Math problems Speech or Presentation Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Math problems - Speech or Presentation Example Any negative value will be also inappropriate. 2. Examine the rise in gasoline prices from 1997 to 2006. The price of regular unleaded gasoline in January 1997 was $1.26, and in January 2006, the price of regular unleaded gasoline was $2.31 (â€Å"Consumer price index,† 2006). Use the coordinates (1997, 1.26) and (2006, 2.31) to find the slope, or rate of change, between the two points. Describe how you arrived at your answer. represents an estimate of the average cost of gas for year x starting in 1997 (â€Å"Consumer price index,† 2006). The year 1997 would be represented by x = 1, for example, because it is the first year in the study. Similarly, 2005 would be year 9, or x = 9. I expect the lines to be intersecting (or close to parallel) because there will be difference in average cost of gasoline each year and the price of gasoline in January of each year due to fluctuation of

Data Validation and Verification Essay Example for Free

Data Validation and Verification Essay Computers can produce inaccurate results only if the data inputted is incorrect. If an input is scanned in by a computer this reduces the risk of errors. In my system it is important that all the data is accurate as well as correct. There are two main ways of achieving this. These are Verification and Validation. Verification allows me to ensure that the data entered into my system is correct. This is important since when a new patient comes to join I will need to collect the correct information. As for validation, this will be useful so you can set various checks and limit the mistakes in the data. Verification By verifying what the computer comes up with you can reduce errors, like if you are at a catalogue shop and you tell the person behind the till a number and it comes up with an item. This item is then checked with the customer to check that it is the right item. The item is then sent down from their storage floor and is again verified that it is indeed the correct item. This constant verification greatly reduces errors I will need to use verification in two scenarios. These are booking an appointment in either person or on phone and when a new patient joins. I will deal with these two situations separately, firstly with booking appointments. In booking an appointment either on the phone or in person I will need to collect the following information. * Patient Number * Patient Name and Surname * D.O.B * Time and date of appointment I asking for the patients number will verify the above. When I have collected this I would have to ask a number of questions, such as the patients address or D.O.B to verify that this is the right person and no one is trying to make a hoax. Once I have got all his or hers details and allocated them a GP, I will check the data over again to confirm that its all correct. This will all be inserted directly into the system. When a patient calls over the phone I will use the same method of asking their Patient Number than asking a question such as their D.O.B to see if its the right person. Again once I have enough information to confirm that this isnt a hoax I will allocate them a GP, and check the data over again to confirm that it is correct. In this case the data would also be input directly into the system. When a new patient comes depending on how busy the surgery will depend what data entry method I would use. If it were busy then I would issue the person a paper-based copy of the Patients form for them to fill out. Once they had finished it I would ask them to check over it to confirm that all the information is correct. If the surgery wasnt busy then I would instead ask them the question in the intend that they can answer the questions for me to put the answers directly in the online system. Once all the questions had been asked I would then go over the answers once more to confirm everything is correct. This is how verification will be used in my system. Validation Validation is the process of detecting any data that is inaccurate, incomplete or unreasonable. A computer programme performs validation. Validation programmes will perform some or all of the following checks Character type checks Character checks to make sure that the right type of characters have been entered such as characters where there should be characters and numbers where there should be numbers Range checks That a value entered is in the right range e.g. 18 is not a valid age for a pension Hash Totals This will check that the values on something like an invoice have been keyed in correctly the hash total has no real meaning as a number Control total A control total is like a hash total except the total has a meaning like the cost of something Check digits When a number is directly inputted to a computer there will be errors and check digits are a way around this we call barcodes International Standard Book Number or ISBN Spelling checkers Any software with words in it should have a spell checking function Length checks Sometimes a certain item of information should always be a certain number of characters, then the length checker will alert you that the values are incorrect Types of Errors There are two main types of errors these are: Transcription errors Misreading or misunderstanding data causes these, this could be caused by bad handwriting or confusing handwriting for example where the letter s looks like the number 5. Transposition errors These errors occur where two digits or letters are swapped around as if you are working at high speed you dont always look at the screen so it is common to type ot instead of to or 5124 instead of 5214 about 70% of all errors are transposition errors. Within my system I have used Validation to hopefully enhance it and limit mistakes. 1. Here you can see that I have used validation to limit the number of characters that can be inputted into the surname. 2. Here I have used a data type filter so no numbers can be inserted in to the patients surname. This doesnt stop mistakes but will limit the mistakes within my system. 3. Here I have used an input mask this is so you automatically put a capital in the beginning of a surname. This rectifies the mistake of forgetting to put a capital at the start of a surname. Another, and more accurate method of validation within my system is the use of an input mask. I used a simple type of input mask in 3 above and here is another part in which I have used an input mask. Here you can see another example of an input mask in my system. This one is used for the Postcode. As you can see this input mask reduces mistakes by allowing the first two figures of the Postcode to be capital letters only and the next two numbers only. Then it has an automatic space. The next figure is a number with the remaining two being capital letters. This input mask is a good method of validation since it doesnt allow you to insert letters where numbers are required and vice-versa. It also automatically makes a space within your Postcode. The final method of Validation used in my system is the combo box. With this it only allows for a set number of answers. Of course this can only be used on a field that only has set answers such as sex or title. I have in fact used this on both of the prior mentioned. 1. Firstly I have set the type of control to Combo box. 2. In row source I have then chosen the values that you can select from. As you can see the only values selectable for the title table is Mr, Mrs, Miss, Ms and Doctor. This has set up my combo box for use in both my patients form and table as you can see below. The above examples both show the combo box working successfully in my database. This actually limits the mistakes made since it is impossible to but Mr as MMR and Dr as SDFS. It allows is time saving and makes sure that the data isnt unreasonable and incomplete. As you can see the verification and validation methods used in my system enable me to have more accurate data, which is essential within a database of this importance. As the aim of this part of my system was, it allows me to ensure that the data input into my system is correct.

Analyzing The Moral Panic Of Media Media Essay

Analyzing The Moral Panic Of Media Media Essay Thompson(1998) describes 5 key elements in a moral panic. It is something or someone who is defined as a threat to values and interests; the threat is depicted in an easily recognisable form by the media, with use of aspects such as Exaggeration, distortion, prediction and symbolisation. This then causes a rapid build up of public concern. Newspaper coverage and news broadcasts are commonly known to exaggerate issues in society which then encourage the public to react timorous to the concerns. Lastly, moral panics are continuously used to result in; a response from the authorities or opinion-makers. Thus, this included changes made evident from law enforcement, the councils and general charity organisations. The final element is that panic recedes or results in social changes. There are many issues that are often subject to moral panics such as Youth Crime/Gun Crime, Binge Drinking, child abuse, sex and violent behaviour, drug abuse, paedophilia, the law and asylum seekers and immigration policy. A moral panic can be defined in several ways, one definition is a kind of short-hand for public hysteria, by definition irrational, and is almost always held to be indicative of someone elses behaviour rather than our own (Critcher, 2003). The media directs its judgments and perspectives at members of society that are classed as unacceptable or deviant. In his book Moral Panics and the Media, Chas Critcher explains that Moral panics involve a  ¿Ã‚ ½heightened level of concern over the behaviour of a certain group or category and the consequences that the behaviour presumably cause for the rest of society(Critcher,2003,pg 23). A moral panic must be manifested in concrete ways in other words there must be a public commentary in the form of media; such as newspaper coverage and news broadcasts. In relation to Thompsons description the media then proposes legislation and social movement activity. The media is acting as a voice for the public; some may argue that it offers biased/distorted views of issues which therefore cause a moral panic. Conversely, it can also be argued that the media plays a crucial role in establishing a moral panic as a way of creating awareness to the public; thus without media involvement this is not possible. A key subject that is continuously making heavy appearances in tabloid newspapers and news broadcasts daily; is Gun/Knife crime which is commonly affiliated with youth culture/youth gangs. To understand how Thompsons, Critchers and other theorists concept of moral panic works, analysis of media coverage is critical. The media has developed and distorted representations of British youth for a long time, and certain coverage in British cinema, documentaries, press coverage and broadcasting have made it evident that the representation of  ¿Ã‚ ½youth ¿Ã‚ ½ is seen as a threat to many. However the coverage differentiates from different forms of media. The coverage of moral panics in broadcasting differs to press; television news broadcasts, are described as unbiased and therefore have a minor affect on moral panics as the impact might have not been on such a large scale. However in major moral panics they tend to have the same large amount of coverage on daily. British Youth are constantly being associated with factors such as drug abuse, low achievers, under age drinking, ASBO ¿Ã‚ ½s , violence; leading to such headlines as  ¿Ã‚ ½Britain a nation of yobs ¿Ã‚ ½. The term  ¿Ã‚ ½yob ¿Ã‚ ½ and  ¿Ã‚ ½thug ¿Ã‚ ½ is commonly used in numerous press cuttings specifically from tabloid newspapers such as ¿Ã‚ ½The Sun ¿Ã‚ ½ and the  ¿Ã‚ ½Daily mail ¿Ã‚ ½. It can be argued that the depiction of a sterotypicaly  ¿Ã‚ ½thug ¿Ã‚ ½ is being used as the  ¿Ã‚ ½Folk Devil ¿Ã‚ ½. Moreover the use of these metaphors are adding to the sensation of the moral panic  ¿Ã‚ ½Yobs must get tough sentences not a slap on the wrist ¿Ã‚ ½,  ¿Ã‚ ½Another stab victim dies, yet yobs with blades could escape with fine ¿Ã‚ ½,  ¿Ã‚ ½Thug stabs student to death ¿Ã‚ ½ and  ¿Ã‚ ½Blade Britian ¿Ã‚ ½. The headlines are poignant and direct, ¿Ã‚ ½1 day. 5 dead ¿Ã‚ ½, this encourages the readers to be aware but also an element of paranoia can be injected provoking public distress, causing a stir in society. There is use of emotive language such as  ¿Ã‚ ½His mother has run out of tears ¿Ã‚ ½ and use of alliterations in  ¿Ã‚ ½Kids killing kids, families in fear, its time to say, No More ¿Ã‚ ½, these are examples of rhetoric which newspapers use to persuade its readers in supporting their views. An example the initial making of a moral panic is a headline used in the Daily Mail;  ¿Ã‚ ½Random attack by thugs every 30 seconds ¿Ã‚ ½. This can be described as heavily exaggerated which provokes public reaction and emotion. On the other hand, youth crime is rapidly increasing, in society.  ¿Ã‚ ½The amplification which takes place through the medias work serves to appeal to the public so that they concur with ready-made opinions about the course of action to be taken. Combined with the opinions of the experts who are wheeled out to give their diagnosis, they reach an agreement about how to cope with the situation in hand, and the problem either disappears or at least deteriorates. ¿Ã‚ ½(Burns:2000). In reference to Youth crime; various  ¿Ã‚ ½anti-gun/knife crime ¿Ã‚ ½ campaigns have been made and according to an article in 2008 from the  ¿Ã‚ ½Sunday Mirror ¿Ã‚ ½ the home secretary Jacqui smith states that  ¿Ã‚ ½thugs carrying knives will face four years in jail ¿Ã‚ ½. It can also be argued that moral panics can result in social change. In Conclusion, Sometimes  ¿Ã‚ ½panics ¿Ã‚ ½ have existed in society for a considerable time but a particular event has triggered the significance; although generally they pass as quickly as they came and are long forgotten. The media ¿Ã‚ ½s involvement plays a crucial role in the establishment of moral panics, as it raises awareness of serious ongoing issues. However it can be argued that it promotes a bias nature which can ultimately prevent the public from the truth.  ¿Ã‚ ½Yobs must get tough sentences not a slap on the wrist ¿Ã‚ ½.(The Sun;2008). The media ¿Ã‚ ½s powerful role can be criticised for using moral panics to enforce the ideas and rules about the government. Moral panics will continue to dominate society and the media; provoking public concern and sometimes legislation but there will always be questions doubting whether it does reinforces public opinion and if it is a voice for the people or a propaganda tool for the rich and powerful.

