The phenomenon of bipolar affective disorder has b Essay Example For Students

The phenomenon of bipolar affective disorder has b Essay een a mystery sincethe 16th century. History has shown that this affliction can appear inalmost anyone. Even the great painter Vincent Van Gogh is believed tohave had bipolar disorder. It is clear that in our society many peoplelive with bipolar disorder; however, despite the abundance of peoplesuffering from the it, we are still waiting for definite explanationsfor the causes and cure. The one fact of which we are painfully awareis that bipolar disorder severely undermines its victims ability toobtain and maintain social and occupational success. Because bipolardisorder has such debilitating symptoms, it is imperative that we remainvigilant in the quest for explanations of its causes and treatment. Affective disorders are characterized by a smorgasbord of symptomsthat can be broken into manic and depressive episodes. The depressiveepisodes are characterized by intense feelings of sadness and despairthat can become feelings of hopelessness and helplessness. Some of thesymptoms of a d epressive episode include anhedonia, disturbances insleep and appetite, psycomoter retardation, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness, guilt, difficulty thinking, indecision, and recurrentthoughts of death and suicide (Hollandsworth, Jr. 1990 ). The manicepisodes are characterized by elevated or irritable mood, increasedenergy, decreased need for sleep, poor judgment and insight, and oftenreckless or irresponsible behavior (Hollandsworth, Jr. 1990 ). Bipolaraffective disorder affects approximately one percent of the population(approximately three million people) in the United States. It ispresented by both males and females. Bipolar disorder involves episodesof mania and depression. These episodes may alternate with profounddepressions characterized by a pervasive sadness, almost inability tomove, hopelessness, and disturbances in appetite, sleep, inconcentrations and driving. We will write a custom essay on The phenomenon of bipolar affective disorder has b specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now Bipolar disorder is diagnosed if an episode of mania occurs whetherdepression has been diagnosed or not (Goodwin, Guze, 1989, p 11). Mostcommonly, individuals with manic episodes experience a period ofdepression. Symptoms include elated, expansive, or irritable mood,hyperactivity, pressure of speech, flight of ideas, inflated selfesteem, decreased need for sleep, distractibility, and excessiveinvolvement in reckless activities (Hollandsworth, Jr. 1990 ). Rarestsymptoms were periods of loss of all interest and retardation oragitation (Weisman, 1991). As the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association (MDMDA)has demonstrated, bipolar disorder can create substantial developmentaldelays, marital and family disruptions, occupational setbacks, andfinancial disasters. This devastating disease causes disruptions offamilies, loss of jobs and millions of dollars in cost to society. Manytimes bipolar patients report that the depressions are longer andincrease in frequency as the individual ages. Many times bipolar statesand psychotic states are misdiagnosed as schizophrenia. Speech patternshelp distinguish between the two disorders (Lish, 1994). The onset of Bipolar disorder usually occurs between the ages of 20and 30 years of age, with a second peak in the mid-forties for women. Atypical bipolar patient may experience eight to ten episodes in theirlifetime. However, those who have rapid cycling may experience moreepisodes of mania and depression that succeed each other without aperiod of remission (DSM III-R). The three stages of mania begin with hypomania, in which patientsreport that they are energetic, extroverted and assertive (Hirschfeld,1995). The hypomania state has led observers to feel that bipolarpatients are addicted to their mania. Hypomania progresses into maniaand the transition is marked by loss of judgment (Hirschfeld, 1995). Often, euphoric grandiose characteristics are displayed, and paranoid orirritable characteristics begin to manifest. The third stage of maniais evident when the patient experiences delusions with often paranoidthemes. Speech is generally rapid and hyperactive behavior manifestssometimes associated with violence (Hirschfeld, 1995). When both manic and depressive symptoms occur at the same time itis called a mixed episode. Those afflicted are a special risk becausethere is a combination of hopelessness, agitation, and anxiety thatmakes them feel like they could jump out of their skin(Hirschfeld,1995). Up to 50% of all patients with mania have a mixture of depressedmoods. Patients report feeling dysphoric, depressed, and unhappy; yet,they exhibit the energy associated with mania. Rapid cycling mania isanother presentation of bipolar disorder. Mania may be present withfour or more distinct episodes within a 12 month period. There is nowevidence to suggest that sometimes rapid cycling may be a transientmanifestation of the bipolar disorder. This form of the diseaseexhibits more episodes of mania and depression than bipolar. .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 , .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 .postImageUrl , .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 , .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7:hover , .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7:visited , .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7:active { border:0!important; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7:active , .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7 .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .uaef73d3cbf224d60511e53566e0ebcf7:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Petrified Man By Eudora Welty EssayLithium has been the primary treatment of bipolar disorder sinceits introduction in the 1960s. It is main function is to stabilize thecycling characteristic of bipolar disorder. In four controlled studiesby F. K. Goodwin and K. R. Jamison, the overall response rate forbipolar subjects treated with Lithium was 78% (1990). Lithium is alsothe primary drug used for long- term maintenance of bipolar disorder. In a majority of bipolar patients, it lessens the duration, frequency,and severity of the episodes of both mania and depression. Unfortunately, as many as 40% of bipolar patients are eitherunresponsive to lithium or can not tolerate the side effects. Some ofthe side effects include thirst, weight gain, nausea, diarrhea, andedema. Patients who are unresponsive to lithium treatment are oftenthose who experience dysphoric mania, mixed states, or rapid cyclingbipolar disorder. One of the problems associated with lithium is the fact thelong-term lithium treatment has been associated with decreased thyroidfunctioning in patients with bipolar disorder. Preliminary evidencealso suggest that hypothyroidism may actually