The Impact of Downsizing on Manufacturing Industries

The amount of information on the effects of down sizing on manufacturing was not plentiful, however one main point that flows through all of the articles is that even though down sizing may be done to help a company it can end up hurting them in the long run. In the paragraphs to follow we look at the effects that downsizing has on people and companies as well as look at whether or not downsizing is truly the answer. Parker (2003)Reports that in 2003 the expected job losses among the manufacturing industries in Great Britain would create the effects of rising input costs and oil price increase on the job cuts; Downturn of the purchasing managers' index for manufacturing; Decrease in the rate of manufacturer's orders. So even though these cuts may be necessary he pointed out that it would have an overall negative effect. The Midwest may be the focus of manufacturing layoffs and financial woes(Link, 2005), but according to this survey, people who live in the area of the country that includes Cleveland and Detroit in the low- to moderate-income lax bracket are using less of their income to pay for housing than other areas of the country. The study, dubbed the Housing Landscape for America's working Families 2005, revealed that from 1997 to 2003 the number of America's working class who spend more than half of their income on housing leaped from 2. million to 4. 2 million. The study also revealed that immigrant families are 75% more likely to use more of their income to pay for housing than American-born citizens. Across the country there are 14 million people that spend too much of their income 10 pay for housing. About 35% of that group is low- to moderate-income families. In 2003, the critical housing need for the Midwest totaled 8. 7% of residents while the West Coast had a need among I6. 89 (of its residents. The South followed the Midwest for a lower critical housing need with 9. % while the Northeast trailed California with a need among 14. 2% of its residents (Link, 2005). (Palley, 1999) Reported that given the dismal economic performance that marked the period from 1990 to 1995, when downsizing was widespread, inequality widened, and real wages fell, the subsequent U-turn in performance has been completely unexpected. Moreover, it has been cause for further surprise that the economy has continued to prosper despite the East Asian financial crisis, which destabilized global financial markets, undermined U. S. exports, and unleashed a surge in U. S. imports. A second source of uncertainty (Palley, 1999) concerns the sustainability of the growth of personal consumption spending, which had been the principal engine of economic expansion in the past two years. In 1997, personal consumption expenditure contributed 59 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) growth, and in 1998 it contributed 85 percent. Meanwhile, in 1997 and 1998 nominal personal consumption expenditures grew 5. 3 percent and 5. 7 percent, respectively, while nominal disposable income grew only 4. 7 percent and 4. 0 percent. From the Federal Reserve's perspective, this pattern is not sustainable since consumption is growing faster than potential output, which implies that the economy will eventually hit an inflationary wall. An alternative interpretation is that such growth is not sustainable because households must inevitably run short of financial wherewithal, and when this happens, an economic decline will ensue. According to this view, recession rather than inflation is the danger. A last scenario concerns the possibility of a full-scale crash or economic depression. Such an outcome is the least likely of the three scenarios, but it is still more likely than it used to be. In the 1960s and 1970s, the possibility of an economic depression was truly far removed. However, in the 1990s such a notion has surfaced as plausible, even if unlikely. Recent events in the global economy have added further credibility to this possibility. One reason a crash has become more likely is that many of the factors precipitating a hard landing are already in place, which means that many of them could be realized simultaneously. Indeed, many of these factors are linked in trip-wire fashion so that if one occurs, it triggers another. Thus a Federal Reserve-induced increase in interest rates could trigger a stock market crash, and this could then trigger an end to the spending boom. It could also trigger renewal of global financial instability. Similarly, a renewal of global financial instability could become the event that bursts the stock market bubble. Alternatively, a realization that the existing U. S. urrent-account trajectory is unsustainable could trigger a foreign exchange crisis that would renew global financial market instability, trigger a stock market crash, or evoke a Federal Reserve rate hike to protect the exchange rate and guard against imported inflation. Finally, if the economic expansion begins to flag of old age, overoptimistic projections of corporate profitability could pop, triggering a stock market crash. Also, a flagging economy could renew global financial turmoil by ending the U. S. conomy's role as buyer of last resort, thereby undermining the rest of the world's economic recovery, which rests significantly on export-led growth. However, it is not just this interconnectedness of negative factors that lies behind the increased plausibility of a crash. A second and more important factor concerns changes in the structure of the domestic and global economy that have diminished the presence of â€Å"automatic stabilizers† and replaced them with â€Å"automatic destabilizers. â€Å"These destabilizers work in a pro-cyclical fashion. On the cyclical upswing they make for stronger and longer expansions, but on the downswing they make for deeper and more sustained contractions. One important change concerns patterns of employment and remuneration. In earlier business cycles, labor hoarding was a common practice–firms held on to workers through downturns in order to retain their skills and avoid future hiring costs. However, the changed pattern of the employment relationship means that firms now hire and fire much more freely, making labor incomes more pro-cyclical. It is also the case, especially in manufacturing, that overtime has become more important as firms have sought to save on employment costs by extending hours rather than hiring new personnel. Wage income is therefore more vulnerable to downturns since hours can quickly be cut back in a downturn. Finally, casual evidence suggests that there may have been an increase in the use of incentive pay, with greater reliance on stock options and profit-related bonuses. In a downturn these forms of pay are likely to fall off rapidly, contributing to a larger decline in household income and spending. In sum, the above labor market developments all make wage income more procyclical, thereby increasing the pro-cyclicality of demand (Palley, 1999). Another development concerns the general flexibility of wages. In the period from 1950 to 1980, recessions were characterized by a decline in the rate of increase in nominal wages. However, the important point is that wages still rose in recession. The recessions of 1981-1982 and 1990-1991 suggest that a new pattern may have emerged. Now not only does the rate of wage inflation slow, but nominal wages can fall. This is a very important development when it is considered in conjunction with the new debt-driven business cycle. The ability to repay consumer debt depends on the nominal value of income. In a recession the value of debts remains unchanged, but now wage incomes may show a tendency to fall. This will tend to increase debt burdens and raise the prevalence of bankruptcy, thereby deepening recessions. Just as developments in labor markets have contributed to the emergence of automatic destabilizers, so have developments in financial markets. Households now have significantly increased access to credit. In particular, households are able to borrow more heavily against their assets, thereby increasing their ratio of debt to income. Home equity loans are the most prominent example. Another is the ability to borrow on margin against stock holdings. These innovations and their spread give the economy a strong pro-cyclical impulse, but they also generate greater financial fragility. Thus, in upswings when asset prices and wages are rising, households borrow more and spend more, thereby lengthening the cycle. However, when the downswing occurs, households are now saddled with greater indebtedness and may also be subject to margin calls. This worsens the downturn and may contribute to even greater stock market corrections (Palley, 1999). The shift from defined benefit to defined contribution pension plans is another automatic destabilize. First, households are able to borrow against these contributions. Second, these plans may change household consumption and saving behavior since each month they receive statements showing how the value of their pension holdings has increased. Thus, as stock market prices rise, households cut back on saving and increase consumption, while some households borrow against their appreciated 401(k) accounts. However, stock prices are likely to fall in a recession, while the incurred debts will remain unchanged. At that time, households will have larger debts and reduced holdings of liquid assets. Finally, it is worth noting that prices in the stock market may have been at bubble levels for more than three years; recall that Chairman Greenspan gave his â€Å"irrational exuberance† warning back in 1996. This means that a considerable amount of borrowing and spending has taken place on the basis of these bubble prices, so the bubble may be deeply embedded in the balance sheets of agents. This means that a market correction is likely to be all the more severe. In effect, the size of the negative impact of an asset price bubble is positively related to the duration of the price bubble. Accompanying these changes in the domestic economy have been changes in the global economy that have contributed to the emergence of international automatic destabilizes. One change is the increased degree of international financial capital mobility. When a country's financial markets begin to fall, it is easier for asset holders to exit, thereby creating a larger stampede for the exit. Foreign holders have an incentive to exit to protect the domestic-currency value of their holdings, and they now have a larger impact because of their increased holdings. Domestic holders are also more likely to exit because of reduced transaction costs and the increased sophistication of financial markets. They recognize that exit is the way to maximize the dollar value of portfolios when the dollar is under pressure. A second development is the increased international integration of goods markets. In theoretical terms, the foreign trade expenditure multiplier has become larger, which means that economic activity across countries has become more connected, making for greater amplitude in the world business cycle. In the 1950s and 1960s it was said that when the U. S. economy sneezes, the world economy catches a cold. Globalization of goods markets may have created a situation in which the U. S. economy sneezes and the world economy catches pneumonia. In this study (Wertheim, 2004), has developed a hypothesis which combines the effects of both economic impact and pre-disclosure information with the financial distress and potential benefit hypotheses developed in prior research in corporate downsizing. Instead of offering that these two hypotheses as competing and mutually exclusive, evidence are provided that supports the conclusion that these hypotheses simultaneously explain concurrent and additive effects on the stock price reaction to announcements of company layoffs. Finally, results indicate that the relationship between economic impact, pre-disclosure information and stock price reaction to layoff announcements depends on the relative dominance of the signals provided by the layoff