Pablo Picasso Blue Period

The Blue Period in the oeuvre of Pablo Picasso is defined as his paintings created in years 1901-1904. It is characterized by obvious domination of various forms of blue colors in paintings. Interestingly, at this point of his life he was definitely feeling blue.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Pablo Picasso: Blue Period specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The preceding year before the beginning of the Blue Period appeared to be shocking for the artist. Pablo Picasso’s best friend, Carlos Casagemas, committed a suicide. This event is considered to have led the artist to the period of melancholy and depression (Warncke, 201). Feeling frustrated and left alone, Pablo Picasso tries to express his emotions with the help of canvas and oil. He paints himself and other people with unhappy expressions; emptiness can be read on their faces. Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period can be defined as the transition of the art ist from classical to abstract painting (Getlein,28). While creating the paintings, Pablo Picasso was very young (21-25). Therefore, some drawbacks in composition can be observed at the Blue Period. However, at his time, Pablo Picasso made a real revolution in the world of art with his works. Unusual, serious and grotesque, they form a special class of pictures which introduce the age of modern art. The Blue Period includes such works as Self portrait, Le gourmet, Blue Nude, La Celestina, Evocation, burial of Casagemas, Casagemas’ Death, Two sisters, the meeting, Life, Old Guitarist, Child with a Dove, Poor people on the seashore, Susanne Bloch, and others. Child with a dove â€Å"Child with a dove†, painted in 1901, is the painting which opens the Picasso’s series of the paintings of the Blue Period. Unlike the most of paintings of this period, it is very tender and mild.Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get yo ur first paper with 15% OFF Learn More A little girl holding a white dove on a playground looks very sad. The picture is still, yet the viewers expect the doe to fly away soon; that is why the subconscious dynamics is present in the work. The light blue and green pastel tones intensify the melancholic mood of the painting. However, the vivid black contours make the figures very contrastive. The brushstrokes can be seen; moreover, it is clear that preceding to the green phone Picasso used deep blue. Interestingly, starting from this painting the author started to sign his works as simply â€Å"Picasso†, with no initials (Raynal, 81). In this painting, the influence of such artists as Gauguin and Cezanne on Picasso’s style of painting can be noticed. The Absinthe Drinker â€Å"The absinthe drinker†, created in 1901, is a work which depicts the culture of Paris of that time. Absinthe, at that time a cheap infusion of weeds, was very spread among the youth . A man with a bottle of absinthe was a casual picture of 19th century (Gilot, 241). The Picasso’s character is very tragic; his posture and expression emphasize his loneliness. He is sitting with his drunken eyes staring in deep thoughts; he is hugging himself with one arm, which is a sign of emptiness, and supporting his chin with another hand. This hand is standing strictly vertical and is situated in the center of the composition, making the painting massive and rude. The palette is comparatively rich; the typical blue colors are combined with red, yet they still are cold. The texture of the painting is homogenious. The painting is now kept in Russia, at the Hermitage in St. Petersburg.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Pablo Picasso: Blue Period specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Self portrait The picture â€Å"Self portrait† was also created in 1901. Painted with oil, this work is very expressiv e. Pablo Picasso shows himself as a serious figure looking straight into the viewer’s eyes. He is holding his head close to his shoulders, which signals the depressed and insecure state. He is wearing black; the rest of the picture is presented in blue tones. Despite the motionless figure, the painting looks very expressive because of contrasted colors. The red lips prove the contrast with cold colors and intensify the emotionality of the painting. The contours are highlighted with thick black lines, which make the style similar to that of Picasso (Richardson, 162). The texture is homogeneous; the brushstrokes are slightly noticeable. The work was one of the objects on a famous Spanish exhibition called â€Å"From El Grego to Picasso†. At the moment the painting is exhibited at the Hotel Salà ©, currently the Musà ©e National Picasso in Paris. Evocation, burial of Casagemas Advertising Looking for essay on art and design? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More After Pablo Picasso’s best friend’s suicide, the artist paints a set of pictures related to his death. One of them is â€Å"Evocation, burial of Casagemas†, created in 1901. This work is quite big: its original size is 150.5 x 90.5 cm. It depicts the death of Casagemas in two dimensions: one, people mourning his death on the Earth, and the other, people greeting him in Heaven, where Casagemas arrives on a white horse. Heaven take 2/3 of the picture and is painted with pale, cold blue and green with bright white stripes symbolizing clouds. These features signify that the artist gets closer to the cubist technique with its vivid forms and bright boundaries. The scene on Earth is painted in warm tones. The depicted people have no faces, but their postures are extremely expressive; they all show deploration. Noticeably, the Earth part is still, while the heaven part is very dynamic. What is more, the colors used are also very dynamic. In fact, the colors are â€Å" dirty†, which gives the feeling of massiveness. This painting greatly demonstrates how good Picasso was at organizing the composition with many people in a way that looks natural. Casagemas’ Death One of the most striking works of Picasso’s Blue Period is â€Å"Casagemas’ Death†. As it is known, Picasso’s best friend committed a suicide in a temple (Leal, 159). This fact could serve as a reason why the central object of the painting is a bright light of a candle. The rays of the candle enlighten the face of Casagemas. The cold colors of the dead body are contrasted with the hot light – a comparison of death and life. The still body is combined with the dynamic flame. The candle is the only vertical line on the painting, which makes it look like an axis of the picture. The grotesque brushstrokes make the painting even more convincing. The zoomed scale makes an impression of the real presence near the object; in addition, the falling ho rizon adds the pessimism to the already tragic plot. The texture is grained; the artist used a thick layer of the paint. All in all, the painting is very tragic and expressive. The painting is now kept in France, at the Musà ©e Picasso in Paris. Le gourmet The name of this picture, â€Å"Le gourmet†, is often translated as â€Å"The Greedy Child†. However, if translated from French this word actually means â€Å"gastronome†. Picasso shows a boy eating at a table. The dynamical character of the boy is supported by mosaic surrounding; however, even despite making some moves he stays motionless. In comparison with other works of the Blue Period, this work can be defined as the most aristocratic one. In contrast to death, prostitutes and alcoholics Picasso depicts a boy with perfect hair and manners (Cowling, 319). Furthermore, the boy’s figure is shown as small with the help of surrounding objects, which are big; even the plate is too wide for the boy†™s hands. This can be a sign of the character’s loneliness. The colors are pale blue, as in most of the pictures of the period; the warm stains are also present. This picture differs from others by the technique of painting: the brushstrokes are very shallow and vivid. This technique gives an impression of a crayon-painted picture. This picture also contains more details than others; therefore, the elements of classicism are obvious. At the moment the painting is together with some of the works of Picasso’s Blue Period in USA, at the National Gallery of Art in Washington. Blue Nude The picture â€Å"Blue Nude† was painted in 1902. It depicts a necked woman crying sitting with her back to the viewers. Her body and the background are painted identically; only the thick black lines show her shape. The author also uses pink tones in order to contrast between the body and the surrounding. In this picture Pablo Picasso tries to make the first steps to primitivism, showing the simplified shapes (Franck, 143). The colors are not presented separately; all the tones seem to be flowing out from each other. The setting is unclear, as the painted woman has no ground under her; however, she does not look like hanging in the air: her posture is obviously fixed. All in all, despite the vivid lines, the picture looks very integral. La Celestina â€Å"La celestina† was painted in 1903. On the picture there is a woman with slightly grayed hair. The composition is still. She sits in a posture, traditional for Picasso’s portraits: with her body turned 30% to the West and her head turned full face to the viewer. The woman is dressed strictly: she has a black headscarf on. However, her facial expression shows some foxy thoughts. Her eyes, one of which is blind, are staring right, her eyebrows slightly raised, and her lips mysteriously simpering. Thus, Picasso reveals the character of the woman: both the model and Celestina were procuresses (Jaf fe, 82). The dark tones are presented by homogeneous style of painting. The absence of the setting emphasizes the importance and expressiveness of the character. The painting is now kept together with the author’s self-portrait of the Blue Period, in Paris, the Musà ©e National Picasso. Two sisters, the meeting The picture â€Å"Two sisters, the meeting†, created in 1902 depicts two unhappy women standing together. The painter was inspired for this work by his visit to the Paris prison of St. Lazare. The interesting detail about that prison was that it was guarded by nuns. Therefore, the women on the picture are probably nuns or a nun and a prisoner (Gilot, 328). The both characters are still. This work shows Pablo Picasso’s cubist preferences. The work is very contrastive, the semi-shadows are often omitted, the shapes are clean-cut. Some state that the simplified shapes, especially the way of painting the faces, points to the Christian motives (Warncke, 134) . The tones vary from light blue to dark violet. The typical distinct counters are less noticeable than in other works of the period. The curl of the arch on the left repeats the form of the sisters’ heads bend to each other, and the shadow on the right continues this pattern. The barefooted women with their heads covered remind the Discalced Carmelite Nuns. Nowadays the painting is in Russia; specifically, in the Hermitage, St. Petersburg. The old guitarist â€Å"The old guitarist†, created in 1903, is one of the â€Å"mildest† works of Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period referring to the technique. A homeless man, probably drunk, playing his guitar is shown in the picture. The simple forms are yet detailed; the muscles and tendons are clear. The typical pale blue tones are combined with a warm stain (guitar) and bright white strokes, just like in most of the described paintings. The composition is still; only the guitarist’s hands are supposed to expres s dynamics, but in fact they are also relaxed. The three horizontal lines (the man’s head, hand and legs) are connected by the vertical one (the guitar). At the moment the work is situated at the Art Institute of Chicago in USA. Life The painting â€Å"Life† is another work where Picasso originally situates many figures. The author depicts Casagemas with his lover, and a mother with a child near them. The picture also refers to the set of Casagemas’ portraits. The triple dimension includes the three front characters, one person at the background and also two people painted on a picture behind the front characters. All the figures are motionless; only the couple on the left compensates the still composition. None of the characters meet with their eyes; this also adds some dynamics to the painting. The colors change from light blue on the top to brownish green on the bottom. The bright white stains highlight the front space and serve as a frame for the background . In this picture, author uses as much contrast as it was possible. One of the most obvious is the contrast between the necked couple and a woman in the fabric. Interestingly, the painting shows the alive friend of the author, surrounded by the closest people, which shows the deep feeling of respect that Picasso had to Casagemas. At the moment the work is in USA, The Cleveland Museum of Art. Poor people on the seashore The painting â€Å"Poor people on the seashore† depicts a family of three, a mother, a father and a son. Another name for the painting is â€Å"The tragedy†. The painting refers to the period when Picasso was concentrated on the general message more than on composition. Thus, the composition is rather inconsistent: the woman is still, but the man with the boy is moving in some direction; but their route seems to include hitting the woman. The characters are painted with violet; for the background Picasso used pure light blue colors. They express the fro zen sea and the winter sky; the people with no shoes on also show that they are cold. In general, the mood of the painting is expressed very clearly. The pale stains in this painting are not only used in some elements, but also for underlying the contrast with dark tones. All in all, despite the imperfect composition, Picasso managed to express the atmosphere excellently. The painting is now at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, USA. Suzanne Bloch â€Å"Suzanne Bloch† is the last painting from Pablo Picasso’s Blue Period. This portrait does not differ much from the other portraits of Picasso: the typical composition, model’s posture, tones and style of painting. A still woman looks straight into the viewers’ eyes; the dark tones of clothing and hair are contrasted with very pale skin. Warm orange lips also prove a contrast to the general cold of the painting. The texture is rather coarse, which makes the painting look messy. The portrait also has an interesting story. It was once stolen from a museum and found a year later, undamaged and safe (Leal, 287). All in all, the Blue Period in the artistic work of Pablo Picasso is one of the most prolific ones. The feeling of resignation was one of the strongest stimuli for the artist to create his works. The Blue Period is marked by expressive melancholic paintings and a palette of cold blue colors. Because of the mournful mood, author depicts unhappy people. None of the characters painted during the Blue Period is smiling; they all embody either poor, sad or stereotypically bad characters. In addition, the style of Picasso’s paintings becomes very recognizable; it still contains the aristocratic tones and mild transitions but at the same time has the roots of cubism. The main features of the Blue Period’s portraits are stillness, heavy dark colors, and thick black contours. Nowadays the works are kept in greatest galleries of the world and admitted to be ones of the world best works. Works Cited Barnet, S. A short guide to write about art 9th edition. London: Longman, 2002. Print. Cowling, E. Picasso: Style and Meaning. Phaidon Press, 2002. Print. Franck, D. Bohemian Paris: Picasso, Modigliani, Matisse, and the Birth of Modern Art. Grove Press, 2003. Print. Getlein, M. Living with Art 8th Edition. McGraw Hill Higher Education, 2007. Print. Gilot, F, Lake, C. Life with Picasso. Virago,1990. Print. Jaffe, H. Picasso (Masters of Art) New York: Harry N. Abrams, 1983. Print. Leal, B. The Ultimate Picasso. New York: Harry N. Abrams, 2000. Print. Raynal, M. Picasso: Biographical and Critical Studies. Skira,1959. Print. Richardson, J. A Life of Picasso: The Prodigy, 1881-1906. Alfred A. Knopf, 2007. Print. Warncke, C, Walther, I, Taschen,G. Picasso Taschen: illustrated edition, 2003. Print. This essay on Pablo Picasso: Blue Period was written and submitted by user Beetle to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

