Unit case study

Technical Institute Skin cancer, otherwise known as skin melanoma, has become a serious epidemic in the United States over the last several years. Approximately one in 60 people will develop some form of skin cancer in their life time. With tanning beds and extended outdoor tanning becoming more common, as well as â€Å"being tan† become the new beauty tip. However, genetics still plays a very important role in skin cancer. It has been said that people with minimal melanin genes, the gene that determines hair and eye color, are more susceptible to skin cancer to do their light hair, eyes and fair kin.Most skin cancer cases are caused by ultraviolet rays, however, approximately five percent of cases are inherited. The risk of melanoma is doubled in the first degree relatives of those who have had melanoma. (Stamp-Posthumous J, Van Dunedin C, Schaffer E, Pink J, Bergman W, 2001 ;44:22-7). The most common type of skin cancer in the United States is Basal Cell (2014 Stanford medic ine) Pigments are what give your skin its color. Melanin, carotene and hemoglobin are three different types of pigment that affect your skin color. When you are in the sun the ultraviolet rays activate the melancholy's which produce melanin.The melanin Is what causes your skin to tan. This helps protect your skin from damage. Melanin absorbs ultraviolet rays and prevents the rays from damaging or affecting the DNA In epidermal cells. It has also been studied that due to the ozone layer depleting over the years, your own pigment can no longer handle the strength of the ultraviolet rays, also contributing to the increase in melanoma (Chickasaws T, Kodak K, Amounts J, Takeaway S). With all of the new Information and studies available to today there Is no reason to doubt the importance of wearing sunscreen whenever you are exposed to the sun for extended periods of time.