lead to rapid-cycling(Bauer et al., 1990). Another problem associated with the use oflithium is experienced by pregnant women. Its use during pregnancy hasbeen associated with birth defects, particularly Ebsteins anomaly. Based on current data, the risk of a child with Ebsteins anomaly beingborn to a mother who took lithium during her first trimester ofpregnancy is approximately 1 in 8,000, or 2.5 times that of the generalpopulation (Jacobson et al., 1992). There are other effective treatments for bipolar disorder that areused in cases where the patients cannot tolerate lithium or have beenunresponsive to it in the past.The American Psychiatric Associationsguidelines suggest the next line of treatment to be Anticonvulsantdrugs such as valproate and carbamazepine. These drugs are useful asantimanic agents, especially in those patients with mixed states. Bothof these medications can be used in combination with lithium or incombination with each other. Valproate is especially helpful forpatients who are lithium noncompliant, experience rapid-cycling, or havecomorbid alcohol or drug abuse. Neuroleptics such as haloperidol or chlorpromazine have also beenused to help stabilize manic patients who are highly agitated orpsychotic. Use of these drugs is often necessary because the responseto them are rapid, but there are risks involved in their use. Becauseof the often severe side effects, Benzodiazepines are often used intheir place. Benzodiazepines can achieve the same results asNeuroleptics for most patients in terms of rapid control of agitationand excitement, without the severe side effects. Antidepressants such as the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors(SSRIs) fluovamine and amitriptyline have also been used by somedoctors as treatment for bipolar disorder. A double-blind study by M. Gasperini, F. Gatti, L. Bellini, R.Anniverno, and E. Smeraldi showedthat fluvoxamine and amitriptyline are highly effective treatments forbipolar patients experiencing depressive episodes (1992). This study iscontroversial however, because conflicting research shows that SSRIsand other antidepressants can actually precipitate manic episodes. Mostdoctors can see the usefulness of antidepressants when used inconjunction with mood stabilizing medications such as lithium. In addition to the mentioned medical treatments of bipolardisorder, there are several other options available to bipolar patients,most of which are used in conjunction with medicine. One such treatmentis light therapy. One study compared the response to light therapy ofbipolar patients with that of unipolar patients. Patients were free ofpsychotropic and hypnotic medications for at least one month beforetreatment. Bipolar patients in this study showed an average of 90.3%improvement in their depressive symptoms, with no incidence of mania orhypomania. They all continued to use light therapy, and all showed asustained positive response at a three month follow-up (Hopkins andGelenberg, 1994). Another study involved a four week treatment ofbright morning light treatment for patients with seasonal affectivedisorder and bipolar patients. This study found a statisticallysignificant decrement in depressive symptoms, with the maximumantidepressant effect of light not being reached until week four (Baur,Kurtz, Rubin, and Markus, 1994). Hypomanic symptoms were experienced by36% of bipolar patients in this study. Predominant hypomanic symptomsincluded racing thoughts, deceased sleep and irritability. Surprisingly, one-third of controls also developed symptoms such asthose mentioned above. Regardless of the explanation of the emergenceof hypomanic symptoms in undiagnosed controls, it is evident from thisstudy that light treatment may be associated with the observedsymptoms. Based on the results, careful professional monitoring duringlight treatment is necessary, even for those without a history of majormood disorders. .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 , .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 .postImageUrl , .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 , .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213:hover , .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213:visited , .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213:active { border:0!important; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213:active , .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213 .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u733f6033deabf05e434ccd9a11e56213:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Nutrition vs. sport performance EssayAnother popular treatment for bipolar disorder iselectro-convulsive shock therapy. ECT is the preferred treatment forseverely manic pregnant patients and patients who are homicidal,psychotic, catatonic, medically compromised, or severely suicidal. Inone study, researchers found marked improvement in 78% of patientstreated with ECT, compared to 62% of patients treated only with lithiumand 37% of patients who received neither, ECT or lithium (Black et al.,1987). A final type of therapy that I found is outpatient grouppsychotherapy. According to Dr. John Graves, spokesperson for TheNational Depressive and Manic Depressive Association has c alledattention to the value of support groups, and challenged mental healthprofessionals to take a more serious look at group therapy for thebipolar population. Research shows that group participation may help increase lithiumcompliance, decrease denial regarding the illness, and increaseawareness of both external and internal stress factors leading to manicand depressive episodes. Group therapy for patients with bipolardisorders responds to the need for support and reinforcement ofmedication management, and the need for education and support for theinterpersonal difficulties that arise during the course of the disorder. ReferencesBauer, M.S., Kurtz, J.W., Rubin, L.B., and Marcus, J.G. (1994). Mood and Behavioral effects of four-week light treatment in winter depressivesand controls. Journal of Psychiatric Research. 28, 2: 135-145. Bauer, M.S., Whybrow, P.C. and Winokur, A. (1990). RapidCycling Bipolar Affective Disorder: I. Association with grade Ihypothyroidism. Archives of General Psychiatry. 47: 427-432. Black, D.W., Winokur, G., and Nasrallah, A. (1987). Treatment ofMania: A naturalistic study of electroconvulsive therapy versus lithiumin 438 patients. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry. 48: 132-139. Gasperini, M., Gatti, F., Bellini, L., Anniverno, R., Smeralsi,E., (1992). Perspectives in clinical psychopharmacology ofamitriptyline and fluvoxamine. Pharmacopsychiatry. 26:186-192. Goodwin, F.K., and Jamison, K.R. (1990). Manic DepressiveIllness. New York: Oxford University Press. Goodwin, Donald W. and Guze, Samuel B. (1989). PsychiatricDiagnosis. Fourth Ed. Oxford University. p.7. Hirschfeld, R.M. (1995). Recent Developments in ClinicalAspects of Bipolar Disorder. The Decade of the Brain. NationalAlliance for the Mentally Ill. Winter. Vol. VI. Issue II. Hollandsworth, James G. (1990). The Physiology of PsychologicalDisorders. Plenem Press. New York and London. P.111. Hopkins, H.S. and Gelenberg, A.J. (1994). Treatment of BipolarDisorder: How Far Have We Come? Psychopharmacology Bulletin. 30(1): 27-38. Jacobson, S.J., Jones, K., Ceolin, L., Kaur, P., Sahn, D.,Donnerfeld, A.E., Rieder, M., Santelli, R., Smythe, J., Patuszuk, A.,Einarson, T., and Koren, G.,(1992). Prospective multicenter study ofpregnancy outcome after lithium exposure during the first trimester. Laricet. 339: 530-533. Lish, J.D., Dime-Meenan, S., Whybrow, P.C., Price, R.A. andHirschfeld, R.M. (1994). The National Depressive and Manic DepressiveAssociation (DMDA) Survey of Bipolar Members. Affective Disorders. 31:pp.281-294. Weisman, M.M., Livingston, B.M., Leaf, P.J., Florio, L.P.,Holzer, C. (1991). Psychiatric Disorders in America. AffectiveDisorders. Free Press.

