The assignment - Background information - You are the financial Essay

The assignment - Background information - You are the financial director of a large, ficticious company called Manac plc, which - Essay Example The target profit of the company is not being achieved and as a result of that it is impacting the entire organization. The company has also adopted several cost cutting methods, which impacted the production and reduced competitive advantage of the firm. The report will mainly focus on three areas of strategic management accounting. In the first part, it will mainly emphasize on the models and concepts on pricing decision. In the second part, the study will primarily focus on role of standard costing and variance analysis in management accounting. The third part is about uncovering the pros and cons of activity based costing. The report will then conduct an in depth analysis of the strategic management accounting. On the basis of that a conclusion will be drawn and some recommendations will be made. Models and Concepts on Pricing Decision The organization is currently dealing or facing challenge pertaining to the issue of profit maximization. The problem is that company is not achie ving its target profit. According to several authors, maximization of profit is only possible only when the organizations are able to implement the models and concepts used in pricing decision. ... In order to cite an example, if the products of a company are priced higher than its competition; it may suffer losses and slow income growth. Such firms ignore the impact of pricing, but later understand when it gets actually affected. Similarly, if the prices of products and services of a company are extremely low, their return of profit will be also low. Hence it is important for every firm that they should consider adopting some of the best models or principles based on which they can make pricing decisions. The model should also satisfy the two objectives of pricing. The first one is to achieve maximum profit and the second objective is to meet the market demand. One of the most common models that are considered by the companies is consumer’s preferences and behaviour. According to this model, it is the consumers who make the purchasing decision and other factors hardly play any role (Heidhues and K’oszegi, 2005). Therefore if the firms closely monitor the buying b ehaviour of the consumers, companies will be able to take its pricing decisions with ease. For example, if the study of consumer behaviour reflects that consumers prefer products that are priced low, the companies will be able to make the prices of their products low by reducing the overall cost. The next model pertaining to pricing decision of a firm is about the market equilibrium. Market equilibrium is actually a situation considered by the firms while developing the pricing strategies. This is actually the stage where the market demand and market supply overlaps with each other. The market equilibrium (demand and supply) is highly responsible for driving price changes (Vives, 2010). For example, if the price of a 3D TV is low in a particular market, the

How did notions of the traditional woman develop in the 20th century Essay

How did notions of the traditional woman develop in the 20th century and what purposes did this serve - Essay Example Pulling against traditions was a sense of urgency, progress and movement so evident in the industrial, geographical, technological and political changes distressing the society. Women’s roles were intended to stabilize all this uncertainty; however, women could not help except see a breakthrough for themselves in this growth. Opportunities opened up in the factories, retail establishments as well as offices, offering single â€Å"modern girl† new options. Education was now mandatory for both men and women in most states (Kipgen, 2010, p. 218). Women sought after higher education, first in all female institutes, then in co-ed environments. Advocacy for rights of women, with suffrage in the lead, also gathered momentum. In spite of these changes, throughout the 19th century, 95 percent of married women stayed "at home." While the 20th century witnessed a distinctive change in ideas respecting sex relations at a level of social philosophy, far from a traditional notion of â€Å"traditional woman†, supremacy towards a modern girl idea of gender equity was robustly contested and by all means achieved. Important legal, professional, educational, and personal changes did take place, however, by 1901 full, indisputable gender equality stayed almost as the utopian as in the 1800. Research collaboration explores how the â€Å"modern girl† came out as a worldwide phenomenon in the beginning of the 20th century. By pursuing romantic love and wearing provocative fashions, â€Å"modern girls† universally appeared to disregard the responsibilities of loyal daughter, wife and mother. The â€Å"modern girl† developed as a heuristic category which allows new insights into the forces of globalization as well as manifestations of gendered modernity. According to a case study of a cosmetic advertising in India, China, Germany, South Africa, and the United States, it was evident the â€Å"modern girl† in every locale was

An Effect of Mood-induced Emotions on Forgetting

An Effect of Mood-induced Emotions on Forgetting An effect of mood-induced emotions on forgetting non-retrieved personal autobiographical memories Demet Ay Abstract Retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) will be investigated with emotional material. Autobiographical memory as a material for presented paradigm gains importance in terms of its emotional component. There are controversial findings about effect of emotional valence on RIF effect between psychological disorder people and control group. While having inhibitory deficit disorder might be related to less RIF effect for negative stimulus, present study also aims to find positivity bias toward emotional component autobiographical memory. Keywords: Retrieval-induced forgetting, emotion, autobiographical memory An effect of mood-induced emotions on forgetting non-retrieved personal autobiographical memories Moods have an influence on several psychological construct like verbal task performance (Gray, 2001), false memories (Storbeck Clore, 2005). Another crucial thing that mood impact on is what we remember (Blix Brennen, 2012) and forget (Bauml Kuhbandner, 2007) from our past. Not only remembering events from one’s personal life but also the fact that which memories and in what ways are forgotten gain importance in recent years (Barnier, Hung, Conway, 2004). Forgetting specific events from our past can be either intentionally or unintentionally, as it names suggested directed forgetting and retrieval-induced