Examining The Knowledge Of Working With Vulnerable Adults Social Work Essay

Examining The Knowledge Of Working With Vulnerable Adults Social Work Essay Within my assignment I will demonstrate my knowledge and understanding of safeguarding and critically explore safeguarding and what this means in the context of working in social care today, and the impact on my role as a newly qualified social worker. I will refer to adults with a learning disability in order to examine some of the issues and dilemmas that may occur. I will examine these areas within Thompsons PCS model (Thompson,1997) in order to reflect the intricacies and dilemmas with safeguarding adults. Although anti discriminatory practice and anti oppressive practice are often interchanged with each other, Braye and Preston- Shoot(2005) maintain that they are very different. Anti discriminatory practice challenges discrimination within a very clearly defined framework whereas anti oppressive practice is about challenging values and beliefs. According to Thompson(1997) oppression can be examined using a model that considers (P) personal (C) cultural and (S) structural, the PCS Model. This model examines oppression on 3 levels. Personal is regarding and individual, their views, beliefs and actions. Cultural is the community level and structural is regarding the socio-political and institutional level. Only by understanding power and control can we practice in anti oppressive way, by challenging the power structures on all levels personal, cultural and structural. People with learning disabilities have been a marginalised and oppressed group who have constantly struggled for their voices to be heard. Pam Evans cited by Swain et al(1993)identified assumptions made by non disabled people which included ideas that disabled people want to achieve normal behaviour; resent able bodied people and never give up hope of a cure(p.102).These assumptions are based on personal beliefs, borne out of cultural ideas of disability and structurally based philosophies of disability. The medical model of disability has been the predominant model in understanding disability(Swain el al,2003) from incarceration in hospitals and in some respects to services provision today. These responses have only served to re-inforce beliefs of disability such as those Pam Evans discovered. Although there was growing concern amongst civil rights movements regarding the medical model, Mike Oliver(1983) coined the phrase social model of disability. This social model of disability l ed to a shift in thinking about disabilities, that it was societal attitudes that were disabling rather than matters relating to the individual capabilities(Swain et al,1993). Although the social model of disability is the accepted model particularly within social welfare the doctrine of the medical model is not easy to unlearn. Although on a structural level there have been changes in legislation and policy such as Disability Discrimination Act 1995; Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996; Human Rights Act 1998; Mental Capacity Act 2005 and Valuing People 2001.Putting these changes in to practice from a personal and cultural perspective is more complex and this is typified in safeguarding. . The term vulnerable has become synonymous with safeguarding. The immediate connotations when using the word vulnerable are stark. It immediately suggests weakness, helplessness and the person is at danger or at risk(Williams,2006). Crawford and Walker(2008) also recognised that there are significant risk factors when exploring vulnerability the person is usually socially isolated, the person has previously been at risk of abuse and requires practical and / or emotional support. In the policy document No Secrets(DOH,2000) there was an initial recognition that some groups of adults were more likely to experience abuse and the term vulnerable adult was used as a definition of the groups potentially at greater risk. Although there has been a shift to try to better understand the term vulnerable adult The Association of Directors of Social Care (2005) wrote in their policy framework document they include adults with physical, sensory and mental impairments and learning disabilities(p.4) they continue.. when an adult in this group is experiencing abuse or neglect this will have a significant impact on their independence, health and wellbeing.(ADSS,2005,p.4).Yet I would argue anyone who experiences abuse or neglect, there would be significant impact on their health and well being and we should be striving to ensure all individuals safety. Martin(REFERENCE) also suggests that this link with safeguarding and vulnerability and illustrates this well. Often the link with safeguarding and vulnerable adults, is with specific groups of individuals people with disabilities, older adults etc. increasing the stereotypical view of groups and so increasing discrimination and oppression(Williams,2006). Whilst t he shift in policy documents is from protection to safeguarding vulnerability and its use is still debated. In October 2008 the Government launched a review of the No Secrets guidance. This guidance originally came in, in an attempt to give guidance to local agencies who have a responsibility to investigate and take action when a vulnerable adult is believed to be suffering abuse.(DOH,2000 p.7) It was intended to utilise good practice locally and nationally and offer a structure for the improvement of inter-agency policies, procedures and joint protocols. There are a range of barriers which impede good interagency working Different core functions; cultures and practices between agencies; lack of clarity in lines of authority and decision-making; historical or current rivalries between agencies; different and conflicting social policy or legislation; lack of clarity about why agencies are involved and poor communication (Edwards et al, 2009).The repeated missed opportunities of inter agency working have resulted in disastrous outcomes for many individuals, despite the repeated findings of investigations(Flynn,2007;Bichard Report 2004;Lord Laming Report, 2009), inter agency working has been a constant blight in social welfare. As a practitioner I acutely aware of the challenges and the importance of partnership working, as well as the devastating impact resulting in deaths and shattered lives if we fail in this arena. Some consider that there is a lack of legislation which directly covers safeguarding adults(Action on Elder Abuse,2009 and The Law Society,2009). In an article in Community Care (July,2009) Despite legislative reform being highlighted as a key area by respondents of the No Secrets review the Government have failed to implement specific legislation regarding safeguarding and the protection of adults. Some would argue there is a growing need for specific legislation regarding safeguarding. The recent report from Action on Elder Abuse(2009) to the consultation review of No Secrets(DOH,2000) there was an overwhelming request for legislation specific to safeguarding. Whilst others feel there is a lesser need than in childrens legislation, which is specific about statutory duties and responsibilities of local authorities regarding safeguarding, another arm of