American History Timeline 1675-1700

American History Timeline 1675-1700 Between 1675 and 1700, the British colonies on the eastern coast of the North American continent to evolve. Plymouth became part of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania changed from being a proprietary colony to a royal one and then back to a proprietary colony, and North Carolina was designated. Here are the key events that occurred between these years.   1675 June 20: King Philips War begins when King Philip (1638–1676, and also known as Metacomet) leads a coalition of his Wampanoag Indians with their allies the Pocumtuc and Narragansett on a raid against the colonial settlement of Swansea. September 9: The New England Confederation declares war on King Philip and each colony is required to provide men for a combined force. September 12: King Philip achieves a decisive victory against the forces of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and their Nipmuc allies at Bloody Brook. 1676 February: The Mohawk launch a surprise assault against Metacomet, a turning point in King Philips War. March: King Philips War continues as Metacoms forces attack Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. June: Nathaniel Bacon assembles a group of 500 men leading them to Jamestown in what comes to be known as Bacons Rebellion.  Virginia planters agree to support Nathaniel Bacon. June 12: The colonists with the Mohegan Indians defeat King Philips men at Hadley. July: Nathaniel Bacon, the instigator of Bacons Rebellion or the Virginia Rebellion (1674–1676), is declared a traitor and arrested but quickly freed by his men. He is later pardoned after he admits his guilt. July 30: Bacon writes the Declaration of the People of Virginia, criticizing the governors administration of levying unfair taxes, appointing friends to high places, and failing to protect settlers from attack. August 22: King Philips War ends in the English colonies when the Indians surrender and leaders Metacomet and Anawan are killed. Conflict continues in the northern theater (Maine and Acadia) September 19: Bacons forces capture and then burn Jamestown to the ground. October 18: Nathaniel Bacon dies of a fever. The rebel army surrenders when promised amnesty. 1677 January: Virginia Governor Berkeley executes 23 of the rebels from Bacons Rebellion in direct defiance of the crown. He is later replaced by Colonel Jeffreys as the head of Virginia. September 14: Increase Mather publishes The Troubles That Have Happened in New England. 1678 April 12: With the Treaty of Casco, King Philips War is formally brought to an end. Winter: The French (Rene Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle, and Father Louis Hennepin) visit Niagara Falls while exploring Canada. The falls were first reported by a westerner (Samuel de Champlain) in 1604. 1679 The Province of New Hampshire is created out of the Massachusetts Bay Colony by royal degree of British King Charles II. 1680 January: John Cutt takes office as the president of New Hampshire and ending Massachusetts governance. 1681 March 4: William Penn receives a royal charter from Charles II to set up Pennsylvania, to pay off debts owed to Penns father. 1682 April: Frenchman Sieur de la Salle claims the land at the mouth of the Mississippi for France and calls the territory La Louisiane (Louisiana) in honor of his king Louis XIV. May 5: William Penn publishes Frame of Government of Pennsylvania that provides for a precursor of a bicameral government. August 24: The Duke of York awards William Penn a deed to the lands that make up Delaware. 1684 October: Frustrated by the unwillingness of the Massachusetts Bay Colony to revise its charter to weaken the power of the church, Charles II revokes its royal charter. During the Second Anglo-Dutch War, Charles II gives the Province of New Netherland to his brother, the Duke of York. 1685 February: Charles II dies and his brother the Duke of York becomes King James II. March: Increase Mather is named Acting President of Harvard College. 23 April: James II renames New Netherland to New York and makes it a royal province. 22 October: King Louis XIV revokes the Edict of Nantes that gave the Huguenots to practice their religion, and afterward, the number of French Huguenot settlers in America increases. 1686 King James II creates the Dominion of New England, a mega-colony covering all of New England and combining the colonies of Massachusetts Bay, Plymouth Colony, Connecticut Colony, the Province of New Hampshire and the Colony of Rhode Island and Plymouth Plantations- New Jersey and New York would be added in 1688. James names Sir Edmund Andros as governor general. 1687 William Penn publishes The Excellent Privilege of Liberty and Property. 1688 The extremely unpopular Governor of the Dominion of New England, Edmund Andros, places the militia of New England under his direct control. April: Governor Andros plunders the home and village of Jean-Vincent dAbbadie de Saint-Castine (1652–1707), a French military officer and Abenaki chief, considered the start of King Williams War, an outgrowth of Europes Nine Years War between the English and French. April 18: The earliest known antislavery tract Petition Against Slavery is released in the colonies by the Quakers at Germantown, Pennsylvania. November: The Glorious Revolution occurs in which King James II (Catholic) flees to France and is replaced by William and Mary of Orange (Protestant). 1689 February: The English Parliament presents the English Bill of Rights to William and Mary. April 11: William and Mary of Orange are officially named King and Queen of England. April 18: A popular rising of a well-organized mob of provincial militia and citizens forms in the town of Boston and arrest dominion officials in the Boston Revolt. April 18: Governor Andros surrenders to colonial rebels and is put in jail. New England colonies begin re-instituting their own governments after Governor Andros is removed from power. May 24: The Toleration Act of 1688 is passed by Parliament which gives limited Freedom of Religion to all British citizens. December 16: The English Bill of Rights receives the royal assent by William and Mary and goes into law. It limits monarch powers and sets out the right of Parliament, and the rights of individuals. 