forgetting, respectively (Barnier et al., 2004). Retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) is firstly investigated by Anderson, Bjork, and Bjork (1994). They define the problem of forgetting not in terms of capacity or real forgetting problem but accessibility problem because of retrieving some of items more than the others. To test which items not to be retrieved, they use retrieval-induced paradigm in which is composed of three special phase. In the original version of paradigm, they use word and associative cues such as fruit, vegetables, or car brands. Participants are first exposed to word pairs with specific cue and then they are shown half of items from one of the presented cue and then tested to retrieve all items. Consistent finding for different material among several studies show that practicing particular item inhibits sharing cue item therefore it is less likely remembered than unpracticed category (Murayama, Miyatsu, Buchli, Storm, 2014, for review). RIF effect has been demonstrated for different materials such as lexical c ues (Bajo, Gomez-Ariza, Fernandez, Marful, 2006), pictures (Ford et al., 2004), videos (Miguelez Garcia-Bajos, 2007) and so forth. Effect of emotion on retrieval-induced forgetting has two main questions (Bauml, Pastà ¶tter, Hanslmayr, 2010). First is about current emotional state of participants. Retrieval practice of either positive or neutral emotion-induced participants tend to forget more non-practiced and shared cue items than negative mood induced participants (Bauml, Pastà ¶tter, Hanslmayr, 2010; Bauml and Kuhbandner, 2007). Bauml and Kuhbandner (2007) find empirical evidence for negative state effect in which exposing negative mood during retrieval practice results in lacking of inhibition. Therefore, they remember more non-practice material from practiced category. Neither emotional material nor autobiographical memory gain rather little attendance but Barnier and his colleagues (2004) are firstly attempted to use one’s personal memory as a material for RIF paradigm recently. However, there are controversial findings about an effect of mood on unintentional forgetting resulting from retrieval practice. For example, Barnier and his colleagues (2004) find that participants tend only to forget neutral stimulus, words, rather than emotional positive and negative one when they manipulate participants’ reported autobiographical memory as positive, neutral, and negative. In other words, retrieval-induced forgetting effect occurs only for neutral stimulus. Another consistent finding about remembering or forgetting emotional stimuli and investigating intensity of each stimuli show similar results with above mentioned experiment (Kuhbandner, Bauml, Stiedl, 2009). However, Harris, Sharman, Barnier, and Moulds (2010) find positivity bias tow ard emotional material of autobiographical memory with dysphoric patients. Hauer and Wessel (2006) also find consistently positivity bias in which means remembering more positive memory than negative memory with an addition of classic RIF effect in their first experiment. Since RIF effect is considered as resulting from inhibition (see Storm Levy, 2012, for review), examining the effect for people who have mood-induced disorders like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, Amir, Badour, Freese, 2009) and major depression (Groome Sterkaj, 2010) is crucial to investigate effect of mood on RIF effect. Amir and his colleagues (2009) implement the paradigm to PTSD group and either non-trauma exposed group or trauma exposed group. They find the difference between both of control groups and PTSD group in a way that PTSD patients cannot have an ability to inhibit irrelevant material so they do not demonstrate RIF effect. In line with this background, elicited autobiographical memories by participants with regard to each emotion-induced words getting from PANAS (Watson, Clark, Tellegen, 1988) will be used as manipulation across participants and it will hypothesized that memories included negativity will be more impacted from RIF effect based on Harris and colleagues (2010) and Wessel and Hauer (2006) findings. Dependent variable of presented study will be the fact that which material will be remembered and which of them will not be retrieved. Further analysis will be made in terms of emotional ingredients of each emotion. Since population attending this experiment does not have any mood-related disorder, lack of inhibition for positivity will be less expected. Method Participants Participants will be recruited from Yeditepe University psychology undergraduate students by the flyer. Mean age of them will be most probably in between nineteen and twenty-two. Each participants report their past history about the fact that whether they experience mood-related disorder in any part of their life. No one reports such experience. And none of the participants have taken memory course since then. Informed consent will be taken from them and they will be debriefed about an aim of the experiment at the end. Materials Modified version of retrieval-induced paradigm which is investigated by Anderson and his colleagues (1994) will be used in this experiment. Modification was made by Barnier and his colleagues (2004) in order to make it applicable to autobiographical memory. In terms of this procedure, participants’ own past memory that is elicited by them will be used as material. They are willing to report memory in terms of emotional words not just like happy or sad but further higher-order emotions like shame and guilty. Since there are extreme controversies about theory of emotion (Ortony Turner, 1990), affective statements in positive and negative affect scale (PANAS, Watson et al., 1988) in the context of Turkish statements (Genà §Ãƒ ¶z, 2000) will be used as category-cue. Turkish version of scale is consisted of twenty affective statement, ten is closed to positive remaining is closed to negative emotional statements, and each participants will be required to elicit a memory for each emotion-included words. These memories will be used as a material for retrieval-induced paradigm. For control condition, each participant will also elicit two memories in terms of give no valence random word. Since I have enough number of participants, differences between these random words will not be a problem. Procedure Experiment will consist of four distinct phase based on Barnier and his colleagues (2004) experiment in which firstly investigate autobiographical memory in the RIF paradigm. Elicitation phase will involve that memories will be recorded for each participants orally by using audio recorder. Participants will be required to answer five wh- questions specifically. These recording will be transferred into written type by blind people. Rest of the