The Concert Experience and the Song as Oral Tradition :: Communication Literature Essays

The Concert Experience and the Song as Oral Tradition Before the invention of written language that enabled the creation of book technology, the spoken word was the leading edge of communication. Spoken epic poetry such as the Iliad and Odyssey, the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf, and the Sumerian Epic of Gilgamesh was the content of the speech medium. These epics were created as spoken pieces, and because listeners lacked an alphabet to commodify them (separate them from their performance), the tales had to be heard and experienced first-hand. This group experience of the spoken epic involves what authors Hobart and Schiffman term commemoration: â€Å"In the world before writing, memory is the social act of remembering† (15). The way pre-literate media (speech) shaped culture includes this commemorative act. Pre-literate cultures had no other way of storing information and memory than to relive it. They could not write something down, forget about it, and then relearn the same information at a later date by reading it, because they lacked the technology of the written alphabet necessary to do so. Of course, they had the recollecting powers of the mind alone, but as today's stories, passed from one person to the next inevitably change, so did oral communications as human recollection failed in terms of an exact repetition of the original performance. Hence, each time listeners heard a spoken account of the Iliad, it changed a bit. In terms of an exceptional pre-literate performer of the Iliad or Odyssey, Rober t Fitzgerald goes as far as to say that "He inherited a traditional art comparable in range and refinement to the art of the musical virtuoso in our day, but more creative and fluid, for in some degree it remained an art of improvisation" (484). Mnemonic devices such as rhyme and meter aided memory and kept the story on track (Hobart & Schiffman, 24), and as McLuhan would agree, can be counted as technological advances prior to the invention of alphabet because they extend language technology. An analog to the spoken epic experience is the modern-day concert experience. Both are examples of live performance. For an example, the Rolling Stones' song "Sympathy for the Devil" is more like a spoken epic than a written account of an epic. This is because song and spoken epic utilize the same medium.

Art History Paper †“the Denial of St. Peter” Essay

I chose the artwork â€Å"The Denial of St. Peter† attributed to Master Jacomo in the early mid-17th century made using either French or Italian style which consisted of oil on canvas. The physical condition of the painting looks good for how old it is and it looks clean. The painting represents a scene of a Roman guard interrogating St. Peter and a servant girl. St. Peter denies the fact that he is a follower of Jesus to the Roman soldier as the woman looks on. When I first saw the painting my eyes focused on the left side of the painting: then the followed the rest of it while noticing a dark and suspenseful scene that focused on the actions of many beings. The male and female on the right seem to on walk or stroll while the two males on the right are more on like a night shift or patrol. The people in the light are tenser and tight guarded while the two figures in the half dark are more open and smug with their facial features. The people in the light seem to be almost trying to hide something but it seems that the guard has some sort of idea what their hiding with the expression he has on his face. The guard might have a smug look but he has his right hand clenched meaning that not only is he cocky he is also a bit angry. The woman seems to be trying to hide the older male from the guard by putting his shroud over his face. The woman is also looking to her right which could give reference that she is lying because when people look to their right it says that they are using their right side of their brain which is where their creativity is. It seems that she is trying to lie in order to hide his identity. The old male however seems to trying to reassuring the guard to clear them of any suspicion that he may have of them. He is looking straight at him without doubt of fear in his eyes. The male that is in the back is trying to get a look at the old male and female while blocking most of the light from his ey es with his right hand. The most interesting part is the lit candle that the man is holding in his left hand as it is the only source of light in this painting. The guard is holding the other man by the wrist as he tries to steady the light. The funny thing is the light plays more of a role here than its purpose. The effect that is being used right now is the Chiaroscuro effect which is the strong contrast between light and dark. In this painting there is a strong contrast of light and dark. St. Peter and the woman faces and hands are in the light while their lower bodies are in darkness. For the guard if face and hand are the only parts in the light while the other male holding the candle only has half his face in the light. Also the light plays another part as showing who knows, who doesn’t, and who believes. In this painting the woman is in full light with the exception of some of her left side of the head this could refer that she knows of the old man’s identity. For the guard we can only see half his face in the light which could refer that he had some idea of who the old man is but he is still is not totally sure which could explain his smug expression of thinking he has St. Peter. The old man is in total light which is justified because he knows who he is so of course he would be know the truth. Now the man in the back his face would be in total light if his hand wasn’t covering his face which could mean he might know who the old man is but is trying to hide the truth from himself which is weird because he is the one holding the candle to begin with. Now the colors used in this painting are mostly dark colors. The scenery color does not vary. There is more focus on the middle detail and color on the middle portion of the painting rather than on the sides of the painting. The only color that really stands out is the red that the woman is wearing which draws attention to her. It could also mean anger showing that she could be angry that they were found. St. Peter is dressed in black with a brown shroud over his body and head. The black almost hides him in the dark with the brown as a cover if the light wasn’t on him. The black represent his inconspicuous while the brown shows his stability and connectivity with the earth. The guard is dressed in grey armor as he almost hiding himself in darkness also ready to come out whenever needed. It almost gives an ominous and depressing feeling when seeing that grey in the darkness. It could show that by meeting this guard they are facing exposure and loss. The light of the candle is again a bright color that illuminates everything in its path. It symbolizes the light of truth showing who knows what truth is and who does not. Other than those colors, darkness fills the rest of the painting obviously showing that this is a night scene. This painting showed a lot of effects that takes a while to see when looking at this painting. It was a great painting that I had a good sense of style and it had good hidden symbols in the painting. The artist really showed the Chiaroscuro effect and played the light well. Think the artist not only wanted to show â€Å"The Denial of St. Peter† but he also wanted to show how the light and truth have ties with each other. It probably the artist way of saying the light will always guide you to the truth.

Why we should go to war with Iraq!

Why we should go to war with Iraq! To those who believe President Bush is a warmonger, singling-out North Korea and Iraq for his own self-serving political agenda; to those who believe that we should "give peace a chance"; I have but one thing to say: "WAKE UP!"What did you expect the United States to do after the twin towers and Pentagon were attacked? Write up a treaty for the Taliban? Beg bin Laden for mercy? The fact is that terrorists and the countries that support them, will not abide by political documents.When al-Qaeda murdered our citizens with no remorse, it was a reminder that diplomacy only works for countries... countries that are willing to change.Terrorists have no regard for our lives (or theirs). If you think that our government doesn't consider the ramifications of the use of force, you don't realize what we're truly fighting for. It's freedom, not oil.Listen for a second.English: Hamid Mir interviewing Osama bin Laden fo...What do you hear? Explosions? No. When was the last time your city was bombed ? When was the last time that you had to fear for your life? The U.S. projects its political power through force to protect you here at home, so your life isn't full of tragedy.Fighting fire with fire suppressing killing with more killing may seem immoral, but those who have compromised our lives obviously are not moral beings. Besides, what's immoral about protecting ourselves?To say that war does no good is to negate the very reason that thousands have died in the past. Those who fought for this country's freedoms had so much faith in this nation; they put you and your family and the future of America before their own lives.You may think that the solution is simple, that we can keep peace by being a global recluse. But...

