Monday, September 30, 2019

The First World Problems

America worries about problems that people in other countries would never get to dream of or even get to talk about in their lifetimes. America’s â€Å"first world problems† are things that usually are taken for granted. For example, the next updated electronic coming out or out and pair of tennis shoes put out on display at the stores. As Americans know that those items are all good to them, they don’t understand how a person from the eastern hemisphere struggling in a sweatshop for low pay deals with trying to get through to the day.In Where Sweatshops Are A Dream by Nickolas Kristof from the New York times, he agrees that sweatshops are bad yet proclaims that they are needed. His argument seems to kind of contradict each other. He emphasizes by exclaiming that poorer countries that do not have sweatshops have it worse because they have no work at all. As if he is trying to prove that some work is better than no work. He supports his argument by talking about h ow countries without the shops forced to plumage through garbage have it worse because they are more prone to injury and disease.Yet, he doesn’t inform readers about the situations in the actual sweatshops themselves. He doesn’t note that people in sweatshops are treated horribly every day. Sweatshop workers deal with getting lied to about pays, hours, beaten to severe injuries and even death. Kristof implies that having work is better than none and people in shops are better than in the streets. He may think they have things a little easier but it doesn’t mean that sweatshops are worth the effort and putting up more will change anything. If anything, it would increase the competiveness market, hence losing more jobs and other out in to the streets.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Management and Leadership Paper

Management and Leadership Paper Leadership and management are the two most confused terms in the corporate world. These are the two expressions used interchangeably in the corporate parlance. One is thought to be the replacement of the other. However, managers and leaders are two different spheres of organizational culture with one sphere, at some places, overlapping the other. These two together make the organizational culture and are responsible for its health. We will look at the various aspects of leadership and management with respect to the company GE (General Electric) and see how the two integrate while maintaining the disparity to make this organization number one enterprise and the best training school for future leaders and managers. Management Vs Leadership â€Å"Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things† The above quote by Peter F. Drucker sums up beautifully the essence of leadership and management. Management involves the tactical aspect of day to day running of a function. A manager gets the power to direct the subordinates by the virtue of the position being held. He/she typically carries out the responsibilities laid out by the organization for him/her. A manager is more of a problem solver and takes care of work areas relating to people management, time management, decision making etc. A leader on the other hand is more of a visionary. He has the ability to energize others and is self motivated and self driven. He sets the vision for his organization and has the power to influence the people to walk the path he has envisaged. However, there are places where a person needs to have both management and leadership skills. A manager in a team role would need leadership skills to influence his team members and get work done from them. Similarly, a leader needs to have management skills to be able to execute his vision. Hence, success of an organization would require people with a blend of both virtues. What role they play would depend on the percentage of each character in the individual. Leadership and management roles case study – GE GE has acquired its leadership legacy from Jack Welch, one of the greatest leaders of all times to come. He propagated a leadership style alien to the organizations of the time he took over GE’s reigns and changed the organization culture completely. Jack’s major success as a leader was due to his concept of â€Å"boundary less thinking†. This is how he grew an American manufacturing company into a services giant spread across 100 countries all across the globe (beginnersinvest. about. com ). One of the evidences of this â€Å"boundaryless† culture can be seen in Jack’s initiation of e-business. He connected the company directly to the suppliers as well as the customers electronically. This helped in quick information flow and instant resolution to the customer’s woes (answers. com). The managers here also followed this behavior as propagated by the leadership. This can be seen by the enthusiasm they took in taking up 6-sigma quality projects and delivered immense profits when Welch initiated the six sigma drive to reap benefits of the quality initiative. The managers enthusiastically followed their leader and undertook rigorous quality trainings, learned from each other’s experiences and further fired the six sigma drive. In fact, the benefits derived from this vision of Welch and the immense participation by the managers all across the businesses lead to a productivity gains of $320 million in 1997 and even more at around $750 million in 1998 (beginnersinvest. about. com ). Developing leaders was an important strategy of Welch as this always ensured a lineage of good leadership for the company. To fulfill this vision he had setup a leadership development school at Crotonville. He used this school as a means of encouraging â€Å"boudaryless† culture as well as a forum for â€Å"best practice sharing† as managers from various businesses would share their experiences both theoretical and practical and use the learning from these class room sessions to improve their respective businesses. However, some of the managers from â€Å"previous era† were not very enthusiastic about participation in these sessions. So, Welch started what he called â€Å"work-out† sessions. The managers would not be included in these discussions which were facilitated by academic people hired from outside the organization. After discussing the problems and solutions within the work-out group, the points were then discussed with the concerned managers there and then and they had to decide about whether to accept the solutions or give their view points against them and provide better options or to setup a plan to execute in phases (answers. com). Finally, these sessions became a way of resolving problems and involving employee participation and are still being used by managers to solve issues. Managers were the key messengers of the leadership to propagate and implement their messages. Managers were encouraged to come up with new ideas and were invited to Crotonville to proudly share ideas in front of Welch and the proficient executive team of GE (answers. com). Jack spread the concept of informality in the organization. He would send personal notes to people wherever possible. On of his managers once turned down a promotion because of his inability to shift from the location where he was presently working. Jack wrote him a personal note which went as follows: †We like you for a lot of reasons–one of them is that you are a very special person. You proved it again this morning. Good for you and your lucky family. Make Diamonds a great business and keep your priorities straight. † (beginnersinvest. about. com). Woodburn was immensely moved by this as he said †It showed me he cared about me not as a manager but as a person . That means a lot. ‘ (beginnersinvest. about. com). From the discussion above, we can understand how leadership differs from the management at GE. The leaders here are visionaries and the managers support their vision by following and propagating their ideas. Managers here are experts in their areas of operation while the leaders groom them to be future leaders. There were times, though, when the managers were not ready for the change their leader was propagating. The leaders have the capability of finding ways of getting their vision implemented which is evident from the work-out sessions idea of Welch. Recommendations for achieving a healthy work culture in an organization The growth curve and sustainability of an organization is highly influenced by its work culture. The key to everlasting success is to nurture the spirit of high business ethics in the organization. Where leaders and managers succumb to unethical dealings to spur growth, the organization is bound reach a fatal end soon. Thus, with undeterred focus on values, the leaders can create a transparent and healthy work environment. Another important strategy to achieve positive organizational culture is not to put pounding pressure on the people to perform. The undue pressure caused by Jack’s aggressive vision, lead people to resort to unethical means to deliver results. GE was at one time weighed down by scandals like the Kidder, Peabody & Co. bond-trading scam of the 90’s which resulted in bogus profits (beginnersinvest. about. com). Works Cited Kotelnikov, Vadim. 25 Lessons from Jack Welch. February 16, 2010. http://www. 1000ventures. com/business_guide/mgmt_new-model_25lessons-welch. html coach4growth. com. Leadership vs. Management: What are the Characteristics of a Leader and a Manager. 2007. February 16, 2010. http://www. coach4growth. com/good-leadership-skills/leadershipvmanagement. html beginnersinvest. about. com. How Jack Welch runs GE. May 28, 1998. February 16, 2010. http://beginnersinvest. about. com/gi/o. htm? zi=1/XJ/Ya=1=beginnersinvest=money=22=160_651_610_315=10=14=1=1=http%3A//www. businessweek. com/1998/23/b3581001. htm answers. com. Business Biographies: Jack Welch. 2010. February 16, 2010. http://www. answers. com/topic/jack-welch

