Budgeting and Business Planning Essay Example for Free

Budgeting and Business Planning Essay In order to create the criteria for the committee we have to look at what they want from the project. Most businesses and organisations are in business to make a profit, however the committee has different aims and objectives compared to a normal business or organisation. They need to weight up the options of each proposal and decide which best relates to their aims and objectives. When the committee is considering which proposal to go with they should consider the following categories †¢Short-term Financial Benefits †¢Long-term Financial Benefits †¢Environment †¢Relation to aims Short-term Financial Benefits The committee needs to consider the short term benefits of each proposal. They dont want to take on a proposal that has high start-up costs and doesnt make a return on the capital within the first year. The committee does not want to be left in a high amount of debt if the proposal fails. If the committee is left with a debt they may not be able to fund other projects to further their three aims. Long-term Financial Benefits Long-term the proposals will give different outcomes. The committee needs to decide on how long they want to keep moult hall? If they want it as a long term asset which can help with their aims? Or do they want a longer term money making scheme to boost revenue which can be used in areas they already control. Environment Moult Hall comes with a huge area of woodland, they needs to consider the effects on the local plant life and wildlife that any proposal could have. They need to think, does it destroy plant life? Does it impact on wildlife habitats? Is their going to be any long lasting environmental damage? Relation to Aims The committee is based on three main aims. They need to consider these aims in making their decision, they cant be making use of one proposal if it goes strictly against some of their basic aims. They have to consider their own image and brand, does a proposal give them a bad name/image considering their aims and objectives? Question 2 Jonathan and Ingrids proposal has some short term financial benefits, in the 30 week trial run moult hall turns over a small profit of  £1,646. When the committee takes their proposal in to consideration they should recognise this point, moult hall will be of no financial burden in the short-term 30 week trial. If the 30 week trial is to succeed then moult hall can have some structural work done costing  £20,000 which would close moult hall for four weeks after the trial. The structural alterations would increase the capacity of the site to allow up to 30 guests to stay at one time. According to Jonathan and Ingrid projections of a weekly cost per guest of  £66 and a weekly charge per guest of  £150 they are making  £84 profit per guest per week. With the structural alterations and the increase in capacity by 20 guests. The weeks after the alterations are finished they could make an extra  £1,680 per week, bringing their possible weekly total profit at full capacity to  £2,436 (allowing for one free space, 29 paying customers). Therefore they could justify the large  £20,000 outlay on alterations as moult hall would pay for these alterations in little over 8 weeks. So in the long-run moult hall could be a profitable project by the end of year one. The one drawback of this proposal is the loss of the usage of the minibus at weekends, which generated an annual income of  £1,040, however it can be argued that it is now being put to better use and that the money is being recuperated from moult hall. Break-even point Total expenses £63,880 Weeks until break-even47.3 Guests until break-even473 As we can see from the table above moult hall will have to attract 473 guests a year to break even when they can only hold 10 guests per week. Equally they would have to run for 47.3 weeks a year at full capacity to break-even. This gives them an average of 9 guests a week. If they were to structurally improve moult hall so that they can hold up to 30 guests a week then the figures would look very different as shown in the table below. Break-Even Point Total Expenses £63,880 Weeks until break-even point14.7 Guests until break-even point441 Although a similar amount of guests is required the amount of weeks at full capacity has drastically dropped from 47.3 to 14.7. Their average guests per week has dropped from 9 to 8. Although this is not a large drop, in comparison they only have to fill 8 out of 30 beds compared to 9 out of 10 beds in the 30 week trial. The environment and its protection are very important to the committee and are mentioned in their main aims. Jonathan and Ingrids proposal helps the environment and makes the most of moult hall, if a garden was to be kept at moult hall the guest could tend to this and grow vegetables and recycle waste in a compost, which in turn could be re-used on the garden making moult hall very self-sufficient and environmentally friendly. One of the major aims of the committee is to help and educate the young. Jonathan and Ingrids proposal does just this, by inviting young people from the surrounding area to come stay and learn about the countryside. The guests will be able to learn about different wildlife and plant life living in the moult hall woodland and surrounding areas. The committee has to consider how the proposal will relate to their own aims, with moult hall becoming a learning centre for the young the committee could promote the good work they are doing to increase their donations r evenue and grow as a trust. Question 3 Winston’s proposal consists of turning moult hall into a quad bike track with lavish bedrooms in the house for guests. In the year one moult hall will turn over a profit of  £1,034,283.  £750,000 of this is guaranteed to the North West trust for the protection of wildlife and the other  £284,283 will go to Winston himself. Moult hall would be a great money maker for the trust with the guaranteed income of  £750,000 adding to the  £800,000 a year they receive from local donations and fund raisers, boosting their total revenue for the year to around  £1,550,000. Long-term moult hall will turnover similar amount each year as long as there is no dip in demand. In the second year when Winston doesn’t have any initial capital costs he will make a large profit himself of  £402,350. The funds the committee will earn from moult hall could be used in other areas to promote the protection of wildlife. Break-even Point Total Expenses £1,022,650 Weeks until break-even point35.9 Guests until break-even point538 From the table above we can see the break-even point for moult hall under Winston’s proposal. He would need to be operating at full capacity for almost 40 weeks a year to break-even this means he would have to attract 538 guests a year. On average to break-even Winston will have to have 11 guests a week. In monetary terms moult hall will be a very successful; however some parts of the proposal will go against the trusts main aims. The trust was set up for the protection of wildlife; one aim