Wired and Wireless Networks

Wired and Wireless, What’s the Difference? The main difference between a wired and wireless data communication infrastructure is the existence of physical cabling. The same or similar techniques are employed for both types of data communication infrastructure in terms of the core elements of essential network services. The basic difference between a wired and a wireless network is self-explanatory. A wired network uses wires to communicate whereas a wireless network uses radio waves. Another difference and how one technology gets an edge over the other. Wired networks are easy to set up and troubleshoot where wireless networks are comparatively difficult to set up, maintain, and troubleshoot. Wired networks make you immobile while wireless ones provide you with convenience of movement. A third difference, wired networks prove expensive when covering a large area because of the wiring and cabling while wireless networks do not involve this cost. Wired networks have better transmission speeds than wireless ones. In a wired network, user does not have to share space with other users and thus gets dedicated speeds while in wireless networks, the same connection may be shared by multiple users. One of the most common questions we have to answer on a daily basis is the difference between wired and wireless networks. Wired is the communication between two devices via cables. Wireless is the communication between two devices without cables. Now, is it that simple? Each method of networking has its own pros and cons. Wireless networks do not use any form of cable. The transmission of data occurs over radio waves just like cordless phones or the Bluetooth headset that came with that phone you purchased . There are many advantages, but the major advantage of having a wireless device is the mobility and freedom that comes with it. There is less clutter and fewer wires to worry about. But, you sacrifice in most cases on speed and security. Wired networks on the other hand have been around for some time now. Officially known today as the Ethernet, the cables usually connect these devices using CAT5 cables. The speed and security in this scenario are greatly enhanced. The latest Ethernet routers can support up to 1000Mb/s or a Gigabit/second, that’s ten times faster than the widely used 100 Mb/s router. However the overall cost of a wired network is lower and provides high performance and better security than wireless networks. As home users, wireless networks have become the choice. A wireless network saves your time and efforts in installing a lot of cables. Also, if you need to relocate a client machine in your office, you only need to move the computer with wireless network. Wireless networking is very useful in the public places, libraries, hotels, schools, airports, train stations. A drawback in the wireless internet is that quality of service, it is not guaranteed if there is any interference. Then the connection may be dropped. Wireless local area networks allow users in local area, such as in a university or a library to join a network and gain wireless access to the internet. A temporary network can be formed by a small number of users without the need of access points. Service Set Identifier acts a simple password by allowing WLAN network to be split up into different networks and each having a unique identifier. These identifiers are configured in multiple access points. To access any of the networks, a computer is configured in such a way that each is having a corresponding identifier for that network. If they match between the two computers or networks then access is granted. This is a good security method but it is mainly involved in the small wireless networks because there is more manual work is involved, entering the MAC address into the Access point. Wireless networking is very popular in home networking and more than 20 percent of homes with broadband internet are using wireless networks and this number is increasing. In a general estimate worldwide hotspots have now reached more than 30,000 and will grow about 210,000 in the next few years. Most large hotels already offer Wi-Fi and the business travelers are willing to pay for the wireless access. 802. 11 is the next Wi-Fi speed standard. It is set to offer bandwidth around 108Mbps and is still under development. With the speed of 70 Mbps and a range up to 30 miles, the 802. 1 standard, known as Wimax is sure to give a boost to wireless networking. The term wireless networking refers to technology that enables two or more computers to communicate using standard network protocols, but without network cabling. Any technology that does this could be called wireless networking. This technology, fueled by the emergence of cross-vendor industry standards such as IEEE 802. 11, has pro duced a number of affordable wireless solutions that are growing in popularity with business and schools as well as sophisticated applications where network wiring is impossible, such as in warehousing or point-of-sale handheld equipment. An ad-hoc, or peer-to-peer wireless network consists of a number of computers each equipped with a wireless networking interface card. Each computer can communicate directly with all of the other wireless enabled computers. They can share files and printers this way, but may not be able to access wired LAN resources, unless one of the computers acts as a bridge to the wired LAN using special software. Each computer with a wireless interface can communicate directly with all of the others. A wireless network can also use an access point, or base station. In this type of network the access point acts like a hub, providing connectivity for the wireless computers. It can connect (or â€Å"bridge†) the wireless LAN to a wired LAN, allowing wireless computer access to LAN resources, such as file servers or existing Internet Connectivity. That’s the different between wired and wireless network. BIBLIOGRAPHY 1. http://computer. howstuffworks. com/home-network2. htm 2. http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Wireless_network 3. http://www. broadbandbuddy. com. au/wireless-broadband/wireless-networks-vs-wired-networks