about both financial distress and potential benefit. (Palley, 1999)stated that for policymakers at the Federal Reserve, the goal is a soft landing, though some (those who continue to believe in the natural rate of unemployment) think a bumpy landing is desirable since they believe that the unemployment rate is now below the natural rate. Thus not only is the economy expanding more rapidly than potential output, but the level of output already exceeds the level of potential output. Consequently, not only must the rate of output growth decrease, but the rate of unemployment must also rise back to the natural rate in order to avoid accelerating inflation. Since around 1980, there has been a determined drive to downsize American organizations (Budros, 1999) and there currently is no end in sight to this movement, even though studies underscore its technical-economic and human dysfunctions. This situation indicates a need to consider why organizations downsize in the first place, yet the shortcomings of the scholarly literature on this issue are conspicuous (Budros 1997). Therefore, in that paper he offered some systematic thoughts on the causes of downsizing. He developed a conceptual framework for exploring organizational innovation that features two under explored dimensions associated with this phenomenon, the basis of organizational action (rational versus irrational) and social context (organizational versus extra-organizational). He then portrayed downsizing as an organizational innovation and identified factors that lead organizations to downsize. (Palley, 1999) suggests that there are three possible future paths–a soft landing, a hard landing, and a crash. A soft or hard landing is by far the more likely outcome, but, that said, it is possible to imagine conditions in which a crash will occur. Japan's prolonged hard landing, East Asia's economic crisis, and the October 1998 near-meltdown of global financial markets have all added plausibility to such an outcome. A soft landing has the rate of output growth gradually slow to a level consistent with potential output growth. According to current consensus thinking, this potential rate of growth is somewhere between 2 and 2. 5 percent, though New Economy optimists claim it to be as high as 3 percent. A bumpier version of the soft landing (a. k. a. growth recession) has the rate of output growth slowing below potential but growth still remaining positive. Under this scenario, unemployment rises but the economy avoids a formal recession since output continues to grow. A hard landing has the decline in output growth such that it turns negative so that the economy is pushed into recession and unemployment rises even more. Finally, a crash involves a collapse in the rate of output growth, so that the economy enters a deep recession that may even border on a depression (Palley, 1999). The use of an organizational innovation framework to examine downsizing clearly has shed light on this phenomenon (Budros, 1999), revealing that organizations may make people cuts in response to rational organizational, rational extra organizational, irrational organizational, and irrational extra organizational processes. Of particular interest is the realization that scholars have focused almost exclusively on rational (organizational and extra-organizational) causes of downsizing, neglecting the role irrational forces may play in work force reductions. Perhaps this situation prevails because of the longstanding inclination among scholars to view organizations as efficiency-minded social actors. But if we are to develop a complete understanding of downsizing, then we must evaluate the impact of rational and irrational factors on this practice. This research investigates organizational practices in downsizing after a restructure and the effects of these practices on an organization and its employees (Labib, 1993), in particular, and on other stakeholders in general. Findings indicated that it is not downsizing that causes negative effects on both terminated and surviving employees, but rather the human resources practices used to implement downsizing; such as advance notification, method of termination, and amount and type of post-termination assistance given. This research further found that organizations often do not achieve their strategic goals after downsizing because they do not adjust their work processes and their human resource management practices to the new size and structure of the organization. Based on the literature review, a process model for the development and implementation of downsizing plans is proposed. The model is designed to provide a guide to be used by organizations when downsizing to ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are taken into account. The proposed model is tested through a field research in the form of case studies of five major organizations in Canada. The actual practices of these organizations are outlined and compared to the proposed process model, both collectively and individually. The differences are then analyzed and a new revised model is proposed that emphasizes, not only the downsizing process itself, but also what organizations must do during and after downsizing to ensure that employees' needs are met and that the new strategic goals that prompted the downsizing are achieved. Two conclusions are drawn from this research. The first is that downsizing, if it is necessary, must be undertaken in a way that would cause the least amount of pain to those affected which is the ethical responsibility of good corporate citizenship. The second conclusion is that downsizing, in itself, is not enough to ensure increased profitability and goal attainment, but rather, it is how the organization functions afterward that will indicate whether or not the downsizing was a good or bad thing(Labib). The topic of off shoring generates extreme differences of opinion among policy makers, business executives, and thought leaders. Some have argued that nearly all service jobs will eventually move from developed economies to low-wage ones. Others say that rising wages in cities such as Bangalore and Prague indicate that the supply of offshore talent is already running thin. To a large extent, these disagreements reflect the confusion surrounding the newly integrating and still inefficient global labor market. Much as technology change is making it possible to integrate global capital markets into a single market for savings and investment, so digital communications are giving rise to what is, in effect, a single global market for those jobs that can now, thanks to IT, be performed remotely from customers and colleagues. The newly integrating nature of this global labor market has strategic and tactical implications for companies and countries alike. Information and insight about it are sparse, however, and executives and policy makers have little of either for making the decisions they face. To provide help for governments and companies in both high- and low-wage economies, the McKinsey Global Institute (MGI) analyzed the potential availability of offshore talent in 2. 8 low-wage nations and the likely demand for it in service jobs across eight of the developed world's sectors (chosen as a representative cross-section of the global economy): automotive (service jobs only), financial services, health care, insurance, IT services, packaged software, pharmaceuticals (service jobs only), and retailing. These sectors provide about 23 percent of the nonagricultural jobs in developed countries. The study, which projects trends to 2008, aims to assess the dynamics of supply and demand for offshore service talent at the occupational, sectoral, and global level and thus the likely impact on both employment and wages in the years ahead. MGI's analysis provides a panoramic view of the off shoring of services, as well as a number of useful conclusions, including: Off shoring will probably continue to create a relatively small global labor market – one that threatens no sudden discontinuities in overall levels of employment and wages in developed countries. Demand for offshore labor by companies in the developed world will increasingly push up wage rates for some occupations in low-wage countries, but not as high as current wage levels for those occupations in developed ones. Potential global supply and likely demand for offshore talent are matched inefficiently, with demand outstripping supply in some locations and supply outstripping demand in others. The more efficiently the emerging global labor market functions, of course, the more value it will create for its participants by allocating resources more economically. Both companies and countries can take specific measures to raise its efficiency in clearing demand and supply. Broadly speaking, a suitably qualified person anywhere in the world could undertake any task that requires neither substantial local knowledge nor physical or complex interaction between an employee and customers or colleagues. Using these criteria, we estimate that 11 percent of service jobs around the world could be carried out remotely. Of course, some sectors provide an unusually large number of such jobs. As a rule, industries with more customer-facing functions have less potential in this respect. Consequently, the retailing sector, in which the vast majority of employees work in stores, could offshore only 3 percent of its jobs by 2008. Yet because retailing is such a huge employer around the world, this would be equivalent to 4,900,000 positions. In contrast, by 2008 it will be possible to undertake remotely almost half of all jobs in the packaged-software industry, but in this far less labor-intensive business, that represents only 340,000 positions. Some occupations also are more amenable than others to remote employment. The most amenable to it are engineering, on the one hand, and finance and accounting, on the other (52 percent and 31 percent, respectively). The work of generalist and support staff is much less amenable (9 percent and 3 percent, respectively), because those workers interact with their customers or colleagues extensively. But generalists and support workers permeate every industry and therefore provide the highest absolute number of jobs that remote talent could fill: a total of 26,000,000. In practice, just a small fraction of the jobs that could go offshore actually will. Today, around 565,000 service jobs in the eight sectors we evaluated have been off shored to low-wage countries. By 2008, that number will grow to 1,200,000. Extrapolating these numbers to the entire global economy, we estimate that total offshore employment will grow from 1,500,000 jobs in 2003 to 4,100,000 in 2008 – just 1 percent of the total number of service jobs in developed countries. To put this number in perspective (in what is, to be sure, not a direct comparison), consider the fact that an average of 4,600,000 people in the United States started work with new employers every month in the year ending March 2005. Why is the gap between the potential and actual number of jobs moving offshore so large? Many observers think that regulatory barriers stand in the way, but MGI interviews indicate that company-specific considerations (such as management attitudes, organizational structure, and scale) are generally more powerful deterrents. Companies cite cost pressures as the main incentive to hire offshore labor, for example, but the strength of cost pressures varies by sector. Many companies lack sufficient scale to justify the costs of off shoring. Others find that the functions they could offshore in theory must actually stay where they are because their internal processes are so complex. Often, managers are wary of overseeing units on the other side of the world or unwilling to take on the burden of extra travel. On the supply side, developing countries produce far fewer graduates suitable for employment by multinational companies than the raw numbers might suggest. Nonetheless, the potential supply of appropriate workers is large and growing fast, and some small countries boast surprisingly large numbers of them.