is to protect local wildlife and plant life. To make the quad bike track many mature trees will have to be removed in the grounds of moult hall. This will disrupt some of the habitats of animals in the woodland. One of the main habitats that could be disrupted is the nesting sites of the red kite. The red kite has only recently been re-introduced in to the United Kingdom after the success of similar projects in wales; the trust fully supports the work of the national charity that achieved this. The red kite was wiped out in the UK by modern farming methods which use pesticides to kill small rodents, which are the main food source of the red kite. The first aim of the Trust is to encourage farming methods that don’t hurt local wildlife and plant life. They have to consider how the disruption of the nesting sites would reflect on them if they took on Winston’s proposal. It may look bad as with one hand they are supporting the work of the charity yet they are making money at the cost of disrupting local nesting sites. Question 4a There are many different measures that to committee can use to measure the performance of moult hall such as: †¢Monthly financial reports †¢Committee inspections twice a year †¢Variance analysis – comparing budgeted figures with actual Variance Analysis The committee could use variance analysis; variance analysis is a comparison of the budgeted cost of running moult hall and the actual cost of running moult hall. They could see if the costs of moult hall are favourable or adverse. If the results are favourable then this means that moult hall is running at a cheaper cost than they originally budgeted. However if the results are adverse then this means that the cost of running moult hall is more than they budgeted, this could be due to higher food prices or a larger light and heating bill than first anticipated. Variance analysis will give the committee a good idea of how much difference there is between their original planned budget and their actual outlay. This will be useful in determining weather moult hall is a financially viable option. Monthly Financial Reports The committee could ask for the manager of moult hall to send them monthly financial reports so that they can keep track of the performance and see if they are making or loosing money. They could let the financial reports come in for a few months or even up to year. This way they can identify trends and high and low seasons. They may find that they have a slightly seasonal product, as more people will want to be outside in the summer compared to the winter. They can also see if over a year they are getting an increasing amount of interest month on month or if they are losing interest Committee inspections Committee inspections could take place two or three times a year, the committee could travel as a whole or send a few representatives to moult hall to assess the upkeep of moult hall and the grounds. The inspection could also be used to see how the guests are enjoying their time at moult hall. The inspection team will then feed back to the committee who will have meetings on how to improve moult hall based on the feedback from guests and/or any improvements or checks that would need to be made to ensure the performance of moult hall is consistent. Question 4b When the committee is assessing the performance of moult hall they can use different companies to assess moult hall for them. The Environmental Inspection Agency (EIA) can carry out Environmental impact assessments. The committee could use this agency to assess the impact that moult hall is having on the surrounding woodland and grounds of moult hall. The committee can use this information to track the environmental progress of moult hall and see if the project is having a damaging or positive effect on the woodland and grounds. The committee could also use a survey company to produce a survey which can be given to guests when they leave so that the guests can give their feedback. The survey company can then use these results to produce accurate feedback to present to the committee. This method would be better than the committee asking the questions themselves as it will give a better representation of the guest’s views on moult hall. One company that they could use is amplitude research, this is a company that specialises in market research, Amplitude research can create a standard survey for guests which will make the results more comparable and easier for the committee to act upon.

The South Australian Renewable Energy Policy

The South Australian Renewable Energy Policy Power Plays Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has slammed the South Australian renewable policy following recent repeated events causing state-wide blackouts and chaos, however, according to other media sources, the opposition has also been stating that the renewable policy is not to blame. Kai Johnston reports. The news implements a variety of persuasive techniques such as attacking, providing evidence or silencing point of views. All of this is deliberately used to reinforce an idea to influence their audiences attitudes, values and beliefs of the turmoil of the South Australian renewable energy policy. This policy has been viewed by numerous news reports as a crisis that has crippled the entire states future, with some reports blaming the Labors renewable policy and other reports blaming mother nature.The causes of this crisis have sparked intense political debates and clashes between the federal Liberal and Labor parties, and even from multiple mass media sources. The South Australian renewable energy policy was an initiative imposed by the SA state Labor government in mid-2009, which sought to increase the renewable energy target to 33% by 2020. This initiative was supported through federal and state funding to achieve these targets. Since 2009, the state government has provided funding for development of renewable energy processes and farms, allowing this target to be achieved within 5 years of operation in 2013. In 2014 a new goal of 50% renewable generation state-wide was set to be achieved by 2025 and so this push commenced with an estimated $10 billion to fund the program. However, the rapid drive towards renewables has recently resulted in multiple blackouts over the past few months. This has sparked a massive blame game from both sides of Parliament with Liberals marketing that the introduction of wind and solar has made the power grid very vulnerable. While Labor argues that transmission lines were broken in the severe storms that roc ked the state at that time. Green dreamers are weaving baskets in the dark is an article authored by Janet Albrechtsen for The Australian. This article is heavily opinionative and contradicts every aspect of the Energy Policy with a spicy, heavy tone that slates the Labor party who was responsible for this policy. Albrechtsen describes the South Australian energy policy as the biggest policy hoax in the modern era. Theres one thing worse than a bunch of deluded commentators who treat green energy as a religion And thats the South Australian