Wednesday, November 27, 2019

National Health Service Reorganization Essay Example

National Health Service Reorganization Essay Example National Health Service Reorganization Paper National Health Service Reorganization Paper This paper is concerned with the major changes, which have taken place in the National Health Service (NHS) following the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. Any UK government is faced with a long list of health issues, this list would include macro questions such as the relationship of the National Health Service (NHS) to broader policies which might affect the health of the population and how to finance and staff health services. The NHS has gone through many stages of development in the last century, however the 1990 act introduced the most radical accounting control system since the birth of the NHS. Much accounting research has been developed on this topic and this paper will bring together some of their findings. By the late 1980’s general management in the NHS was in full force, and expectations of ‘management discipline’ were high, however there were a series of recurrent crisis. These crises were particularly evident in the hospital services and were caused by a combination of scarcity of compatible resources and an infinite demand for health care. Through a fundamental view of operations in 1989, two reviews were drawn up by the department of health, ‘working for patients’ and ‘caring for people’ (DoH, 1989a, 1989b), and these formed the basis of the NHS and Community Care Act 1990. The main focus of the impact was the concept of the internal market. This essentially involved the separation of two of the main functions of the NHS, purchasing and providing. Purchasing is defined as the buying of health services to satisfy local needs and providing, is defined as the day to day business of delivering that care. The purchasing agencies are provided with a budget which reflects their defined population, from which they must identify health needs, plan ways to satisfy them while ensuring the quality of the service. When the purchaser identifies their requirements, they produce a contract with the providers, who in turn invoice the purchaser for the materials and services provided. This illustrates the ‘Quasi-market’ in operation, a Quasi-market being a market which seems to exist but doesn’t really. Flynn (1993) described the internal markets in the NHS as a mechanism to match supply with demand, and allow hospitals to compete on price and quality to attract patients. This new ideology of governance of the NHS has changed dramatically, especially through the Thatcher administration. Harrison (1997) describes how there are three ways of co-ordinating the activities of a multiplicity organisation, through markets, clans and hierarchies. Clans and hierarchies are based on using the process of co-operation to produce an ordered system of outcomes. The historic NHS was built very much around them; a combination of bureaucracy and professional culture; labelled as ‘professional bureaucracy’ by Pugh and Hichson (1976). The new NHS is now reflected as having a market orientated organisation. The reformed NHS was established on 1st April 1991. On that day the internal market became operational, it’s main features were, that there is a fixed level of ‘demand’ whose total is determined by NHS funding, trading takes place among a large number of buyers and sellers, and there is competition among suppliers. In this market it should be expected that managers respond with price, quality and branding as weapons of competitive behaviour (Flynn 1993). Llewellyn (1993) described the introduction of an ‘internal’ or ‘Quasi-market’ in health and social care, as a reaction to and was practically enabled, by an expanding population. Her research that looked at two factors, which forced reform in the NHS, demographic trends and technological advancement. The first factor focused on the growing problem facing nation states in the developed world is that of an ageing population and hence a greater dependence on the NHS in future years. Between 1961 and 1990 the percentage of the UK population over sixty five increased by one third and the numbers aged eighty five and over, more than doubled (Population Trends 1992). The second factor looked at the advancing technology of medical care across the developed world, which offered a new range of medical services and techniques. These advances however caused a problematic escalation in the supply and demand for medical treatment, and therefore total cost of that treatment to the purchaser. The basic rationale of her paper, was how the introduction of a market into health care causes an anticipated stimulus to competition and hence constant improvement in resource allocation and cost management. Hood (1994) identified two aims of the government in office as regard to the public sector, first the desire to lessen or eliminate differences between modes of private and public sector organisation. Secondly, the intention of exerting more control over the actions of public sector professionals. However, to discuss the first aim it is important to realise that there is a fundamental difference between developing a customer orientation in the private sector and a user orientation system in the public services (Flynn 1993). Private sector problems tend to be in efforts to market their products or services to the consumer, usually in competition with other firms. Whereas, public sector problems tend to be trying to deter too many people using their services, as opposed to attracting them. Therefore, this produces a fundamental problem in the trying to eliminate these aspects. Several issues caused the government desire not only to control, but also to make resource usage more efficient. Firstly the deepening public sector problems had to be addressed, and the adoption of more accountable systems seemed a perfect solution. There was also the desire not only to be able to control but also reduce public expenditure. Finally, political promises were made to reduce the share of public expenditure in National Income, to curtail the range of functions being performed by government, whilst also seeking to improve, nurture and stimulate the business attitudes and practices necessary to re-launch Britain as a successful capitalist economy, this was a conservative attitude. The government therefore promoted the view that accountable management reforms are needed for the public sector to be more accountable to those who receive, pay for or monitor public services; to provide services in a more effective, efficient and publicly responsible fashion (Humphrey 1991). The emergence of an internal market for health services inevitably resulted in the emergence of various accounting techniques, their purpose was to act as a stimulus to ensure efficient allocation of resources and to minimise costs. The increasing competition derived from this market created a need for management control systems. Hood (1994) categorised international accountable management as having up to seven dimensions, for government implementation of a system in the public sector. First, that it sought a greater disaggregation of public sector organisations, secondly, it would be searching for a stronger competitive use of private sector management techniques. Thirdly, a heavier emphasis on efficiency of resource usage, fourthly, reforms in accountability management. Fifthly a clearer specification of input/output relationships, sixthly, a greater use of measurable performance standards and targets, and finally, the use of ‘hands on’ management of staff in control. These categories relate to Hood’s (1994) two aims, discussed previously, with the first three dimensions relating to his first aim of eliminating differences of public and private sector organisations. The four are geared towards the second aim of control. Hood’s research was based on a comparative study of cross-national experience of accountable management reforms. Arguably the views on the adoption of management control systems in the public sector depends on our position in society. As our society is more focused on markets, competitiveness and efficiency, it is likely that accounting techniques will play an important role, however, the importance of keeping the welfare of our society should be first and foremost. After all the goals of public sector organisations should differ from those in the private sector (e. g. they should not be profit maximisers). The objective of the NHS as