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Blod Bank

BLOOD BANK MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Software Requirements Specification 3rd Feb 2013 Prepared for BLOOD BANK Table of Contents Revision Historyii Document Approvalii 1. Introduction1 1. 1 Purpose1 1. 2 Scope1 1. 3 Definitions, Acronyms, and Abbreviations1 1. 4 References1 1. 5 Overview1 2. General Description2 2. 1 Product Perspective2 2. 2 Product Functions2 2. 3 User Characteristics2 2. 4 General Constraints2 2. 5 Assumptions and Dependencies2 3. Specific Requirements2 3. 1 External Interface Requirements3 3. 1. 1 User Interfaces3 3. 1. 2 Hardware Interfaces3 3. 1. 3 Software Interfaces3 3. 2 Functional Requirements3 . 2. 1 3 3. 2. 2 3 3. 5 Non-Functional Requirements4 3. 5. 1 Performance4 3. 5. 2 Reliability4 3. 5. 3 Availability4 3. 5. 4 Security4 4. Analysis Models4 4. 1 Sequence Diagrams5 4. 3 Data Flow Diagrams (DFD)5 4. 2 State-Transition Diagrams (STD)5 1. Introduction This SRS provides requirements and proposed solution of the Blood Bank Management System used in blood banks. This software works in a Client Server environment with the server storing the data and clients connecting to the server for all types of transactions.It will explain the purpose and features of the system, the interfaces of the system, what the system will do, the constraints under which it must operate, specific requirements and other supporting information. This document is intended for both the stakeholders and the developers of the system. This document is intended for developers, project coordinator, project guide, users and testers. The developer can use the document to view the analysis and design part, to understand requirements specification. The project coordinator can use this document to review the idea of project whether it is innovative and usable or not.The project guide can use this document to analyze and manage the flow of project development. The tester can use this document to get clear idea about system, to understand the exact input domain of system and to generat e respective test cases for the testing purpose. 1. 1 Purpose This Software Requirements Specification provides a complete description of all the functions and specifications of the Blood bank Management System software. The purpose of this document is to present a detailed description of the Blood Bank System. This document is useful for Blood Bank employees who use this system on the daily basis.This document will also serve as a reference to incorporate any changes made in the system to the future. It will also prove to be useful to the managerial staff which is responsible for the smooth functioning of the counter transactions that are performed on daily basis. This document is primarily intended to provide a detailed specification of the functional requirements for developers of the product. It also provides an overview of the product for the users. It will explain the purpose and features of the system, what the systems do and the constraints under which it will operate.This S RS document contains the complete software requirement for Post Office Transaction System and describes the design decisions, architectural design and the detail design needed to implement the system. It provides the visibility in the design and provides information needed for software support. 1. 2 Scope This software is used by System Administrator, Supervisor, Assistant and Lab technicians. The system is designed to provide user authentication by maintaining the user database which contains all the details of user along with login details such as username and password.Each user has a different level of operation for the authentication purpose. The solution will provide a well-organized and coordinated system where the blood and donor records are managed more efficiently with better security. The major goal of the system is to provide synchronized and centralized donor and blood stock database to the blood bank. It also improves the efficiency of blood stock management by alerting the blood bank administrator. System will provides traceability of donor in case of emergency. It also provides performance evaluation using report generation. 1. 3 Definitions, Acronyms, and AbbreviationsThis subsection should provide the definitions of all terms, acronyms, and abbreviations required to properly interpret the SRS. This information may be provided by reference to one or more appendixes in the SRS or by reference to other documents. 1. 4 References 1. www. bharatbloodbank. com 2. www. bloodbankindia. com 1. 5 Overview This document contains a brief history and insight into the problem as well as what the system is designed to do, the scope of the solution. It gives a brief summary of whom the system is targeted at, its capabilities, and its positioning in the device development process.It also explains requirements of the system and also where exactly the user and stakeholders are placed in the scheme of things. It elaborates on security issues, hardware and softwar e requirement and also the priorities of various functionalities. The document helps the user to understand the Blood Bank System. The first part of the document provides the purpose, objectives and scope of the proposed system. It includes important definition, the problem statement specify the needed details to avoid any kind of ambiguity from user’s perspective. The document also states the feature set and capabilities of the system.The document also highlights the feature of proposed system and the advantages over the existing system. The document also highlights the various issues, error handling and the modification to be done in the system. The document is helpful to the user as it gives them opportunities to state what they expect from the system. In addition, the hardware specification required for the system is also mentioned. The user can read the document and make sure that his machine is equipped to run the system to avoid any inconvenience The user should make u se of the document to understand the system better.The rest of this document provides a full description of the project for the blood bank. It lists all the functions performed by the system. It gives the details of each of the system functions and actions in full for the software developer’s assistance. It also gives the overview of the problems currently faced by the system and provides solutions for the same. 2. General Description The project deals with the problem of automated management system that is keeping track of the actual amount of blood stock in the blood bank and to minimize human errors.The solution will provide a well-organized and coordinated system for blood bank where the blood and donor records are managed more efficiently with better security and added automation functions in alerting the administrator when the blood quantity is below par level and about the expired samples. In addition, the administrator can also trace back the donor responsible in case of reactive sample in blood transfusion and blood screening result. This system also creates a convenient and paperless environment for the blood bank in managing donors and processing blood stocks.The registration time for old donor is shortened as the records are retrievable from the system. Also the performance evaluation is possible using report generation facility. 2. 1 Product Perspective This system keep the track of all the actual amount of the blood stock in the blood bank to minimize the human errors. 2. 2 Product Functions 1. System will also maintain Blood Stock records and Discard register. 2. System will provide levels of operators for authentication purpose. 3. System will provide an authentication form where the users will fill the details. 4.System will process the request of login. 5. System will check for the entered details in the login database. 6. If the entered username and password are valid then the system will grant access to the user else will display an error message. 7. System will provide five interfaces such as Testing Interface, Blood Stock Interface, Issue Interface, Donor Registration Interface and Statistics Interface. 8. Donor Registration Interface will take all the personal and medical details of donor and generate a unique id for each donor. 9. If the donor already has an id then will retrieve its details. 10.In Testing Interface, if the results are positive then discard register is updated with sample details. 11. If the results are negative Blood Stock Repository is updated with sample details. 12. In Blood Stock Interface, system will generate unique bag numbers for each product. 13. It will generate alerts when the blood quantity is below par level and about the expired samples. 14. The System will move expired sample details to discard register and update blood stock repository. 15. In Issue Repository, system will check blood stock repository for availability. 16. If stocks are available then system will place an i ssue order. 7. It will generate a label which includes bag number and details of sample. 18. In Statistics analysis, system will generate various reports. 19. The whole transaction of the blood will be recorded in a system 20. The software will perform the stock management & bill generation. 21. All the transaction of the blood will be updated within a small period of time. 22. The software will generate all the annual record of the blood bank.. 23. It will also maintain the record of the blood donor. 24. It will also maintain the record of the rejected blood and the rejection for the blood rejection. 2. User Characteristics The user must have the basic knowledge of the computer system. It is not necessary that the user must have the knowledge of the computer hardware. System administrator, supervisor, assistant and lab technicians. 2. 4 General Constraints * Blood bank employees ,donors 2. 5 Assumptions and Dependencies * The System will not allow any user with invalid username and invalid password. * The system should not provide administrative privilege to any customer. 3. Specific Requirements The systems should satisfy the below given requirements. 1. Operating System: Windows XP Professional 2.Database Management System (DBMS): MySQL 5. 0 3. Peer to peer connection. This can be done by connecting both the systems using a cross cable and giving different IP addresses to them. 3. 1 External Interface Requirements System Interfaces The systems should satisfy the below given requirements. 4. Operating System: Windows XP Professional 5. Database Management System (DBMS): MySQL 5. 0 6. Peer to peer connection. This can be done by connecting both the systems using a cross cable and giving different IP addresses to them. User Interfaces User Type| Intended Interaction| 1. DONOR REGISTRATION a. New donor b.Regular donor| * The system will take all the personal and medical details of donor and generate an unique id for the donor. * The system will take donors id a s input, validate it and retrieve all its details including last donations. | 2. Administrator Login | * This login page will take input as username and password from the administrator * The system will validate the inputs and provide access to the system with more privileges to system and administrator| Testing | * This will take the input as blood group, donor id, date of collection; test carried out and its result.If the test results are positive then sample details are moved to discard register otherwise to blood stock repository. | Blood stock| * It will take all the details of the samples including blood group, its product details, date of collection, date of preparation, date of expiry, result of testing and generate a bag number. * It will generate alerts when the blood quantity is below par level and about the expired samples. * The expired sample details are moved to discard register and removed from blood stock repository. | Issue| * It will take input as product name, qu antity, blood group and validate it with blood stock repository. If the stock is available then issue order will be placed. * It will generate a label which includes bag number, details of sample etc. | Statistics Display Page| * The administrator has access to this page. It displays all statistical data regarding the various issue orders placed, blood stock repository and testing screening. * Report generation. | 3. 5 Non-Functional Requirements Goal – To provide authentication to donors. Objective 1 – Create unique id for donor’s. a. Accept donor personal and medical information for new donors. b. Generate unique id for each donor.Objective 2 – Process authentication request. a. Accept donor id in case of regular donor. b. Retrieve donor’s profile. Goal – To manage Blood Stocks. Objective 1 – Process blood stock details. a. Accept product details like collection date, expiry date, blood group etc. b. Generates a unique bag number. O bjective 2 – Establish connection with Issue interface and testing interface. a. Validate stock details for issue. b. Update blood stock repository after testing is negative. Goal – To generate reports and label. Objective 1 – To generate report. a.Generate product statistics b. Generate yearly, monthly reports and provide it to the administrator. Objective 1 – To generate labels for issue. a. Generate labels for the issue order placed. b. Provide it to the customer along with the date of delivery 3. 5 Non-Functional Requirements 7. 1. 1 Availability * For the customers, the services available are: Registration as a donor, placement of issue order. * For the administrator, the services available are: Manipulation of databases, change the functionalities provided by the system and monthly and yearly reports generation. . 1. 2 Security * This system maintains consistency and security as the blood stock details can’t be modified by the administrator o r the other user. The system analyses the issue order placed by the customer and accordingly fulfills it. The system will also provide authentication by using username and password. * The donor’s database will have its own security to prevent unauthorized write/delete access. The donor’s details will not be disclosed while issuing. 3. 8 Logical Database Requirements The databases used by the system are * Donor database Blood stock database * Discard database * Account database User database: The purpose of this database is to store the required information of the donors and their id’s. This database will be used for traceability of donor. The donors will fill their information while registration. Their credentials will be saved in this particular database. Blood Stock database: This database is used to maintain blood stock information. It maintains the details of valid samples. Discard database: This database is used to store details of blood samples which have to be discarded.This will contain information of expired samples and those samples which reacted positively in testing screening. Accounts database: The purpose of this database is to store the account details regarding issue of blood sample and to maintain the history of all the previous transactions. This database will be used by the administrator so that he can calculate the total cost of the issue orders placed. Accessing capabilities: 1. Only administrator can set the role of users and their access capabilities 2. No user can access anything outside its accessing capability .