1690 King Williams War continues in North America when the combined forces of the French and the Indians attack towns in New York, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. 1691 William Penn makes Delaware a separate government from Pennsylvania. Maryland is declared a royal province, removing Lord Baltimore from political power. October 7: William III and Mary II establish the Province of Massachusetts Bay, including all Massachusetts Bay Colony, all of Plymouth Colony and part of the Province of New York. 1692 William III suspends William Penns proprietary charter for Pennsylvania, making it a royal province. February: Salem Witchcraft trials begin with the trial and conviction of a slave woman named Tituba: 20 persons will be executed before the trials end. Increase Mather is named President of Harvard. 1693 February 8: William III and Mary II of England sign a charter creating the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia. The Carolinas win the right to initiate legislation in the British House of Commons. Twenty Cherokee chiefs visit Charles Town in Carolina, with an offer of friendship and help with their troubles with other tribes who had carried off some of their kinsmen. Governor Philip Ludwell agreed to help but said the kidnapped Cherokees were already in Spanish hands. 1694 August 15: Colonists from Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, New Jersey, and New York sign a peace treaty with the Iroquois to keep them from allying with the French in the future. Pennsylvania is once again named a Proprietary Colony when William Penn gets his charter back. 28 December: After Mary dies, William III takes sole rule over England. 1696 The Navigation Acts of 1696 are passed by Parliament that limits all colonial trade to English-built vessels, among other things. 1697 September 20: The Treaty of Ryswick ends King  Williams War and restores all colonial possessions to pre-war ownership. 1699 July: Pirate Captain Kidd is captured and sent to England eight months later, where he will be executed in 1701. The Wool Act, one of the Acts of Trade and Navigation, is passed by Parliament to protect the British wool industry. It forbids the export of wool from the American colonies. 1700 Massachusetts, who had banned Catholic priests first in 1647, passed another law requiring all Roman Catholic priests to leave the colony within three months or be arrested. Boston is the largest city in the American colonies and the overall population of the colonies numbers around 275,000. Sources and Further Reading Schlesinger, Jr., Arthur M., ed. The Almanac of American History. Greenwich CT: Barnes Nobles Books, 1993.Shi, David E., and George Brown Tindall. America: A Narrative History, Tenth Edition. New York: W. W. Norton, 2016.Turner, Frederic Jackson, and Allan G. Bogue. The Frontier in American History. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, Inc., 2010 (originally published 1920)

Should violent images and language be censored or banned from national Essay

Should violent images and language be censored or banned from national media - Essay Example adays, parents have to sneak into the room every now and then to make sure that their innocent child is protected from the impacts of evil forces trying to reach their child through video games. This may also have a negative impact on the parent-child relationship in which the parent has to spy on the child. This may, for the least, inculcate curiosity in the child’s mind regarding the spying parent. In extreme circumstances, the child may become violent and abuse the parent and force him/her out of the room. Even if all the deleterious effects of incorporating sexuality and violence in the video games are overlooked, the fact that these factors are incorporated into the video games on the cost of their quality can not be ignored. Video game makers that do not have a nice strategy in mind for the plot or theme of the game may still have their product do good business in the market by making the audience attracted towards the violence or sexuality incorporated therein. In this sense, makers of such video games are essentially committing the crime of tarnishing the image of video games in the public’s eye. A vast majority of the proponents of violence and sexuality in video games suggest that access to such games should be allowed after a certain age limit. They emphasize that this is a useful way to prevent the minds of innocent children to go wild before they physically mature up. But this argument is totally flawed. Although it apparently seems an easy way to end the debate, yet anyone with the desire to curtail sexuality and violence in the video games can easily challenge this argument for several reasons. This is because of the fact that age restrictions when placed upon something play a fundamental role in making that thing a social taboo, and taboos often happen to be the biggest adventures for juveniles and adolescents to explore. The idea of placing age restrictions on the violent video games makes them all the more exciting and appealing for the

Marketing Communications Plan Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words - 2

Marketing Communications Plan - Essay Example According to Sheth & Kellstadt (1992), a normative model of service quality improvement is built on the concept of continuous improvement. The company that I have been working in has been using this kind of approach to address its issues of quality improvement. This is because the key objective of the company is to achieve sustained improvements in its services delivery. Therefore, throughout my career, I have had an opportunity to experience a situation in which this model was applied. Moreover, I have been able to experience some of the benefits of this kind of a model when used to improve service quality as well as some of its shortfalls. This benefits and shorts could form a very good basis for my evaluation in this paper.  Normative model of service improvement is divided into stages. The stages include management commitment, employee commitment and participation, employee education and training, communication, assessment and modification, outcomes and targets, and integration (Hernon & Whitman, 2001). These stages are interconnected in an intertwined manner. This means that a stage does not necessarily resAfter intensive market analysis, it has been found that following locations are the most lucrative prospect for Premier Inn:†¢ Manchester (Piccadilly)†¢ Birmingham (City Centre-New Street)†¢ Edinburg (Central)†¢ London (Kensington)These four locations are among the top tourist spots in the country currently and generate significant revenue from tourism activities.