Moving from prescribing medications by brand name to INN

Abstract Drug prescription is not only a routine in medical use functioning, but also plays pivotal role in improving the health status of patients seeking such services. The nature and efficacy of pharmacy services depends on the extent of professionalism, which define the methods and ethical standards with which one carries out such duties.Furthermore, pharmaceutical services vary from one place to another, and often governed by the prevailing state laws. This research paper therefore, presents a detailed discussion of two main aspect of pharmacy. The first section entails the shift in the drug prescription methods, from the initial brand based method to the modern based on the active ingredient making up the medicine. The second section outlines the contribution of a pharmacist in influencing the brand of medicine that can be prescribed in a clinical process. Introduction The efforts aimed at changing the health care provider’s prescribing behaviour to achieve consistency with the ever changing best medical practises is the chief challenge ensuring the safest dispensation and use of medicine. Due the emergence of new data about the use of drugs such as their effectiveness, dosing options, side effects, indications as well as contraindications, the existing pharmaceutical options also keep on evolving (Garcia-Gollarte et.al, 2012). As a result of the new changes in the medical practises, there are resulting gaps between the prescription options based on evidence, and the usual practises in most clinics. For example, other than the common error of under dozing and over dozing, the prescribers may occasionally give particular medicines for wrong conditions. Biological Medicines and Biosimillar medicines The biological medicines are also referred to as biologics, and consist of organic compounds made through biotechnological mechanisms. The biologics appeared for use in the 1980s, and have since then advanced to bring improvements in the treatment of many diseases. Their uses as alternative medicine have revolutionized the treatment of diseases, which has led to the improvement of health status across billions of people in the world. Consequently, this category of drugs has become popular since their introduction, a process whose end has seen the diminishing power of the original biological medicine. There are many manufacturing companies, who have acquired the permission to manufacture similar brands of the original biological medicine, commonly trending the medical market as biosimillar medicines. As a result of the existing complexity in the process of manufacturing the original medicine, the biosimillar medicines do not qualify for the generic class of medicine (Dylst, Vulto & Simoens, 2013). This is mainly due to the fact that this category is not typically identical to the original medicine. There are concerns regarding the authenticity and the effectiveness of the process of differentiating between such biosimillar medicines and the original biological medicines. These concerns are based on the extents of similarities observed when such drugs are used, as compared to the original biological medicines. For example, under same conditions of a particular patient, when a biosimillar is compared with Infliximab, the uses of biosimilars have manifested the same therapeutic efficacy, as well as the incidences of drug related events. In addition to the similar levels of therapeutic efficacy, biosimilars are equally tolerated by the body system, and also comparable in terms of their safety issues. It is the complexity in their manufacturing processes, in tandem with safety concerns that the ongoing monitoring derives its basis (Declerck & Simoens, 2012).Concerns regarding the use of biosimilar drugsThe concerns rose over the issues relating to safety, efficacy and the cost of using the biosimilars have resulted into the urgent need for a change of prescription method from the initial brand name to the use of active ingredients. This is because of the compromise of such brands, in which certain biosimilars do not recognize the copied brands, and thus creating confusion. The key concern that has been raised through the Pharmacovigilance involves the criteria wit which one can use to draw a line between the original biological medicine and the biosimilar medicines. There are a plethora of biosimilar medicines that after manufacturing have been approved by the European Medicines Agency. Such approvals have derived their bases on the abbreviated programs, in which the manufacturing process was purely based on copying the formula of those biological medicines already in the market. Some of these biosimilar medicines in this category exist in the market, despite lack of approval by the regulatory bodies, under the legal regulatory frameworks within Europe. Their lack of approval has therefore led to the ultimate doubt about the validity of such medicines, especially the possibility of adverse reactions occurring as side effects. The cost of purchasing the biosimilar medicines has also raised major concerns in the pharmaceutical industries in the Europe, just like other parts of the world. The relative low cost of acquiring such medicines has led into a perception by many people, that the existence of cheaper alternatives could be derailing the development of the industry. Consequently, there is an increase of pressure to prescribe the cheaper and new alternatives among patients, who may not afford the original biological medicines. Furthermore, such pressures have led to the increased use of such alternatives without any critical attention paid to the criteria of prescription and application of brand names. Transition from the drug brand name to the INN system of drug prescription The recent decades have been epitomised by a major burden of chronic diseases, not only among the European member states, but also across the globe. In order to curb the ever growing menace of such diseases among populations, the concerned authorities such as the World Health Organization, through respective governments have had to act. The chief aim of such action by the WHO, through respective governments have been to facilitate, and enforce laws to ensure that all professional health workers and patients access the safest, high quality, modern and affordable medicine to improve the health status of their people. Biomedical studies over time have identified the biological medicines as one of the most effective categories of medicine that can meet this criterion. However, the main challenge in the provision of such biological medicine has been manifested on the means of identification by both patients and pharmacists during prescription. Surveys have further pointed out that the method of prescription plays a pivotal role in limiting the resulting confusion during the identification of drugs from place, particularly from one country to another within Europe (CDC, 2012). For instance, over the recent decades, the method of prescription has been based on the brand name. There are a number of factors that determine the brand name for a particular medicine, such as the location or trans-border movements within Europe. Such variation have therefore been a core ingredient in breeding the much confusion when prescribing drugs from one place, especially for patients who may be new in such places. A particular brand name for a medicine used at one point may either be unfamiliar, or used for a different medicine in another place (Rotenstein et.al, 2013). Consequently, the need for a more standardised system of naming and prescribing drugs across the globe, including the European member states becomes an indispensible discourse. The European member states, in tandem with the world, have therefore joined the movement from prescribing medications by brand name to the INN International Nonproprietary Name (INN). Currently, there is a legislation process, whose purpose is to prevent doctors from brand prescription, but rather an active ingredient in the medicine, to allow easy determination by the patient. The International Nonproprietary Name (INN) The International Nonproprietary Name is a special term in healthy sciences and medicines, which is given to pharmaceuticals for purposes of easy identification. Having been initiated by the World Health Organization, the INN system of identification began to operate in 1953, for the benefit of not only the health workers such as pharmacists, but also help patients identify their medication with ease. The ease of identification was based on the common aim of the system for the generation of convenient common names for the existing pharmaceutical substances. In this case, each name generated under this system becomes unique for a global recognition of the substance as a public property. Consequently, the INN given to each pharmaceutical can have wide uses for the manufacturers and users, as well as the process of generic prescription in studies regarding drug use (CDC, 2012). The use of the International Nonproprietary Name in the drug prescription process functions to harmonise the communication regarding the medical activities among health professionals, drug consumers and patients. As a result, this system helps to prevent potential occurrence of medication errors. A medication error refers to any resulting misconception in the processes of drug prescription, dispensation, administration as well as monitoring the use of a particular drug. Medication errors are a major cause of most adverse reactions in patients, whose prevention can easily be achieved through accurate use of the relevant drugs. The accuracy can also be achieved through a process of synchronization, in which a single drug can retain a single identification from one place to another. A prescription method, based on the active ingredient as the common component of a particular drug, such as the INN system, has been enforced through a new legislative body referred to as the European Union Pharmacovigilance Legislation. Pharmacovigilance is a process, which consists of scientific activities of detecting, conducting an assessment of the adverse risks, understanding, and the establishment of potential prevention measures for the resulting adverse reactions (CDC, 2012). The European Medicines AgencyResponsibilitiesThe chief responsibility of the European Medicines Agency is to obtain and report the relevant data regarding adverse drug reactions, resulting from medical errors. Such reports are gathered and submitted to the Eudravigilance, a database that stores all the relevant data for medical errors among the European member states. Moreover, the database system is designed in such a way that it does not only receive the relevant information on adverse drug reaction, but also processes, stores and avails upon demand, the stored information after electronic submission.s The database run by the European Medical agency also permits users to conduct a critical analysis of the data herein, and enables one t make accurate conclusions regarding the data collected in determining the prevailing medical trends in different regions of Europe (Declerck, & Simoens, 2012). In the modern system, there are legislative measures, which ensure that the data regarding medicines are stored and undergo general processing, during which drugs should maintain a standard description using the active ingredient, other than the initial brand name. In addition to the data reception, storage, and analysis through the Eudravigilance database, the legislative body also has a role of coordination among the European member states. The coordination role between different medicine regulatory authorities across Europe also involves all the individual Pharmacovigilance centres, as well as the patient safety authorities. The main aim of this role is to ensure that there is mutual flow of relevant information among the member states, so as to enhance communication of the occurrence of adverse drug reactions. The Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) is also a legislative committee charged with a duty of offering the requisite recommendations for all medicine regulatory frameworks within the EU (Allen & Ansel, 2013). The recommendations made by the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee function to enhance further safety issues, resulting from inappropriate use of medicines in various regions across the member states (O’Connor, Gallagher & O’Mahony, 2012). While formulating these recommendations, the committee takes into considerations, including risk management issues, to monitor the extent of effectiveness, with which various mechanisms help to eradicate the occurrence of medication errors and adverse drug reactions. Role of a Pharmacist in Determining a Drug Prescription Pharmacists have the most critical role in determining the type or brand of medication to prescribe. This is because they are the base of the powers for dispensing the drugs for patients, in a normal clinical routine (Gibberson et.al, 2013). When lack of professionalism occurs in the dispensation of medicines for patients, there are higher chances of adverse medical reactions resulting from medical errors. Each year, the occurrence of medical errors, emanating from inappropriate prescription and dispensation of medicines by unprofessional pharmacists has caused harm to at least 1.5 million people. Furthermore, the loss incurred in terms of the cost of treating the injuries caused in hospitals runs at higher levels of at least $3.5 Billion each year. However, these cost estimates do not take into account the additional cost in terms of the extra wages and salaries incurred while causing and correcting such messes (Spinewine, Fialova & Byrne, 2012). Throughout history, pharmacists have played a pivotal role in ensuring an improved patient health through appropriate prescription and dispensing of the right brand of medicine. Through improved disease management techniques and therapy practises, effective spending in healthcare activities, and enhanced adherence leads to improved quality of life (Haga et.al, 2013). In order to influence the brand of medicine to prescribe for a particular patient, the pharmacist should acquire a deeper comprehension of the patients’ medical condition. Most often, the pharmacist relies entirely on the information obtained from the technician, which helps them provide additional base for the patient’s safety (O’Connor, Gallagher & O’Mahony, 2012). In order to obtain the required accuracy, it is important for the technician to observe strict adherence to the system based procedures when obtaining the information regarding a patient’s medical condition. In cases where the technician experiences unusual or any form of abnormalities, it is their responsibility to inform the pharmacist, to enable them prescribe and dispense the right brand of medicine (Allen & Ansel, 2013).The Scope of Practise in PharmacyThe scope of practise for different pharmacists varies from one country to another, depending on the prevailing state laws. The governing board of pharmacy also plays a pivotal role in determining the extent to which professional pharmacists can exercise their powers, and ability to influence the type of prescription. There are sets of regulation in various countries, which permit the pharmacists to exercise their powers as professional within specific areas within the medical care system (Law et.al, 2012). On the other hand, other countries have laws that encourage a broader approach to service delivery within the medical service delivery. The pharmacist may therefore take part in different parts of the medication, ranging from diagnosis, prescription, drug dispensation as well as monitoring. The pharmacist therefore has a wide range of options and opportunities, during which they can influence the prescription of a given medicine (Abood, 2012).Job SatisfactionJob satisfaction is another aspect of enabler, through which pharmacists acquire an opportunity to influence the prescription. In the modern world of health care system, the practise of pharmacy has advanced from the initial practise of dispensing medicine and offering counselling sessions to offering more detailed clinical patient care services. In cases where a pharmacist meets restraining conditions in which they are unable to offer a wider spectrum of services to their patients, they often lack satisfaction from their jobs (A llen & Ansel, 2013).Eradication of fraudulent prescriptionThe main source of medical errors often emanate from fraudulent prescriptions, some of which are out of human intervention, while the rest may be unintentional. In order to take control of the process and make the relevant decision regarding the prescription, pharmacists should understand what constitutes fraudulent practises and work towards eradicating them. Fraudulent prescriptions are caused by legitimate practises, in which patients decide to make alterations to their prescriptions to suit their personal interests (Declerck & Simoens, 2012). In such cases, the patient may show preference for a particular brand of medicine, and insist that they be treated with the same. In other experiences, patients may also alter prescriptions depending on the cost incurred, in which they either opt for cheaper brands, or prefer more expensive brands due to their perception of higher quality and efficacy. A pharmacist may use their influence in such cases to discover the fraud and alter the prescription, and dispense the right medicine depending on the patient’s conditions (Cornes, 2012). In addition to cases of alteration, pharmacists also have the technical and professional skills to discover the validity of prescription pads. One of the most conspicuous methods of identifying the validity of such prescription pads may involve subjecting the contact information to a rigor of scrutiny, to determine if they bear the name of the bearer. Such details may include the surnames, contact phone number as well as the registration number (Campanelli, 2012). Professionally, stealing a prescription pads translates into an automatic medical error and a potential adverse reaction. In situations where the pharmacists discover such anomalies, there are a number of professional measures that can be employed to influence the brand of medication prescribed and dispensed. Pharmacists ensure that they apply strict rules, in which only the state authorised individuals or prescribers can write prescription orders. The state authorized person is defined by the state a trained physician, dentist, veterinarian, podiatrist, as well as other state registered practitioners. For instance, there are states with strict rules in which other health professionals such as physician assistants and nurses to participate in conducting prescriptions under supervision or instruction by the pharmacist in charge. Similarly, other states also permit a sense of autonomy for the mid-level practitioners (Law, et.al, 2012). The pharmacist therefore has a duty to understand the prevailing laws regarding the state provisions on drug prescription, before determining one. This helps them avoid cases of assumption, in which they perceive that every prescription given for the controlled substances is inappropriate. A pharmacist who obtains a prescription whose validity attracts signs of doubt or appears invalid in any way, it is professional to undertake affirmative steps aimed at establishing the authenticity of the prescription holder (Cornes, 2012). In cases where the pharmacists have doubts about the contact information, they may have to use the prescriber’s contact office, other than the patients contact information. A telephone call to the office creates an additional time in the prescription process, during the concerned parties may address the gaps in the existing prescription. This way, the pharmacist not only gets a chance to influence the types of medication prescribed, but also adheres to t he legal requirements, including state laws regarding the use of drugs. References Abood, R. R. (2012). Pharmacy practice and the law. Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Allen, L. V., & Ansel, H. C. (2013). Pharmaceutical dosage forms and drug delivery systems. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. Campanelli, C. M. (2012). American Geriatrics Society Updated Beers Criteria for Potentially Inappropriate Medication Use in Older Adults: The American Geriatrics Society 2012 Beers Criteria Update Expert Panel. Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 60(4), 616. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC. (2012). CDC grand rounds: prescription drug overdoses-a US epidemic. MMWR. Morbidity and mortality weekly report, 61(1), 10. Cornes, P. (2012). The economic pressures for biosimilar drug use in cancer medicine. Targeted oncology, 7(1), 57-67. Declerck, P. J., & Simoens, S. A. (2012). European perspective on the market accessibility of biosimilars. Biosimilars, 2, 33-40. Dylst, P., Vulto, A., & Simoens, S. (2013). Demand-side policies to encourage the use of generic medicines: an overview. Expert review of pharmacoeconomics & outcomes research, 13(1), 59-72. Garcia-Gollarte, F., Baleriola-Julvez, J., Ferrero-Lopez, I., & Cruz-Jentoft, A. J. (2012). Inappropriate drug prescription at nursing home admission. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 13(1), 83-e9. Gibberson, R. A. D. M., Yoder, C. D. R., & Lee, C. D. R. (2012). Improving Patient and Health System Outcomes through Advanced Pharmacy Practice. A Report to the US Surgeon General. University of the Incarnate Word Pharmacy Review, 1(2). Haga, S. B., Burke, W., Ginsburg, G. S., Mills, R., & Agans, R. (2012). Primary care physicians’ knowledge of and experience with pharmacogenetic testing. Clinical genetics, 82(4), 388-394. Law, M. R., Ma, T., Fisher, J., & Sketris, I. S. (2012). Independent pharmacist prescribing in Canada O’Connor, M. N., Gallagher, P., & O’Mahony, D. (2012). Inappropriate Prescribing. Drugs & aging, 29(6), 437-452. Rolland, Y., Andrieu, S., Crochard, A., Goni, S., Hein, C., & Vellas, B. (2012). Psychotropic drug consumption at admission and discharge of nursing home residents. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 13(4), 407-e7. Rotenstein, L. S., Ran, N., Shivers, J. P., Yarchoan, M., & Close, K. L. (2012). Opportunities and Challenges for Biosimilars: What’s on the Horizon in the Global Insulin Market?. Clinical Diabetes, 30(4), 138-150. Spinewine, A., Fialova, D., & Byrne, S. (2012). The role of the pharmacist in optimizing pharmacotherapy in older people. Drugs & aging, 29(6), 495-510.