A Close Look at the Singapore Math Method

A Close Look at the Singapore Math Method One of the harder things parents have to do when it comes to their child’s schooling is understand a new method of learning. As the Singapore Math Method gains popularity, it’s starting to be used in more schools across the nation, leaving more parents to figure out what this method is all about. A close look at the philosophy and framework of Singapore Math can make it easier to understand what’s going on in your child’s classroom. The Singapore Math Framework The framework of Singapore Math is developed around the idea that learning to problem-solve and develop mathematical thinking are the key factors in being successful in math.The framework states: â€Å"The development of mathematical problem-solving ability is dependent on five inter-related components, namely, Concepts, Skills, Processes, Attitudes, and Metacognition.†Looking at each component individually makes it easier to understand how they fit together to help children gain skills that can help them solve both abstract and real-world problems. 1. Concepts When children learn mathematical concepts, they are exploring the ideas of branches of math like numbers, geometry, algebra, statistics and probability, and data analysis. They’re not necessarily learning how to work the problems or the formulas that go with them, but rather gaining an in-depth understanding of what all of these things represent and look like.It’s important for kids to learn that all of math works together and that, for example, addition doesn’t stand by itself as an operation, it carries on and is a part of all the other math concepts as well. Concepts are reinforced using math manipulatives and other practical, concrete materials. 2. Skills Once students have a solid grasp of the concepts, it’s time to move on to learning how to work with those concepts. In other words, once the students have an understanding of the ideas, they can learn the procedures and formulas that go with them. This way the skills are anchored to the concepts, making it easier for students to understand why a procedure works.In Singapore Math, skills don’t just refer to knowing how to work something out with pencil and paper, but also knowing what tools (calculator, measurement tools,etc.) and technology can be used to help solve a problem. 3. Processes The framework explains that processes â€Å"includes reasoning, communication and connections, thinking skills and heuristics, and application and modeling.†    Mathematical reasoning is the ability to look carefully at mathematical situations in a variety of different contexts and logically apply the skills and concepts to problem-solve the situation. Communication is the ability to clearly, concisely and logically use the language of math to explain ideas and mathematical arguments. Connections is the ability to see how math concepts are related to each other, how math is related to other areas of study and how math relates to real life. Thinking skills and heuristics are the skills and techniques that can be used to solve a problem. Thinking skills include things like sequencing, classifying and identifying patterns. Heuristics are the experience-based techniques a child can use to create a representation of a problem, take an educated guess, figure out the process to work through a problem or how to reframe a problem. For example, a child may draw a chart, try to guess and check or solve parts of a problem. These are all learned techniques. Application and modelling is the ability to use what you’ve learned about how to solve problems to choose the best approaches, tools and representations for a certain situation. It’s the most complicated of the processes and takes a lot of practice for children to create math models. 4. Attitudes Children’s are what they think and feel about math. Attitudes are developed by what their experiences with learning math are like.So, a child who has fun while developing a good understanding of concepts and acquiring skills is more likely to have positive ideas about the importance of math and confidence in his ability to solve problems. 5. Metacognition Metacognition sounds really simple but is harder to develop than you might think. Basically, metacognition is the ability to think about how you are thinking.For kids, this means not only being aware of what they are thinking, but also knowing how to control what they are thinking. In math, metacognition is closely tied to being able to explaining what was done to solve it, thinking critically about how the plan works and thinking about alternative ways to approach the problem.The framework of Singapore Math is definitely complicated, but it’s also definitely well thought out and thoroughly defined. Whether you’re an advocate for the method or not so sure about it, a better understanding of the philosophy is key in helping your child with math.

Sonny's blues Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Sonny's blues - Essay Example People of the club are generally referred to as being friendly with Sonny; serving to depict the contrast that exists between the inner and the outside world. At the same time, the author takes on a defensive tone when he tries to justify Sonny's drug addiction; "In order to keep from shaking to pieces" (Baldwin, 40). However, the author holds his sympathy in one hand and his honesty in the other; he criticizes the addiction of drugs in bitter words, blaming it to be the cause of pain and misery for Sonny. Baldwin's creation of characters is interesting in the sense that almost all characters have markedly contrasting personalities. Moreover, the characters are not merely characters; they are in fact representations of the classes of our society. Sonny, for example represents the drug affected population of the society. The prominent features associated with this character include the aspects of poverty, being black, various limitations imposed by the society, willingness to escape f rom his prevailing circumstances, suffering imprisonment and being a prisoner even after being released from the jail which is depicted by words like "caged animal". Likewise, the character of mother not only represents the mothers as an institution but also serves the purpose of explaining the role of all those in the society who actively engage in helping others. Baldwin associates a number of roles that he expects a mother to play; prophetic, saint-like and protector of the family. The writer has used a number of symbols to assist his understanding and to convey a clearer message to the reader. His use of jazz music appears to be associated with negative aspects of life like addiction and drugs. Later in the story, this symbol takes on an entirely new form and serves to establish a connection between the brothers. Another imagery that the writer uses often is ice. This is used to convey negative feelings and emotions that arise in response to unfavorable conditions. The discomfor t felt during such circumstances is especially troublesome for the author, which is expressed by the author in words like "it was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles of ice water all up and down my veins, but it never got less" (Baldwin, 17). It also contains an element of longevity that is felt during conditions of stress. The writer has also utilized 'light' as a symbol for revelation. On various occasions during the different phases of story, light is used to point to a fact that was previously unrevealed to the readers as well as the characters of the story. Overall, the story revolves around the idea of sufferings and misery that mankind undergoes as a result of ghastly deeds. The author appears to be of the idea that although some elements in the society promote evils, the person who commits a crime is left alone to suffer in the end and this suffering continues till the end of life. The story sharpens our understanding of the human nature by providing clu es to the human nature in the form of various symbols and incidents which are relatable to our real lives. A number of facts are hidden from the readers in the start, which are revealed later on in the story; this serves as a means of understanding how life unfolds it secrets with the passage of time. The story also has a religious touch, which perhaps is a

Rise and Growing Role of Multinational Enterprises Coursework

Rise and Growing Role of Multinational Enterprises - Coursework Example A veritable explosion in e-based connectivity since 1995 as well as the emergence of a completely new global Information Technology outsourcing industry has resulted to the networking of service and product providers globally (Heshmati, Sohn, and Kim, 2007:116). Consequently, hastily expanding trade in both goods and services is becoming an increasingly powerful engine in driving the dynamics of growth and development to a global state. This paper will account for the rise and growing role of multinational enterprises form the Asia Pacific in the global economy and particularly in Europe. Aims of Chinese multinationals in international business strategies When it comes to the global economy, no nation is self-sufficient. Each needs involvement at different levels in trade in order to sell what it produces and acquire what it lacks as well as produce more efficiently in some economic sectors than its trade partners. As conventional economic theory supports, trade promotes economic eff iciency through the provision of a wider variety of commodities, regularly at a lower cost, notably because of specialization, economies of scale, and the related logical advantages (Rudman, 2006:149-151). Documented evidence asserts that international trade is a subject of contention because it can sometimes be a disruptive economic and social force as it changes the conditions of wealth distribution within a national economy, predominantly due to changes in prices and wages. As of this moment, a small group of developing countries is transforming the global economic landscape. Led by China, Japan, India, and Brazil, these expanding economic powers pose a variety of challenges and opportunities for European economic interests and leadership of the global economy. Chinese hesitant stance suggested the precise nature of global flows and the impacts are still poorly understood. The rise of Chinese investment in European nations differs from earlier waves of investment from the United States and thereafter from Japan. A huge number of Chinese firms are heading abroad to become globally competitive instead of going to exploit advantages developed at home. With this aspect, according to European policymakers, Chinese investors resemble in behavior Korean multinationals (Feenstra and Wei, 2010:517). While in Africa and in Latin America, many Chinese investments are seeking to secure energy resources, those into Europe or North America are more likely to be in search of a market or strategic assets. Direct Chinese investment among European countries is still relatively insignificant. However, over the last past few years, it has and still is showing a clear upward movement. The EU, according to some sources, accounted for merely one per cent of Chinese outbound M&A in terms of value between 1999 and 2005. Numerically, he Greenfield investment projects outpace acquisitions despite the fact that many of these tend to be minimal. Greenfield investments wise, although th e amount of venture in European projects funded by China increased by 500 per cent since 2000, it commenced from a low base thus remains modest. A report released by the French Agency for International Investments (AFII) pointed out that, Chinese firms accounted for a mere 0.5 per cent of all manufacturing projects and 0.9 per cent in job creation in Europe between 2002 and 2005. The growing role of China in the European market accounted for 1.2 per cent of Greenfield investments over the period between 2004 and 2006 (Tang, 2010:5-7).