Loblaw

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A study of the psychology of belief with reference to the influence of Freud

For many people, religion has been a pillar of our society for as long as we can trace back. A psychologist however, would argue that religion developed from the day that the people of our society started questioning their existence. As Sigmund Freud, physiologist, doctor, psychologist and the father of psychoanalysis, is generally recognised as one of the most influential and authoritative thinkers of the twentieth century, we need to consider his analysis of religion when approaching this topic. However as some of Freud's theories were developed over a century ago is it really possible to apply them to our society today, especially as our society is so multicultural and faith still holds a key role within many people's lives? According to Sigmund Freud religion is an â€Å"illusion† we as a society or as individuals, conjure up for ourselves, for a number of key reasons. The first and most essential reason Freud claims we turn to religion is as a way of expressing psychological anguish from our childhood. The second is we turn to religion as a way of overcoming and preventing dangers from the natural world, in hoping to gain control â€Å"the necessity of defending oneself against the crushingly superior force of nature. † The third is that religion is used as a stress relief, stress that has developed from living in a suppressive society that condones the expression of sexual desire. A final key reason Freud developed is that we follow religion to prevent the feeling of helplessness we can get when we no longer have the protection of our parents or guardians: â€Å"And thus a store of ideas is created, born from man's need to make his helplessness tolerable and built up from the memories of the helplessness of his own childhood and the childhood of the human race† I shall address Freud's key idea to begin with: religion is a way of expressing psychological anguish. All of Freud's work is focused around the idea of our unconscious or our subconscious. Freud claimed that as children, any emotional torment we may suffer, instead of dealing with it directly at the time, we suppress it in our unconscious mind, only to channel it into another outlet later in life as an obsession or repulsion of any particular aspect of life. This is referred to as sublimation. One of the ways in which a person may choose to â€Å"channel† their negative experiences is through religion. This link was brought to Freud's attention as he began to notice similarities in his patients' obsessions in relation to the source of their compulsive behaviour as to that of a religious person and their faith. Both have a symbolic meaning to the follower and have a set ritual – failure to complete this ritual (however regular it may be) leads to guilty feelings of regret. Seeing this comparison Freud came to the conclusion that religion is another form of neurotic illness that stems from our unconscious. Freud then began to address the matter of what suppressed feelings from childhood actually were. It is through this thinking he developed the concept of the â€Å"Oedipus Complex â€Å". This suggests that as children, young boys hold loving feelings of a sexual nature for their mothers. Through this they develop feelings of envy and hatred for their fathers. Due to the society we live in the Oedipus complex has to be suppressed as it is not acceptable behaviour but the sexual urges, Freud claims, are still there. It is these urges that are pushed to our unconscious that later come out in obsession or infatuation with something – obviously in this case – religion. â€Å"Thus religion would be a universal obsessive neurosis of humankind. Just like the obsessive neurosis in children it springs from the Oedipus complex, the relationship with the Father† As mentioned before Freud made a direct link between psychological anguish and guilt and religion and guilt. Freud put forward a process that humans use to channel their guilt, particularly that of a sexual nature from the Oedipus/Electra complex. In an attempt to rid themselves of these feelings of guilt the person develops idols or Gods. By doing this they feel they can repent for their guilt by worship or sacrifice to these idols. Initially the idol may be a representation of the child's Father yet later on, in the same way the Father is rejected through Oedipus, the God is changed to an animal of a primal sort. The animal becomes sacred and inflicting harm upon the animal becomes a sin. Sacrifices are made to and worship becomes a ritual. This first stage of sublimation Freud labelled as animism. The second stage is, however, called religion. During this stage, the animal develops the status of a God and once again takes the form of the father figure thus completing the cycle from Oedipus to religion. As Freud said â€Å"I put forward a suggestion that mankind as a whole may have acquired its sense of guilt of its history, in connection with the Oedipus complex† Closely linked to this is the theory that religion is used as a â€Å"stress† relief, stress that is placed on us by the society we live in. The stress that is caused by the suppression of our natural urges as children. This stress forces us to channel our libido into other areas of thinking and working, areas in life that are more socially acceptable. As I explained previously it is common for this area to be religion and worship. Freud's second theory for religion is that we use religion as a way of protecting ourselves or overcoming fears from the natural world. The problem of evil and suffering and religion has long being a conflict for many philosophers and psychologists. It is through this conflict that â€Å"St. Augustine's Theodicy† was developed. St. Augustine based his arguments on the Bible and his theodicy suggests that God is perfect and created the world perfectly. Created things are susceptible to change and evil comes from angels and human beings that chose to turn away from God. Augustine concluded that God cannot be blamed for creating evil since evil is not a substance rather than a deprivation (a lack of good) and it is not logical to say God created that deprivation. Despite this theory and many others that have been presented to us since the problem of evil and suffering is what gives science a higher appeal than religion to many people living today but it is also, according to Freud why we invent religion in the first place. Religion offers us a â€Å"reward† for any suffering we may have inflicted upon us during our lifetime and adds meaning to life and its purpose. Otherwise we would be suffering unnecessarily and there would be no point to continue with life. Also through prayer and worship we feel we can control naturally occurring events that can cause us suffering such as death, illness, natural disasters etc. We do this in an attempt to abolish our fears of things we cannot control or change and hope to have some power over them through religion. Freud's next point is not dissimilar to the ideas of Karl Marx. Marxists would claim that religion is encouraged by the state to enforce order in society. Freud suggested a purpose for religion is that it is developed to give us a reason to obey authority. Regardless whether it is state authority or religious authority according to Freud people develop an attitude that â€Å"Everything in our world is an expression of the intentions of intelligence superior to us, which in the end, though its ways and byways are difficult to follow, orders everything for the best. We feel that if we disobey we shall not be rewarded, or worse punished for our crime or sin and we, by consequence, do not disobey. Freud came to the conclusion that religion must be overthrown for society to develop and progress. A final key reason Freud presents for humans fabricating religion is to prevent the feeling of helplessness we can get when we no longer have the protection of our parents or our guardians. This is simply that we develop â€Å"Gods† in order to protect ourselves, so we have someone to care for us and someone to look up to in the same way that we as children looked up to our parents. When Freud's theories were first published they were considered deeply controversial, interestingly though people took interest in what he said and took his psychoanalytical theory very seriously because at the time science was starting to make it's breakthrough and Freud's explanations were fresh and appealing to many. However whether theories that were developed over a century ago can still be relevant today is a different consideration. For Freud's work to still be relevant today, when science has developed further than psychology, which in comparison is considered the â€Å"soft science,† there would have to be some evidence to support the basics of Freud's theory. Freud based his â€Å"Oedipus Complex† on the ideas of Darwinism, a stage of life in prehistoric men when the family unit was the â€Å"primal horde†. It consisted of a mother a father and offspring. As the dominant male the father would scare off any male threat to the female. This continued until all the male offspring joined together and turned on the father and eventually killed him. The idea of religion stemming from guilt is not such a controversial one, particularly linking to sexual guilt and religion. Religious figures have often condemned sexual activity for the use of anything other than reproduction. Figures such as St. Augustine (who was greatly influenced by Plato) viewed sex and sexual desire as â€Å"having been implanted by the Devil at the time of the fall† as Peter Vardy explains Augustine claimed that it was best to avoid all sexual activity even within wedlock. If the situation should occur when sex was needed for reproduction then the man â€Å"should descend to his task with a certain regret. † Peter Vardy also outlines the common Catholic teaching which even today, in what we like to consider a sexually liberated society is still very traditional in it's approach, namely: – – Masturbation is sinful since this means using genitalia for a purpose for which they are not intended – Sex can never have pleasure or the expression of love as its main object since, again, this means using genitalia for a purpose for which they were not intended Homosexuality, if it is practised, is deeply sinful as this means using genitalia for a purpose for which they were not intended since procreation cannot result and it is â€Å"against nature† So considering people are still raised to believe sex for any other reason other than reproduction is sinful, it is easy to see why sexual feelings may lead to feelings of guilt. Particularly as sexual feelings are present throughout all stages of childhood that Freud identifies in the following ways: from birth to the age of eighteen months the child goes through what Freud named the â€Å"Oral Stage. This is to say all gratification of learning is gained through the mouth (feeding, chewing, sucking fingers etc. ) From eighteen months to three years the child progresses into the â€Å"Anal Stage† this normally happens when the child goes through potty training and often as a result develops fascination in anus and faeces. The period of time between three and six years of age was coined as the â€Å"Phallic Stage† and it's during this stage that the child develops features of the Oedipus complex (if male) or the Electra complex (if female). After the initial rush of feelings from the phallic stage have passed the child falls into the â€Å"Latent Stage† during which Freud claims there is no sexual development but this could be due to a suppression of the sexual feelings from the â€Å"Phallic stage. † The final stage of childhood according to Freud is the â€Å"Genital Stage† and depending on how the child's feelings from their younger years were dealt with, this is the time when sexual desire develops and is explored deeper. So if a child is raised to deny themselves the sexual feelings their body releases then they may begin to feel sinful or guilty for having these feelings in the first place. Therefore for Freud to find a link between sex, guilt and religion is not entirely controversial. This all acts as evidence towards Freud's theories and the relevance they hold in our society today. However, that said, there is plenty of reason why Freud's theories are not at all relevant to us in such a developed society. Freud has been criticised for focusing on the link between a father figure and a â€Å"God† in religions such as Judaism and, of course, Christianity. He fails to address eastern cultures and religions, which are based on worship of female idols or Goddesses,† such as the Egyptian Isis cult and Buddhism who have no one single object of worship. One of Freud's major critics, Bronislaw Malinowski, who went on to write a book called â€Å"Sex and Repression† disputed Freud's theory that religion develops from sexual guilt caused from the Oedipus complex. He points out for Oedipus to be a complex it needs to be universal. You cannot apply a complex such as Oedipus to matriarchal tribes in which the male is not dominant and takes the role of a nurse. Malinowski also brings to our attention the lack of evidence for â€Å"Oedipus† within the animal kingdom, as Darwinism only applies to early mankind. Also there is less evidence of â€Å"Oedipus† leading to religion in our society today as it is becoming increasingly secular and fewer people are turning to religion. This could suggest that the Oedipus complex does not occur, or if it does it does not have a link to religion. It is more likely, however, that all children still do go through the Oedipus complex but as our society is more sexually liberated people are allowed to express sexual desire in other ways rather than it becoming sublimated and channelled into religion. Another key criticism of the â€Å"Oedipus Complex† is the suggestion that religion is a cause of the complex rather than a result of it. If it was not for religion then, it is possible, these sexual urges would not have been suppressed at an early stage and a complex would not begin to develop. It could be just a possible that a child was made to feel guilty about the loving feelings towards his Mother and as a consequence developed a complex (Oedipus. ) Rather than the â€Å"Oedipus Complex† leading to religion. Another more general criticism is that even if religion is a cause or result of guilt, or fear it still works as a â€Å"Buffer† between the soul and reality. It is essential to society, as, music, art or literature as it is an expression of self and belief. Therefore it is not sound to suggest, as Freud did that religion must be overthrown. † Donald Winnicott essentially presented this criticism of Freud's work but is the popular feeling of many today. Psychology self – help book â€Å"Love is the Answer† presents the argument that some none – religious responses to misfortune of frustration e. g. Cynicism has actually been shown to be bad for physical health. So a â€Å"religious† view (of forgiving and repenting) might actually be health giving to us, and to dismiss it from our society would be to dismiss this positive outlook on life. So Freud's theory may have been apt for his society, a society built on religious structure, and some of his points may appear to justify the behaviour of people today. But I feel that in the twenty-first century when we are all encouraged to express our beliefs, ideas, sexuality and â€Å"bare our souls†, a theory based on suppression (even if it is unconscious) seems radical. I think religion itself has become more liberal and has resulted in many â€Å"branches† of Christianity all with a different strand of tradition. Some â€Å"branches† base their morals on the word of the Bible where as others feel that we have to â€Å"update† the word of God and adapt it to how we live today. To apply a theory from a century ago is to digress, in the same way technology has evolved, and our knowledge of our universe and surroundings have developed, we have to advance spiritually. We have to question what we already know, even if this means abandoning Freud's theories and all its implications.

