise individual differences in development. Journal The course of life is different for each individual, and is influenced by the events and experiences that people go through throughout their lives. (Crawford and Walker, 2003) Understanding the impact of transitions within a persons course of life is important for social work practice, as it aids the social worker in attaining a firm understanding of other peoples lives, so they can effectively intervene with appropriate measures. Using theory can help justify actions and explain practice to service users, carers and society in general. The aim is for this to lead to social work becoming more widely accountable and ultimately more respected. (Beckett ) The use of theories in social work practice underpins how social workers approach their tasks. As social workers, we need to recognise the opportunities to work with people through transitions as an opportunity to grow. We need to try to enable people to use these events to trigger change, move on and develop. (Crawford) When a social worker works with an individual, utilising theories which may relate to a specific situation, will give us more direction in our work. It is clear then that theory is important in practice both for work with service users and for social work to be more valued in society. (Beckett) After the definition of human growth and development and the brief discussion of why a theory is important in social work practice, this report will now discuss the attachment theory and will explain why it can be positively used in approach and effectively in practice.4 So, what is the attachment theory? To start with, lets define the word attachment; it means a strong emotional bond between two people. Forming an attachment is based on a two-way interaction. The behaviours from an infant, such as crying, reaching, grasping and making eye contact, and the response of the caregiver both work as a reciprocal process to develop and strengthen attachment. (Woods) According to (Crawford), children use the people they are attached to as a safe base to explore, a source of comfort and a source of encouragement and guidance. According to (Fahlberg, 1991, cited in Howe), attachment aids children in attaining their full intellectual potential, sorts out what children perceives, assists them in logical thinking, helps them develop a conscience, teaches them to become more self-reliant, aids them in coping with stress and frustration, helps them handle fear and worry, assists them in developing future relationships and helps reduce jealousy.                  In 1953, a psychoanalyst named John Bowlby wrote the book Child Care and the Growth of Love. In this book, Bowlby put forward his theory that the relationship between a mother and her child, during the childs first year, is of vital importance and can greatly affect the development of the child in later life. This theory is known as the attachment theory, and it is still being used and discussed today, although it has been altered and adapted to suit the modern day economic environment and the change in the family unit over the past 50+ years. (Jeremy Holmes, 1993) Bowlby believes that attachment begins at infancy and develops throughout an individuals life, and that there are many distinctive behavioural control systems needed for continued existence and proliferation. The attachment and exploration systems are the main central points in Bowlbys attachment theory. (Elliot Reis, 2003) (Crawford) Bowlbys Maternal deprivation Hypostasis, the forerunner of the attachment theory, believes that if an infant was unable to develop a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with his or her mother or permanent mother substitute, then the child would have difficulty forming relationships with other people, and would be at the risk of behavioural disorders. Bowlby says: Mothers love in infancy and childhood is as important for mental health as vitamins and proteins are for physical health. (Cardwell) (Bowlby 1988) goes on to say that without a secure base of first attachment relationships, children will not be able to cope with separations of normal life. For Bowlby, the impact of prolonged separation on children is viewed as maternal deprivation. Bowlby describes this as being the temporary or permanent loss to children of their mothers care and attention. Bowlby believes that prolonged separation of children from their mothers, especially during the first five years of their lives, is a major cause of delinquent behaviours and mental health issues. (Crawford) Mary Ainsworth developed a method, whereby a childs behaviour is observed when reunited with his or her mother after a short separation.   This is known as the strange situation, and it has become widely used to determine whether the attachment was secure or insecure. Ainsworths strange situation is used to measure Bowlbys hypotheses that early relationship experiences affect later adult functioning. The strange situation procedure consists of eight three-minute episodes that have been arranged so as to create increasing levels of stress for a child that will activate attachment behaviours that researchers can then observe. The resulting behaviour was used to classify the child into one of three categories. These categories are insecure avoidant attachment, secure attachment and insecure resistant attachment. Securely attached children were able to balance their need to explore the environment with their need for comfort and support from their caregiver in relation to their feelings of stress.   Insecure avoidant attached children, when stressed, continued to explore the environment, showing minimal need for comfort and support.   The children who were classified as having insecure resistant attachments stop their exploration and return to their care giver show the maximum amount of attachment behaviours. Main (1991) has since identified a fourth category that of the disorganised/ disorientated child. (Cardwell) According to Bowlby a central tenet of attachment is that: People developmental representations, Or internal working models, that Consist of expectations about the self, significant Others and the relationship between the two. (Bowlby, 1969, 1973) The main criticism of Bowlbys attachment theory came from J.R. Harris. It is often assumed that hard working, kind, honest and well-respected parents will have children who will turn out to be like them. On the other hand, in the case of parents who are bad role models, rude, and disrespectful, the children will end up the same when they become adults. According to Harris, this may be far from the truth. Harris (2008), believes that a parent does not determine a childs personality or character, and that a childs external social factors have more influence than anything else. A good example of this taken from Harris is a child from an immigrant family. Although the parents may well pick up a new language, they will still have an accent from their native language. The child, on the other hand, will learn the new language, and will speak it without an accent. Children are more influenced by their peers than their parents. (Harris, 1998). Criticisms were also levelled at Bowlbys theories because of his ideas that he concluded from work he had undertaken with juvenile delinquents who had been separated early in their lives from their mothers. The criticism is that the theories are unrepresentative of the general population, and involved too small a sample. It was also argued that not all maternally deprived children became juvenile delinquents. But in agreement with Bowlby, Stroufe (1979) stated: We cannot assume that early experiences will somehow be cancelled out by later