Beauty Myth Essay Example for Free

Beauty Myth Essay The beauty myth, how what others perceive as what beauty is can, will be and has been used against women. Advertising agencies and Hollywood are portraying to young girls and women that youth, beauty and love go together to make a complete and happy existence in life. From reality television shows such as Toddlers and Tiaras, to youth clothing stores such as Justice, and Dove beauty ads geared toward women of all ages the portrayal of having to be pretty is everywhere you look. Toddlers and Tiaras is a reality television show of the behind the scenes events of child beauty pageants. The children on the show are spray tanned, wear makeup, and wear fake hair. And the thing that baffles me most about all of this is that the children are all under the age of 7. I don’t know of anyone that doesn’t remember what happened to Jon Benet who was a child beauty queen but yet there are still hundreds of parents that a dress up their children like little dolls and put them on national television for the world to see. These little kids are being told to be more beautiful or for the boys to be more handsome, and to excel at their looks at such a young age when the focus should be on teaching them fundamentals of life and to love themselves as they are. The picture above is from the show’s website on TLC online. All of the little girls are so beautiful before and look absolutely ridiculous after they are all done up. This type of show has made me shy away from watching anything of TLC because I don’t want to support a company that will exploit children in that way. TLC also has a spinoff of one of the contestants that is too old for the Toddlers and Tiaras show and she has her own show now called Here Comes Honey Boo-Boo. It is yet another show that I will not watch because it makes me angry not only towards the station but also towards the parents of all of these children. On a more personal note, I recently went shopping for my goddaughter who turned 6 years old. I went shopping for clothes for her and she is the first little girl that I have shopped for in the last ten years so it amazed me how hard it was to find clothes for her that seemed age appropriate. A lot of the stores I went to, Justice included, had very few clothes that didn’t resemble those of clothing you would find in the juniors or adult sections also. My goddaughter is a little girl who is a tomboy and she doesn’t like a lot of the clothes that are covered in glitter and words, but she is also getting older and doesn’t always want to wear the t-shirts with cartoon characters on them either. It makes me wonder what little girls clothes will look like when I have children. I would want them to look like little kids, not little kids playing dress up. Advertising agencies aren’t much better than stores, marketing, and television. My recent experiences watching television commercials and ads on you tube led me to the Dove website. There is a link on the website with their social mission, it is: Anxiety about beauty begins at an early age, and can even keep girls from doing what they love. You can change that with a conversation. Reach out to the girl in your life and talk to her about beauty, confidence and self-esteem. There is a lot about this statement that I like, and I would like it all if I had not previously seen Dove ads on you tube and television on the â€Å"evolution of beauty†. In a sixty second ad they change a plain, pretty girl into an exquisitely beautiful one with her hair done and makeup on. The mission statement on the Dove website is great; everything they say in it is spot on for young girls and even young men. But they should state that beauty comes in all forms. So many young people are trying to alter their appearances with makeup and jewelry and various hairstyles and hair colors; they need to also be told that natural is beautiful too. These days you can’t turn on the television or even the radio without hearing and seeing ads for laser hair removal or lasik eye surgery to eliminate glasses, all things that have been made to be seen as unbecoming in the looks department. In the past there was a television reality show called â€Å"The Swan† which was a makeover show where they take a woman or man that is seen as â€Å"ugly† in society and change their appearance so drastically that they are almost unrecognizable to their friends and family. Other reality television shows that I can think of off the top of my head are â€Å"What Not to Wear†, â€Å"Queer Eye for the Straight Guy† and â€Å"Extreme Makeover Weight Loss Edition†. So many shows that basically start with telling people how ugly they are personally or even just the clothes they choose to wear make them ugly. It all reminds me of a quote that I heard a lot growing up and that is â€Å"Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder†. Just because what I think is pretty someone else may not, does not make it ugly and vice versa.