Investment between China and Africa Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Investment between China and Africa - Essay Example The researcher states that many studies have shown that China is currently the major destination of foreign direct investment from many parts of the world. However, Chinese have also been aggressive in making investments in other foreign countries with African region being their major target. Just like many other developed countries, China has been engaged in a vicious competition with other countries like the USA and other developed European countries like the United Kingdom in the scramble for resources in Africa. This has been attributed by the fact that Africa is currently the leading continent with so much untapped potential that includes unexploited natural resources and availability of abundant business opportunities resulting from the undeveloped nature of most of its countries. This has made governments of various states apply different strategies in order to have at least a significant pie in these developing economies, one being creating good relationships. China is one of the giant economies in the world today has been applying all means possible in luring African countries to enter into treaties and good business relations, a factor that has made some of the major Chinese companies establish their operations in Africa. Some studies have shown that China is the leading bilateral trade partner with Africa, a two-way trade that has dramatically been growing in the past two decades through the major growth has experienced in the last one decade. In the year 2011, the bilateral trade between China and Africa is estimated to be over US$166 billion from US$10.6 billion in the year 2000. This growth can only be termed as incredible and is likely to grow at an even higher rate in the coming years.

Health Improvement And Innovation Health And Social Care Essay

Health Improvement And Innovation Health And Social Care Essay In the past the health service has been overly focused on commissioning for price and volume rather than quality and outcome. There was too much emphasis on treating illness rather than its prevention. Health inequalities have also been worsening and in England the rich can still expect to live for longer than the poor. Now is a new era for public health. The government is committed to closing the gap between the most advantaged and the least advantaged parts of society (GBDH, 2010a; GBDH, 2010b; GBDH 2010c; GBDH, 2010d). Health needs assessment (HNA) is a vital tool in this process because it targets services and support towards the most disadvantaged. It is a method for examining the health needs of a population leading to agreed priorities and resource allocation in order to improve public health (Hooper and Longworth, 1998). The purpose of this assignment is to undertake an HNA for the community that I currently work in as part of my Specialist Community Public Health Nurse (SCPHN) qualification in health visiting. In fact HNA is a standard of proficiency in order to gain professional registration (NMC, 2004). Recent evidence has increasingly demonstrated that the first few years of life greatly influence future health, wealth and happiness (Tickle, 2011; Field, 2010; Marmot, 2010). The involvement of health visitors during this period is vital as they are experts in public health. The Health Visitor Implementation Plan (2011) aims to expand the health visiting service with an extra 4,200 health visitors to be in post by 2015. This will support the Governments commitment to improve health outcomes by developing an understanding of the health needs of children, families and communities enabling the commission of services that are based on need. The five-step approach to HNA developed by Cavanagh and Chadwick (HDA, 2005) will be used as a framework for this assignment because it is simple, robust, flexible, and has been tested over several years. This five step process is based on the model outlined by Hooper and Longworth (2002). Due to time constraints and lack of resources only steps one to three of the five steps of HNA will be undertaken: step 1 (my community), step 2 (identifying health priorities) and step 3 (assessing a health priority for action). All of the data used within this assignment is within the public domain however effort has been made to protect identity. Step 1 My Community According to Cavanagh and Chadwick (2005) the community for HNA can be identified as those sharing: a geographic location like a housing estate; a setting such as a school, prison or workplace; a social experience like ethnicity or sexuality; or an experience of a particular condition for example mental illness or diabetes. The community has also been defined as a group of people who share an interest, a neighbourhood, or a common set of circumstances. They may or may not acknowledge membership of a particular community (Smithies and Adams, 1990). It is the common interest of people that is particularly significant for public health. This is because even though people operate as individuals, they may share characteristics or needs that can be assessed at a community level (Brocklehurst, 2004). However Naidoo and Wills (2000) state that individuals may be a part of different communities at various points in their lives rather than belonging to a single community. The community which i s the focus of this HNA is a geographical area. It has been chosen because it is attached to a GP practice from which a team of health visitors are based and most work is with clients within this community. It consists of two wards in the borough of North Tyneside. They will be referred to as ward A and ward B and will be compared to regional and national data available. Step 2 Identifying Health Priorities This section will focus on the identification of the health priorities of my community by considering the factors which may affect health conditions. These factors can be grouped into five categories: biological, social, economic, environmental and lifestyle. Biological The population of wards A and B are shown in appendix 1.1 using data from the census of 2001. Census data can be extremely useful however it has significant limitations. Its data rapidly goes out of date and only provides a picture of the UK population decennially. For example, wards A and B have experienced population change within the past ten years due to new housing developments therefore the 2001 census data may now be unrepresentative. For this reason a population estimate (appendix 1.2) based on expected births and deaths is often a valuable tool but must be used with caution as it is only a guide to what may happen if past trends continue. From the data it is clear that this borough has an ageing population but it is also notable that the percentage of the population under 5 years in both wards A and B is significantly higher than the regional and national percentages. This perhaps underlines the importance of the role of the health visitor in these wards. Appendix 1.3 illustrates that the combined male and female life expectancy for wards A and B are significantly lower than the North Tyneside and national figures. It is particularly alarming to note that some of those in ward A could potentially expect to live for seven years less than some living merely a few miles away in other parts of North Tyneside. The poor life expectancy of wards A and B may be due to the condition of their general health. These wards have worse general health than North Tyneside and England (appendix 1.4). That is, a greater percentage of those in wards A and B report poor health compared with locally and nationally. However Sen (2002) argues that there are complications in the self assessment of health because a persons own understanding of their health may differ from that of the healthcare professional. Therefore additional statistics should be used to assess health status. The prevalence of long-term health conditions in wards A and B as reported by the Quality Outcomes Framework (QOF) is also shown in appendix 1.5. Ward A has a higher prevalence of conditions such as coronary heart disease (CHD), diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and cancer all of which contribute to lower life expectancy. Indeed CHD is the biggest cause of preventable death in England (British Heart Foundation, 2010). In contrast ward B has a similar prevalence of long-term conditions to that of the national. However data from within the QOF has several limitations. For example QOF was not originally designed as a research tool and its data is not externally validated. It has also been suggested that QOF data may be more favourably presented with the aim of maximising practice income (Ashworth et al., 2008) yet Doran et al. (2011) found that financial incentives had little impact upon the data. Further limitations include that prevalence data is not standardised for age and sex and that many patients appear simultaneously on more than one disease register (Ashworth et al., 2008). Mental health was seen as having equal importance to physical health for the first time in 2010 (GBDH 2010c). It was recognised that inequality contributes to mental health and in turn mental health can cause further inequality. Consequently tackling mental health is now a key priority for the Government (GBDH, 2011b). It is difficult to determine the exact prevalence of mental health disorders but there are indicators to reflect the situation in North Tyneside (appendix 1.6). For example benefit claims for mental health disorders along with hospital admissions due to self harm and mortality rates due to suicide are significantly greater in North Tyneside than England. Social The Marmot Review (2010) emphasised the correlation between lower social position and poor health. The social grade of those living in wards A and B is shown in appendix 2.1. Almost a quarter of those living in these wards are of lowest social grade compared with just 16% of people nationally. Marmot called for action to reduce social gradients in order to improve the health of communities like those living in wards A and B. Appendix 2.2 shows the measure of deprivation for wards A and B from the 2001 census. It is clear that both wards rank as some of most deprived in the country but as discussed earlier the census data is extremely out of date. After the 2001 census local super output areas (LSOAs) were created to improve reporting of small area statistics as it was thought that wards vary too much in size (ONS, 2011). The English Indices of Deprivation 2010 ranked LSOAs according to their deprivation level. It has undergone a range of procedures to assure its quality as well as being externally validated. According to the index North Tyneside is ranked as 113 out of 326 boroughs in England and is one of the least deprived areas in the North East. However within the borough there are pockets of extreme deprivation which fall into the 10% most deprived areas in England (ONS, 2011). It is difficult to determine ward level deprivation using LSOAs because they do not fit exactly into ward boundaries. Never theless appendix 2.3 shows estimates of the deprivation levels of wards A and B using a best fit geographical alignment combined with averaging the LSOA scores. It shows that these wards have been ranked as the most deprived wards in North Tyneside (North Tyneside Council, 2011). It has long been known that there is a relationship between deprivation and poor health (Marmot, 2010). In a social context this may be because a more deprived community is more likely to offer health risks such as higher crime rates (appendix 2.4) and poor housing. Research has shown that poor housing is associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease and mental health conditions. The poorest communities are often made up from estates of mostly socially rented housing (Marmot, 2010). Indeed appendix 2.5 shows that wards A and B have a significantly higher percentage of people living in socially rented accommodation than regionally and nationally. Those who live in social housing have been found to have increased unemployment rates, poor health and disability than the rest of the population (Clarke et al., 2008). There is also evidence to suggest that children living in social housing have a greater risk of disadvantage in adult life (Feinstein et al., 2008, Harker, 2006). Further, poor housing conditions like overcrowding can influence health. Appendix 2.6 illustrates the increased problem of overcrowding in wards A and B relative to North Tyneside and England. Economic Social gradient in communities is also affected by patterns of employment. Appendix 3.1 shows employment levels in wards A and B and it is clear that the percentage unemployed is significantly higher in these wards than in the rest of North Tyneside and England. Evidence suggests that the unemployed have considerably increased health risks including higher incidence of limiting long term conditions and mental health problems (Thomas et al., 2005; Gallo et al., 2006). In addition Jin et al. (1997) demonstrated a relationship between unemployment and decreased life expectancy although this research is dated. Perhaps it could be said that the poorer health and decreased life expectancy of wards A and B previously discussed may be linked to their high levels of unemployment. Physical and mental health is also affected by low paid, poor quality employment. Appendix 3.2 illustrates that the percentage of those in elementary, low level employment is greater in wards A and B than regionally and nationally. There are also less people working in managerial and professional roles in these wards. Further, those with few or no qualifications have the highest rates of unemployment and poor quality employment (Marmot, 2010). Appendix 3.3 clearly shows that wards A and B have a significantly greater proportion of people with no formal qualifications than figures for North Tyneside, North East and England. There is a well established link between income and poor health because those with lower incomes cannot buy items that maintain health and have to buy cheaper goods that could elevate health risks (Marmot, 2010). Appendix 3.4 