experiences. Lasting consequences of early inadequate experiences may be subtle and complex. (Cardwell) Research has shown that, contrary to Bowlbys idea of monotropy (one primary caregiver), children can form more than one significant attachment, and these need not be towards the biological parents, and can be of either sex, although there is often a definite hierarchy. An infants attachment to his or her father is as strong as the mothers in the first few days of life. Then the attachment changes because of the different amount of time available for the parents to interact with the infant, given the work commitments. Both the mother and the father are important attachment figures for their infants, but the circumstances that lead to selecting the mother or the father may differ. For example, the father is usually selected for playing. (Schaffer Emerson 1964) According to Parke (1981), Both the mother and the father are important attachment figures, the father is not just a poor substitute for the mother. (Cardwell) When looking at how attachment theory is applied to social work practice, Coulshed (1988) proposed that psychology has been useful in the degree to which you can apply some of the theories, if you are prepared to see theoretical contributions as ways of enriching your thinking and understanding. You will gain a broad framework of information through which you will recognise the complexities and possible causes of human suffering. The attachment theory provides a valuable model in understanding relationships of families in need and promoting new and healthy attachments (Daniel et al 1999).   The attachment theory has had an impact on many areas relating to how children are cared for, including the legal framework it operates under and how services for children have developed. Some of the areas, where clear links can be made to practice being underpinned by the attachment theory has effected changes, are; When negotiating contact between children and their families it is undertaken from a child centre perspective rather from the adults involved. This may include having closer links with grandparents, relatives and any other persons who the child considers significantly important to them. (Howe) Attachment theories underpin the policies that are relevant to the development of children in public care, and form the basis for assessing their needs, such as pre-placement and post-placement support systems. The effects of separation and loss that children have experienced can be taken into account when assessing their needs. (Oloughlin) Social Work as a profession can promote the needs of children through influencing policy and practice e.g. acknowledgement that delays in placing children may be detrimental to their wellbeing should ensure that the adoption and fostering processes can be as speedy and efficient as possible. Likewise, it is clear from research that children are adversely affected by the loss of familiar peers. Children who maintain friendships over time are seen to have greater social skills and better social adjustment. This should also be promoted. (Aldegate et al) The attachment theory has allowed optimism to develop towards caring for children, as a less distorted and confused picture of child development has emerged. It is now apparent that a healthy development can occur in many different family environments. There are many right ways of meeting childrens needs. (OLoughlin) The second theory discussed in this report is derived from the discipline of sociology. Sociological theoretical perspectives explain human development by examining the interactions between people and the society in which they live. Sociologist theorists research this by looking at influencing factors at different levels of society. (Crawford) Unlike other disciplines of human development theories in which service users problems are conceptualized on individual terms, sociological perspectives on human development seek to gain a full understanding by locating the persons problems within his or her experiences in a broader picture of social and historical circumstances. In other words, rather than directly focusing on the problem and the persons inability to cope, the problem would be assessed in terms of the impact of the economic and political conditions of the day. (Cunningham and Cunningham). One theorist whose theory has being particularly influential in the study of human development is Uri Bronfenbrenner 1917 2005. Bronfenbrenner developed a theory to explain how everything in a child and the childs environment affects how a child grows and develops. His theory is known as the ecological systems theory, and it approaches a childs development by looking at different levels of interaction, from family, local communities and schools to economic and political conditions that are all influential to the development of the individual in his or her course of life. He uses the terms Microsystems, exosystem and macrosystem. He suggests that there is a reciprocal process of interaction, in that the child is both influenced by and influences his or her environment at each of the levels. (Crawford) The ecological environment is thought of as: Nested structures encircled within and inside the other like a set of Russian dolls. Starting with the most inside to the outside, these networks are described as micro systems, meso systems and macro systems (Brunfenbrenner, 1994). The work of Bronfenbrenner has been particularly influential in social work practice and is the model that underpins the framework for the assessment of children in need and their families (department of health, 2000 cited in Crawford). The theory also encourages social workers to grasp the concept and understanding of the sociological imagination, and develop this in relation to service users own lives and practice. As social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments (NOSS), this approach, therefore, helps social workers to locate service users within an understanding of the bigger picture that underlies their lives. (NOSS) Applying an ecological approach can be best understood as looking at  persons, families, cultures, communities and policies, and identifying and intervening upon strengths and weaknesses in the transactional processes between these systems. A practical example of this in practice would be the use of the ecological perspective when carrying out assessment and for planning intervention for older adults in the community. Although it is theoretical, it is very practical, as it provides a kind of a map to guide us through very confusing terrain Stevenson 1998 cited in aldegate) The population of the UK is ageing. Over the last 25 years, the percentage of the population aged 65 and over increased from 15 per cent in 1984 to 16 per cent in 2009, an increase of 1.7 million people. (Gov statistics) Elderly individuals are vulnerable and in need of social services because they often live alone, and can be subject to numerous health difficulties, such as difficulties in functional ability. As senior adults experience an increased need for care, it is predicted that, in many cases, family caregivers will begin to have a higher level of physical, emotional and financial burden. All of these issues combined warrant an increase in research related to meeting the needs of the elderly and their families living in our communities (Crawford). EST is an ideal approach for assessing the needs of elderly adults living in communities. Given the rapidly increasing numbers of baby boomers reaching retirement age and beginning to require extended support, it is important for communities and families to address the best fit for the senior adult later in life. EST addresses