Labor government. The authors approach to this issue and utilization of persuasive techniques in this text are quite obvious, in fact her entire article is full of emotive and attacking language directed at the Labor party. Albrechtsens article also includes an array of evidence through explained statistical inquiries that help support this attack against Weatherills policy. His policy has promised a transformation of the economy, more jobs and an increased drive in investment. However, according to the authors evidence, these promises have not been fulfilled since renewables were introduced, but instead, they have led the state to accumulating the reputation for the lowest; employment, economy, business investment and growth throughout the entire nation. South Australias electricity prices have also doubled as a result of the policy as indicated in the article, the author also mentions how the difference between feeling good and doing good is now irrefutable. It doesnt feel good to be unemployed or out of business It doesnt feel good to have the power switched off in summer heat or winter cold It doesnt feel good to be subjected to the Lefts utopian dreams that hurt the poor the most The author uses the repetitious statements it doesnt feel good to effectively reinforce that renewables are crippling the state, and by invoking sympathy from the readers, this technique has potentially established a foundation that has persuaded the readers to agree with her perspective. Opposing this attack on renewables is a Sydney Morning Herald article by Mark Kenny, with the headline PM Malcolm Turnbull and ministers were told wind not to blame for SA blackout, which also uses multiple persuasive techniques to convey the writers opinion in a more subtle attack. The author, has constructed the article with a sense of expertise and superiority over Mr Turnbull, arguing that wind is not to blame while using quotes to support his idea. There has been unprecedented damage to network, with 20+ steel transmission towers down in the north of the state due to wind damage Energy Market Operators Devastating storms Kenny utilizes emotive language and evidence through quotes from the energy market operators to imply that the cause of the blackouts was from some freak storm that damaged transmission lines. A hysterical Mr Turnbull had been caught playing politics with a very deep crisis enveloping our energy system.-Mark Butler Climate change and energy minister This quote has been deliberately used to manipulate the audiences thinking to see that Mr Turnbull is capitalizing on the power crisis by lying to the nation to secure his votes. Butler implies that Turnbull is over-reacting and has been caught laying the blame on to Labors renewable policy when in actual fact, normal coal fired power generation would have also failed if subjected to these storms. Kenny manipulates his readers to view these blackouts as a result of catastrophic, once in a lifetime weather occurrences, hence contradicting Mr Turnbulls political blame game. The article Labor cant keep the lights on, which was written by Rosie Lewis for The Australian. This takes a more frustrated and aggressive approach to the renewable argument than the previous article. This text attacks Labors renewable policy throughout by repeatedly stating that they have failed planning for and generating enough backup electricity to keep the grid above water. Turbull is quoted as saying Theyve failed to do the work to ensure South Australians can keep the lights and air conditioners on. Extraordinary complacency and reckless negligence. Persuasive techniques such as the quotes from Mr Turnbull, include attacks on the policy and the use of emotive language to influence the audience. It also reinforces the idea that the South Australian Labor has not only failed, but crippled the state with a lack of planning. The graphs illustrated above shows the energy generation in comparison to the demand at certain times of the day. The implementation of these graphs allows viewers to clearly observe the significant issues associated with wind generation against the power demands, these graphs have been used to reinforce and add more credibility and persuasiveness to the argument that renewable energy is not a reliable source. SA power: How the State Government plans to fix energy crisis is an article authored by Daniel Wills for the SA paper, The Advertiser. This text acts as a response to the political blame game, as it sheds the blame off from the Labors back, that has been conveyed by Mr Turnbull, and attempts to redirect this blame towards the Energy Market Operators. The market operator has insufficient intel about how it operates. That is unacceptable. Tom Koutsantonis, energy minister. Here the energy minister is using attacking language against the energy operators. We have to step up and take control of our own future, and we are determined to do that. -Mr Weatherill (S.A Labor premier)   Ã‚   Wills has utilized these quotes to establish a point of view that something needs to be done to prevent further blackouts and to imply that the energy operators have left South Australia in the dark. These quotes use the techniques of inclusive language, urgency and appeals to hope to establish a call to arms for the audience to feel compelled to stand with Mr Weatherill. In this report Wills has been able to persuade his audience to believe that it was the market operators who did not ensure the reliability of power at the times when the state needed it the most. With the battle of politics waging and news treatments jumping in on the action, it is impossible to understand the simple questions we all have on our minds. What really did cause this crisis and who are we to stand alongside? KAI JOHNSTON Bibliography Wills, D. (2017). How the State Govt plans to fix SAs energy crisis. [online] Adelaidenow.com.au. Available at: http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/south-australia/sa-power-how-the-state-government-plans-to-fix-energy-crisis/news-story/b6d6bceb9d9c0203f0bc9bd9637e32f6 [Accessed 19 Feb. 2017]. Lewis, R. (2017). Labor cant keep the lights on. [online] Theaustralian.com.au. Available at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/sa-power-outages-hiccups-says-labor/news-story/c6ca2aaca59d5e1b77106b099d4e5e87 [Accessed 22 Feb. 2017]. Kenny, M. (2017). PM and ministers were told wind not to blame for SA blackout. [online] The Sydney Morning Herald. Available at: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/pm-and-ministers-were-told-wind-not-to-blame-for-sa-blackout-20170212-guaxf0.html [Accessed 25 Feb. 2017]. Renewablessa.sa.gov.au. (2017). About Us RenewablesSA. [online] Available at: http://renewablessa.sa.gov.au [Accessed 23 Feb. 2017]. Albrechtsen, J. (2017). Green dreamers are weaving baskets in the dark. [online] Theaustralian.com.au. Available at: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/opinion/columnists/janet-albrechtsen/green-dreamers-are-weaving-baskets-in-the-dark/news-story/4a17b417b568d6f1ab28ebdf63139a08 [Accessed 1 Mar. 2017].