shows that the average weekly income is less in wards A and B than the average for the North East. Unfortunately there is no data available for North Tyneside or England to enable comparison. The data discussed above forms a picture of the economic factors that influence health in my community. The data is from the census 2001 and as previously stated it is ten years out of date. Consequently a greatly significant limitation of the data is that it will not reflect changes caused by the recent economic downturn. Therefore wards A and B could currently have worsened levels of unemployment and income however this cannot be confirmed until the results of the 2011 census are published. Environmental An important factor in reducing health inequality is creating an environment where people can live healthily. Those who live near areas of green space such as parks can have improved health and wellbeing (Croucher et al., 2007). Green space may also encourage social integration, physical activity and improve quality of air. Appendix 4.1 shows a decreased percentage of green space areas in wards A and B compared to the borough. Another contributing factor to the creation of a healthy living environment is reducing cold housing. The cold is thought to be the main cause of extra deaths each year during the winter (Marmot, 2010). It is clear that the ability to afford to keep a warm home is crucial in the prevention of these deaths. Appendix 4.2 shows the percentage of households with central heating in wards A and B. Ward B has a significantly lower percentage of households with central heating than regionally and nationally. This data is again out of date and will not reflect recent rises in fuel costs. In November 2008 the increased price of fuel caused fuel poverty in more than half of single pensioners and two thirds of workless households (Bradshaw et al., 2008). This is important to note considering the ageing population of North Tyneside and the high unemployment levels of wards A and B. Finally appendix 4.3 shows information regarding car ownership. Wards A and B have a lower percentage of households without a car than North Tyneside and England. In fact the percentage of those with no car in these wards is double that of England. Transport is vital because it enables access to employment, education, services and social networks (GBDT, 2004). Transport also has an impact on health inequalities when considering deaths from road traffic accidents (RTAs). RTAs are thought to be particularly high among children who live in the most deprived areas in England (GBDT, 2009). However appendix 4.4 shows that the rate of injuries and deaths from RTAs is much lower in North Tyneside compared with England although data at ward level is unavailable. Lifestyle Lifestyle choices have a huge impact on health. England has one of the highest obesity rates in Europe (WHO, 2012). It is linked with increased risk of conditions such as diabetes, cancer and mental health problems (GBDH 2011c). The percentage of obese adults in North Tyneside is significantly higher than the national average and there are less healthy eating adults locally than nationally (appendix 5.1). This data is from the Health Survey for England (HSE) and is based on a sample of the population therefore estimates are subject to sampling error. In contrast to the findings above the Active People Survey found that the percentage of physically active adults in North Tyneside is greater than that of England (appendix 5.1) but this data also has several limitations. Firstly it is not age standardised and it is likely that those who are younger undertake the recommended levels of physical activity. Secondly the survey is self reported so may be subject to responder bias. Finally the data does not include active recreation such as housework or active transport. There is great concern over the trends for childhood obesity in England and more than 20% of children are overweight or obese by the age of 3 (Rudolph, 2009). Appendix 5.2 contains data from the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP) which shows that wards A and B have higher percentages of obese children in year 6 than nationally. But the NCMP has a considerably low participation level therefore it is likely that some prevalence of childhood obesity figures are underestimated. Indeed there were a much lower number of children measured in the North East than any other region. There may also be an element of selection bias particularly with the year 6s where those who do not participate are those most likely to be obese. These limitations must be addressed in order to improve accuracy of the data. Smoking is the single greatest preventable cause of illness and premature death in England (GBDH 2011) but 1 in 5 adults remain smokers (Robinson and Bugler 2010). Appendix 5.3 shows that the prevalence of smokers is greater in North Tyneside than England. This data could be affected by responder bias as it is self reported and therefore lead to underestimation of the prevalence of smoking. Regular heavy drinking has caused a huge increase in liver disease and is currently the fifth biggest cause of death in England (GBDH 2011). Appendix 5.4 illustrates that the rate of alcohol related hospital admissions in North Tyneside is much higher than the national average. It also shows that the rate of alcohol specific hospital stays for those under 18 in the borough is double that of England. In addition 33% of people were found to binge drink in North Tyneside compared with just 20% in England. Clearly harm from alcohol is a huge concern for the borough. Appendix 5.5 demonstrates the higher rate of under 18 conceptions in North Tyneside than England. Teenage pregnancy is a major social concern as teenage mothers are at increased risk of poverty, poor health and lower educational attainment. They are also considerably less likely to breastfeed and access services (DfE, 2006). The evidence also shows that children born to teenagers have greater chance of experiencing a range of negative outcomes later in life (GBDH, 2008). Breastfeeding has a huge positive impact on the health of both mother and baby (Wilson et al., 1998; Horta et al., 2007; Quigley et al., 2012). But for the past fifty years the UK has had some of the lowest rates of breastfeeding in the world (WHO, 2010) even though UK policy clearly promotes breastfeeding (GBDH, 2003; NICE, 2008; GBDH, 2012). Breastfeeding is a huge factor in promoting public health and reducing health inequalities as there is increasing recognition that women from lower socio-economic groups have decreased rates of breastfeeding. Indeed appendix 5.6 shows breastfeeding statistics for North Tyneside and it is evident that both breastfeeding initiation and prevalence at 6-8 weeks are significantly decreased in the borough compared with nationally. It would be interesting to compare with ward level data however this is currently unavailable. The data is considered accurate however there remain some limitations. For example the initiation data is susceptible to observe r and measurement bias because it based on observation by the midwives or nurses who record the data and interpret whether or not breastfeeding has been initiated. Similarly the number of infants who are totally or partially breastfed at the 6-8 week check is also based on observation so the same bias may arise. The method of data collection also assumes that all infants whose breastfeeding status is unknown are not breastfed resulting in underestimation of its prevalence. Even so it is obvious that low breastfeeding rates are of significant concern for the borough. Step 3 This section will focus on the identification of a health need for action. The concept of need in relation to HNA can be discussed using the frequently quoted taxonomy of need by Bradshaw (1972) which considers: Normative need perceptions of what professionals, experts or commissioners define as need based on available data. Felt need perceptions of what the profiled population feel that they need. Expressed need demand of the profiled population or felt need turned into action. Comparative need the need found by those who receive a service. When selecting a priority for action HNA should balance these different needs (Thurtle, 2008; Cavanagh and Chadwick 2005). Therefore a significant limitation of this HNA is that only normative need is taken into account as only quantitative research is used. The incorporation of qualitative research would address felt, expressed and comparative need and greatly strengthen this HNA. It is evident from step 2 that North Tyneside has many health needs. Those of highest priority appear to be mental health, adult and childhood obesity, smoking, alcohol intake, teenage conceptions and breastfeeding. As an aspiring health visitor the priority that if addressed could have the greatest impact and changeability in my community is breastfeeding. As discussed previously breastfeeding is supported by much evidence for the short and long term health benefits for both mother and baby (UNICEF, 2012). The government recognises the importance of improving initiation and prevalence of breastfeeding and it has been included in the Public Health Outcomes Framework 2013-2015 to encourage the prioritisation of local breastfeeding support. Yet as illustrated in step 2 North Tyneside has extremely poor rates of breastfeeding. There are also more teenage mothers in the borough and wards A and B are areas of extreme deprivation. Research has found that females under 20 demonstrate the lowest incidence of breastfeeding (Infant Feeding Survey, 2010) and that there is a relationship between low rates of breastfeeding and socioeconomic deprivation (Dyson et al., 2010). Current services to promote breastfeeding in North Tyneside include breastfeeding support groups and a breastfeeding coordinator who visits the homes of breastfeeding mothers to provide one on one support. However the support groups are based mainly in more affluent areas and the coordinator has a massive caseload often failing to see many struggling mothers. Perhaps the supporting and influencing of disadvantaged younger mothers would be easier if the NHS embraced the technology that these people use on a daily basis. The proposed action of this HNA is to use social media to engage with hard to reach mothers to provide breastfeeding information and support. Social media is a modern, convenient and cost effective method of communication. Research from OFCOM (2012) showed that in the past year 50% of adults used the internet to access social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter. In addition social networking has now overtaken text messaging as the most used method of communication among 16-24 year olds in the last two years. A study for the NHS Confederation (2012) recommended that health organisations should act immediately to avoid falling behind and to use social media to become communitarians that is, to engage, listen, respond and support communities. There is a significant lack of literature concerning social media and the N HS but Hawker (2010) suggests that some health organisations are starting to become more digitally connected. Still it is clear that a vast amount of further research in this area must be undertaken. In conclusion this HNA has identified breastfeeding as an urgent priority for intervention in my community. The proposed action is to take advantage of social media opportunities in order to engage with young or disadvantaged mothers who require breastfeeding support and advice. Indeed the Health Visitor Implementation Plan (2011) called for more innovative approaches to the profession. Incorporating such a change into health visiting practice would of course be a huge challenge that would require planning, funding and training of staff. But now is the time to develop a new service vision and to embrace these opportunities. This will establish health visiting as a central part of community health, working with families to improve health equity and life chances.

Loneliness to Insanity and Madness in A Rose for Emily and The Yellow W

From Loneliness to Insanity in A Rose for Emily and The Yellow Wall-Paper      Ã‚   In The Second Sex, Simone de Beauvoir states that within a patriarchal society "woman does not enjoy the dignity of being a person; she herself forms a part of the patrimony of a man: first of her father, then of her husband" (82-3). Both Emily Grierson in William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" and the narrator of Charlotte Perkins Gilman's "The Yellow Wall-Paper" are forced into solitude simply because they are women. Emily's father rejects all of her prospective mates; the husband of Gilman's narrator isolates her from stimulation of any kind. Eventually, Emily is a recluse trapped in a deprecated home, and the narrator in Gilman's story is a delusional woman confined to her bed. A study of the characterization and setting of "A Rose for Emily" and "The Yellow Wall-Paper" demonstrates how the oppressive nature of patriarchy drives the women in both stories insane.    The "patrimony of a man" destroys Emily as her father smothers her with his over-protectiveness. He prevents her from courting anyone as "none of the young men were quite good enough for Miss Emily and such" (82). When her father dies, Emily refuses to acknowledge his death; "[W]ith nothing left, she . . . [had] to cling to that which had robbed her" (83). When she finally begins a relationship after his death, she unfortunately falls for Homer Baron who "liked m... ...Jellife. Tokyo: Kenkyusha, 1956.    ---. Faulkner in the University. Ed. Frederick L. Gwynn and Joseph L. Blotner. Charlottesville: U of Virginia P, 1959.    ---. "A Rose for Emily." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 3rd ed. Orlando: Harcourt, 1997. 80-87.    Gilman, Charlotte Perkins. "Why I Wrote 'The Yellow Wall-Paper.'" The Forerunner. October 1913. Online. An American Literature Survey Site. 14 November 1998. Available HTTP: www.cwrl.utexas.edu/~daniel/amlit/index.html    ---. "The Yellow Wall-Paper." Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Ed. Laurie G. Kirszner and Stephen R. Mandell. 3rd ed. Orlando: Harcourt, 1997. 160-73.