the debate is there have been missed opportunities to link and use current legislation effectively(Pritchard,2008). Legislative reform has universally followed from child protection and child safeguarding. In recent years, the government has taken steps to progressively tighten up the law in this area. The law in this area has often been introduced as a reaction to events and as a result is viewed by some to lack coherence(The Law Society, 2009). Recent changes have occurred in order to address some of the gaps perceived. The recent introduction of the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006 is an example of legislative change that was a direct result of the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. The perpetrator, Ian Huntley had a history of contact with police but a catalogue of system wide communication errors and intelligence sharing errors were identified (Bichard,2004).But as with any system, it is only as good as those who use it, and often investigations find it is not the procedure or system but those who use it who are at fault. Sir Michael Bichard(2004) who headed the inquiry into t he Soham murders stated there were flaws in the system for creating records as well as the guidance and training offered to those inputting and deleting information. Cornwall hit the headlines with the case of Steven Hoskin who was murdered in 2006.Flynn(2008) described systemic failures of agencies to recognise Steven Hoskin as vulnerable adult and share information for a co-ordinated approach of intervention. In 2006 the government introduced the Safeguarding Vulnerable Groups Act 2006, which laid the foundation for the new Independent Safeguarding Authority, which has enabled the introduction of the vetting and barring scheme(H.M Government, 2006). The new vetting and barring scheme may to some extent be rendered ineffective as a result of the recent expansion of the European Union. Unrestricted working rights means a more mobile workforce and for some there are no formal procedures to require notification or registration of matters occurring in individuals home countries, that would have required notification to the Independent Safeguarding Authority had they occurred in the UK(Soret,2009). In Scotland in 2007 specific legislation was introduced but this is still yet to be proved as improving safeguarding. Some professionals in Scotland believe there are still those dilemmas about rights and risks(REFERENCE) that some in England feel would be addressed with legislation. Interestingly it isnt just the professionals that feel the legislative changes dont go far enough. Advocacy groups such as Action on Elder Abuse and The National Autistic Society are just two of the organisations calling for tighter legislation on safeguarding. Action on Elder Abuse refers to some key issues regarding the No Secrets review regarding timescales; sharing information; key responsibilities and recognition of some of the complexities and circumstances surrounding abuse and call for a system which recognised these complexities(REFERENCE). The newest dimension to safeguarding adults has been the eruption of personalisation. Duffy and Gillespie(2009) maintain that personalisation will make people safer. They maintain by strengthening citizenship and reducing social isolation will reduce risk and by empowering people to take control of their lives enables people to increase their resilience. Personalisation also challenges the cultural and structural concepts, particularly misconceptions of groups of individuals such as people with learning disabilities. Rather than maintaining the medical model of disability where it is perceived a person with a learning disability has difficulties simply because of their cognitive functioning, it highlights the social model of disability where a persons needs are not well catered for by societal structures(William, 2006). This is probably the area which is currently leading to much debate and discussion particularly in the area of support for adults with learning disabilities as this is where the ethos of self directed support was born(REFERENCE).There are numerous arguments currently being circulated regarding the perceived risks of individuals and families being in control of their service provision in whatever format they choose(REFERENCE) and the decisions people can make regarding checking and therefore reducing the influence and control from statutory servicers. I believe that the current tension is borne out of a misrepresentation of personalisation. Fitzgerald(2009) cited in Community Care magazine(2009) that personalisation has been viewed simply as cash for care, rather than from the principle of seeking to ensure that an individual is in control of their life, as much as anyone can be. This coupled with the view that safeguarding and personalisation are opposing viewpoints is causing the dilemmas of personalisation. The narrow focus on cash for care models is preventing the much wider debate about citizenship rights in the context of social and health care. Consequently, we must start from the premise that any support package or service must be as safe as possible, constructed with a full understanding of the nature of abuse, its dynamics, and the factors that may give rise to it. That is not the same as removing risk, because to do so would make living impossible. If we are committed to safeguarding then risk reduction is vital. We must refrain from individualistic concepts of risk through the notion of vulnerability. Instead of focusing solely on the protection of vulnerable individuals, we must see beyond vulnerability and aim to eliminate conditions that create risk. Interventions should be enabling and widespread, targeting social processes that are responsible for the creation of risk(REFERENCE). The focus on impairment as the main risk factor to abuse entails elements of a medical model approach to disability. This is too narrow a focus, but an ecological approach, takes into account both the individual and social causes of risk and of the interactions between them. Social model researchers and practitioners suggest that the safest way of protecting people with learning disabilities is to enable them to increase their self determination(McCarthy, 1999; McCarthy and Thompson, 1996; Hingsburger,1995). Self determination is shaped through s ocial interactions and citizenship providing a tool for identifying areas for effective risk prevention interventions. We need to be clear that rights to choice and control are not irreconcilable with a right to protection. After all each citizen has rights, choices and control and equally have recourse within the law should protection be required. It is perilous to imply that safeguarding and personalisation are opposed or in conflict. People cannot organise their own care and support, or accept such care and support, if they do not feel safe and consequently a personalisation approach must have safeguarding as an integral part of its operation. Not because a person is classified as vulnerable, or because a person requires community care services, or has a learning disability but because ethically and morally for the sake of social justice it is the right thing to do.

