Crisis Management A Brief Study Management Essay

Crisis Management A Brief Study Management Essay An individual, an organization, a government, or the global economy at any point of time may face debacles. This may come in any form and can devastate the present circumstances and can lead to difficult situations. Such occurrences are often termed as crisis. It is therefore defined as a major, unpredictable and upsetting event that intimidates to harm. Even though crisis is an unpredictable form of event, but it is not unanticipated. This report will present a brief overview of crisis associated with the companies that is, organizational crisis will be the main area of study. In addition, this report will also present insights of the modern crisis management techniques adopted by organizations around the world. Furthermore, the report will also throw light on the cases where companies have faced crisis situation and how they dealt and overcame that situation. In this context the company which has been chosen to depict the importance of crisis management and also to reveal how the company surmounted the situation is Nokia. After that, depending upon the findings of the literature study a conclusion will be drawn. Finally some recommendations will be also provided by which will assist companies to address different forms of crisis. Defining Crisis Eminent scholars have stressed on the fact that crisis is a threat to organizations, an unexpected element and short periods of risk (Akers, 2007, p.11). It can affect every segments of the social order that include educational institutions, non profits, churches, business, families, government etc. This study will however focus on the issue in the context of an organization. For an organization crisis can be illustrated as an anomalous and uncharacteristic situation or perception, which is beyond the control of an organization and also threatens to impact their operation. Several cases have also pointed out that if a possible crisis is identified at the initial stage, it will have least impact or the impact can be minimized to a large extent. On the other hand if a company fails to determine the possible crisis at the initial stage, it can adversely affect the operation of an organization. Even in some cases, a crisis can also threaten the survival of a business. Hence for them to s urvive and operate effectively in the market place, superior crisis management techniques and tools should be in place (Fearn-Banks, 2010, p.2). Defining Crisis Management Crisis management is simply defined as a systematic effort to circumvent or manage the crisis that an organization may face during its lifetime. The concept of crisis management was initiated during the 1980s, when large number of environmental and industrial disasters took place (Barton, 2007, p.5). In order to manage a crisis effectively an organization should consider a systematic approach towards the improvement process as it is indispensable to safeguard the reputation of company along with its brands. Therefore companies should enlighten their customers about the happening and to some extent is necessary for survival (Khodarahmi, 2009, p.524). Additionally, eminent scholars such as Appelbaum, Keller, Alvarez BÃÆ' ©dard (2012) added that relatively modern concepts such as strategic planning can also be effective in managing organizational crisis to a satisfactory level. The authors also put emphasis on the fact that a number of US corporations are employing this concept to f orecast and deal with the issues, threats or problems that are beyond the operating control of the firms. Discussion Eminent scholars such as Dinant and Miller have identified seminal researchers in the same field of study. They categorized the study into two major groups namely macro and micro sizes. The primary intention of their study was to offer insights regarding the most committed and active researches in the field of crisis management (Jaques, 2008, p.192-195). Hence based on their study a number of literatures have been consulted to formulate this report. Several authors also highlight that effective communication plays an imperative role towards managing any form of crisis (White, 2009, p.177-178). For example cases such as oil spill of Exxon Valdez, issues at the Enron Energy Company and the disaster of Space Shuttle Challenger portrayed the importance of communication to get rid of the crisis situations. However not only having effective crisis management team helps an organization to deal with any form perils, it also needs to know the types of crises that may impact the functioning of the organization. Types of crisis A company has to deal with different forms of crisis. Some of the major forms of crisis are detailed below:- Natural Disaster: It is about the physical demolition of the organizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s assets due to some naturally occurring disasters. For example flood, earthquake and volcanic eruptions etc (Martin, 2012, p.83). Industrial Accidents: In this aspect the crisis occurs primarily due to a collapse in construction, release of toxic substance, fire etc. Product or Service harm crisis: This type of crisis does not demolish the physical assets of the organization, but impacts on the cognitive aspect of the firm. Some of the examples of product or service failure crisis are equipment failure, system failure and failure in communication (Siomkos, Triantafillidou, Vassilikopoulou Tsiamis, 2010, p.770). Capacity: This type of crisis arises due to some faulty or defective goods. It may have health related issues if not handled properly. Public Relation: This is another type of cognitive crisis that an organization faces. In this context the intangible assets of the company are threatened. In addition, this can have direct effect on the brand image and brand value of the company. Apart from that it can also indirectly affect the net