The Mission of Ben Jerrys

The Mission of Ben Jerrys Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield founded Ben Jerrys Homemade Ice Cream in 1978. Back in 1966, when they were working out in a school gym, they both realised that they hated running but loved food. Years later in 1978, Ben had been fired from a series of jobs while Jerry had failed for the second time to get into medical school. So, they decided to do a $5 correspondence course in ice cream making and later opened their first scoop shop in a dilapidated gas station in Burlington, Vermont. They soon became popular in the local community for the best all natural ice cream. By 1979, they began wholesaling pints of ice cream out of Bens VW campervan.Over the years, Ben Jerrys evolved into a socially-oriented, independent-minded industry leader in the super-premium ice cream market.All Ben Jerrys frozen dessert products are being manufactured in the companys three plants located in Vermont. The company distributes ice cream, low fat ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet and other novelty produ cts (1). While the majority of corporate managers were under constant pressure to meet their shareholders demands, Ben and Jerry were quite the opposite; they were only interested in short-term gains and large profits. In fact, at first they panicked by their quick business growth, as they thought about severing ties with the fast growing company. They did not place any emphasis on cash, equipment and inventories which are considered to be the tangible assets of the firm. Instead, their focus was on intangible` assets such as reputation, quality of life, joy, social concerns; all of which they considered to be as valuable as material assets- and as Jerry put it ‘if its not fun, why do it?. Recently, Unilever, a multinational food and personal products company acquired Ben Jerrys in spring 2000. The Ben Jerrys Board of Directors approved Unilevers worth  £ 230m. Under the terms conditions of the agreement, Ben Jerrys will function separately from Unilevers existing ice cream business. There will be an independent Board of Directors and their main role would be to maintain Ben Jerrys social mission and brand integrity. Both co-founders will keep on working with Ben Jerrys, and the company will continue to be Vermont-based (3).So, although it is under Unilever but it still continues to maintain its individual identity. Ben Jerrys Mission The underlying mission of Ben Jerrys is to search for new and innovative ways of addressing all three parts (social, product and economic), while holding a profound respect for the community of which they are a part and also to the individuals inside and outside the company. Their mission consists of three interrelated parts shown below. â€Å"To operate the company in a way that actively recognizes the central role that business plays in society by initiating innovative ways to improve the quality of life locally, nationally and internationally† (2). â€Å"To make, distribute and sell the finest quality all natural ice cream and euphoric concoctions with a continued commitment to incorporating wholesome, natural ingredients and promoting business practices that respect the Earth and the Environment† (2). â€Å"To operate the company on a sustainable financial basis of profitable growth, increasing value for the stakeholders and expanding opportunities for development and career growth for the employees† (2). There has been an increasing demand for indulgent ‘treats in the British diet. Around  £1.3 billion ice cream market is tapping into this demand with rising sales in luxury and premium ice creams at the expense of standard varieties. About 14million adults buy ice cream as a treat. The growing demand for indulgent desserts has helped grow the sales of ice cream. Since 2007, value sales of ice cream have grown by 8% (4). All these statistics show that Ben Jerrys have great potential in the U.K. market. Strategic Analysis Political factors There had been rumours accusing Ben Jerrys of supporting the defence ofMumia Abu-Jamal, who was convicted in 1982 of killing Philadelphia Police officerDaniel Faulkner. Misunderstanding stemmed from the fact that Ben Cohen, one of the co-founders, joined hundreds of other people in signing a petition in 1995 asking that American justice should be followed fully in the case. Apart from these reports, there had been allegations that Ben Jerrys had introduced an ice cream flavour whose name is connected to this case.As a consequence of this alleged support, the National Fraternal Order of Police had publicly called for a boycott of all Ben Jerrys products (6). Again in 2006, Ben Jerrys had to apologise to Irish consumers for launching a new flavour â€Å"Black and Tan† evoking their worst days of British military oppression. Black and Tans was the term used for recruiting an irregular force of British ex-servicemen during the Irish war of independence and renowned for their brutality (9). Ben Jerrys were again in news when PETA sent them a letter asking them to use breast milk instead of cows to prevent cruelty to the dairy cows (5). Moreover, ever since Ben Jerrys have been taken over by Unilever, the Vermont firm, famous for donating part of its profits to charity, has been criticised for having changed their commercial focus. Economic factors The high costs related to manufacturing each different unique flavour. Ben Jerrys primary marketing goal is to create products that cannot be reproduced but the technological developments of the company has not allowed them to launch the products within a realistic time limit. It takes them many years to come up with a new different flavour. Even after that there is no surety if the product would be successful or able to penetrate in the market. Not only this, it also gives the competitors a chance to take over their place in the market. Back