East Coast Insurance Company Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

East Coast Insurance Company - Case Study Example As per the facts presented by the case, the company is facing increased workload of healthcare claims with a dearth of adept and skilled talent. The external environment also does not present opportunity to recruit a professional workforce that could handle the mammoth task. No doubt, the Strategic Planning Committee has come up with a host of solutions that diffuse through financial, human resources, environmental and even competitive domains of the organization. An important and worth discussing factor in the present case is the involvement of a government agency, which can be an appropriate thriving ground for the development of the fungus of ‘non-ethical behavior’. Looking a bit closer to the facets of the presented case, it is pretty much obvious that the major issue of the company is its increased workload due to the shortage of talented employees. As such, it is a people problem and not a place problem primarily. Even though the office space is not satisfactory, yet competent workforce in place can solve much of the problems of the company. The major operations of the company are to process the claims, where the expertise of people is required and not magnanimity of the building. Keeping this in mind, the prime focus of the management should be to increase the skill level of its employees. Relocating to a new building or to a suburb facility is not the solution as it will only give rise to the greater financial burden. If the company relocates, the employees will have to adjust themselves to a new environment, which will further degrade the quality and the speed of work, which is already under investigation. Similarly, investment in new premises will cut short the chances of the company to look for educated and competent employees or to provide for the training of existing ones.

Is Globalization Good or Bad?

Is Globalization Good or Bad? Globalisation is a wildly popular subject of discussion in todays literature. It is a phenomenon which has many different dimensions, which include economic, cultural, environmental and political issues. There is a wide spectrum of different opinions about its origins, present effects and future outcomes. Moreover, almost every globalisation aspect is a subject of a very heated academic debate. The topic is so debatable that there is no one conventional definition of globalisation. Nevertheless, it can be narrowly defined as the international integration of markets in goods, services and capital. Thomas Friedman defines globalisation as that loose combination of free trade agreements, the Internet and the integration of financial markets that is erasing borders and uniting the world into a single, lucrative, but brutally competitive marketplace. Whereas Dicken defines globalisation as a more advanced and complex form of internationalization which implies a degree of functional integr ation between internationally dispersed economic activities (Dicken, P. 2003). There are many different ways to approach the issue of globalisation. Most generally the academic debate on the topic of globalisation can be divided into three distinct camps: hyperglobalists (Ohmae, Friedman, Giddens), sceptics (Hirst and Thompson, Ruigrok and van Tulder, Sachs and Warner) and realists (Dicken). While hyper-globalists accept globalisation as a fact and generally perceive it as a beneficial process, sceptics argue that the characteristics of the phenomenon have already been seen at other moments in history and that it is largely negative in its effects. Realists hold the middle ground between these opposing views and support the idea that benefits can arise from globalisation, however it is also critical to establish some sort of regulation. Nevertheless, before considering any theoretical frameworks or any high level academic analysis, I would like to think about a hard socio-economic evidence on which most of the above thinkers arguments are based. In the main body of my work I would like to consider negative and positive outcomes of globalisation which will be dominantly structured around six main socio-economic factors, which include: effects on employment, growth in inequality, environmental damage, international institutions, power of governments and foreign direct investment (FDI). Employment. In regard of employment many sceptics argue that the process of globalisation leads to relocation of work to developing countries from developed, which in effect increases unemployment in the developed world and leads to greater exploitation of workers in the countries to where re-location takes place. To elaborate on the above argument I can say that it was certainly true at the early stages and in many instances still is that there are many places in the world, like South-East Asia, where conditions created by large multinational companies are generally inhumane. Notoriously famous production sites of Nike in Vietnam and China are not as appalling as they used to be, however most developed country workers would still consider them as unacceptable. It also true that many thousands of workers in countries like Britain, Germany and US keep on loosing their jobs to more cost effective sites elsewhere. A good example would be Dysons and Black and Deckers relocation from Britain to lower cost centres in the far east and central Europe. Also there is another frightening aspect in changes of the global employment patterns, which is fall in the real wages. This trend shows up especially strong in the US labour market. Arguably it happens because of increase in wage bargaining powers of large multinational enterprises, which now can use excuse of relocation and increased international competitiveness to ditch an additional pay rise. On the other hand, it can be argued that the conditions provided by multinational companies in developing countries most of the time are a long step ahead of local businesss and keep on improving. One needs to consider a notion of the opportunity cost to see the true picture of what is going on. If a so be employee of the Nike factory would not take a job at the factory he would most likely end-up working for a much lower wage in worse conditions or being forced to supply the black market with any personal services they could, which in most cases arent of the most pleasant nature. One study found wage premium associated with FDI of 12% for blue collar and 22% for white collar workers. It can also be argued that the sweatshops are just a step in the process of industrialisation, which helps to eradicate uncertainties related to the agricultural societies. An example of South Korea can serve as a good illustration. In 1960s the country was twice as poor as North Korea, however due to t he policy of openness adopted by the South Korean government the country experienced a breathtaking period of economic growth; it is now as rich as Portugal