sales. The PR crisis occurs primarily because of poor media attention, negative publicity in the media, or it may also arise to the changes in the management of an organization (Pride Ferrell, 2010, p.412). Legal Crisis: A company may face legal crisis due to product liability, health scare or due to any kind of fraud from the employees of the organization. Business or Corporate Crisis: This is one of the most common and vital type of crisis that an organization faces. Some of the common causes for this crisis are sudden shortages in demand, competitor launching a new and advanced product, large number of customer switches, strike by the workforce, strike by suppliers and hostile takeover. Financial Crisis: One of the major crises that a company some time faces with is the financial crisis. Often companies deal with financial crisis and ultimately losing their position from the market. It is a situation where the company witnesses shortage of fund to properly operate in the market. Crisis Management: A Business Case In order to give a real world example, Nokia has been chosen to depict, how actually a company deals and manages crisis. It was during the time of 2005-2006, when the company was charged with defective batteries. The battery that Nokia used to give with the handsets was BL-5C. Customers complained that the battery gets over heated after certain interval of time. Hence it was a product related crisis and can be termed as Product or Service Failure crisis. However, the situation did not remain curtailed to a product failure; it went on to become one of the largest PR crises of all time. The crisis had struck the company in such a way that the company in the subsequent years went on to record low sales. The company has taken early actions to minimize its impact. The strategy adopted by the company was to simply accept the product and replace the defective batteries. The company well understood that if they do not act in this way, their reputation will be strongly affected that may resul t in negative public relation. The decision of the company to replace all the affected batteries paid off and the company succeeded to a large extent. Although the company initially lost some customers, but later on after the implementation of this strategy Nokia regained the confidence of the customers. The company not only handled the situation effectively, but also displayed how they are prepared for any such occurrences in the future (IBN Live, 2007). Meanwhile other companies such as Cadbury have also faced similar situation. It was related with a worm. The chocolate packets had worm in it and several complaints came forward for the same issue. The company managed the concern by launching a PR campaign within two weeks of the news outbreak. Celebrity endorsement also played a major role in the survival of the company. The campaigned helped them to regain consumer confidence within 3 months only. This shows how effective crisis management can actually offer quick and effective results to a company (Manning, 2007, p.506). Facing Crisis In order to successfully diffuse a crisis, an organization at first, needs to know how to handle that crisis before it actually takes place. Different authors have given different approaches to effectively handle crisis, but among those the most popular theory has been provide by the Gonzalez-Herrero and Pratt in the early 1996. The authors, Gonzalez-Herrero and Pratt have divided crisis management into three stages. The three phases are named as diagnosis of crisis, planning-prevention, and adjusting to changes. The model developed by them to address the issue of crisis management is demonstrated below: Diagnosis of Crisis: According to the authors the first stage is about determining the early indicators or signs of the crisis. This is an essential task for the managers and executives to sense the warning indications of the crisis. If they are successful in sensing the early signs, it is the duty of the organization to make the employees ready for facing the situation with firm determination and courage. Planning: The second step associated in this model is about the proper planning towards addressing the crisis. Once the crisis has been identified the next step is to plan how the crisis can be handled. According to the authors, the management team should take immediate action to minimize its effect. Also in order to avoid urgent situations relevant strategies are developed and take quick decision. Adjusting the Changes: The final step is to get accustomed with the new situation. It is the duty of the employees to get along with the changes for the purpose of making the organizationà ¢Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ¬Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â‚¬Å¾Ã‚ ¢s function more effective. Also for getting adjusted to the situation properly, it is also important to evaluate the cause that that led the organization to face the crisis. This will prevent the company from doing any mistakes and will foster them to develop new plans and strategies for the future course of action. This phase is also referred to as the post crisis phase (Coombs, 2011, p.10). Apart from that there is one more method by which companies can effectively handle crisis and is commonly known as corporate crisis management. In this context, the management of the organizations forecasts, identifies, examines and acts immediately upon the issue that led to the crisis. This approach enables organizations to deal with any form of crisis (Heller Darling, 2012, p.153). Conclusion The report was about the importance of crisis management within an organization. In this study the company used for depicting the importance as well as revealing the way a company actually deals with crisis situations is Nokia. The study has reviewed substantial amount of literature or the works completed by earlier scholars in the same field of study. It revealed