Friday, September 27, 2019

Policy brief Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Policy brief - Essay Example There is an acute shortage of nursing faculty across all the states in the US as Fox (2013) reports "Shortage of professors is curbing the capacity of nursing schools to crank out graduates with advanced degrees†. More baccalaureate degree-holder nurses are required from the view point of achieving higher enrollees for doctoral programs as well. IOM say that almost half the nursing workforce is likely to retire in couple of years. The proportion of ageing population over age 65 is steadily going up creating further strain on quality care. Reforms in healthcare system will bring millions of people under healthcare system requiring more nurses to provide needed healthcare in hospitals. It is important to note that the US Army, Air force, and Navy need nurses with baccalaureate degree. Even the Veterans Health Administration too needs nurses with a baccalaureate degree for further advancement in the job. According to Lavis et al. (2009), it is important to know whether increasing the proportion of nurses with a baccalaureate degree to 80 percent by 2020 is an important issue for policy makers in the process to enhance healthcare for people. This issue is highly relevant in the sense that baccalaureate degree-holder nurses by 2020 in the US is important for several reasons that include changing demographics where in proportion of aged above 65 is steadily increasing due to rising age at birth in the US and secondly the goal is to enhance quality care for its citizens. Baccalaureate degree nurses (BSN) play an important role in preventive care. Being trained in public community health and management the BSN nurses are more suited for several functions that include manager, patient educator, public health, discharge coordinator. Obama administration lays a special emphasis on preventive measures and Public Health Departments are provided increased funding support from the administration. The BSN-prepared public health nurses are most suited for

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Law of tort, Case study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Law of tort, Case study - Essay Example Legal injuries are not limited to physical injuries but they also include economic, emotional, reputational injuries as well as breach of property, privacy, or constitutional rights. The given case study is related to a tort in which the firm ‘Go Kwick’ is forced to defend itself from legal damages. This paper will critically analyze various legal possibilities that are helpful for Go Kwick to defend itself in a legal suit. Background of the case Go Kwick operates a go cart track and has hired an instructor in order to give lessons to visitors throughout the year. The instructor is obliged to spend the initial ten minutes of the first lesson teaching beginners how to use the equipment properly. However, once the instructor failed to provide adequate information to the beginners and that resulted in the severe head injury of an individual. This unpleasant incident might have been prevented if the individual had taken proper safety measures under the responsibility of the instructor. Similarly; Katrina, the owner of a house near to the go kart track raised her objection against the noise from the track at weekends and during summer evenings. In addition, she argued that kart diesel fumes cause air pollution that exacerbated her asthma. On one occasion, Go Kwick’s one of the fork lift truck was left in front of her house for 24 hours and she was confined to her house whole day as she could not take her car out. Analysis of the facts From the case, we see that a person got severely injured from the cart due to the irresponsible act of the Go Kwick instructor. However, the Go Kwick has clearly stated on their notice board at the entrance that people use equipments at their own risk and Go Kwick accepts no liability for loss or injury howsoever caused. This notification would assist the firm to defend itself in a lawsuit because Go Kwick can convince the court that the firm had given enough warning to the users. Although, the tort laws allow the i ndividuals to file against physical injuries that are caused by the irresponsible acts of service providers, it is not applicable to the aggrieved person in this case since he had been given proper danger signals. Here, the plaintiff may claim that he had not noticed the warning at the entrance gate. However, it is explicitly stated that â€Å"ignorance of law is not an excuse† (Reznek, 1997, p.70). This clause makes the plaintiff obliged to have adequate knowledge regarding various rules and regulations of the Go Kwick firm. Therefore, Go Kwick can easily defend the plaintiff under a lawsuit. At the same time, the company can file a suit against the unlawful act of the instructor since the kart accident has adversely affected the goodwill of the Go Kwick. From the case study, it is identified that the instructor had signed a document which described various duties and responsibilities of the instructors. As discussed earlier, instructors are hired by Go Kwick on a contractua l basis for a period of one year; they are responsible for giving the lessons throughout the year. The case study clearly indicates that the instructor was late for work and hurried through the safety instructions once and that led to the unpleasant incident. It was the duty of the instructor to provide safety harness and a safety helmet; but as Aksel neglected these precautionary practices, it increased the severity of the accident. Aksel’

Performance and Reward Management Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Performance and Reward Management - Assignment Example Organizations need HR data in order to make rational and informed decisions for adequate performance management. In order to make sure that hardworking employees are rewarded and disloyal and unproductive employees are penalized, it is imperative that HR data is collected and maintained. Such data includes but is not limited to employees’ attendance, their productivity in terms of goal achievement, their discipline and conduct, and their professional growth and skill development. Having detailed recorded information of all these aspects enables the managers to quantify the results and ensure that the resources are adequately utilized for the benefit of the organization. Collecting data related to employees’ performance helps HR admin in rational decision making. Resources in an organization are limited. In order to achieve organizational goals, it is essential to assign these resources proportionately among the employees considering their needs and past performance. HR admin needs employees’ performance data during the performance appraisal process. This data helps HR admin reach the decisions of promoting certain employees and demoting others, offering increments to certain employees and decrements to others, and selecting employees to be sent as expatriates to other countries. Data related to sick absences is needed by the HR admin not only for monitoring the productivity of employees but also to ensure the provision of adequate medical care to the employees. An employee with a lot of sick absences clearly displays signs of poor productivity and wastage of time and resources. Besides, the organization might incur significant costs in paying the increased insurance premiums for such employees. It is the responsibility of the HR admin to watch out for employees who are using organizational resources for personal gains and report them to the top management. Electronic record storage, as the name implies, is the storage of information in a

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Introduction to Microeconomics Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Introduction to Microeconomics - Essay Example Figure 1 shows the pattern of farm gate prices: In 2004-2005, UK still remained as the lowest farm gate priced dairy producer for the 7th consecutive year. Comparing prices, the UK has a 37% gap as compared to Italy who receive a milk price of 35.8 euros/100kg compared to UK at 25.9. The reasons that were deemed to have caused this low farm gate price are the industries poor selling systems, bad forward contracts, excess profits up the dairy food chain, too much spring milk and currency effect or the  £ / Euro relationship. However, even with the loss of farmers, the UK milk and dairy industry has grown gradually but steadily since 1998 and the total value of the market increased by 2.9% to  £7.23bn in 2002 (DEFRA, 2006b).Why then in spite of the loss of producers, is the industry thriving? A September 2005 report by the Milk Development Council revealed that there was a discrepancy between the profits received by sectors of the supply chain. That is, some of them are earning excessive profits at the expense of the others. The report showed that supermarket, retail and processor gross margins on dairy products have increased over the past 10 years. Farm gate prices were also higher on average during 2004 as compared to 2003 but this increase was minimal as can be seen by the figure below: The problem now becomes apparent. The farm gate prices being low, it is expected that local and international sales of the product would be high. This is because low production costs usually mean low sales price. However, because of the high margin imposed on the product by businessmen, the products total production costs becomes much larger leading to higher sales price. This translates to lower sales volume because there is an inverse relationship between price and demand. This unfair share of profits and the low farm gate are what caused Scottish dairy farmers to conduct a blockade over the countrys major milk

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

EPS Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

EPS - Essay Example All in all, Pinterest provides a healthy, interactive platform where buyers and sellers interact via pictures which are indeed more powerful than words. Also, the team at Pinterest can get a hands-on understanding of the customers who use it which it can use in future to generate useful customer insights for businesses. It can, therefore, become a powerful customer database where customers’ tastes, preferences, buying habits, lifestyle and personality can be examined through the content they upload (Falls). The next potential big thing is Dropbox. The reason why it is considered the next big thing is that they are profitable. The company started by the provision of a paid cloud storage service and with the growing number of subscribers, it is increasingly likely that individuals will surpass the storage limit which shall enable the company capitalize on its premium paid service (Barret). A major reason why it is likely to become a big hit is that it is enabling users meet their storage needs in today’s multi device world. Considering how devices have become disposable and users switch to a new device each year, it allows customers to have a wireless, virtual, safe backup of all their data. Finally, the new virtual marketplace – TaskRabbit, according to me, shall also be a big hit. The platform allows time starved consumers to get people to work for themselves through just a few clicks. The company is gradually expanding its market in order to avoid the chicken and egg issue. It will be particularly useful for organizations that do not have a minute to spare for daily errands. TaskRabbit’s system is very well organized which is demonstrated by their targeted city-wise marketing

Monday, September 23, 2019

Motivation to study and its implication in academic excellence Essay

Motivation to study and its implication in academic excellence - Essay Example Many theories have attempted to define and explain motivation as a basic drive to minimise physical pain and maximise pleasure, the pursuit of a state of being, an ideal or altruistic concept amongst other drives. Motivation is important to teaching and learning because it lays a crucial role in the student’s approach to learning, as understanding their motivation can potentially predict levels of interest and effort placed on the process of learning and consequently academic results. Stipek (1988) proposed a variety of reasons for lack of motivation and behaviours associated with high academic achievement; he specifically found that encouraging intrinsic motivation helped to improve learning outcomes. Intrinsic motivation, however, often requires more effort to generate than extrinsic motivation. To decide if it is worth this extra effort, the degree to which improvements occur has to be quantified to see if results compare favourably to more direct motivational methods, such as high-stakes examinations. Personality profiling may also offer an additional advantage given the widening participation agenda, as different types of motivation may be shown as more effective for students at r isk of failure. This research may consequently lead to suggesting alterations in teaching practice and support mechanisms which enhance the learning process for specific types of students. Following ethical approval, 120 first-year medical students from a single institution were invited to complete an online survey. Response anonymity was ensured through use of a third-party website which collected responses without requesting information which could be used to identify individuals. Ritchie & Lewis stress the need to demonstrate any potential reciprocity when seeking participants so as to ensure a positive relationship with research in general and to make the immediate proposition