and a member of OECD. South Korea also begun as a supplier of basic services like clothe manufacturing, and now it is the biggest shipbuilder, steel producer and provider of broadband internet in the world. (other employment arguments: labour costs are determined by the amount of labour used, as well as by prevailing local wages. Whereas, the price of a Nike shoe is set according to what consumers are willing to pay for it. We have chosen to leave in democratic societies based on the principles of capitalism and free market economy, so learn to live with consequences of your choice or move to North Korea. As well arguments like the workers at the factory would not be able to afford even to buy a one pair of shoes they make with their monthly wages. SO WHAT, employees at Ferrari factory cant afford to buy Ferraris or chambermaids at Ritz Hotel London cant afford to stay at Ritz. The underline is that people do not work in order to consume what they produce). Inequality. Another major aspect of globalisation is its affect on world inequality. There is no greater problem facing the world at the beginning of the 21st century than that of world poverty. One in five of the worlds 6 billion people live on less than a dollar a day, almost half on less than on 2 dollars a day. Nearly a billion do not have access to clean water, 2.4 billion to basic sanitation. Eleven million children under five die each year from preventable diseases. (HERE YOU CAN ARGUE BOTH WAYS: EITHER START ATTACKING GLOBALISATION OR SAY THAT IT IS THERE TO HELP). There are many largely contradictory studies on the issue. I also suspect that some of the findings produced by globalisation supporters and sceptics alike can be a subject to data-mining. Nevertheless, it is argued that the growth in absolute income differentials between North and South becomes wider. For instance, 1990-2001 gap between average GDP per head rose from $16,100 to $19,100. On the other hand, two French economist s at Delta, a research institute in Paris Francois Bourguignon and Christian Morrison have chartered the change in the global inequality since 1820. They found that world inequality increased steadily between 1820 and 1980 the gap between the typical persons income and the average widened from around 40% to around 80% but that between 1980 and 1992, inequality fell a little. Another way to measure inequality is to look at what has happened to people living in extreme poverty. Between 1987 and 1998, the share of the worlds population living on less than a dollar a day fell from 28% to 23% (not much if you think about how much profit multinationals made in the same time period). * Strong relationship between openness and growth, which contributes to reduction in the world poverty and inequality e.g. Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan since 1960s. India and China recently. * Effects on skilled and semi-unskilled workers in the US. (WORLD BANK) Figure 4 suggests that there is no simple association between changes in trade openness and changes in inequality. Certainly there are many well known cases of countries where inequality has risen as they became more integrated into the world economy. Wages of high school educated males in the U.S. fell 20 percent between the mid 1970s and mid 1990s. Income inequality increased in countries such as Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica and Uruguay after they liberalized trade at different times in the last three decades. China, one of the fastest integrating countries, also experienced one of the largest inequality, however this was from a situation of very high levels of economic equality prior to integration. Growth was still fast enough to massively reduce poverty. Global Economic Prospec2004 found the number of people living on less than $1 a day in China fell from 361 million in 1990 to 204 million in 2000. But, as Figure 4 suggests, there are also about as many ca ses where inequality fell with more trade openness. Environment. Another very important feature of globalisation is its impact on the environment. According to Thomas Bode (Greenpeace): The modern economy is a fire-breathing vampire of petroleum which is slowly cooking our planet. It is a well known fact that globalisation is linked to increase in pollution levels, which is largely caused by increased travel and more intense use of earths resources. In the post Second World War era, the globalization of environmental degradation has been massively accelerated by a number of factors: fifty years of extraordinary resource-intensive, high-pollution growth in the OECD; the industrialisation of Russia, Eastern Europe and the ex-Soviet states; the breakneck industrialisation of many parts of the South; and a massive rise in global population. In addition, we are now able to perceive risk and environmental change with much greater depth and accuracy. Humankind faces an unprecedented array of truly global and regional environmental problems, the reach of which is greater than any single national community (or generation) and the solutions to which cannot be tackled at the level of the nation-state alone; these include, most obviously, global warming, ozone depletion; destruction of global rainforests and loss of biodiversity; oceanic and riverine pollution; global level nuclear threats and risks. Over the twentieth century these transformations have been paralleled by the unprecedented growth of global and regional environmental movements, regimes and international treaties. However, none of these institutions has as yet been able to amass sufficient political power, domestic support or international authority to do more than limit the worst excesses of some of these global environmental threats. There is an urgent need for some world-wide enforceable regulation which would eliminate opportunities for the large multinational to cut corners in complying with the World environmental standards. (Use examples: Union Carbide in Bhopal India; European forestry companies in south America; Shell and Brent Spar). On the other hand, It should be noted that argument against globalisation can be considered as an argument against economic growth in general. It is true, however, that growth in developing countries is accompanied by severe environmental degradation. However, recent evidence suggests a more subtle and complex relationship between economic development and environmental protection. The environmental impact tends to decline with economic growth of a country. A 1998 World Bank study of organic water pollution found that pollution intensity fell by 90 per cent as per capita income rose from $500 to $20,000, with the fastest decline occurring before the country reached middle income status (Figure 6. Hettige, Mani and Wheeler, 1998). Average air quality in China has stabilized or improved since the mid-1980s in monitored cities, especially large ones the same period during which China has experienced both rapid economic growth