Group Forming †Psychology Final Group Research Paper

Group Forming – Psychology Final Group Research Paper Free Online Research Papers Group Forming Psychology Final Group Research Paper Group is two or more interdependent individuals who influence one another through social interaction. (Donelson R. Forsyth, pg.2) Group therapy is setting in a group of people support each other in making changes in their lives. Some common concerns are discomfort in social settings, depression, relationship issues, loss, anxiety, or trauma. (The university of Maine-group therapy- see QA: Isn’t individual better than group therapy) The group size is usually depend on the age of clients, experiences of leader, type of group and problem to be explored. For a weekly ongoing adult group, the ideal group size would be eight participants and one counselor. For adolescent, the ideal group size would be six to eight people. For children participant in elementary school, the ideal size would be three to four people. The frequency of the group meeting is depending on the group. If the group taking place in a school setting, the meeting time would depend on the class period. For group of relatively well-functioning adults, weekly two hours group session would be good for them. In general, the high school groups and college groups typically run about fifteen weeks. Fifteen weeks should be longer enough for people to develop trust toward behavior change. The place to held meeting should be not clutter, and allow for comfortable seating arrangement. Groups usually seat in a circle because this setting could make all participants to see each other and also allow members have enough freedom of the physical movement. (Marianne Schneider Corey and Gerald Corey, 2005) For the in-class group, we have seven participants that include six students and one professor. We usually held our meeting in the classroom, and the meeting usually runs by half hour or less than one hour. During the group meeting, we always seat in a circle. Advantage, Disadvantage and Goal of Group Group provides some advantages which include support, belonging, awareness, confrontation, universality, catharsis, vicarious learning, group as a microcosm, feedback, and simulation of primary family. For example, the group of physical difficulties. The group counseling with people who have physical difficulties, the advantage would be following: 1. Group can help people strive toward the resolution of some common by providing them with the opportunity to learn from one another through sharing common concern and problem and generating solutions to obstacles and difficulties. 2. Group offer members a forum for the emotional release of burdensome personal issues in a supportive setting. Realizing that others face similar problems tends to lessen the anxiety and fear that accompany various disabling conditions. 3. The group experience can partially alleviate the stress, pain, and misery often generated by physician disability and further aggravated by social isolation, separation from family and friend, and perceived alienation from one’s own group. 4. The group experience eases the transition into the able-bodied community. Through modeling and various socialization and social building exercise, group members learn and practice how to better deal with outside community and its various imposed barriers. 5. Through the group modality, leader are able to develop a more accurate and comprehensive psychosocial assessment of group members. 6. Development of social support network is often facilitated through the relationship formed during group counseling. Issues such as empowerment, hopefulness, search for meaning, and gaining spirituality require a support network to be fully explored. A successful platform for their exploration can be provided within a group context. (Hanoch Livneh, Lisa M Wilson, Robert E Pullo, 2004) The disadvantage of the group would be following: It’s difficult to establish trust between all members in the group. It is harder to ensure confidentiality. There is higher risk of having causalities in group It is more difficult for the counselor to track all the participants. Each group has their own goal to move on. The goal would separate two parts which include group goals and individual goal. Following are the common goals to many different types of group. Become aware of one’s interpersonal style Increase awareness of what prevent intimacy Learn how to trust oneself and others Become aware of how one’s culture affect personal decision Increase self-awareness and thereby increase the possibilities for choice and action Challenge and explore certain early decisions (most like made during childhood that may no longer by functional Recognize that others have similar problems and feelings clarify values and decide whether and how to modify them Become both independent and interdependent Find better ways to resolve problem Become more open and honest with selected others Learn a balance between support and challenge Become sensitive to the needs and feelings of others Provide others with helpful feedback (Marianne Schneider Corey, and Gerald Corey,2005, pg. 146) A good group leader has to assist group member to define a personal goal. The ASGW guideline state that group leader has responsibility to assist members in develop their personal goal in a collaborative fashion. (Marianne Schneider Corey, and Gerald Corey, 2005, pg. 148) For example, Alcoholic Anonyms (AA) Group, the goal for AA would be stop drinking, stay sobriety. For people who went to AA, AA help abuser confront difficult issues and learn to cope with life stresses more effectively. AA provide very supportive network. In our group, the advantage would be there is no judging. The fact is there is no one has an experience to work with a counseling group. Therefore, all of us here is to learn how to work with a group, how to lead a group, being a leader what should we focus on, and what should we take care of. We are here to understand and help each other to live in better life. So, there is no right or wrong answer. The main goal is to learn how to be a success counselor in our future life. The disadvantage in our in-class group would be hard to lead the group. I felt when we running a group and a leader asked anyone wants to share; we would always quiet for a period. There is no one wants to start discussion. Why Group therapy better than Individual Therapy? Group therapy is typically half the cost of individual therapy and is therefore often a first resort for people who cannot afford private sessions or steep insurance copays. (Darby Saxbe, 2005) â€Å"Research has demonstrated that almost any concern that brings you in for counseling can be dealt with in group therapy as well or even better than it can in individual therapy.† (The university of Maine-group therapy- see QA: Isn’t individual better than group therapy) â€Å"Group therapy usually more efficient than individual for two reasons which are following: First, you can benefit from group even during session when you say little by listening carefully to others. You will find you have much in common with other group member, and as they work on a concern you can learn more about yourself. Second, group members will often bring up issues that strike a chord with you, but which you might not have been aware of or brought up yourself.† (Therapy groups at CAPS- se e QA: isn’t individual therapy better?) According to Philip G Erwin’s (1999) study, he found for people who participant in structure group counseling, they often rate more positively than individual counseling. A structure training program would help participants’ focus on current tasks and prevent excessive off-task behavior. The study also point out a structure group counseling may be useful for directing and focusing activity, experience are always interpreted and the full benefit of exercises will undoubtedly accrue to those who are most fully involved and committed. Rule for running a group The first rule for running a group would be Do No Harm. Second rule would be confidentiality. When we running our in-class group, group leaders always mention those two rules which would be â€Å"Do No Harm and whatever says here, stays here†. When I participant the AA meeting, they also mention the second rules all the time. â€Å"Everything says here, stays here† To provide a safety environment is extremely important in the group. The third rule for running a group would be respectful. Each group members have to respect one another includes sex, culture, and etc. Group Process Groups always run into four stages which include Initial Stage, Transition Stage, Working Stage, and Ending or Termination Stage. Initial Stage: ? Characteristics of initial stage: ? Participants test the atmosphere and get acquainted ? Risk taking is relatively low, and exploration in tentative ? Members are concerned with whether thy are include or exclude ? Trust and mistrust is a central issues ? Period of silence and awkwardness may occur ? Member are deciding how much they will disclosed and how safe the group is ? Common fear experienced by group members: o Anxiety over being accepted or rejected o Concern about the judgment of others o Afraid of appearing stupid o Concerns about not fitting into the group o Not knowing what is expected o Concern over communication feelings and thoughts effectively ? Advantage of developing here and now focus ? Dealing with the here and now energizes the group ? Members are best know by disclosing here and now experience ? Being in the here and now serves as a spring borad for exploring everyday life ? Leader attitude and behavior that generate test ? Careful attending the genuine listening empathy ? Empathy ? Genuineness and self-disclosure ? Respect ? Caring confrontation ? Group leader issues at the initial stage ? Division of responsibility- how to achieve a balance of sharing responsibility with members ? Degree of structuring- creating a structure that will enable members to make maximum use a group process ? Opening group session- how to best open group and help member gain a focus ? Closing group session0 how to best bring a session to closure without closing down further work later on? ? Rounds: We will address next week. (Walter,2005) I remembered the first experience when I walking to the class, I felt nervous, anxious. The first night, we had ice break activity. The purpose of the activity is to make all of us to know more about each other. When we started to run the group, I felt a little bit uncomfortable, because I am going to share the stuff with people that I am not familiar with, that really feel not so good because I don’t know I can trust them or not. Sep. 14 is the first of our in-class group meeting, we were talking about self-image. I shared my experience regarding language barriers that would make me frustrated. Jan and Terry also shared their experience regarding people misunderstand them would make them frustrated. Jan shared her experience regarding when she is not angry and people keep asking her are you angry? That would make her frustrated and then, really angry at the end. At the begging, I felt it would be really hard to start to talk about. But, after I started, I felt it is not hard, especially, I felt all of you were respect me, and really pay attention regarding what I said in the group. All of the members support me to share my experience that was really positive to me. I felt people wanted to listen to me; they cared about what I said. None of you cut off when I was speaking. It made me felt safe and support of the environment. A counselor to provide a safety environment is very important in this stage because most of the member would felt uncomfortable at the beginning. To provide a safety environment would keep members to stay in the group. We should give newcomer a positive experience of their first meeting. If we provide a negative experience to our clients, they would never come back. Transition Stage ? Characteristic of the transition stage ? Transitional phase is marked by feeling of anxiety and defenses ? Member are ? Testing the leader and other members to determine how safe the environment is ? Struggling between wanting to ply it safe and wanting to risk getting involved ? Observing the leader to determine if he or she is trustworthy ? Learning how to express themselves so that others will listen ? Thought on dealing with resistance therapeutically ? Don’t label all hesitations as a sign of resistance ? Respect resistance- realize that member resistance may be serving a function ? Invite members to explore the meaning of what appears to be resistance ? Describe behavior of members-avoid making too many interpretations ? Approach resistance with interest, understanding, and compassion ? Common fears at the transition stage ? Fear of making a fool of oneself ? Fear of emptiness ? Fear of lose control ? Fear of being too emotional ? Fear of self-disclosure ? Fear of taking too much o group time ? Fear of being judged ? Leader function during the Transition group ? Show member the value of recognizing and dealing fully with conflict situations ? Help members to recognized their own pattern of defensiveness ? Teach members to respect resistance and to work constructively with the many forms it tasks ? Provide a model for members by dealing directly and tearfully with any challenge ? Encourage members to express reactions that pertain to here and now happening in the session Working Stage ? Key point in working stage ? There are no arbitrary dividing line between each stage of group ? Group development ebbs and flows- does not stay static ? Work can occur at every stage-not just the working stage ? Not all group reach a working stage ? Not all members are functioning at the same level in a working stage ? Group norm and behavior at the working stage ? Both support and challenge to take risk in group ? Leader use a variety of therapeutic interventions ? Members interact with each other in more direct way ? Healing capacity develops within the group ? Increased group cohesion fosters action-oriented behaviors ? Characteristic of a productive group ? Conflict in the group is recognized and explored ? Members are willing to make themselves known ? Trust are safety are increased ? There is a focus on the here and now ? Goals of members are clear and specific ? Cohesion is high-a sense of emotional bonding in the group ? Characteristic of nonworking group ? Mistrust is manifested by an undercurrent of unexpressed feelings ? Participants focus more on others than themselves ? Participants hold back- disclosure is minimal ? Members may feel distant from one another ? Conflicts are ignored or avoided ? Communicational is unclear and indirect The film- Twelve Angry Men is a good movie to present this stage. In the movie, twelve juries are working on the same goal. The goal is clear and specific for them; the goal is to decide the boy is guilty or not. According the movie, we can see the members interact with each other more directed way. They have conflict during the process. For example, character number 3 had been fight with character number 8. They are focus here and now during the process, such as, they focus on every question they had been raised, and try to solve the problem together. Like the glass mark on the nose. In the film, both support and challenge take risk in the group. During the group process, character number 8 had been raise a big issues for other juries, and then, he encourage others to share their idea, also encourage them to find out more evidence to prove the boy might probably not guilty. Nov 16th, I believe Chris play an amazing job on working stage. During the group session, he asked couple of questions that make all of us to think about the film again. He provide the positive feedback during the group session, for example, when Terry point out the Character number 8 were like angry in the film because he is the only one who wear White. Chris gave the positive feedback to Terry, such as, â€Å"yes, you are right, when think about the film again, when he was stand in front of the window, he is the only one who were white, others were blacks.† Then, Chris made other question that made us interesting about the topic. For example, he raised the problem like, â€Å"Let’s talks about other characters in the film, and is there are anyone thinks they would change? And what they get from the group?