an organisation remains unchanged since the reforms, in terms of securing an improvement in the state of the health of the population. However, it is now faced with the dilemma, that the means of achieving this greater improvement has been surfaced with financial considerations (Mellett 1998). One of the consequences of the reforms carried out on the NHS, after the NHS and Community Care Act 1990, is that at the level of health care delivery, it has been fragmented into over 500 separate trusts. Each of these trusts is a clearly defined autonomous unit which has an obligation to monitor performance in terms of both finance and patient care activity (Clatworthy et al 1997). This was the governments preferred mode of organisation and it becomes universal along with the associated accounting regime (Mellet 1998). Mellett (1998), looked at how the revised accounting system operated within trusts, and found that their procedures included a system of capital accounting; it’s objective was to increase the awareness of health service managers of the cost of capital and the incentive to use that capital efficiently. However, introducing a new control system into an organisation, and also the fact the management team are unlikely to have experience in it’s application, could lead to several implementing problems and introduce another element of risk. Preston et al (1992) emphasis, that when a new accounting method is introduced, it is naive to assume that by simply assembling the components of a system, that the desired or officially intended outcome will be achieved. Since 1979 the UK government has tended to favour private sector management styles and culture (Flynn 1992), although there has been many debates about the different contrasts between the adaptable, dynamic, entrepreneurial private sector management styles and the bureaucratic, cautious, inflexible, rule bound public sector management. Could this be due to the strain on public sector managers, who work on a tight budget, and also that scope for reward in expanding the organisation is limited. So can we compare managers in the public sector with those in the private sector, for example accountability structures make managers jobs different from those of the private services. A public service manager for example, could be instructed to keep a hospital open, while the regional authorities may have different ideas and wish the hospital to close. This dubious accountability has no resemblance to the private sector, where managers are ultimately accountable to shareholders (Flynn 1992). An important part of managerial work in the public sector involves managing the relationship between the organisation and the political process. Therefore, the government is faced a health policy dilemma; how to reconcile increasingly flexible NHS management and greater freedom to become competitive, with requirements for manageability of the NHS, for public accountability, and for political management (Sheaff et al 1997). The government then introduced a process to set about placing former private sector directors, into director positions of NHS trusts. Therefore directly introducing private sector experience into public sector management. However, Sheaff et al (1997) research, found that board members of trusts, with a predominant NHS background were likely to be less conservative, more flexible and less risk adverse than those with a non-NHS background. This highlights the emphasis put on different management styles associated with the public and private sector, and puts into doubt these classifications when developing the ‘strategy of managerialism’ for the NHS. The new era of the NHS has left managers of trusts faced with a new dilemma, they are now accountable to producing two sets of information, finance activity and patient care activity. Clatworthy (1993) identified three users of this information, the electorate, the consumers of the public service and central government politicians. All these groups will have an interest in the NHS, but their concerns are likely to focus on different aspects of this information. This gives the managers the task of balancing two incompatible goals. As part of the NHS, trusts are charged with the intangible task of improving the state of the nations health, while also having to remain financially viable (Clatworthy 1993). Jackson (1985) perceives that by their very nature, performance indicators motivate individuals and cause them to modify their behaviour in order to meet the targets set. Could this give rise to anxieties of how managers could react to potentially bad results? Published performance indicators issued cover aspects such as percentage of patients seen by a hospital within 13 weeks. Looking at this as an example; this indicator could be enhanced by treating as a priority those that have been waiting longest, but these patients may not be those, whose health status would benefit most from treatment (Clatworthy 1993). It could be argued that in the pursuit of a goal, managers lower the possible increase in overall welfare. These performance indicators, both financial and patient care are produced in an annual report, although superficially similar to it’s private sector counterpart it is not addressed to an audience which can exercise control. Unlike a private sector shareholders meeting, the directors of the public sector trust cannot be removed from their position by a voting process, so it’s existence can be perceived as not a tool of control. This paper has analysed the introduction of the new reforms taken place in the NHS in the early nineties. The reasons for change were identified as being the change in the demographic structure of the UK population and the increased emphasis of technological advancement in medical health care, and their effect on the financial burden of the health service to the government. Changes brought about were to increase cost effectiveness and encourage efficient use of the scarce resources available to the NHS. Due to the competitive nature of the internal market, many management control techniques have been implemented to aid managers of designated hospital trusts to meet their budget targets. Due to the complexity of these systems, many trusts have had previously private sector managers, appointed as directors in charge of managing the budget. Many fears have been raised that these budget constraints and the introduction of performance indicators will have a detrimental effect on the health service’s ultimate aim, to improve the overall state of the nation’s health. It seems that managers are stuck in a conflict of interests, of whether to keep financial control of the trust, by cutting back in the overall service offered to the public. Finally it can be the said that the government’s main aim was to create a private sector organisation in the public sector, Mellett (1998) neatly describes with reference to the trusts; ‘Although private sector accounting techniques and controls based on them have been introduced at the level of the trust as an entity, their relevance must be placed in the context of the fact that the NHS is in the public sector. Which means that it still subject to requirement to operate within an annual cash limit set as part of the public expenditure policy survey. ’ REFERENCES Clatworthy, M. Mellett, H. (1997) Managing health and finance: Conflict or Congruence? Public Money and Management Oct-Dec pp 41-46 Farnham, D. Horton, S. (1995) Managing the new public services (3rd edn) (Macmillan Press Ltd) Flynn, N. (1993), Public Sector Management (2nd edn) (Harvestor Wheatsheaf, Hemel Hempstead) Harrison, S. (1997) Health – The agenda for an incoming government, Public Money and Management Apr-Jun pp 27-31 Hood, C. (1994) ‘The new public management in the 1980’s, Accounting, Organisations and Society. Humphrey, C. (1991) Accountable management in the public sector in chap 9 in issues in management accounting ed. Dashton, T Hopper RW Scapens, Prentice Hall 1991. Llewellyn, S. (1993) Linking costs with quality in health and social care: new challenge for management accounting, Financial Accountability and Management, Vol 9 No 3, Aug 1993 Preston, AM. Cooper, DJ. Coombs, RW (1992) ‘Fabricating budgets: A study of the production of management budgeting in the NHS’, Accounting, Organisations and Society Vol 17, No 6 pp 561-93 Sheaff, R. West, M. (1997) Marketization, managers and moral strain: Chairman, Directors and public service ethos in the National Health Service, Public Administration Vol. 75 Summer 1997 pp 189-206