Relationship Between Gender and Health

Relationship Between Gender and Health Sex, Gender and Health Introduction One of the main objectives of the National Health Service set out in the 1940’s was â€Å"To ensure that everybody in the country-irrespective of means, age, sex, or occupation-shall have equal opportunity to benefit from the best and most up to date medical and allied services available (Ministry of Health, 1944). Although the words equity and equality do not feature in documents from the early days of the NHS, there are many reasons to conclude that the service was intended to provide equal access or actual treatment for those in equal need (Delamothe, 2008). This concept had been refined since then, and an equitable health service is understood to mean â€Å"one where individuals’ access to and utilisation of the service depends on their health status alone.† (Dixon et al., 2003). There are many explanations for factors attributable to differences in the equity of care, such as income, income inequality, social connectedness, and social capital, which have al l shown some association with health and illness (Berkman Syme, 1979; Fiscella Franks, 1997; Kawachi et al., 1997; Lomas, 1998; Naidoo Wills, 2000). This paper shall examine the meaning of gender as another of these determinants of health. The differences between the terms sex and gender shall first be discussed. Secondly pathways through which gender effects health shall be examined, paying particular attention to risk behaviours, gender roles, and gender discrimination. Finally, the differential exposure and differential vulnerability hypotheses shall be discussed. Sex and Gender Raymond Williams argued that vocabulary involves not only ‘the available and developing meaning of known words’ but also ‘particular formations of meaning-ways not only of discussing but at another level seeing many of our central experiences’ (Williams, 1983 p15). Language in this sense embodies ‘important social and historical processes’ in which new terms are introduced or old terms take on a new meaning. Often ‘earlier and later senses coexist, or become actual alternatives in which problems of contemporary belief and affiliation are contested’ (Williams, 1983 p22). The introduction of ‘gender’ in English in the 1970s as an alternative to ‘sex’ was to counter the implicit and explicit biological determinism pervading scientific lay language (Krieger, 2003). Sociologists describe sex as the relatively unchanging biology of being male or female, while gender refers to the roles and expectations attributed to men and women in a given society, roles which change over time, place and life stage (Phillips, 2005). Genetic profile and hormone profile are both examples of sex, a constant set of biological characteristics that remain the same across societies, whereas expectations about the imperative to bear children, the nature of parenting, or the status of being a mother are more to do with gender roles and expectations. Gender has an impact on health in a variety of ways. Gender inequalities in health While women generally experience poorer health than men, the pattern of gender differences in health is varied (Arber Cooper, 1999). Women have lower rates of mortality but, paradoxically, report higher levels of depression, psychiatric disorders, distress and a variety of other chronic illnesses than men ( McDonough Walters, 2001). The direction and magnitude of gender differences in health vary according to the symptom/condition and phase of life cycle (Denton et al., 2004). Female excess is found consistently across the lifespan for distress, but is far less apparent, even reversed, for a number of other physical conditions and symptoms (Matthews et al., 1999). Gender inequalities in income and wealth make women especially vulnerable to poverty. In some parts of the world this makes it difficult for them to acquire the necessities for health, especially during the reproductive years when family needs are greatest (Doyal, 2001). Social norms about the diversions of responsibility mean that many women have very heavy burdens of work, especially those who combine employment with domestic duties, pregnancy and child rearing (Naidoo Wills, 2001). Often, women in the house receive very little support and many are abused by their family members. It has been estimated that 19% of the total disease burden carried by women aged 15-44 in developed countries is the result of domestic violence and rape (World Bank, 1993). Further to this, anxiety and depression are reported more in women than in men in most parts of the world, yet there is no evidence that women are constitutionally more susceptible to such illness (Doyal, 2001). In Africa, powerlessne ss and lack of control underlie much of the exposure to HIV/AIDS amongst the female population. Disproportionate barriers (relative to men) in access to resources such as food, education and medical care disadvantage women in much of the developing world. In males risk taking behaviour is the norm amongst males in the developing world. Risk taking behaviour and its effects on male health There are now many links on the interaction between masculinity and health emerging (Schoefield et al, 2000). The development and maintenance of a heterosexual male identity usually requires the taking of risks that are seriously hazardous to health (Doyal, 2001). One of the most obvious examples of this regards the working environment. In many societies it is traditional for the man to assume the role of the provider, thus putting males at risk of dying prematurely from occupational accidents (Waldron, 1995), and although there are more women in the labour force, men from the poorest communities still do the most dangerous jobs. Further to the risks of the workplace, men often feel compelled to engage in risky behaviour to â€Å"prove their masculinity†, thus they are more likely than women to die in a car crash or dangerous sporting activities (Canaan, 1996). Men are also more likely than women to drink to excess and smoke, which increases ones physiological predisposition to early heart disease and other related problems (Doyal, 2001). They are also more likely than women to desire unsafe sex. A study in Ontario, Canada examined the causes of male deaths between birth and age 45. There reported 1,812 male deaths, of which 1,372 (76%) are due to motor vehicle accidents, suicide, and AIDS, leaving 440 deaths unrelated to behaviour. Although the male excess of deaths from car accidents may, in part be attributable to greater distances driven and not behaviour while driving, the male relationship with the automobile is almost certainly another aspect of gender roles. Only 308 (33%) of the 936 female dea ths are explained by such behaviour. When non-risk taking causes of death are isolated from the data, women under age 45 have a mortality which is 1.43 times that of mens. Over age 45 the leading causes of death for both men and women are chronic diseases. Men die of heart disease in equal numbers but at a younger age than do women. With increasing age the number of deaths for women