in 1994 also, sales dropped, profits went down, and the companys stock prices fell to half its value. Cost of sales increased approximately $9.6 million or 9.5% over the same period in 1993, and the overall gross profit as a percentage of net sales decreased from 28.6% in 1993 to 26.2% in 1994. This loss might have been a result of several reasons, such as high administration and selling costs, a negative impact of inventory management, and start up costs associated with certain flavours (8). The company realising its fall in sales, quickly responded to the changes in consumer demands and introduced Ben Jerrys ‘Lite. The line failed miserably. It looked like that Ben Jerry failed to forecast and acknowledge the changes in consumer tastes, and was faced with increasing competition with Haagen-Dazs, which introduced its ‘low-fat Ultra Premium ice-cream. Social factors Partnershops are Ben Jerrys scoop shops that are independently owned and operated by community-based non-profitable organizations. These organizations use the funds generated to train and counsel disenfranchised youth who are in need of a helping hand to get back into the work environment. Other than this, they are working on sustainable dairy farming programme and fair-trade (which is the premium they pay for the ingredients which enables the farmer to take positive steps towards providing basic needs for their families, such as healthcare, education and safe housing) (1). Such efforts had been made to attract over ‘like-minded consumers, however its debatable as in to what extent this will have an impact on appealing the hearts of their consumers. The question then arises as to how much their social unique image gets affected by their consumer behaviour. Environmental factors U.K. experienced poor weather in the summer of 2007 in comparison to that of 2006, with an average temperature of 14.10C compared to 15.80C in 2006. This had a negative effect on the ice cream market, especially in the impulse sector, and value sales went down 1.5% compared to 2006. In the last two years (2008 and 2009), summer temperatures appear to have picked up, reaching approximately 14.70C in 2009 (4). UK Mean seasonal temperature ( °C), 2004-09* January-August Seasons: Winter=Dec-Feb, Spring=Mar-May, Summer=June-Aug, Autumn=Sept-Nov Data are provisional from December 2008 and Winter 2008/09 Source: Met Office/Mintel Technological factors In order to improve the companys infrastructure and with the aim to automate their production to keep up the intense competition, they invested a lot of money in property and equipments in 1994 increasing their long term debts by almost 45%. SWOT analysis Strengths Prestigious, established and recognized brand name and successfully operating in many countries. Ben Jerrys make a yearly contribution of minimum $1.1 million from pre-tax profits to charitable foundation. It also sponsors Partnershops, Ben Jerrys scoop shops, which are operated by non-profitable organizations. These organizations help the disenfranchised youth to get them back in the working environment. They also have a long term partnership with Fairtrade foundation which works toward paying farmers the premium that enables them to fulfil the basic needs of their families. Till now, they have launched four Fairtrade certified ice cream flavours. Product differentiation- the use of natural, good quality ingredient, different flavours and the strategic use of quirky flavour names such as Wavy Gravy, Chubby Hubby, Phish Food and Chunky Monkey gives them a competitive edge over other conventional ice cream products of other companies. Ben Jerrys have also introduced other products like sorbets and frozen yoghurts along with their ice cream range for targeting customers demanding for healthy desserts. Ben Jerrys acquisition by Unilever in 2000 has provided the company with greater financial backing allowing them to be even more productive and socially active in the ice cream business. Thermoacoustic refrigeration- Ben Jerrys company developed the first prototype eco-chilling unit which recycles and re-uses the energy used to maintain the ice surface. Advertising support- introducing flavours with clever names in order to promote them. For example, ‘Yes Pecan referring to the Barack Obamas winning the presidency elections (7), ‘Hubby Hubby in order to support the cause of marriage equality for same-sex couples (11). Weaknesses: Limited target market as Ben Jerrys is a super-premium brand and is seen as a special treat by consumers and depends on their level of indulgence. Too much focus on charity work which has added up to the unnecessary costs and has caused them to neglect the upcoming changes in trends. Lack of professionalism in management and due to their employee oriented approach has made them to suffer a great loss in 1994. In order to fulfil their mission statement of providing consumers with ice creams of innovative flavour, they take a really long time to come up with a new flavour which is absolutely unnecessary as even after that there is no guarantee if the product would be successful in market. In fact, it gives the competitors a chance to take over their market share. High cost involved in transportation as most of their suppliers are scattered throughout the world. For example, nuts from South African rain forests, peaches from Georgia, etc. Opportunities As people are becoming more and more health conscious, Ben Jerrys should launch more variety in fat-free ice creams and even greater range in healthy alternatives like frozen yoghurts. They should work towards globalizing their product to compete effectively in the market. Their geographical reach is limited to North America and Western Europe mainly. Environment friendly freezers- In 2009, they have announced the plans to roll out (Hydrofluorocarbons) HFCs-free freezer which is a major step towards saving the planet as