Freges Puzzle of Identity Statements Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Freges Puzzle of Identity Statements - Essay Example Friedrich Ludwig Gottlob Frege, a German philosopher, was one of the founder fathers of establishing a systematic and analytical approach to the philosophy of language. He instituted the idea of logically proving the quantified statements. In Frege's philosophy of language he found two puzzles, of which one related to the identity of statements. Frege says Now if we were to regard equality as a relation between that which the names 'a' and 'b' designate, it would seem that a = b could not differ from a = a (i.e. provided a = b is true). A relation would thereby be expressed of a thing to itself, and indeed one in which each thing stands to itself but to no other thing (Bencivenga E, 1993). Here, he observed that mere representation of names and descriptions does not convey the information content of a statement or a sentence in terms of logic and meaning. He further probed and found that a minimum of two relations are required for significant understanding of the language. In the subsequent paragraphs we will discuss the Frege's Puzzle of identity statements in detail and reasonably justify the solution of the puzzle as suggested by Frege himself. Identity statements are the expressions that equate the objects on both sides of the identity sign (Geach, O. and Black, Max, 1960). For example, "(2+3) = 5", "Clint is Eastwood" and "John is Peter's father". All these statements essentially belong to the same clan of kind " a= b". The statement "a = b" can only hold true when "a" and "b" both represent the same object or an individual. Now, consider a statement of kind "a = a". This statement also requires the same truth condition as required for the statement of kind "a = b". For both the cases, object or the individual is same and also, the denotations represent the same individual or the object. However, the meaning conveyed in the two cases is different. This appears to be a paradoxical situation as the representations of a unique object or an individual have a difference while being true at the same time. The Frege's puzzle states that when the difference in the representations, that is, "a" or "b" is not established by the tw o cases under consideration, then how we can find the difference in meaning or cognitive significance between the two true identity statements (Fiengo, Robert and May, Robert, 2006). Cognitive Significance of the Difference of Identity Statements To resolve the issue of difference, we first understand cognitive significance of a name or a statement. Cognitive significance of a statement, as brought out by Frege, can only be described by two important aspects of the statement, namely, 'sense' and 'reference' (Zalta, Edward N, 2005). Here, the 'sense' of the statement conveys more information then its interpretation by mere visual inspection (Schirn, M, 1976). Moreover, 'sense' is the integral part of the name and different names are associated with different 'sense' (Zalta, Edward N, 2005). A group of two or more statements may indicate or refer to a singular object but each statement has a unique sense of its own. Next, we obtain the distinction between the

Electrics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Electrics - Essay Example one watt is equivalent to 1 joule of energy per second. It is basically a measure of the rate of energy consumption. All the electrical appliances like bulb, refrigerator, television sets, computer, printer, iron consume some amount of electricity which decides their wattage. As a thumb rule, more the wattage more will be electrical consumption by that product. v. Farad (F): It is the SI unit of capacitive charge. An electric capacitor is made up of two parallel plates. As a result of electrical current some charge is stored on the plates of the capacitor. This charge is measured in Farad. One Farad is the capacitance having an equal and opposite charge of 1 coulomb on each plate and a voltage difference of 1 voltage between the plates. If the charge stored is less in quantity, it is measured in Micro-Farad (F) or Pico-Farad (pF). vi. Henry (H): It is the measure of inductive force produced in an inductor. Electromotive force is produced when we vary the current in an inductor. One volt of electromotive force (emf) is produced when the current is varied at the rate of one ampere per second. The unit is named after Joseph Henry, an American scientist of 18th century, who discovered electromagnetic induction. a. Temperature Coefficient of Resistance: This coefficient depicts the effect of temperature on the resistance of an electrical conductor. Increase or decrease of temperature affects the movement of the molecules within an atom. As temperature rises the movement increases, which in turn results in more collision amongst the molecules, thus impacting the specific resistance of the material. Therefore, in general the value of resistance (measured in ohms) of a material will depend upon the temperature coefficient of the resistance for the conductor. The total resistance for a material can be defined as; R = Rref [1 + (T-Tref)] Ohms or Where, R = Resistance of the conductor at a temperature, 'T' Rref = Resistance of conductor at a reference temperature of Tref. The Tref is usually 200C and sometimes for experimental purposes it is 00C. = Temperature coefficient of resistance for conductor material. T = Conductor temperature in degrees Celsius T = Reference temperature at which the Temp. Coefficient for the material is defined b. Relative Permittivity of Substance (r): It is the Ratio of the electric field strength in vacuum to that in a given medium. i.e. r = / o Where is the permittivity of the substance and o is the permittivity of the free space. The relative permittivity is also known as the dielectric strength of the substance. The dielectric constant is a complex constant with the real part giving reflective surface properties. The relative permittivity values affect the magnetic and electric behaviour of a conductor. The value of relative permittivity of a given substance keeps varying depending upon the electrical frequency, temperature etc. c. Magnetic Hysteresis: The Hysteresis is a magnetic property of a substance. This phenomenon is generally observed in ferromagnetic substances like Iron, nickel, cobalt etc. This group is called ferromagnetic as iron or 'ferric' is an

Is It Irrational Not to Be a Consequentialist Essay

Is It Irrational Not to Be a Consequentialist - Essay Example Thus, there is the establishment that the kind of action taken by the individual, either upright or rather morally acceptable behavior is what leads to the result. However, it also states that in the presence of morally wrong behavior, it does account for any bad or rather deeming consequences. In the paper, there is the clear exploration of the question whether it is irrational not to be of the consequentialism mind. The question is definitely one asked by people over ages and many are times that an ideal answer has lacked to emerge. Most people are of the concept that a person who sides with the consequentialism ideology is irrational. This is, however, not always true, as only the pessimists look at the ideology in that manner. â€Å"This is explained in that the thought of it being irrational is fueled by the thought of a consequence that will be very detrimental. It would hurt either the performer of the action or even the people that will be pretentious of the action either di rectly or indirectly† (Mill, 2008, 77). This basis is not legitimate on its own because of poor or ignored review of the other concept of thought and consequences of actions. This supports the notion that goes by the adage that the result of something is clearly justified by the means used to achieve it. On the other hand, there are those that are clearly optimistic by thinking that despite the manner or the method used to get to a point, the mind ought to fathom the consequences. Irrational not to be on the consequentialism ideology describes the optimists vividly. â€Å"As they are described, they just carry out their activities without the perception of the looming danger in case the idea or the project they may be contemplating working out may not conceive the desired conclusion† (Singer, 2006, 49). One of the well-known scientists in the field of human perception, Professor T.M focused his views on the issue using the concept of human rights. â€Å"The professor w as recognized to be very thorough in his explanation. He did this in an effort to explain the nature of both the ones who term the ideology irrational and rational† (Scheffler, 2004, 167). The professor explained clearly that if a person has the right to carry out a certain desired act knowing it will not endanger other people; the consequences of exercising rights are self and hence, there is the allowing of the practice. In the review of this subject matter, focusing on the general ideology is not convincing and detailed enough. Hence, the scrutiny by breaking it down to the various philosophies that comprise the general ideology of consequentialism has to happen. One of the comprising philosophies is Utilitarianism. â€Å"A famous historian by the name of Jeremy Bentham was known for his advocacy of the concept. In his explanation of the philosophy, he claimed that for a human to take a certain course of action, there are two main perceptions that linger in his mind. One o f them is gratification, while the one is misery† (Samuel, 2007, 127). The historian stated that the searching of pleasure could make a person go through misery as long as the result was going to be pleasure. For example a mass murderer who goes out on a killing spree to satisfy his pleasure of seeing people suffering. â€Å"With this notion, it is thus noted that this form of utilitarianism describes a member irrational to be a consequentialist†

Juvenile justice Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Juvenile justice - Case Study Example Since psychologist say that the majority of intellectual growth takes place throughout adolescents, the ACT OF 1993helps establish the idea that incarceration may not be the best way to deter young adults from committing future crimes. When studying the legislation which directs how young offenders should be treated, as this essay will do shortly, it is possible to detect certain trends. At some points the courts were directed to deal harshly with young offenders. Harsh treatment varies in severity, from hanging in the eighteenth century to the 'short, sharp, shock' of detention centres advocated more recently. A more humane approach is also detectable within the history of juvenile justice, whereby the correction or treatment of young offenders is directed away from the penal system and towards welfare experts. There is also some legislation which can be regarded as a reaction to a certain event, as has happened recently with regard to the treatment of young people who have committed very serious crimes but, although these examples are not very common, it provides concern as to how far policy is geared toward addressing issues. This essay will concentrate on the last 30 years of juvenile justice policy, a brief o utline of the changes which have occurred in this area over a longer period will be provided in order that the debate may have some context historically (Morris & Giller 1987). Recent legislative changes and the underlying assumptions which have influenced them will then be discussed. Firstly, however, different approaches to juvenile justice will be considered. The notion that youth in trouble with the law may just be misguided, has the youth courts not treating these matters strictly as criminal issues, but helping to divert the juvenile from a potential adult life of crime. The Young Offenders Act starts with the idea that youth should be responsible for their actions, but we must take into account that some youth make mistakes and there is no evidence that long sentences reduce youth crime. (Singer and McDowell, 1987) Child development and juvenile experts agree, that the "correction" of young offenders should be positive and influence healthy development. They say that a sense of responsibility and judgment are less developed in adolescents and thus makes rehabilitation that much greater and that the traditional sentences and emphasis on incarceration do not work well. They believe that rehabilitation, where possible, can address the needs and circumstances under which a crime was committed, for example, killing/maiming animals at a you ng age often indicates an underlying psychosis. The Act itself was developed around the purpose; giving the young offender a chance to realize that they are headed in the wrong direction. It is not trying to adjudicate crime, but to merely "save" the child involved and reduce their chance of recidivism. They caught onto this notion through the determination that adolescent development is critical to the mental, cognitive, social and moral/ethical well being of the young adult (The World of Psychology, 1999). Psychologists believe that the years between 12-17 are the most detrimental to these factors and that one has to understand that human development is the function of the