creeps upward to equal that of men (Phillips, 2005). Differential exposure and differential vulnerability hypotheses Since gender is a measure of both biological and social differences, it is likely that the health inequalities between men and women reflect both sex-related biological and social factors, and the interactions between them (Denton et al., 2004). There are two general hypotheses that account for these gender based inequalities in health. The differential exposure hypothesis suggests that women report higher levels of health problems because of their reduced access to the material and social conditions of life that foster health (Arber Cooper, 1999), and from greater stress associated with their gender and marital roles. Many studies have shown that women occupy different structural locations than men: they are less likely to be employed, work in different occupations, and are more likely to be on lower incomes, and to do domestic labour and to be a single parent than men (Denton Walters, 1999). There are also gender differences in exposure to lifestyle behaviours, such as those prev iously mentioned (that men are more likely to smoke, consume alcohol) as well as having an unbalanced diet and being overweight, while women are more likely than men to be physically inactive (Denton Walters, 1999). De Vries and Watt (1996) also suggest that women report higher levels of health problems because they are exposed to a higher level of demands and obligations in their social roles, as well as experiencing more stressful life events. Women also have lower levels of both perceived control and self esteem than men (Turner Roszell, 1994), though women report higher levels of social support (Umberson et al., 1996). The differential vulnerability hypothesis on the other hand suggests that women report higher levels of health problems because they react differently than men to the material, behavioural and psychosocial conditions that moderate health (Denton et al., 2004). Multivariate analyses have shown that men and women differ in vulnerability to some, but not all, of the social determinants of health (Denton et al., 2004). That is, the moderating effect of gender is determinant specific. Having a high income, working full time, caring for a family, and having good social support have been shown to be more importance predictors for predicating health in women than men (Prus Gee, 2003). Smoking and alcohol consumption are more important as discussed previously, are more important determinants of health for men than women, while body weight and being physically inactive are more important for women (Denton Walters, 1999). Furthermore, the effects of stress may be experienced and personified b y men and women in a variety of different ways. The literature appears to show that women react more to ongoing strains than men do, and are more likely to report and react to stressors experienced by others (Turner Avison, 1987), while men are more likely to mention and react to economic stressors (Wheaton, 1990). Zuzenak Mannell (1998) argues that women have a greater vulnerability to the effects of chronic stressors on health due to the greater stress associated with their family and marital roles. Denton et al., (2004) used multiple indicators of health and its social structural, behavioural, and psychological determinants to gain a comprehensive understanding of the role that social factors play in determining health. They report that women’s poorer health is partly due to the reduced access, on average, to the material and social conditions of life that foster health, to their differential exposure to stressful life events and to everyday stressors associated with a women’s social roles. Men’s health also seems to be reduced by their greater likelihood to partake in risk taking behaviours such as smoking and excessive drinking. These, as well as physical activity are more important to men’s health. Conclusion Gender is a social construct, and sex is a biological construct. They are each distinct, and are not interchangeable terms. The use of the term gender facilitates discussion of the effects of social norms and expectations on the health of both males and females. It is clear that gender has many effects upon health and well being, and that this is a complex issue, with behavioural and psychosocial determinants of health growing out of the social context of peoples lives. This paper has discussed the social and structural context of peoples lives for health benefits – clearly a strong and well studies theme in the literature (Denton Walters, 1999; Denton et al., 2004). It seems that behavioural determinants play less of a role in predicting health, yet there effects also tend to be mediated by social structure (e.g. those with a low income are more likely to smoke, drink excessively, and be overweight and inactive. These factors can then, collectively, lead to chronic health pr oblems later on in life. It also seems reasonable to conclude that men and women suffer from different types of stressor. They also both cope in different ways. For example, the exposure hypothesis proposes that gender-based health inequalities are the result of the differing social location between men and women. There different life style behaviour’s and the differing number of chronic stressors and life experienced by men and women. The vulnerability hypothesis proposes that women’s health differs from men’s because they also react in different ways to factors that determine health. It seems then, that although there are many other sociological factors that can have an impact on health, there are many gender differences to account for also, making this a very complex issue. References Arber, S., Cooper, H. (1999). Gender differences in health in later life: the new paradox? Social Science and Medicine , 66 (6), 61-76. Bank, W. (1993). World development report 1993: investing in health. New York: Oxford University Press. Berkman, L., Syme, S. (1979). Social networks, host resitance and mortality: a nine year follow up study of Alameda County residents. American Journal of Epidermology , 109, 186-203. Delamothe, T. (2008). Universality, equity and quality of care. British Medical Journal , 336, 1278-1282. Denton, M., Walters, V. (1999). Gender differences in structural and behavioural determinants of health: an analysis of the social production of health. Social Science Medicine , 48, 1221-1225. Denton, M., Prus, S., Walters, V. (2004). Gender differences in health: a Canadian study of the psychosocial, structrual, and behavioural determinants of health. Social Science and Medicine , 58, 2585-2600. De-Vries, B., Watt, D. (1996). A lifetime of events: Age and gender variations in the life story. International Journal of Aging and Human Development , 42 (2), 81-102. Dixon, A., Le Grand, J., Henderson, J., Murray, R., Poteliankoff, E. (2003). Is the NHS equitable? A review of the evidence . Londone: London School of Economics. Doyal, L. (2001). Sex. gender, and health: the need for a new approach. British Medical Journal , 323, 1061-1065. Fiscella, K., Franks, P. (1997). Poverty