† And, that really make all of us to discuss the character regarding what their got from the group, and what kind of issue they might changed, and how could I see the point of that person. During the group session, he listened to us, he brings issues that make all of us to find the comment, he also encouraged us to talk about their experience and he give a positive feedback. Termination Stage ? Tasks of the final stage of group ? Dealing with feeling of separation and unfinished business ? Review the group experience ? Preview the group experience ? Practice for behavior change ? Giving and receiving feedback ? Ways of carrying learning further ? The use of contract and homework ? Leader functions during the ending phase of group ? Assist members in dealing with any feeling they might have about termination ? Reinforce changes that members have made during the group ? Work with members to develop specific contracts and homework assignment ? Provide opportunities for members to give one another constructive feedback ? Reemphasize the importance of maintaining confidentiality after group is over ? Leader function after termination of group ? Offer private consultations if any member should need this service ? Provide for a follow-up group session or follow-up individual interviews ? Identify referral sources for members who may need further assistance ? Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of the group ? Giving and receive feedback at the ending stage The sentence completion method can enhance the quality of feedback can result in focus feedback, such as following: ? My greatest fear for you is†¦ ? My hope for you is.. ? I see you blocking your strengths by†¦ ? Some things I hope you will think about doing for yourself are†¦ ? Applying what is learned in group to everyday life Members can reminded of way to translate what was learned in group and assisted in developing action plans geared to change, such as following: ? A group is a means to an end ? Change is bound to be slow and subtle ? Focus more on changing yourself than on changing others ? Decide what you will do with what you learned about yourself (Walter, 2005, lecture six) According to our in-class group experience, we did not run into this stage. But, according to Corey’s videotape, he did present this stage very well. In this stage, it is very important for group members to bring the power from the group to outside. Being a good counselor, we have to challenge client to make contract, have homework, make them realize the unfinished business, and etc. For client, it’s all about what you learning, how did you lean, and what do you think you taking away from the group. Those are the issues present in Termination stage. If I am a group leader who is going to run Termination stage, I will give homework to all of my group members on the session before the last meeting. The homework is to review your experience about the group. You can put your thinking, what did you learn from the group, the group experience which would be significant for you and etc. On the last day of the course, I want my group members to share what they wrote in the group. And, I would also want them to make a contract to the group regarding unfinished business. I want my groups walk out the door; and still remember the experience they got from the group. The experience would help them and encourage them keep working in their life. What would influence the group development? George Smith (2001) mention there are three factors that McCollom (1999) point out would affect the group development. The factors are (1) group’s relationship with its environment, (2) internal group relations, and (3) the group’s temporal boundaries. The group’s environment would influence the group relationship. Such as, the large organization can affect group process in terms of authority relations and in the defining of group tasks. Internal relations would also affect on group development. That included the composition and site of the group and skills and personalities of group members. The study shows the leadership dynamic and subgroup relations within the group are potential forces that could affect group development. The group’s temporal boundaries are also another element affect group development. McCollom notes groups are like other living system therefore, their lives are finite. Another important time-related factor is what McCollom refers to as â€Å"temporal context.† â€Å"Temporal context reers to things such as seasonal cycles or historal evenbts, presumably past, present and future, and could affect how a group operated, develops, and perhaps even changes over time.† Role in group There are three different roles which include leadership, observer and participant would be presenting in the group. ? Leadership- â€Å"Leadership is influence, operating, and improving. Influence client by providing purpose, direction, and motivation. Operating is an action taken to achieve the sort term goals of accomplishing the overall goals. Group leader would operating planning preparing, executing, and assessing. Improving is group leader strive to improve everything entrusting to them. Group leader would improve on people, training opportunities, and resource for clients. There are five different leader styles which are following: 1. Directing leader style- ? Leader Centered ? Don’t solicit input form clients ? Give detailed instructions ? Supervise execution very colsely 2. Participating leader style- ? Center pm the leader and the group ? Leader ask clients for input, information and recommendations ? Make final decision themselves 3. Delegating leader style- ? Giving clients the authority to solve problems and make decision without clearing them thought the leader. 4. Transformational- Transform clients by challenging them to rise above their immediate needs and self interest: ? Is developmental, emphasizes personal growth and organizational enhancement ? Empowering and mentally stimulating client (first as individuals then as a groups) ? Leader communicates intent then steps back and let clients work. The impact of transformation leadership on the group would be following ? Impact ? Recruiting-selection, promotion, and transfer ? Development ? Training ? Approach to training ? Leadership education ? Job design and assignment ? Organizational structure 5. Transactional- ? Motivating clients to work by offering reward or threatening punishment ? Prescribing tasks in writing ? Outlining all condictions of task completion ? Management by exception-focus on failures† ( Walter, 2005) Our in-class group is hard to assign a group leader each time. The first time experience to participant the group is a treasure for group leader, because the emotion, feeling that you had at that moment would guild you to understand a new comer’s emotion and feeling. ? Observer- Being an observer in the group, I have to know who is participant the group, the position of their role, to understand the whole process regarding what type of the issue bring to the group, the interaction between the members, and etc. Those are important to address. For our in-class group, I tried to put myself to be an observer every time. Being an observer I have to know who set where, and the interaction between the members. On Nov 16th, Chris was a leader to lead us to running to the group regarding the topic to discuss the film of twelve angry men. We were set in a circle, the turn would be Chris, Dr. Walter, Darrel, Terry, me, Daniel, and Jan, (left turn) The stage would be working stage. Chris asked couple of questions that make all of us to think about the film again. When Terry point out the Character number 8 were like angry in the film because he is the only one who wear White. Chris gave the positive feedback to Terry, such as, â€Å"yes, you are right, when think about the film again, when he was stand in front of the window, he is the only one who were white, others were blacks.† The question that Chris had raised, make us interesting on the topic. I do believe he create an amazing job on Work stage. He listened to us, he gave issues that make all of us to find the comment, and he also encouraged people to talk about their experience. For example, he raised the problem like, â€Å"Let’s talks about other characters in the film, is there are anyone think they would change? And what they get from the group?† that really make all of us to discuss the character regarding what their got from the group, and what kind of issue they might changed, and how could I see the point of that person.† To observer AA meeting, make me realize what is AA, how’s the group function, the interaction between the members. AA is self-funning group. People would attend AA because they want to stop drink. Stop drinking is their specific goal. In the group, I saw the connection between the members which was they all had drinking problem; therefore, thy found the common between them. During the group session, I saw safety, trusting, and confidentiality. They all focus on themselves, not other people, not the relationship with any one else. They just focus on themselves. They shared their life stories, they might cry in the group. The advantage for people to attend AA was there was no judge. For me, to attending AA is a great experience to combine with our group counseling course because I saw the group running exactly what I learned. I saw what is AA, the goal for AA, how could AA running, what would AA provide to people, and the interaction between the members. ? Participant- usual participant experience. Add the feeling, and what do I see in AA In our group session, I do have more chance to being a participant. I still remember the first experience to participant the group. I am anxious, nervous, and not comfortable to talk to people who I am not familiar with regarding my problem in my life. Attending our group meeting make me realize there are some connect between us. For example, when we discuss self-image, I found the common connection between all of the people in the classroom. The language barriers make me frustrated when people misunderstand. Sometimes the tone and the statement were all make me frustrated. Jen and Terry also talked about what people misunderstand them, which would make them frustrated, too. Jan shared her experience regarding when she is not angry, and people keep tell her or ask her regarding â€Å"you are angry†, that would make her frustrated and angry at the end. Our In-class running group, we had been discussing different topics that full in our life. The first time experience would be a trouser for me because the feeling I got at the moment would be the same feeling that newcomer might have. Multicultural â€Å"Self-disclosure is a central behavior in group counseling, which is fundamental to all therapeutic factors in group work. The behavior is particular sensitivity to cultural differences when comparing collectivist authoritarian societies with individualist, democratic ones.† (Zipora Shechtman, Aya Hiradin, and Samahar Zina, 2003) Counselors are ethnically responsible for developing skills to communicate effectively with clients from other cultures. Therefore, a white counselor should be striving to obtain both actual experience and information about specific Black cultural group and their worldviews. The counselor should take time to find out from the client about those aspects of his or her culture that are particularly significant to the counseling relationship. Counselors also need to acquaint themselves with how their cross-cultural clients refer to themselves and their own communities. A professional counselor should create a positive regard, and empathy, has the potential to span cultural boundaries. (Jurdora J. Spangenerg, 2003) There is a real study of a support group for Asian international students by Loetta L. Carr, Miki Koyama, and Monica Thiagarajan (2003) They point out to assist cross culture groups especially international students, counseling has to know the culture values, beliefs, and etc. For Asian students, they think to see counseling as shameful and embarrassing because a cultural stigma is often attached to emotional expression in their societies. A professional counselor has to build up support, safe environment when he/ she work with multicultural group. In this study, â€Å"the support group is seeing for socializing; practicing English; addressing academic, personal and social concern, and acculturation stresses; and receiving support from culturally sensitive counselor.† I am an international student in U.S.A., I could understand when people coming from different country their emotion, and thinking. My experience tells me to help those students to give support and a positive feedback and listen to them are the best way to encourage those students to move on. I still remembered the pain of prejudice, and non-respect. Therefore, those are good lesson for me when I face people who coming from different ethic group. Personal Growth The first day of the counseling session, I was nervous, anxious, little bit afraid, don’t know what should I talk to others. Until, I was kind families, understand, and comfortable to be with each one of the classmate. Who else do I see the growth for our in-class group? I did have chance to work with each participant in our class. And, I got deep impression of Jan. Jan had two experience to lead our in-class group. I personal felt she did the first one better than second one. But, the second one, she did pay attention on On Dec. 7th, is the first time, I had an experience to work with Jan. we have to practice training exercise number one which is a college student who have a problem regarding her school. She thinks she is not good enough in U of C. And, she is the first person to pursue a college education in her family. In this case, I was a student, and Jan was a counselor. When we role play this case, I felt she really concerned about my case. Her questions were right on target. For example, is there are any problem that makes you cannot concentrate on your reading? How about your time management? How many courses do you take this semester? She also did a good job regarding referral. Such as, she suggests me to find a tutor. I felt what she had been done on the role play; she did followed ADDRESSING, ADDIE, and BASIC ID. ADDRESSING- o A- age and generational influences o D-development o D-disabo;otoes o R-religious and spiritual orientation o E-ethnicity o S-socioeconomic status o S-sexual orientation o I-indigenous heritage o N-national origin o Gender ADDIE o A-Analysis o D-Design o D-Development o I-Implement o E-evaluate BASIC-ID o Behavior o Affect o Sensation o Imagery o Cognition o Interpersonal o Drug/biology (Walter, Lecture #10, 2005) What else do I learn from the class? On Nov. 30th is my first time to being a counselor. I volunteer to be a counselor with Dem’s case. Terry was a role of Dem. I took the chance to be a counselor because of two reasons; first, I never have chance of role play for the counselor. Second, I really want to see what I grew after taking many of the counseling courses. Third, I felt more comfortable to role play in front of you-Dr. Walter because since I have class with you, you always support me a lot. Being a success counselor, there are five different parts that we have to pay attention, which are Attending, paraphrasing and summarizing, Reflect the feeling, Getting Concrete, and Referral. (1) Attending includes- direct eye contact, body language/post out, focus, listen to client, smooth and clam. When student come to your office, a counselor should stand up and welcome the student. The office should be always open and welcome. (2) Paraphrasing and Summarizing- is to stop client rambling. Counselor should make a cl ear statement regarding what client told you. You may make clear statement about client’s feeling. In this part, I Research Papers on Group Forming - Psychology Final Group Research PaperThe Relationship Between Delinquency and Drug UseEffects of Television Violence on ChildrenWhere Wild and West MeetResearch Process Part OneThe Fifth HorsemanThree Concepts of PsychodynamicHip-Hop is ArtQuebec and CanadaThe Project Managment Office System19 Century Society: A Deeply Divided Era