Saturday, November 23, 2019

Land Rover Case

Land Rover Case Land Rover CaseAfter an extensive research regarding consumer demands for SUV's - there seems to be an increasing demand to develop SUV's to accommodate a consumers' safety, price value, usage purpose, and luxury needs to foster the constant change in consumer tastes and preferences. In order to satisfy these criteria, the ability to position the SUV correctly while targeting the appropriate consumers will determine the overall firm wide success in the future.Due to staggering costs that are required in purchasing and maintaining a Land Rover, the target market to position their fleet of cars should be geared towards those who are more likely to afford the vehicle. In Exhibit 1, the average buyers for Land Rovers have incomes of at least $100, 000. This expensive and luxury brand association with Land Rover will nonetheless be instilled in the minds of consumers as the luxury car alternative that tackles any on/off-road challenges, while adapting and conforming with the constant chan ge in trends, styles, and tastes of the typical American consumer.a Sussex Police Land Rover DefenderOriginally designed and marketed as a general-purpose vehicle that provided countryside workers with an efficient mean of transportation, there is now a new and untapped market opportunity for development and expansion to attract suburban and city dwellers to enter this market for SUV's. This market development to expand operations will penetrate into the largest automotive industry in the world, the United States. The growing demand to own a safe and dependable SUV to fulfill the needs of an average family of four to five is another great opportunity to quickly emerge as the leader into this market for SUV's. If Land Rover reacts quickly in an expansion plan for productions and operations, market domination can result from the foreseeable profitability in the long run.Land Rover's image as having...