experiment will be conducted a week after from elicitation phase. Deception will take place by saying the fact that an aim of the experiment is to investigate emotional valence of past memories of university students. Learning phase of the experiment will take place individually. Each participant will be shown their own memories elicited a week ago. During retrieval practice phase participants will be half of either exposed to closed-to-positive valence word’s memory or vice versa randomly. Name of each variable will be used as Anderson a nd his colleagues (1994) used. At the final phase of the classic retrieval-induced paradigm, each participant will be asked to retrieve all memories. At the end, emotional intensity of each category cue and elicited memories will be collected by 5 type likert scale. Expected results In the first place, relative emotional intensity among each triggered words will be rated to participants by five likert-type scale by attributing 1 to extremely negative valence and 5 to extremely positive valence after experimental paradigm will be done. Furthermore, relative emotional intensity of each autobiographical memory will also be rated by participants. Results will be expected in a way that hypothesis is constructed. Series of one way analysis of variance (ANOVA) will be used to test hypothesis. To begin with, randomly assigned elicited memories in terms of category cue will be manipulated. Each cue will be analyzed within themselves. Finally, closed-to-positive and closed-to-negative memories (10 for each) will be compared to each other. Positivity bias will also be expected consistent with Hauer and Wessel (2006) finding. Discussion Retrieval-induced forgetting can be said that it has functional importance in terms of different situations such as psychological disorders (Amir et al., 2009). They found lack of inhibition for negative emotional material in PTSD patients. This finding suggests that if neurological basis of RIF can be reliably investigated then PTSD can be figured out by this method. Present study also aims to find specific effect of emotional autobiographical memory on inhibition in which is regarded most probably as reason for RIF (Storm Levy, 2012). Investigating an effect of emotion on any construct is one of the hardest but crucial questions. Result of this experiment will give rise to further questions into the field in a way that how each specific emotion-included material affects unintentional forgetting for people. Neurological basis of the RIF as a phenomenon is recently investigated with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI, Kuhl, Dudukovich, Kahn, Wagner, 2007), and electrophysiological methods (Hellerstedt Johansson, 2014). According to Johansson and his colleagues (2007), ERP studies should shed light first possible correlates of ERP with regard to RIF, and inhibitory mechanisms with regard to individual differences on RIF scores. Further studies about neurological basis of RIF should be accounted for possible specific location activation during retrieval practice in terms of emotional content of the material. I expect special amygdala activation during retrieval practice when negative-correlated stimulus is presented. Reference List Amir, N., Badour, C. L., Freese, B. (2009). The effect of retrieval on recall of information in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder.Journal of anxiety disorders,23(4), 535-540. Anderson, M. C., Bjork, R. A., Bjork, E. L. (1994). Remembering can cause forgetting: retrieval dynamics in long-term memory.Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition,20(5), 1063. Bajo, M. T., Gà ³mez-Ariza, C. J., Fernandez, A., Marful, A. (2006). Retrieval-induced forgetting in perceptually driven memory tests. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 32(5), 1185. Barnier, A., Hung, L., Conway, M. (2004). Retrievalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ induced forgetting of emotional and unemotional autobiographical memories.Cognition and Emotion,18(4), 457-477. Bà ¤uml, K. H., Kuhbandner, C. (2007). Remembering can cause forgetting—but not in negative moods.Psychological Science,18(2), 111-115. Bà ¤uml, K. H., Pastà ¶tter, B., Hanslmayr, S. (2010). Binding and inhibition in episodic memory—Cognitive, emotional, and neural processes. Neuroscience Biobehavioral Reviews, 34(7), 1047-1054. Blix, I., Brennen, T. (2012). Retrieval-induced forgetting after trauma: A study with victims of sexual assault.Cognition emotion,26(2), 321-331. Ford, R. M., Keating, S., Patel, R. (2004). Retrievalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ induced forgetting: A developmental study. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 22(4), 585-603. Genà §Ãƒ ¶z, T. (2000). Positive and Negative Affect Schedule: A study of validity and reliability. Tà ¼rk Psikoloji Dergisi. Gray, J. R. (2001). Emotional modulation of cognitive control: Approach–withdrawal states double-dissociate spatial from verbal two-back task performance.Journal of Experimental Psychology: General,130(3), 436. Harris, C. B., Sharman, S. J., Barnier, A. J., Moulds, M. L. (2010). Mood and retrievalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ induced forgetting of positive and negative autobiographical memories.Applied Cognitive Psychology,24(3), 399-413. Hauer, B. J., Wessel, I. (2006). Retrievalà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ induced forgetting of autobiographical memory details.Cognition Emotion,20(3-4), 430-447. Hellerstedt, R., Johansson, M. (2014). Electrophysiological correlates of competitor activation predict retrieval-induced forgetting.Cerebral Cortex,24(6), 1619-1629. Kuhbandner, C., Bà ¤uml, K. H., Stiedl, F. C. (2009). Retrieval-induced forgetting of negative stimuli: The role of emotional intensity.Cognition and Emotion,23(4), 817-830. Kuhl, B. A., Dudukovic, N. M., Kahn, I., Wagner, A. D. (2007). Decreased demands on cognitive control reveal the neural processing benefits of forgetting.Nature neuroscience,10(7), 908-914. Murayama, K., Miyatsu, T., Buchli, D., Storm, B. C. (2014). Forgetting as a consequence of retrieval: A meta-analytic review of retrieval-induced forgetting. Psychological bulletin,140(5), 1383. Ortony, A., Turner, T. J. (1990). Whats basic about basic emotions?. Psychological review,97(3), 315. Storbeck, J., Clore, G. L. (2005). With Sadness Comes Accuracy; With Happiness, False Memory Mood and the False Memory Effect.Psychological Science,16(10), 785-791. Storm, B. C., Levy, B. J. (2012). A progress report on the inhibitory account of retrieval-induced forgetting.Memory cognition,40(6), 827-843. Watson, D., Clark, L. A., Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: the PANAS scales.Journal of personality and social psychology,54(6), 1063.