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Biodegradable Plastics Essay Example for Free

Biodegradable Plastics Essay The properties of plastics are determined by the polymers that constitute the unit. Based on this, plastics can be modified into biodegradable products by varying the constituents synthetically. Their chemical structures vary due to the substituting polyesters in the polymer chain. Let’s study about the chemical differences and structure of green plastics; PHA and PLA. Amylose and Amylopectin are the major polymer components of starch. In the link structure, all identical chain points are connected to –CH2OH group. The oxygen in the ring structure chain facilitates degradation when reacted with water. Any hybrid variety can be produced with two components: renewable natural polymer (starch) and petroleum based synthetic polymer (PCL). †¢ Polylactide (PLA) is a bioplastic basically made from starch, the basic building material. Here lactic acid (CH3CHOHCOOH) is produced through fermentation where microorganisms convert sugar feedstock into lactic acid. The lactic acid thus isolated is depolymerized to lactide and by Ring-opening polymerization with catalysts it is converted into Polylactide polymer of high molecular weight. Based on the particle size, the rate of biodegradability and transparency varies. They find use in soluble fibers, compose bags and renewable products. †¢ Polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHA) polymers are produced naturally by microorganisms directly from sugar feedstock. The polymer is isolated, purified and processed. These components can be controlled by varying the ratio of sugar feedstock. Synthesized PHA is copolyester composed of 3-hydroxy fatty acids hydroxybuterate, hydroxyvalerate and hydroxyhexanoate. In all PHAs the hydroxyl substituted carbon atom is steriochemical -R configuration. Since they are composed of short chain and long chain length –R groups, they are used for a variety of commercial applications. References Journal of Applied Microbiology, 2007, Pp 1437-1449 Stevens, E. S. , Green Plastics: An introduction to the New Science of Biodegradable Plastics, Princeton University Press, 2003

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Moral And Ethical Role Of Government Philosophy Essay

Moral And Ethical Role Of Government Philosophy Essay Ethics and morality form a central position in the functioning of the government. Under normal circumstances, it is the role of the government to ensure a just society where order and harmony exist. As a result the government has to establish and enforce ethical and moral standards so as to ensure that the society functions well. Decision making is the governments chief role. Therefore it must make ethical and moral considerations in order to make decisions that are in line with the welfare of the society. Ethics and morality are used interchangeably. The two terms are related in several ways. Nonetheless, there is an inconsequential dissimilarity linking the two. Most commonly is the fact that morality goes deeper than ethics in defining human behavior and conduct. Ethics refer to the standards that make the society a better place of all while morality provide for more deeper considerations that amount to religion and spirituality. In order for the government to ensure that ethical standards are adhered to, ethics and aspects of morality are entrenched into the law. This makes it conveniently possible to enforce ethical standards and ensure that all people conform to the law. However, certain aspects of ethics and morality cannot be made legal. This will make the society more complicated since certain morality aspects and ethics are perceptive. This brings into perspective the facet of belief and religion which formulates different people to hold diverse views on the concept of ethics and morality. The upshot is that, the government plays a significant role in enforcing ethics and morality. As a result it is expected that the leaders ensure that the society is just and orderly for all. The aim of this paper is to critically examine the role of the government in morality an ethics. To succeed in this endeavor, the paper will discuss different aspects of morality and ethics. Role of Government One of the central purposes of the government is to enforce the law. The law represents the will of the people who have their own cultural and ethical perceptions of reality. As a result the government enforces the ethical and moral values of the people it governs. In other words it can be rightly said that the government serves to accomplish the peoples perceptions of reality as represented in their ethical and moral values. This makes the role of the government more complex not forgetting that not all values of ethical and moral consideration can be enforced by the government. However, the government remains the prime custodian of peoples values. Ethics and moral values have a great influence on the operation of the society. It is therefore true that the government exercises control over the society. This is true in light of the task of enforcing laws. In order to get a better understanding of the role of the government as far as ethics and morality is concerned; more focus should be on the law (Preston Bishop 2000). The law is the governments instrument of power. To perform its functions, the government relies majorly on the law. On the other hand the law is perceived as being representative of the ethical, cultural and moral values of the people. Therefore as much as the law might not be the perfect tool of enforcing ethical and moral values, it remains the governments chief weapon against unprincipled practices and immorality. The law describes what is right and acceptable in society and therefore provides a blue print towards an ethical and just society. In order to affirm their quest for a just society, citizens are expected to adhere to the provisions of the law. Therefore, the law binds the society together bringing harmony among different people. Failure to conform to the law is perceived as breaking ethical standards established and is thus punishable. Therefore, the law is perceived as the peoples will to be enforced by the government. There are a lot of challenges the government faces in its ethical and moral roles. First and foremost are the different perceptions of ethics and morality. This is coupled by the practical reality that the law does not fully represent ethical and moral standards. Perceptions are a great threat to the governments role. This is due to the fact that certain parameters which are legal are sometimes perceived as violating ethical and moral standards. A good example is the issue of abortion. As much as abortion might be legalized, it still remains a debatable ethical issue. This is due to the fact that it is seen by some members in society as unethical. Other issues include divorce and promiscuity. These conflicts underline the fact that the law is not a sufficient tool of enforcing ethical and moral values. It underscores the failure of the government to ensure a just society through enforcing the law. Ethical and Social Obligations Ethics and a society are inseparable, due to the fact that ethical standards are the adhesive of a healthy society. Therefore there can never be a society without standards that define behavior and conduct. A just society can only exist in line with a set of values that represent the ethical and moral values of the people. A society on the other hand is governed by a group of leaders through the institution of government (Kizza, 2010). Therefore, it is obvious that it is the role of the government to ensure that the society is just and orderly. This is what is referred to as social obligations of the government. In essence the government is a tool of the society. It is established by the society to govern it and enforce laws that are deemed to represent the wishes, values and convictions of the people. The governments social obligations are nothing but the functions of ensuring that ethical and moral standards are adhered to accordingly. This involves the task of ensuring that the laws set represent the ethical and moral values of the people. Conversely, the government needs to go beyond the institutional role of enforcing laws to more welfare operations. This is line with the fact that the law in itself is inefficient as far as ensuring the enforcement of ethical and moral obligations is concerned. Decision Making A critical look at the origin of government points at the true essence of the institution. Several theories outline the origin of politics or government. Nevertheless, the contract of social theory is much relevance to the governments decision making role. Under the social contract theory, members of the society came together and surrendered their freedoms in exchange for order. In order to achieve this objective, the people established a government which was to govern the state on their behalf. Among the principal roles given of this institution was that of making decisions on behalf of the people (Cremer 2009). Therefore the governments most significant role is that of decision making. The role of making a decision is supposed to be in line with the interests and values of the society. This underscores the big role played by the government in ensuring a just society for all. Therefore in making a decision the government plays an important part in enforcing ethical and moral standards. Apart from enforcing the law which is perceived as the will of the people, the government has the authority to make decision that affect the functioning of the society. Therefore in making these decisions the government ought to put ethical and moral obligations in prime focus. In this role the aspect of public trust emanates. The government has been given the public trust which must be reflected in every decision it makes. Therefore public officials must make decisions that not only promote ethics and morality but also represent the same. In making decisions the government needs to be guided by two principal aspects. First and foremost is respect of the law. The law is the supreme guarantor of morality, ethics and justice. Therefore due importance should be granted to the law in the process of making decisions. Decisions that are contrary to the provisions of the law should be discouraged. The law should be the common denominator of all government decisions. This will protect the people from leaders with evil intentions. Another critical aspect of consideration is that of ethical consideration beyond the law. This should be interpreted in a positive manner to mean that the law should be upheld in high esteem but should not be the end of ethics. Certain aspects of morality and ethics are not entrenched in the law but should be upheld in decision making. This regards appointments and other aspects of governance. This calls for integrity on the part of state officials in the discharge of their duties. Need For Appropriate Actions Leadership is a delicate affair which involves a lot of aspects. Since leadership involves the tasks of vision, direction and governance a lot of care must be made to ensure that ethical and moral; standards do not take a back seat. The government is bestowed with a daunting task of ensuring order and justice in the society. This is to be achieved through the enforcement of laws that represent the ethical and moral values of the society. This is also done through the making of legal and ethical decisions. The government therefore plays a primary role in the whole concept of ethics and morality. Through its actions, decisions and operations the government has a lot of impact on the functioning of the society. There is need for appropriate actions on the part of the government so as not to undermine ethics and morality (Kiel Lennick, 2007). Since the success of a society depends on the manner in which ethical standards are adhered to, the government officials ought to be careful in th eir actions so as to promote a just and orderly society. It is against this background that governments need to put several measures in place so as to ensure that the aspect of ethics and morality plays an important role in its functions. This will result in a justly moral and ethical society which is what will make life better for the people. As far as the governments role in achieving justice and order in society is concerned, a number of considerations are necessary. Caution must be exercised in the process discharging the functions of the government. State officers ought to conduct their activities in manner that does not undermine ethical and moral values. To start with, it will be necessary to vet people before appointment to such positions. This will ensure that all those who get these positions are people of integrity. This will go a long way in ensuring that the role of the government in guaranteeing ethics and justice is not undermined by the quality of personnel in its ranks. Suggestions The ethical and moral role of the government is instrumental in ensuring justice and order in the society. Therefore it is upon the officials in the government to ensure that their actions and activities go in line which fostering harmony among the people. This will be achieved if all the laws are enforced in line with the peoples ethical and moral values as envisaged in the law. On top of these, the decision making arm of the government must be fully used to enhance ethical and moral values in the society. It will be against the purpose of ethics should state officials make illegal and unethical decisions. Apart from that state officials must be men and women of integrity so as not to compromise the values of the society. In order to succeed in this endeavor it will be appropriate for the government to classify its moral obligations into two. These are institutional duties and the social responsibilities. The former refers to the use of laws and structures of governance to enforce total adherence to moral and ethical values. This will call for the enactment of laws that represent the ethical and moral values of the people (Fisher 2003). Through the law, the government will ensure that there is justice and order in the society. Those who break the law should be liable for punishment. These will dissuade offenders and make society orderly and harmonious. Social responsibilities refer to those roles that affirm ethical values in the cultural set up. Through this arm, the government will set up and fund several organizations and commissions to cultivate tolerance, orderliness and ethics among the society. This will call for equity and equality so that all sections of the society feels taken care of. On to p of this is the decision making role f the government. The government should use its authority to make decisions in promoting justice, order and ethics. Conclusion The government is the chief custodian of morality and ethical values in the society. It is the role of the government to ensure that moral and ethical standards are maintained in the society so as to assure order and justice. The political system gives government the sole responsibility of ensuring stability, harmony and conformity in the society. It is along this line that the government plays an immense role in guaranteeing ethical and moral values. This role can be performed in many ways. Most commonly the enforcement focuses on the enactment of laws that represent the cultural and ethical values of the people. These laws are enforced so as to ensure conformity. Those who break the law are liable to punishment in accordance to the law. Through exercising the provisions of the law, the government achieves its objective of creating a just and orderly society. However, since ethics and morality are relative terms, not all aspects of ethics and morality can be entrenched into the law. This poses a challenge to the governments role of fulfilling ethical obligations. Therefore, it vital for the government to come up with other means of achieving justice and orderliness through ethics. Through its social obligations the government enforces ethical and moral standards in the society. This can be through its decision making arm and also through the establishment and funding of agencies and organizations that cultivate a culture of ethical values. The government also guarantees ethical values by granting freedom to the people to exercise their spiritual and religious convictions. Moral and ethical as pects have spiritual and cultural connotations, therefore through equality and freedom the government ensures justice in the society. The government plays a central role in ensuring ethics and morality in the society.