Case Study on Today’s Fashion by Mary Watson Essays

Case Study on Today’s Fashion by Mary Watson Essays Case Study on Today’s Fashion by Mary Watson Essay Case Study on Today’s Fashion by Mary Watson Essay 1 Introduction The case is about a national chain of specialty stores namely, Today’s Fashion, which has 200 outlets all over the country. Lately, Mary Watson was the promoted to the job position of the Regional Sales Manager for one of the largest markets of Today’s Fashion, the Pacific Coast. She manages 35 outlets under her in California and Oregon and each store manager is directly accountable to Mary. The number of assistant store managers would vary according to the number of specialty departments. Each assistant manager is liable to only one department. She was agitated by how Today’s Fashion management used to run, no clarity of the job roles and thus she urged that there should be a change. The change included by hiring new qualified assistant store managers and for this, a job analysis was conducted by her. However, there were some major issues to be looked upon in this process of change. 2 Issues 2.1 Issue 1:- Use of only one method of job analysis and single source of data Mary Watson constructed a job analysis in order to hire new qualified store managers which she believes in will be the best way to increase the improvement in store management. Despite the fact, that she lacked proper knowledge of how to prepare a job analysis, She prepared a job analysis based on her personal experience when she was a store manager previously. To improve the accuracy of job analysis, she also interviewed three other current store managers. The weaknesses noticed in this effort were that she used limited data sources and collection methods and she was not qualified enough to do make a job analysis. The case highlights that she had a degree of BBA in Marketing which explains that she did not have an experience in making a job analysis. The job collection methods used were not fully effective in constructing an accurate job description and job specification. 2.1.1 Recommendation Mary could have used other different ways to collect data or a combination of different methods which could have helped her in completion of a successful job analysis. For example; observations, past critical incidents and questionnaires. Observation method:- A method which involves in observing the employees performance and noting down important details about how each tasks is being performed by them. Questionnaire method:- This method involves in formation of a questionnaire which are supposed to be filled by the employees and the managers as well about the job description and job specification. Past critical incidents method:- In this method, the past experience of the previous employees and the important incidents faced by them are analyzed. Mary should have studied the various method of job design, in which the most helpful in this case would be job enrichment method. This method would have helped her in the design a solution which would be beneficial for the company and would have solved her concern with the improvement of store. To summarize, Mary could have done a better job analysis if she would have interviewed various other managers, used other data collection methods and asked for expert advice from her superiors or colleagues.

National Security and Homeland Defense Research Paper

National Security and Homeland Defense - Research Paper Example This paper shows that the various agencies involved at the state, federal or local agencies make a perfect team in making the country safe for its entire citizen. Introduction There are many threats that face us daily in the society that we live. Whether it is from terrorist attacks, theft attack, attack amongst ourselves or threat issues, we are still faced with danger all around us. Many agencies are deployed to protect us from such kinds of attack. They investigate in to the matter and come up with solutions to our problems. They assure us that we will be all right and every single matter will be handled professionally in accordance with the laws that govern us. Given their different roles in the society, they work together to protect its citizens. The agencies involved are federal, State Law Enforcement agencies or local agencies that are the municipal or county police. The federal Given to them the duty under the United States Code, the Federal agencies that exist in the United States have the authority to enforce laws only at the level of federal. The federal agencies have the same powers as the police in that they both act together with the police. They are only given the permission to investigate issues within the range of power they are endowed. Their investigate powers is clearly seen nowadays especially after the USA patriotic act was passed. At the federal level, most of the duties of enforcement are placed under the department of Justice. An instance of a federal agency is the Drug Enforcement Administration and the United States Marshals. In addition to that, the homeland security department has many federal agencies that work together with it. An instance of a federal agency that works with the department of homeland security is the United States Secret Service and the Transportation Security Administration (Reiss & Albert 1992). Since the government of the United States is structured as sovereign states in which each state is responsible for mai ntaining their own military, police and any other agency involved in the law making process, the constitution has not given the federal agencies to practice the benefits that a normal police has. The constitution has only allowed the federal agency to exercise their powers on affairs between states and any affair that is foreign. In the case of policing, if a crime happens at a different state, then the federal agency does not have any power. If the federal agency acts on a different state, then they have gone against the law of federal that governs the interstate relation and they can be charged by the jurisdiction of federal. The United States Secret Service As a part of the United States Department of Homeland Security, the United States Secret Service is an example of a federal agency that exists in the United States. The United States Secret Service is involved in many responsibilities in the federal department. Responsibilities of the United States Secret Service The primary d uty of the United States Secret Service as stated in their mission is to protect the financial system and the payment process of systems n the United States. They are usually involved in crimes that involve any financial fraud whether it is institutional, electronic, identification of false documents or any money laundering process. It is also responsible for the protection of the President of the United States. That is the second main mission of the United Sta

Political Science Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 15

Political Science - Essay Example Islamic countries always delays behind this, because most of the terrorist attacks in the World are linked with Islam. Hosni Mubarak (the Egyptian president). Protests in Cairo’s Tahrir alarms Mubarak to quit the office in January 25th, though Mubarak stepped down in February 2011 and a military body formed (pg,87). .After Mubarak’s resignation women filled only two percent of the parliamentary seats which was fewer as compared to the Hosni Mubarak’s reign in the office. After Mubarak was driven from the office women in Cairo complained of the taken freedom since they were harassed sexually by the Cairo men (pg, 359). Is a multinational Islamic political association initiated in Egypt 1928 and is considered a terrorist group by the Egyptians and Russian governments. A rebellion by the Syrian Muslim Brotherhood counter to President Hafez al –Assad’s rule in 1982 led to death of thousands of people, the actions were the finale of clashes amongst the Syrian rule and the Muslim Brotherhood that initiated in March 1979 with an attack against the military institute in the northern city of Aleppo. This lasted Syrian armies over three weeks to outdo the Muslim Brotherhood (pg, 34). Mohammed Morsi was a leader of the once banned Muslim Brotherhood and elected Egypt’s president in June 2012 until July 2013, after he was taken out of office by field Marshal Al-Sisi during the Egyptian revolution. He was disapproved by the freedom house for the discharge of the lower house. Anwar Sadat succeeded Nasser in 1970 and became Egypt’s third president until his assassination by fundamentalist army colonels in 1981, he reinstituted a multiparty organization and relocated away from Nasser’s Arab social democracy (pg, 91). Developing states have involved democracy and commercial reforms which encompassed oil exportation, where ten oil exporting nations have their markets and politics influenced

Sexually Objectifying Music Videos and Lyric Increase Sexual Violence Research Paper