that an organization may face with different type of crises. It includes Natural Disaster, Industrial Accidents, Product or Service Failure, Capacity, Public Relation, Legal Crisis, Business and Management Crisis and Financial Crisis. Similarly Nokia in this context, also faced product and service related crisis which further turned into PR crisis, but the company has effectively managed the situation. The company has a well prepared crisis management team and also contingency plans. Hence analysing the situation, it can be clearly highlighted that each organization should have a well defined crisis management framework to continue its operations effectively in the market place. Recommendation Some of the ways by which a company can effectively manage crisis are as follows: Issues Management: No organization in this world would like to face any situation that may harm their operation process or may disrupt the functioning. Especially, organizations do not like face any circumstances that fuel media coverage. This is because any issues that are scrutinized by the public can result into pessimistic and negative legal, financial and political impacts. Contingency Planning: It is highly recommended that companies around the world must have contingency plans to deal with different kind of crisis situations. Preparing an emergency plan in advance reflects that a company is aptly prepared for crisis. Thus contingency planning is highly essential in crisis management. Business Continuity Plan: There are situations when, to some extent, organizations will be affected by a crisis. To deal with such scenarios organizations should have business continuity plan. A business continuity plan highly assists organizations to reduce the impact of the crisis. In addition, organization must understand the important elements that run daily operation. Hence, a backup for each element must be in place so that the company functions even during the time of crisis. The company should continuously train each employee regarding how to deal with crisis situation. The training should not only be about physical crisis that may occur due to some natural calamities, but also training should be given to deal with cognitive factors.

what is engineering :: essays research papers

1.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is Engineering? According to Webster’s dictionary, engineering is the â€Å"application of science and mathematics by which the properties of matter and the sources of energy in nature are made useful to people† (http://www.webster.com). Engineers apply math to help design and manufacture products. (http://www.popsci.com) 2.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What did you learn about engineering that you were not previously aware of? Make a list of your insights. After taking the course Engineering Design and Graphics from the previous semester, I learned that engineers mean a great deal to all societies in order to for them to modernize. Engineers design and invent many products used by everyday people, from the ordinary wine glass to a complex space station. (http://www.popularmechanics.com) Also, I was not aware about taking a engineer’s certification that was not school related. (http://www.ihs.com/index.html) 3.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What new questions or uncertainties have surfaced? I have no new questions of engineering because I believe that I know all that I should know for the time being. However, I am uncertain to keep my major as mechanical engineering to a different engineering or an alternative major because of the difficulties of the science classes. The degree of difficulty of my classes places me behind in grade point average compared with students of equal abilities. 4.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  On the back of this sheet, please list and then describe the reasons you want to be an engineer. Put your reasons in order starting with the most important. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Interests- Since my father bought my first K’nex set, a type of model building using sticks and gears, I enjoyed using my creativity towards engineering. I also enjoy mathematics, which influences a great deal in the major. †¢Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Money- Many upper classmen have told me if they had a chance to change their major, they should have become engineers.

Potluck Essay

The meaning of Doublespeak in Lutz opinion†¦ The essay â€Å"Doublespeak† specifically dives into the significance of the idea. The author does not hold back, but early on defines the general meaning of Doublespeak. The author’s introduction is the explanation of doublespeak in general context. He lets the reader know beforehand about many tangents in double speak. He mentions four types of doublespeak which are euphemism, Jargon, gobblygook, and complex language. From these sub groups of double speak, he further explains detail of such doublespeak and its effect to the public. In essence, the effect of the author is to nform the audience precisely about doublespeak in many angles. He does not take a strong stance on his argument, but he does let his audience know that double speak is an effective rhetoric to use in certain circumstances. The idea of euphemism is to sugar coat an instance. This can be used by simple diction or a whole statement. It is up to the writer to choose his/her method. Lutz leaves the choice to the audience, but provides certain examples to let the audience be informed with the affect of euphemism in a statement. In essence, he provides short and precise examples by omparing a straightforward statement with a doublespeak statement. He informs the reader that euphemism is a rhetoric that creates vagueness in a blunt statement. In my opinion, Lutz did a fine Job. The omission of any statements will leave the essay vague and blank, in a sense. Secondly, Lutz