What Is Community Work

What Is Community Work? Through this essay I will try to create a greater understanding of the term ‘community work’. I will begin with a short summary from two studies which help define the term on a broad basis. I will follow this by an explanation of the various approaches which can be used in community work. I will highlight the importance the community and voluntary sector have in social partnership in Ireland today. I will also discuss how funding, or a lack of it, impacts on essential services. Whether or not volunteers are an essential part of community work.I will also discuss the possible consequence of losing some of these organisations as a result of cuts in funding. Finally by looking at the work of ‘Community Platform’ I will show how, through a shared vision they hope to create a better Ireland through their work in the community. To understand what community work is it is first necessary to understand the various definitions of community. Whi le this may seem apparent initially, upon closer inspection one will discover that there is no clear consensus.What we do know is that as Hillery, a sociologist working in the 1950s pointed out, all 94 definitions of community referred to people (Mayo 1994). Varley (1988) defines these more concisely into three categories. ?Communities defined in purely special or geographical term. ?Communities defined as relationships that occur within a specific locality. ?Communities defined as relationships which may occur within or transcend conventional geographical boundaries. Working within these categories community workers seek to empower individuals and groups of people by providing them with the skills they need to effect change in their own communities.We will look at detailed examples of this later. I will first explain my understanding of the five main strands or approaches identified by David A Thomas (1993) in his study of community work in the early 1980s: Community Action: this r equires people from a community to come together, recognising the problems that their community faces and taking action to reduce these problems. This approach can have a range of benefits. It helps those individuals involved to develop skills and claim ownership of the outcome. An example of this is when residents come together to campaign for speed bumps or lower speed limits in the area.Community Development: this requires people coming together to develop a range of practices to help improve local conditions, especially for people in disadvantaged situations. It helps people to participate in public decision making and thus achieve greater control of their circumstances. An example of this is when residents turn an area that was once used for anti-social behaviour into a playground for children. This creates a safer environment for local people. Social Planning: this is a process that is carried out through identifying strengths and weaknesses in a community.This is done by desi gning and implementing programmes, which help to improve the quality of life in that community. It usually involves the action of a political, legal, or recognized voluntary body. An example of this is when an area is identified as having a very large increase in children. This information is acted on and a new school is built in the area. Community Organisation involves various community or welfare agencies working with or without the involvement of statutory authorities, supporting joint initiatives.An example of this is when organisations connect through managing, sponsoring and improving the work of various bodies. This may be carried out at a local, regional or national level. Community Care primarily focuses on the area of healthcare for the disabled, the elderly and the very young. It is a model that encourages members of the community to be active participants in helping themselves. In some cases community care may use professionals in conjunction with volunteers. In other c ases volunteers may manage projects with little or no involvement from professionals.Now that we have an understanding of the various definitions of community and have explored the different approaches of community work, we will now look at the how this work is structured in Ireland today with the help of social partnership. Social partnership was set up in Ireland in 1987. Its membership was initially limited to the government, businesses, trade unions and farmers. Organisations representing the unemployed and those experiencing poverty and inequality protested that their members did not benefit from the agreements and so began to lobby to be included in the 1996 negotiations.It was decided in 2000, by the Fianna Fail government, that inclusion of community and voluntary organisations was the way forward. Eight organisations were successful in their efforts when they were selected by the Government to become the Community & Voluntary Pillar – the fourth social partnership pi llar. It is now made up of seventeen representative organisations. This pillar represents huge progress for marginalised people. Although it is important to remember that in order to make a sustainable difference the voice these organisations have been give, must be listened to.While in theory social partners can be involved in both policy making and implementation of such policy, it is argued ( Meade 2005) that because community and voluntary organisations lack economic clout, they have been granted only marginal influence over the substance of policy decisions. Popples theory in â€Å"Analysing community Work† (1995) states â€Å"Most practitioners are employed in one way or another by the state therefore acting with particular instructions or authority, so that they could be considered to be a subordinate branch of the dominant ‘organic’ intellectuals.Whilst on the other hand the fact that they can be at odds with the dominant ideology and are encouraging ind ividuals and groups to articulate their own discourse means that they do not fully agree with the dominant system. † While it is important that the government is involved and provides subsidises to the voluntary and community sector at a national and community level, it is also fair to say that participation by volunteers in the local community is equally important as they understand what the community requires at a grass roots level.As the Mayfield Community Development Project in Cork advocates, it is fundamental to ask the local people what they need, to encourage as much participation as possible. Cullen (1989) observes that participative community development projects counterbalance the bigness and the bureaucracy of state run welfare agencies. In other words, if the recipients of these services are involved, these agencies become less intimidating and more user-friendly. This approach empowers people to be involved in identifying and meeting their own needs.Although part icipation from volunteers in the local community is vital, problems can surface when local communities come to rely heavily on the support provided by these volunteers. An example of this occurred when an introduction of community care policies led to reductions in the provision of state sponsored residential care and thus increased the demands on already pressured carers. This issue is particularly relevant today due to the current economic climate. The government is seeking to cut their expenditure in many areas, including the community and voluntary sectors.An Bord Snip Nua’s proposed cuts in funding for community and voluntary organisations will effectively amount to a huge reduction in funding for essential public services. The proposed cut of 64% in the allocation for community and voluntary sector supports, will weaken community and voluntary organisation's capacity to deliver essential services to the most vulnerable people in society. Which raises the following quest ions, ? Is the government relying on volunteers too heavily? ? Is lack of funding going to break down the fabric of the community work network in Ireland? ? What are the potential consequences of the proposed cuts?Only in time, will we discover the true answers to these questions but for now let us look at the evidence that is available to us today. Undoubtedly the Governments reliance on volunteers within the community is very apparent. It is important to remember that very often we would not have these volunteers, without the recruitment strategies that are put in place by professionals. It is also crucial volunteers are monitored and get the support they need to carry out their work effectively. Without the funded professional element in community work, it is possible that the quality of service may be compromised.This may result in volunteers becoming over worked by carrying out the duties of the paid professionals. This can lead to volunteers being under too much pressure to ca rry out their vital work. A consequence of this may be the closure of much needed services, which will impact greatly on society in general. This may lead to a more segregated community with an increased level of problems such as anti-social behaviour and mental health issues to name just two. This is why in my opinion, it is essential to have both professional and voluntary workers in the community for a cohesive approach to the various issues.It is important at this point to examine the vital community work that may be affected by these cuts. I am using the organisation Community Platform as an example. This is an organisation which facilitates both community and voluntary organisations to come together through one voice at a national level. Publishing its pre-budget submission (2010), the Community Platform said that making the poor poorer in order to try to balance the books made absolutely no sense and would have disastrous and costly social consequences.Community platform curr ently has 29 members that work together to address poverty, social exclusion and inequality. Funding is provided to the Community Platform by the Department of Community, Rural ; Gaeltacht Affairs. The vision of the Community Platform is an Ireland that is inclusive, sustainable and equal. Working closely with all of its members it aims to develop and promote this vision through shared analysis. The following groups are just a small example of the essential services that come under the community platform umbrella: ?Age Action Ireland. Rape Crises Network Ireland. ?Simon Communities of Ireland. ?Womens Aid. ?Community Workers’ Co-operative. By looking at some of the essential services that Community Platform facilitate we can see just how important this community work is and the key services that may suffer because of these cuts. As a result of my studies I have ascertained that community work appears to be many things to many people. It can be a rewarding experience to both t he facilitator and the beneficiary. It can bring people together in the hope of improving circumstances for themselves or others.It can help people to achieve their goals for their community by coming together through one voice. It may be a carried out by a paid professional or a volunteer. Both of which have their own merit. Government support and funding are imperative to sustain the level of help that is needed in the community. However it is evident that when both professionals and volunteers work together, greater results can be achieved. Community work is essential in society to help improve living conditions. With an emphasis on improving the conditions of marginalised, vulnerable people. Bibliography