HFCs are one of the major factor responsible for ozone depletion (10). Ben Jerrys are currently working on using bio-gas digester to convert the waste produced during the manufacturing of ice creams into energy (1). Packaging- Ben Jerrys ice cream tubs are presently made from 90% renewable paper stock but to prevent it from leaking, they coat it with polyethylene which makes it difficult to recycle them. So, they should work on making tubs which are fully recyclable. Threats Consumers tend to change their product preferences based on their discretionary income and the extent to which they want to indulge in these fattening dessert products. There are many substitute products available within the desserts and frozen food industry. Therefore, they not only suffer competition from other ice cream brands but also from other desserts such as chocolates, cookies, pies, etc. Slow product development- the duration during which a new flavour is launched is really long which gives competitors a chance to take over the market during that time. Their major competitor is Haagen dazs as can be deduced from the table below which gives the take-home sales from 2007 to 2009 (4). Haagen dazss ‘low fat ultra-premium ice cream range is extremely popular. Moreover, they have a competitive edge over Ben Jerrys as it is geographically more spread than Ben Jerrys as the brand is marketed by two multinational companies- Nestle and General Mills. Take Home sales 2007-09 2007 % 2008 % 2009 % % change  £m  £m  £m 2007-09 Unilever 242 40 263 42 285 43 17.8 Walls (Heart) 116 19 125 20 139 21 20.2 Carte DOr 39 6 44 7 46 7 19.2 Viennetta 30 5 26 4 24 4 -20 Ben Jerrys 36 6 43 7 50 8 38.3 Other 21 3 25 4 26 4 23.3 General Mills Hà ¤agen-Dazs 30 5 38 6 40 6 32.8 Fredericks Dairies 49 8 44 7 46 7 -5.1 RR 55 9 50 8 53 8 -3.4 Skinny Cow 6 1 6 1 7 1 10.7 Other brands 61 10 39 6 40 6 -34.4 Own-label 139 23 156 25 159 24 14.3 Total 606 100 625 100 664 100 9.6 Source: Mintel Recommendations Recent acquisition by Unilever could create a negative image in public which need to be cleared by ensuring them that even after being taken over by Unilever, their missions have not changed and they would continue to produce new innovative flavours of ice creams. They should maintain a balance between their social and product mission. Instead of focussing more on social causes and adding up the unnecessary costs, they should rather study the upcoming change in trends and launch new flavours to maintain or increase their share in the market. Since it is now owned by Unilever, they have the financial support required for them to expand their production globally. They should decrease the duration of product development process so that they can launch a new flavour every month or so to keep the customers engaged on a regular basis. They should continue to implement their recycling programs in order to lower down the production costs. They should develop additional manufacturing plants and distribution centres outside of Vermont to cut down on the transportation costs. They should change the consumer perception of having the ice cream only in summers or spring time to anytime dessert i.e. they should work towards deseasonalising their sales. Conclusion Ben Jerrys even after acquisition by Unilever in 2000 has continued to maintain its own identity. Their strong product differentiation gives them a competitive edge over their competitors. The only need is to expand globally to compete effectively with other brands. The innovation factor in their ice creams distinguishes them from the conventional flavours of other brands. Their efforts in becoming green e.g. by planning to launch environment friendly freezers which would reduce green house gases emission sets them apart from other companies. All they need to do is to remain focussed on their missions with equal emphasis on all of them keeping in mind the customers demands.

Concern Associated With Mental Health Diagnosis Social Work Essay

Concern Associated With Mental Health Diagnosis Social Work Essay Psychiatrists are increasingly churning out new syndromes at the behest of their funders in the pharmaceutical industry. The above quotation, drawn from a news feature from the Independent news paper, highlights an issue of concern associated with mental health diagnosis. According to the (Social Exclusion Unit, 2004), approximately one in six people in England experiences some form of mental health problem at some point in their lives and the estimated annual costs of providing services is  £77 billion. Wrong diagnosis affects not only the patient being diagnosed, but also the patients support network. In communities where mental health is not well understood by the vast majority and where people tend to get embarrassed by it, wrong diagnosis can make it difficult for those diagnosed to seek help. Additionally, people with mental health illnesses have to contend with a number of social issues such as: stigma, acceptance from friends and family, employment challenges and adjusting to losing their independence as a result of the effects of illness and / or the side effects of medication, (Sheppard, 2002; Elder et al, 2009). While these issues affect all mentally ill people, research shows that for black and ethnic minority groups, being diagnosed with a mental illness compounds social challenges and perpetuates poverty, deprivation and social exclusion, (Hocking, 2005; Ndegwa and Olajide, 2003). The challenge for social work is to advocate for clients in a field where social work expertise might be challenged by the medicinal nature of mental health diagnoses. As a background to the research proposal, this paper will briefly evaluate the effect that wrong mental health diagnosis has on black and ethnic minority families. In selecting the objectives, my starting point is that wrong diagnosis affects peoples lives regardless of their