explains and defines Jargon to be a prestigious type language to impress and inform an audience. Many of the high class workers use this rhetoric in their professions to make a good impression. In essence, a Jargon can be used in a hospital, court, or any other professional environment. Lutz rovides the reader with positives and negatives regarding this rhetoric. He informs his reader to be well aware of using such rhetoric. The examples provided are precise and clear cut. In essence, he gets his point through. Adding on, gobblygook is a certain doublespeak that is similar to a Jargon, but way out of proportion with its complexity. Lutz lets the reader know to use this language in specific rhetorical situations. He informs the audience that gobblygook is a type of rhetoric that is used impress a bunch of ignorant audience, or to impress an educated group of audience hom will actually understand the meaning of such words. Besides that, it is not proper to use in personal conversations – unless you’re Einstein. Lutz efficiently explains this idea by providing examples to the audience. Furthermore, complex language is a type of rhetoric that is considered moderate compared to gobblygook. It’s not out of proportion, but can stray away the audience if used too much. In oral arguments it is not functional. If used in papers, it can work, but if used too much, it can confuse the reader. Lutz explains the moderation of this rhetoric compared to Jargon and gobblygook. In essence, Lutz does a fine Job explaining the definitions of double speak in all angles. He gives the audience a general definition and provides general examples to prepare the audience for the lesson. He divides the four main definitions and gives sub examples for each definition. In addition he connects each definition back and forth providing the audience will clarification on his topic. He classifies his work in a general topic, then provides examples, and ultimately connects it to the overall meaning of doublespeak. In essence, he does an effective Job explaining the audience the general idea of doublespeak.

Battle of Hastings and Williams Conquest

Battle of Hastings and Williams Conquest The Battle of Hastings was part of the invasions of England that followed the death of King Edward the Confessor in 1066.  William of Normandys victory at Hastings occurred on October 14, 1066. Armies and Commanders Normans William of NormandyOdo of Bayeux7,000-8,000 men Anglo-Saxons Harold Godwinson7,000-8,000 men Background: With the death of King Edward the Confessor in early 1066, the throne of England fell into dispute with multiple individuals stepping forward as claimants. Shortly after Edwards death, the English nobles presented the crown to Harold Godwinson, a powerful local lord. Accepting, he was crowned as King Harold II. His ascension to the throne was immediately challenged by William of Normandy and Harold Hardrada of Norway who felt they had superior claims. Both began assembling armies and fleets with the goal of supplanting Harold. Gathering his men at Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, William initially hoped to cross the Channel in mid-August. Due to foul weather, his departure was delayed and Hardrada arrived in England first. Landing in the north, he won an initial victory at Gate Fulford on September 20, 1066, but was defeated and killed by Harold at the Battle of Stamford Bridge five days later. While Harold and his army were recovering from the battle, William landed at Pevensey on September 28. Establishing a base near Hastings, his men constructed a wooden palisade and commenced raiding the countryside. To counter this, Harold raced south with his battered army, arriving on October 13. The Armies Form William and Harold were familiar with each other as they had fought together in France and some sources, such as the Bayeux Tapestry, suggest that the English lord had sworn an oath to support the Norman dukes claim to Edwards throne while in his service. Deploying his army, which was largely composed of infantry, Harold assumed a position along Senlac Hill astride the Hastings-London road. In this location, his flanks were protected by woods and streams with some marshy ground to their front right. With the army in line along the top of the ridge, the Saxons formed a shield wall and waited for the Normans to arrive. Moving north from Hastings, Williams army appeared on the battlefield on the morning of Saturday October 14. Arraying his army into three battles, composed of infantry, archers, and crossbowmen, William moved to attack the English. The center battle consisted of Normans under Williams direct control while the troops to his left were largely Bretons led by Alan Rufus.  The right battle was made up of French soldiers and was commanded by William FitzOsbern and Count Eustace of Boulogne. Williams initial plan called for his archers to weaken Harolds forces with arrows, then for infantry and cavalry assaults to break through the enemy line (Map). William Triumphant This plan began to fail from the outset as the archers were unable to inflict damage due to the Saxons high position on the ridge and the protection offered by the shield wall. They were further hampered by a shortage of arrows as the English lacked archers.  