Friday, September 20, 2019

Night Out On The Ritz :: essays research papers

In the short story â€Å"Babylon Revisited†, written by F.Scott Fitzgerald there are many different settings in the story. One of the main settings in the story is the bar at the beginning. The bar it self represents the jazz era, where everyone wore fancy clothes, partied all the time and tipped well. The bar is also a cold reminder how the Americans used to live in the 20’s, since they have almost no money in the 30’s. It also represents the old Charlie Wales and it serves as a reminder to the new Charlie Wales about his past. â€Å"We were sort of royalty, almost infallible, with a sort of magic around us†(89). The old Charlie Wales lived during the economic boom of the 20’s, or other wise known as the jazz era. He lived a good life. During that time, he spent a lot of time drinking and throwing away money: â€Å" he remembered thousand-franc notes given to an orchestra for playing a single number, hundred-franc notes tossed to a doorman for calling a cab†(90). Sometimes just acting childish with his friends Duncan Schaeffer and Lorraine Quarrles: â€Å"We did have such good times that crazy spring, like that night you and I stole that butcher’s tricycle†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (98). Nevertheless, he spent a lot of time in a bar called the Ritz. When he first got there, it was instinctive to give the head barman his numbers were he was staying as if it was his second home. â€Å"If you see Mr.Schaeffer, give him this†¦It’s my brother-inlaw’s address. I haven’t settled on a hotel yet†(86).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After the rolling 20’s came the economic depression of the 30’s. Everyone was affected, even the high and mighty that thought they were even royalties were affected.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Charlie Wales asked the bartender â€Å" By the way, what’s become of Claude Fessenden?† Alix lowered his voice confidentially: â€Å"He’s in Paris, but he doesn’t come here any more. Paul doesn’t allow it. He ran up a bill of thirty thousand francs, charging all his drinks, his lunches, and usually his dinner, for more than a year. And when Paul finally told him he had to pay, he gave him a bad check.†(87) When Charlie Wales first came to Paris his first stop was an old bar he used to go to, the Ritz. Much had changed since he had left. â€Å"It was not an American bar any more-he felt polite in it, and not as if he owned it†(86).

Thursday, September 19, 2019

Quest for Wisdom Essay -- essays research papers

Quest for Wisdom: Two Approaches Two approaches to the â€Å"Quest for Wisdom† that I enjoyed are Walden, by Henry David Thoreau and Man’s Search for Meaning, by Viktor E. Frankl. Both of the authors took similar approaches by using narration of a main segment of their lives to explain their philosophy and how they arrived at their conclusions. Though both conclusions represent individualism they are strikingly different. Thoreau values the doctrines of Transcendentalism, seeking ones inner self through Nature, while Frankl Existentialism values the interpretation of individual experiences and responsibility of ones actions. Thoreau spent years building his approach and developing his own beliefs. Born in Concord, Massachusetts, in July 1817, he developed an early love of solitude and communion with nature. He studied English, history, philosophy, and four different modern languages at Harvard College and graduated in 1837. From 1837 to 1840 he tried jobs unsuccessfully as school teacher and tutor. From 1841 to 1843 he took a job as a gardener and handyman where he was inspired by the exploration and writing about spiritual relationships between humanity and nature, and the ideas of Ralph Emerson. On July 4, 1845 Thoreau started an experiment on Emerson’s land at Walden Pond and spent two years watching, writing, and understanding the power of nature. The only way Thoreau could encounter a relationship with nature was to independently bond with the way of the woods, streams, p...

Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Shake :: essays research papers fc

What is it about the works of William Shakespeare that appeal to us today? Is it the poetry, the violence, the humor, or the romance? Is it because all of these things relate to our times? No. These aspects of Shakespeare ¡Ã‚ ¦s plays have always appealed to audiences. Shakespeare ¡Ã‚ ¦s plays are timeless, and due to this enduring significance, the Bard ¡Ã‚ ¦s works have easily translated to film. Scarcely a Shakespearean play has not been made and remade numerous times into to a movie, and more often than not the film is either a hit at the box office or critically acclaimed. There is something about Shakespeare that has continued to capture the attention of audiences for the past four hundred years. In our present age of short-attention spans and exploding graphics, it is difficult to imagine that literature and poetry could attract people to the movies, but it seems that film has become the best medium for Shakespeare. All that the stage once limited can now be seen at the movies in its full glory; what the Bard wrote for everybody may now be known visually and in total splendor. In Taming of the Shrew, we are presented with the story of a very independent woman and a very controlling man in an Elizabethan Battle of the Sexes. Appropriately, the female submits to the male and all is happy and well. For many, this is certainly not the best story to update to the present era of liberated women. On the contrary, Taming of the Shrew is an ideal film to update to our time. In 1967, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton starred in Franco Zeffirelli ¡Ã‚ ¦s version of Taming. For those familiar with the history of the 20th century, you may recall that the 1960 ¡Ã‚ ¦s are somewhat notable for the women ¡Ã‚ ¦s liberation movement. Zeffirelli directed a film that, on the surface, advocates female obedience to males. Upon careful inspection, however, it can be seen that submission was not the message at all. When Shakespeare wrote Taming, Queen Elizabeth I sat on the throne of England. Elizabeth was a famous shrew who ruled alone without the aid of a man. Such autono my by females was not commonplace and certainly not appreciated. So when this playwright named William Shakespeare came out with this story of a strong-willed woman being tamed by a brutish man, many felt it was a commentary on Elizabeth and an appropriate way for a woman to behave.