Music and Childhood Development Literature review

Music and Childhood Development - Literature review Example At this age, they can use their sense organs to coordinate to actions although not in a systematic manner. Music, according to these researchers contributes to a child’s growth. Rhythm is an essential in childhood development as the child first hears the mother’s heartbeat at the prenatal environment (Campbell and Scott-Kassner, 156). Rhythm can be witnessed in the movements infants make with others or alone. According to Chau and Riforgiate’s research, listening to music has two impacts. One is what the children learn from listening, and the other is how listening to particular forms of music impact the child’s development outside music environment. Researches conducted show the ability of children to understand different sounds from instruments in different families and also different instruments within same instrument family (Chau and Riforgiate, 5). The research shows children between the ages of 3 to 7 years able to differentiate between different ins truments as per size, as well as pitch. Children between the ages of 3 to 4 years could differentiate various musical families but could not differentiate instruments in the same family. This shows how music affects childhood development at different stages. Another research article by Levinowitz argues that early childhood is the duration of quick change and development. The research argues that even the youngest infant can receive music and discriminate it according to differences in frequency, melody and stimuli. Music at this stage is as important to the child as babbling is, when the child tries to talk. Claudia Gold, another researcher, argues that music affects how the brain of a child works. She proves there is scientific evidence that music influences children... According to the above research articles and books, music has come out to have effect on the growth of children. The sensitive early years of children contribute much to their future behaviors. The researches have shown that children who get exposed to music at their early ages perform better in other fields than those that have no exposure on music. This is an evidence of the impacts that music has on childhood development. Music opens up a child’s mind in their early days, and it completely affects their lives in the future. This report makes a conclusion that a journal of neuroscience published a study that suggests that musical training before the age of seven affects how children think. This is a report, according to the Science Daily. The research shows that ages between six and eight years are sensitive such that their listening to music affects the development of the mind. The ability of a child to play a musical instrument comes from the ability of the mind to coordinate with the body. The effect of music in children’s minds is evident from early ages because it affects how children think, and the effect follows the children’s activities. Many successful musicians, according to Turner, come from families which practiced music together at home. These families have generational traditions in music. This contributes to how children grow. Sibal presents research conducted by The International Foundation of Music Research, which finds that babies are aware of music, and can respond to it and different sounds inside their mothers’ wombs.

Responsibilities of Public Administrators Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Responsibilities of Public Administrators - Essay Example The excerpt outlines that the federal court judge ruled in favor of the authorities but not because of a clear verdict justified by law. McKelvey (2011) notes that administrators should show concern for the public good by executing actions that are justifiable to the citizens. The administrative duties need verification by the public as acts of common good prior to their implementation in a manner that does not threaten civil liberties. According to McKelvey (2011), public administrators should ensure the due process in the execution of their duties. That serves to prevent the infringement into individual citizens’ rights and avoids threat to civil liberties. Commands to terminate suspects’ lives should be backed by evidence. In this case, questioning the suspect and investigating into the matter would have been appropriate in substitution for the spray of missiles from the drone (McKelvey, 2011). Procedural respect towards citizens can help to avoid the execution of ci tizens based on null and non-existent hypotheses. Public administrators should abide by the law as well as show honesty and truthfulness while executing their tasks. As outlined in the law, the executive authority in question needed to have an arrest warrant before executing their duties. Contrary to that, the administrators never had an arrest warrant. Failure to justify the reason for the killing constitutes threat to civil liberties. It would have been proper to provide concrete justification for their actions while executing duty.

Compare and Contrast the Way Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen Approach the Subject of War Essay Example for Free

Compare and Contrast the Way Rupert Brooke and Wilfred Owen Approach the Subject of War Essay The title of this poem is very powerful. It tells the reader that this is a very sad poem and that by going to war death is almost certain. Sassoon has done this to give the reader an idea of war, and, as the reader reads the poem their insight into the brutality and the sorrow of war increases. The first paragraph of this poem tells of the slow death of a soldier as the sun rises. Sassoon has skilfully manipulated language and his choice of words in order to create a visual image that is slowly sculptured as the first four lines are read. Dark clouds are smouldering into red while down the craters morning burns the dying soldier shifts his head? To watch the glory that returns† The first half of the second paragraph speaks of the patriotism of soldiers for their countries and how they â€Å"want† to die for their land. This can be observed in the line â€Å"Hankering for wreaths and tombs and hearses†. The final half of the second paragraph tells of how the soldier faces his destiny with courage. Writing has always been a tool for reflecting and commenting on society. During the 20th century many poets reacted to problems in the world with highly emotionally charged poems. The horror of war and the spiritual degradation it inflicts is evident in the work of the World War I poets. Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) and Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) were both soldiers and poets. Their poems reflect the loss of innocence and the horrible mental and physical toll World War I inflicted on the world. ?Both Sassoon and Owen wrote war poetry to inform people of the realities of war. Sassoons efforts to publicly decry the war were stunted when the military announced he suffered from shell-shock and sent him to a hospital to recover. His poetry became the means of sharing his opinion that the war had become a war of aggression and conquest, (Norton 1832). He wanted to share with the public the true cost of war. His poem They reflects the common assumptions of the people at home about what the soldiers will be like when they come home. He wipes away all the illusions and shows that youll not find/A chap whos served that hasnt found some change (lines 9-10). In the poem, the soldiers dont return better and brighter. Instead, Sassoon shows how they return less whole by describing their injuries.? Sassoon met Owen while both were in the hospital recovering. Both mens greatest achievements as poets dealt with the war. Sassoons poems about the war were, deliberately written to disturb complacency, (Poets 855). He called them trench-sketches and wrote about what he witnessed while fighting with detail and honesty. Many of his war poems are highly satirical. While at home during the war, he was disturbed by the publics opinion of the war. Poems such as Blighters show his anger toward the civilian world:? Id like to see a Tank com down the stalls,? Lurching to rag-time tunes, or Home, sweet Home. ? And thered be no more jokes in Music-halls? To mock the riddled corpses round Bapaume. (5-8)? While Sassoon wrote war poetry to express his anger about the war, Owens main influence on his writing was not just a desire to show what war was actually like, but also an expression of the horrors he saw in many aspects of life. His poetry was heavily influenced by nightmares he experienced since his childhood which were only worsened by his experiences in battle. While in the hospital, Sassoon helped Owen with his writing. At first, Owen used many of the same shock tactics used by Sassoon, but he eventually found his own voice. After helping Owen with final editing process of Anthem for Doomed Youth, Sassoon wrote that he, realized that his verse, with its sumptuous epithets and large-scale imagery, its noble naturalness and the depth of meaning, had impressive affinities with Keats, whom he took as his supreme expemplar. This new sonnet was a revelation . . . It confronted me with classic and imaginative serenity (Poets 750). Owens poems, such as Anthem for Doomed Youth and Apologia pro Poemate Meo were not just inspired by war or dreams, but were also written as replies to other authors, the latter in response to a remark by Robert Graves. Own was not only powerful in his subject matter, but also technically, which is why Sassoon, Graves, and other poets admired his work. His use of para-rhyme added greatly to his poetry because it, produces effects of dissonance, failure, and unfulfilment that subtly reinforces his themes, (749).? Both poets wanted to express their views and feelings about the war. Their experiences in battle, although horrible, inspired them to write better poetry than they did before the war, and in Sassoons case, even after the war. Owen seems to be a more psychologically complex person. His poems are often melancholy and reach people on a deeply emotional level. Sassoons poems also affect people, but they do not leave a lasting impression. Sassoons goal as a war poet is to shock, while Owens goal is to make people experience deep emotion. It is obvious from Sassoons own remarks about Owen that even he felt the extreme emotional and lyrical power of Owens poems. The work of each poet serves as a reminder of the awfulness of war and the effect war has on peoples lives. Dulce Decorum Est The poem Dulce Decorum Est was written by Wilfred Owen. This poem illustrates how poetry can be influenced by the subject of the words rather than the words influencing the topic. The poem uses various literary devices to show that dying for ones country can be a very ugly and horrible thing; putting this idead into a poem, makes poetry a very ugly thing. Wilfred Owens makes use of many devices, but one of the first ones used in the poem is a simile. Bent double, like old beggars under sacks. This allows one to imagine a group of people hunched over, to malnourished and beaten to even stand up straight. Another example is floundring like a man on fire or lime. The man described has been poisoned by gas, but he looks as though he is running around trying to put out a fire on himself. The simimle illustrates the suffering of the man and his hopelessness. The author also utilizes words that have definite negative connotations in order to give the reader a feeling of unease and malady. Words such as sludge, fatigue, guttering, froth-corrupted, vile, and incurable, all have negative connotations. The words taken from the context of the poem still do not, and likely could not have any possible positive images or ideas associated with them. By choosing such words Owen condemns his poem to being sorrowful, sad and ugly. This is likely the authors intent as he sees war, sorrowful, sad, and ugly. Owen uses these literary devices and others to reach a single end. A sensory image of watching a man, in service of his country, die a terrible death. These include, the images of hunched men traveling through mud, hearing gas shells and putting on masks, a man drowning in gas, and the horrible ghastly death of that man. Owen incorporates sound with the blood Come gargling which enhances the horror felt by the reader. Wilfre Owen uses all these techniques to illustrate a simple point, that the phrase Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori, or translated to english, sweet and honorable it is, to die for the fatherland, is a lie. His poem tries to make real to the reader how horrible death is even when in the service of ones country. The statement is often made to children in search of adventure, but Owen makes clear that it is indeed a falsehood.