Case Against Reinstating the Military Draft Essay

Case Against Reinstating the Military Draft - Essay Example Case Against Reinstating the Military Draft New York Representative Charles Rangel, who is a Korean war veteran, introduced a bill back in 2003 that would bring the military draft back into the lives of our young male population. (Rangel Introduces Bill to Reinstate Draft, 2003). It is his firm belief that a forced military draft is the only way that the young men of America can prove their allegiance and loyalty to the country that they call home. His bill, which is still pending in congress to this very day would draft young men between the ages of 18-26 into forced military service. With exemptions being granted only to those still in high school so that they can graduate. College age men are expected to enter military service under his proposed bill (Rangel Introduces Bill to Reinstate Draft, 2003). This particular bill is was supported in the senate by South Carolina Senator Fritz Hollings. These two men both believe that being drafted into the military would build the character of our young men and democratize what they call the â€Å"citizen soldier†. According to Douglas Bandow (Forum: Should the Draft be Reinstated?†, 2003) who was a former special assistant to President Reagan â€Å"As a veteran, I strongly believe that fighting for our country must be fairly shared by all racial and economic groups. Nobody wants to go to war, but the burden of service cannot fall only on volunteers who, no matter how patriotic, are attracted to the military for financial reasons. We cannot continue to pretend it is fair that one segment of society makes all the sacrifices.† Records show that most of the members of our Armed Forces are part of the lower income class families who join the service because it is the only job they know that they can have. Rep. Rangel indicated (Rangel Introduces Bill to Reinstate Draft, 2003) that as of 2003 30 percent of the minority population serve in our military services on a voluntary basis. Therefore, there is a discrepancy in the social strata representa tion in our military and it is Rep. Rangel and Sen. Hollings belief that drafting all available young men would be the best way to get all the social classes represented in the military. I find it amusing that these two highly respected lawmakers would use that kind of requirement in drafting their military draft bill because most of the male high school graduates from low to lowest income families often choose to opt for volunteer military service in order to keep a roof over their head and a regular salary with which to pay their daily expenses. Others who support the draft such as retired general and former commandant of the Army War College and historian Robert Scales Jr do so because they believe that our domestic / homeland security forces lack in numbers when it comes to protecting our own soil. He has claimed that â€Å"Even before the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, our military was severely overstretched in fulfilling its missions. But more important, we have done nothing s erious about homeland defense in the war against terrorism. We need guards for our nuclear power plants, dams and public facilities. We have done little to create the necessary border patrollers, customs agents and cargo-ship inspectors†

Cost Report for the Average Physical Education teachers Salary Essay

Cost Report for the Average Physical Education teachers Salary - Essay Example Teacher salary follows a strict clustering system, which ensures that every teacher receives a pay commensurate to his or her duties. The cost of an average teacher in the state of Georgia is $ 74,985.07; this is the sum of a basic teacher salary and a number of other benefits, which make the career more attractive. The American government has a set minimum wage for every employee in the country, a feature that protects every citizen from exploitation by employers. The minimum wage in the state of Georgia is $ 20,000 implying that teacher salary is above the minimum wage and therefore conscious of the economic factors in the country. Among the common benefits that teachers enjoy are health insurance, medical insurance, social security, and workman’s compensation insurance. These benefits also vary depending on the nature of a teacher’s responsibilities in the school. The United States of America is a developed country and the government strives to provide the basic life support features in every region thereby dispelling the need for hardship allowances. The table below breaks down the teacher salaries in the state of Georgia: Average teacher cost Pay schedule $ 52,852.32 Local supplement $ 4,447.68 Health insurance $ 10,619.98 FICA $ 830.85 TRS $ 5,890.44 Total teacher salary $ 74,985.07 The additional costs such as the health insurance and the social security contribution all apply in form of uniform percentages of the scheduled pay. This implies that a teacher with a higher basic salary receives larger additional benefits thus validating the salary disparities among the teachers. The salary tabulation above refers to that of an average teacher in the state of Georgia and is therefore applicable to the physical education teacher at Alcovy High School, which is in the Newton county school management system. This therefore exempts Alcovy High School from paying its teachers the social security’s benefits. This way, after paying the teacher their basic remuneration of $52,852.23, the school will further pay the teachers an additional $17,685.07 in benefits thus resulting in a total of $74,985.07, which therefore becomes the cost of an average physical education’s teacher at the facility. There are different sources for this money, teachers are civil servants and therefore paid by the government. However, the school and its other related school systems and state departments also have a prerogative for paying teachers owing to their roles in the subsequent positions. Teachers have their entitlement depending on the nature of their assignments at the facility. The school for example must consider its teacher student ration to ensure that it does not overwork its teachers. The state for example pays every teacher $47,957.59 out of the total $74,985.07, which is the actual cost of every teacher. This implies that the rest of the funding comes for the subsequent systems and departments. In this context, the state send s this money to the Newton county school system. The system and the department thus pay every teacher the additional $27,093.01 to make the figure complete. However, teachers just as the rest of civil servants remit their taxes to the government. This therefore reduces the cost of hiring a teacher, since it is the same government paying the teachers and accepting their tax remittance.

Promotion in Marketing Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Promotion in Marketing - Research Paper Example The research paper "Promotion in Marketing" talks about the promotion strategy, advertisement, promotion mix (TV advertisement, direct selling, sales promotion and publicity) for Wal-Mart. This paper also discusses the Wal-Mart’s social marketing and promotion strategy for Nordstrom. Wal-Mart seeks to attract the middle and low-income group people. The brand sells itself towards consumer as much inexpensive compared to other brands. In advertising, the key message of Wal-Mart is â€Å"We have lower prices than anyone else†. To promote the brand the company puts a high-velocity product in a high visibility area in every division. It develops a perception that since the first product is inexpensive, the other products will be inexpensive as well. Wal-Mart focuses on advertisement through the website and in-store TV Network. The in-store network displays a continuous stream of product advertisement. Wal-Mart TV has almost 130 million observers which make it the fifth biggest television broadcasting network in America. The network of Wal-Mart can be found in almost 2600 sites. The advertisers pay 137,000 USD– 292,000 USD to place a single business advertisement. The expense of advertising is based on the length and total stores where the advertisement w ill be displayed. Wal-Mart seeks to fit the broadcasting more distinctively according to the field of store depending on regional preferences and conditions. The TV network of Wal-Mart is very sophisticated and an internet oriented system.