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

How Science Changed Our Life Essay

The development of science started many centuries ago when our ancestors were exploring the world and inventing things that make our life easier nowadays. We may not even realize it; however, all that surrounds us today, all the technologies, all the goods we possess, medicine and other spheres of our life are influenced by the development of science. Imagine, what the life would be if there were to technological development, transport, internet, telephones, etc. We would just be unable to exist. However, exists another side of a medal. Not all consequences of the science development are positive. There may examples proving that the scientific advancements may have a negative impact on people lives and cause may outcomes, which pose problems. There are even very serious problems, with which we are not able to cope, unfortunately. For instance, talking about the positive side of a question, the discovery of fire and invention of the wheel have crucially changed the life of humanity and made it much more comfortable.   In the course of new technological advances were appearing, enabling people to receive cures, assistance in everyday life, etc. Take for example our medicine. In a few decades, scientists have elaborated cures for eradicating the diseases, which were considered fatal. Thanks to the prolific work of chemists and biologists, we now can fight almost all the serious and less serious illnesses. It one of the examples illustrating the positive impact of scientific development that we have faced in recent years. Talking about the negative impacts, caused by the advance in science and technology, it impossible to overlook such issue as pollution and to destroy the ecosystem. Factories pollute the air and drop the chemicals into the water and atmosphere. This dangerous issue needs an urgent solution. Due to this fact, we face a variety of problems. Our ecosystem is suffering from the negative influence of toxic fluids. The environment needs to be saved. Many animal species are endangered and face total extinction. The ozone layer is being destroyed. The ice sheets are melting and causing cataclysms. All these factors illustrate how the humanity becomes a prisoner of its achievements and developments. If we continue in this direction, our future generations will not have a chance to live at all. Development is a positive dynamic traced in the existence of certain phenomena or object. However, not always these changes have positive consequences. Sometimes the thing or achievement in any branch of science, which was supposed to bring welfare to the humanity turns into a disastrous factor. Among the adverse changes cause by science development, it is impossible to overlook. It concerns various branches of science including medicine, technology, and environmental sciences. Illustrating each of them is important. Taking into consideration the sphere of medicine, its positive dynamic in some aspects lead to problems, which we cannot fights even nowadays. Among these negative influences, it is necessary to single out the consequences caused by the usage of drugs. How science has changed our lives, particularly medicine, it is possible to illustrate on this example. The favorable impact of drugs was discovered many years ago. It helped to eliminate pain and bring relief to patients suffering from fatal diseases. Moreover, it helps to relax people who have the Parkinson disease. However, every rose has its thorns. People started using drugs as a way to get a rush. It quickly becomes a serious issue, as people get addicted to narcotics. Now it is tough to fight this problem and find a solution. This advancement in medicine has turned into a disaster. This narcotics issue is a bright example illustrative the negative side of science development. It is possible to illustrate the negative impact of the development of technique on the example of internet invention. On the one hand, the development of the internet was a breakthrough in a sphere of information exchange. Primarily, the most primitive version of the web allowed the soldiers to pass the signals, containing info, in times of war. As it proved to be the quickest and the most reliable way of information interchange, after the end of the war, people started to modernize and develop it.   Science changed our lives a lot, and now, we cannot imagine our modern life without the global net. It enables us to everything starting from the chatting, ending with doing shopping and seeing in the live view people, who are in the other parts of the world. However, exists another side of a medal. Science technology changed our lives dramatically, and we have become addicted to the social networks. Undoubtedly, science has caused the range of changes in the life of humanity. Not all of them are positive, and not all of them are negative. However, it is impossible to introduce changes to a specific sphere of life without influencing the other ones. We have to realize the fact that nothing is ideal, and we can control everything. Changes are unavoidable. Where a good there is is also always a bad. It is an unchangeable law of our world. The critical thing to realize is that we are to start looking for the golden middle. We can no longer ignore all the changes caused by the development of science and technology. There are some life aspects, which need the attention of the humanity. Here it goes about the environmental issues and questions connected with the human lives. We are to be responsible for what we do! We have to be able to solve the problems, which we have caused by ourselves! Our task is to do something until it is not late!

Monday, September 16, 2019

Rabindranath Tagore Selected short stories Essay

Profit and Loss This narrative briefly describes the short, sorrowful life of Nirupama. The name signifies ‘peerless one’ and was given to her by her parents, who were gratified with a daughter after having had five sons. Being treasured, her father searched long and hard to find a groom he deemed suitable enough for her. He engaged Nirupama to the son of a â€Å"grand† Raybahadur who asked for a dowry of 10,000 rupees. Even though he had no way of paying the large sum he found such a chance hard to refuse and he procured a way to borrow the money. However once this fell through the prospective husband, despite the wishes of his parents, still insisted on marrying. Once married, the bride’s father, Ramsundar Mitra had to beg to visit his daughter. She was treated spitefully and Ramsundar heard of the contempt and shame that his daughter was suffering and so attempted to sell the house, without the knowledge of his other children. Unluckily these found out and protested, ha lting his plans. Later she asked to come home for a few days, so he gathered a portion of the owed amount, yet the in-laws denied his request. At last he made up his mind to not return until he was in possession of the full sum. Finally he managed this, foregoing the wishes and needs of the rest of his household, however his daughter discovered this and forbade him to pay another single paisa, otherwise she warned that he would never see her again. Her sacrifice infuriated her new family even more, and she became more like a servant of the household, than a member of the family. She no longer cared, neglected her well-being and became seriously ill. Her in-laws refused to believe her illness was legitimate and only pitied her enough to call the doctor the night she died. Unlike their treatment of her while she was alive, her funeral pyre was said to be magnificent. Soon after, the family found a new wife for their son, the dowry this time was 20,000 â€Å"cash down†. Little Master’s Return Little Master’s Return tells of the life of a servant, Raicharan whose life is formed through his duties. He brings up his rich employer’s son, Anukul and in turn his son. During the monsoon season the little boy is insistent to go out for a walk one day, tempted by the gurgling water, he drowns. The dedicated servant is devastated and when the mistress, the mother to the boy suggests that it is perhaps he who stole him for the sake of the gold he was wearing, he leaves out of shame. Returning home, his old wife gave birth to a son. His wife died, and due to his contempt towards the boy, his sister looked after him and called him Phelna. Over time Raicharan convinced himself that this was in fact the little boy returning, ‘little master cannot do without my love: he has been born again in my house’. This conclusion came from several proofs: firstly the interval between the death and birth was short, his wife was thought to be beyond a child-bearing age and the child seemed to crawl, toddle and call his aunt ‘Pishi’ just as his little master had done. With this belief he no longer hated the child, but reared the child like that of a high born, not allowing him to play with the village children and even selling all his possessions in order to enable the child to go to a school for the high class in Calcutta. His fatherly affection to his son was un-doubtable but his devotion was more that of a servant. His son never even told his friends that this was his father and made fun of him behind his back. Due to his age Raicharan resigned his job in the city he had taken to pay for the school and went back to the village, to his old employers. He admitted that it was him who stole their child, but that he was to return in two days. The day came and the family was convinced that the boy, brought up in a manner similar to their own, was theirs. After all, how could have Raicharan have acquired such a boy? Why would the old servant mislead them now? Raicharan described the birth of the boy as ‘fate’, Anukul became angry at Raicharan blaming God yet Phelna asked for his pardon. Raicharan was now to receive a monthly allowance, but when sent to his village the money returned, no one had heard of Raicharan. Wealth Surrendered The story tells of Yajnanath, who although wealthy, lived like the old sages; on impossibly little. His son, Brindaban Kunda, bore with his father’s choice of living until he married. The frequent rows became worse when his wife, who had been seriously ill, died. Brindaban blamed his father for her death as he had refused to pay for expensive medicines as he believed that like before, one should not try to ‘cheat’ death. With this Brindaban left taking with him his four-year-old son. Yajnanath greatly missed his troublesome grandson and when one day a particularly plucky boy was pestering him, he decided to adopt him. Yajnanath spoiled the young Nitai Pal and when a passerby mentioned that a Damodar Pal was looking for his son, he resolved to hide him. During the dead of night the old man took Nitai to the outskirts of the village to an abandoned temple. Lifting up a stone slab he leads him down to a secret cellar in which Yajnanath had hidden all his wealth. He worshipped Nitai in order to leave him his inheritance and left the boy safely hidden. Around dawn he found his own son, Brindaban who, in his shame for his father had changed his name to Damodar. Alarmed the old man collapsed asking, â€Å"If you strain your ears, can’t you hear someone crying â€Å"Father†?† Damodar could not. From then on when Yajnanath asked â€Å"Can you hear the crying?† everyone laughed at his madman’s words. Four years later he died. Skeleton What could have been a tragic love story starts with the account of three young boys studying anatomy from a skeleton. Years later one of the children, now older, is forced to sleep in the room that previously housed the carcass due to guests in the house. In his sleepless desperation he imagines to be able to feel a presence. Knowing that the footsteps he thinks he can hear are simply a fabrication, he calls out. Unexpectedly he receives a reply. The voice belongs to the owner of the skeleton, and is now looking for it. The ‘presence’ lonely and missing human company requests to tell him the story of her life. She starts by briefly describing her short unhappy marriage in which her husband died after two months. Brought back to her father’s house she embarks upon a long tale of her rare beauty and how she was aware of its influence. She even appeared to influence her brothers only friend, a young doctor, who when she was sick would feel her pulse and she would imagine his to equally race. Growing obsessed she fantasized only about him. Not only did she love this young doctor, whose name was Shashishekhar, but she worshipped him and became enraptured. However she soon found he was to be married and benefit a sum of 12,000 rupees. Feeling hurt and betrayed she confronted him and insisted on throwing a grand ceremony. On the night of the wedding she poisoned his drink and dressing her finest in a Benares sari, all the ornaments from her jewellery chest and vermillion in her hair (in order to symbolize that she was married) lay down to die under her favourite bakul tree (the one she used to daydream under) and died. She woke up to find the three young boys playing with her skeleton. And when finally he spoke in the rising dawn, there was no answer. Housewife Housewife is a account of how one’s experiences when young can deeply impact you for a long times. Shibanath, who was clean-shaven, with closely cropped hair except for a short pigtail is a teacher. He terrifies his pupils and is described as a ‘man-god’. Shibanath would give each of his student’s new names. The author’s theory is that ‘people generally love their names more than their own selves’. This is the story of how Ashu, a studious, good-natured boy in his class, acquired his name. Precisely at one each day a servant-girl would bring him a few sweets wrapped up in a leaf, and a little bell-metal pot of water, a daily occurrence which he found extremely embarassing. On a holiday the kind Ashu was playing with his sister who had no other play companions. On this particular day it was the wedding of her doll, however she found no one to be the priest. She asked a passerby, through unfortunate luck this was Shibanath, who was sheltering from the rain under the porch. Alarmed Ashu raced inside, utterly embarrassed. The next day this incident was described to the entire class, so when at exactly one the servant-girl came Ashu usual gentle smile gave way to a deep blush. The veins in his forehead began to throb and he broke down into a flood of tears. He was mocked mercilessly, ‘Housewife, housewife!’ From this he gathered that playing with one’s sister on a holiday was the most shameful thing in the world and no one would ever forget it. The Divide The Divide is a narrative of how a friendship ends between two distantly related cousins. Despite their distant blood connection and difference of ages Banamali and Himangshumali lived next door to each other. Banamali being older, he doted on Himangshumali, pouring all his love and affection on the younger boy. As Himangshumali grew he became interested in reading anything which came his way, through this he acquired his knowledge. Everyday Banamali would sit smoking his hookah on the little garden patio, waiting for Himangshumali to come home from school. As soon and the younger boy had washed and changed they would stroll in the garden together talking. They both loved gardening, Banamali with his heart, Himangshumali with his intelligence. When it became dark Himangshumali talked about the things he read, he thought and what came into his imagination; some correct, some not. Banamali would listen solemnly adding his own thoughts and listening to Himangshumali’s objections, pondering what was said the previous night quietly while he smoked. As it happened the gardens of these two neighbours were simply separated by a ditch, within which grew a lime tree. When the fruit grew and was ripe for harvesting the servants of the two households had a quarrel over whose tree it was. Eventually the fathers of each of friends got involved; this grew into a fully fledged argument between the two. Lawyers and barristers were hired to legally dispute the case. Overall more money was spent than the floods that ran through the ditch and in the end it was Banamali’s father that won. Throughout the court-case the two neighbours sons had managed to remain friends, however once this battle was over Himangshumali no longer came. When Banamali asked at his house, his father responded that no one was home. For a week Banamali waited, and no one came. Taraprasanna’s Fame A highly intelligent and intellectual writer, Taraprasanna spent his time at home writing with weakening eye’s and a bent back. Although thought to be talented, he was shy and socially awkward. He did not understand usual social interactions and would instead stare and wonder. Unlike his wife, the writer was never eager to publish his work, however when the oldest of his four daughters was old enough to soon be seeking a groom, he grew worried and fretful. How was he to raise enough money to marry off four daughters? As a fervent admirer of his work although she did not understand a word, his wife urged him to go to Calcutta in order to publish his work. As she could not go herself, he was accompanied by a ‘worldly-wise man’ from the village in order to assist him due to his peculiar behaviour and remind him of his chores. While there, Taraprasanna published his book, The Radiance of Vedanta and sent it to every editor for review. He also personally sent one to his wife by registered mail, in the fear of it getting lost. She was so overjoyed that Dakshayani invited all the women she knew in the village round for a meal. Taraprasanna even sent one to all the libraries requesting one, as many wrote ‘your thoughtful book has met a great need in our country’, from his own expenses. He even received a joyful letter from his wife, telling him she was once again with child. However he found that as many copies he had sent out, he had sold not a single copy, so finally at a loss he returned home. He brought back with him all the reviews of his book, however his wife as pleased as she was, was eager to see how successful he had been in terms of money. He only returned with five rupees. Dakshayani was heart-broken; all her faith in the honesty of the world had been destroyed. It was around this time that Dakshayani’s health worsened as her confinement approached, the village worried recognised her need for a midwife. So Taraprasanna, desperate approached his friend Bishvambhar, who at his own expense travelled to Calcutta in search of one. As the birth was drawing nearer his wife impelled him to promise and vow on several matters , she also requested that her daughter be called, Vendantaprabha, â€Å"The Radiance of Vedanta†. She thought, ‘ I came into his house to give him nothing but daughters. Perhaps his misfortunes will end now.’ As the midwife exclaimed at the newborn girl, Dakshayani whispered her daughter’s name one last time before dying.