the micro, meso and macro systems that are an extension of the individual, and works to obtain resources in order to improve support and expand networks necessary to maintain good quality of life for senior adults. (Journal) The ecological perspective analyzes how well the individual or family fits with their environment, and is based on the assumption that when a person or group is connected and engaged within a supportive environment, functioning improves. In order to determine the best fit, usually for an individual, there is an examination of the difference between the amount of social support needed by the person and the amount of social support available in the existing environment. Once this assessment has taken place, the social worker engages with the individual and works together with him or her to offer the support needed. One unique feature of the ecological model is its distinguished concept of human development within an environmental perspective. (Bekett) Social work practice has an overarching meta-paradigm that emphasizes the person in the environment. This meta-paradigm is linked with an ecological systems perspective as a focus of attention. EST is compatible with this belief system and helps support a theoretical approach for practice at the micro, meso and macro levels with individuals, families and communities. Social workers need to be aware of how the changing needs of families will affect psychosocial and emotional factors for the elderly individuals and their family caregivers. Examples of such issues include geographical location of family members when the senior adult is in need of care, role reversal when there is a shift in the family system and a parent becomes more dependent upon an adult child, and the anticipated grief and bereavement as spouses and adult children care for elderly family members over an extended period of time. The final theory of discussion is Erick Eriksons eight stages of man. Eriksons theory is an extension and modification to Freuds psychoanalytical theory on explaining the development of the personality through childhood stages of psychosexual development. Erikson, however, provides a more comprehensive framework for human lifespan through a series of genetically influenced sequence of psychosocial stages. The term psychosocial describes an approach that considers the impact of both the individual psychology and the social context of peoples lives on their individual development.(Crawford) Each stage involves a battle between contradictory resultant personalities, and each stage has either adaptive or maladaptive qualities. To develop into a healthy, mature adult, the adaptive must outweigh the maladaptive. (Richard Gross, 2005). In other words, he suggests that people confront a series of developmental challenges or conflicts, each occurring at particular and predictable times or sta ges in their lives. One of the main elements of Eriksons psychosocial stage theory is the development of ego identity. Ego identity is the conscious sense of self that we develop through social interaction. According to Erikson, our ego identity is constantly changing owing to new experience and information we acquire in our daily interactions with others. In addition to ego identity (Quote), Erikson believes that a sense of competence also motivates behaviours and actions. Each stage in Eriksons theory is concerned with becoming competent in an area of life. If the stage is handled well, the person will feel a sense of mastery, which he sometimes refers to as ego strength or ego quality. If the stage is managed poorly, the person will emerge with a sense of inadequacy. (Quote) In each stage, Erikson believes people experience a conflict that serves as a turning point in development. In Eriksons view, these conflicts are centred on either developing a psychological quality or failing to develop that quality. During these times, the potential for personal growth is high, but so is the potential for failure. Eriksons eight life stages: 1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Basic trust versus mistrust 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Self-control versus shame and doubt 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Initiative versus guilt 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Competence versus inferiority 5.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Identity versus role confusion 6.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Intimacy versus isolation 7.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Generativity versus stagnation 8.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ego-integrity versus despair Erikson suggests that whereas the outcome of moving through a life stage is unfavourable, the individual will find it more challenging to meet the trials of the next stage. Erikson further suggests that if individuals fail to develop through a stage, they may return to unsettled earlier points in their lives. (Crawford) Stage five is commonly associated with adolescence Erickson 1995 recognised this as the critical crisis of adolescence in the eight stages of development identity versus role confusion. He believes that a successful transition through childhood would lead to a progressive success to resolve this stage (Crawford). Erikson considers the fifth stage, that of adolescence, in the developmental process to be of particular importance.   He considers that by the end of this period of psychosocial moratorium, adolescents should have achieved ego identity,   that is the integration of their own self perceptions into their core identity which is both psychological and social. But he notes that some young people experience difficulty or find it impossible to commit themselves to adult roles, thus characterizing this as a period of identity crisis. When adolescents fail to achieve ego identity, it is considered to be identity role diffusion.   Applying Eriksons model to social work can help identify with individuals whether or not they have progressed successfully at previous life stages. It can also help individuals clarify and address their strengths, expectations and limitations, a duty expected of the social worker according to NOSS Key role 1(Crawford). The psychosocial perspective enables social workers to consider the influences of the relationship between the internal world of the service users and the social environment in which they live. (Howe 1987 cited in Crawford) However, Eriksons stages are criticised alongside other psychosocial stage approaches to human development because they do not incorporate difference and diversity. They are culturally specific and differences between sexuality and gender are not easily explained, because the theory was developed from a male perspective. Crawford Being too fixed and deterministic in real life, it is not possible to divide ones life into neat stages. The theory also does not consider the significance of social change in different societies and across different cultures. The model suggests there are universal experiences that all people encounter. Anthony Giddens 1991 cited in Crawford argues that modern society is continually changing, and that people pursue many different paths through their lives. Erikson describes the concept of a life cycle as implying some kind of self completion (Erikson, 1982 p. 9 cited in Crawford). This use of the word cycle can be criticised for implying a circular process whereby, in the later years of life, there is a return to the dependency of childhood. (Crawford) In conclusion this assignment has looked at Social workers need to develop an understanding of theories from a range of disciplines in order to take a holistic approach to their practice. (Crawford) Whilst it is important for social workers to have knowledge of these theories, none of the theories can be easily applied to explain a persons course of life. One theory may be relevant to a particular person at a particular moment in time. For example, one theory may be useful for child development, but not so useful in explaining the challenges of life events that influence growth and development in later life. (Crawford and Walker, 2003) All people are individuals and deserve the right to be treated as such. To do anything less would be seen as an act of oppressive practice. Social workers need to draw on many different resources and theories available to them in order to truly meet service users needs. (Beckett 2007)