Aging and Disability Worksheet Essay Example for Free

Aging and Disability Worksheet Essay Identify 2 or 3 issues faced by the aging population. 1 Older adults experience unequal treatment, discrimination and prejudice in the workplace 2 Not growing old is not an option 3 Health problems Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What is ageism? How does ageism influence the presence of diversity in society? Ageism is the [prejudice and discrimination against the elderly. Ageism reflects a deep uneasiness among young and middle-aged people about growing old. For many, old age symbolizes disease and death; seeing older adults serves as a reminder that they too may someday become old and infirm. By contrast, society glorifies youth, seeing it as interchangeable with beauty and the future] (Schaefer, 2012). Ageism restricts the acceptance of the elderly by discriminating against them. The elderly are often referred to as â€Å"them† when most of us will one day be in that category. What is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)? How does the ADA address issues for the aging population? The Americans with Disabilities Act was an anti-discrimination law that started in 1992, covering people with a disability, defined as a condition that â€Å"substantially limits† a â€Å"major life activity† such as walking or seeing. It prohibits bias in employment, transportation, public accommodations, and telecommunication against people  with disabilities. Businesses with more than 15 employees cannot refuse to hire a qualified applicant with a disability; these companies are expected to make a â€Å"reasonable accommodation† to permit such a worker to do the job. Commercial establishments such as office buildings, hotels, theaters, supermarkets, and dry cleaners are barred from denying service to people with disabilities (Schaefer, 2012). One of the ways that the ADA addresses issues for the aging population is that it established requirements for businesses of all sizes (ADA, 2014). What is being done to address the issues you identified? [Many older adults with diminished heart and lung functions and reduced mobility will have placards or license plates for accessible parking. When parking is near the main door of the facility, these patrons have strength left after entering your business to shop, enjoy entertainment, or eat heartily. Clear, wide paths without stairs to the establishment’s entrance and throughout the business leave room for canes and walkers and accommodate people with reduced mobility and stamina. Minimum-weight doors with accessible hardware are easily opened by people who have arthritis or use a cane for extra balance. For heavier doors, automatic and power-assisted openers are helpful to everyone. Entrances and aisles with adequate head clearance and minimal projections into the path of travel result in easier navigation for people with lessened visual acuity or those who may be disoriented by clutter] (ADA, 2014) Is the number of aging population expected to rise in numbers or decrease? [The growth of the elderly population is projected to be over twenty one percent (21%) by 2050. An increasing proportion of the population will be composed of older people. This trend is expected to continue well through the twenty-first century as mortality declines and the postwar baby boomers age. Looking over a period of a century, we see the proportion over age 65 increases from less than one in 10 in 1960 to almost one in four by 2050] (Schaefer, 2012). What types of legislation may or may not be affected by the aging population? There are many issues facing the elderly today any many could involve  legislation affecting things as Social Security and Medicare healthcare benefits. The development and workings of groups aimed at protecting not only the threatened benefits of Social Security, Medicare, and other healthcare, but also other considerations for the elderly lifestyle are on the rise and proving to be helpful to our aging society as our Baby Boomers approach retirement age. How does poverty affect the aging population? Poverty among the elderly is seen as much less today as it was in the past. This can be attributed to pension plans and higher paying jobs that the people worked at. Although the rate of poverty is declining in the elderly, poverty is still an issue. One major cause is the rising cost of long term healthcare and medicines. With the increased life expectancy rates, this only compounds the problem as people are living longer. Part II Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use. What does the ADA provide for people with disabilities? The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications. It also applies to the United States Congress. To be protected by the ADA, one must have a disability or have a relationship or association with an individual with a disability. An individual with a disability is defined by the ADA as a person who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a person who has a history or record of such an impairment, or a person who is perceived by others as having such an impairment. The ADA does not specifically name all of the impairments that are covered (US Department of Justice, April 9, 2012). How have people with disabilities been treated in the past? Lukoff and Cohen (1972) note that some communities banished or Ill-treated the blind while others accorded them special privileges. In a comparison of  the status of persons with disabilities in a number of non-occidental societies, Hanks and Hanks (1948) found wide differences. Persons with disabilities were completely rejected by some cultures, in others they were outcasts, while in some they were treated as economic liabilities and grudgingly kept alive by their families. In other settings, persons with disabilities were tolerated and treated in incidental ways, while in other cultures they were given respected status and allowed to participate to the fullest extent of their capability (Disability Studies Quarterly, 2014). How has the attitude toward people with disabilities changed over time? A Lou Harris poll conducted in 1991 was revealing and positive. For example, 98% of individuals questioned believe that all people, regardless of one’s ability, should have an opportunity to participate in mainstream society. Furthermore, there was a strong sentiment toward increased employment of persons with disabilities; 92% polled believed that employment of persons with disabilities would be economically beneficial to society. There is a strong trend toward acceptance. These attitudes are in sharp contrast to the prevailing attitudes of the first half of this century. (University of Florida College of Dentistry, 2014) What are some unique circumstances or issues encountered by people with disabilities? There are numerous circumstances or issues encountered by people with disabilities daily. The task of accomplishing simple tasks can sometimes seem insurmountable. Those with physical disabilities must often times depend on the help of others to get along daily, let alone pursue a meaningful life. Public transportation can be difficult; sidewalks are not always wheelchair friendly, doorways are sometimes not wide enough, print can be too small to read on menus. What is being done to address those issues? Businesses that serve the public must modify policies and practices that discriminate against people with disabilities; comply with accessible design standards when constructing or altering facilities; remove barriers in existing facilities where readily achievable; and provide auxiliary aids and services when needed to ensure effective communication with people who have  hearing, vision, or speech impairments. All businesses, even those that do not serve the public, must comply with accessible design standards when constructing or altering facilities (ADA, 2014) What types of legislation have been introduced to address issues faced by people with disabilities? Following the original Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), including changes made by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (P.L. 110-325), which became effective on January 1, 2009. The ADA was originally enacted in public law format and later rearranged and published in the United States Code. The United States Code is divided into titles and chapters that classify laws according to their subject matter. Titles I, II, III, and V of the original law are codified in Title 42, chapter 126, of the United States Code beginning at section 12101. Title IV of the original law is codified in Title 47, chapter 5, of the United States Code. (ADA.gov, 2008) References ADA. (2014). ADA Business Connection. Retrieved from http://www.ada.gov/business.htm ADA.gov. (2008). Americans With Disablities Act of 1990 As Amended. Retrieved from http://www.ada.gov/pubs/adastatute08.pdf Disability Studies Quarterly. (2014). Past and Present Perceptions Towards Disability: A Historical Perspective. Retrieved from http://www.sds.org/article/view/3197/3068 Schaefer, R. T. (2012). Racial and Ethnic Groups (13th ed.). Bergen County, NJ: Merrill Prentice Hall. US Department of Justice. (April 9,2012). A Guide To Disability Rights Laws. Retrieved from http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm University of Florida College of Dentristy. (2014). Societys Attitude Towards People with Disabilities. Retrieved from http://paul-burtner.dental.ufl.edu/oral-health-care-for-persons-with-disabilities/societys-attitude-towards-people-with-disabilities/