The Character of Meursault in The Outsider, by Albert Camus Essay

Meursault had an indifferent, nonchalant demeanour. The setting of the novel prevails in Algiers after the invasion of the French. Since the novel was written post World War I, the political tension and fear in the society is vividly visible. Meursault was drastically different from the narrow minded people who alienated him. Since the society had been colonized by the French, it was vulnerable, destabilized and wary of threats, Meursault was unaccepted by them. Meursault, the protagonist and narrator is a stoic and detached figure. His indifferencee towards family and society was apparent in his reaction to his mother’s death, relationship with his lover and the cold-blooded murder of the Arab. In the case of his mother, he showed no sense of attachment, â€Å"After the funeral, though, the case will be closed and everything will have a more official feel to it† (Albert Camus, The Outsider, Page 1). He was relentless and continued to remain detached from her as he avoided meeting her at the old age home over the weekends. The only time he took the effort to visit her was when she passed away. The visit to his dead mother also seemed inappropriate to him as he contemplated in the bus, how he could have made that day more productive and interesting. The passing away of his mother seemed so irrelevant that he had no recollection of the day of her death. Meursault killed the Arab and had no resentment of this heinous act he had just committed. As he killed the Arab he displayed no sense of horror or guilt. Meursault heartlessly continued to shoot the Arab’s cold corpse – regardless of his behaviour, he refused to show any sign of grief, â€Å"Then I fired four more times at the motionless body where the bullets lodged without leaving a ... ... Meursault does not bother about other people’s actions. Compared to that of his society, Meursault’s actions are unconventional and thus, make him more of an ‘outsider’ or a ‘stranger’ to the society. Clearly, Meursault is different from the people of his time and age and it is this among the many differences that mainly lead to his execution. The unwavering opinion of the judge against Meursault is reflective of the people then. These people were intolerant and scared of the truth. They were extremely narrow minded. Hence, they were scared of Meursault who was brutally honest all the way, which is why he was mistaken to be a threat to society. To get rid of this threat, they (through the judge) executed an exception to save the society from the change of beliefs. Works Cited Camus, Albert, and Joseph Laredo. The Outsider. London: Penguin, 2000. Print.

Reflection Paper on Anthem (by Ayn Rand)

University of the Philippines Diliman Extension Program in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone, Angeles City, Pampanga Reflection Paper Anthem by: Ayn Rand Jemima Micah T. Sadsad 2012-20252 BS Business Management Submitted to: Sir Aoux Santos It’s a sin to not write this. For finishing this will allow me to acquire one fourth of my grade on the most-anticipated subject—A subject that is hard, yet easy; A subject able to be both loved and despised; A subject whose aim is to know thy self, yet, when thoroughly studied, you would end up losing what you think is yours.This subject I am babbling about is not just a subject; It is the subject: Philosophy. ~ Well, at first look, this is how I comprehended the novella â€Å"Anthem†. Simple message relayed through tough words, when really that’s not the point of it. Anthem is about a boy who was born with the curse of knowing things more superior than most of his society—a society that does not accept progress unle ss approved by everyone. This boy then meets a girl with qualities like her, and later falls in love with her. Even though their society forbids a love like theirs, they didn’t mind and kept it a secret.He tried to help their society through his discoveries, though ended up escaping it, and trying to create a new one of his own. It has a typical story line with a dystopian theme. Aside from that there’s nothing really more from it. Or is there? *** *** Having read the book again (while trying hard to read between the lines; picking up every lesson I could make use of), I have reflected on a few new things which I did not find during my first read. I have reflected on individuals present in the story and how they relate to me, the society howed in â€Å"Anthem† and how it could be reflected to my country, and my general motion and conclusion on what the story is all about. One very prominent element that I could reflect on are the main characters in the story. Th e main characters present in the story are Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000. Equality 7-2521 (also known as â€Å"The Unconquered† or â€Å"Prometheus†) – The main character is a brave, curious, strong, and intelligent street sweeper who thinks of himself as cursed. He knows that he is cursed, yet knows not how to resist it. He believes in individualism and rejects the collectivist society around him.Learning was too easy for him because of his quick head. He asks too many questions that his teachers forbade him from asking. â€Å"He only wishes to know. Equality 7-2521 represents the superiority of a singular intellect to the homogeneity of the masses, who cannot think for themselves—the society of shapeless people who are indistinguishable from one another. At first read, I thought to myself, he (Equality) is too self-centered, thinking that he is far superior than his society, and that his only flaw is the society’s disapproval of him.Also, I don’t like how he came up with his conclusion of his ego being the center of his universe (though, I’m not saying that the conclusion is wrong). It’s just so unthinkable how without knowing what the word â€Å"I† really means, he suddenly knows what it is and how to use it. On the other hand, I like how his curiosity always gets the better of him. I like how he is eager to know and discover things even though he knows that it is forbidden to do so. I love how Equality 7-2521 takes risks to justify his thirst of knowing more.These character traits of Equality 702521 made me reflect more on the adventures of learning, rather than the concept of individualism. I like how his quest full of myriad mischief turned out to be an amazing discovery of the light bulb (which for me symbolizes progress and/or change). I love how he soon realizes that his learning is not really for the society, but rather for him and him alone. One thing I also admire about Equality 7 -2521 is his love for Liberty 5-3000, that even though it is forbidden, they still chose to continue their love. Selfish indeed, but selfishness is not always a bad thing.Another main character on the book that I have reflected on is Liberty 5-3000 (also known as â€Å"The Golden One† or â€Å"Gaea†) – This character is a peasant that has eyes with no signs of fear in it, whom Equality 7-25521 falls in love with. She is Beautiful, proud, and strong like Equality 7-2521. She loves Equality 7-2521 because he is different from everyone around him. And Equality 7-2521 loves her back for the same reason. For me, Liberty 5-3000 