The Godfather and the Meaning of Family

The Godfather A family is a basic social unit consisting of parents and their children, and is considered a group, whether they reside together or not; the traditional family, which usually consists of family values and beliefs. In American literature family serves as a base in our society which can be shaped and molded into many different forms. Mario Puzo’s The Godfather demonstrates family as a successful business, with strict and traditional Italian roots. The story is focuses on the Corleone family, a very close knit traditional Italian-American family, who all live on the same cul de sac and are neighbors to each other.Their business is based on the family’s mafia operations. They live their lives in the midst of crime. Some takes the law into their own hands, by avenging a crime to protect the weak while others use it to rise into a position of wealth and power. The executive or head of the Corleone family is the decision maker or â€Å"shot caller;† he is like the â€Å"Robin Hood† of the Sicilians people. To all those who have proven their loyalties to him are entitled to help from their â€Å"Godfather. † He is willing to help anyone who calls them his friend; because he believes that â€Å"Friendship is everything.Friendship is more than talent. It is more than the government. It is almost the equal of family† (Puzo 38). The executive or head of the Corleone family is Don Vito and after his death, Michael; his youngest son, who later takes the role. In a sense, both in the novel and film begin and ends with â€Å"the Godfather† and some may call him â€Å"the Don. † Through they both have very different experiences, they are believed to be â€Å"infinitely more intelligent and less obviously corrupt than any of the other characters† developed in the story (Williams 77).Both are willing to accommodate their competitors, take a step back, and not get involved unless necessary, for they beli eve to never hate your enemies because it affects your judgment and to keep their friends close and their enemies closer However, they are considered to be the most powerful organized crime family in the United States. â€Å"Great men are not born great, they grow great, and so it was with Vito Corleone. †¦ Vito Corleone made the final step from a quite ordinary, somewhat ruthless businessman to a great Don in the world of criminal enterprise.It did not happen in a day, it did not happen in a year, but by the end of the Prohibition period and the start of the Great Depression, Vito Corleone had become the Godfather, the Don, Don Corleone† (Puzo 213). A family of organized crime that is sometimes portrayed as so caring and helpful, that we don’t always think of them as bad guys per say. They have respect and are behaved in a way that is very elegant. But of course there are times when they must take action upon themselves even if it is against the law.It is a known that the main focus of a stereotypical Mafia family is centered around the use of violence. For instance, in both the novel and film, Connie Corleone; the daughter of the Don Vito gets married to an abusive and gets beaten down while pregnant, which later becomes one of the reasons for his death. Aside from that we also see many deaths cause by the vengeance and business. Another example is the opening of the movie, when Bonasera states â€Å"I believe in America. America has made my fortune. And I raised my daughter in the American fashion.I gave her freedom, but — I taught her never to dishonor her family† as he tells Don Vito, his grief about what had happen to his daughter (The Godfather). The family is cruel yet respectable, violent yet sophisticated and heartless, but not without rules. We as a viewer or a reader can overlook the evil and come to sympathize with the Corleone family. The Godfather permits an audience to support the mafia lifestyle and the sins th ey’ve commit. We overlook what is supposed to be right and sympathize with the lifestyle of these mobsters.We side with Corleone’s crime because of such quotes like â€Å"A man who doesn’t spend time with his family can never be a real man,† when Don Vito Corleone says this, we as the audience find ourselves liking a character they might not otherwise like. In America we tend to sympathize with people who are compassionate and are family oriented. Those who make their family priority number one, who shows and express true respect and defines a man by the amount of time he spends with those he loves. The Godfather narrative was able to supply the idea of a â€Å"strong and benevolent father to take care of both family and an unimpeded business life,† as stated in the MELUS Article, â€Å"The Godfather and American Culture: How the Corleones Became ‘Our Gang’† by Mary Ann Mannino. This simple image of a genuine family value allows for anyone to relate and understand the character even though at times the character may be immoral. Towards the end, Michael states â€Å"if I can die saying, â€Å"Life is so beautiful,† then nothing else is important.If I can believe in myself that much, nothing else matters. He would follow his father. He would care for his children, his family, his world. But his children would grow in a different world. They would be doctors, artists, scientists. Governors. Presidents. Anything at all. He would see to it that they joined the general family of humanity, but he, as a powerful and prudent parent would most certainly keep a wary eye on that general family† when family again is reconfirmed (Puzo 411). Works Cited Mannino, Mary Ann. The Godfather and American Culture: How the Corleones Became ‘Our Gang. ‘. † MELUS 28. 3 (2003): 218-232. Literature Resource Center. Web. 16 Nov. 2012. Puzo, Mario. â€Å"The Godfather. † Greenwich: Fawecett, 1969 . Print. Simon, William. â€Å"Analysis of the Structure of The Godfather, Part One. † Studies in the Literary Imagination 16. 1 (1983): 75-90. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism Select. Detroit: Gale, 2008. Literature Resource Center. Web. 14 Nov. 2012. The Godfather. Dir. Francis Ford Coppola. Perf. Marlon Brando and Al Pacino. Paramount Pictures. 1972. DVD.