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Patients as Health Care Consumers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Patients as Health Care Consumers - Essay Example Like a consumer who makes decisions on whether to buy a commodity or not in a given store, so is a health care consumer who can be influenced by advertisements and marketing. Health care consumers include patients in any hospital setting, a client in a mental health centre within any given community, or it can also be any person who is a member to any organization providing prepaid health care services and maintain (Ryan et al 2009:78). At any given time that a person decides to visit a health facility for any kind of health or medical attention, she or he makes the decision of doing so as a health care consumer. Through health care consumerism, the conservative government is deemed to have introduced monetary structures of Britain’s National Health Service (NHS) and Community Care Act both of which had their aims inclined to increasing competition as well as shift in NHS’ culture. This was in regard to concerns of minding patients as health care consumers and it involv ed shift from a culture that was established through decisions and preferences to a culture that was determined by health care users’ wishes and views. ... e government introduced overall management in NHS in the year 1983 at various levels of service so as to research on the needs of patients alongside their views regarding quality of health care. Following these and other essential considerations, consumer driven health care has been on the rise based on the need to get health care consumers satisfied being that they form the basis of health care industry by purchasing health care services and products (Natalier and Willis 2008:407). This paper attempts to look into issues regarding the view that patients are consumers of health care services. Mechanisms for Consumerism in Health Care There are some mechanisms for consumerism in health care which have continually been exhibited in as much as health care consumerism has been embraced. One of the mechanisms is Patient Charter which is actually a document of the United Kingdom’s government with a layout of rights for NHS patients. This charter has been into force since its incepti on in the year 1992 through Conservative government but had been revised in the years 1995 and 1997. According to Adeoye and Bozic (2007:97), â€Å"the charter sets out rights in service areas including  general practice, hospital treatment, community treatment, ambulance, dental, optical, pharmaceutical and maternity. However, various stakeholders have criticized the charter for reasons widely ranging from not offering sufficient support to trans-gender patients  to increasing attacks on hospital staff†. Amid the issues, the charter has been meant to be legally binding as far as health care consumerism is concerned. Another mechanism for health care consumerism is Choose and Book approach which has been applied since the year 2005. This is an electronic booking software system cum application

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Market risk Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Market risk - Essay Example Even with the Security exchange commission, Federal Reserve still does not grantee immunization from the insecurity that comes with risk. FI’s have faced difficulties over the years for a multitude of reasons; the major cause of serious FI problems remains directly related to lax credit standards. These problems range from borrowers, counter-parties, poor portfolio risk management, or a lack of attention to changes in economic or other circumstances. These lapses in awareness can lead to decline in the credit standing of an FI’s counterparties. This experience is common in both G-10 and non-G-10 countries (Basel 1999). When discussing market risk there are many trading activities that have caught the eyes of regulators by FI managers. For example, in September 1995, a leading Japanese bank, Daiwa Bank was forced into insolvency because of losses trading in Japanese stock futures that took place at a branch in New York City (Saunders & Cornett, pp 258). Market risk can b e define as the risk related to the uncertainty of an FI’s earning on its trading portfolio caused by changes in market conditions, such as price of an asset, interest rates, market volatility, and market liquidity (J.P. Morgan). Understanding what is at risk when trading and investing on the market is of great interest to FI managers. There are divergent types of portfolio’s, which can be distinguished on a basis of time, horizon and liquidity. Trading portfolio consists of assets, liabilities, and derivative contracts that can be bought and sold quickly on organized financial markets. The category of asset or liabilities in a trading portfolio could be a long or short position in commodities, foreign exchange, equity securities, interest rate swaps, and options (Saunders & Cornett, pp 258). The investment portfolio has assets and liabilities that are moderately illiquid and held for longer holding periods. The variety of assets and