is a little bit too submissive. Her mix of independent pride and devoted submission to Equality 7-2521 seems contradictory.Prometheus’ universe may have his own ego as its center, but for Liberty 5-3000? I don’t think so. Liberty 5-3000’s character is a perfect counter-example of Ayn Rand’s main thought of: â€Å"I is my god†. Gaea is more of a: â€Å"Equality 7-2521 is my god†. (Liberty 5300 to Equality 7-2521: â€Å"Your will be done†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ). Although I hate how she submits herself too much to Equality 7-2521, I like her for standing out of the crowd. I like how fierce she can be trying to put what she loves first before what others dictate her to. I also like her show of courage by following the one she loves even though it might place her in great danger.However, I think the author somehow just took a shot of presenting a true epitome of a perfect woman with great courage and confidence, but only with the weakness of her beloved. Unfortunately, Ayn Rand failed trying, for instead she just created a weak and submissive leading lady. Gaea apparently became just an object of Prometheus’ with no say on things at all. These two main characters made me reflect on how not all people are alike (which was the point of the whole story: Individualism). Not everyone is as s trong or as smart as Prometheus. Neither are they all of beauty and devotion as Liberty 5-3000.The story also made me reflect on the concept of solitude, and how not all people find happiness in solitude. In fact, even in the story itself, Equality 7-2521 is not alone, for he finds happiness in the presence of Liberty 5-3000. Absolute solitude is inconceivable. Different people have different purposes. They might find their purposes with others, or they might find their purposes of for themselves alone. And even if they find their purposes for themselves, still, it will influence their society, because one cannot live without another. No man is an island.As for me, I find happiness in having loved ones beside me; I’m not saying that I let them think for me though. I am currently a conformist and non-conformist. I am a conformist in that I conform to my God and with His teachings. A non-conformist in that, like Liberty, I submit myself to my beliefs and resist things of its op posite (although at times, they may overlap with each other). I conform to my God, and so try not to conform to the world. I conform to my government, yet reject on them trying to take over me. I succumb to, yet I resist. Also, I could consider myself to have hints of Equality 7-2521 in my personality.I love learning as much as I love taking risks. I remember the story of my 4 yr old self. My mom used to tell this story every time she remembers it and every single time we would laugh at it. So here’s how it goes: It was an ordinary day, we were travelling by a car. My mom was driving and her sister (my aunt) was in the front seat. I, my 2 sisters, and my cousin were at the back seat. I was the closest to the door handle, and that was when the inner curiosity of me sparked! â€Å"Now, what is this thing for? † and voila, I was playing with the car door handle and suddenly I found myself rolling on the ground of an uphill highway.While the action was happening, my mom an d aunt were also caught in an intense activity: Gossiping. Yup, they were there chit-chatting while I was outside, rip rolling. Since my two sisters and my cousin saw my fall, they panicked and then started shouting, â€Å"Ma! Si Ima, nahulog! †, but since my mom’s activity was more interesting than mine, they had to shut the kids up, â€Å"Kids, quiet! †. Then my sisters started crying. That’s when my mom and aunt started to notice my absence. And at last, they panicked too. They went chasing for me, trying to save me from the rushing cars. But wait!They forgot to turn on the brakes! Oh no, our car is sliding down the hill! What to do? Oh my— ~ Well, I’m here now so you know I was saved. It was a very long day, indeed. One day my mom would never ever forget. But hey, I learned. (I now know what that ‘thing’ is for! And I now know when to and when not to use those car locks, thank you. ) Anyway, I find myself having a little bit of Equality 7-2521 also because I often find pride in things I know I have done well in. Passing the UPCAT is one of the perfect examples. Having my family congratulate me, I find pride in myself.I know that I have done well, and I know that I could do more, and so the learning continues. Moving on from the main characters, another prominent concept in the novella was the society. The society presented on Anthem is so wrong. The people there are under so much fear and are dehumanized. Their society promotes absolute collectivism where they are all one and one is all. They accept few, if not none at all, changes. Everyone is of equal importance as everyone. Freedom of speech is cut off. Men can’t speak to women, they were not able to show their emotions to them, and they can’t even have houses of their own!Though it could be classified as a utopian society on other perspectives, description from Equality 7-2521 made it totally a dystopian society. â€Å"We are nothing . Mankind is all. By the grace of our brothers are we allowed our lives. We exist through, by, and for our brothers who are the state. Amen. † –Palace of the World Council Their society reminded me of how North Korea is today. Although I may not know what their actual situation is at the moment, description from the media around the world truly rings the bell. It brings fear deep down my bones.Society of no social stratification, no freedom of speech, everything and nothing is owned by everyone and no one. A society completely isolated from the rest of the world, North Korea could well focus on itself and not worry on how other countries are doing, and since they focus on themselves, no one would be left starving, everybody will be of equal rights with everyone. I think this is what North Korea claims itself to be though I’m pretty sure ‘country without social stratification’ is pretty far from what they are now. The government and society in Anthem also made me think of the government and the society of our own country.As for the Philippines, I don’t think the concept of Anthem’s society might be applicable because of the fact that freedom of speech is already presented and is of practice today in the Philippines. Also, the presence of a free and nationwide media in our country made it more liberal than that of Anthem’s. The fact that Philippines is a democracy, too, can be of great evidence that our country is not with the like of that of Anthem’s. Everyone of the right mind is free to vote and free to speak. Take this reflection paper for example; I have every right to say what I want to, though I know I would suffer the consequences of my actions.Everyone is allowed to think otherwise. Everyone has the right to choose for themselves what their â€Å"rights† and â€Å"wrongs† are. Men are allowed to merry another and have kids of their own. Families are able to build houses they can live in and start a new life. Filipinos, along with other people of other countries, could study whenever they want to and work whenever as long