Food Insecurity In Bangladesh Economics Essay

Food Insecurity In Bangladesh Economics Essay The international community often uses the term food security to describe not only the availability of food, but the ability to purchase food. It means not only a reliable source of food but also adequate resources to purchase it. When members of a family do not live in a hunger or fear for starvation then the family considered as food secure.. According to the World Food Summit(1996), Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food which meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. Generally, the notion of food security is defined as counting both physical and economic access to food that meets peoples dietary needs as well as their food preferences. This definition of food security is built on three principal elements: adequate food availability, adequate access to food and appropriate food utilization. Food security occupies a significant position in social and political constancy of a country. Eradication of extreme poverty and hunger is the First Millennium Development Goal (MDG 1) targeted by United Nations(2012). The apprehension of this goal would not only improve the health and well-being of millions around the globe, but it would also maintain the attainment of the remaining seven MDGs. Food insecurity which is a condition that exists when people do not have adequate physical, social, or economic access to food(Food and Agricultural Organization [FAO], 2010 p8). Eradicating hunger and food insecurity is mostly important providing it is a key risk factor for malnutrition and illness, which jointly reduce productivity and economic development(Motiur Rahman et al.). Although the number and proportion of hungry and malnourished people has retreated slightly since the 2009 economic and food price crisis, an estimated 870 million people will be hungry in 2012(FAO, 2012). Little progress in poverty reduction is likely to be seen whereas hunger and malnutrition remain extensive. In other words, poverty, hunger and poor health are interlinked; the rate of each contributes to the presence and persistence of the others. Figure 1 is a conceptual framework interpreting the linkages to desired outcomes (central and upper half of the diagram) and potential risks (lower half). Source: Webb and Rogers, Addressing the In in Food Insecurity(2003) This framework recommends that food availability obtains from domestic agricultural output such as cash crops, livestock and food crops, preferably through feasible use of natural resources (water, land and vegetation). At the national level net food imports enhance the total food availability from domestic sources. Food access deals with the capability of households to secure food in the marketplace or from other sources (transfers, gifts, etc.). Household purchasing power is the key to access and this varies in relation to market integration, price policies, and temporal market conditions. Food utilization organizes issues of food quality and safety, sufficiency of intake at the individual level, and the conversion efficiency of food by the body that results in sound nutritional status and growth. In the latter illustration, the disruption of health infrastructure, lack of nutrition education and discrimination against women in controlling resources all have a detrimental impact on individual outcomes(Webb and Rogers). Bangladesh is a small country in southern Asia. According to the 2011 census, the population of Bangladesh in 2011 was about 149 million(Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics). Bangladesh is home to a densely populated flood plain delta in the world with 1,062 people per square kilometer(PRB, 2012). It regularly suffers from natural disasters such as floods, cyclones and drought. It is also vulnerable to the growing effects of global climate change. Tendency to natural disasters, distribution and quality of agricultural land, access to education and health facilities, level of infrastructure development, employment opportunities, and dietary and caring practices are the main factors of food in security in Bangladesh. Food availability likely to be hampered by production failures associated with labor restraints, gender inequality in land possession and loss of productive assets needed to sustain household food production(Maxwell and Smith, 1992). The adequate production, distribution and availability of fundamental food items in Bangladesh have always been a cause of ineterst for governments, international donor organizations and socio-economic researchers. Rice is the staple food of Bangladesh and contains around 94 percent of all food grains produced per annum Food security, in the context of Bangladesh, is therefore strongly related around the production, import and price stability of rice. Food availability in the domestic market does not essentially guarantee food security for the masses. According to the BBS Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2010(BBS), 31.5 percent of households in Bangladesh have income that is considered to be below the poverty line, and a substantial portion of the se poor households suffer from food deficiency and malnutrition. The major reason for food insecurity in Bangladesh is poverty, which is both the cause and outcome of food insecurity. Poor households are lack of sufficient and nutritious food, and are likely to be food insecure. Food insecure people may have to sell or consume their productive assets to satisfy their instant food needs. This destabilizes their longer-term income potential and they may become poor. To analysis food security, both national and individual perspectives are important. Food security at the national level means there are sufficient stocks of food available in the country to meet domestic needs until such time as stocks can be refilled from harvests and /or imports. On the other hand, at individual level it means all members of the society have access to the food they require, either from their own production, from marketplace and/or from different transfer system of the government. Usually the national lev el food security masks the actual food security situation at the household level. National level analysis always evaluates the availability and requirement of food grains. It has to be understood that availability and supply are not always the same. Household purchasing power has major impact on access to food. This purchasing power fluctuates in relation to market integration, price policies and temporal market situations. The dominant food rice contributing to over 63 percent of the caloric intake for urban consumers and over 71 percent for the rural population based on 2010 household survey data by BBS(BBS, 2010). These percentages are much higher for the poor. A number of factors in Bangladesh prevent poor households or individuals from accessing food even adequate food supplies are available. The level of earnings