race or ethnicity. Therefore, the proposed research will aim to identify whether and, if so, how black and ethnic minority families are affected by being wrongly diagnosed with mental illness. Introduction: According to Hocking (2005), culture and race have an important role to play in the likelihood of someone being diagnosed with mental health problems. Her findings are mirrored in the results of recent psychosis studies which indicate that there are disproportionately high numbers of people from black and ethnic minority groups diagnosed with severe mental illness, (Count Me in, 2010). Citing Bhui (1997)s review of (Lloyd and Moodley, 1992)s research, (Bhui and Bhugra, 2002) also state that there is a substantial body of evidence that highlights disparity between the experiences of people from black and ethnic minority groups in comparison to white groups, when it comes to accessing mental health services. They argue that white people, who are mentally ill, stand a better chance of being given a diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Data from a mental health and ethnicity census conducted by partnership between the Healthcare Commission, the Mental Health Act Commission and the National Institute for Mental Health in England, found that almost 10% of mental health inpatients were black or mixed race. Analysis of the findings also concluded that compared to the rest of the population, black people were three times more likely to be admitted to psychiatric hospitals in England and Wales and stood a 44% chance of being detained under the Mental Health Act, (Care Quality Commission, 2005). The findings also indicated that black men experienced high rates of control and restraint from staff within psychiatric services and were more likely to be put into seclusion or in medium or high secure wards, (Bhugra and Gupta, 2010; Kaye and Lingiah, 2000). It is with this background that this paper evaluates the impact of wrong mental health diagnosis on black and ethnic minority families. In terms of methodology, the proposed research will take a similar form to this paper i.e. I will use the same key terms, research objectives, search terms and data collection methods. A paragraph on the proposed methodology follows the literature review. Defining Key Terms: In addition to cultural differences and subjective assessments of mental capacity, definitions of mental health are influenced by perspectives from various disciplines. In order to conduct a robust research, definitions of the key terms are explored below: Although the Mental Health Act (2007) does not give a definition of mental health, it describes mental health in terms of mental disorders and refers to mental health as any condition that disorders or disables the mind, (Bartlett and Sandland, 2007). Psychological perspectives define mental health as a level of cognitive or emotional wellbeing which includes a persons ability to enjoy life by balancing the demands of everyday routines to achieve psychological resilience, (Shaw et al, 2007). According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), mental health is a state of wellbeing in which an individual realises that they can cope with lifes normal stresses, can work productively and fruitfully and contribute to their community, (WHO, 2005). Definitions of mental health that are based in evaluating the positive signs of health, such as how an individual copes with environmental stressors, are still under debate as scholars, practitioners and policy makers consider the importance of factors such as religion, individual aspirations, social class, race, gender and lifestyle choices impact on mental health, (Clarke, 2008; Kay and Lingiah, 2000, Heller and Gitterman, 2011). The English dictionary describes diagnosis as the identification of an illness or a discovery about what is wrong with someone who is ill or something which is not working properly, after examination. It implies identification of the nature and cause of a thing. However, diagnosing mental illness seldom involves a set of specific or straight forward tests. Rather, psychiatrists diagnose based on their observation of symptoms and comparison with a diagnostic schedule, (Elder et al, 2009; Arrigo and Shipley, 2005). As a result it is often difficult for mental health problems to be diagnosed and sometimes patients can feel that they have been misdiagnosed. Detailed discussion follows later in this proposal. The Research Question: This paper briefly reviews mental health literature in order to set the background for a proposed research into the extent to which wrong mental health diagnosis affects Black and Ethnic Minority families in Britain. Research Objectives: The objectives set prior to writing this paper and indeed proposed for in-depth research are: Reviewing the literature that is available on mental health diagnosis and how mental health impacts families in general. Exploring the role of social workers in working with people that have been diagnosed with mental illness. Identifying any discernable differences in how diagnosis affects Black and Ethnic Minority families in comparison to their white counterparts. Highlighting the impact of wrong mental health diagnosis on families in general and on Black and Ethnic Minority families in particular. Identifying any gaps in practice and in the literature in order propose areas for future study. Rationale: I first became interested in studying this area because four of my relatives had been diagnosed with severe mental illnesses and three were later found to have been wrongly diagnosed. In the three months prior to being told that the diagnoses were wrong, our family relationships had been tested to the extreme as we tried to adjust to the challenges of caring for loved ones whom we thought were mentally ill and in denial. The relief that came from hearing the news that three of them