As a result, there were no arrows to gather and reuse. Ordering his infantry forward, William soon saw it pelted with spears and other projectiles which inflicted heavy casualties. Faltering, the infantry withdrew and the Norman cavalry moved in to attack. This too was beaten back with the horses having difficulty climbing the steep ridge. As his attack was failing, Williams left battle, composed primarily of Bretons, broke and fled back down the ridge. It was pursued by many of the English, who had left the safety of the shield wall to continue the killing. Seeing an advantage, William rallied his cavalry and cut down the counterattacking English. Though the English rallied on a small hillock, they were ultimately overwhelmed. As the day progressed, William continued his attacks, possibly feigning several retreats, as his men slowly wore down the English. Late in the day, some sources indicate that William altered his tactics and ordered his archers to shoot at a higher angle so that their arrows fell on those behind the shield wall. This proved lethal for Harolds forces and his men began to fall. Legend states that he was hit in the eye with an arrow and killed. With the English taking casualties, William ordered an assault which finally broke through the shield wall. If Harold was not struck by an arrow, he died during this attack. With their line broken and king dead, the many of the English fled with only Harolds personal bodyguard fighting on until the end. Battle of Hastings Aftermath In the Battle of Hastings it is believed that William lost approximately 2,000 men, while the English suffered around 4,000. Among the English dead was King Harold as well as his brothers Gyrth and Leofwine. Though the Normans were defeated in the Malfosse immediately after the Battle of Hastings, the English did not meet them again in a major battle. After pausing two weeks at Hastings to recover and wait for the English nobles to come and submit to him, William began marching north towards London. After enduring a dysentery outbreak, he was reinforced and closed on the capital. As he approached London, the English nobles came and submitted to William, crowning him king on Christmas Day 1066. Williams invasion marks the last time that Britain was conquered by an outside force and earned him the nickname the Conqueror.

Research Paper on Health

Research Paper on Health Multi professional / disciplinary working is essential in public health, since it draws on theatrical perspectives from a wide range of fields (Naidoo Wills 2001). It is the intention of this essay to demonstrate the importance of this, by evaluating some opposing disciplines that contribute to the field. I would like to explore the diversities of perspectives such as Epidemiology, Social Sciences and the contribution of the public/lay perspectives, to illustrate how ideas from different disciplines contribute to an understanding of public health. By evaluating some of the opposing approaches to public health and highlighting how these diverse disciplines often come from different academic and organisational cultures, it should demonstrate what different perspectives offer to the public health debate and why is a necessity for then to work together. It also offers an analysis of the challenges to public health being a truly multi disciplinary profession. Epidemiology is defined as â€Å"the study of patterns of disease occurrence in human populations and the factors that influence these  patterns† (Lilienfeld Lilienfeld, 1980 as cited in moon, 2000 p1). However public health entails far more that bio-physiological factors and requires investigation of the social context and public/lay perspectives. Sociology examines the social dimensions of health, illness and health care and what accounts for the socio-economic inequalities in public health. It looks at how the social structures, institutions and processes affect health and what is the relation between the professional disciplines and the public (Daykin as cited in Naidoo 2001 p102). Social science is used in the same context as (Williams G Popay J 1997) referring to researchers/disciplines that look at the â€Å" influence of the economic and political context of Britain and other western countries mainly in the late 20 century over the heath of the populations†. Naidoo Wills (2001 p2) offer a reminder that the notion of multi professional working is not a new concept in the study of health. (WHO 1946 cited in Naidoo Wills 2001p2) was one of the first to look at health holistically describing it as a state of complete will being and although this may be considered utopia today, it still highlights the multi dimensional aspects of health and offers arguments as to why disciplines must work in a multi disciplinary way. The most recent government is pressing the idea that public health should be a multi disciplinary profession and wants to bring in more integrated and partnership working with these disciplines. It sees it as one of the ways forward to rid health of the internal market philosophies of the previous Government (Partnership in Action D of H 1998). (The New NHS: Modern and Dependable D of H.1997; Making a Difference: A Strategy for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting D of H.1999; NHS Plan D of H. 2000) jointly pledge to introduce new ways of partnership working and among their concurrent objectives, to raise the profile of public health. Working across boundaries is seen as vital in working with the most vulnerable in society that previously have been missed (D of H 1997). It builds devices around the needs of those whose are most in need and avoids duplication (D of H 1998) and if professionals do not work together then will find themselves in no mans land. (D of H 1998). This docume nt is trying to give different agencies more power to work together by pooling budgets, having lead commissioners, integrating provision and incentives. It could be a challenge for public  health to be a truely multi-displinary profession when medicine has dominated in public health in the past. Modern epidemiological studies have however, contributed greatly and influenced public health work and policies, in trying to change individual’s lifestyles (D of H 1992). However, persistent limitations of this approach has led to the acknowledgement for the wider influences that effect public health, mainly that of health inequalities (D of H, 1999), (D of H, 2001a). These documents recognise that to achieve a comprehensive understanding of public health it is necessary to look beyond