may be too low to purchase the essential foods at existing prices from the market, lack of own land for cultivation, or may lack the fundamental resources or approach to credit to help handle with difficult times. Moreover, they may locate themselves exterior to any community support or program that offers them with in-kind or cash transfers to subsidize their food attainment capability. Food security has been a c ritical issue in the recent past regime of high food prices across the globe. In rural Bangladesh, agricultural wage employment is the major source of income for a poor household. Though, household members may be attached in a whole range of diverse liveliness throughout the year. A household becomes vulnerable to cyclical food when it depends on agricultural wage labor as this employment opening differs according to season. Through the lean seasons that are in March-April and October-November, earlier to harvesting the main rice crops, job opportunities are low. As a result there are low wage rates whereas food prices are at their peak. Earnings derived from non-agricultural sources supplies a potential safeguard across the cyclical nature of agricultural income which in turn can improve household food security. Vulnerability can be defined as the exposure and sensitivity to livelihood shocks, a concept that begins with the notion of risk(Greenblott, 2006). Households in Bangladesh experience a multiplicity of risks that can, independently or in combination, drag them into poverty. There are shocks that involve numerous households directly, likely to overcome social coping approaches established upon support inside families and communities, and there are case-specific shocks that stress involved units. By lowering exposure to risks and rising the households capability to deal with shocks vulnerability can be curtailed, but responses count on the extent and severity of damage. Damage caused by natural disasters is one of the major risks encountered by poor Bangladeshi households. Huge damage to crops, houses, livestock, household and community properties occurred by floods, cyclones erosions and droughts. In each year this disasters can lead to illness and death. Physical access to food and f ood stocks are hampered by disaster, it destroys crops as a result markets are temporarily dysfunctional that lead to an increase in the essential food price. Household food security status affected by natural disasters directly by crippling their asset base and indirectly by loss of employment opportunities, an increase in health expenditure and an increase in essential food expenditure(Coates et al.). Market availability of, and household access to food are not adequate to ensure food security. In what way household members utilize the food is also very important. Socio-cultural factors that determine the availability of food, access to and utilization of food affects the food consumption behavior, nutritional status, health and food security. Poverty, gender, age and disability, geographical location and cultural practices are important factors that affect food consumption patterns. Poverty directly influences food consumption due to lack of access to resources, knowledge and markets. Gender disparities in food distribution can cause malnutrition, especially for pregnant/lactating mothers and children(Coates et al., 2006). Lack of incomes is the principal driver of under-consumption and malnutrition for approximately 31.5 percent of Bangladeshis who live under the poverty line(BBS, 2010). Households that lack productive assets and depend on inconsistent sources of daily wage labo r are more vulnerable to food insecurity. Groups such as landless, agricultural day laborers, casual fishermen and beggars fall into this category. Within households, children, the disabled, pregnant women and nursing mothers, and the elderly face relatively high nutritional risks. Over 60 percent of all pregnant and lactating women have insufficient caloric intake, which can produce malnourished babies(World Food Programme [WFP]). General nutritional awareness, access to proper sanitation and health care, and caring practices are essential elements of an individuals capacity to absorb and utilize the nutrients in the diet and eventually of ones food security status. Other than consumption levels, different household characteristics can also show improvement in the standard of living. While standard of living and food security are anticipated to be highly linked, it would not be unexpected to find these characteristics to be related with food security issues. Therefore, it would be rational to anticipate that households with better qualities are also demonstrating lesser level of food insecurity. Quality of housing and food security level are closely related in Bangladesh(Narayan et al., 2007). Rushad Faridi and Syed Naimul Wadood(2010) stated in their study, households which are living in houses built with straw roofs (hemp/hay/bamboo) are the poorest segment of the population. Similarly, households living in houses with straw roofs, food insecurity is the most prevalent. On the other part, houses with brick wall seem to be the most food secure. These two surveillances show that household infrastructure is a strong indicator of wealth and conseq uentially, the food security situation. After categorizing the households by the level of ownership, occupancy status has an important role in determining the household welfare situation. Compared to other groups house owners are better off in terms of food security. Households, with their head engaged in salaried wage employment, are around 10 per cent more likely to be food insecure than households with their head in agricultural labour. In the same manner, electricity connection is also a marker showing higher orders of food-insecurity surrounded by the households which have no electricity connection. Education is clearly connected with food security issues with the assumption that household heads with more human wealth are prone to suffer less from food insecurity. Food insecurity is a key apprehension for the global development community as it negatively impacts diet and nutritional status. Cross-sectional and longitudinal studies have shown that household food insecurity is also linked with various non-nutritional consequences in children, adolescents, and adults(Weaver and Hadley, 2009), including poor infant feeding(Saha et al., 2008), poor physical growth(Saha et al., 2009), poor child development(Hernandez and Jacknowitz, 2009, Jyoti et al., 2005), educational achievement(Jyoti et al., 2005), poor physical and mental health(Heflin et al., 2005, Siefert et al., 2004), behavioral problems and problems in parenting(Huang et al.,2010). These findings have guide to apprehension that household food insecurity influences well-being through multiple pathways involving social and psychological conditions such as deprivation, worry, distress, alienation, and alteration of family interactions as well as a pathway involving dietary intake to nutritio nal status(McCurdy and Gorman). These quantitative findings and the related concepts of non-nutritional pathways are supported by qualitative work showing that food insecurity, in addition to its nutrition-related effects, manifests itself through social and psychological conditions leading to altered behavior at individual and group levels. There are various social and psychological consequences of food insecurity in Bangladesh. First, anxiety and worries, concerning not having food for consumption or other social and religious needs and regarding determinants of food availability such as flood, cyclones, drought persist throughout the year, lead to weight and sleep