Sunday, November 17, 2019

Hunting life Essay Example for Free

Hunting life Essay Throughout the pastoral poem, there are several different symbols. The symbols I used were deer, dreams and fear. The deer symbolizes a trophy. I used it as a trophy because if you get your winning deer then that means you have gotten out of this small town and moved onto bigger and better things. Another symbol was dreams because the only way to be able to follow your dreams is to actually be successful and get away from the town/area that is holding you back. Last, I used fear because you get scared to actually take control of your future and to take control  of your dreams to get away and be successful in life without being judged or held back. These symbols were used throughout the entire pastoral poem and relate to real life. Death and Mourning The theme that was used in my pastoral poem was death and mourning. Death is used by the symbolization of the deer. Even though the deer did not physically die, it shows the death of getting out of town. Being in this small town shows that you cannot go out and see what you want to see or pursue your dreams because you are stuck. This is causing you to die on the inside. Mourning is incorporated into this pastoral poem by dreading not â€Å"killing† the deer. This is because if you would have just killed it you would be out of this town but now you really are stuck until you â€Å"kill† it. Death and mourning is shown throughout this pastoral poem as the theme. Grove 2 Hunting Life Silence all around deep in the woods. Isolated for the good sitting in my tree stand, Up in the tree stand waiting for my deer,But after several days I am beginning to fear. Aside from the fear, the fear of not getting my deer, I think about life and embrace silence, While dreaming about succeeding as I breathe in the cool air. As I sit in my tree stand I finally think I hear a deer. Slowly I raise the gun to my chin, getting him centered in my sight. That kill shot is right there. I cannot help but to grin because I have been waiting so long. Waiting so long in my tree stand for my deer. So I take a deep breath, let it out and squeeze. Adrenaline has now gotten the best of me. Shaking, thinking and hoping to please, And then I see the monster is instantly down. I fly down my stand, run to his side and kneel in the blood, He is my 10 point prize. But then I realize this is just a dream, The dream of actually getting anywhere. Grove 3 In this town you can only dream, Dream of succeeding and getting away from this life. Silence is always the key, Keep quiet, breathe in the cool air and maybe you will get your prized deer.

Friday, November 15, 2019

Depression Essay -- essays research papers

One of the scariest emotional experiences a person can ever suffer during their lifetime is to experience a form of depression. Over one in five Americans can expect to get some form of depression in their lifetime. Over one in twenty Americans have a depressive disorder every year. Depression is one of the most common and most serious mental health problems facing people today. However, depression is often not taken seriously because of the large use of antidepressant drugs and the large number of sufferers. Depression is a serious illness and should be taken as so. Contrary to the popular misconceptions about depression today, it is a serious and deadly disorder.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Depression in its various forms (insomnia, fatigue, anxiety, stress, vague aches and pains, etc.) is the most common complaint heard in doctors’ offices. There are three primary forms of depression. Major depression, like the flu, has a beginning, middle, and an end. Major depression often lasts for months. Left untreated, it tends to reoccur. Each reoccurrence tends to last longer and is more debilitating than the one before. Chronic depression is a low grade, long-term depression that can go on for years. Some people have had it most of their lives. Long term, low-grade depression is also known as dysthymia. Dys, meaning disorder, and thymia meaning mood. Dysthmia is then a disorder of ones mood. The last type is manic depression. The lows of this depression can alter with days or weeks of maniaextreme feelings, unreasonable thoughts, and inappropriate, sometimes destructive behavior. The manic-depressive person fluctuates from one emotional pole to anoth er, often in rapid swings. 3   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are many symptoms of depression. Symptoms can include persistent sad or â€Å"empty† mood, loss of interest or pleasure in ordinary activities, including sex, decreased energy, fatigue, being â€Å"slowed down†, Sleep disturbances such as insomnia, early morning wakes or oversleeping, eating disturbances such as loss of appetite and weight, or weight gain, difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions, feelings of guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, thoughts of death or suicide, suicide attempts, irritability, excessive crying, or chronic aches and pains that don’t respond to treatment. Many people who have clinical depression can feel down, sad, ... ...gloominess, pessimism, introversion, self-criticism, deep feelings of inadequacy, and excessive brooding and worrying. People who regularly behave in dependent, hostile, and impulsive ways appear at greater risk for depression. Psychologists also believe that stressful experiences can trigger depression in people who are predisposed to the illness. About 20 percent of women experience an episode of depression after having a baby; this is called postpartum depression. Also, people who experience child abuse appear to be more vulnerable to depression than others.1   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Depression affects people all around the world and takes over many lives. It is a detectable disease. Most every case of depression is very personal, and usually has it’s own specifications and circumstance. By speaking with people who have depression in their families and being a sufferer of the disease myself, I’ve realized that it’s not the end of the world and there are ways to get help. Treatment for depression is relativity inexpensive but whatever the cost; it is more than made up for an increased productivity, efficiency, physical health, improved relationships, and enjoyment of life.