Sunday, September 15, 2019

Contemporary Social Work Theory and Issues Essay

Assignment Title To what extent can social work be adequately conceptually understood in terms of a position at the interface between social exclusion and social inclusion? To what extent can social work be adequately conceptually understood in terms of a position at the interface between social exclusion and social inclusion? According to the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) the social work profession ‘promotes the empowerment and liberation of people to enhance wellbeing. Utilising theories of human behaviour and social systems, social work intervenes at the points where people interact with their environments’ (IFSW, 2000). However the social work role is questioned, in both its operational approach, and in terms of where it is positioned at the interface of individuals that are excluded and included within today’s society. This essay will aim, using relevant theories and concepts, to provide the opinion of the author, regarding their notion of how the social work role is delivered, and moreover, grasp an understanding of where this role is located, either working with the socially excluded or leaning towards the concept of inclusion. The term social exclusion was coined in France by Rene Lenoir in 1974, (Gore, 1995, Silver, 1995, Haan, 1998, cited in Islam, 2005: 4) and, in his opinion, referred to people who were omitted from employment-based social security systems. His reference to the excluded consisted of the ‘mentally and physically handicapped, suicidal people, aged individuals, abused children, drug addicts, delinquents, single parents, multi-problem households, marginal asocial persons and other social misfits’ (Silver, 1994-95: 532). Social exclusion did not replace poverty as a concept but referred to the ‘broader process of social disintegration – an increasing rupture of the bond between the individual and society’ (Islam, 2005: 4). As Lenoir suggests, social exclusion transpires in many forms; race, poverty and deprivation, employment, and class, and retains varied definitions. According to Sheppard (2006), the best definition that provides an understanding of all the dimensions of social exclusion was submitted by the Child Poverty Action Group (Walker and Walker, 1997, cited in Sheppard, 2006) ‘social exclusion refers to the dynamic process of being shut out, fully or partially, from any of the social, economic, political and cultural systems which determine the social integration of society’. However, the model of ‘social exclusion’ has only been in use in the UK for a relatively short time, and its extensive practice could indicate that it ‘describes a phenomenon that already existed, but lacked a suitable name’ (Page 2000: 4). Marx, for example, refers to the ‘underclasses in contemporary capitalist society. According to Marx members of the proletariat are compelled to sell their labour power to the bourgeoisie in order to ‘attain for themselves the means to their own subsistence’ (Ashley and Or enstein, 1998). Marx was aware of the growth of the middle classes, situated at the interface of proletariat on the one side and the bourgeoisie on the other, thus increasing the security and power of the upper class. Subsequently this produced a different division of the working class, Marx’s ‘lumpenproletariat’, for example; the migrant population, the indigents, the unemployed and those in poverty and deprivation, individuals that today would be the termed ‘socially excluded’. According to Marx, class structures are primary in determining the main social classes, the focal forms of struggle within societies, and the life experiences of people in these classes. However, secondary forms of inequality and oppression occur within each class, and these may take the form of racial and ethnic inequalities, or gender inequalities. Marxist feminists argue that, ‘within any class, women are less advantaged than men in their access to material goods, power, status, and possibilities for self-actualisation and the causes of this inequality lie in the organisation of capitalism itself’ (Ritzier, 1992: 468-9). , However, as Marxist theory distillates on class division, and is concentrated on the macro level only, this view of Social Work’s position at the interface of exclusion and inclusion is not conclusive. The Social Worker would be seen as working more in line with the ‘lumpenproletariat’ and not providing services to the ‘proletariat’ and certainly not the ‘bourgeoisie’, therefore places social work at the heart of the excluded and not the included. Moreover as social work from the Marxist perspective, is placed firmly within the macro level, the individualism and person centred approach that the social worker aims to provide the client cannot be fulfilled, as to do so would mean to be working at the micro level which the Marxist view discounts. The Functionalist stance referencing the concept of social exclusion is to describe a group, or groups, of people who are excluded from the normal activities of their society in multiple ways, thu s deviating from their societies ‘norms’ of behaviour (Sheppard, 2006). A functionalist perspective of social exclusion is, therefore, focussed upon the excluded persons being deviant and non- conforming to social norms. However, unlike the Marxist perspective, the Functionalist would concentrate on the social worker operational on the macro and the micro level, working with the individual, and also taking the clients wider social systems in to account, for example; family, friends, school and working environment. Emile Durkheim (1858-1917), and later Talcott Parsons (1951), suggests that societies were social ‘systems’, made up of interrelated social elements, and that these systems were ‘moral’ entities. Durkheim and Parsons argue that all human associations give rise to expectations in patterns of conduct, therefore producing restrictions on how a person should or shouldn’t behave. Hence emerges ‘collective consciousness’ which, in turn, constrains an individual and obliges them to act in particular ways ( Cuff, Sharrock and Francis, 1992). One way is that norms ‘effectively discipline individuals above all through their moral authority, relatively independent of any instrumentally significant consequences of conformity with them’ (Parsons 1951, p. 37). The other is that there is a tendency for individuals to ‘develop and maintain attachment to the same integrated system of norms and to find solidarity in the pursuit of shared goals’ (Parsons 1934: 295, Peacock 1976: 265). The Functionalist, therefore, would suggest that social work is very much concerned with the deviants in society, the individuals that do not conform to society’s norms. However this notion too could be contested, as, if the social work profession concerns itself with the deviants of society, the client could be at risk from labelling and of being further excluded by the social worker themselves. Sheppard (2006), asserts that social work is, in fact, exclusionary and that social workers ‘cannot engage in integration and inclusion because its innate functions involve labelling and marginalising people’ ( Sheppard, 2006). Functionalism also neglects the negative functions of an event, such as divorce, and does not encourage people to take an active role in changing their social environment, even when such change may benefit them. Conflict Theory also sees society as a social system, but unlike Functionalism who perceives society held together by social consensus or cohesion, Conflict Theory interprets society as held together through conflict and coercion. From this perspective, society is made up by competing interest groups, some more powerful than others (Andersen and Taylor, 2008). When Conflict Theorists look at society, they see the social domination of subordinate groups through the power, authority, and coercion of dominant groups. Randall Collins (1941) su ggests that power and status are fundamental relational dimensions at the micro level of social interaction and perhaps at the macro level as well. Collins concludes that coercion and the ability to force others to behave a certain way are the primary basis of conflict in society (Turner, 2000). Therefore in the conflict view, the elite members of the dominant groups create the rules for success and opportunity in society, often denying subordinate groups such success and opportunities, thus generating social division, and creating social exclusion, at the macro and the micro levels of society. In contrast to the conflict perspective, the strengths approach concentrates on building clients strong points in order for them to become empowered and initiate social change. Cowger and Snively (2001) favour the empowerment perspective as ‘central to social work practice, and see client strengths as providing the fuel and energy for that empowerment’ (Miley et al, 2004:91). Empowerment can be defined as ‘a construct that links individual strengths and competencies, natural helping systems, and proactive behaviours to social policy and social change’ (Rappaport, 1981, cited in Zimmerman, 1995: 569). However if the social worker is operational more within the context of empowering the socially excluded, rather than the included, what of the power and authority that a social worker holds over the client as an agent of social control? Moreover, if a social workers role involves empowering the client to take control of their own lives, how does the power transfer from the authoritative figure of the social worker, to the deprived, socially excluded client? Indeed, would the client want to be