had been wrongly diagnosed was quickly replaced with feelings of injustice towards professionals, because of the strain that had been put on the family relationships. Search Terms, Databases Used and Linguistic Clarifications: When researching literature to review, I used several on-line catalogue systems which included: EBSCOHost, InfoTrack, ProQuest, Ingenta, eLSC, CareData, academic journals, mental health action group websites and read various newspaper articles reporting on multiple mental health related issues. My initial searches produced a lot of literature, which I narrowed down by browsing subject indexes and reading abstracts. The search terms included: Diagnosing Mental Health in England, the impact of Mental Health diagnosis on families, Mental health diagnosis and minority ethnic families, The role of social workers in mental health cases, the impact of wrong mental health diagnosis on black and ethnic minority families, community mental health and coping with mental health at home. My decision to use online catalogue systems has more to do with my lack of knowledge in how to use manual cataloguing systems. Additionally, I was aware of my own limitations as a researcher and did not want to ad d any more complications to my task. Literature Review: Prior to commencing discussions about how diagnosis, right or wrong, impacts on families, it is important to note that diagnosis infers illness. Therefore, the extent of the impact on families is not determined by the diagnosis, but by how the inferred illness affects day-to-day activities directly or indirectly. The impact will vary depending on factors such as the severity and duration of the diagnosed illness, the family composition and the extent to which the illness affects aspects of family life, (Clark, 2008: Heller and Gitterman, 2011). For example, where short term illnesses can be treated by the familys general-practitioner and where the members are older or resilient, families will cope better with a mental health diagnosis. For many black and ethnic minority families, being diagnosed with a mental illness adds to stigma, as these communities tend to have many myths and misconceptions about mental illness, (Ray et al, 2008; Bhugra and Cochrane, 2001; Bhugra and Gupta, 2010). This can affect families social interaction as they worry about the unpredictability of the diagnosed members public actions and reactions. The result is that individuals within the family or the entire family can easily become isolated, thus perpetuating a cycle of social exclusion, (Beresford, 2004). However, this view is widely contested as some scholars argue that mental health problems are not derived from social injustices or oppression nor are patients any more likely to experience social exclusion and discrimination as a direct result of their difficulties, (Sheppard, 2002). Scholars acknowledge that people with mental health problems can experience vicious circles of social isolation, poverty, unemployment, poor housing and scarce social and support networks but that these are neither causal nor circular factors. In 2010, the Care Quality Commission published a psychosis study which tested the theory that psychiatrists, wittingly or unwittingly, allowed their professional judgement to be influenced by the colour of their patients skin, (Count Me In, 2010). The study, which tracked year-on-year results from 2005 to 2009, was aimed at highlighting inequalities in access and outcomes that affect patients from Black and Minority ethnic communities, how hospital stays are managed, national debates about mental health and guide positive action, revealed that at 53.8%, black people represented more than half of the people detained under the Mental Health Act. These finding are consistent with other studies, which highlights that black men were more likely to be diagnosed with psychotic illness than whites and to be detained under the Mental Health Act, (Ray et al, 2008). Additionally, knowledge about mental illness, like many other aspects of human life, has undergone paradigm shifts over time. For instance, conditions such as sadness, anger, or disappointment, which were once considered to be in the normal spectrum of human behaviour, are now seen as psychiatric or psychological disorders, (Beam, 2001). This, coupled with the fact that there are no specific or straight forward ways of diagnosing mental illness, makes mental health diagnosis challenging. In order to diagnose a mental illness, psychiatrists observe a clients symptoms and match them to a diagnostic schedule. Prentice (2010) reports that in recent history, research has shown that even seemingly simple changes in the description of conditions such as attention deficit disorder, autism and childhood bipolar disorder, captured many patients who would have been better off not entering the mental health system. One of the initial challenges that families have to overcome when a loved one is first diagnosed with a mental illness is the feelings of denial as they come to terms with what the illness will mean for their loved one and for themselves. This combined with having little or no knowledge about the diagnosed illness, causes panic, (Beresford, 2004). When, as in our case, families later find out that the diagnosis was wrong the relief can easily be replaced with anger as they recount the toll of strained inter family relationships that were a result of their caring responsibilities. In such circumstances, guided by professional values and ethics, a social worker would be duty bond to empower the family by ensuring that the family have all the information they need in order to understand the implications of the illness. This includes advocating for those for whom English may not be a first language and being creative with working partnerships, (Beresford, 2000). Wrong mental health diagnosis often means that the