Assignment Two Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

Assignment Two - Essay Example The quality of the images of the DVD player is outstanding possibly because the LCD screen has very good resolution. One of the main reasons I purchased the item was because I do not own a smartphone, thus I needed a device to watch movies when I am outside my home. I was very impressed by the fact that the Coby portable DVD had a two year warranty with the manufacturer. My impression of the product after the purchase is that the Coby portable DVD player is a quality product that served my need to be able to watch movies on the road. Due to my experience with this DVD player in the future I plan on purchasing more products from the Coby brand. The company has quality products at good prices. I have been using my portable DVD player on a weekly basis. I always travel with the portable DVD player in my car. I showed the Coby portable DVD player to several of my friends and they liked it. Last month I purchased an Xbox 360 for $299.99. The video game industry generated $15.6 billion in the United States in 2010 (Plunkettresearchonline, 2011). The reason that I purchased the Xbox 360 was because I did not have a gaming console at my home. I am not a gamer, but I wanted to have a good gaming console to play with friends when they visited. I got a good deal on the Xbox 360 because it included the Kinect system which allows people to play games hand free. When I read about the Xbox Kinect I wanted it in order acquire games that allow you to perform exercises at home using the system. I am very satisfied with my purchase because the Xbox 360 has improved my entertainment options at home. When I was making the buy decision I choose the Xbox 360 over the Playstation 3 or Wii consoles because the Xbox 360 seemed to have a greater variety of games. I also noticed in my trips to gaming stores that there seemed to be more used games available for the Xbox 360 than other console s. This was very important to me because I do not plan on purchasing any new

Establish the topic from the paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Establish the topic from the paper - Essay Example This reflects cowardice on the behalf of the chosen figures since no one has the courage to take responsibility for their actions. The author places a fraction of the blame on the media since they have the power to change the views and even desires of the masses. They go to the extent of digging up black patches from the history of the individuals who fall on their agenda of getting defamed, while the figures who are favored by them (for some reason) are linked with the hopes and happiness of the nation. The representatives of the parliament are equipped with the power to give their opinions on every matter that is raised in the respective decision making body. The author rightly raises the issue that the intellect and expertise of these individuals is naturally limited to a few fields of life. They might not be familiar with the technicalities of many fields of life but they are granted the right to make a decision about it. This threatens the stability and progress of the bodies fo r which the decision is being taken for. Matters are discussed as if they are a part of a game or race, whereas they should be dealt with productive discussions about the details and repercussions of the solution.

Trends in Mining Industry Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 98

Trends in Mining Industry - Case Study Example Aluminum cost is going even lower in China beyond much of other countries. This is due to the funding by the Chinese government which has now reduced competition for the aluminum product from China. Silver and copper are amongst those expected to drop as well, however, this may not be immediate but rather gradual. Diamond and gemstone are the minerals whose mining are expected to experience a boom realizing the largest industry growth in Australia. The mining industry in Australia has experienced a tremendous growth over time and is thus expected to affect a change in the mining industry. However, explorations or mines are in a downturn. There is slush in companies’ exploration budgets. Additionally, there is a plummet of about 30% in the exploration of non-ferrous metals. Thus the focus is shifting away from the exploration of minerals to production. The nursery sector of mining is shrinking due to a rise in troubled small miners. Small miners are experiencing problems due to lack of economies of scale. Costs are likely to careen beyond control due to the resultant pullback in the budgets for exploration threatening to widen the rift between supply and demand. The mining sector is in a decline falling with over 7.5% in 2014. The effects of these challenges have subsequently made companies mothball their projects as well as cap capacity. Therefore only an adoption of new ways of business will break this cycle. Nonetheless, CIBC world Market projects a likely rise in gold at about $US1383 per ounce as silver on the other end is to fall to about $US22.81 per ounce similarly, copper will experience a drop to $US3.17 per pound. A critical evaluation of Dicores customers and Dicores competitors shows the table below using strengths, weakness risks and opportunity (Amin, Razmi, & Zhang, 2011).

Module 4,5,& 7 Strategic Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Module 4,5,& 7 Strategic Management - Essay Example Expanding abroad is one strategy entertainment / gaming major players resort to in order to make up for slowing returns inside and to avoid prolonged licensing procedures. Further, given heavy investments in real estate developments, a typical entertainment industry strategy for growth (Ross, Keeffe, & Middlebrook, 2006), market expansion based on property development is both an opportunity during booms and a threat during recessions and economic down turns (Stein, 2009). Given no public mission statement exists for Mandalay Resort Group, Mandalay's vision should build upon company's founders' conception of fun, play, and entertainment. Future actions by Mandalay should center on insights possibly translated into following set of goals and objectives: 1. Expanding on concept of "entertainment" such as to, on one hand, approach "gaming" players (e.g. Nintendo) whose main target (teens, young adults, and family) borders on Mandalay's (e.g. themed parks, play areas, and "low roller" clients) and to move away from wrong-doing characterization associated with gaming and gambling industry upon entering markets (e.g. Middle East) whose local cultures regard gaming - and enjoyment of it - as sinful, on another. 2. Considering mergers and acquisitions as facts of a changing industry in which survival can by no means be sustained by older ways of tit-a-tat competition in an infinitely expanding market. 3. Investing wise in real estate developments especially in local market (i.e. U.S.) in which gains achieved during booms cannot be guaranteed at sustainable levels during recessions and downturns - let alone negative public image impressions of a luxurious facility / development, working great as fun and entertainment destinations during booms, but questioned as extravagancies and spoils during hard times. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR MANDALAY RESORT GROUP 5 References Ross III, K. J., Keeffe, M., & Middlebrook, B. (2006) . Mandalay Resort Group. In David, R. F. (Ed.), Strategic management: concepts and cases (10th ed.) (pp. 124-133). China: Pearson. Stein, J. (2009, Aug. 31). Less vegas. Time, 174, 26-33. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC. 1 Strategic Plan for Harley-Davidson, Inc. [Insert Your First and Last Names] [Insert Name of University] STRATEGIC PLAN FOR HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC. 2 Abstract This paper develops a 3-year strategic plan for Harley-Davidson, Inc. as of 2004. STRATEGIC PLAN FOR HARLEY-DAVIDSON, INC. 3 Strategic Plan for Harley-Davidson, Inc. Domestically, "Harley-Davidson" echoes quite favourably not only amongst motorcycles owners and fans but also among brand-aware consumers. Clearly, one major asset of Davidson, Inc. is Harley-Davidson

This paper will be both an analysis of Freires educational theory as Essay - 1

This paper will be both an analysis of Freires educational theory as well as a critical - Essay Example A dialogue was a concept that remained alien to me throughout. What kept me the sane throughout that I was a part of the football team, as a left defender, I found myself becoming one with the green turf. (Freire 20) Every time I returned home, I would watch my brothers having a completely different perspective about their school. Deep inside I hated mine, I felt like a caged bird who is considered lucky because it gets fed there, the same was the case with me, I was told that I go to one of the best schools in town with the best teachers. I always wondered how they were good, when I hardly knew a thing about them except their names. Freire, in his theory involves the same idea with an example of the banking system, where the entire operating system is pre-defined, and you need to follow the sequence to get your things done or fill up your account. Alexander Cameron, My schooling was no different, a defined syllabus and handing over good notes followed by above average scores in examinations meant that you’re a good student with good personality. I missed the times of my early schooling that was just a next door daycare center in town, and I must admit that more than an apple’s spelling; I remember it by its shape. The connection between the two was made when my teacher handed over an apple to me and asked me to spell its name, I am quite sure that if she had just asked me to memorize the spellings at that time, I would not remember it so well. (Freire & Matthew 30) My brothers always had different activities on campus, like when they were taught about vegetables and plants, their teachers actually took them out for gardening. And they remembered every single name with the entire procedure in a far better way than I did. One of them would just not study harder during the exams because he remembered the day to day things so well already. I personally think that learning is a two-way process and defining one

Heraclites V. Parmenides Essay Example for Free

Heraclites V. Parmenides Essay Philosophy serves one purpose, bringing order to reason. This, on so many levels can organize ones way of thinking into a structured manner; therefore rendering it much easier for one to conclude solid conclusions, thereby avoiding error. There have been many independent streams of philosophy from several different parts of the world, such as China, and India. But the most popular school of thought that has created the most impact on the United States, without a doubt would have to be the ancient Greeks (who by the way started philosophy in a fashion of independent religion). Skipping straight ahead to two of philosophies great philosophers: Heraclitus (540-480 B. C), and one of the most miss-understood, Parmenides (515-440 B. C. ). These two philosophers took philosophy to a new level; from trying to understand our changing world, to trying to understand change itself. If the search for a fundamental substance was to ever progress, it would have to face the inevitable problem of change. In other words, what remains the same when everything else changes of a particular thing? Change appears to be a fundamental character in nature/life. Our experiences tell us that things are definitely in motion (moving) and changing (becoming different) every moment of every day. But however, the question still arrives, what remains the same throughout this process? The two key solutions (in my opinion one) comes from these two well thought philosophers. Like I said, only one has a solid conclusion in which I agree. Parmenides spoke deeply when he said, being is; and non-being, is not. Parmenides base philosophy was that change was simply an illusion. It was perfectly clear to him that the world appeared to be in a constant state of flux; more so though he believed that our senses deceived us. The fundamental substance is being. And in order to reconcile the perpetual change he perceived with his senses; he reasoned that nothing comes from nothing, and that all existing comes from something pre-existing. Parmenides took for granted that the world had always existed, therefore, being must have always existed, and ultimately will always exist. Being is an eternal state he said. Now comes Heraclitus with the philosophy that everything changes, and nothing stays the same. Diametrically opposed to that of which Parmenides stands for. Heraclitus firmly believed in his assumption that everything changed. He believed becoming was the root to all things. And one of his famous phrases was, one never steps into the same river twice. What he meant by this was, when a person interrupts the current of the river in any way form or fashion, he/she has changed the river from what it was to what it is. Even without interrupting the river and plainly observing the flow on can witness the change. And this can be applied to every day life on all levels. He states that if the consequences of a perpetually changing foundation into existence are profound, and the fundamental elements are inconsistent and unstable, how can there be any laws to govern them? This preference for consistent change led Heraclitus to his theory of fire being the basic element of all things, due to its consistent change in nature and its dynamics. When interpreting Heraclitus I see him as saying, since we know from our own experiences that change happens, this is no illusion by far, because one can physically experience the change. Heraclitus also points to his theory of fire, due to the fact that in so many words theres such an abundance supply of it in nature its the basic element for all things. I disagree with him. His views are flawless by far and one can still argue his points today. Parmenides on the other hand grasps my attention and holds so much stronger with solid conclusions, so much so that one can only think. Parmenides says, One can only think of what already exists, and can come into existence from the pre-existing. He argues that no one, and I quote, no one can speak on or even think about what does not exist or even come into existence from nothing. This is because nothing is simply that, nothing, and how can one truly make something out of nothing. For this reason is why I side with Parmenides on this topic.