empowered, or be able to hold rational thought, capacity, to be open to empowerment? Rojek (1989) argues that empowering clients to focus on capacity building and not in making changes directly to the oppressive social structures affecting the client, places responsibility on the client to change whilst still facing social obstacles. Therefore, for the social worker to effectively practice empowerment, the client is presumed to have adequate rational capacity, and have only one risk factor influencing their lives. This is difficult, as, from researching this essay, it has become apparent, that the socially excluded individuals that social work operates with, has more than one disadvantage, problem, or need that they require support to cope with. Perhaps the term enablement would be more fitting than the harsh, power/powerless concept of empowerment and subsequently, that the social workers role should concentrate on maintaining the client According to Davies (1994: 58) ‘the social worker is contributing to the maintenance of society, by exercising control over deviant members, whilst allocating resources according to policies laid down by the state, on an individual basis’. This consensus approach ‘analyses structural inequalities in society and the role of social work in relation to such inequ alities’ (Lishman, 2005: 70). Davies idea of maintenance of the individual, and, therefore society, is simplistic, and, by using the term ‘maintain’ rather than ‘change’, dominates a proper conception of social work’ (Sheppard, 2006). However the radical social worker would discount Davies notion of maintenance as they perceive the state as serving particular dominant interests and therefore cannot play a neutral, humanitarian role in respect to vulnerable, disadvantaged, socially excluded people. They would argue that social workers using the maintenance role, with respect to state policies, will perpetrate inequality and its associated oppressions, disadvantages and stigma. Radicalists distinguish that social workers need to understand the nature of state power, and the role of social work as an element of state control and oppression (Lishman, 2005). If this is the case, and the social worker is operational in the form of an agent of social control, whilst holding the power and control over the client, may actually be alienating them further from society. Additionally, as the radical perspective, alongside Marxism, focusses on the class differences in society, it fails to take into account the multiple and varying oppression and disadvantage which operate in British Contemporary Society. According to Langham and Lee (1989: 9) radical social work texts and practice led to the failure to ‘recognise the systematic denial of power to women and black people and failed to recognise inequality arising from sexuality, disability or age’. There is much debate and confusion in reference to the definition of social work, and even more deliberation concerning the role of the social worker and of its operational position in today’s society. Taking into account, views from the Marxist, Radical and Functionalist perspectives, it has been the focus of this essay to decide upon the position of social work at the interface of social exclusion and social inclusion. It is of the author’s opinion, that social work should perform a maintenance role, working with socially excluded individuals. The notion of being an agent of social control is not very appealing, as it makes the social worker an authority figure, which clients would find oppressive. It doesn’t matter if the client is deviant or a conformist, the social worker should remain non-judgemental and focus on enabling and maintaining them to gain independence and improve their lives. References Andersen, M. Taylor, H. (2008), Sociology, Understanding a Diverse Society, 4th edn. USA: Thomson Higher Education. Ashley, D. Orenstein, D. (1998), Sociological Theory, Classical Statements. 4th edn. USA: Allyn and Bacon. Cuff, E. Sharrock, W. Francis, D. (1992), Perspectives in Sociology, 4th edn. London: Routledge. Davies, M. (1994), the Essential Social Worker, 3rd edn. Aldershot: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. International Federation of Social Workers, 2000, Definition of Social Work, [Online] Available at http://www.ifsw.org/f38000138.html (Accessed on 19/12/2011). Islam, A, (2005), ‘Sociology of Poverty: Quest for a New Horizon’, Bangladesh e-Journal of Sociology. 2, pp. 1. Lisman, J. (2005), Handbook of theory for practice teachers in social work, 10th edn. London: Jessica Kingsley Publishers. Miley, K. DuBois, B. (2004), Social work: an empowering profession, 5th edn. Boston: Pearson Publishers. Page, D. (2000), Communities in Balance, the reality of social exclusion on housing estates, York: Joseph Rowntree Foundation. Parsons, T. (1934), ‘the Place of Ultimate Values in Sociological Theory’, International Journal of Ethics, 45(3), pp. 282-316. Parsons, T. (1951), the Social System, New York: Free Press. Ritzier, G, (1992), Sociological Theory, 3rd edn. New York: McGraw-Hill. Rojek, C. Peacock, G. Collins, S. (1989) Social Work and Received Ideas, London: Routledge. Sheppard, M. (2006), Social Work and Social Exclusion, the Idea of Practice, Hampshire: Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Silver, H. (1994-95), ‘Social Exclusion and Social Solidarity: Three Paradigms’, International Labour Review, (133), pp. 531-578. Turner, J. (2000), Handbook of Sociological Theory, USA: Spring er Press. Zimmerman, M. Perkins, D. (1995), ‘Empowerment Theory Research and Application’, American Journal of Community Psychology, 23(5), pp. 569– 579.

Saturday, September 14, 2019

Peanut Allergies

Peanut Allergies What is a peanut allergy? A peanut allergy is a reaction that involves our body’s  immune system. When we have a peanut allergy our immune system thinks that the peanut proteins are harmful and fight against it to protect our body. Peanuts are one of the nine most common  food allergens  in Canada. The other eight are: wheat, tree nuts (such as almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio nuts, and walnuts), sesame seeds, milk, eggs, seafood, soy, and sulphites (a food additive).Causes of peanut allergies: * Hereditary * Breast-feeding; But new evidence shows that when a mother eats peanuts, the peanut proteins flow into breast-milk and cause infants to develop the allergy antibodies, as well. * Direct contact. The most common cause of peanut allergy is eating peanuts or peanut-containing foods. * Cross-contact. This is the unintended introduction of peanuts into a product. It's generally the result of a food bei ng exposed to peanuts during processing or handling. * Inhalation.An allergic reaction may occur if you inhale dust or aerosols containing peanuts, such as that of peanut flour or peanut oil cooking spray. The most popular cause of peanut allergy is called the â€Å"hygiene hypothesis,† which says that people are just too clean these days. The result of the super-germ-free lives we lead and our readiness to treat infection with antibiotics is that our bodies don't know how to handle certain innocent proteins such as peanuts. Foods that causes the illness: * Peanuts and peanut products. * Tree nuts and their products. * Food that are exposed to peanuts.What are the signs and symptoms of an allergic reaction? An allergic reaction to peanuts can happen within minutes or up to several hours after eating foods containing peanuts. Symptoms vary from person to person, and may progress from mild to severe. Mild allergic reaction: * flushed face and body * itchy eyes, nose, face and s kin * tingling, numbness or pain in the lips and tongue Moderate to severe signs and symptoms * swelling of the eyes, face, lips, throat and tongue * hives * cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting * wheezing, coughing * weakness, dizziness * anxiety, distress, sense of fear and doomThere are some symptoms of the most serious form of peanut allergies called  anaphylaxis; which are very deadly and life-threatening. When a person is experiencing anaphylaxis reaction, he/she may have difficulty in talking swallowing and even breathing! Scientists have identified 19 peanut proteins–that can trigger anaphylaxis. It works this way: those with the allergy develop specific antibodies, known as IgE antibodies, which react to the peanut proteins. This triggers the release of histamine and other chemicals which cause facial swelling, and constrict the lungs airways and throat making it difficult to breathe.Without a shot of adrenaline, the reaction can cause death. Why is this an important issue that everyone should know about? This is an important issue that everyone should know about because comparing to 1980s the rate of people with peanut allergies has been reported to have increased by 95%. Although there are no hard statistics in Canada, most agree the allergy is on the rise. According to The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, Peanut allergy causes an estimated 15,000 emergency room visits each year and nearly 100 deaths. Safety precautions: . The safest way to avoid a peanut related reaction is to avoid all food and products that contain or may contain peanuts. 2. Other than that, create a plan for how to handle a reaction, just in case one occurs, and tell your friends, family, coaches, and teachers at school about your allergy 3. Always keep a shot of epinephrine, a hormone that controls anaphylaxis reactions. 4. Tell the server in a restaurant about your allergy so that he or she can steer you away from dishes that contain nuts. 5. Always read the ingredients lis t to be safe.