as time and money permits. They have the free will of choosing their school, acquiring their jobs, and retiring after they do. Everyone is allowed to choose their religion. Everyone is allowed to love without being asked why.Chickens could cross the street without their motives being questioned. However, I may not completely forget the fact that, somehow, there might be some resemblances from Anthem’s society with the Philippines’. â€Å"The Home of the Useless†, â€Å"The Palace of Corrective Detention†, â€Å"The Palace of Mating†, â€Å"The Home of the Students†Ã¢â‚¬â€ All of which symbolizes branches of our system, though might be different in intensity than Anthem’s. Also, the home of the scholars could be of comparison with our senate system. We could be compared to them in terms of pr ogress and how slow our system could be.Although I know that we are still on the verge of growing and improving more, I have not lost my hopes for the Philippines. As for whether or not this society is possible on earth in the future, I don’t think so. I don’t think such absolute collectivism/communism is possible to be achieved. I believe that in achieving this society, first we’ll be in need of restarting; restarting everything from Adam and Eve. No one should know anything. Every book must be burned and every data on the internet must be erased. The whole world should go back to zero, or else absolute collectivism (like with the story Anthem) would be inconceivable. ———————————————— ————————————————- Anthem, in general, taught me how colle ctivism could be of destruction to a society. I reflected on few things about concepts such as collectivism, individualism, finding your true self, and finding your true purpose. I have made use of my new learnings about these things, and I know that would use them at one point in my life where I could be searching for answers on whether or not, why or why nots. These concepts could be of new references that I know I could consider whenever I am learning. ———————————————— ————————————————- I have a general feel of gloom and depression through-out the story. With how Equality 7-2521 dictates his society to us, I felt sorry for him and also for the society. In a nutshell, I liked the story. I enjoyed it and have reflected a lot of things from it. Although, what I d id not like about the book was not the story but the author’s philosophy itself. By the end of the novella, Equality 7-2521 and Liberty 5-3000 have run away from their society to discover their own truth and start a new society of their own.This truth leads to self-worshipping and calling themselves gods, and further stating that they have no obligation to other men. I have to strongly disagree with this idea. I am sorry to say Ayn Rand started with a great idea of individualism and ended in a train wreck of selfish isolation. *I would like to recommend this book to anyone who would want to reflect and re-evaluate their existences on certain aspects. This book presented a different outlook of the concept â€Å"I†, which you could reflect on greatly. Though, I’m not saying that this is the best book possible, it is still worth the read.

Health of Indigenous Peoples Essay

This essay seeks to demonstrate that whilst Indigenous health policy may have been on the Australian public policy agenda since the1960s, the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous health has remained. A brief description of the lives of Indigenous Australians prior to the colonisation of Australia is given, followed by a description of various policies that have been introduced by the Australian government to combat these inequalities. This essay demonstrates why these policies have been inadequate, in turn highlighting why the incorporation of Indigenous knowledge in creating Indigenous health policies is important. This essay closes with a brief examination of the Closing the Gap policy, which is utilising the knowledge of Indigenous Australians in creating culturally sensitive Indigenous health policies. In conclusion, this essay demonstrates that by including Indigenous Australians in the policymaking process, we might be starting to close the gap. The health inequality of Indigenous Australians has long been a concern for Australia and the world. Whilst the overall health of Australia has continued to improve, the health of Indigenous Australians remains at levels below those of non-indigenous Australians. Whilst it may seem that there is a lot being done to address these issues, the statistics demonstrate that policies implemented to address these issues have not been effective (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2010; Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 29). The thesis of this essay is that whilst the government has been seen as attempting to address the issues of health inequalities of Indigenous Australians, it is only in recent times that the government has implemented programs that are anywhere near close to closing the gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. To demonstrate this thesis, this essay will firstly discuss the history of Indigenous health prior to colonisation. This will be done to highlight how Indigenous health has declined dramatically since colonisation. This essay will then discuss what the government has been doing since the 1967 referendum, in which Indigenous Australians were formally recognised in the Constitution, to address issues of health inequalities (Australian Indigenous HealthInfoNet 2010). In the next section, a discussion on the reasons why there is a large gap between Indigenous and non-indigenous health will occur. This will be followed by a discussion on the utilisation of Indigenous knowledge to provide adequate health services. This essay will finally discuss the current Closing The Gap policy (Australian Human Rights Commission 2011), which has been introduced to address issues that previous policies have failed to. This will be done to highlight the fact that whilst it may seem that as the Indigenous population require the knowledge and assistance of its non-indigenous counter parts, what is evident is that health of Indigenous populations has in fact declined since the colonisation of Australia. Failing to recognise the correlation between colonisation and declining health of Indigenous people, will only see a continuation of the problem rather than seeing a positive change. Whilst the information pertaining to the health of Indigenous Australians prior to colonisation in 1788 appears to be scarce, what is known is that Indigenous health has been on the decline since the arrival of European settlers. Indigenous Australians were considered to be healthier than those of their colonisers (Flood 2006, p. 120). Prior to colonisation, there was no contact with the outside world and therefore infectious diseases were minimal. Due to the introduction of new illnesses from colonisation, the population of Indigenous Australians declined (Carson 2007, p. 43). It was also common for Indigenous women to contract sexual diseases from the often non-consensual contact with the colonisers (Carson 2007, p. 44). Health was also impacted upon by change in diet. Prior to colonisation, Indigenous