or income inequality as a predictor of mortality: Longtitudinal cohort study. British Medical Journal , 314, 1724-1728. Kawachi, I., Kennedy, B., Lochner, K., Prothrow-Smith, D. (1997). Social capital and health: Implications for public health and epidemiology. Social Science and Medicine , 87, 1491-1498. Lomas, J. (1998). Social capital and health: implications for public health and epidermology. Social Science and Medicine , 47, 1181-1188. Naidoo, J., Wills, J. (2000). Health Promotion-Foundations for Practice. London: BailliereTindall. Phillips, S. (2005). Defining and measuring gender: A social determinant of health whose time has come. International Journal for Equity in Health , 4 (11), 1-4. Prus, S., Gee, E. (2003). Gender differences in the influence of economic, lifestyle and psyhco-social factors on later life health. Canadian Journal of Public Health , 94 (3), 94-102. Schoefield, T., Connell, R., Walker, I., Wood, J., Butland, D. (2000). Understanding mens health and illness: a gender relations approach to policy, reseacrh and practise. Journal of the Amercian Colege of Health , 48, 247-258. Scotland, M. o. (1944). A national health service. London: HMSO. Turner, J., Avison, W. (1987). gender and depression: Assessing exposure to life events in a chronically strained population. Journal of Neurons and Mental Disease , 77 (8), 443-455. Turner, J., Roszell, P. (1994). Psychosocial resources and the stree process. In W. Avison, I. Gotlib, Stress and mental health: Contemporary issues and prospects for the future. New York: Platinum Press. Umberson, D., Chen, M., House, J., Hopkins, K., Slaten, E. (1996). The effect of social relationships on psychological well-being. Are men and women really no different? Sociological Review , 61, 837-857. Waldron, I. (1995). Contributions of changing gender differentials in behaviour to changing gender differentials in mortalitly. In D. Sabo, G. Gordon, Mens health and illness: gender, power, and the body. London: Sage Publications. Wheaton, B. (1990). Life transitions, role histories, and mental health. American Sociological Review , 55, 209-223. Williams, R. (1983). A vocabulary of culture and society. Revised edition. New York: Oxford University Press. Zuzanek, J., Mannell, R. (1998). Life-cycle squeeze, time, pressure, daily stress, and leisure participation: A Canadian perspective. Society and Leisure , 21 (2), 513-544. 1

Aldous Huxley :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When Aldous Huxley wrote Brave New World in 1931, nobody imagined that his fairytale story would someday be a reality. It is almost scary to see how accurate Huxley’s far-fetched fantasies came to be. When Huxley wrote about the conformity, drug use and sex and technology of the society, he was almost pinpoint exact to predicting today’s societies. Unfortunately, all of these things haven’t exactly changed our society today for the better.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It is amazing to see how accurately Aldous Huxley was in his predictions to human conformity today. The novel’s classes of Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons each have assigned roles. In the novel, each caste is brainwashed into believing that it is crucial and important for the well being of the society as a whole. Since everyone is brainwashed at such an early age, nobody really questions the order or rules. However, there are always those few who refuse to conform. The novel’s John, Helmholtz Watson, and Bernard Marx were all exiled from their society by the World Controller Mustapha Mond. Their actions involving the soma in the hospital were considered far too disruptive to society and they were no longer allowed to co-exist in the preset world of Ford. Our own world is very similar to the world of Ford as we ‘exile’ all who are different. One example of a group whom our society’s majority refuses to accept is the gay population. They could, of course, chose to go against their ways and date the opposite sex just so that they would be accepted, but because they do not, most people refuse to accept that and therefore exile them. The conformity struggle starts as young as elementary school. Popularity is based upon those who conform the best and follow everyone else and unfortunately, those who are different and stand out are usually harassed for their differences.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Drugs are one of the most copious problems that exist today, as we are beginning to see more and more of them in today’s society. Drugs have even become commonly used by today’s youth starting as low as elementary school. The need to feel that ‘high’ has become more and more common. Unfortunately, the drugs used in today’s society aren’t as safe as those used in Huxley’s world. â€Å"Soma† is the drug of choice in Huxley’s world which gave similar ‘highs’ as does ecstasy, but did not have the harmful side effects.

Free Essays - Catcher in the Rye :: Catcher Rye Essays

J.D Salinger gives his personal vision of the world successfully through his persona Holden Caulfield in the ‘Catcher in the Rye’.   Caulfield struggles with the background of New York to portray Salinger’s theme – you must live the world as it is, not as you would like it to be.   There by exposing Salinger’s vision on the world. Salinger went through many of the experiences Holden went though.   Salinger much like Holden had a sister that he loved very much, in the novel Phoebe is the only person that Holden speaks highly of; both men also spent time in a mental institution; Holden is telling the story from inside a institution; they were both kicked out of prep school and most importantly they were both a recluse from society.   This is why Salinger uses Holden as his persona all though out the book.   The ‘catcher in they Rye’ is almost like an autobiography for Salinger. He is using Holden as his persona to let us, the reader, dive into his thought pattern and find out some of the thoughts that he kept locked up in there. Salinger’s view of the world is lived out thought Holden – his persona. The novel is Holden’s steam of conscience as he is talking to a psychoanalyst â€Å"what would an psychoanalyst do†¦gets you to talk†¦for one thing he’d help you to recognise the patterns of your mind†. At the start of the novel it is addressed directly to us â€Å"if you really want to hear about it†. This gives us a sense of reality as though it is us that is the psychiatrist. We see the random thought patterns of Holden’s mind as he starts to feel more comfortable, Holden goes off on to many different tangents while he is talking. Salinger is using Holden as a type of easy way out to confess his view of the world.   This view is portrayed though two main aspects of the novel.   Firstly theme - you must live in a world as it is, not as you would like it to be.   Holden can’t seem to accept the world as it is and finds New York extremely â€Å"phoney†.   Holden has a great disliking for the movies, he finds them the phoniest of them all â€Å"I hate the movies like poison† and he cant believe that people actually make time to go to the there.