patient will be prescribed medication to stabilize the illness. Consequently, the family may have to not only deal with the challenges of caring for a loved one whose behaviour may be unpredictable but also come to terms with the medications side effects such as apathy and a lack of motivation, (Ray et al, 2008). In her review of a number of qualitative research publications on how families cope with mental health, (Bhui, 2002) found that family members were fearful that the constant stress and concern for their loved ones created family problems that may never be over come. When the diagnosed family member is a parent, the inferred illness will have a profound impact on family life. Research shows that when a parent is diagnosed with mental illness, children are especially vulnerable, as their coping strategies tend to be dependent on the adults in their lives, (Heller and Gitterman, 2011). Parental mental illness compromises the parents ability to care for their child and in some cases, especially where there is no other adult to take responsibility, children can become their parents carers, (Ritter and Lampkin, 2010: Arrigo and Shipley, 2005). A wrongly diagnosed parent who keeps insisting that there is nothing wrong with them, can easily be seen as being in denial thus escalating welfare concerns. The dilemma for social work lies in their dual role of control and care. Depending on the nature of the diagnosed illness, the risks to a childs welfare can be severe even when the childs physical safety is not at risk. Social workers would need to give consideration to issues such as how the illness affects the childs emotional, behavioural and mental development. There is a vast body of research which indicates that children of psychotic parents are themselves particularly vulnerable to psychiatric problems, (Heller and Gitterman, 2011; Bhugra and Gupta, 2010; Ndegwa and Olajide, 2003;). In order to explore this topic in detail, I propose to conduct research that addresses the objectives set in this paper, using methodology that focuses on reviewing secondary data. The intended research process is as detailed in the question, objectives, rationale and search terms of this paper. The proposed research will have relevance for policy and practice in that it will enable better service provision for black and ethnic minority families as a result of understanding not only the causes of wrong diagnosis, but also why minority groups are disproportionately over represented within mental health services. It will also evaluate how national and international legislation, current studies on mental health and user involvement initiatives, impact on service delivery for minorities. In conclusion, I have shown that by inferring illness, mental health diagnosis does impact on families regardless of their racial or ethnic backgrounds. However, while the issues discussed here are not necessarily unique to black and ethnic minority families, research indicates that people from black and ethnic minority groups are disproportionately over represented in mental health services in England. Complex and multifaceted factors such as a lifestyles, social stressors, genetic predisposition and lifecycle transitions, make diagnosing mental illness difficult. This can present challenges for social workers as they perform their dual roles of control and care. Professional ethics and legal responsibilities mean that they must advocate for the marginalised groups while continuing to work in partnership with medical professionals without having the expertise to make a judgement call on the accuracy of diagnosis. These issues require deeper exploration in order to understand how wro ng mental health diagnosis affects people from black and ethnic minority families.

Smart Grid Benefits Essay -- reliability, cost savings, energy indepen

A smart grid is an electricity network according to digital technology that is utilized to supply electricity to consumers by using two-way digital communication. This system allows for observing, analysis, control and communication within the supply chain to help develop efficiency, decrease the energy consumption and cost, and maximize the translucence and reliability of the energy supply chain. The purpose of smart grid is to motivate consumer contribution in grid operations, also allows the electricity markets to arise and create business and also it can be healing itself and functioned more efficiently. Brief benefits and applications are to save energy, reduce prices and strengthen trustworthiness and reliability. And The Smart Grid will provide consumers information, control, and choices that allow them to involve in new electricity markets. The purpose of the report is to understand the concept of smart grids, and identify the applications, benefits and issues of smart grid This diagram shows that with renewable energy, consumers can create their own energy and right to use a 'greener' energy mix. Flexible distribution allows a more responsive and steady electrical network. Active energy efficiency and energy management create energy visible and permit individuals to perform on their consumption. Electric vehicles are revolutionizing the observation of mobility and, at the same time, access to energy, its use, and storage. Real-time grid management allows expectation of consumption and acclimation of the offer. Issues of existing grid The efficiency issues At managing peak load and energy savings, actually the new smart grid could have wonderful results on world economy. If the grid were just 5% more capabl... ...t must be supported by a smart and safe communications network, power utilities will have the infrastructure, applications and services required to deliver non-stop high quality power securely and efficiently. Smart system is consists of smart grid and smart meter operating mutually. This system is efficient as it is demand responsive, which automatically generates and offers appropriate amount of electricity to consumers. The consumers are able to control their own electrical bills at the end of each month by using the real time access which enables the users to determine the time and duration of appliances operations. And through that all, the smart grid is absolutely and definitely more useful for our life and future. Works Cited http://smartgridtech.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/sg-nature.jpg http://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-642-38030-3_4