Analysis Of Scientific Glass Inventory Management Finance Essay

The products of Scientific Glass include customized and specialized glassware for a variety of organizations such as pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, research labs, quality-control sites and testing facilities. By January 2010, a substantial increase in their inventory balances tied up the capital needed for investment for expansion. The debt-to-capital ratio exceeded the 40% target preventing the company to use their capital in other areas. Also the shipping costs were rising, competitive pressures were speeding up, and certain markets in North America and Europe were becoming saturated which underscored the necessity for capital investment for expanding market opportunities in Latin America and Asia. Moreover, expanding warehousing network increased the inventory levels along with costs, documentation complexities and errors. The company hired a new Manager of Inventory Planning, Ava Beane, to come up with an effective plan to manage SG’ s inventory without requiring a large capital investment. In order to finance operations in year 2010, SG requires an external funding of $53.8 million. These expenses would further limit the company to use their existing capital in other areas such as research and development and expanding to international markets. To improve customer service levels, SG had increased the target customer fill rate to 99% and added six more leased ware houses to meet the demand more accurately. This led to an increase in the inventory levels as some warehouse managers kept extra inventory in order to meet the company target fill rate. Good practices Maintained continued sales growth and higher customer satisfaction Produced creative products with lower life cycle costs Focused on durable products, innovative designs and superior customer services Reduced time between ordering and delivering the products to the customers Bad practices Treated inventory management as an afterthought, due to which inventory imbalances were increasing The company exceeded its target debt to capital ratio of 40% Incurred both underage and overage costs High Inventory Problem Due to increasing in customer service level, SG planned to add regional  warehouses in many parts US. SG has the main and the largest one in Waltham, MA, which is next to manufacturing plant. SG also has another warehouse that located outside of Phoenix, Arizona. However, at the end of 2008, SG bought other six warehouses. This means SG has the total 8 warehouses to serve customers. Annual rental and operation costs for North American warehouses were 15% of the cost of the warehoused inventory. However, in 2006, before add more 6 warehouses, SG already made investment to expand the warehouse at Waltham in anticipation of continued growth, but after these 6 warehouses had been bought, this warehouse does not work full efficiency of its capacity. Another problem of warehouse management is company expected to reach high level of customer service to 99%, so that warehouse managers keep order inventory ahead before it reach threshold of inventory level to order new one to assure that they will meet the customer service target level at 99%. This situation causes high inventory levels than required and also high inventory turnover. Moreover, salespeople were allowed to have its products up to $10,000 worth from ware house and keep them in trunk stock in their homes and cars in order to deliver this inventory on short notice to any customer who was within driving distance. This amount could lead to high finished goods in warehouse and in-transit. It could lead to missing products in inventory, and lost. Proposed solutions to inventory problem In order to solve the inventory issues, two main aspects need to be considered: Number of warehouses and their structure can be changed; Related policies can be changed and more appropriate policies need to be implemented. For changing the number of warehouses, in other words, centralizing or decentralizing warehousing functions, the different options considered are as follows: Centralized warehousing in Waltham: This option uses a single central warehouse near to manufacturing facility at Waltham and will send all customer orders from this one location. Centralized warehousing in Waltham to meet demand in Southeast and Northeast regions used the delivery service of Winged Fleet as their rates are cheaper for these two regions. This would allow SG to pool its inventory in one place in order to meet demand. But the customer response times would  increase Decentralized warehousing: This option considers more number of warehouses rather than having a single centralized warehouse to meet the demand better and reduce customer response time. Continuing with 8 warehouses: This option makes no change on the network of the warehouses and all regions will be supplied its warehouse if there is no stock-out occurs. Two centralized warehouses: In this option, the additional warehouse will be at the west at Phoenix and it will be supplied from Waltham. Demand of east region will be met from Waltham, demand of west region will be met from Phoenix and demand of central region will be met from both warehouses, assuming to have equal shares on the central region. This option may also consider including the warehouse at Dallas In addition to the main warehouse at Waltham. This additional warehouse would be supplied from Waltham. This would allow demand to be met for all other regions and prevent any stock-outs in a single warehouse. Outsourcing the warehousing functions: In this option, all warehousing actions will be outsourced to Global Logistics (GL) and distribution will start from main warehouse at Waltham and then GL will be responsible from rest of the operations. Outsource warehousing to GL to meet demand in the Central, Southwest and Northwest regions because shipping costs for those regions is cheapest with the GL rates. Outsource warehousing to Global Logistics (GL) which will provide a centralized warehousing in Atlanta. Goods will be transported in bulk from Waltham to Atlanta and GL would take responsibility of inventory-control and delivery to the customers. This way SG would not have to bear the warehouse rental charges and could focus on increasing sales and develop newer products to meet customer needs. Evaluation of the proposed solutions Having proposed certain options for inventory management, the evaluation of the different options needs to be evaluated using certain parameters to arrive at a conclusion on which would be comparatively the better option to be followed for scientific glass. Evaluation of different options will be conducted based on the following five parameters: Transportation costs, Average inventory levels, Time responsiveness, Fill rates and Additional costs and benefits Since all the products of scientific glass can be arrived out based on the analysis of its 2 products namely Griffin and Erlenmeyer, since they are mentioned as the best representative for a total of nearly 3000 products of Scientific Glass, all the parameters are analyzed for these products to arrive at a conclusion. Transportation Costs: Transportation costs for different options would be calculated for the two products, namely Griffin and Erlenmeyer. In addition, for each option, demand for the next year calculated considering the 20% increase in sales. When warehouse to customer shipments are considered average shipment weight of 19, 5 pound is used and to have an average transportation cost value, these two products’ costs are averaged according to their relative proportion in sales. Inter-warehouse transshipments occur only when stock-out occurs and as the numbers of warehouses are decreasing, effect of these costs will be diminished; therefore, it is only considered in the option where there are 8 warehouses. Option Transportation cost($) Centralized warehouse – all customer shipments are calculated for rates of Winged Fleet 12210, 16 8 warehouses- having 8 warehouses and making no change, from Waltham to all other 7 warehouses all items are sent by bulk shipment. Inter-warehouse transshipments are calculated by bulk shipment rates and they are considered only when a stock-out occurs, therefore fill rate is included in these calculations 2701, 41 2 warehouses – , when two centralized warehouses considered, it is assumed that Waltham will supply east region, Phoenix will supply will west region and they will equally supply the central region 2332, 07 Outsourcing – when warehousing functions are outsourced, assuming the 5 regions of Global Logistics (GL) will have equal amount of demand 2276, 83 To conclude, as it is expected, when numbers of warehouses are decreased transportation costs are increased. From the aspect of transportation costs, GL option has the smallest cost amount. Average Inventory Levels: The inventory policy to be used by the company needs to be decided. Begin with the review type; although firm monitors the entire inventory transfers from Waltham warehouse to other warehouses; they think taking physical counts of inventory at all warehouses. Therefore, it is concluded that company uses periodic inventory review policy. Company did not mention any due date, therefore the inventory plans should consider infinite time horizon. Though there exists a fixed cost for shipments from warehouses to customers; there is no other fixed cost related to transportation to the warehouses, i.e. no fixed ordering cost. The only order cost is $0.40 per pound bulk shipment cost which is a variable cost with weight. As a result, all analysis can be conducted considering critical ratios and the related fill rate values, which is the only option that is left and also it is considered as the most applicable to the situation. Since some of the simultaneous changes can be done, considering ce teris paribus principle and when fill rate is maintained exactly as 99% for all warehouses, we can calculate the average inventory level that must be kept at warehouses. Weighted-average biweekly inventory levels are found as: 8 warehouses : 98853 2 warehouses : 68034 1 warehouse : 59703 Outsourcing : 59703 When outsourcing option is used, it will be the same for the company in the sense of kept inventory levels for the one-centralized-warehouse option therefore they are assumed to be equal. As number of warehouse decreases, level of inventory decreases as it is expected. This is because, â€Å"the greater the degree of collaboration, the lower the uncertainty (standard  deviation of the error or coefficient of variation) of the demand model† This implies that the money tied up in the inventory decreases and this extra capital can be used in other areas, like expansion plans to international markets Based on average inventory levels, either single centralized warehouse or outsourcing gives equal results. Time Responsiveness: Delivery system of the company compensates 2 weeks of shipment cycles including the stock-out situations. In order to be a market leader, differentiation on this subject is also needed and unfortunately since this is not an exact quantitative scale, only possible situations could be mentioned. For having one centralized, or two centralized or 8 decentralized warehouse options, they all include at most 3 days ready to shipment duration and Winged Fleet’s delivery time of at most 3 days if there is no stock-out situation and the stock-out probabilities are diminishing with the aggregated demands. On the other hand, GL has 1-day premium shipment in addition to 3-day regular shipments. Considering the highly growing market situation and different segment of products, having different delivery times to different products and also to different customers will make this company focus on the most yielding areas. Therefore, it can be said that working with GL has the advantage of differ entiating customers/orders and, since there will be 2 warehouses, stock-out probability and related durations will be less compared to other options. And all of these aspects will increase the time responsiveness of the company. Additional Costs and Benefits: Quantitative issues to related to options of inventory management In order to continue with the current 8 warehouses total of $10M investment is necessary, it is assumed that all of this amount will be equally shared among all warehouses. Since warehouse operating costs will be the 15% of the total warehoused inventory, these costs could be directly compared with the annual average inventory levels that are kept in each option The amount paid to sales forces will not change when the company has 1, 2 or 8 warehouses because it is assumed that as the number of warehouses decreased, number of salesperson per warehouse will increase and total number of sales persons will not change. On the other hand, when warehousing is outsourced this  amount will not be paid Qualitative issues to related to options of inventory management. When GL is used for warehousing, SG’s senior managers will be able to focus on increasing sales, marketing issues and developing next generation of products. Stopping the practice of trunk stock could lead to a decrease in the time responsiveness and therefore it should not be stopped. Improving the controlling systems will create a better understanding of the current situation after the warehousing functions changed. Finally, when GL is used, the approach of warehouse managers to keep more than 99% fill rate and 60-day-supply will not be a problem, because all of these operating issues will be responsibility of GL. This will help to company not to keep excessive amount of inventory and less tied-up money in the inventory which can be used in other areas. Fill Rate: Company’s fill rate policy should also be calculated for the different options. The company replaced the earlier fill rate policy of 93%, which is only marginally better that the industry average fill rate of 92%, with 99%. However, there is no sign that the company is implementing this policy because it is the best approach that must be taken for the company objectives. Moreover, using a fill rate higher than optimal level leads to higher inventories and more money tied up in the inventory. Therefore, company should lower the rates down to optimal levels, if there is no other concern related to market leadership or customer satisfaction. To calculate the optimal levels of fill rates for all four options the cost items which are added to underage and overage costs also needs to be considered. The underage costs are 10% of the gross margin and overage costs are 0.6% of the unit cost of any product. Also it is assumed that unit costs covers all the costs such as warehouse rental and operation costs, cost of capital and inventory write-offs. For the three options other than outsourcing, there is no change in cost items, only the multiplied quantities are changed; but the outsourcing alternative eliminates the 15% warehouse rental and operating costs and 1% inventory write-offs. As a result, overage costs are decreased while underage costs are increased. Resulting optimal fill rates are as follows: 1, 2, or 8 warehouses Outsourcing Griffin 95.4% 96.5% Erlenmeyer 94.9% 96.1% These numbers can be interpreted in two different ways: If company is flexible about the determination of fill rate, in other words if it can lower the fill-rates from 99% to optimal levels, outsourcing option pushes the optimal fill rates to higher levels which results in larger inventories and more money to tie up. If the company still insists on keeping fill rate at 99%, the additional costs that must be paid to maintain 99% fill-rate level is lowered in the outsourcing alternative. Consequently, the better policy related to fill rates depend on the attitude of the company. Finally, another policy change about fill-rates can be considered. Rather than using one fill-rate for over all products of the company, different rates for different products can help the company in decreasing inventory costs related to, at least, for some of the products. Conclusion To conclude, since available options are studied from different aspects, it must be mentioned that the company should choose the alternatives and compare the results of evaluations according to their priorities. For instance, evaluation criteria like inventory levels and transportation costs are conflicting on interests. Company can see their situation and make decisions according to priorities. While assessing the weights for factors, it is considered that average inventory level and the transportation costs are the most important costs for the company. Then, the fill rate follows them. Time responsiveness is the next important factor which is followed by additional costs and benefits with equal weights for each. Changes in warehouse management are considered as options other than outsourcing do not provide radical policy changes which could make warehousing management better. These weights and the scores related to the investigations yield that the outsourcing the warehousing  function to Global Logistics is the best alternative among all. All of investigations and cost studies conducted are to find the most cost effective option in order to getting closer to the target debt to capital ratio of the company and provide more capital to fund expansion into new international markets while maintaining or even improving the high customer satisfaction level