and increased openness to trade and investment. Moreover, openness to trade and investment can provide developing countries with both the incentive to adopt, and the access to, new technologies, which may provide a cleaner or greener way of producing the good concerned. For example, much foreign investment is for export markets. The quality requirements in those markets encourage use of the latest technology, which is typically cleaner than old technologies. A World Bank study of steel production in 50 countries found that open economies led closed economies in the adoption of cleaner technologies by wide margins, resulting in the open economies being 17 percent less pollution-intensive in this sector than closed economies (Wheeler, Huq and Martin 1993). Another concern relates less to environmental outcomes and more to environmental regulation. It is argued that increased international competition for investment will cause countries to lower environmental regulations (or to retain poor ones), a race to the bottom in environmental standards as countries fight to attract foreign capital and keep domestic investment at home. However there is no evidence that the cost of environmental protection has ever been the determining factor in foreign investment decisions. Factors such as labor and raw material costs, transparent regulation and protection of property rights are likely to be much more important, even for polluting industries. Indeed, foreign-owned plants in developing countries, precisely the ones that according to the theory would be most attracted by low standards, tend to be less polluting than indigenous plants in the same industry. Most multinational companies adopt near-uniform standards globally, often well above the local government-set standards (Dowell, Hart and Yeung 2000; Schot and Fischer 1993). International Institutions, decline in power of governments and growth in power of multinationals . There are many different critiques published on the topic of globalization, however one of the most effective ones according to my view are on the inefficiency of large international governing bodies, which supposed to direct the process of globalization towards the greater good. Our national leaders tell us that top-down corporate globalization is an inevitable, naturally-occurring phenomenon. But the terms of globalization have been defined by a few powerful organizations that operate without transparency or democratic oversight. There never was economic evidence in favor of capital market liberalization. There still isnt. It increases risk and doesnt increase growth. Youd think [defenders of liberalization] would say to me by now, You havent read these 10 studies, but they havent, because theres not even one. There isnt the intellectual basis that you would have thought required for a major change in international rules. It was all based on ideology. Joseph Stiglitz, former Chief Economist of the World Bank The World Trade Organization is the most powerful legislative and judicial body in the world. By promoting the free trade agenda of multinational corporations above the interests of local communities, working families, and the environment, the WTO has systematically undermined democracy around the world. In the eight years of its existence, WTO panels composed of corporate attorneys have ruled that: the US law protecting sea turtles was a barrier to free trade; that US clean air standards and laws protecting dolphins are too; that the European Union law banning hormone-treated beef is illegal. According to the WTO, our democratically elected public officials no longer have the rights to protect the environment and public health. Unlike United Nations treaties, the International Labor Organization conventions, or multilateral environmental agreements, WTO rules can be enforced through sanctions. This gives the WTO more power than any other international body. The WTOs authority even e clipses national governments. Created after World War II to help avoid Great Depression-like economic disasters, the World Bank and the IMF are the worlds largest public lenders, with the Bank managing a total portfolio of $200 billion and the Fund supplying member governments with money to overcome short-term credit crunches. But the Bank and the Fund are also the worlds biggest loan sharks. When the Bank and the Fund lend money to debtor countries, the money comes with strings attached. These strings come in the form of policy prescriptions called structural adjustment policies. These policies-or SAPs, as they are sometimes called-require debtor governments to open their economies to penetration by foreign corporations, allowing access to the countrys workers and environment at bargain basement prices. Structural adjustment policies mean across-the-board privatization of public utilities and publicly owned industries. They mean the slashing of government budgets, leading to cutbacks in spending on health care a nd education. They mean focusing resources on growing export crops for industrial countries rather than supporting family farms and growing food for local communities. And, as their imposition in country after country in Latin America, Africa, and Asia has shown, they lead to deeper inequality and environmental destruction. International trade agreements such as NAFTA (the North American Free Trade Agreement) and GATT (the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) were written by representatives of large corporations and they function in the interests of large corporations. For example, detailed studies by Public Citizen and other watchdog groups have shown that in the seven years of NAFTA, transnational corporations from the three signing countries (Canada, USA, Mexico) have benefited while the middle classes and working classes of these countries have suffered. More jobs have been lost due to NAFTA than have been created. Several decades of the GATT have lowered corporate taxes by the trillions of dollars, thus helping to bankrupt governments around the world and make them dependent on borrowing from the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the private banks. This indebtedness then gives immense policy influence to the bankers, who are mainly interested in the money cycle not the life cycle. The power of influence over governments in shaping the global economy in the corporate interest is of immense value to global corporations. Some argue that globalisation erodes the ability of governments to: raise taxation, regulate markets and manage currencies. That it becomes the race to the bottom. Governments are told to follow two paths. First, deregulate and privatise. This has been pursued in over 90 countries through structural adjustment policies of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund. The bitter legacy is growing poverty in all regions of the developing world, except China. Second, leave business to regulate itself. Corporations have promised to adopt