Richard Whites Friendship and Commitment :: Friends Morals Loyalty Papers

Richard White's Friendship and Commitment In this paper, I will examine the duties of friendship. I will look at arguments in favor of the view that there are special moral duties involved in friendship, but will ultimately reject this view. I will then explain what role I see friendship having in morality even without these duties. In Richard White’s article â€Å"Friendship and Commitment†, White argues that friendship is an â€Å"inherently moral activity† (81). He argues that part of being a friend is having certain obligations, like being helpful or emotionally available. These are obligations that are above and beyond what we owe to a stranger. He also thinks that being a friend involves a commitment. He says specifically, â€Å"when I spend time with someone, accept their help, and make myself available to that person, by sharing the more intimate aspects of myself, I am also creating an expectation that is equivalent to a commitment, given the institution of friendship and all that it commonly entails† (82). In being someone’s friend, aside from the commitments and obligations, he argues, you are also morally endorsing her. That is, you are implicitly saying that there is something valuable about them – that your friend is someone worth knowing. Let us suppose that all of this is actually the case – that friendship really does imply certain commitments, obligations, and endorsements. Do any of these matter morally? I’ll address endorsements first, followed by obligations and commitments. When someone is your friend, this seems to imply that you think there is something valuable about that person. But the things I find valuable in her might have nothing to do with morality – for instance, she might be intelligent and able to argue effectively. She might make me laugh. She might be fun to be with. None of these are morally relevant, and yet a combination of them would probably be sufficient for me to be friends with someone. As such, it seems that being a friend with someone does not actually imply a moral endorsement of that person.

Coca Cola and Innocent: an Innocent Partnership?

This paper, alma to discuss and discover what brought Peeps- Co organization Interest upon a company that In appearance Is at their antipode. Coca-Cola and Innocent: what interest? It is public knowledge that the beverage giant Pepsi- co had their shares of scandals and marketing mishaps as already discussed during our week 2 assignment. A market segment whew re the organization is lacking presence and weight is the healthy segment and the image of â€Å"Innocence† is absent from the corporation brand.The Innocent company Brand image Is strong, co marred to competitor In salary market segments, due to the name strength which Implies In m y opinion, strong ethics, transparency and stakeholders respect. Coca cola, In perennial competition with Pepsi- co. Tries to gain market advantage, further eroded after the Pepsi â€Å"agreement to distribute Tamping Plus fruit- flavored beverage† (Beverage Industry, 2010).The acquisition of Interests in a Company such as Innocent (The Guardian, 200 & Beverage Industry, 2010) could prove an interesting market entry for the soft drinks giant as we shall not forget Coca- Cola failed attempt to enter the European healthy drinks market. Since then the â€Å"company has tried to Improve its UK Image.

Group Case 3: Mci Communications Corp., 1983

Group Case 3: MCI Communications Corp. , 1983 Executive Summary Assumptions The following are the assumptions we made through the whole analysis. The predicted revenues from 1983 to 1990 were assumed to follow the pattern in Exhibit 9A, despite the uncertainty of the higher access charge and competition increase. The marginal tax rate is 30% during that period. The firm must keep minimal cash balance of $100 million to support its operating activities.However, the change of operating NWC is assumed to be zero. Calculation To calculate the external financing needs during the period 1983-1990, we need to calculate the net cash flow from operation (i. e. the free cash flow minus after tax-interest paid). Along with the cash at the beginning of the year and the required minimum cash balance, we can get the external financing need for each year. See detailed calculation in Exhibit 1.However, due to the uncertainty of access charge change and competition, the operating margin would increas e or decrease by as much as 7% from the prediction, although the management was committed to the predicted revenue levels. Therefore, the external financing needs would vary correspondingly. See detailed calculation in Exhibit 2, and 3. The external financing needs under three scenarios are summarized below. In 1983, the company had no external financing needs, as it just raised $400 million in March.From 1984 to 1987, the financing needs kept increasing, as the company tried to expand. After that, there was no external financing need as the earnings are in good levels, except in the case of unfavorable situation where it still needs $270. 78 million in 1988. [pic] Recommendations & Conclusion [pic] Exhibit 1 Operating Margin at Predicted levels [pic] Exhibit 2 Operating Margin Decreased by 7% [pic] Exhibit 3 Operating Margin Increased by 7%