Sexually Objectifying Music Videos and Lyric Increase Sexual Violence - Research Paper Example pared to male characters since music videos portray women as sex objects because they use revealing or provocative clothes which display excessive skin exposure. Recent analysis of rap and hip hop music videos documents the presence of misogyny, which is defined as a sexualizing women and the dominance of men over women. The theme is visible in when numerous and highly sexualized women dance provocatively while wearing revealing clothes and being submissive to male artists other characters who are male in the music video. The result suggests that even though male characters are associated with various themes, female characters are mostly associated with position of objectification. Another recent content analysis study examined various sexual objectifications in other video music genres that include country and hip hop. The study showed that most of the sample video of female artists contained sexual objectification indicators like close-up shots of private body parts, touching of pe rsonal sexual body parts, sexualized dancing or ample skin exposure. Therefore, sexual objectification is not exclusively done to female characters by their male counterparts; but rather most female artists engage in acts of sexual objectification of their bodies. In accordance with objectification theory, sexual objectification is conceptually defined as a considering an individual as a body only valued by its use by others. Thus, basing on the definition, sexual objectification operationalized both in visual representation of female artists’ bodies and their behavior. Sexual objectification is common in media culture; however, music videos offer the potent example of it (Aubrey, Megan and Wanjiru 365). To understand how exposure to sexually objectifying music videos link to constructs... This "Sexually Objectifying Music Videos and Lyric Increase Sexual Violence" outlines how such types of video affect level of sexual violence. Research show that music video often differs in the way they portray men and women; generally showing men in more positive light compared to females. Specifically women are depicted in positions of submission compared to men; besides, men are likely to perpetuate violence and women are portrayed as victims. Music videos often show women dressed in provoking clothing specifically in sexually objectified music videos, the variation in the depictions of both men and women signifies the significance of considering gender differences in music video (Conrad, Travis, and Yuanyuan 137-138). Significant increase in sexualized videos results in idealized body perfection in young children, which is difficult to attain even for models that perpetuate the industry practice. Objectified music videos lead people to believe in reality that never exists which is detrimental especially to adolescents. Repeated exposure to sexually objectified music results in gender-stereotyped ideas and images that contribute to sexist attitudes and beliefs like sexual harassment and etc. Though, sexual objectification is one type of gender harassment, it takes into consideration other hosts of oppressions that women face ranging from employment discernment, trivialization and sexual violence. Consumption of sexually objectified music allows women to accept the tendency of viewing women as objects.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Case Study Example One such penetration was the historic September 11 attacks, which led to formation of 9/11 Commission. One of the commission’s recommendations was that the government of the US is not positioned to meet all its own obligations towards the Americans in prevention of terrorists’ entry without collaborating with other governments. In this, the US was supposed to exchange information on terrorism with other trusted allies as well as raise the American and global standards of border security for border crossing and travel via extensive international cooperation (Howard, 2006, p. 459). This recommendation forms the basis of this paper’s case study. The paper wishes to assess the progress of this recommendation for DHS’s view. September 11 attacks marked a great change in the world. This day cannot be considered as a mere media hype as many historians are referring to this date as the real start of the 21st century. It is a bit early to establish whether such assessment will bear out though it cannot be dismissed in simple terms. In fact, 11 September attacks ended the notion that the US could float above all the other nations across the globe and thus have incorporated their contribution in the war against crime (Belasco, 2011, p. 1). US cannot foster the false impression that what takes place in the other parts of the world affects them in no way. Thus, it is more important than ever before for nations to understand the kind of world they are living in as well as what the US has and/or is doing to make the world what it is (Rollins, 2010, p. 21). Collaboration has been a big lesson in combating terrorism and remarkable achievements have been noted. Many nations are getting out to the others as well as asking the Homeland Security, emergency management and law enforcement, health department etc. to ensure more cohesion on what appears as common threats irrespective of the nation under such threat (Laurent,

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Working with and Leading People - Assignment Example The responsibility of the managing director is to identify the leaders and motivate them to lead the groups to achieve the overall objectives of the organization. Recruitment and selection is the process of hiring the right person for a job opportunity. The employees are at the core of the success of any organization. Thus, recruiting the individual with an appropriate set of skills is extremely important for fulfilling the overall objective of the organization. Recruitment is considered to be a positive aspect, while selection is regarded to be a negative aspect as it involves the rejection of applications and selects only the best individual suitable for the job opportunity (Randhawa, 2007). Recruitment is the process of attracting individuals for a job opening on a timely basis in large numbers and with the appropriate qualifications (Gusdorf, 2008).Both internal and external factors influence the recruitment process of an organization. The internal factors includes the expansion plan and size of the organization, the cost involved in the recruitment process, salary package, work culture, geographical expansion of the organization etc. Socio- economic factors, supply and demand conditions in the skilled labour market, political and legal considerations are some of the external factors influencing the recruitment process (Randhawa, 2007). Human resource planning is the identification of the present and future human resource need of an organization. Job analysis is the process of determining the tasks need to performed, how they are carried on and what are the qualities required to perform the job successfully (Prien et.al, 2009). After human resource planning and job analysis, the managing director must decide the number and type of recruits required and selects a particular recruitment method. Advertising in newspapers, magazine, career websites trade journals etc. is an effective method of recruitment. The health care company can also establish

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

Fiscal Policy Paper - Essay Example The taxpayers are adversely affected by the increases in the tax imposition. Recently owing to the high fiscal deficit there has been increase in the various taxes on the employers, manufacturers, wage suppression on the employees and so on. There has been a problem of inter temporal budget and the huge deficits are actually burdening the current generation as well as the future generation. One of the analysts in New York Times stated that, â€Å"taxpayers will end up paying the costs of today’s deficits tomorrow† (Ackerman, 2004). But in this situation tax regime has to be tightened for bringing dynamic stability to the US economy and sacrifice has to be made now. Future Social Security and Medicare users Owing to the huge fiscal deficit, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enacted by the current President Obama directs towards access of equality, affordable health care and transformation within the health care system necessary to contain costs. The budget o ffice of the congress determined that the act will allow coverage to more than around 94% of the Americans staying within a limit of $900 billion bending the health cost curve and reducing the deficit over the next decade. The social security administration forecasts that by the next four decades from now on the trust fund of social security will be utilized in either borrowing, increasing revenue or that of diminishing profits (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2012). University of Phoenix student With the American fiscal deficit reaching lowest levels recently hit the for -profit University of Phoenix with higher costs and tremendously declining overall enrollment. As a coping strategy the University has planned to close down around 115 locations affecting the careers of around 13000 students. The University currently has about 328,000 students declined from a peak of more than 400,000. The closure of the branches will leave around 112 locations in 36 states of Unite d States, the District of Columbia as well as Puerto Rico. Although the President of the University has assured that the affected students will be shifted to online courses but it will leave a sense of moral degradation among the students for sure (Veiga, 2012). The United State’s financial reputation on an international level The trade deficit of United States of America has widened in the month of August 2012 with exports falling to the lowest levels in the last six months indicating a sign of worry indicating that the global economy has reduced the demand for the US goods. The chamber of commerce declared that the deficit increased to a level of $44.2 billion in August which is biggest gap since May. In the global front the American made cars as well as farm goods have declined. The imports reduced but with a slight 0.1 percent to $225.5 billion as purchases of foreign-made autos, aircraft and heavy machinery fell. The cost of oil also fell significantly. A significant gro wth in the trade deficit imparts a negative vibe as it signifies that the US is earning less on an overseas scale with respect to its domestic products. The manufacturers of US have been also hampered by slumping economies in countries like Europe, China and other key export markets which accounts for at least one-fifth of U.S. exports. The economic growth also declined to an annual rate of only 1.3% in the quarter of April-June (Crutsinger, 2012). Unemployed individuals Unemployment is a serious problem which requires particular attention.

Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 6

Case Study Example One such penetration was the historic September 11 attacks, which led to formation of 9/11 Commission. One of the commission’s recommendations was that the government of the US is not positioned to meet all its own obligations towards the Americans in prevention of terrorists’ entry without collaborating with other governments. In this, the US was supposed to exchange information on terrorism with other trusted allies as well as raise the American and global standards of border security for border crossing and travel via extensive international cooperation (Howard, 2006, p. 459). This recommendation forms the basis of this paper’s case study. The paper wishes to assess the progress of this recommendation for DHS’s view. September 11 attacks marked a great change in the world. This day cannot be considered as a mere media hype as many historians are referring to this date as the real start of the 21st century. It is a bit early to establish whether such assessment will bear out though it cannot be dismissed in simple terms. In fact, 11 September attacks ended the notion that the US could float above all the other nations across the globe and thus have incorporated their contribution in the war against crime (Belasco, 2011, p. 1). US cannot foster the false impression that what takes place in the other parts of the world affects them in no way. Thus, it is more important than ever before for nations to understand the kind of world they are living in as well as what the US has and/or is doing to make the world what it is (Rollins, 2010, p. 21). Collaboration has been a big lesson in combating terrorism and remarkable achievements have been noted. Many nations are getting out to the others as well as asking the Homeland Security, emergency management and law enforcement, health department etc. to ensure more cohesion on what appears as common threats irrespective of the nation under such threat (Laurent,

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

Fiscal Policy Paper - Essay Example The taxpayers are adversely affected by the increases in the tax imposition. Recently owing to the high fiscal deficit there has been increase in the various taxes on the employers, manufacturers, wage suppression on the employees and so on. There has been a problem of inter temporal budget and the huge deficits are actually burdening the current generation as well as the future generation. One of the analysts in New York Times stated that, â€Å"taxpayers will end up paying the costs of today’s deficits tomorrow† (Ackerman, 2004). But in this situation tax regime has to be tightened for bringing dynamic stability to the US economy and sacrifice has to be made now. Future Social Security and Medicare users Owing to the huge fiscal deficit, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enacted by the current President Obama directs towards access of equality, affordable health care and transformation within the health care system necessary to contain costs. The budget o ffice of the congress determined that the act will allow coverage to more than around 94% of the Americans staying within a limit of $900 billion bending the health cost curve and reducing the deficit over the next decade. The social security administration forecasts that by the next four decades from now on the trust fund of social security will be utilized in either borrowing, increasing revenue or that of diminishing profits (The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, 2012). University of Phoenix student With the American fiscal deficit reaching lowest levels recently hit the for -profit University of Phoenix with higher costs and tremendously declining overall enrollment. As a coping strategy the University has planned to close down around 115 locations affecting the careers of around 13000 students. The University currently has about 328,000 students declined from a peak of more than 400,000. The closure of the branches will leave around 112 locations in 36 states of Unite d States, the District of Columbia as well as Puerto Rico. Although the President of the University has assured that the affected students will be shifted to online courses but it will leave a sense of moral degradation among the students for sure (Veiga, 2012). The United State’s financial reputation on an international level The trade deficit of United States of America has widened in the month of August 2012 with exports falling to the lowest levels in the last six months indicating a sign of worry indicating that the global economy has reduced the demand for the US goods. The chamber of commerce declared that the deficit increased to a level of $44.2 billion in August which is biggest gap since May. In the global front the American made cars as well as farm goods have declined. The imports reduced but with a slight 0.1 percent to $225.5 billion as purchases of foreign-made autos, aircraft and heavy machinery fell. The cost of oil also fell significantly. A significant gro wth in the trade deficit imparts a negative vibe as it signifies that the US is earning less on an overseas scale with respect to its domestic products. The manufacturers of US have been also hampered by slumping economies in countries like Europe, China and other key export markets which accounts for at least one-fifth of U.S. exports. The economic growth also declined to an annual rate of only 1.3% in the quarter of April-June (Crutsinger, 2012). Unemployed individuals Unemployment is a serious problem which requires particular attention.