Gone with the wind analysis

The Great Depression was one of the most desperate times during U. S history. The unemployment rate increased from 3. 2% in 1929 to 24. 9% in 1932. The sudden crash of the market in 1929 increased the suicide rate from 12. 1 per 100,000 people to 18. 1 per 100,000 people. Especially during the asses, people seemed to want to find some mental comforts, so cinemas became the most popular place. Average weekly movie attendance increased from 57 million in 1927 to 80 million in 1931 (â€Å"Great Depression Statistics†).Gone with the Wind, the movie which stood as one of the most classic movie of all time, was produced during this period. Though the story Gone with the wind was set in the asses, the movie spoke directly to Americans in asses when it was released. The movie Gone with the Wind succeeded for three reasons: the strength Scarlet O'Hara had was needed for women during the Great Depression, the movie showed people the race relations between African Americans and white peo ple, and the movie provided hope for the people during the asses. This historic vie was greatly influenced by the asses.Following World War I and entering the Great Depression, women needed the strong characteristics of Scarlet O'Hara. During the Depression, men were losing their Jobs; therefore, women needed to work to support their family. Just as Eleanor Roosevelt said: â€Å"The women know that life must go on and that the needs of life must be met and it is their courage and determination which, time and again, have pulled us through worse crises than the present one† (Ware). During the mid-depression, the middle class family income was very low.Women has to be really economical; for example, â€Å"they had buy day-old bread or warm dishes in the oven to save gas† (Ware). Because of this kind of tough and unstable living, women had no choice; they had to forget their safe, comfortable housewives' lives, and become tools for supporting families (Ware). Gone with th e Wind is also about how Scarlet O'Hara loses everything and has no other way to survive but to become strong. The end of part one of the movie shows this, when she holds the soil and swears that she will be strong and never be hungry again.Another season for why people were attracted by this movie is the cursive love Journey Scarlet experienced. A lot of women who lived in the period of the Great Depression had lost their husbands during World War One; in the beginning of the movie, Scarlet is also waiting for Ashley Wilkes, whom she loves, to come back from the war. Every time she reads through the list of the dead, it is clear how worried she is. This feeling was what a lot of women during that time experienced, so they felt sympathy for Scarlet O'Hara.During the asses, white people's opinion toward African Americans was ambivalent. They still had the mindset from slavery times, when they could order the African Americans to do anything, and didn't want to accept the truth that b lack people were equal to them now. In Gone with the Wind, there is a scene in which Scarlet is almost raped by a black; her husband, Frank and Ashley act like ASK (UK Klux Klan) to murder that African American. In the movie, white people feel threatened by blacks.During the time of the Great Depression, Roosevelt â€Å"New Deal† created a program called the Work Progress Administration (WAP). This program helped solve the high employment rate. Under this program, there were some small parts like the Federal Writers' Project and Federal Art Project. These projects provided some talented African American artist Jobs, and some great African American artist emerged (â€Å"The Great Depression: African-American†) Art was an important part for the people who lived in the Depression, therefore, white people might view African Americans differently.However, at the same time, they felt threatened, too, because some African Americans were taking their Job opportunities. Also, t he movie created the feeling that black people needed white people's wisdom to survive, because â€Å"they often seemed more like pets than people† (Left 7). We can see this from how happy Big Sam is when he and Scarlet reunite; he thinks that he will be safe and will not be hungry again when he finds his former owner. Neither Big Sam nor a strong character like Mamma could take care of Tara without her white master during the war, either (Left.During the Depression, most African Americans lived in rural areas were still working in the farms of the white people. Even African Americans who lived in cities â€Å"worked as domestic servants for white folks† (â€Å"The Great Depression: African-American†). These connections seemed to indicate to white people during the Depression that African Americans were still dependent on them. Therefore, white people's attitude toward African Americans was ambivalent.Another important reason for the success of Gone with the Win d was that people who lived in the Depression wanted to recall the memory of the glory before the Civil War, they could see themselves in the movie, and they needed strength to move on. â€Å"Escapism† s the most discussed term when it comes to the Great Depression. â€Å"During the Depression, when the spirit of the people is lower than at any other time, it is a splendid thing that for Just 15 cents an American can go to a movie and look at the smiling face of a baby and forget his troubles† (Cravens 216).Movies and music were popular because people wanted to escape from the cruel reality, even Just for few hours. The beginning of Gone with the Wind was a perfect time for them to go back to the good old life when everything was more organized and peaceful. However, they old also see the decline of themselves in the movie, Just like Ashley, the old noble landowner. The War suddenly takes everything that Ashley had away. Because of this, Ashley becomes passive, and he loses all hope.The same thing happened to people during the Depression: â€Å"Their world having been turned upside down, they saw a parallel between their plight and the story of the disappearance of the antebellum south† (Will). However, at the same time, they also wanted strength, power and hope for the future, Just like Scarlet's attitude toward life. The most classic scene in the vie is when Reheat Butler leaves Scarlet, though in great sorrow, she said: â€Å"after all, tomorrow is another day' (Gone with the Wind) Thousands of Americans might be inspired by this sentence.Obviously, the experience of the Depression couldn't have been worse than what Scarlet had. In her life, the war forced her to change from a noble girl into a strong woman who needed to plant the food herself; she lost all her dignity as a business woman for trading with the Yankees; she married three times but all failed; she finally realized the man she loved for many years was a coward; ere husband left her Just as she realized that she actually loved him. All these miserable things happen to her, but she never loses hope.This strength was what people needed during the Depression. Although they wanted to escape from reality, there was no way but to face it. The spirit of Scarlet inspired them to be hopeful, to accept the life, and fight with it. Echoing Scarlet Aurora's words, â€Å"tomorrow is another day,† (Gone with the Wind) American citizens gained strength from Gone with the Wind. Clearly, this movie reflected the period of asses, including the race relations between white people and African Americans. The movie also provided people during the asses much needed hope.