Tuesday, November 12, 2019

Robert Borden

Robert Borden Robert Borden was the most successful Prime Minister because he led Canada through World War One, increased the war effort in World War One, and made the Wartime Business Profits Tax of 1917. First, Robert Borden was a successful Prime Minister because he led Canada through World War One. Robert Borden wanted Canada to participate in the war and got several troops for the Britain empire. He made the first GST tax, and gave women the right to vote. He led Canada to winning several incredibly successful battles, including the famous Paschendale.At the peace treaty of Versailles, he got a separate seat from Britain, which led to independence. Canada signed as an independent nation on the treaty and was a delegate for the World Nations. Robert Borden increased the war effort in World war One by sending out more troops into battle and by sending out more supplies for the soldiers. By doing so, Canada gained huge international recognition by proving that Canada was serious ab out the war. This was a very large step for the country because now Canada would have an impact in war.Robert Borden introduced the war measures act in World War 1. He did this to protect the citizens of Canada. The War Measures Act was an act that allowed any person of authority to arrest someone who had some sort of suspicion. This protected the citizens of Canada by eliminating anyone who could potentially do harm. In conclusion Robert Borden was the most successful prime minister because he led Canada through World War One, increased the war effort in World War One, and made the Wartime Business Profits Tax of 1917.

Sunday, November 10, 2019

Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne is one of the most contradictive persons in the history of contemporary rock music. On the one hand, he is a famous singer being famous for his unique image, clothing and lifestyle and his music is surely beloved by thousands of fans, whereas, on the other hand he has had serious problems with drug and alcohol addictions. Nevertheless, his struggle for survival has to be praised and respected.  It is apparent that literature search revealed over 100 articles and books on the history of rock music and Osbourne’s career. Over half of these were prescriptive and written by practitioners, consultants and journalists.Adams, Deanna R.   Rock ‘n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2002.This book is not intended to be a definitive history of rock music, documenting every fact or thoroughly analyzing every decade. Rather, it is about those people and events responsible for making this the â€Å"Rock ‘n' Roll Capital of the World.† The book presents rather extraordinary and interesting viewpoint concerning Ozzy Osbourne and his musical career.Appleyard, Bryan. â€Å"Blizzard of Oz†, The Sunday Times Magazine, November 27, 2005.The article suggests that Ozzy Osbourne is surely one of the most interesting and at the same time shocking singer due to his unique image, clothing and lifestyle. He is known to shock publicity with extraordinary appearance, hair cuts and colors mixture. Nevertheless, author states that practically every star has his own â€Å"blizzards†. Concerning Osbourne it is his drug and alcohol addictions, though he has managed to cope with disease having proven that he is able to struggle for life and popularity. He underwent treatments for alcohol and drug abuse.   And now he is famous for both musical and TV careers.Davidson, Sandra (ed.) & Winfield, Betty Houchin (ed.). Bleep! Censoring Rock and Rap Music. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.The book is ab out societal attempts to control rock and rap music in a democracy. This book explains how governmental statutes, agency regulations, business controls and parents have tried to censor the music and when they have succeeded or why not. The book also focuses on the dilemma of a people who ideally believe in free expression as part of a democracy. It is apparent that attempts to censor Osbourne are also involved in the book.Dodd, P. The Book of Rock. London: Pavilion, 2001.The book is about the individual artists and groups associated with Rock music involving Ozzy Osbourne and his contradictive career and person. It is seen that the book is of great importance for current research, because it provides thorough examination and analysis of rock music history. The book is meant for a wide circle of readers who are fond of rock and Ozzy Osbourne.Exclusive: Ozzy Osbourne on Everything. Sunday Mirror, 2005, April 3: 16.The article presents interview with a famous singer about his private l ife and musical career. Ozzy believes his lavish family home in the English countryside is cursed. It is stated that in spite his millions and his transatlantic lifestyle, Ozzy is astonished at the cost of living in Britain – and feels that the working man is being priced out of the country.Goldberg, Jonah. Ozzy without Harriet: What the Osbournes Tells Us about Drugs. National Review, 54, 11 (2002, June 17): 23-24.The Osbournes, the reality-TV show about the 53-year-old former lead singer of the metal band Black Sabbath and his dysfunctional family, is an unprecedented hit. It receives the highest ratings in MTV's history. The article provides details of the show stating that is one of the most popular as it present daily life of a singer.Gosset, Pol & Leyser, Brady J.   Rock Stars/Pop Stars: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1955-1994. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994.This bibliography is a listing of over 3,600 books about the individual artists and groups associated with Rock/Pop music involving Ozzy Osbourne. It is seen that the book is of great importance for current research, because it aims at providing the most accurate and comprehensive bibliography available on Rock/Pop stars.The article says that Wildman rocker was invited to the White House due to the success launch of reality show â€Å"The Osbournes†. According to statistic provided in the article show has more that three million viewers. Family values and problems are incorporated in research. The article touches Osbourne’s problems with drugs and alcohol stating that he has had also problems with crashing hotel rooms and cars.Ozzy Rules: in a Rock World Dominated by Bad Boys, Ozzy Osbourne Stood out. The Daily Mail, 2005, November 19: 16.Newspaper article provides information about Osbourne’s problems with drug and alcohol considering that now he has been cured. The author suggests that Osbourne is really amazed by his new image as a family man. Osbournes has becom e one of Britain's, and America's most famous families. They are laughed at because of their crazy antics, thoih held in affection because of their obvious love for each other.The Ozzy Osbourne of Wolverhampton. The Birmingham Post, 2006, July 19: 5.Actually the article argues about Osbourne’s popularity and states that many fans are willing to behave and look like their music ideal. For example, A parrot-killer who decapitated his beloved pet in a drunken rage has been jailed for five-and-a-half months after a magistrate branded him â€Å"the Ozzy Osbourne of Wolverhampton†.ReferencesAdams, Deanna R.   Rock ‘n' Roll and the Cleveland Connection. Kent, OH: Kent State University Press, 2002.Appleyard, Bryan. â€Å"Blizzard of Oz†, The Sunday Times Magazine, November 27, 2005.Davidson, Sandra (ed.) & Winfield, Betty Houchin (ed.). Bleep! Censoring Rock and Rap Music. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1999.Dodd, P. The Book of Rock. London: Pavilion, 2001.Excl usive: Ozzy Osbourne on Everything. Sunday Mirror, 2005, April 3: 16.Goldberg, Jonah. Ozzy without Harriet: What the Osbournes Tells Us about Drugs. National Review, 54, 11 (2002, June 17): 23-24.Gosset, Pol & Leyser, Brady J.   Rock Stars/Pop Stars: A Comprehensive Bibliography, 1955-1994. Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 1994.Ozzy Osbourne â€Å"Invited to White House†, 2002, April 4. Avaiable at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/1911033.stmOzzy Rules: in a Rock World Dominated by Bad Boys, Ozzy Osbourne Stood out. The Daily Mail, 2005, November 19: 16.The Ozzy Osbourne of Wolverhampton. The Birmingham Post, 2006, July 19: 5.