Britain Between the Wars Essay

The armistice came into effect at 11.00am on 11th November 1918 and effectively brought the fighting on the Western Front to a close. In more than four years of war Britain and the Empire had lost more than 750,000 dead in France and Flanders, with many times that wounded and sick. The political and social life were ruined not only by the war, but also by the severe crises and by the dividing of the society into classes. The 1920’s and 1930’s were unhappy decades for most of the people in Britain. The Liberal Lloyd George enjoyed wide support by the Conservative party and duly formed a new coalition government. He immediately transformed the British war effort, taking firm control of both military and domestic policy. A general election the first for 8 years was held in December 1918. This election was often called â€Å"the coupon election†. Conservative leader Bonar Law identified candidates who agreed to support them with a letter of endorsement, signed by both, and known as a â€Å"coupon†. Coupons were issued to 159 Liberal candidates and 364 Conservatives though in some cases, they were rejected. This election are also considered the first universal elections in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, in which for the first time the majority of poorer British and Catholic Irish adults were allowed to vote for Parliament. The decision of Lloyd George to create a coalition between the Liberal and Conservative party hardened the divisions within the Liberal party and after the election the division of the Liberal party was even deepened. In 1920’s the Labour party succeeded in overtaking the Liberal party and establishing itself as one of the country’s two main political parties. By the end of 1921 unemployment has risen beyond 2 million. There were several reasons for the decline in industry after the First World War. Structural weaknesses in the British economy meant a disproportionate number of jobs were in the traditional industries. A lack of pre-war technological developments and post war competition damaged the economy and the new industries which emerged employed fewer people. At the same time Britain began to lose her overseas markets due to strong foreign competition. A committee on unemployment was set up in 1920 and recommended public works schemes to ease unemployment, this led to the establishment of the Unemployment Grants Committee. The government wished, also, to return to the gold standard, a move which would have required cuts in public spending. In Unemployment Insurance Act 1920 extended unemployment benefits to cover all workers who earned less than  £250. The â€Å"Seeking Work Test† was introduced in 1921, it stated to receive full unemployment benefit there had to be evidence the recipient was looking for work. The Addison Act after Dr. Christopher Addison, the then Minister for Housing was passed to allow the building of new houses after the First World War, and marked the start of a long 20th century tradition of state-owned housing, which would much later evolve into council estates. Education Act or know as Fisher Act was enacted in the 1918, it extended educational provision, increased the powers and duties of the Board of Education, raised the school leaving age from 12 to 14 and gave all young workers right of access to day release education. (The raising of the leaving age was not immediately implemented, however, and had to wait until the 1921 Act). Other features of the 1918 Education Act included the provision of ancillary services (medical inspection, nursery schools, centres for pupils with special needs, etc.).