Finding Common Ground: Resolving the Controversy that Surrounds Stem Cell Research

The extensive debate over ethics of stem cell research provides a number of differing points of views. Most of these take potently opposing sides in either justifying or rejecting stem cell research thereby enhancing the dilemma faced by the common man in understanding the issue. The politics of human stem cell research has also added to the impasse with protagonists and opponents using time worn cliches and tactics to sustain their arguments. Lebacqz and Young supplement this debate by providing somewhat parallel yet opposing perspectives. While Lebacqz justifies stem cell research based on the concept of respect which is due to an entity be it living or non living, Young seeks to view the same from an ethical rather than a moral perspective. Thus authors Karen Lebacqz and Ernle Young contemplate the wide gap between acceptance and objection to human stem cell research. Lebacqz believes that it is possible to respect embryos and embryonic tissue by adopting an atypical approach. This can come about by treating a tissue as an entity with value. Lebacqz states, â€Å"I speak of respecting embryos and embryonic tissue, because the creation of embryonic stem cells involves use of an early embryo (blastocyst) from which particular tissue (inner cell mass) is derived and manipulated. † Lebacqz defines respect by alluding to the definition provided by Downie and Telfer in, Respect for Persons. Respect for Persons provides an ends based rather than a means based view of deference. Respect is thus an end in itself rather than a means to gain advantage for the person offering veneration. Lebacqz also adds, â€Å"Having respect involves ways of thinking and feeling as well as ways of acting. In order to sufficiently respect another person, you must exercise empathy. It is important not to inflict anything on that individual that you would not be willing to accept for yourself. However, Lebacqz admits that there are some differences between a fully developed human and an embryo. For instance, embryos lack self-determination an d rational will. Thus applying similar norms to an embryo as that applied to a fully developed human is contentious and sparks many passionate debates. To overcome this deficiency, Lebacqz provides other methods of offering respect than those that could be applicable to embryos. These include the type of value offered to non-persons, sentient beings, plants, and ecosystems. In her essay, Lebacqz thus illustrates how the definition of respect is mutable as it relates to various things and concepts. Lebacqz thus provides a three pointed approach to justify stem cell research to include respect, empathy and valuing it as being part of the overall ecosystem. Ernle Young on the other hand argues that difference in perspective arises because of differential between ethical and moral arguments on stem cells. According to Young morality is, â€Å"An attempt of individuals, or of groups, to live out in daily attitudes and actions their visions of the highest good. † Morality is commonly associated with religious tradition. In contrast ethics â€Å"employs a common public language in justifying assertions about prescribed or proscribed attitudes and actions. † Ethics adopts a more universal and secular academic approach or legislation while morality is exclusivist thereby narrowing opinions to traditional positions. Young believes that the gap between morality and ethics is the main cause of debate in society over stem cell research. In her essay, Young refers to the need to respect an individual’s moral view in accepting the argument on stem cells research. It is important to respect morals and opinions of people of different religious backgrounds. In order to do this, it is imperative to find a common language between groups which can be achieved by replacing moral reasoning by ethical thinking. Therefore Young suggests a secular rather than a pious attitude in viewing stem cell research thereby broadening the argument to a more congruent and contemporary universalistic approach. Rights of non persons are a common thread in the writings of Lebacqz and Young. By attempting to explain these privileges both writers bring more focus to the argument even though their views are diametrically opposite. Lebacqz uses animal rights as an example. Lebacqz explains, â€Å"If respect is restricted to rights (along the model of respect for autonomous persons), the difficulty becomes specifying what constitute appropriate animal rights. However, it is not necessary to use rights language to see animals as deserving of respect. In contrast, Young feels that this sentiment can be taken too far. Specifically, Young criticizes Schweitzer’s philosophy regarding all living things. According to Schweitzer, every living organism has full and equal moral status. Young explains that this â€Å"makes brushing one’s teeth as problematic as killing flies, cockroaches, and mice, or even members of our own species. † Young believes the flaw in this line of reasoning is in the assumption that all living things have a will to live. Then there is the issue of more abstract concepts and their relationship to respect. Lebacqz and Young both mention human consideration for ecosystems. They both establish that sentience alone is not a criterion for deserving respect. Once again, Lebacqz mentions the concept of value in regard to ecosystems. Lebacqz explains, â€Å"First there is the independent value of creature and the ecosystem itself. † Therefore, the struggle seems to be finding a value system that acknowledges the individual commodity of stem cells, while respecting their importance in the web of life. While both authors make strong points, the overall argument may appear unconvincing to many. According to both Lebacqz and Young the goal is to find a method that allows the existence of stem cell research for the betterment of humans, while finding a common moral ground that respects individual beliefs. The essence of the argument on stem cell research thus lies in placing it in perspective with reference to benefit to humans as well as the overall organic eco system. Once this is established as a truism, fostering the idea should be possible by taking a combination of the ethical argument suggested by Young and empathy and respect towards non persons indicated by Lebacqz. Given that stem cell research is an evolving scientific phenomenon which has yet to acquire critical mass; it is believed that once sufficient evidence of its relevance is available adoption of rights, ethics and empathy based approach will lead to its common acceptance. Till such time believers and skeptics will continue to raise numerous arguments to prove their respective points of views.