â€Å"malfunctioning of the physical body† and investigate, â€Å"societal and cultural factors along side†(Naidoo et al 2001) This essay argues that more credence must be given to social science research, if public health is to be effective. It is clear that if we are going to work effectively on public health then professions must not only work together in a multi disciplinary way but must also listen to what the public say about their own health needs (Williams G Popay J (1997). Recent documents such as the expert patient (D of H, 2001b) and â€Å"Shifting the balance of power† (D of H 200a) offer a basis for involving the public, however it remains a challenge about how to work in conjunction with everyone with our current, diverse and multi cultural society. More innovative research is needed, including both epidemiological and social perspectives. To understand the constraints of multi- professional working within public health, it is necessary to look at the history behind public health, especially the contributions of Epidemiology, which has focused on the causes of disease at population level and continues to be considered one of the most important sciences contributing to it. (Beaglehole Bonita, 1997). By the end of the Victorian era, public health had moved into two very distinct areas that were quite separate. The first was involved in the general improvements of social conditions and the second concentrated on the development of specific preventative and curative health services ( Baggott 2000) Epidemiology since the nineteenth century has had an enormous impact on public health with wide ranging achievements (susser susser, 1996) starting with improvements in drainage and sewerage, initiating statistical evidence, recognising and tackling environmental and social factors that have effected health. Work was also done o n eradicating infectious diseases though the development of vaccinations. Effects on public health by this discipline have not all been seen as beneficial and the insights gained previously into environmental factors and poverty were somewhat lost with this dominant but narrow biomedical approach (Baggett R 2000). Mc known 1976 even observed that health improvements have less to do with immunisations and more to do with improving socio economic factors. From a social perspective (Williams G pope, 1997) go further than this and claim that this medical led power may have led to people not focusing on social reform as much and that in fact in the recent decades as historically, the poor have continued to be blamed for illness and the disease. They feel that to much credence has been given to data collecting and the epidemiological model, so to stifle public health work. They also claim that the public and lay views are just as valid and that general feelings and perceptions are equally as important.Those from a medical health background to give less credence to socilogocal  perspectives especially the lay involvement in health matters(Heller T 2001) claims that to ensure that medicine continues to be the lead in many public health issues there needs to be more evicence base and it is the lack of this has caused problems in dilemmas around the medical perceptions of important health issues and those of the public i.e. MMR vaccination debate. This is particularly significant in today’s climate of clinical governance and evidence –based practise (D of H, 1997 and 1998) These ideologies have had a major impact on Epidemiology where there have been criticisms regarding the standards of research and data collection and yet in contrast ,there appears to be a complex confusion of views between the various disciplines with the government saying they want more evidence based practise from the scientific disciplines and equally a desire for the public to be listed to and involved . whilst Black (2001) claims there needs to be a more sustained drive to collect and use evidence as an underpinning of health policies at all levels and that despite the rhetoric and  criticism around their own discipline , health policy makers equally develop their policies largely in an evidence-free zone (Black 2001). Povey (1998) states very strongly that Lay people need to be much more involved in order to include the social and cultural context of public health This term â€Å"lay† refers to people who are not health care professionals or researchers but may have a specialist knowledge related to health including the general public and consumer advocates. (Entwistle et al 1998). This essay would also like to argue that the lay perspective should be included in any debate around multi- professional working, Even though they are not health professionals but are very much needed for the social and cultural context (povey 1998) It has also been claimed that duee to the way medicine it constructed, it contributes to contribute to a loss of individual autonomy for example medicine has encroached on normal things such as life and death (mckeown, 1976) and that public health research, especially that of Epidemiology ,has increasingly excluded from its ‘microscope attention’ the voices of the people (Williams et al 1997). Whilst Epidemiology has indeed done great things in the development of the fight against infection., the power that Epidemiology was then consequently afforded in public health meant that they focused on these areas somewhat to the exclusion of the political need to look at social inequalities and injustices. Historically all disciplines come from differing perspectives with different concepts models highlighting why it must be necessarily multi disciplinary but it is relatively recently that people have really started to link the different perspectives to health (stansfield 1999 c ited in Naidoo 2001) and therefore highlighting the need for them to collaborate and make connections when working together for the improvement of the public’s health. It would appear that