Simple rules Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Simple rules - Assignment Example nds metrics, eliminating differences, establishing formal alliance management systems and structures and managing external relationships with partners. The companies should also put more emphasis on;- developing the right working relationship, creating means metrics, embracing differences, enabling collaborative behavior and managing your own internal stake holders. Solving of differences in the company should be given the highest priority. Because spending a lot of time and retention on reaching agreement sends the message that differences are bad, tends to drive conflict underground. In the solving of the difference Hp exhibited the following strengths; - General expertise related to complex-solution selling to enterprise customers, tends to focus on long term objectives and opportunities, good at minimizing risk in complex situations through careful analysis, in difficult circumstances, it is likely to find the creative solution that others might miss and it is good at understanding and focusing on customer needs and building close durable relationships. On the other hand Microsoft’s strengths were; - technical and support knowledge about exchange, which is essential to successful enterprise solution sales, it has disciplined focus on short term objectives where the objectives could have taken much time to get accomplished, good at capitalizing on opportunities by making decisions quickly, it is unlikely to waste time and effort when the standard answer or solution provides the optimal balance of performance and value and lastly it was good at identifying and responding to competitive threats. From the above scenario we need to look critically at the advice that executives get in relation to their companies. It is the time that the executives realized that alliance management is facing a crisis. In the recent past, companies have been forming alliances and relying on them solely for their growth. What is discouraging is that more than half of them fail.

History of East Asia Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

History of East Asia - Essay Example ruthless, despite the clarity indicating that civilization is a force that Japan or any other country cannot fight, it has not taken root in Japan as it should have since there are some quarters of resistance. Therefore, it is Fukuzilwa Yukichis argument that Japan must simply fight for civilization since the present world is a world of competition. The western civilization has spread virtually everywhere through the help of the existing communication facilities, such that its wind is being felt everywhere in the East. However, the western civilization did not take effect in Japan with the speed that would have been anticipated. This is because; despite the fact that people gradually understood the importance of embracing civilization and started to accept it, the political structure in Japan did not favor civilization. Thus, as much as the people would struggle to adapt the characteristics of western civilization, â€Å"there lay on the road of progress an old-fashioned government†3. Civilization is, in fact, vast, such that a country can no longer consider its own independence from the concept of civilization. This is because; â€Å"the question of a country’s independence from foreign countries is no more than one small part in a complete theory of civilization†4. Civilization is also very intrusive, suc h that it has permeated into almost every aspect and endeavor of the human spirit, so much so that it becomes difficult for people to dissociate with it. It is not only Japan that has some political and custom factors that acts as barriers to civilization, but also the other countries of East Asia. Japan is neighbored by China and Korea, and the two countries have also resisted civilization by clinging to their old customs. Nevertheless, the fact remains that civilization cannot be avoided, owing to the fact that even though China and Korea have stuck to their old customs, â€Å"they are not cut off from seeing and hearing of civilization.

Response Connections to Current Events Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Response Connections to Current Events - Essay Example Zakaria goes on to say that, "The Bill of Rights, after all, is a list of things that the government may not do, regardless of the wishes of the majority. Of America's three branches of government, The Supreme Court is headed by nine unelected men and women with life tenure." Zakaria has a point that the men and women in charge of one of America's highest offices must be elected. It is too much to expect the elected representatives to handle offices of the land that count among the best not only in the United States but among the best in the world. At least the election process of these gentlemen and ladies in the United States' Supreme Court must be more broad based that what it is today. Fareed Zakaria quotes specific instances and relates them to the illiberal way they are handled in democratic setup. His favorite democratic setups are the United States and Western Europe. His arguments have their due weight. Too much democracy becomes a punishment rather than a remedy. If democracy has to operate in a liberal environment, then it must per se allow its populace the maximum liberty which also provides security and choice. But Zakaria has said that "the tension between constitutional liberalism and democracy centers on the scope of governmental authority. Constitutional liberalism is about the limitation of power, democracy is about its accumulation and use." The contradiction is clear. Just like there is no such thing like a free lunch, there is such an issue begging notice that democracy is not the glittering gold that it is being offered as. Even in times of election the party offering maximum benefits quite often wins the show. The process of democracy is a tragedy being played out day in and out, and nobody is there to attempt to correct, modify or stop the show. If the process of democracy cannot work in places like Pakistan and Afghanistan, it is a telling commentary about the frailty of democracy as a system (US, UK express concern over terror safe haven in Pak, Afghanistan). Zakaria may not have offered feasible remedies to the malaise. However, he has pointed out anomalies that exist in the most democratic societies in the world. What's more He has pointed out that ironically democracy exists because of these anomalies. Evidence to support my argument First of all, let me make it clear I am not making common cause with Fareed Zakaria. I wish democracy all the best and hope it prospers wherever it exists. But just take a look at what is happening in some of the best democratic countries in the world. Let us take a look at the United States. President Obama and Vice President Biden have the issues of combating employment discrimination, expand hate crimes statutes, end deceptive voting practices, end racial profiling, reduce crime recidivism by providing ex-offender support, eliminate sentencing disparities, and expand use of drug courts (Civil Rights). I do not wish to denigrate the United States.