Types of assessment Essay Example for Free

Types of assessment Essay What is meant by assessment? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the assessment types and methods you use? How would you involve your learner into the assessment process? Why do we need to keep records of assessment? Assessments are a critical part of the education system; highlighted by Black and Wiliams’(1998) who define assessments as activities providing â€Å"information to be used as feedback to modify the teaching and learning activities in which they are engaged†. There are two forms of assessment; formative and summative. Formative assessments are carried  out as the course progresses. These are an informal and simple way of gauging how and what your students are learning. This then allows teachers to amend their teaching to accommodate the results as evaluation and reflection takes place. Furthermore students can identify the areas of development and ‘ensure that objectives are being met’ (Minton,1991, p183). Feedback is therefore considered to be significant for the continued development and progression of learners (Petty, 2010). Summative assessment, however, refers to a more traditional approach for testing learners. see more:describe how to find out the history preferences wishes and needs of an individual It  involves assessing learners at the end of the course/year providing a final grade. Summative assessment can be very effective, however, it could be very demanding for an adult with learning disabilities as they may find it difficult to recollect information from the beginning of the course. Initial assessment should take place before a learner begins the course; these are ‘an evaluation of a learner’s skills, knowledge, strengths and areas for development. ’ (Gravells, 2012). This is effective when working with adults with learning disabilities as it will help establish the appropriate  pitch, pace and content/resources to be used. Furthermore, it will be a way of recognising prior learning and such experience/qualifications can be validated. Rules of assessment should be adhered to ensure equality and fair testing: they should be valid, reliable, authentic, current and sufficient. Teachers/Assessors should not discriminate against learners in their choice of assessment method and planning and should advance anti-discriminatory practice. There are many forms of assessment strategies in English; these include speaking and listening assessments, controlled assessments, quizzes/worksheets, essays etc. Speaking and listening assessments are means of measuring a learners’ communication skills. Individuals are assessed on their ability to project their ideas, viewpoints and their listening skills. This allows learners to work in a group, supporting each other by sharing ideas and improve their functional skills. Furthermore, it can be videoed as evidence. However, it is difficult to assess the level of understanding of the learners through this method alone. Furthermore, this is a subjective strategy and feedback can be limited. Worksheets and quizzes both can be set as individual or group work. They provide an objective mark at the end which can lead to informative feedback based on the learner’s strengths, weaknesses and areas for improvement. The tasks can be fun, engaging and interesting for learners. This strategy has reliability because worksheets/quizzes are consistent as similar results can be gained. Furthermore, they are valid because they measure understanding as the learners attempt to answer questions and the marks obtained shows the stage, progress and understanding of each learner. The benefits are highly valuable as the learners enjoy completing the activities. Mitchells (1997) recognised that games and quizzes can be motivating for those learners who struggle with formal teaching styles. Other assessments include observation, watching and evaluating the learners’ progress. Observations should reflect a learner’s daily performance and should be recorded fully on paper; audiotape or video, with an awareness of confidentiality issues, signed and dated by the teacher/assessor and learner. The more detailed and factual the record, the stronger the evidence may be in terms of validity and reliability. Such observations should be planned in advance with the 1 / 3  agreement of the learner’s manager and colleagues. However, teachers can take opportunities to record observations of unplanned events, if useful as evidence. Through observations, teacher/assessor can gather sufficient evidence and can then relate the observation back to many different units/elements of the qualification. Also, it allows teachers to see natural competence first hand in an authentic and reliable manner. Nevertheless, there are disadvantages of observations: A learner’s normal duties may not cover all assessment criteria; observations may be unnerving for learners and observations can take a lot of  an assessor’s time and expense. Brookfield’s (1998) model of reflection states that it is critical that one views themselves and their teaching through the perspective of their learners. In this lens there is a strong focus on the learner’s ‘voice’ and so value is placed on their viewpoints and also their articulation of work. Therefore, it is important to gain the learners’ thoughts on the assessment strategy. Learners should be informed of how they will be assessed from the onset, involved in feedback and evaluation at every level. Furthermore, prior to assessment, learners could be shown a model  answer and given success criterion to ensure they understand how to achieve the desired level/grade. Involving learners in the assessment process is a key way of helping them to manage and ‘take ownership’ of their learning, by reflecting on achievement and progress. Involving them in recording their own and each others’ progress and planning the next steps in learning can deepen their understanding and reinforce their sense of achievement. Therefore they should be briefed about expectations, purpose and benefits of becoming involved in assessment. Self-assessment will allow learners to reflect upon their own progress and assesses their own development and achievements. However, self-assessment is not always easy and teachers should guide learners in a step-by-step process so they learn how to evaluate their own work and learning style, perhaps by modelling. Reid (2011) suggests that you can use other learners if, for example, they observed your learner. This refers to peer assessment, where peers assess the learner’s developments and achievements through observation of their practice during an activity. Peer assessment and feedback activities give students opportunities to internalise the criteria, learn from examples, enables evaluation and reflection and allows development of responsibility for own learning. However there might be some drawbacks from this as some students may express concerns about showing their work to others that are not qualified to assess their work. Also, it needs to be reliable and accurate; therefore strategies need to be put into place to ensure objectivity. Records are an integral part of the teaching and learning process. Gravells (2012) argues that  records must be maintained, to support the teaching and learning process and to satisfy auditors, inspectors, regulators, verifiers, internal and external quality assurers and your own organisation’s requirements. Teachers should retain documents such as the syllabus, scheme of work, session plans, action plans, hand-outs/activities for the learner, and assessment records such as tracking sheets, marked assignments, portfolios etc. Holding records of the course and content would allow inspections on the manner in which the course is being taught and to ensure it is being delivered in accordance to  specifications. Teacher must also keep records of learners’ progression. This will identify whether the student is on task to complete course or having difficulty. Clear, concise information and evidence will lead to a greater understanding of learner needs and enable teachers to amend their teaching styles to accommodate the learner needs. Records must be kept for a length of time stipulated by your organisation in case of an auditing process. However under the Data Protection Act 1998, this information should be â€Å"kept secure with appropriate technical and organisational measures taken to  protect the information’ and confidentiality should be maintained. A very good explanation of why records must be kept in an institute. 2 / 3 Word count: 1102 (excluding references) References Benjamin S Bloom. (1980), All Our Children Learning, New York: McGraw-Hill. Black, P. , amp; Wiliam, D. (1998), Inside the Black Box: Raising standards through classroom assessment. King’s College London School of Education, pg 2 Brookfield, S. (1998) Critically reflective teacher. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions Data Protection Act (2008), Information Commissioners Office, lt; www.ico. gov. ukgt; Date accessed 21/02/14 Gravells, A. (2012) Preparing to Teach in the Lifelong Learning Sector (5th Edition) Learning Matters Ltd Exeter Minton, D. , (1991), Teaching Skills in Further and Adult Education, Macmillan Press Ltd. Mitchell, C. (1997), Transforming Teaching; Selecting and evaluating teaching strategies. Further Education Matters. Petty, G. (2010) Teaching Today Home page, http://www. geoffpetty. com/, 201O Read, H, (2011) The Best Assessor’s Guide. Bideford: Read On Publications POWERED BY TCPDF (WWW. TCPDF. ORG).