loss, and point out more severe food insecurity. Second, influence of socially undesirable ways of coping with food insecurity (borrowing and asking for foods) generates dishonor which contributes to and is a sign of isolation from the society. Failure by the head of household to perform his primary accountability of providing food leads to feeling guilt and deprivation. Fear of isolation and deprivation regulates the decision-making of the household related to treatment of food insecurity, including child feeding. Lastly, food insecurity changes intra-household attachment through irritability and aggressiveness in adults, and by lack of food that makes it t ough for parents to keep children at home. The weakness of social model is that it gives the blame on victims those who are food insecure as well as it pointing the finger at deficiencies in public policy and behavior of the administration. Regarding victim blaming, the ill health caused by food insecurity is not due to exclusively individual actions. Some people argued that there should be more responsibilities on the shoulders of individuals for adopting lifestyles which will diminish the risks of becoming their ill health from food insecurity. On the other hand it is not the victims who are responsible for their behavior and ill health from the food crisis. Peoples are influenced and restrained by the social, economic, cultural and physical environments in which they live and the structural settings within which they work. Thus the governments failure to provide proper investments to reduce the food crisis may damaging the health of the vulnerable groups. Bangladesh needs to improve the availability, access, and utilization of food. Efforts to improve food security need to take into account natural and man-made challenges and changes in the domestic and international landscape, including population growth, urbanization, natural resource constraints, and climate change. In general population growth and particularly urbanization put high and growing pressure on land, making it obligatory to increase in agricultural productivity. Millions of marginal and small farms dominate the agricultural production in Bangladesh whereas crop diversification is still limited. Smallholders need to conform to changing demands, markets, and supply chains. Furthermore, the soil is seriously degraded in many parts of the country, fresh water availability for irrigation is increasingly insufficient, and natural disasters regularly damage part of the agricultural output The future food security plan needs to maintain successes in areas where positive trends have been seen; whereas, at the same time, achieving certain milestones that have not yet received enough attention. Public investment is one of the most direct and valuable instruments that governments can use to promote growth, food security, and poverty and hunger reduction. Given both the existing state of food insecurity in Bangladesh and the challenges that the country will face in the future, a comprehensive policy framework is needed that places focus on investment strategies in three major areas: (1) agricultural research and extension, (2) improved access of farmers to well-functioning markets, and (3) improved insurance and targeted social safety net programs for vulnerable groups, especially undernourished women and children. Across these three areas, attention needs to be focused on capacity building and good governance. BANGLADESH BUREAU OF STATISTICS (2011) Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011. Dhaka, Statistics and Informatics Division,Ministry of Planning,GoB. BBS (2010) HIES Survey Report 2010. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. COATES, J., WEBB, P., HOUSER, R., ROGERS, B. WILDE, P. He said, she said : who should speak for households about experiences of food insecurity in Bangladesh? Food Security, 2, 81-95. COATES, J., WILDE, P. E., WEBB, P., ROGERS, B. L. HOUSER, R. F. (2006) Comparison of a Qualitative and a Quantitative Approach to Developing a Household Food Insecurity Scale for Bangladesh. The Journal of Nutrition, 136, 1420S-1430S. FAO (2012) The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2012. Rome, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. FARIDI, R. WADOOD, S. N. (2010) An Econometric Assessment of Household Food Security in Bangladesh The Bangladesh Development Studies XXXIII, 97-111. FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION [FAO] (2010) The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2010. Rome, Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations. FOOD AND AGRICULTURAL ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO) (1996) Rome Declaration on World Food Security and World Food Summit Plan of Action. Rome, Deputy Director General (Operations). GREENBLOTT, K. (2006) Social Protection in the Era of HIV and AIDS: Examining the Role of Food-Based Interventions. Rome, World Food Programme (WFP). HEFLIN, C. M., SIEFERT, K. WILLIAMS, D. R. (2005) Food insufficiency and womens mental health: Findings from a 3-year panel of welfare recipients. Social Science and Medicine, 61, 1971-1982. HERNANDEZ, D. C. JACKNOWITZ, A. (2009) Transient, but not persistent, adult food insecurity influences toddler development. Journal of Nutrition, 139, 1517-1524. HUANG, J., OSHIMA, K. M. M. KIM, Y. Does food insecurity affect parental characteristics and child behavior? testing mediation effects. Social Service Review, 84, 381-401. JYOTI, D. F., FRONGILLO, E. A. JONES, S. J. (2005) Food insecurity affects school childrens academic performance, weight gain, and social skills. Journal of Nutrition, 135, 2831-2839. MAXWELL, S. SMITH, M. (1992) Household food security: a conceptual review. Household Food Security: concepts, indicators, measurements. Edited by S. Maxwell and T. Frankenberger. Rome and New York: IFAD and UNICEF. MCCURDY, K. GORMAN, K. S. Measuring family food environments in diverse families with young children. Appetite, 54, 615-618. MOTIUR RAHMAN, P. M., MATSUI, N. IKEMOTO, Y. The chronically poor in rural Bangladesh livelihood constraints and capabilities. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY, Routledge. NARAYAN, A., YOSHIDA, N. ZAMAN, H. (2007) Trends and Patterns of Poverty in Bangladesh in Recent Years World Bank. PRB (2012) 2012 World Population Data Sheet Washington DC, Population Reference Bureau SAHA, K. K., FRONGILLO, E. A., ALAM, D. S., ARIFEEN, S. E., PERSSON, L. ÃÆ'. RASMUSSEN, K. M. (2009) Household food security is associated with growth of infants and young children in rural Bangladesh. Public Health Nutrition, 12, 1556-1562. SAHA, K. K., FRONGILLO, E. A., ALAM, D. S., ARIFEEN, S. E., PERSSON, L. ÃÆ'. K. RASMUSSEN, K. M. (2008) Household Food Security Is Associated with Infant Feeding Practices in Rural Bangladesh. The Journal of Nutrition, 138, 1383-1390. SIEFERT, K., HEFLIN, C. M., CORCORAN, M. E. WILLIAMS, D. R. (2004) Food Insufficiency and Physical and Mental Health in a Longitudinal Survey of Welfare Recipients. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 45, 171-186. UNITED NATIONS [UN] (2012) We can End Poverty 2015 Millennium Development Goals. WEAVER, L. J. HADLEY, C. (2009) Moving Beyond Hunger and Nutrition: A Systematic Review of the Evidence Linking Food Insecurity and Mental Health in Developing Countries. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 48, 263-284. WEBB, P. ROGERS, B. (2003) Addressing the In in Food Insecurity. Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance Project. Washingtin DC, USAID Office of Food for Peace. WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME [WFP] (2012) Food security at a Glance Bangladesh. Rome, World Food Programme.