The cult of Stalin and the purges Essay Example

The cult of Stalin and the purges Essay Example The cult of Stalin and the purges Paper The cult of Stalin and the purges Paper How far do you agree with this opinion? There is little doubt that Joseph Stalin made drastic and continual efforts to retain his supreme power during the 1930s. The two main methods and perhaps the most memorable are the great purges (otherwise known as the great terror) and the cult of Stalin. Although Stalin had been triumphant in the power struggle against Leon Trotsky in 1929, rather than alleviating his insecurities, Stalin became increasingly paranoid. It seems that the more power and control he gained over Russia and its people, the more irrational and mistrustful he became. This was more than likely because he had more to lose and this encouraged him to instigate a more brutal and controlling regime. Other examples of his vindictive rule were the purging of kulaks during collectivisation and the excessive demands he made during industrialisation and the five-year plans. He also conducted purges targeted at Bolshevik opposition. He insisted on members reapplying for their membership to the party using excuses like corruption, drunkenness and being politically inactive to dismiss them, thus frightening members into submission. This was because if they lost their party cards they could lose their jobs, which ultimately meant they lost their homes, their privileged rations and public status. At the time, Stalin was the General Secretary and consequently controlled whose memberships were renewed and as a result any member suspected of betrayal or opposing his policies had their membership revoked. Although Stalin gained a great deal of success via industrialisation, collectivisation and the five-year plans, he ultimately acquired many enemies due to the suffering and numerous deaths caused during these policies. Owing to Stalins extreme tactics, party members began to oppose his policies and ultimately repudiated him, this included Sergei Kirov who until now had been devoted to Stalin. Stalin was all too aware of this mounting threat! Stalin viewed Kirov as his proti gi and in 1926 he rewarded Kirovs loyalty by appointing him as Head of the Leningrad Party. In 1930, Kirov was elected to join the Politburo and eventually he became one of the leading figures of the party. [1] During the Seventeenth Party Congress, held in February 1934, Kirov gained the fewest negative votes, giving him an advantage over Stalin in the contest for the party leadership and for this reason Stalins aides fixed the vote to ensure a draw between the two candidates. Due to this result, the position of General Secretary was abolished and Kirov and Stalin shared the position of Secretary of Equal Rank. Knowing that his proti. was favoured above him caused an increase in Stalins mistrust of his clique because even those he trusted and depended on were beginning to show signs of desertion. Over the next five years 1,108 of the 1,966 delegates who had attended the Seventeenth Party Congress were arrested, seventy of whom were tried in public while the rest were tried in secret before being executed or sent to the Gulags (labour camps). [2] On 1st December 1934, a young party member named Leonid Nikolayev murdered Kirov, in the Smolny Institute, in Leningrad and was consequently arrested and executed. To this day there is still a mystery surrounding Kirovs assassination as there were few actual witnesses to the event. This means that historians can only speculate with regard to what actually took place during this significant event. Although Nikolayev was arrested, there are varied theories about who led the conspiracy behind the assassination, one conjecture being Stalin himself was involved, although no solid evidence has ever been found to prove this. To destabilize this belief Stalin portrayed Trotsky as the culprit, giving him the pretext to introduce a series of anti-terrorist measures and to purge the party of so-called Trotskyites and Zinovievites, including Gregory Zinoviev himself, Lev Kamenev and 14 other party members, who were arrested by Genrikh Yagoda the Head of the NKVD (secret police), tried and executed. [3][4] As a result of Kirovs death and the betrayal Stalin had encountered during the period surrounding the assassination, Stalin began enforcing the great purges. The first phase began in 1935 and was devised to rid the Party of any political opponents or threats. The first show trial was held in August 1936 and heralded the beginning of the great purges. The show trials were held in public to generate public humiliation for the defendants, to illustrate consequences to other potential rivals and to convey the threat of conspiracies against the government, thus resulting in fear amongst the nation. They were also open to western journalists and were intended to show the world communist justice. The great purges gave Stalin tremendous control over people, mostly through fear alone. There was a constant threat of being purged from the party, show tried and executed or sent to the Gulags. Gulags were labour camps, placed in remote areas of Russia (e. g. Siberia), where conditions were so horrific nobody would ever choose to work there of their own freewill. The prisoners were subjected to severe weather conditions, abuse by guards, long working hours and insufficient food and clothing. Prisoners were exploited as lumber jacks, for construction and mining to achieve targets set for industrialisation and the five-year-plans. Most of the prisoners sent there eventually died from hunger, exhaustion, ill health or maltreatment before the end of their usually long sentences. [5] Stalins second phase of the great purges was aimed at the Russian people, rather than party members alone and was identified as Yezhovshchina, named after Nikolai Yezhov (Head of the NKVD). Yezhov was appointed in September 1936 in place of Yagoda who had failed to obtain enough evidence to convict Bukharin and was consequently discharged. Yezhov quickly arranged the arrest of all the leading political figures in the Soviet Union who were critical of Stalin. [6] During this purge, a tell tale society was formed, encouraging people to denounce fellow citizens, creating mistrust among the nation. Informants mostly denounced citizens such as the intellectuals, for instance artists, writers, and journalists, who were more likely to pose as a threat to Stalin. A quota system was enforced commanding the NKVD to make a designated number of arrests and the full quota had to be achieved. As a result it is likely that a large number of accusations had been invented by the NKVD to fulfil the quota and that many of those arrested had not actually committed any crimes against the State. Among those arrested, 28% were to be shot and the remainder would be forced into Gulags. Official figures suggest that between January 1935 and June 1941, 19. 8 million people were arrested by the NKVD. An estimated seven million of these prisoners were executed. [7] Although Stalin instigated the great purges there are indications that suggest the NKVD intensified the demands and infiltrated their own desires into the modus operandi. Everyone was a potential victim during this phase of the purges. The NKVD massacred kulaks, priests, former members of anti-Bolshevik armies, those who had been abroad or had relatives abroad, immigrants and even citizens. [8] The second show trial was held in January 1937, in which seventeen people stood accused, among them were Karl Radek, Yuri Piatakov and Grigory Sokolnikov. Thirteen of the defendants were executed, while the remainder were sent to the Gulags. The third show trial, held in March 1938, involved 21 defendants allegedly belonging to the Bloc of Rightists and Trotskyites, whose leaders consisted of Nikolai Bukharin, Alexei Rykov, Genrikh Yagoda (former Head of the NKVD), Christian Rakovsky and Nikolai Krestinsky, all of whom were executed. The third phase of the great purges began in the spring of 1937 and was led by the NKVD which targeted the armed forces. Previously, many of the Red Army officers had been officers under the Tsarist regime and during Lenins rule had been forged into the Red Army by Trotsky, causing Stalin to fear that they would turn against him and form a military dictatorship as an alternative government to his style of communism. Officers were by now living in fear of World War II breaking out and because they had earned their ranks on merit and had not bought them, they did not feel they owed Stalin any loyalty, increasing his fear of a military coup. Fearing a rebellion, Stalin began purging officers (1937-1938) and in particular he targeted Marshall Mikhail Tukhachevsky, who was Chief of The General Staff. Tukhachevsky was potentially a major rival as he had previously worked under Lenin and was now in control of all the armed forces (i. e. army, navy and air force) and was very popular with the troops. In all, the NKVD purged the armed forces of eighteen Army War Commissars who were all shot, five Marshals of the Soviet Union, three of whom were shot (including Tukhachevsky), 80 Officers of the Supreme Military Council, 75 of whom were executed, sixteen army commanders, fourteen of whom were shot, 280 divisional colonels, of whom two thirds were killed, 70,000 commissioned officers, half of whom were killed or imprisoned, all the Navy Admirals were executed and only one air force officer survived. Altogether thousands of other officers were executed or imprisoned, spying for Germany or Japan was amongst the most common of accusations against officers and because of the amount of executions in all three forces they were left severely undermanned. The few newly appointed officers left were inexperienced and incompetent as leaders, causing major disarray in the Soviet