reflecting on this review of public Health history, that Epidemiology has had significant successes and the knowledge and influence that it has gained have influenced many public health policies and campaigns such as â€Å"Health of the Nation†, (D of H, 1992). But despite the measures by Epidemiology to demonstrate strong associations of risk factors Emslie et al (2001 a p25) suggest that the current â€Å"evidence on the effectiveness of health advice to modify behavioural risk factors, is discouraging† and propose that an â€Å"urgent need to understand the public perceptions of the causes and consequences is needed†. (Parsons 1951) first developed the concept that ill health should be viewed in relation to the society as a whole and not just as the individual, which very much forms the basis of public health work today . This backs up all the recent social science research of health being strongly patterned by social factors. People do no t have equal chance of enjoying health or living to old age and deprived groups experience poorer health, higher levels of mortality and there are differences in class gender sexuality and ethnicity. When looking at why these inequalities persist it offers a view of how the medical perspective of health can be at odds with  sociological and public  perception (Naidoo page social science) (Williams G et al1997) recorded some interesting research done in Salford, which has some of the poorest population in Great Britain within the ward. This research claimed that the public were able to present a sophisticated understanding of the network of factors which may structure perceptions of ill health and related risks i.e smoking through despair is an obvious well researched example (Graham, 1987 and 1993)This research indicated that the traditional health education messages alone do not work .people in these poorest wards well know the health related risks that they faced i.e. the effects of smoking, drinking, drugs poor diet and exercise etc but most of the respondents cited structural and socio- economic factors as the most powerful influences on their health such as living in high rise flats and the stresses of bringing up young children in this environment that caused depression and isolation . Unemployment, poverty, economic decline and fear of crime were all put down as the most signifant cause of their poor health.  Heat education alone may have increased knowledge, but have failed to address the real issues of public health and have possibly caused an era of victim blaming. Epidemiology has been criticised for its methodological individualism (Diex- Roux, 1998 p 216) and as with (William g povey), (Schwartz Carpenter 1999) and (Pearce, 1996) they all criticise modern Epidemiology for its disregard of wider socio-cultural, temporal issues. It is suggested that contextual or multilevel analyses to investigate individual and multi-level variables would bring context back to Epidemiology Diex-Rusx 1992 p216) It is clear therefore that â€Å"public health has to be multi disciplinary because social factors such as income, housing, and employment have been shown to have greatest impact on health status than health care† (Modernising Health and Social Services 1998) Multi disciplinary working is recognised in health improvement guidance (D of H, 1997) where the shared responsibility for health between local authorities, NHS and their partners is highlighted. There have bewen many changes in public health, in recent years and we are now more likely to hear that the pattern of health inequality is about where you live and whether you are rich or poor, rather that you own lifestyle decisions. (Mitchell R et al 2000). This report on the Inequalities in Life and Death claims that all health changes can be manipulated though radical social policy changes. The new approaches to Epidemiology also sound promising with a suggestion of a new era of eco-Epidemiology addressing health at population, societal and individual levels. However without a multi disciplinary approach to epidemiological research, it will fail to investigate context and will continue to provide invalid conclusions and recommendations for public health. Diez- roux (1998) acknowledges that defining and measuring contextual variables is problematic and Epidemiology must create methods of research that incorporate both qualitative and quantitative approaches. This can only happen with collaboration with different disciplines. Especially social and cultural methodologies. Much of the work done around involving the public derives from a sociological perspective and this has also helped to produce useful models for health promotion. Public health disciplines must continue to adopt socially aware and multi disciplinary approaches. They must continue to liase with and involve the public who are empowering themselves often by gathering information over the internet (Hardy 1999). If health promotion is to be truly multi disciplinary then disciplines shoulimitations when standing alone which leads to the need for them not to stand alone but be a part of the debate Naidoo page2 the value of people working in a multi disciplinary way is that by drawing on many different expertise, a fuller account of public health can begin to challenge existing boundaries of knowledge that lead to only a partial understanding of health. In this assignment, I hope to have also argued that whilst inter professional working is vital in public health and indeed there are barriers too it. It is also equally as important to ensure that the public or consumers of the professionals have a greater say in the quality and nature of the provision. . There will always be intellectual tensions between disciplines but this should provide the basis for invigorating debate rather than mutual hostility (Williams 1997) Naidoo By working in a multi. Public Health is far too complex to be interpret ed in a single discipline.