Sophocles Antigone - Creon and Antigone :: Antigone essays

Creon and Antigone Antigone   Sophocles   When a dictator dies, his image and fame dies with him, but when a self-sacrificing individual dies, their legacy begins.   This statement is true because oppressed citizens do not fondly mention a mean ruler, such as Creon from Antigone, after he passes away.   Yet a martyr, such as Antigone, also from the story Antigone, is remembered for her self-sacrificing deeds.   Creon will not be remembered because he did not allow Antigone to bury her dead brother Polynices, and decides to execute Antigone for trying while Antigone’s legacy will live on because she has the courage to defy Creon, and chooses to sacrifice herself for Polynices' honor.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   First, Creon is a tyrant.   His rule will not be remembered for many reasons, one being that he desecrates family honor.   When a son or father dies in battle, they are carried home to be properly buried by their families.   Eteocles, Antigone’s other dead brother, is a patriot and is buried because he fights for Thebes.   However, Polynices is not buried because he rebels against Thebes.   Creon leaves Polynices’ body out to be attacked by dogs and vultures.   This angers the people of Thebes because family honor is very important to them.   Therefore, the people of Thebes will not remember Creon because of his offensive deeds performed while he is on the throne.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Second, Creon will be forgotten because he decides to execute Antigone.   Her punishment is to be locked in a blocked cave until she dies.   Although later on in the story, Creon does decide to free her, it is too late.   The people of Thebes are astounded at the fact that Creon would even conceive of such a horrible punishment.   Antigone acted on family honor, which is understood. Therefore, his people will forget Creon.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Third, Antigone is a wonderful example of a martyr.   Her legacy will live on, and inspire many other rebels to stand up for their beliefs.   Antigone dared to defy the King’s threat of death to bury her brother, and shows true family pride.   The people take pity on Antigone, and feel that she should be let alone. Haemon, Creon's son and Antigone's betrothed, states how the people of Thebes feel. â€Å"On every side I hear voices of pity for this poor girl doomed to the cruelest death†¦for an honorable action-burying a brother who was killed in battle†¦has she not rather earned a crown of gold† (

Employee Motivation Essay -- Work Job Employee Motivation Management

Employee Motivation INTRODUCTION In the quest to obtain the maximum from employees and achieve organizational success, employers recognised the need to acknowledge that people have complex needs. With the growing affluence of our society, Singaporeans of today are no longer solely driven by money but also challenges inherent in their responsibility. This is supported by our Senior Minister Goh who recently commented that Singaporeans prefer the experience of working abroad than locally as the foreign employer advocate the importance of not only work, but also the employee’s needs.(TODAY, 15 March 07). Before discussing the motivational strategies, a simplistic approach will be taken, using Hackman Oldham’s Job Characteristics Model, which defines the workforce into two categories. The first category consist of staff in job settings which are low in skill variety, task identity, task significance, low autonomy and feedback and followed by staff in complicated job settings with scorer high in all fronts (Robbins, Millet, Waters-Marsh, 2004). GOAL SETTING / EXPECTANCY THEORY â€Å"Specific hard goals produce a higher level of output than does the generalised goal of ‘do your best† (Robbins, 2003). This statement defines Edwin Locke’s goal-setting theory which advocates giving employees clear targets so that they are aware of what needs to be done and how much effort to be expended. While easier goals are more readily accepted, difficult goals, when accepted, result in higher performance as the specificity of goals itself acts as an internal stimulus. Also, people tend to perform better when timely feedback is provided (Bartol, Tein, Matthews, and Martin, 2005). When applied to individuals who are motivated by inhe... ...cShane, S and Glinow, MA 2003, Organisational Behaviour, McGraw-Hill, New York. McShane, S and Travaglione, T 2007, Organisational Behaviour on the Pacific Rim, Irwin/McGraw-Hill, Sydney. Robbins, SP 2003, Organisational Behaviour, Prentice Hall, Sydney Robbins, SP, Millet, B, and Waters-Marsh, T, 2004, Organisational Behaviour, Prentice-Hall, Sydney Wood, J, Chapman, K, Fromholtz, M, Morrison, V, Wallace, J, Zeffane, R, Kennedy, R, Schermerhorn, J, Hunt, J and Osborn, R 2004, Organisational Behaviour: A Global Perspective, John Wiley & Sons, Brisbane. Internet References â€Å"Singapore leaking talent† http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/specialreport/news/264096_8/1/.html Fortune’s â€Å"Best companies to work for.†http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2007/01/22/8397996/index.htm AIA Singapore http://www.aia.com.sg/Content.asp?ca_typeid=4

As I Lay Dying :: essays research papers fc

As I Lay Dying William Faulkner's As I Lay Dying is a novel about how the conflicting agendas within a family tear it apart. Every member of the family is to a degree responsible for what goes wrong, but none more than Anse. Anse's laziness and selfishness are the underlying factors to every disaster in the book. As the critic Andre Bleikasten agrees, "there is scarcely a character in Faulkner so loaded with faults and vices" (84). At twenty-two Anse becomes sick from working in the sun after which he refuses to work claiming he will die if he ever breaks a sweat again. Anse becomes lazy, and turns Addie into a baby factory in order to have children to do all the work. Addie is inbittered by this, and is never the same. Anse is begrudging of everything. Even the cost of a doctor for his dying wife seems money better spent on false teeth to him. "I never sent for you" Anse says "I take you to witness I never sent for you" (37) he repeats trying to avoid a doctor's fee. Before she dies Addie requests to be buried in Jefferson. When she does, Anse appears obsessed with burying her there. Even after Addie had been dead over a week, and all of the bridges to Jefferson are washed out, he is still determined to get to Jefferson. Is Anse sincere in wanting to fulfill his promise to Addie, or is he driven by another motive? Anse plays "to perfection the role of the grief-stricken widower" (Bleikasten 84) while secretly thinking only of getting another wife and false teeth in Jefferson. When it becomes necessary to drive the wagon across the river, he proves himself to be undeniably lazy as he makes Cash, Jewel, and Darl drive the wagon across while he walks over the bridge, a spectator. Anse is also stubborn; he could have borrowed a team of mules from Mr. Armstid, but he insists that Addie would not have wanted it that way. In truth though Anse uses this to justify trading Jewel's horse for the mules to spare himself the expense. Numerous times in the book he justifies his actions by an interpretation of Addie's will. Anse not only trades Jewel's horse without asking, but he also steals Cash's money. Later on he lies to his family saying that he spent his savings and Cash's money in the trade. "I thought him and Anse never traded," Armstid said. "Sho," they did "All they liked was the horse" Eustace a farmhand of Mr. Snopes said.