Unions armed forces. It has been claimed that Tukhachevsky (Marshal of the Soviet Union) was executed as part of a secret fourth trial, held in June 1937, in which he stood accused before a military tribunal of a group of Red Army generals. However, the evidence presented against the accused was almost nonexistent and convictions relied on confessions extracted through torture and threats against family members. [9] One of Stalins cunning tactics to achieve this purge without mutiny was to switch officers among regiments. This might have appeared impractical but he knew the troops trusted their officers and when confronted with a new officer, who they did not know or trust, the troops didnt dispute any accusations made against them or their colleagues because they feared condemnation. By late 1938, the great purges had achieved its purpose and the mass arrests were stopped. Stalin had carried out a complete renovation of the Communist Party and had brought in people owing their loyalty to him. His rule was now unchallenged, but in liquidating key elements of the society he had devastated the country and left it badly prepared for the apparent onset of World War II. [10] As a result of the previous purges there was insufficient demand for the NKVD, as most threats to Stalin had already been eradicated. This alarmed Yezhov, who feared he and his squadron would lose their jobs and as a consequence he began inciting Stalins paranoia. Nevertheless, he became a target of his own doing when an informant accused him of being a British agent and of killing innocent people resulting in his arrest, a trial (held in 1939) and ultimately execution. Whilst the purges were about ridding the party of opposition, the Cult of Stalin was more about brainwashing the nation into worshipping Stalin as an Idol. His campaign included ordering all propaganda (e. g.photos, leaflets) to be altered, to enhance Stalin so that he would stand out as a hero and to make him appear to be a significant role in the Revolution. Towns, streets and prizes were renamed in his honour, statues of him were erected and pet names such as Brilliant Genius of Humanity were applied to him. [11] Anyone he suspected as a potential rival was erased from literature, documents and photos. This was especially true of Trotsky. Trotskys role was censored from history books to conceal the fact that he had ever existed or taken part in the Revolution. This provided Stalin with a role to step into and gave credence to his assertion that he had never encountered any major contenders for his supremacy. These tactics gave the appearance that Stalin was in complete control and that nobody disagreed with him, only worshipped him. Stalin achieved celebrity status among the nation and to an extent around the world. There is no question that Stalin used the Great Purges and the Cult of Stalin to retain his supreme power. However, the reasons for Stalin becoming more controlling are debatable. Some historians claim he was seeking notoriety (the great man theory), some believe he suffered from mental illness and others regard him as a dictator. The fact that he used such brutal, calculating and extreme tactics suggests to me that he would go to any lengths to meet his aspirations and would on no account allow anyone, regardless of the cost to the nation, to compromise his aim for control of the State. With each purge he exceeded the limits of the previous purge, becoming even more powerful, yet more and more paranoid. Whether Stalin needed to go to such extreme lengths to conceal his enemies and cultivate such an iconic persona of himself, is still questionable. In order to have been able to accomplish such campaigns, Stalin must have already possessed a great deal of control and support. To this day some people regard him as an icon and believe his brutality was justified to turn the Soviet Union into a modern and industrialised State. In 1953 indication of a Doctors plot emerged alleging that nine Kremlin doctors were engaged in a plot to assassinate Stalin and other political leaders. As a result Stalin commanded Lavrenti Beria, the new Head of the NKVD, to purge the Communist Party of candidates for his leadership. However, on 2nd March Stalin suffered a brain haemorrhage resulting in the plan being terminated. [12] To this day, events surrounding his death have been shrouded with enigma as it has been claimed that the night before the haemorrhage, his guards were given orders, from Stalin himself, to retire for the night and not to disturb him. When he did not rise the next day at his usual time, the guards became concerned but did not interrupt him as they feared the repercussions of disobeying the dictator. That evening one of the guards was ordered to enter Stalins room to investigate and on entry he found Stalin lying on the floor, paralysed, soon after he slipped into a coma. The guard summoned the senior party men of the Politburo and family members to the Dacha, Stalins favourite holiday home. His daughter, Svetlana Alliluyevas testimony claims that after 3 days (5th March 1953) Stalin briefly regained consciousness, looked around the room, raised his hand and pointed upwards as if bringing down a curse upon us all and then he died. [13] Conversely, due to the tardiness of the Politburo in calling for medical assistance, the Russian historian Edvard Radzinski asserts that Stalin was injected with poison by the guard Khrustalev, under the orders of his master (KGB chief, Lavrenty Beria to prevent Russia participating in the initiation of World War III. [14] In the end it was Stalins own paranoia and tyranny that led to his demise. Bibliography Clare, John D. , Russia 1971-1941: Stalins Terror (Greenfield History Site, 2002/2008) johndclare. net/Russ12. htm [accessed on 11 May 2008]Grant, Jim, Stalin and the Soviet Union (1998; repr. London: Addison Wesley Longman Limited, 2003) Internal Workings of the Soviet System: The Gulag (Library of Congress) loc. gov/exhibits/archives/gula. html [accessed on 2 June 2008] Knight, Amy, Great Purge (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 1997-2008) http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761588286/great_purge. html [accessed on 11 May 2008] Krushelnycky, Leonida, The Last Mystery of Stalin (BBC: Radio 4, 2000) Online http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/europe/2793501. stm [accessed on 20 May 2008]. Lee, Stephen J. , Questions and analysis in history: Stalin and the Soviet Union (London: Routledge, 1999) Mawdsley, Evan, The Stalin Years: The Soviet Union 1929-1953, 2nd edn (1998; repr. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2001) Oxley, Peter, Oxford advanced history: Russia 1855-1991: From Tsars to Commissars (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001) Service, Robert, A history of twentieth century Russia (London: Penguin Group, 1997) Siegel, Paul, The Last Years of Stalin and Trotsky (Socialist Action, 2001) Sources: 62: Khrushchev, 631, 63: Alliluyeva, 10. Online socialistaction. org/news/200103/last. html [accessed on 16 May 2008] Simkin, John, The Soviet Union: 1920-45 (Spartacus Educational, 1997) www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk [accessed on 10 May 2008] , Russian Revolution: 1917-20 (Spartacus Educational, 1997) www. spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk [accessed on 10 May 2008] Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr I. , Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: vol. 1, (Colorado: West.View Press, 1998) p. 408. Online gendercide. org/case_stalin. html [accessed on 19 May 2008]. Subtelny, Orest, Ukraine A History, 2nd edn (University of Toronto Press, 1993), pp. 420-421. Online brama. com/ukraine/history/greatpurge/index. html [accessed on 22 May 2008] Westwood, J. N. , The short Oxford history of the modern world: Endurance and endeavour: Russian history 1812-1986, 3rd edn (1973; repr. New York: Oxford university Press, 1987) Whitlock, Martin, Questions in history: Stalins Russia (London: Collins Educational, 1997) Wood, Alan, Stalin and Stalinism (1990; repr. London: Routledge, 2002). 1 Simkin, John, Sergei Kirov, Online spartacus. schoolnet. co. uk/RUSkirov. htm 2 Simkin, Communist Secret Police: NKVD, Online /RUSnkvd. htm 3 Mawdsley, Evan, The Stalin Years: The Soviet Union 1929-1953, 2nd edn (1998; repr. Manchester: Manchester University Press, 2001) pp. 98-99 4 Wood, Alan, Stalin and Stalinism (1990; repr. London: Routledge, 2002)pp. 36-37 5 Internal Workings of the Soviet System: The Gulag (Library of Congress) loc. gov/exhibits/archives/gula. html [accessed on 2 June 2008] 6 Simkin, Communist Secret Police: NKVD, Online /RUSnkvd. htm 7. IBID 8 Subtelny, Orest, Ukraine A History, 2nd edn (University of Toronto Press, 1993), pp. 420-421. Online brama. com/ukraine/history/greatpurge/index. html [accessed on 22 May 2008] 9 Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr I. , Gulag Archipelago, 1918-1956: vol. 1, (Colorado: West View Press, 1998) p. 408. Online gendercide. org/case_stalin. html [accessed on 19 May 2008] 10 Knight, Amy, Great Purge (Microsoft Encarta Online Encyclopedia 1997-2008) http://encarta. msn. com/encyclopedia_761588286/great_purge.html [accessed on 11 May 2008] 11 Simkin, Russian Revolutionaries 1914-20: Joseph Stalin, Online /RUSstalin. htm 12 Wood, Alan, Stalin and Stalinism, p. 58 13 Siegel, Paul, The Last Years of Stalin and Trotsky (Socialist Action, 2001) Sources: 62: Khrushchev, 631, 63: Alliluyeva, 10. Online socialistaction. org/news/200103/last. html [accessed on 16 May 2008] 14 Krushelnycky, Leonida, The Last Mystery of Stalin (BBC: Radio 4, 2000) Online http://news. bbc. co. uk/1/hi/world/europe/2793501. stm [accessed on 20 May 2008].

Concept of Living Constitution in Essential of American Government Root and Reforms a Book by OConnor, Yanus and Sabato