Friday, November 8, 2019

Art as Propoganda essays

Art as Propoganda essays While the Nazi political movement was undoubtedly among the most vile developments of the 20th century, it inspired works of art which have the ability to expose some of the best and worst that art can achieve. Because it involves such stark contrasts of good and evil, it offers excellent opportunities to discuss what aspects of art are good and bad, what art can achieve at its best and what it can destroy at its worst. Propaganda more than ever is an instrument of aggression, a new means for rendering a country defenseless in the face of an invading army. While it has been used in a halting way for centuries, within the past few years we have seen it prepare the way for Hitler to seize many countries. It is called a new instrument of aggression because development has given it an effectiveness never before experienced in the history of the world. Nazi Germany regulated and controlled the art produced between 1933 and 1945 to ensure they embodied the values they wished to indoctrinate into the German people. The notion of volk (people) and blut und boden (soil and blood) was championed in paintings to glorify an idealized rural Germany and instill a sense of superiority in the Nordic physicality. Many works romanticized everyday subjects and reiterated stereotypical Nazi ideals of the human body and its purposes in the Reich. Paintings of Adolf Hitler portrayed his image in a heroic manner, elevating him to a god-like status. By promoting Hitler as superior to the average person, the artist made Hitler a mythological being who, if followed with unconditional religious piety, would lead the Germanic race to an ideal future. The architecture, or so-called ideology in stone, was also a vessel for political ideology. The monumental buildings served to construct a pseudo-history to authenticate the stable, strong and righteous nature of the thousand year Reich. Thus, art ...