Australians maintained a diet of protein and vegetables due to the animals and plants available to them (Flood 2006, p.120), as well as the exercise they maintained from hunting and gathering (Flood 2006, p. 122). After colonisation, the Indigenous diet included many foods which saw an increase in obesity, diabetes and heart disease (O’Dea 1991, p. 233). It was not just the introduction of disease and change in die that impacted upon Indigenous Australians’ health. Anthropological studies surrounding Indigenous culture have shown that Indigenous populations have close ties to the land, as the land is incorporated into their sense of being. Pieces of land belonged to particular groups of individuals, and the objects from the natural landscape were considered to be part of their history (Carson 2007, p. 180). It was the failure of colonisers to understand this worldview that has contributed to the deterioration of mental health amongst Indigenous Australians, as they were forced off their lands and into settlements and reserves (Carson 2007, p. 49). This contributed to the feeling of being disconnected from land and family, exacerbating feelings of not be longing, lack of identity and low self-esteem (Ypinazar et al.2007,p. 474). As one can see, the issue of health amongst Indigenous Australians is a complex one, complicated by the differing world views of Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians. It is due to this lack of understanding that has resulted in a myriad of health policies that have attempted to address the issue of health inequality of Indigenous Australians. The first health policy to address the health issues of Indigenous Australians was implemented in 1968, with thirty five adjustments made between then and 2006. Without going into the details of every amendment or new policy, what was common throughout this timeline, was that there were various bodies and institutions created to address the issues that had not been adequately addressed previously, responsibilities were allocated by the government to the states and territories, and programs were implemented to address health issues. Change in governments also meant that policies were constantly changing, which meant that the ways in which health issues were seen and therefore addressed also changed (Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet 2010). When attempting to implement a policy that will adequately address the issue, what has been found is that comparative analysis has been used to determine how health issues have been addressed in other countries. Whilst this kind of analysis may be sufficient in some circumstances, it does not suit such a situation where our Indigenous population’s culture and worldview is unlike that of any other. For example, whilst health issues may be similar to those of Indigenous populations elsewhere, worldviews which impact upon health and wellbeing will vary and may not be able to be applied from one culture to another (Tsey et al.2003, p. 36). One event that highlights the differing views on how issues should be addressed, was the closing down of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Commission (ATSIC) by the John Howard Government in 2004 (Australian Indigenous Health InfoNet2010). What was significant about this was that Indigenous health policy had been the responsibility of ATSIC. This action effectively removed the responsibility of Indigenous health from the Indigenous people and placed the responsibility with mainstream departments that were also responsible for non-indigenous health. By doing this, the government had wound back many years of work to address the health inequalities of Indigenous Australians, perceiving Indigenous Australians as a culture that could not look after themselves and needed instead the knowledge and expertise of the superior colonialists (Kay & Perrin 2007, p. 19). By removing the responsibility of Indigenous health from ATSIC and placing it in the hands of a body that was also responsible for non-indigenous health, the government failed to understand the intricacies of Indigenous Australian culture and the implications that this kind of action can have on Indigenous health. Whilst the overall health of Australians is amongst the top third of Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 8). There is a clear disparity between Indigenous and non-indigenous health, when one considers that even in this day and age of modern medicine, Indigenous Australians are expected to live twelve years less than their non-indigenous counterparts for males, and ten years less for females (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 29). So what are considered to be the reasons for this inequality? What has already been highlighted, is that Indigenous health has suffered from the introduction to changes in diet, introduction of diseases both airborne and venereal, and the impact upon mental health due to dispossession of land and loss of kinship. Mental health issues can also be connected to the economic and social disadvantage of many Indigenous individuals, which can lead to substance abuse and other issues (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 33). The failure to adequately address mental health issues has resulted in deaths by suicide being the second biggest reason for deaths by injury (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2010, p. 30). These figures demonstrate that policies have clearly not been working. A salient point to note is that Indigenous Australians are the least likely group of the whole population, to access important health services. So what are the reasons behind this lack of access to services? It can be as simple as the kind of service that an individual receives. From personal experience of serving Indigenous customers, tone of voice can be misinterpreted. What may be considered polite in most circumstances, can be misconstrued as being conceited by others. Use of language can also be a barrier. For example, (again from personal experience), language has to be altered to manoeuvre these barriers, such as replacing the term ‘bank account’ with the word ‘kitty’. Other barriers may include the fact that in remote communities, health professionals may also be the town judge, which may deter Indigenous people from accessing the services from a person who might have also been responsible for sentencing an individual or a member of their family (Paul 1998, p.67). Barriers such as the remote locations of individuals in comparison to the services, and the cost of services also have to be taken into account. For example, if a service is some distance away from an individual, the cost of travelling may be too high. The cost of services close by may also be too expensive for individuals, or individuals may receive poor treatment due to either being turned away from services, or mistreatment due to racialist beliefs. This may result in individuals travelling long distances due to this very mistreatment in their own communities (Paul 1998, pp.67-68). The misconception that all Indigenous Australians are one group of people can also result in culturally inadequate services, deterring individuals from accessing important health