Concept of Living Constitution in Essential of American Government Root and Reforms a Book by OConnor, Yanus and Sabato O’Connor, Yanus and Sabato, in their book (Essential of American Government: Root and Reforms), described the concept of the ‘living constitution’ as a document that is flexible and has the ability to change. During the development of the constitution, there was need to consider the changing society over time.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Concept of Living Constitution in â€Å"Essential of American Government: Root and Reforms† a Book by O’Connor, Yanus and Sabato specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, the constitution had to be made in such a way as to allow its evolution in order to accommodate the needs of the society. It is also argued that the constitution was written intentionally to be flexible and broad. This was in order to allow for technological and social changes that occur over time. Thomas Jefferson argued that institutions and laws must not lag behind as chang es occur in the human mind. He suggested that people become more enlightened and more developed. New discoveries are made and new ideas and truths unfolded. Therefore, there was need to accommodate these changes of circumstances in order to keep pace with them (Scalia and Gutmann 133). He explained how it was impossible for a grown man to fit into the coat that he once wore as a boy. The constitution may be described as a living document in three ways. Firstly, it may be viewed as living due to the way in which formal amendment are made. It could also be said to be living based on the informal amendment process. The custom, tradition and usage of the constitution also make it a living document. The formal amendment process describes how changes are made to the document. There are two ways in which an amendment may be proposed and two ways in which it may be ratified. These methods have been highlighted in Article V of the constitution (Goldford 150). This section has played an impor tant role since it has allowed Congress to enact an amendment. Since a three-fourths majority of the votes is required for the amendment to be approved, it ensures that the Congress remains honest. This has also kept it constantly growing. Informal amendments can also be made on the constitution in various ways. Congress may pass them as basic legislations. They can also result from court decisions or executive agreements. The Congress may pass legislations as it desires. Executive agreements, which are contracts made between the head of state and head of foreign states, are used by the president when he needs to deal with foreign issues (Rehnquist 473). Court decision have for a long time been used to make constitutional changes in that they have led to the coming up of new laws.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More The customs, traditions and the various ways in which the constitution was used in the past have greatly shaped the activities today. An example of a custom that has dictated how certain things are done today is the delivering of the State of Union Address annually. It is usually done at almost the same time every year. However, there is nowhere in the constitution where the individual responsible should do it at a particular time and in the presence of the press. However, it has traditionally been done that way and it has become a custom. Changes have also arisen from the use of certain portions of the legislation. A good example is the War Powers Resolution of 1973. It has never been formally enforced. Only parts of it have been used occasionally. Not a single president has stood completely by the resolution’s provisions. Another application of the living constitution may be in the reference made by the Supreme Court (James 49). In the eighth amendment, it talks of ‘evolving standards of decency’. It defines the c onstitution in broad terms. Therefore, it states that the court shall interpret the situation with the current societal conditions in mind. It recognizes that the society is constantly changing and so are the standards of decency. Constitutional Amendments O’Connor, Yanus and Sabato also discussed the several amendments to the U.S. constitution (350). Some of these amendments were not passed due to one reason or the other. One the amendments proposed to the U.S. Constitution was the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA). This amendment was proposed with the promise of guaranteeing equal rights for the women (Nicholson 254). It was meant to take effect two years after its ratification. It was originally composed by Alice Paul and was brought to the Congress. Several decades after it was first introduced to the Congress, it passed both houses of Congress (Moore 78). It was then taken for ratification in the state legislatures. However, it failed to get the required number of ratificatio ns before the deadline. In addition to this, conservatives opposed the Equal Rights Amendment (Mansbridge 79). Therefore, it failed to be adopted. I would support this amendment since I believe in gender equality. I believe that men and women should be treated equally unless there is a sound biological reason to warrant different treatment. The government should provide equality in law and ensure that there is equality when it comes to social situations. Both men and women should have equal democratic rights. In terms of employment, both should also be paid equally for equal work and have the same opportunities when it comes to growth (training) and promotions. Women should also be allowed to pursue careers and get into positions that have always been occupied by the men. In many countries, women have been allowed to serve in the army. Some work in the police force and fire departments. Women should also have equal opportunities when it comes to the occupation of political positions or top management positions in organizations.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Concept of Living Constitution in â€Å"Essential of American Government: Root and Reforms† a Book by O’Connor, Yanus and Sabato specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Gender equality should be observed in all aspects including the home setting. For example, activities such as cleaning, childcare and nursing should not be considered as exclusively the women’s. Men are equal to the task and should take responsibility. The Equal Rights Amendment should have been passed in order to ensure equality of both men and women. The Every Vote Counts Amendment was another proposed amendment in the U.S. It was meant to change the way in which the president and the vice president are put into power. It provided for the popular election of the two individuals (Bugh 32). Therefore, this would mean that an electoral system is used in place of the Electoral College (Edwards 122). The two positions would be filled by the individuals who gunner the most votes from the citizens. Citizens from the different states and the district would elect a leader of their choice. The Electoral College have for a long time elected the president and vice president of the United States. I favour the passing of this amendment because the process in which the president and vice president are put in power is credible and appropriate. The choice of the leaders of a particular country should be made by the individuals to be led. This means that the citizens are the ones to select their own leaders. The Electoral College is made up of few individuals who may not necessarily represent the desires of the entire population. Therefore, all the citizens should be given the opportunity to vote in the leaders of their choice. This way, they would be responsible for the kind of leadership that the elected persons exercise. Voting should be regarded as the right of every individual. Federalism The American government was initially thought to be run under the system of federalism (Kelly, Harbison, and Belz 321). This is a term that was derived from the Federalists. It expressed the idea that the governmental power was divided between different units. These included the central government (national authority) and the states. There are several forms of federalism described by O’Connor and her colleagues. Some of them include cooperative federalism, fiscal federalism, dual federalism, new federalism and creative federalism. Dual federalism This is the theory of shared power in the U.S. government. The federal constitutional law assumes that power is divided into two different spheres. One of the spheres of power is in the possession of the federal government. The other belongs to each of the states.Advertising Looking for essay on political sciences? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Both spheres are equally powerful and are limiting to the other. In this case, the provisions of the constitution are interpreted and applied differently in such a way as to give authority to the governments within the particular sphere (O’Connor, Yanus and Sabato 247). However, it also works in such a way as to limit its power over the other. Fiscal Federalism This involves the division of the functions of the public sector and funds among the various parts of the government. There is an emphasis on the need for improved performance of the public sector. Proper alignment of the fiscal instruments is also required. A focus and the maximization of welfare are important to the optimization of jurisdictional authority. However, economic considerations only cannot be enough to ensure optimal jurisdictional authority. Political considerations must also be considered since it helps shape the fiscal relations between governments in most of the federations. Creative Federalism This f orm of federalism was popular during the 1960s. One of its characteristics was that the federal government was responsible for the determination of the states’ needs (Lowi 147). During this period, the federal government served the state directly and provided its needs, which included social services. There was need for liaison between federal government and the state government in order to plan how to achieve the set objectives. Cooperative Federalism This form of federalism assumes that the state and federal governments have equal power. The local, state and national governments work together to solve common issues (Hills 907). New Federalism This was created in order to ensure devolution of power. This form was deemed necessary after the state governments lost power. Loss of power was associated with the enforcement of civil rights in U.S. and President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal (Zavodnyik 166). There was a push and pull between the states and the federal govern ment and this prompted for some change in policies. It led to the transfer of power back to the local and state governments. It involved the provision of block grants by the federal government. Revenue sharing was also returned to the lesser governments. Civil Rights and Liberties O’Connor, Yanus and Sabato mentioned the rights and liberties enjoyed by every American. However, some have been jeopardized today. One of the rights of the American people that have been jeopardized recently is the rights to privacy (communications privacy). This may be seen in the way the private communications of innocent citizens are intercepted by law enforcement agents. The USA Patriot Act, in particular has led to such violations. The act came about in response to the September 11th terrorist attacks. This act reduced the restrictions placed on agencies as they gathered intelligence within the United States. It also allowed for the deporting and detaining of immigrants who were thought to hav e terrorist intent. Therefore, there was an enhanced domestic security against terrorism. This led to the enhancement of surveillance procedures by the particular bodies. Surveillance and wiretapping were extensively used and at some point caused conflict. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, for example, opposed the surveillance of packet switched networks. This is because the content in the address information would be exposed. There was also expansion in search warrants as the FBI could access voicemails. Only a search warrant was required in order for one to get access. The agents could also perform a ‘sneak and peek’ search. This was to be done without prior notice. This notice also prevented anyone from resisting any search even if it was wrongfully done. These practices threatened the citizen’s individual liberties since they thought it was ironic that their freedom was shacked and yet the main terrorists (such as Osama) walked freely. I chose to dis cuss this issue because it is controversial. From the book by O’Connor, Yanus and Sabato, I have learnt that the efforts of the government to safeguard the United States from terrorism have come with a cost and the citizens are the ones to pay. Going through people’s voicemails and emails infringes the right to privacy and this should not be the case. Another right that has been in jeopardy is the freedom of speech. The Democracy Is Strengthened by Casting Light On Spending in Elections Act (DISCLOSE) was opposed by several parties since it jeopardised the citizen’s rights and liberties (Kiang and Murray 41). This bill was introduced in order to prohibit foreign corporations from influencing the election results through campaigns (Kolodny 154). This meant that the corporations were not allowed to make political contributions or provide access to certain information (financial) to its members or the public. This, in a way, restricts some institutions from exercis ing their rights (free speech). Just as the American citizens were starting to express their rights to free speech, the democrats geared up for a vote on the new bill that would undermine the First Amendment. With the amendment of the bill, the playing field would not be levelled since the opposition would have been literally silenced. The funny thing is that the amendments were to be made only five months to the elections. This bill was opposed and criticised by the American Civil Liberties Union. This was due to its ability to cause unnecessary damage to the freedom of speech rights (Warburton 176). In addition to this, it did not consider protecting the privacy of the citizens. One of the negative impacts that would have been caused by this is the lack of donor anonymity. Some opposed it arguing that it would violate the principle of fairness and equality. I chose to discuss this case since freedom of speech should be enjoyed by every citizen in the United States of America. From what I have learnt from the course, I can rightfully say that laws that act in such a way as to prevent free speech should not be passed. Bugh, Gary. Representation in Congressional efforts to amend the presidential election system. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishers, 2010. Print. Edwards, George. Why the electoral college is bad for America (second edition). New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2011. Print. Goldford, Dennis. The American constitution and the debate over originalism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2005. Print. Hills, Roderick. â€Å"The political economy of cooperative federalism: Why state autonomy makes sense and dual sovereignty doesn’t.† Michigan Law Review 64.4 (1998): 813-944. Print. James, Leanoard. The Supreme Court in American Life. Chicago: Scott Foreman, 1964. Print. Kelly, Alfred, Winfred Harbison, and Herman Belz. The American constitution: Its origins and development (7th ed.). New York: W.W. Norton Co., 1991. Print. Ki ang, Mathias, and Andrew Murray. Human rights in the digital age. New York: Routledge, 2005. Print. Kolodny, Robin. The Several elections of 1824 – Congress the Presidency. Washington, D.C.: American University, 1996. Print. Lowi, Teri. The end of the republican Era. Oklahoma: University of Oklahoma Press, 2006. Print. Mansbridge, Jane. Why we lost the ERA. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986. Print. Moore, John. Congressional Quarterly’s guide to U.S. Elections. Washington, D.C.: Congressional Quarterly. Inc., 1985. Print. Nicholson, Zoe. The hungry heart – A woman’s fast for justice. Newport Beach: Lune Soleil Press, 2004. Print. O’Connor, Karen, Alixandra Yanus, and Larry Sabato. Essential of American Government: Root and Reforms, 2011 Edition (10th ed.). New York: Longman, 2011. Print. Rehnquist, William. â€Å"The notion of a living constitution.† Texas Law Review 693.54 (1976): 344-511. Print. Scalia, Antonin, and Amy Gutmann. A matter of interpretation: Federal courts and the law. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998. Print. Warburton, Nigel. Free speech: A very short introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009. Print. Zavodnyik, Peter. The rise of the federal colossus: The growth of federal power from Lincoln to F.D.R. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO, 2011. Print.