Tuesday, November 5, 2019

Why Deflation Doesnt Happen During a Recession

Why Deflation Doesn't Happen During a Recession When there is economic expansion, demand seems to outpace supply, particularly for goods and services that take time and major capital to increase supply. As a result, prices generally rise (or there is at least price pressure), particularly for goods and services that cannot rapidly meet the increased demand, such as housing in urban centers (relatively fixed supply), and advanced education (takes time to expand/build new schools). This doesnt apply to cars because automotive plants can gear up pretty quickly. Conversely, when there is an economic contraction (i.e. recession), supply initially outpaces demand. This would suggest that there would be downward pressure on prices, but prices for most goods and services dont go down and neither do wages.  Why do prices and wages appear to be sticky in a downward direction? For wages, corporate/human culture offer up a simple explanation: people do not like to give pay cuts... managers tend to lay off before they give pay cuts (though there exist some exceptions). That said, this doesnt explain why prices dont go down for most goods and services. In  Why Does Money Have Value, we saw that changes in the level of prices (inflation) were due to a combination of the following four factors: The supply of money goes up.The supply of goods goes down.Demand for money goes down.Demand for goods goes up. In a boom, we would expect that the demand for goods to rise faster than the supply. All else being equal, we would expect factor 4 to outweigh factor 2 and the level of prices to rise. Since deflation is the opposite of inflation, deflation is due to a combination of the following four factors: The supply of money goes down.The supply of goods goes up.Demand for money goes up.Demand for goods goes down. We would expect the demand for goods to decline faster than the supply, so factor 4 should outweigh factor 2, so all else being equal we should expect the level of prices to fall. In  A Beginners Guide to Economic Indicators we saw that measures of inflation such as the Implicit Price Deflator for GDP are pro-cyclical coincident economic indicators, so the inflation rate is high during booms and low during recessions. The information above shows that the inflation rate should be higher in booms than in bursts, but why is the inflation rate still positive in recessions? Different Situations, Different Results The answer is that all else is not equal. The money supply is constantly expanding, so the economy has a consistent inflationary pressure given by factor 1. The Federal Reserve has a table listing the M1, M2, and M3 money supply. From Recession? Depression? we saw that during the worst recession America has experienced since World War II, from November 1973 to March 1975, real GDP fell by 4.9 percent. This would have caused deflation, except that the money supply rose rapidly during this period, with the seasonally adjusted M2 rising 16.5% and the seasonally adjusted M3 rising 24.4%. Data from Economagic shows that the Consumer Price Index rose 14.68% during this severe recession. A recessionary period with a high inflation rate is known as stagflation, a concept made famous by Milton Friedman. While inflation rates are generally lower during recessions, we can still experience high levels of inflation through the growth of the money supply. So the key point here is that while the inflation rate rises during a boom and falls during a recession, it generally does not go below zero due to a consistently increasing money supply.   In addition, there may be consumer psychology-related factors that prevent prices from decreasing during a recession- more specifically, firms may be reluctant to decrease prices if they feel like customers will get upset when they increase prices back to their original levels at a later point in time.

Sunday, November 3, 2019

Meal Pill Product Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Meal Pill Product - Research Paper Example The product is differentiated from other similar product types by the â€Å"completeness† of its nutrient components. Food supplements that are available in the market can only provide the necessary vitamins and minerals but are unable to incorporate calories, proteins and fibers due to technological limitation. The issues encountered by other food supplement companies are its inability to compress calories, proteins and fiber in pill form that is enough to sustain a body for a day. While attempts were made, they are still unable to perfect the technology as the end product tends to become bulky. The equivalent of our product in the market would be a combination of several food supplements and food drinks. The closest to our product is Ensure (Ensure, 2011), a nutrition milk, but it lacks the necessary fiber for the body to function. It has to be complemented with Metamucil (Metamucil, 2011) to supply the body of its fiber needs. For added energy, customers also need to take Clif Bar (Clifbar, 2011). This combination however no longer qualifies the competition to be a complete meal. Our product, Meal Pill, can do what all these three products can do, making it a complete meal. In addition, there is an inconvenience with the products offered by the competition. Ensure needs to be prepared by mixing it with water not to mention that it has an unpalatable taste while our product needs no preparation and has a neutral taste just like all pills.

Friday, November 1, 2019

Public health and nutrition Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Public health and nutrition - Assignment Example The features that should be examined include: ï‚ § The nutrition standard offered by the school. The aim of the program in school is to give a nutrition that enhances development and growth in children in the setting where they live. It will also promote mental, physical, social and cognitive development in children (Brown & Isaacs, 2011). Research carried out has proved that children participating in school breakfast programs perform better have minimal absences and tardiness (Smith, 2009). The school breakfast program teaches students to adapt to healthful eating habits when they are still young. Various indicators will be used to determine if the program satisfies the needs of clients. The amount of each plate waste, the number of participants and the weight of the children involved in the program (Martin& Oakley, 2008). If there is a lot of left-over then, this will act as an indication that the type of foods offered by the program is not appealing to the students. On the other hand if the waste includes food like vegetables and fruits then it shows that the nutrition benefits of the program is not met. The weight of the students is imperative in determining if the breakfast program influences the students to live a healthy life. In case the number of children suffering from obesity increases then it would mean th at the diet is not balanced. If the initial number of the students participating increases then, the breakfast program is successful for it has appealed to more students. However, if the number of participants declines then the program is a failure and does not meet the needs of the students (Martin& Oakley, 2008). If the school breakfast program is not meeting the needs of the target population then, a thorough analysis of the school’s nutrition standards should be carried out. The areas of failures should be recognized, and recommendations made for improvement. The areas of concern comprise of