Introduction of an evening well baby clinic

Introduction of an evening well baby clinic Leadership Report Introduction of an evening well baby clinic 1.Introduction, Aim and Objectives 1.1This report will provide evidence of the application of leadership knowledge to the role of the health visitors practice. The report will look at my leadership style and skills in relation to developing and implementing an evening well baby clinic. When implementing this clinic I will aim to address and discuss past leadership experience and how I will use this within my team to achieve the best outcomes for families within my practice area. Attention will be paid to relating this to improving the quality of care as highlighted in the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) Standards of proficiency for specialist community public health nurses, 2004. The standards also state that I, as a Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) must work in partnership with all team members and clients. I will apply my existing and newly developed leadership skills when managing my evening well baby clinic (NMC, 2004 and DOH, 2009). This report will include a discussion on my best practice and the use of evaluation and reflection in learning from experiences. The report will also include issues related to the quality of care and how my leadership can maintain or improve it. The aims and objectives of this report are to provide a clear expression of the quality issues in clinical care and to analyse my understanding of leadership and leadership styles in relation to quality of care. I will then look at change theories, management and leadership styles within my practice area and consider what the strengths and weaknesses are. Consideration will also be given to conflict management and my style of leadership within the team in order to promote effective working. 2. Knowledge and Copmetence of Leadership Practice 2.1Whilst undertaking the SCPHN course I have had many opportunities and experiences to develop my leadership, and reflect on the kind of leader I aspire to be. There are two types of leaders: transformational and transactional (Hartley and Benington, 2010). I feel that I am currently a transformational leader as I try to motivate staff members, encourage vision and ideas and inspire team members and clients to achieve the best possible outcomes. As identified by Huber (2010), vision is a key aspect of any leadership activity. I feel that my evening well baby clinic has shown my vision through the ideas and implementation of activities within the group. I shared my vision with fellow team members and this promoted motivation and inspiration. Transactional leadership is a more direct approach setting out clear goals and offering rewards to staff members in order to meet objectives (Hartley and Benington, 2010). I adapted aspects of this approach but felt that a transformational approach was more appropriate for my team and my practice. Whilst the transformational model of leadership may be seen as dynamic and therefore appeal to change agents, in this scenario the proposed change is largely transactional. It could be argued that the evening clinic will not provide staff with new skills or knowledge and it is unlikely to be seen as a particularly innovative as it is simply expanding an already existing service within the practice area. However, it is important to recognise the need for transactional change, in this instance practical concerns of an evening well baby clinic are being addressed. The evening clinic will not only benefit service users, but I feel that it will also give the health visitors a new perspective and insight into families that they would not normally see, thus it will improve service delivery and help achieve both local and national requirements. 2.2 I feel that in order to look at management and leadership theories, it is important to understand the differences between them. Warren (2005) states that the key role of leadership is vision, from this management embraces the vision, into the day to day running of the organisation thus allowing the leader to transform how the care is delivered while management focuses on budgets, targets and health and safety etc. Kotter (1990) furthermore illustrates the importance of both management and leadership within organisations for the implementation of a seamless service. This is supported by Marquis and Huston (2009) who argue that within nursing, management and leadership should be integrated. I believe that it is vital for leaders to have the ability to be both managers and leaders at the same time in order for quality of care to take place. It is important to remember that management and leadership are very different but have overlapping functions (Ellis and Hartley, 2009, Gopee and Galloway 2009). To combine aspects of leadership and management skills are an essential part of the SCPHN role. Gopee and Galloway (2009) support Huber (2010) about the key importance of a visionary approach to leadership. It is important to reflect on the differences between leadership and management, to have the ability to utilise management in order to enhance my leadership and promote flexible, positive and appropriate team development. This is contradicted by Goodwin (2006) who postulated that leaders must have vision but do not need management skills, but management must have vision. 2.3 In my leadership experience I believe that having an effective working relationship with your team can influence the outcomes of a project this is supported by Hartley and Benington (2010) as a key leadership quality. Kotter (1990) suggests that leadership sets directions and motivates people, inspiring them to have the ability to adopt a visionary position, to set direction, and to anticipate as well as coping with change. I have adapted this approach by undertaking regular team meetings where ideas and goals were set. Then time was given for the team to feedback their own personal vision which promoted self esteem and ownership of the project to enhance team motivation towards a common goal. Through this feedback time, team members were able to identify their own strengths and interests to bring to the project, any areas of weakness that were identified were discussed and any relevant training was given. Cooperation and collaboration from other agencies was resourced to provid e the best quality service for staff and service users alike. This enabled learning from each other where any potential conflict would be avoided by staff working within their capability within their role, and recognising that each member of staff is accountable for their own practice. 2.4 I believe that leadership from health visitors within the practice setting is key to quality care being given, along with a range of services being available and accessible within the community. In order to achieve this I considered my leadership approach to improving services for the community in which I work, based on guidance and policy highlighted in the Department of Healths NHS plan (2000). The white paper; The New NHS: Modern Dependable (DH, 1997) advocated improvements to the quality, range and accessibility of services available within the community. In order to improve the quality of my service I decided to implement a change in time and working structure for staff. Acheson, (1998) highlighted that within primary care it is important that services are not only effective but readily accessible. Acheson concluded that the NHS should be aiming to provide equitable access to effective health care for all. The project that I have implemented is aimed to improve the quality o f existing services by making the time more convenient to clients. Anecdotal evidence from parents who have or are due to return to work has highlighted a current deficit in service provision. Service users have indicated general dissatisfaction at there being no clinic available at a time accessible to working parents. When discussing inequalities it is easy to focus on disadvantaged families living in deprived areas. It is important to acknowledge that working parents have difficulty accessing services during the working day and are therefore also experiencing inequality. In response to this as a leader I have identified a gap in service provision and an opportunity to reduce inequalities in health by providing this service. As the leader of this project it was my responsibility to communicate and promote collaborative working with multi disciplinary organisations and to be a positive role model to the staff within my team. The document Our health, Our care, Our say (DH, 2006) ide ntifies aims and objectives for professionals to guide them in their role of improving services in the community. It also states that more co-ordination between services is needed and greater consistency across the health service in order to reduce inequalities. It advocated a more flexible service in order to increase accessibility and it recommends involving service users and the local population in decision making. 3. Leadership Styles and the Complexity of Care Delivery. 3.1 In the last year as a student health visitor I have been able to observe many different leadership styles which has enabled me to be adaptable and to manage the changing environment. On reflection I believe that I have chosen aspects of these styles to develop my own style. Hartley and Bennington (2010) suggest that better leadership within health care is central to improving the quality of healthcare. Through research I have found that there are many different leadership styles, Hersey et al (2007) identified these styles as authoritarian, laissez-faire and democratic. Within my career I have encountered many of the leadership styles, this has enabled me to choose aspects of these styles within my own practice. I found the laissez-faire approach of no interference and lack of decision making and a lack of structure to be confusing and unclear. The advantages of this approach with groups are that they are fully independent and promote professionals working together (Huber, 2010). The authoritarian approach from previous leaders has been very directive and not team focused. I found this approach did not encourage togetherness and therefore I would not want to promote this within my team. In conflict situations I can see how it would be an efficient approach. I aim to be a democratic leader who works with their team, sharing responsibility and decision making although this may be a long drawn out process I believe it will facilitate an improved project. Huber (2010) stated that the challenges of a democratic style are getting people with different professional backgrounds to work together and decide on a plan of action. To overcome this I ensured that the team shared common goals. I consider that the change in work practices that I brought to the team motivated the staff to examine their own working practice. This was shown to me through the interest and suggestions that the team offered in the form of their ideas to meet this challenge. By tapping into the moral dimension of a proposed change in this instance promoting the need for staff to contribute in order to protect child safety and also to reduce the health inequalities that the children and families who would not otherwise be in a position to attend a well baby clinic during the day could face. I recognised early on in the process that there was resistance to working unsocial hours. The clinic required two members of staff, one needing to be qualified health visitor, to en sure staff safety and adhere to the local lone working policy. Within the practice area as a whole there are approximately twenty health visitors, eight nursery nurses and two staff nurses employed by the Trust. This highlighted that staff may only be expected to cover one clinic every ten months. Some staff volunteered to work the clinic more often and this provided relief for those staff who were not so keen to work into the evening. Working into the evening provided a benefit to thee staff as this allowed them to commence work later in the day, therefore demonstrating that as a democratic leader I inspired staff to change by motivating followers to surpass their own self-interest for the sake of the team and organisation (Bass 1990). 3.2 Situational leadership was formulated by Hersey and Blanchard (2007) and postulates that leaders adapt their style according to the situation. Supportive behaviours encourage the team to facilitate the problem solving (Northouse, 2010). Situational leaders have two main types of intervention: those which are supportive and those which are directive. The effective situational leader is one that adjusts the directive and supportive dimensions of their leadership according to the needs of their workforce (Northouse, 2010). Most team members were found to be highly motivated in the project, identified by their suggestions and ideas, eliminating the need for a directive role. The supportive behaviours I employed encouraged a participative approach characterised by the use of finely tuned interpersonal skills such as active listening, giving feedback and praising. 3.3 I can see that my democratic style of leadership encouraged staff participation and commitment. This was achieved by assessing staff competence and commitment to completing the task. One member of staff appeared to take little interest and did not offer ideas, this displayed a lower level of commitment compared to other staff members and hence I directed her more. This was overcome using the coaching behaviours supported by Hersey and Blanchard (2007). This form of coaching allowed encouragement through two way discussions about the proposed changes and resulted in increased levels of commitment and motivation from this individual member of staff, integrating her into the change process. On reflection this can also be identified as reducing resisting factors to a change within a force field as by adapting to the needs of that team member, I encouraged her to take part and share her ideas. Rather than hindering progress and potentially opposing the change, she felt included and valued. I aim to develop my leadership style further by gaining feedback from my team members and by reflecting on what have been positive and negative experiences, whilst maintaining a link with best evidence based practice. 3.4 When implementing my evening well baby clinic and introducing my new leadership style, it was important to remember that change would be needed. When proposing change I recognised the need for a structured process. Keyser and Wright (1998) support this by stipulating that if structure is not used then the change process could easily fail. It is important therefore, to acknowledge the diverse nature of the process. Lewin (1951) identified three stages in the process of change unfreeze, move and refreeze. Within my project, the unfreeze process was achieved when communication and planning was undertaken with both staff and trust management to gain their support for the proposed evening clinic. The move process involved trialling the evening clinic for a period of six months to produce evidence of its effectiveness. The evidence would be gained from numbers of attendees and also through evaluation forms given to all attendees of both day and evening clinics. If the evaluation of th e service proved it to be successful it would ultimately result in the clinic becoming an established clinic this would conclude the refreeze process. Through informal face to face discussions while implementing the clinic, I gained peoples thoughts and opinions. In Kassean Jagoos study (2005), they identified the unfreezing stage as that of enabling people to express their thoughts on the current situation. Sheldon and Parkers (1997) research went on to explore the concept that people can only be empowered by a vision that they understand and that it is important that the strategies used foster inclusion and participation so that all team members are fully aware of the need for change. 3.5 When improving care, two potential obstacles have been highlighted by Tait (2004), these were highlighted as limited resources and the pace of change. With these in mind, a force field analysis (Lewin, 1951) has been completed to try and identify potential barriers. The issues I have identified are that it must be established early in the process the arrangements for the remuneration of staff time. Possible options being overtime payments or time owing. Staff displayed individual preferences depending on their individual perception of the benefit of each option and some staff raised the option of simply changing their hours of work. As the decision on how time will be paid, and how hours should be worked will lie with the management team it is important to establish their response promptly as this issue is likely to be raised by the health visitors very early in the change process. Another issue identified was health and safety. As the building is already used for a family planni ng clinic, any health and safety issues are already likely to have been addressed. I however considered it to be good practice to revisit and review the risk assessment. I identified a training issue around securing the health centre at the end of the evening these locking up and safety procedures could be addressed with a short in-house training session. After identifying the above issues it was my responsibility as a leader to consider resources and budgets available in order to achieve all my aims and objectives. 4.Leadership and the Quality of Client Care. 4.1 The Government outlines the need for nurses to develop leadership skills at all levels (DH 1998; DH 1999). Following Lord Darzis review( 2008), the Leadership Council (2010) was set up, to effect changes in health care delivery, which included supporting the national and local service. The NHS Confederation (2009) stresses that standards must be maintained through vision to avoid the regression of services through the recession. The leadership role expected of health visitors is evident in Shifting the Balance of Power (DH 2001a) and Liberating the Talents (DH 2002) with the expectation that health visitors will lead teams which will deliver family-centred public health within the communities they work (DH 2001b). I strongly believe that by collaborating with other agencies when setting up my evening well baby clinic I have improved the quality of care for clients within my practice area. 4.2 When implementing my project I took into consideration the feelings and expressed needs of service users (Bradshaw, 1972), and in line with both local Primary Care Trust (PCT) and government policy (Sec 2.3) regarding accessibility to services, an evening clinic was proposed for a trial period of six months. I made this decision as a leader of my team to ensure quality care and provision was implemented. To enable ongoing quality and evaluation, change will be audited and evaluated in order to inform future practice and service delivery. In health visiting I believe that the emphasis should be placed on quality of care, providing and promoting access to health information and helping people make sense of the information so that they are able to make informed lifestyle decisions (DH, 2000). 4.3 Research by Keatinge, (2005) suggests that parents preferred source of child health information comes from child health clinics. Health visitors were identified within the research to be a reliable source of information parents felt comfortable talking to them and their advice was perceived to be reliable. Attendance at child health clinic was viewed as an opportunity to obtain regular information and advice. Another study by Bowns, Crofts, Williams, Rigby, Hall, Haining (2000) looked at parental satisfaction within the health visiting service, this found that approximately two thirds of health visitor contacts took place in the clinic and routine weighing and general advice accounted for a high percentage of recent contacts in one year old infants. Feedback from parents within my area of practice contradicts this research attendance at clinic within my practice area is poor and parents comments would suggest that the implementation of an evening clinic would increase attendanc es. The National Service Framework (NSF) for Children, Young People and Maternity services (DH, 2004), Standards 1-3 are particularly relevant when considering a well baby clinic, as the focus is on promoting health and identifying needs, supporting parents and providing services that are family centred. Each of these standards can be addressed in the planning and implementation of a well baby clinic. The NSF is intended to promote a culture which provides services that are designed around the needs of the family, not the needs of the organisation or staff, thus maintaining and improving the quality of care for all (DH, 2004). 4.4 Organisations must develop structures to improve quality of care (Tait, 2004). This is maintained through clinical governance, risk assessment and audit (DOH 2000B, Bishop, 2009. Christmas, 2009). Health visitors work within corporate caseloads but much work is undertaken independently. It is therefore important that communication and team support is encouraged. Part of my leadership role was to facilitate this communication through regular health visitor meetings and also through less formal discussion with staff, which encouraged communication and helped stimulate a wider team spirit. Support for this is shown by Ferlie and Shortell (2001) who argue that emphasis needs to placed on shared and distributed leadership across all team members and organisations for quality care to take place and to promote organisational change. 5.Dynamic and Flexible Leadership. 5.1Within the project there is a mixture of cultures that have proved beneficial when planning the expansion of the well baby clinic. Managerial support was established early in the process, so that the change would be less opposed. However in addition to this staff were encouraged to contribute their ideas and concerns so that the change process could progress more smoothly. The implementation of this strategy reduced the risks of potential conflict. Barr and Dowding (2010) state that by being a dynamic and flexible leader who is able to resolve conflict effectively, high quality patient care can be achieved. Across all organisations change can sometimes be viewed as a negative thing. The majority of the team who will be affected by this change are established health visitors. There can at times has been some resistance to change and a tendency to continue with certain practices because historically it has always been done that way or because the team has seen other new ideas tried and fail before. 5.2 If conflict was to arise within my team I would use a conflict resolution strategy as identified by Barton (1991). This approach can be adapted by leaders to help improve team morale and productivity (Huber 2010). I believe the important factors for the leader to implement are effective communication, assertiveness and empathy. If this technique is delivered effectively I believe conflicts can be resolved quickly and with minimal upset. If conflict arises and a leader avoids confronting an issue or withdraws from the situation this can be beneficial as it allows for a cooling off period between team members, but I believe that this is not a solution as it will not resolve the conflict. Marquis and Huston (2009) support Hubers research by saying that a leader should address conflict but also needs to recognise and accept an individuals differences and opinions. Therefore a flexible leadership style should be adopted whenever possible. 6 Conclusion and Summary 6.1 In summary my leadership incorporates a transformational leadership model which places great importance on the needs, values and morals of others (Northouse, 2004). The goal of transformational leadership is to create a vision, to empower others and to adopt a style of encouragement, listening and facilitating. This lends itself to the nursing profession as it stimulates suggestions and discussion about change in practice this is strengthened by Marriner-Tomey (2004) who illustrate that transformational leaders are accustomed to sharing power, using influence, developing potential and moving groups towards common goals in a non coercive way and are seen as the only leader likely to bring about lasting change within health care. 6.2 Before completing this change within practice and from previous experiences within my career, I believed that a large proportion of change within practice was dictated to staff by managers, and that as an individual within a large workforce I had relatively little influence over work practices. I also felt that I had few opportunities to lead other staff. The benefit of compiling this report has been gaining valuable insight into the dynamics of leadership and understanding that different types of change and leadership are equally important. I have also benefited from completing and seeing through the process and analysing the actual and potential problems that may occur when trying to introduce a change in practice. I feel that the knowledge gained has influenced and inspired me to strive to become a motivational and democratic leader, and more importantly to understand that to be an effective leader you do not need to be born with the skills required but leaders simply need the motivation and the will to acquire the expertise. This is confirmed by theorists who believe that leadership is a learnable set of skills and practices available to everyone regardless of stature or position within an organisation (Yoder-wise, 2002 , Kouzes 2007). 6.3 I have found this experience has given me the opportunity to understand the process of planning and implementing a change within practice. I now feel that I have a better understanding of the need to become a flexible leader so that I am able to alter my approach to different situations and people, thus preventing staff conflict. I have discovered that there is a potential difficulty to gather the necessary evidence-base and I must pursue this further. In the future I hope my new confidence in my ability to lead and empower will make me a valuable contributor to the health visiting service. I will continue to study working practices that I would like to change, and ensure there is a good evidence-base for any new proposals and follow a structured process in order to maximise the potential success of future ventures. 7. Recommendations 7.1 In the current climate within the National Health Service it is clear that leadership practice is now the focus of staff at all levels. As health visitors are seen by Government to be leaders within their field, I recognise the need to focus on improving my leadership skills. Within my preceptorship, I intend to observe and reflect on how other experienced health visitors approach leadership within their teams. This will enable me to further develop my own leadership style within my future role.