services (Paul 1998, p. 68). This lack of understanding about Indigenous cultures when providing health services has resulted in a rise in the provision of health services that are either run by Indigenous individuals, or have been created in consultation with Indigenous individuals, to ensure that the services being provided are culturally adequate. An example that highlights this can be seen in the creation of a program in 1998in the Northern Territory that was attempting to address the health inequalities of Indigenous children (Campbell et al 2005, p. 153). There were many problems with this programme because the people that were overseeing the programme did not have cultural knowledge that was a factor in the health and wellbeing of the children. What resulted was a program which was implemented in an Indigenous remote community, which utilised the knowledge of Indigenous people from the community itself. This allowed for the programme to be altered when issues were addressed and individuals within the community were able to provide solutions to issues, rather than being told what was going to happen by an outside authority (Campbell etal. 2005, p. 155). Whilst this programme realised that a bottom-up approach was more beneficial than a top-down one which usually occurs in policy implementation, there were issues because the programme also involved people from the outside that were there to manage the programme, who were unwilling to give total control to the community, generating feelings of disempowerment, resentment and marginalisation (Campbell et al. 2005, p. 156). Whilst there are many examples of programs that have been implemented to address the health inequalities of Indigenous Australians, one that deserves mentioning because of success that it has had are the men’s groups in Yaba Bimbie and Ma’Ddaimba Balas (McCalman et al. 2010, p. 160). What was found was that these programs were successful because they were run by Indigenous men who had direct knowledge of the cultural issues and needs of the community as they also lived there. They were also successful because the men felt included in their communities by having control, rather than being controlled by an outside source. Due to these men’s groups, individuals were able to come together and share their concerns about their community, and as the others also were from the same community, they were able to contribute to solutions to the problems by feeling able to speak freely about their concerns. One such concern was anger management issues, which were exacerbated by the social issues that the individuals faced (McCalman et al. 2010, p. 163). Whilst, issues like this may seem to be separate, they in fact contribute to other areas, as has been mentioned earlier in regards to mental health and suicide, which flow on to other members of the community, when there may be no one in the family who is able to earn an income, which contributes to poverty. This may in turn, render an individual unable to access services as previously mentioned. As one can see, when individuals who are directly impacted by issues, are included in finding solutions to address these issues, there is more success than when they are not included. It is the understanding of this that has seen the implementation of the Close The Gap policy (Australian Human Rights Commission 2011). This policy is based on the understanding that the concept of health is different in the eyes of Indigenous Australians than that of non-Indigenous Australians (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare2009). This policy has sought to reduce the gap of inequality between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians by reducing the gap in life expectancy by 2031, halving mortality rates of children by2018, ensuring equal access to early childhood education by 2013, halving the gap in the area of inability to read and write by 2018, halving the gap of individuals who attain their Year 12 education by 2020 and halving the gap of unemployment rates by 2018 (Gillard2011, p. 2). Various programmes have been implemented to address these issues, with a common theme of inclusion. That is, the programs all involve Indigenous Australians who have a better cultural understanding than non-indigenous Australians. This has allowed for individuals to work with their own communities, various levels of government, non-government organisations and businesses (Gillard 2011, p. 6). By doing so, it has provided individuals with a sense of control and purpose over their own lives, which has seen a decrease in the mortality rates of Indigenous Australians (Gillard2011, p. 12), as well as a reduction in the rates of reading and writing problems (Gillard 2011, p. 14). There has also been a significant increase in the numbers of Indigenous Australians aiming towards their Year 12 qualifications (Gillard 2011, p. 16), as well as a decrease in the number of unemployed in the Indigenous population (Gillard 2011, p. 17). Whilst these figures are promising, one has to look at some of the programs that have been implemented as a result of this policy, to see if lessons have been learned from past mistakes, or if similar mistakes are being made. One such program that is deemed to be addressing issues of inequality is the Welfare Payment Reform act, which allowed the government to withhold portions of welfare payments (Gruenstein 2008, p. 468). This was to ensure that portions of the payment were going to required living expenses before going to things such as alcohol. Whilst this may seem as though it is an important step in addressing issues within communities, what is important to note is that policies such as these are in direct violation of the Racial Discrimination Convention because they directly target Indigenous individuals solely because they are Indigenous and are not necessarily in need of intervention (Gruenstein, 2008, p. 469). Whilst the Closing the Gap policy has good intentions, it can result in actions that treat Indigenous Australians as a homogenous group, rather than recognising the variation of issues. In conclusion, this essay has demonstrated that Australia has come a long way in addressing the issues of inequality amongst Indigenous Australians. It has been demonstrated that Indigenous Australians were in good health prior to colonisation, and only since colonisation has the health of Indigenous Australians has declined. This essay has also shown that the different governments have varied between allowing Indigenous Australians self-determination, or be included in the process of policy making, to the government seizing control of the issues, excluding the Indigenous community from decision making. Whilst it has been shown that the government has been addressing issues for well over 40 years, it has only been in recent times that issues of inequality have begun to be adequately addressed. By understanding that it is Indigenous Australians who are better able to understand their issues, which stem from the actions of non-indigenous peoples and allowing Indigenous Australians to take control of their own lives, will we start to close the gap of health inequality between Indigenous and non-indigenous Australians.