Estimation of Tramadol Hydrochloride and Diclofenac Sodium

Estimation of Tramadol Hydrochloride and Diclofenac Sodium Derivative Spectrophotometric Method for Estimation of Tramadol Hydrochloride and Diclofenac Sodium in Pharmaceutical Dosage Form Pekamwar S. S., Kalyankar T. M, Lokhande M. V. ABSTRACT Purpose: Tramadol is opioid analgesic and diclofenac is NSAID and are used in severe to moderate pain management. Combination of Tramadol and Diclofenac drugs were approved by FDA to market in India with a dose of 50 mg for TRA and 75 mg DIC respectively. Method: The employed method is based on first order derivative spectrophotometry. Wavelengths 278.7 nm and 281.7 nm were selected for the estimation of the Tramadol and Diclofenac respectively by taking the first order derivative spectra. The concentrations of both drugs were determined by proposed method. The results of analysis have been validated statistically and by recovery studies as per ICH guidelines. Result: Both the drugs obey Beer’s law in the concentration range of 5-30 ÃŽ ¼g mL-1 and 5-45 ÃŽ ¼g mL-1 with regression 0.9997 and 0.9990, intercept- 0.0008 and 0.0062 and slope- 0.004 and 0.0316 for TRA and DIC respectively. The accuracy and reproducibility results are close to 100% with 2% RSD. Conclusion: A simple, a ccurate, precise, sensitive and economical procedures for simultaneous estimation of Tramadol and Diclofenac in tablet dosage form have been developed Key words: Tramadol, Diclofenac, First order derivative spectrophotometry, ICH guidelines, Validation, FDA Introduction Tramadol Hydrochloride (TRA) is a synthetic 4-phenylpiperidine analogue of codeine. Chemically it is cis -2-[(dimethylamino) methyl]-1-(3 methoxyphenyl) cyclohexanol hydrochloride (Figure-1), is a centrally acting opioid analgesic, indicated in the treatment of moderate to severe pain. TRA is used to treat postoperative (dental, cancer etc.) pain, treatment of rheumatoid arthritis, restless legs syndrome, motor neuron disease and fibromyalgia and as an adjuvant to NSAID therapy 1-8. Chemically Diclofenac Sodium (DIC) is 2-{2-[(2, 6- dichlorophenyl) amino] phenyl} acetic acid (Figure -2), is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory (NSAID) drug. DIC gives anti-inflammatory, antipyretic, and analgesic action thought the inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX). DIC is used in acute to chronic treatment of signs and symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis 9-19. Tramadol (50 mg) and Diclofenac (75 mg) combination, resulting central and peripheral analgesia a â€Å"balanced analgesia† used in wider spectrum of pain management. In the literature survey it was found that various analytical methods involving spectrophotometry 1-4, HPLC (High-performance liquid chromatography) 5-7, stability-indicating RP-HPLC (Reverse phase high performance liquid chromatography) 8, and GC/MS (Gas chromatography- mass spectrophotometry) 7 have been reported for TRA in single form and in combination with other drugs. Several analytical methods have been reported for DIC in single form and in combination with other drugs including spectrophotometry 9-12, HPLC 13-16, RP-HPLC 17,18, and LC-MS (Liquid chromatography-mass spectrophotometry) 19. Extensive literature survey reveals that derivative spectrophotometric method is yet not reported for simultaneous determination of TRA and DIC in tablet dosage form. In the present work an attempt is being made to develop simple, precise, accurate and reproducible first-order derivative UV- spectrophotometric method for simultaneous estimation of TRA and DIC in combined dosage form. Materials and Methods Apparatus and Instruments The instrument used in the present study was UV- spectrophotometer UV-1800 (Shimadzu, Japan) with spectral bandwidth of 2 nm and 10 mm a matched quartz cell was used. All weighing was done on Digital balance (Anamed). Chemicals and Reagents Analytically pure drug sample of TRA and DIC was kindly provided by Supriya Lifescience Ltd. (Mumbai, India) and J.B. Chemicals Pharmaceuticals Ltd. (Gujarat, India) respectively. The pharmaceutical dosage form used in this study was unavailable in market but has been approved by the FDA to market in India. So this bilayer (Core) tablets manufactured in School of Pharmacy, S.R.T.M. University, Nanded, labeled to contain 50 mg of TRA and 75 mg of DIC. All chemicals (AR grade) were purchased from RANKEM, Delhi, India. Preparation of standard stock solutions Accurately weighed 10 mg of TRA and DIC transferred to two separate 100 mL volumetric flasks. Added sufficient methanol and sonicated for 5 min. and volume was made upto 100 mL with methanol. 1 mL of the stock solution was further diluted to 10 mL with methanol to get a working standard solution of concentration 10 ÃŽ ¼g mL-1 of both TRA and DIC and scanned in the wavelength range of 200-400 nm. First-Order Derivative Spectroscopic Method 20, 21 Working standard solution of concentration 10 ÃŽ ¼g mL-1 of both TRA and DIC were scanned in spectrum mode between 400-200 nm using methanol as a blank. Then zero order spectrums of both the drugs were transformed mathematically into their individual first order derivative spectrum and first derivative overlain of both the drugs were obtained in 400-200 nm which is shown in figure 3, figure 4 and figure 5. It was observed that wavelengths selected for quantification of both the drugs were 281.7 nm for TRA and 271.7 nm for DIC in such a way that at zero crossing of one drug another drug shows substantial absorbance (Zero crossing method). Therefore these two wavelengths were employed for the estimation of TRA and DIC without any interference. The calibration curves were plotted at these two wavelengths. Preparation of Sample Stock Solution Contents of twenty tablets were weighed accurately and powdered. Powder equivalent to 50 mg of TRA and 75 mg of DIC was weighed and dissolved in 50 mL of methanol with the aid of ultrasonication for 5 min. The solution was filtered through Whatman filter paper no. 41 to a 100 mL volumetric flask. Filter paper was washed with methanol, adding washings to the volumetric flask and volume was made up to the mark with methanol to get sample stock solution which was further diluted with methanol to get final concentration of solution (TRA 10 ÃŽ ¼g mL-1 and DIC 15 ÃŽ ¼g mL-1 ) in the linearity range. Results and Discussions Linearity and range A standard stock solution was prepared for both TRA and DIC; they were serially diluted to yield six for TRA and nine for DIC standard solutions. For UV spectrophotometric method, linearity was obtained in concentration range of 5-30 ÃŽ ¼g mL-1 and 5-45 ÃŽ ¼g mL-1; with regression 0.9997 and 0.9990, intercept- 0.0008 and 0.0062 and slope 0.004 and 0.0316 for TRA and DIC respectively. The results are depicted in table1. Accuracy and precision To ascertain the accuracy of the proposed methods, recovery studies were carried out by standard addition method at three different levels (80%, 100% and 120%) as per ICH guidelines. Known amount of pure TRA and DIC were added in preanalyzed powder of tablet formulation and analysis was carried out by proposed method for recovery at each level and % recovery, SD, % RSD was calculated. Results of recovery studies are shown in Table 2. The accuracy and reproducibility is evident from the data as results are close to 100 % and the value of standard deviation and % R.S.D. were found to be Specificity The proposed method was found to be specific as there is no interference from other excipients. Results of analysis of tablet formulation Analysis of formulated tablet was carried out and the amounts recovered were expressed as percentage amount of tablet claim. The percentage recovery for TRA is 100.52 ±1.486 and DIC is 99.57 ±0.555 respectively. The proposed methods was evaluated by the assay (n = 6) of formulated tablets containing TRA and DIC. The results of assay are presented in Table 3. LOD and LOQ LOD was found to be 0.0686  µg mL-1and 0.155  µg mL-1 for TRA and DIC respectively. LOQ was found to be 0.2081  µg mL-1 and 0.4719  µg mL-1 for TRA and DIC respectively. The results of LOD and LOQ are shown in table 4. Conclusion The first-order derivative spectrophotometric method has been developed for simultaneous determination of TRA and DIC in combined dosage form. The developed and validated first order derivative spectrophotometric method is simple, economic, accurate and reproducible. The method was validated as per ICH guidelines in terms of linearity, specificity, accuracy, precision, limits of detection (LOD) and limits of quantification (LOQ). The proposed validated method can be utilized for routine analysis and quality control assay of TRA and DIC in combined dosage form. Acknowledgments The authors are very thankful to Supriya Lifescience Ltd., Mumbai and J.B. Chemicals Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Gujarat, India for providing Tramadol Hydrochloride and Diclofenac sodium respectively as gift samples of pure drugs. Authors are also very thankful to School of Pharmacy, Swami Ramanand Teerth Marathwada University, Nanded, Maharashtra, India for providing all the necessary facilities to complete research work very successfully. Conflict of interest The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Building A World Class Hr Organization Management Essay