the freedoms in liberalism :: essays research papers

Name and Contrast the Freedoms in Liberalism Liberal ideas arose from the breakdown of the feudal system that was commonplace in Europe, which saw the growth of the capitalist society currently in place. Liberalism was the aspiration of the rising middle classes, which had conflicting interests with the power of absolute monarchs and landed aristocracy. With this capitalist society, a serf now had the ‘freedom’ to think for themselves; to decide who to work for or where to live, what to buy and so forth. This type of freedom or liberty was a view of early or classical liberalism, where liberty was a natural right, an essential requirement for leading a truly human existence. Later liberals viewed liberty or freedom as a vehicle to only develop their skills and talents and fulfil their potential. Liberals do not accept individuals have an overall entitlement to freedom, where this freedom can be used to abuse others. John Stuart Mills introduces ‘self-regarding’ and ‘other-regarding’ freedoms where ‘self-regarding’ actions allow individuals to ‘do anything they want’. An ‘Other-regarding’ action restricts or damages the freedoms of others. The law requiring motorcyclists to wear helmets can be seen as both ‘self-regarding’ and ‘other-regarding’ whereby the motorcyclists wants to exhibit there freedom by not wearing their helmet (self-regarding) but is restricted by the law of compulsory helmets (other-regarding). An individual may be sovereign over their body and mind, however they must respect the fact everyone enjoys an equal right to liberty. Isaiah Berlin showed a distinction between a ‘negative’ and a ‘positive’ theory of liberty. The classical or early liberals viewed freedom in the context of being left alone, being able to act however they pleased.

Social Order and Animal Consciousness :: Biology Essays Research Papers

Social Order and Animal Consciousness There is nothing new about the uncanny abilities of animals. People have noticed them for centuries. Millions of pet owners and pet trainers today have experienced them personally. But at the same time, many people feel they have to deny these abilities or trivialize them. They are ignored by institutional science. Pets are the animals we know best, but their most surprising and intriguing behavior is treated as of no real interest. Why should this be so, and what about the implications of animal consciousness and intelligence through the behavior observed by those with close relations to animals. One reason for institutional science’s lack of interest is a taboo against taking ‘pets’ seriously. This taboo is not confined to scientist but is a result of the split attitudes to animals expressed in our society as a whole. During working hours we commit ourselves to economic progress fueled by science and technology and based on the mechanistic view of life. This view, dating back to the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century, derives form Renà © Descarte’s theory of the universe as a machine. Though the metaphors have changed (from the brain as a hydraulic machine in Descarte’s time), life is still thought of in terms of machinery. Animals and plants are seen as genetically programmed automata. Meanwhile, back at home, we have our pets. Pets are in a different category from other animals. Pet-keeping is confined to the private, or subjective, realm. Experiences with pets are kept out of the real, or objective, world. There is a huge gulf between companion animals, treated as members of the family, and animals in factory farms and research laboratories. Our relationships with our pets are based on different sets of attitudes, on I-thou relationships rather than I-it approach encouraged by science. Whether in the laboratory or in the field, scientific investigators typically try to avoid emotional connections with the animals they are investigating. They aspire to a detached objectivity. They would therefore be unlikely to encounter the kinds of behavior and apparent consciousness that depend on the close attachment between animals and people. In this realm, animal trainers and pet owners are generally far more knowledgeable and experienced than professional researchers on animal behavior- unless they happen to be pet owners themselves. Consciousness has been found to be one of the hardest things to define and study. The textbook definition of "Consciousness" is the full knowledge of what is in one’s own mind; awareness.