Cognitive Dissonance, Media Illiteracy and Public Opinion Essay

Topic – The article ‘Cognitive Dissonance, Media Illiteracy and Public Opinion on News Media’ is examining and discussing public opinion, media illiteracy and cognitive dissonance. The author takes you through a break down on public opinion of newspapers and television news and shows why a lot of the quantitative research taken over the past several decades is in fact invalid. The main purpose of this article is to compare and contrast newspaper and television news, and investigate the reasons why one source is more credible and reliable than the other. He also discusses the decline in the audiences of both. Context – Many other scholars have cited Claussen as to why he believes people choose TV news over newspaper is because ‘it is human nature to want a name and a face and a voice with communication’ (Claussen, 2006). It touches on the questions raised by other papers regarding the creditability of TV news and why people choose to watch the news as entertainment instead of reading newspapers for the facts, which also shows the differences in public opinion over the several decades in which the information is gathered. It follows in with fields of study such as journalism, media studies and mass communication as it breaks down how these types of communication are influential to the public. It intertwines with psychology, public sociology and cultural studies as the article examines the thought pattern and reasoning as to how people choose their preferred style of news consumption. Structure – This research article is developed from the findings of quantitative research conducted by the U.S. newspaper industry, American Society of Newspaper Editors and most recently The Ford Foundation. The article itself has two formal headings to break down what is being discussed and where the information was extracted: 1) Studies and Surveys About Newspapers Versus Television, and 2) Reasons Why The U.S. Public Gave Television News A Free Pass. The sections of this article are quite clear. It starts with the introduction, which gives an extensive summary of what is being discussed, whom this topic is affecting and the reasons why this information was gathered. It then moves Claussen’s main argument under the heading; Studies and Surveys About Newspapers Versus Televisions. In this section you find the evidence to support the author’s claims about the difference between newspapers and television news and the public’s opinion on this matter. The article then moves on to the second heading, Reasons Why the U.S. Public Gave Television News a Free Pass, which itself is a bold statement of the author’s viewpoint. Continually referencing Newhagen and Nass’ article ‘Differential Criteria for Evaluating Credibility of Newspapers and TV News’ (Newhagen and Nass, 1989), which shares Claussen’s view, this section also serves as a conclusion. This section concludes with the opinion that the reason why people choose TV news over newspapers is due to the public’s illiteracy of the media. The author is able to communicate his thoughts and ideas clearly without the use of diagrams, tables or visual aids. He uses ample facts and figures to support his argument, in a clear and well-structured article. Overall, the structure of this piece has been easy to follow, simple to read and very informative. Style – This is an informative yet persuasive piece; Claussen uses research to persuade the audience of his opinion on news consumption by the public. He is writing to a general audience, anyone who is interested in reading about this topic will find it to be an interesting piece to read. The language is simple and neutral, and is clear and easy to understand with minimal use of jargon and difficult words. The article is formal, and he does not use descriptive language or attempt to visualise the topic at hand, keeping his authority on the subject. Argument – The public opinion regarding news media, the differences between newspapers and TV news, the reasoning behind why the quantitative research on this topic is invalid and the changes made in this industry over the past several decades are all parts of the argument at hand. The author is trying to convince his audience that people will give an answer on this topic that is deemed more socially acceptable rather than the real truth as to the way they receive their news. He is also convincing the audience that newspapers have a lot more content and points of view than the simple ones broadcasted on television. The author believes lack of education on media literacy is the most important factor and that ‘the content of the television news has become so poor that many consumers can no longer deny that newspapers are higher quality news media than television news broadcasts’ (Claussen, 2006). The author makes few assumptions throughout the article; one being that ‘the newspaper industry and those who believe in an important, even unique, role for newspapers are concerned about the long term future of the industry’ (Claussen p212) as there is no evidence to support the scope of these claims. Evidence – The author has gathered examples of opinions by scholars and professionals in the mass communication industry, as well as gathered statistics from quantitative research performed by organisations and corporations to back up majority of his claims. The majority of the sources cited in this article are secondary sources, however I have found one case study from readership.org cited by Claussen. This case study looks at the type of news people want to read, and rankings of importance among types of newspaper readers, however all of the other original research cited in this article is no longer available via the web to legitimise the sources. Evaluation – Claussen included information from similar articles to draw on conclusions and back up his claims on this topic, in particular, the article ‘Differential Criteria for Evaluating Credibility of Newspapers and TV News’ (Newhagen and Nass, 1989) this is a peer viewed journal article which has been cited over 50 times. In relation to this article drawing on the conclusion that ‘newspapers will always be at a disadvantage relative to television in surveys of public attitudes because of the separation in time and space between readers and the people who produce newspapers’ some would say since the article was written in 1989 this paper would benefit from more recent findings on this topic as now this may have changed due to the instant feedback they can now receive via online surveys. This has been included to support the claims that it is harder to produce newspaper news than television news, however looking at this article this would be the main conclusion you would draw from this evidence. Another example would be ‘The Public’s Use and Perception of Newspapers’ (Bogart, 1984). This is another journal article, which compares newspaper content and the content of television news. The way the statistics are portrayed in this article compared to the original source strengthens the argument by changing the wording to make the argument more persuasive for example ‘only 53% said television alone was not sufficient’ (Claussen, 2006) compared to the original article that Claussen used to gain his evidence which stated ‘53 percent, say they do not get enough news from TV and want the added details from the newspapers on the big stories’ (Bogart, 1984). One major reason which has not been discussed in this article, is that majority of people in the US have a television in their home, which has free access to the local channels, therefore watching TV news is more accessible. This article has been somewhat useful in comparing the differences between newspaper and television news throughout history however not having any recent evidence or opinions has weakened the claims as there is no evidence given from the decade prior to writing this piece regarding the growth of media, including websites, smart phones, social media, and other communication sources. Conclusion – Going through the evidence and opinions that Claussen has cited to support his claims and after analyising the article more deeply, it would be found that his argument that newspaper content is a lot stronger than television news, is not necessarily correct, considering that television news is much easier to obtain. People prefer a more personal way of viewing their news and in this day and age people want as much information as they can get in the quickest way possible making TV news most popular. With the new technologies available in these recent times would these claims made regarding where people gain their news from still be relevant to the discussion on the newspapers long term future? References – Bogart, Leo 1984, ‘The Public’s Use and Perception of Newspapers’ The Public Opinion Quarterly, vol. 48, no. 4, pp. 709 – 719. Retrieved January 11, 2012 from JSTOR Database via Griffith University. Juric, Pavica 2006 ‘Mass Media Usage during a Natural Disaster: LSU College Students and Hurricane Katrina’, Masters thesis, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. Newhagen, John & Nass, Clifford 1989, ‘Differential Criteria for Evaluating Credibility of Newspapers and TV News’, Journalism Quarterly, vol. 66, no. 2, pp. 277-281,284. Retrieved January 9, 2013 from ProQuest Database via Griffith University.