Religion Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 4

Religion - Essay Example With such a background information, this paper goes ahead to analyze fundamentalism, by addressing aspects of its past, present, and future, incorporating its application both in Christianity and Islam. Fundamentalism, since its establishment, has had two broad perspectives; global fundamentalism and historic fundamentalism during its development in the late 19th century and establishment in early 20th century. Generic fundamentalism is a worldwide global movement with the mandate of making known institutionalized aspects that have been concealed by the modernized life. Ideally, fundamentalism plays a substantive role in minimizing the distancing of religious aspects from those of the world and state, considering that during its establishment, cultural and social patterns was rooted in the certain religious perspectives. This, therefore, provides for distinct roles for various individuals and groups such as clergies, women, and men. In historical fundamentalism, similar perspectives are shared as those of generic fundamentalism, and has gone ahead to enhance awareness among individuals such as influencing world religions (Fisher and Wise 26). Fundamentalism has its roots in the United States from where it began as an aspect of liberal and progressive views that were held by the Americans in the 19th century (Fisher and Wise 42). One of the greatest contributing views held by these individuals against the scholars who stood strong in criticizing the Bible was that Moses never authored the first five books of the Bible. Such perspectives started during the Niagara Conference in which they discussed that it was time that human went back to the social ideals as intended by God, in which every individual, be it male or female, parent or child, had distinct roles to accomplish, as such a perspective was built on God’s creation. It is based on such aspects that the name

Acting Out Culture by James S. Miller Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

Acting Out Culture by James S. Miller - Essay Example People choose what to believe, what to where, where to work, and even the kind of children they would like to have, if they had the authority! This materialism is rated as bad by some academic critiques who believe that the ideal world should be a world where people have few choices, and therefore ‘happy’ lives! But would the economy allow for that? And would the acquisition nature of man and the absolute power of bills set people upon the same path of diversity as we understand? The very fact that nature places want upon a person, reflects the materialistic nature that is man. Without needs, there is no innovation, no commerce, basically no need to live. It is consumers who drive a market that is controlled by products prepared in the industry. And as such, economy slowly turns on its hinges. Humans are capable of creating their own societies and placing their wants and needs around that society, we can see, in David Brooks assertion, that the society, is getting more a nd more focused on the individual needs and wants, so much so that the collective thought of diversity in America, is but a dream. Indeed, in own words, "†¦human beings are capable of drawing amazingly subtle social distinctions and then shaping their lives around them". It is indeed possible, that individualism is the reason industry thrives, but at what cost? In this essay, we shall see the effects of materialism on the diversity of America. The question is; does this materialistic nature bring people together, or drives them further apart? Quoting Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929), James Twitchell in â€Å"Two Cheers for Materialism, attempts to solidify the fact that people in the society are growing further apart as a result of these needs; He asserts says, â€Å"If we had fewer choices, we would be happier, there would be less waste and we would accept each other as equals" Though needs provide security in attainment, they are not a source of permanent happiness, and such th ey incur the creation of classes and clusters, and the need to be at comfort. Reality is materialism brings with it 'me' that person who so desires to satisfy his own and protect his turf. That person who believes that there is no one better than 'ME!' the individual, created to find solace in no one but himself. In this very belief, it is imputable that the requirement that some society would feel 'Me' better, has effectively led to segregation of the races, professions, and ultimately classes. The crux of the staple is that the desire by people to be around places they fit in has created that vacuum of consideration for other people who hold different professions, skin color, and even opinions. As such the estates, the cities and the communities in ‘human nature’ have ended up forming, or rather conforming to the desire of ages; to be like someone your own. The hierarchy of needs propelled by Abraham Maslow, puts self-actualization as the highest in satisfaction of ma n’s desires and needs, and states that if indeed in a lifetime these needs are met, then there is the tendency of creating new needs, to satisfy the arousal of new desires. Man being so consumed by desire has become so\elf centered and choosy with friends and acquaintances, the lack of which render a man useless. In this sense and with the help of the Bell curve, it is concluded that we, live in absurdly unlikely groupings because we have organized our lives that way. So even though we feel that it is wrong for our children to go to Harvard and yet other children though bright can’t go to college, it is also very important to us to note the presence of such opportunities and bask in their glory, if we can afford it. It follows that the