Development of English Lit During Any One Period Essay

Trace the development of English lit during any one period†¦As part of your discussion highlight how significant events in the influence the writing†¦Additionally show how characteristics of the genre the writer uses reflects the period in which it was written. James Arthur Baldwin once stated that: â€Å"know from whence you came. If you know whence you came, there are absolutely no limitations to where you can go.† This quotation may apply to the span of the Anglo-Saxon period because of the coherent linkage to the origination of the English dialect and the modernization of English Literature. Over the years English literature has evolved greatly. There have been diverse changes to the structure and development of English language since the advent of Old English dialect during the Anglo-Saxon period to what we now speak and consider to be English language. â€Å"Old English is not uniform. It consists of various dialects, but literature needs to treat it as a lang uage† (Michael Delahoyde.) Research has proven that around the world there are over one hundred (100) variants of English, from different American-English dialects, to those of Asia, Africa and Oceana. It is important for one to know both the origin of this powerful masterpiece known as the English Language and the importance of this literary period to the development of English literature. In attempting to do the aforementioned, the focus will be on the Anglo-Saxon people, their society, culture, and literary work with a view towards highlighting the impact on the development of the English language and English literature. The Anglo-Saxon or Old English period goes from the invasion of Celtic England in the first half of the fifth century (AD 700) up till the conquest in 1066 by William of Normandy. The Anglo-Saxons consisted of diverse ethnicity that forms one nation. There were three main ethnic groups that formed the Anglo-Saxon. These are: Angles from Angel in South-West Denmark, Saxon from North-West Ger many, and Jute from Jutland in Central Denmark. These three main ethnic groups have made up most of the Anglo-Saxon society. However; smaller group of people from Germanic ethnic group were also associated with the Anglo-Saxons. These people shared the same language but were each ruled by different strong warriors who invaded and conquered Britain while the Romans were still in control. The Angles and the Saxon tribe being the largest of the groups when attacking other ethnic groups were often called the Anglo-Saxons. England which means the Land of the Angles was a name given after the Anglo-Saxon. A writer describes them as: â€Å"A warrior society that put swords and shields before fancy artifacts. Helmets were placed before gold and death before dishonour.† The Anglo-Saxon was a pagan society and the people were initially free; however, life for even the richest of the social groups was very hard. The Anglo-Saxon society had three social classes. There was an upper-class, middle class and a lower class. The Anglo-Saxon upper class was the Thanes. They would give gifts like weapons to their followers and they enjoyed hunting and feasting. The churls were the middle class in the Anglo-Saxon Society. Some churls were wealthy people while some were very poor. The lower class was slaves called Thralls. The churls and the Thanes were owners of Land. However, some churls had to rent land from a Thane. They would then work the Thane land for part of the week and give him part of their crops in exchange for rent. â€Å"The basis of society was the free peasant. However in time Anglo-Saxon churls began to lose their freedom. They became increasingly dependent on their Lords and under their control† (Tim Lambert.) Researches have indicated that most Anglo-Saxons were primitive subsistence farmers. It has also being proven that some of the men were craftsmen. The farmers grew wheat, barley, peas, cabbage, carrots, rye and parsnip. They reared animals such as pigs, cattle and flocks of sheep. The craftsmen were blacksmith, bronze smith, jewelers and potters. Their homes were made with wood and have thatched roofs. Anglo-Saxon society was decidedly patriarchal, but women were in some ways better off than they would be in later times. â€Å"A woman could own property in her own right. She could and did rule a kingdom if her husband died. She could not be married without her consent and any personal goods, including lands that she brought into a marriage remained her own property. If she were injured or abused in her marriage her relatives were expected to look after her interests† (David Ross.) The women were responsible for grounding of grains, baking of bread, brewing of beer, making of butter and cheese. During this era it was dangerous to travel; thus, most people would travel only if it was unavoidable. If possible they would travel by water along the coast or along the river. During the early Anglo-Saxon period England was a very different place from what it is today. The human population was very small. They grew their own food and made their own clothes†¦ The lord and kin had the strongest ties in the Anglo-Saxon society. The ties of loyalty were to the person of a lord. There was no real concept of patriotism or loyalty to a cause. â€Å"Kings could not, except in exceptional circumstances, make new laws. Their role instead was to uphold and clarify previous custom. The first act of a conquering king was often to assure his subjects that he would uphold their ancient privileges, laws, and customs† (David Ross.) One of the most famous kings during the Anglo-Saxon period was Ethelberht, king of Kent (reigned c.560-616). He married Bertha, the Christian daughter of the king of Paris, and who became the first English king to be converted to Christianity. â€Å"Ethelberht’s law code was the first to be written in any Germanic language and included 90 laws. His influence extended both north and south of the river Humber: his nephew became king of the East Saxons.â₠¬  (The Royal Household) Kinship was very important in the Anglo-Saxon society. If you were killed your relatives would avenge you. If one of your relatives were killed you were expected to avenge them. However the law did offer an alternative. If you killed or injured somebody you could pay them or their family compensation. This led to bloody and extensive feuds. The money paid was called wergild and it set a monetary value on each person’s life according to their wealth and social status. The wergild for killing a thane was much more than that for killing a churl. Thralls or slaves had no wergild. If the wergild was not paid the relatives were entitled to seek revenge. The wergild value could also be used to set the fine payable if a person was injured or offended against. Robbing a thane called for a higher penalty than robbing a churl. On the other hand, a thane who thieves could pay a higher fine than a churl who did likewise. The Anglo-Saxons enjoyed storytelling, riddles and games. Most Anglo-Saxon poetry emerges from an oral tradition and was meant for entertainment. These works include genres such as epic poetry, hagiography, sermons, Bible translations, legal works , chronicles, riddles, and others. Poets were known as Scops and harpists Gleemen. They would sing or recite and were the only historians of the time. The poetic structure was based on accent and alliteration (not rhyme and meter). The minstrels and gleemen would entertain the lord and his men by singing and playing the harp. Michael Delahoyde from Washington State University stated in an argument that â€Å"We get our syntax from the Anglo-Saxons, our preference for and greater ease with nouns, the tendencies to simplify grammar and shorten words, and the â€Å"law of recessive accent† — the tendency to place the accent on the first syllable and to slur over subsequent syllables. The poem Beowulf, which has achieved national epic status in England and Judith, are among the most important works of this period. Other writings such as the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle are significant to the study of the era, as it provides preserving chronology of early English history, while the poem Cà ¦dmon’s Hymn to d ate survives as the oldest extant work of literature in English. Researchers have suggested that there are twelve known medieval poets as most Old English poets are anonymous. Only four of those are known by their vernacular works to us today with any certainty: Caedmon, Bede, Alfred the Great, and Cynewulf. Of these, only Caedmon, Bede, and Alfred the Great have known biographies. The epic Beowulf reflects the era that it was written in greatly as it speaks immensely about pagan deities, a Christian tradition and about a warrior society. A writer describes it as â€Å"the symbol of the antiquity and continuity of English poetry.† â€Å"Several features of Beowulf folktale and the sense of sorrow for the passing of worldly things mark it as elegiac†¦The Germanic tribal society is indeed central to Beowulf. The tribal lord was to ideals of extraordinary martial valor†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (David Damrosch, pg 27). The poet careful use of varied themes and techniques such as alliterations â€Å"as a structural principle† (pg27), litotes, compound words, repetitions, nobility, heroic glory and distribution of gifts highlighted the way and life of t he people of that era. Beowulf highlighted the Christian traditional beliefs of the Anglo-Saxons people by pin pointing the beliefs that God is the creator of all things and the ruler of the heavens. Throughout Beowulf, whenever any great men manage to achieve heroic feats, the narrator will be careful to attribute their prowess to God’s favor and divine plan. â€Å"He knew what they had toiled, the long times and troubles they’d come through without a leader; so the Lord of Life, the glorious Almighty, made this man renowned.† (Beowulf 12-17) Beowulf complex religious background reflected the era of the Anglo-Saxon people. The description of the creation shows an unusual mishmash with the pagan imagery of the demonic beast â€Å"Grendel† and the Christian imagery of a caring God that creates all things. â€Å"Then a powerful demon, a prowler through the dark, nursed a hard grievance. It harrowed him to hear the din of the loud banquet every day in the hall, the harp being struck and the clear song of a skilled poet telling with mastery of man’s beginnings, how the Almighty had made the earth a gleaming plain girdled with waters; in His splendo ur He set the sun and the moon to be earth’s lamplight, lanterns for men, and filled the broad lap of the world with branches and leaves; and quickened life in every other thing that moved.† (86-98). Beowulf invokes the values of the warrior society of the Anglo- Saxon period in several ways. During the Anglo-Saxon period the relationship between the warrior and his lord consisted of mutual trust; loyalty, and respect. There was a symbolic importance of spiritual materials which entails giving of honour/worth, and the value of ultimate achievements which was a visible proof that all parties are realizing themselves to the fullest in a spiritual sense. These values are all highlighted in the epic Beowulf. Beowulf also reflected the value of kinsmen to exact wergild (man-price) or to take vengeance for their kinsmen’s death. The need to take vengeance created never-ending feuds, bloodshed, a vast web of reprisals and counter-reprisals (a strong sense of doom). These aspects of the Anglo-Saxon warrior society was highlighted in a fatal evil aspect one of such was Grendel and the dragon in undertaking to slay Grendel, and later Grendel’s mother, Beowulf is testing his relationship with unknowable destiny. Whether he lives or dies, he will have done all that any warrior would do during that period. The oldest surviving vernacular text in English is called Hymn and was written by Caedmon who is best-known and considered the father of Old English poetry. This poem is an example of pagan and Christian fusion in order to promote Christian themes in a pagan society. Caedmon’s hymn is recorded in Bede’s Historia Ecclesiastica, and marks the beginning of tremendous developments within textual transmission and the heroic genre itself. â€Å"Caedmon’s Hymn may be regarded as an early forerunner of the dream vision narrative. This style of poetry is formulated by an individual who has experienced a dreamlike revelation within which they are guided by an authoritative figure; in Caedmon’s case this figure being God. The â€Å"hero† discussed within the poem is perhaps unconventional in modern terms, but just as the Gods of classical literature were seen as heroes within their cultural context, so too does the Christian God in Caedmon’s Hymn represent a hero to the people of Caedmon’s culture. The poem features heavy use of stylistic features archetypal of Anglo-Saxon poetry.† (Tiarnan O Sullivan.) Caedmon had lived at the abbey of Whitby in Northumbria in the 7th century. Only a single nine-line poem remains. â€Å"Now let us praise the Guardian of the Kingdom of Heaven Works Cited The Anglo-Saxon Kings. N.p., n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Anglo-Saxon Poetry.† – New World Encyclopedia. N.p., 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. . Baldwin, James A. â€Å"à ¢Ã‚€Å“Know from Whence You Came. If You Know Whence You Came, There Are Absolutely No Limitations to Where You Can Go.à ¢Ã‚€Â .† Goodreads. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Nov. 2012. . â€Å"Beowulf.† Beowulf. Georgetown University, n.d. Web. 29 Nov. 2012. . Damrosch, David. â€Å"Beowulf.† The Longman Anthology of British Literature.