Oral Contraceptive Use and the Risk of Meningioma

Oral Contraceptive Use and the Risk of Meningioma Abstract: Oral contraceptive use is a suspected risk factor for the development of a meningioma. This is supported by meningiomas being more common in females than males, the growth of meningiomas being affected by the menstrual cycle and the presence of estrogen, progestogen and androgen receptors on meningiomas. Some previous studies indicate an association between current use of oral contraceptives and the development of a meningioma, but most studies do not show an effect and are of low power to show an association. This case-control study aims to find out if there is an association between current or ever use of an oral contraceptive and developing a meningioma in pre-menopausal females. It also aims to look if this risk differs with hormone type. It does so by comparing cases in the three states of Eastern Australia of women aged between 16 and 45 who require surgical resection or biopsy of their meningioma with population-based controls. Aims: To prove that the use of an oral contraceptive pill is a risk factor for developing a meningioma in pre-menopausal women in Australia. To determine whether the risk of a meningioma that is associated with taking oral contraceptives differs by current use, ever use and type of oral contraceptive. Background: Current oral contraceptive use is suspected to increase the risk of meningioma, but more studies need to be done in order to confirm this association. (1) The most recent study found no increase in risk with ever use of oral contraceptives, but found an increased risk in current users of an oral contraceptive with an OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–2.9 in pre-menopausal women. (1) This result is statistically significant at the 5% level. The study was a case-control study which is appropriate as the outcome is rare and the exposure is common. The results from this study are limited from the fact that they only had 87 cases for pre-menopausal women who were using oral contraceptives, but since such a small sample size did pick up an association it makes it more likely to be a true association. This study had a wide variety of exposures they were looking for and so the statistically significant results that they did publish may have been due to chance from looking at so many possibilities. In regards to selection bias in this study the controls were selected by random digit dialling so this would have resulted in people who do not have access to a telephone from being excluded from the study. Controls did end up being more likely to be white, have 16 or more years of schooling and a salary greater than $75,000. If people with these characteristics are more likely to be taking oral contraceptives then it would have resu lted in an underestimation of risk, but this was minimised through adjustment in the analysis. Also only 65% of patients and 52% of controls participated in the studyso if the ones who participated were more or less likely to have taken an oral contraceptive it would have an effect on the relative risk. They did compare the people who participated and those who did not with the known confounders of age and residence and only the control groups differed by age with those who participated being more likely to be old. If the older people were more likely to be taking oral contraceptives it may have affected the results, but this was adjusted for in the analysis to minimise the effect. There is no mention of whether the researchers who administered the interview were blinded so if they were expecting an increased association between oral contraceptives and meningiomas they may have been more likely to find one. In terms of the generalizability of the results it was a multi-centerstudy a nd could be generalizable to the rest of the population in the United States. If different countries had different incidences of certain receptor subtypes of meningiomas then the relative risk may be affected so care should be taken in generalizing the results out of the country. The results cannot be generalised to the less serious meningiomas which do not need surgery as this study did not include them. Another study by Michaud D.S.et al.(2010) found an OR 3.61, 95% CI 1.75–7.46 comparing current users of the oral contraceptive to never users. (2) This was in a large prospective cohort study called the EPIC cohort study. One flaw in this study was the possibility of diagnostic bias if the users of oral contraceptives were more likely to be investigated and diagnosed with a meningioma which would have increased the association. A strength of this study is the objective measuring of exposure status. They also identified a dose-response trend in pre-menopausal women using an oral contraceptive (HR [95% CI]: 1.21 [0.36-4.06], 1.55 [0.53-4.56], 2.97 [1.08-8.15], 3.22 [1.04-10.0], 3.60 [1.00-13.0] for 1 5-10-15 years of use, respectively, p-trend = 0.01). (2) There have been a few other studies, but none have found a statistically significant risk. (3,4,5) These case-control and cohort studies all have a relatively small number of cases and therefore low power to pick up a true ass ociation. In the case-control trials recall bias is difficult to rule out as well as selecting a suitable population that resembles the cases. Furthermore only one of these looked for an association in those on current oral contraceptive use. This calls for a larger study with more power which can pick up an association even if it is quite small. There are a few findings that point towards a possible association between meningiomas and certain hormones. One of these is the fact that meningiomas are more common in females than males, especially in their reproductive years. (6) Another study has found oestrogen, progestogen and androgen receptors associated with some meningiomas. (7) An older study as well as a more recent case reports indicated that meningiomas become more symptomatic with changes in the menstrual cycle and during pregnancy. (8,9) These all point towards a possible association between estrogen or progestogen and meningiomas therefore it is an important area to research in order to expand knowledge on this common type of brain tumor. Study Design: The type of study design required to answer the aims is a case-control study. As developing a meningioma is a rare outcome, especially in the age group this study is based in, and the exposure of current use of an oral contraceptive is common this makes a case-control study the most efficient way to study this association. Compared to a cohort study they are rapid and cost-effective as cohort studiesrequirea very large population and a long follow-up period to have enough power to detect an association. A randomised control trial would be more likely to have the results not affected by confounding, but the study would be unethical. This study must be based overseas in order to increase the number of cases per year. All Australian states and territories have mandatory reporting of all cancers which will allowthe identification of cases. (10) The incidence of meningioma in Australia is approximately 1.1 to 1.8 cases per 100,000 person years with a 2.6:1 female to male ratio. (6) For this reason and the fact that the incidence is less frequent in a younger population it requires a multi-centre approach and an extended study period are needed in order to have a sufficient number of cases. The source population will beall females between the ages of 16 and 45 in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland and cases will be drawn from the cancer registry as they become available. The control group will be population-based and selected from the census. In order to determine the sample size needed for this study the biostatistician will be informed that the study needs to have a large enough power to pick up a 10% increas ed risk. The result should be statistically significant at 5%. The biostatistician needs to know the expected incidence of the meningiomas in these territories and the proportion of people expected to be using the two types of oral contraceptives. This can be found through state-specific trends or may use the mean and standard deviation from previous years’ data. The number of cases this study requires will determine how long the study will run for. In order to minimise selection bias the criteria for each of the groups needs to be strictly defined. The case criteria is a meningioma of grade I, II or III according to histological diagnosis by a pathologist. The exposure of current use of an oral contraceptive is defined as taking any oral contraceptive for at least 3 months previous to the diagnosis or in the case of controls 3 months before entry into the study. The exposure status of ever use of an oral contraceptive is defined as if the participant ever taking a single oral contraceptive pill. The population from which the cases arise from are all women between the ages of 16 and 45 in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland. People will be excluded from the study if they do not speak English, if they have had a previous meningioma, if they have had a brain tumor of unknown pathology, if they have a diagnosed mental health condition, if they have had breast cancer and if they are from a different state or out of the country. Controls will be selected randomly and matched in terms of age, ethnicity, area of residence and socioeconomic status which are all factors that could potentially confound the relationship due to affecting the exposure and the outcome, but not being on the causal pathway between the two. A total of 4 controls will be obtained per case due to the abundance of controls and the relatively small effect of adding any more controls. The cases and controls will be contacted for participation in the study through mail and if they accept to be in the study a survey will be sent that includes questions related to the confounding factors and the exposure including questions for those who have ever used an oral contraceptive for what duration and which type of oral contraceptive. Information about other possible confounding factors such as smoking status and alcohol use will also be collected. In order to make it more likely that the study participants are representative of the population the variables that are matched for in each group and the rates of smoking and alcohol use will be compared to the rates in the whole population. These variables will also be compared to those people who dropped out of the study when possible to aid in identifying a systematic difference between those who participated and those who did not. To give an improved chance of patient participation a second survey will be sent to the patient s if they do not respond within 2 weeks. If the participants are interviewed then the interviewer will have a priori knowledge of the group the participant is associated with and might bias the results towards a significant result. In order to minimise information bias the cases and controls should be blinded in regards to the aim of the study. To aid in achieving this, the survey sent out to the participants will include questions in regards to other medicines and lifestyle factors such as smoking and drinking. This will prevent the study participants from falsifying their exposure status to agree with what the study is trying to find out and hence would falsely increase the negative risk. One of the largest problems in case control studies is recall bias. To help minimise it a pamphlet with the type of oral contraceptives and what they look like will be included. Everyone in the study gets the same survey and the diagnostic criteria for meningioma are the same in all centres in Australia so information bias from this is unlikely. There also needs to be timely addition of the cases into the cancer registry, otherwise the study will mainly look at the meningioma cases with longer survival. If oral contraceptive s are more likely to cause a meningioma with a worse prognosis then the risk will be lower than it actually is. The results from the study will be presented as: The odds ratio reported would be after analysis to take into account that the cases each had 4 individually matched controls. The adjusted OR takes into account that smoking status and alcohol use may be confounders. This study is ethically sound. It is observational so there is no intervention for the patient. It is also optional and provides no advantage or disadvantage for those participating. Confidentiality will be maintained as only study researchers will have access to the data and none of the data reported in the study will be able to be linked to a specific patient. The study is feasible, but depends on the sample size that is required. In terms of cost there are no biological tests that need to be performed as all information required is obtained through a survey. The cost of mailing out the surveys and paying staff to collect the information and analyse the data must be considered and budgeted accordingly. One of the advantages of case control studies is looking at multiple exposures hence including other exposures that are of interestcould increase the value of the study and make it more cost-efficient. Implications: There are many benefits to this study. As oral contraceptives are already known to increase the risk of other cancers like breast and cervical cancer, if a causal relationship is found with meningioma, this is another cancer risk that patients must be informed before taking the oral contraceptive. (11) When oral contraceptives will be linked to meningioma, prescribing patterns for those patients who are already at an increased risk for example if they had previous radiation exposure must change. Also patients who have had a previous diagnosis of meningioma would need to strongly consider avoiding taking any oral contraception. These patients would need to find alternate treatment or alternate methods of contraception. If there is an association in the combined oral contraceptive and not the progestogen oral contraceptive this can be recommended to those at risk of developing a meningioma. Another use for determining if there is an associated risk would be through finding treatments o r cures for meningiomas. If estrogen or progestogenis found to be related to the development of meningiomas further studies could find a pathway that causes this increased risk and treatments focused on disrupting this pathway may be effective. References: Claus EB, Calvocoressi L, Bondy ML, Wrensch M, Wiemels JL, Schildkraut JM. Exogenous hormone use, reproductive factors, and risk of intracranial meningioma in females. Journal of neurosurgery. 2013;118(3):649-56. Michaud DS, Gallo V, Schlehofer B, Tjonneland A, Olsen A, Overvad K, et al. Reproductive factors and exogenous hormone use in relation to risk of glioma and meningioma in a large European cohort study. Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology. 2010;19(10):2562-9. Benson VS, Pirie K, Green J, Casabonne D, Beral V. Lifestyle factors and primary glioma and meningioma tumours in the Million Women Study cohort. Br J Cancer. 2008;99:185–190 Hatch EE, Linet MS, Zhang J, Fine HA, Shapiro WR, Selker RG, et al. Reproductive and hormonal factors and risk of brain tumors in adult females. Int J Cancer. 2005;114:797–805 Johnson DR, Olson JE, Vierkant RA, Hammack JE, Wang AH, Folsom AR, et al. Risk factors for meningioma in postmenopausal women: results from the Iowa Women’s Health Study. NeuroOncol. 2011;13:1011–1019 Dobes M, Khurana VG, Shadbolt B, Jain S, Smith SF, Smee R, et al. Increasing incidence of glioblastomamultiforme and meningioma, and decreasing incidence of Schwannoma (2000-2008): Findings of a multicenter Australian study. Surgical neurology international. 2011;2:176 Schnegg JF, Gomez F, LeMarchand-Beraud T, de Tribolet N. Presence of sex steroid hormone receptors in meningioma tissue. Surgical neurology. 1981;15(6):415-8. Bickerstaff ER, Small JM, Guest IA. The relapsing course of certain meningiomas in relation to pregnancy and menstruation. J NeurolNeurosurg Psychiatry. Cushing H, Eisenhardt L: Meningiomas: Their Classification, Regional Behavior, Life History, and Surgical End Results. Springfield, Ill: Charles C Thomas, 1938, 785 pp Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2013) Cancer Registration in Australia, Available at: http://www.aihw.gov.au/cancer-registration-in-australia/ (Accessed: 6th April 2014). Burkman R, Schlesselman JJ, Zieman M. Safety concerns and health benefits associated with oral contraception. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology 2004; 190(4 Suppl):S5–22.