Building A World Class Hr Organization Management Essay The situation facing Sonoco is that the company has grown rapidly over a period of several years, largely through acquisitions in a growing packaging industry. This has led to the development of a large number of silo based HR systems for each of the companys divisions, which are largely influenced by the specific demands of the divisions and by the acquired businesses, and hence are divergent in nature without a strong level of strategic direction. This is causing issues for the company, as HR is now an expensive function that is not providing significant strategic value. As a result of this, the company has appointed a new senior vice president of Human Resources, Cindy Hartley, with a mandate to develop new organisational structures for HR in order to save costs; improve talent management; develop more effective performance management systems; and provide customised strategic support to the overall business. Hartley has already implemented a number of new systems and process chang es, and has seen some benefits, but still needs to overcome issues related to ineffective talent management and a lack of alignment between performance management and company strategies (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 5). This essay will critically reflect on your own personal learning by drawing upon various academic themes and concepts around managing human resources in order to offer and propose interventions on the case study, as well as to assess the actions already taken and their effectiveness. Diagnosis As noted above, the core issue in the case study appears to be the fact that the company has grown by acquisition with a relatively rapid pace of growth, including making over 60 acquisitions in just a single decade (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 1). When a company grows through such an acquisition focused approach, it is almost inevitable that the HR resourcing and development functions will not be perfectly aligned, and this will hence create silos of HR functionality, with each individual silo only considering their own specific role and function rather than the strategic goals of the organisation (Alberg, 2007, p. 9). This form of silo based approach to HR can be very damaging for a company, as it will create an HR function which is aligned to the requirements of each individual division or department, rather than to the requirements of the business as a whole. The negative impacts of this can be seen in the case of Sonoco, where HR is focused primarily on day to day employee relations issues rather than strategic concerns, and where there are high levels of non cooperative competition between the individual divisions (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 3). The other major crucial HR problem that exists in the company is that there has been a lack of effort to develop a strategic and proactive HR culture in Sonoco. This has resulted in the emergence of an HR culture which is highly reactionary, with the HR function viewed primarily as a watchdog to head off legal and employee relations problem, as well as to assist managers with specific employee issues such as helping managers tell employees they are being terminated even when they have excellent performance evaluations (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 3). The reactionary nature of the HR culture also sees the company being broadly unable to hold underperformers accountable. This has resulted partly in poorly performing employees being able to free ride through the company, and partly in compensation being viewed as an entitlement rather than a reward, and hence failing to improve performance levels. This has led to employees generally being paid at or near the midpoint for all indiv iduals and jobs, which has prevented the creation of any form of meritocracy on the company. According to Weinberger (2003, p. 29), this creates the peanut butter issue where wages are simply spread evenly to avoid any discontent that can come from rewarded highly performing employees and penalising others. This is again evidence of the reactionary culture that avoids conflict and thus fails to boost performance. These two main issues can be seen to be responsible for the majority of HR problems encountered by Sonoco. Specifically, the company is failing to achieve good talent management due to a lack of a coherent HR approach across the company and a lack of desire to identify the best individuals out of all employees. The silo based approach to HR also prevents effective performance management leading to the peanut butter issue identified above. These silos and the reactionary culture also mean that HR is not able to provide strategic support to the business as a whole. Finally, the lack of a mechanism for identifying and disciplining or terminating poorly performing employees has prevented the company from eliminating poor performance, thus hindering cost control as the company cannot effectively save costs by removing the poorest employees. Analysis This section of the work will focus on appraising the environmental and organisational context of the case to identify the main issues these contexts create for the company and the strengths and weaknesses of the HR policies, practices, and systems in light of these issues. The analysis will also consider Cindy Hartleys objectives for changes at Sonoco and the drivers of these objectives. The primary environmental issues at the time of the case came from the changes in the packaging industry. In particular, the industry was going through a period of stagnation and change, with volume now less likely to increase and revenues under threat from low cost foreign competition whilst the industry as a whole began to consolidate (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 2). These trends highlighted the major weakness in Sonocos silo based approach to HR and the resulting disparate systems they created. Specifically, Sonocos HR practices tended to make it difficult for the company to control costs, and hence made it difficult for the company to respond to market changes in a manner as aggressively as its rivals. This can be seen in the fact that the companys stock price significantly trailed the SP 50 between 1995 and 2000, despite the company increasing net income at this time (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 1). This indicates that investors felt the company was underperforming r elative to the market, implying that costs could be cut in a more effective manner. The other main change in the packaging industry was that customers were becoming more demanding, with more variations in packaging and higher levels of segmentation of many markets. As a result of this, clients expected the packaging companies they purchased from to be able to supply them with competitively priced packaging that was highly responsive to industry trends, and to be able to apply new technologies and innovative tools to provide higher levels of customised service (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 2). This is another area in which Sonocos reactionary policies and practices made it difficult for the company to compete, and hence acted as a strong weakness. Specifically, the company lacked a strategic and proactive approach to HR, which reduced its overall ability to respond to trends in the marketplace. This meant Sonoco was restricted to developing new approaches as they were required, thus slowing the packaging concept to market delivery cycle. The company hence had fa iled to align its HR function with the demands of the market, which is a key weakness in any HR system (Aswathappa, 2005). In light of these two issues, it can be seen that Cindy Hartleys objectives for changes at Sonoco are not simply those addressed in the case. The case states that the objectives were to increase accountability for talent management; to distribute HR talent and make systems and processes more consistent; and to provide strategic support to the individual business units. However, in light of the environmental issues identified, her objectives can also be seen as being to improve talent management and performance management in order to increase overall performance; to improve performance management in order to facilitate cost control by allowing the company to terminate underperforming employees; and to provide strategic support to enable the company to be more proactive when responding to the demands of the market. Evaluation This section will consider the success of the HR changes at Sonoco, as well as the extent to which they are in line with state of the art HR policies, practices, and systems, and how they could be improved through the implementation of best HR practices relevant to the case. The fundamental change at Sonoco has been the introduction of a top down approach to performance management, with goal setting and targets being implemented at corporate level and trickled down to individual performance goals through negotiation. This practice has the benefit of attending to employee development needs and career development, as well as linking to the financial rewards system. The system as it stands appears to delegate significant authority to the divisions to set their own goals, and lacks the crucial control and assessment techniques such as business intelligent and analytics to ensure that the performance management system provides strong support to the goals of the business (Elbashir et al, 2011, p. 155). On the other hand, the system has the benefit of being relatively simple and easy to implement, which Muras et al (2008, p. 65) argue is more important that using complex processes which often confuse employees and managers. The system also implements 360 degree feedback for managers, which is vital in ensuring strong managerial development (Carson, 2006). One of the main issues that can be identified with the new performance management system is that it is focused on the value added by the individual. Whilst individual performance important, and will help overcome the problem of employees free riding, it is not in line with best practice performance measurement techniques. These techniques generally focus on the combination of individual and team performance, in order to ensure a balance between the individual and team levels of performance (Addison and Haig, 2012, p. 37). In particular, a failure to incorporate team performance into the performance measurement approach risks harming team identification levels as employees see themselves as individuals rather than members of a team. As Solansky (2011, p. 247) notes, team identification is a vital driver of performance, and hence by failing to attend to this there is the risk the new performance measurement system will hamper levels of team work. This is thus something that needs to be addressed through the implementation of best practice in the future. Design This section will focus on identifying ways of improving the existing HR policies, practices, and systems and how they can become state of the art or best practices. It will hence focus on making recommendations for improving the HR practices and addressing the problems identified in the case, as well as determining the right HR structure for Sonoco: either centralisation or hybrid. As noted above, one of the key methods that can be used to improve existing HR practices is to improve the performance management system to measure team work and individual contributions to team performance. According to Levasseur (2011, p. 204), contemporary organisation development theories hold that this needs to be achieved through consideration of various issues such as team development, conflict management and change management in the team context in order to create high performing teams. Hartley should thus look to include these factors in the new performance measurement framework to ensure high quality outcomes. The other primary issues to be resolved are how to ensure effective talent management, how to be responsive to industry and market requirements, and how to save costs. All of these issues are linked to the fundamental question of which HR model to implement: the centralised model or the hybrid structure. Of these, each option has its own specific focus on different aspects of the organisation. The centralised model will offer greater cost savings as well as improved talent management across the entire organisation, as HR will be able to identify talented employees on an organisation wide basis and move or promote them as necessary. In contrast, the hybrid model will allow for greater responsiveness to industry and market requirements due to the support provided to the general managers. The hybrid model also offers improved talent management at the divisional level as managers are encouraged to invest in their own people and staff them accordingly, although there are concerns over the level of companywide coordination and change management under a hybrid model (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 6). In general, the hybrid model appears to be more desirable as it improves market responsiveness and proactive behaviour due to the support offers to the general managers. Whilst it saves $400,000 less in costs, it still comes close to meeting the $2,800,000 cost saving target, and the improved revenue is likely to be much more important for a business with revenues of around $2.5 billion (Sonoco Products Company, 2012, p. 1). In general, current HR best practice is that the HR function and HR metrics should be focused on strategic alignment ahead off cost saving, as this will allow for higher levels of performance and a more positive HR strategy (Gates and Langevin, 2010, p. 111). The main question is hence which approach to talent management and change management is more appropriate. In this regard, it is important to note that, according to Martà ­n-Alcà ¡zar et al (2008, p. 103), best practice HR is moving away from universalistic and centralised approaches, and towards the acceptance of more contingent approaches. This provides further support to the hybrid model, as a model which is more contingent on divisional requirements and hence better able to adapt to specific organisational requirements, including providing the general managers with the specific intelligence, support and responsiveness they need in order to deal with the more competitive industry environment. At the same time, it is important to note that organisational strategy itself has an impact on the most effective HR practices, and hence the company should consider a more universal and centralised approach if its strategy will better lend itself to such an approach. Determining the most e ffective approach to support the organisational strategy should thus be what Cindy Hartley should attend to next. 5. Implementation This aspect of the essay will consider how the changes should be sustained and the schedule and resources required in order to effectively bring about the suggested changes, as well as how the company will you know that the changes are effective. The first aspect of the implementation should be to implement the hybrid model, once this has been formally selected and adapted as necessary to fit the organisational strategy. This will require the concerted effort of all the HR resources, with the specific implementation strategy depending on the availability of these resources and the ability of the company to organise them to obtain the necessary capabilities (Wright et al, 2001, p. 701). The relative success of these implementation efforts should be measured by considering the levels of support provided to the managers, as reported by the managers, as well as the achievement of the cost savings projected from the implementation of the new model (Becker and Gerhart, 1996) A similar appr oach can then be used to adapt the performance management approach in the company to the new organisational realities in order to improve team work, with levels of team performance used as a way to know these changes are effective (Armstrong and Baron, 2011). Reflection The learning activities undertaken in this module and during the analysis and completion of this case study have provided significant abilities with regards to my ability to provide solutions to the case. In particular, whilst studying this module I have learnt how to apply theoretical techniques and models from organisation development and human resources to specific cases and examples. This can be seen in my ability to apply theoretical concepts such as universalistic and contingent HR practices, as well as team work and performance management to the case of Sonoco. This will also assist me in my future managerial career, as I will be able to apply these concepts to the companies I work for. The other primary way in which the learning activities on this module have contributed to my ability to provide solutions to the case is that they have helped me to analyse a practical situation and determine the root causes of the situation from the symptoms. For example, in this case I was able to use the literature to link the acquisition based nature of the companys growth to the development of its HR silos, and use this to make recommendations to address this issue. I was also able to identify and analyse the implications of the hybrid and centralised models using theory, and hence make appropriate recommendations in this area, something which will be useful if I face a similar situation later in my career.