voluntary ethical standards in response to growing public concern over social and environmental damage. But these have often been a public relations exercise to deflect criticism and the few companies that are implementing these standards compete at a disadvantage to the majority of companies that dont. (can use eg. Case study ERM 1992 UK and Italy had to devalue their currencies. Central banks are powerless in trying to control international speculators George Soros is a GANGSTER). On the other hand, there is a substantial evidence that governments did not become more constrained; in some cases there was an increase in their relative powers. For instance, there is a systematic increase in the tax burden in the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) countries. (CANT FIND ARGUMENTS TO SUPPORT ABOVE STATEMENT think of something yourself). As well, growing power of multinationals is not such a bad thing after all. It can become a new form of international governance. Multinational companies have very strong financial incentives to behave ethically. If companies will not pay attention to the issues of CSR (corporate social responsibility) their share price can decline, which than leaves than vulnerable to hostile take-overs. There is a growing concern among consumers in the World in favour of support of ethical policies, eg. Fare Trade Policies Starbucks claims to be an avid supporter of fair trade policies. Therefore, corporations may face consumer boycotts, whereas governments are pretty much immune to short-run fluctuations in the popular opinion. Also, some theories of internationalisation argue that MNCs must have higher efficiency than other firms and governments. According to classical economic theory government spending is highly inefficient, because civil servants lack appropriate motives to search for the best possible use of available resources. Government spending also leads to out crowding of finance available to the private sector, which means that the companies have to face a higher cost of borrowing if they want to increase their spending. Governments are more corruptible (MAYBE ). Just think about it our governments collect in most cases nearly half of their countries GDP, half of all the income generated by the economy during the year. And what they do with it?! Spend on defence or some doomed governmental projects largely oriented to stir public opinion in their favour in order to win next general election. Think about all that money which is being wasted because of bureaucracy. US government only collects 30% of GDP in taxes and US is the richest country in the world. Multinationals are great innovators: (e.g. Dunning and ownership specific advantages, Rugman and the flagship firm). + can link to multiplier effect and wage premium. FDI (foreign direct investment) / Trade. As expressed in percentage of the global gross domestic product (gdp), the share of the combined inward and outward foreign direct investment (fdi) stocks rose from 19.2% in 1990 to 34.0% in 1999 and an estimated 38.2% in 2000. (Im sorry but Im too bored to write in detail about trade or FDI). Basic argument is the fact that most of the trade and FDI happens between Japan, US and Europe. 69% of FDI goes to developed countries. Some continents are marginalised, eg. Africa only receives 2% of global FDI. However, to my opinion it is absolutely normal. These are the largest economies in the world. GDP of US is over 12 trillion, whereas GDP of Japan (second largest economy) is over 6 trillion, GDP of EU is about 7 or 8 you cant expect these countries to invest most of their money in Eastern Europe, Africa or South-East Asia. Combined economies of these are dwarfs compared to economies of developed countries. Huge spending in these countries will breed inefficiencies, which than can be followed by another Asian crises (1997) or Russia defaulting on its payments. The cost of finance should reflect its true market value. From the business stand point money should only be invested if they can generate greater wealth, if there are not enough lucrative opportunities to go around de veloped countries should not be competing with each other by providing cheap loans, but concentrate on their regions. Undervalued finance create slack attitude, breads bureaucracy, corruption and have a great potential of destroying dynamic efficiency of developing world (can compare to governments supporting national champions). (VERY CAPITALISTIC VIEW). Nevertheless, developing countries are net recipients of foreign direct investment anyway. e.g foreign firms invest more in Africa than Africa firms invest elsewhere. Conclusion. (use your own depending on which view you support). (Can contrast different theoretical standpoints check the end of International Business lecture hand-out, week 3 A BIT BORRING BE ORIGINAL).

Times Of War :: essays research papers

The sweat hung heavy on Steven's cold features. He was walking as calmly as he could down the corridor. Given the chance he may have been described as handsome, but none gave him the chance and Steven didn't really want them to. He was keeping a close eye on the shadows that covered every doorway, as people who were less fortunate than him often lurked there waiting for someone to mug. Who would have thought that the Human race would have come to this? Locked in an intergalactic war that had lasted several millennia, but he was going to change that, it would be as the war had never happened and indeed if he succeeded, it wouldn't. Suddenly he stopped and gazed out of the nearest view port, he saw nothing but a thin sprinkling of stars and an awful lot of black, it was pretty much the same view he had had for the past thirteen weeks. At fist he found it awe-inspiring and then slowly that had given way to just plain dull and then very dull and then deeply dull. This depressed him greatly not because he loved to marvel at the beauty and intricacy of the universe, but because it remaindered him of his own life, stark and bleak with only a few pin pricks of excitement or hope in the near blank empty shell that was his life. He only got depressed when he was bored, bored or nervous, and at this moment it was the latter. Time Travel, two little words that have caused so much conflict and so many scientists to pull out their hair and have to be put into tax exile which is the usual fate of those determined to make a fool of themselves in public. Steven didn't much like the idea of time travel, meddling in the past to affect the present it was to complicated. How could he go back in time to stop a war that was the reason that he went back in the first place, if it's done it should be done the bastards should leave it alone. There was also the issue that if some thing went wrong he would be broken down into a mixture of hydrogen carbon and ozone and would then be spread to any place in the entire universe and at any point in that places history. In short he would die a horrible, horrible death.