Civil Disobedience Essay example -- Papers Thoreau Laws Morals Essays

Civil Disobedience Works Cited Not Included I believe that civil disobedience is justified as a method of trying to change the law. I think that civil disobedience is an expression of one's viewpoints. If someone is willing to break a law for what they believe in, more power to them! Civil disobedience is defined as, "the refusal to obey the demands or commands of a government or occupying power, without resorting to violence or active measures of opposition" (Webster's Dictionary). This refusal usually takes the form of passive resistance. Its usual purpose is to force concessions from the government or occupying power. Civil disobedience has been a major tactic and philosophy of nationalist movements in Africa and India, in the civil rights movement of U.S. blacks, and of labor and anti-war movements in many countries. People practicing civil disobedience break a law because they consider it unjust and hope to call attention to it. In his essay, "Civil Disobedience," American author Henry David Thoreau set forth the b asic tenets of civil disobedience for the first time. The independence of India in the 1930's was largely a result of the nonviolent resistance by Mohandas Gandhi to the British colonial laws. In the United States, the nonmilitant efforts of Martin Luther King, Jr., helped bring about civil rights legislation. There are numerous examples that illustrate how civil disobedience is justified. In late 1955 Rosa Parks, a leading member of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) was jailed for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. I don't blame Parks at all for what she did. The African American people had to take a stand on some issue... ...because it is not right to ban a piece of literature no matter how unethical it is. These laws limit human freedom and hinder spontaneity. I think there are always times when disobeying a law is morally justified. "They are sometimes unfair and repressive; common sense, social custom, and religion already provide enough guidance; and morality can never be legislated" (Kessler 154). Thoreau argued that any given law is not as high or not above what you believe in or what your conscious tells you is right. "We all have a moral duty to obey our consciences" (Kessler 154). I believe it is very clear how I stand on the subject of civil disobedience. After researching this topic and formulating my own opinions I have learned a great deal about my morals and myself. It simply shocks me when I think of the accomplishments of people like King, Gandhi, and Thoreau.

Essay --

Heart of Darkness, Things Fall Apart, and Learning to Bow are three works which give insights on indigenous societies and cultural conflicts. Heart of Darkness and Learning to Bow both provide insights on indigenous societies from the eyes of outsiders from completely different cultures. Things Fall Apart is different than the other two readings in the sense that it is written from the perspective of an indigenous person. All three works clearly provide â€Å"An insightful perspective of indigenous society; a penetrating analysis of culture conflicts.† Heart of Darkness is written from the perspective of a European sailor named Marlow who travels to Africa and ends up working for the Company, which is a trading company in Africa. Soon after arriving in Africa, Marlow notices a group of enslaved Africans walking in a single file line. He notices how malnourished they are and says â€Å"I could see every rib, the joints of their limbs were like knots in a rope; each had an iron color on his neck, and all were connected together with a chain whose bights swung between them, rhythmically clinking.† (Conrad 10) It does not take long for Marlow to realize how horribly Africans are being treated at the hands of Europeans, the Company in particular. He noticed the face of a young slave near his hand when he was observing his surroundings and gave him a biscuit. Right after seeing these malnourished and mistreated natives, Marlow meets the company’s chief accountant, a man who was so well dressed and groomed that Marlow thought he was a vision at first. Unlike the natives, who wear rags, the chief accountant has â€Å"a high starched collar, white cuffs, a light alpaca jacket, snowy trousers, a clean necktie, and varnished boots... ... effects of imperialism on natives and white men in Africa. The Company has enslaved many natives and one of its officials, Kurtz, goes insane because he is in the jungle by himself with no moral compass to guide him and after the natives start to view him as a demigod, he starts to believe it. Learning to Bow is a journey into Japanese culture from the eyes of an American who ends up teaching the Japanese a lot about his own culture. Throughout his time in Japan, he is faced with what he calls the â€Å"widespread myth of Japanese uniqueness† and encounters many Japanese who believe that he can’t understand their culture because he isn’t one of them. This reading is unlike the others because it takes place in Asia, not Africa. Things Fall Apart is an insight into indigenous African culture from an insider and shows how diverse and complex Africa is.

A multicultural counselor Essay

It is crucial that a multicultural counselor have ample strategies in order to be effective in multicultural counseling. This is because the counselor handles clients who have diverse cultures and, therefore, need to be adaptive to the various cultural values and beliefs of the client. In order, for a multicultural counselor to be effective, it is vital that the counselor should first understand his or her own culture. This understanding of own culture comprises being aware of one own life philosophies, being able to recognize the different structures involved in reasoning and also being aware of how the understanding effect ones communication and also the style one uses to assist the client. Lack of this understanding may make the counseling process ineffective. Self-awareness helps the counselor identify specific cultural values and the influence they may have in the counseling process. This helps the multicultural counselor be able to counter the effects that the values may pose to the counseling intervention. It is also necessary that multicultural counselor prevent adhering to a specific counseling theory during the counseling process. This is because many cultural groups do not share the type of values, which are implied by the counseling methods (Gielen, Draguns & Fish, 2008). The various values usually do not share the same expectations for the conduct or the outcome of the counseling session of the counselor. This calls for a need for the counselor carry out an investigation about their clients cultural background, be open and flexible to the definitions of the appropriate of the correct behaviors according to the cultural values of the client. It is also beneficial for the multicultural counselor to have an understanding of many languages. This is because language barriers act as a hindrance to effective multicultural counseling. As a result, of the language barrier, the client and the counselor may not understand each other well making the client unable to express the complexity in their thoughts and their feelings. This may also make the counselor feel frustrated due to lack of bilingual ability. Language barriers also lead the counselor to offer the wrong diagnosis (Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, 2009). Multicultural counselor should acknowledge cultural diversity he or she should appreciate the value of different cultures and use it in assisting the client. The counselor should not have any cultural bias or carry cultural stereotypes into the counseling process. He or she is supposed to understand that all cultural values are the same, and they should be respected. Respect of cultural diversity plays a great part in enhancing the effectiveness of multicultural counseling. This also calls for the multicultural counselor to have humility and modesty. (Gielen, Draguns & Fish, 2008). It is also essential that a multicultural counselor should have social conflict resolution strategies in order to carry out an effective counseling. This helps the counselor to be able to help the client to solve the problems he or she may be experiencing within himself and the conflict that may be existing between him or her and the community. It is also important that multicultural counselor take a pluralistic view in the counseling process. This is where the counselor puts into consideration all aspects of the client’s personal history, social and cultural orientation. (Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development, 2009). Therefore, it is important that multicultural counselors avoid culture stereotypes and false expectation. This is done by understanding their clients’ background and finding the most appropriate strategies to employ in the counseling process. The strategies should suit the needs of the client. The counselor should be sensitive the cultural values of the client. Reference Association for Multicultural Counseling and Development (AMCD), (2009) Journal of Multicultural Counseling, Birmingham, England, retrieved www. multiculturalcenter. org/jmcd/ on 8 April 2010. Gielen, U. Draguns, J. & Fish, J. (2008) Principles of multicultural counseling and therapy, New York, Brunner-Routledge, retrieved from http://www. netLibrary. com/urlapi. asp? action=summary&v=1&bookid=233302 on 8 April 2010.