Problems In The London Zoo

Problems In The London Zoo The Zoological Society of London known as ZSL was founded by Stamford Raffles in 1826 and in 1828 it was opened to member of London Zoological Society for the study of animals, Zoo was on open to public until 1947 to get aid funding. In 1926 there were major expansions to Zoo to accommodate new animals and to keep large animals into natural environment. As Zoo continues to progress and in 1931 it was worlds first open zoological park. In 60s Institute of Zoology was established. London Zoo has been known as national history and contribution to the zoological world. Despite the low visitor turn up and today its a home of wonderful animals of more then 650 species and 130 animals are used breeding purposes. Not only that its also recognized worlds first reptile hose in late 40s and in 1852 worlds first aquarium. Decimus Burton was the first architecture designer of the zoo who was also the designer of Marble Arch London and Colosseum Theater. Q1: Identify and describe one of the problems that currently exist and explain how it is potentially harming the company. Problems in London Zoo London Zoo since its opened in 1828 has played vital role in the country scientific and entertainment activity of the society. London Zoo had grown rapidly from early start and continues expending but it ran into multiple problems in 1960s and 1970s due to various reasons. One of the major problems which can be easily identified is the lack of strategy operation plan for London Zoo. Operation strategy involved keeping the routine operations in place despite the number of visitor to the Zoo. Marketing plan had work out in the past but it all goes into drain, if end of the day customers feel lost and are not entertained or managed well. Customer dissatisfaction can potentially lead to customer not returning to Zoo and as well as it can create bad impression which can harm new or returning visitors. In these competitive era of entertainment; customer satisfaction is consider a key to success, which London Zoo has failed to provide effectively over the period of time. London Zoo has failed to delight its customer by not providing quality of service for customer processing which involved managing parking areas, queues, information desk, customer handling and information processing. Fail to achieve can lead to customer unhappiness, can create chaos and seriously damage the Zoo image. Other problem can be related to Society attitude and behaviour towards the animals, today people are well more aware of animal warfare, rights and conservation. There have been questions and debate concerning what is the role of a Zoo in society, should animal be kept in captivity or used for human entertainment. People have become much more educated and are questioning the role of Zoo in the society. Attracting number of visitors and applying capacity management operation to keep them organise have been crucial problems of London Zoo for long time. It has harmed company potentially as it has lead to various problems which included cut down in development projects; number of large animals has been move to sister Zoo to cut down the cost, services quality has affected due to lack of funds. This may lead to people not returning to Zoo for next 3 to 6 years unless there has been major development or new attraction in Zoo to drag them back to Zoo. Q2. Describe the evidence that support your claim that problem exists. Problems Evidence The major problems of London Zoo as identified previously have come to know from various sources. The source has been various reviews, feedbacks and various studies have been conducted on London Zoo to identify these problems. From past experience of the Zoo we have seen the whole operations crashed when more then expected visitors attendance. Management announce save my Zoo campaign after it failed to meet the expenses. Campaign attracted 18000 visitors in a day which lead to complete chaos in Zoo; there were queues everywhere, restaurants run out of food, parking problems and visitors found them self lost. There have been continues decline in number of visitors since 60s and 70s. Number of visitors have be fluctuating because of various reasons, There has been continues increment in number of leisure and attraction places in London only, there are around 130 major attractions in London. There have been numerous communications and travel invention has made easy to travel and trip around world which has made number of domestic visitor to decline. As stated in case there has been no major development for last 30 years, but in last couple of years Zoo has done some development work to improve the visitor attendance level. There have been animal welfare, rights, law and ethics awareness as it never been previously. Britain Govt created animal welfare advisory committee in 1967 which later became Farm Animal Welfare Council in 1979. It recommends animal freedoms and rights. There are 5 major freedoms which are promoted under this council which have been given in appendix. There have been debates in society in first half 20th century but its get intensified in 1980s to protect the ethics of animals. Due to continue awareness and debate in society has made people to think about the existence of the Zoo in society and their interest towards the Zoo. Customer Quality satisfaction has been the main issue in zoo. As its mentioned in case study, as Zoological society restructured is organisational departments to improve the operations and quality of service. After reviewing various unbiased reviews, the quality of service has been poor in London Zoo and as customer feedback shows there has been lack in operation management. There have been number of issues with visitors which includes poor operations and Planning, Empty Cages, Low Food Quality, Queues Everywhere, Lack of Seating, Baby facility. Few customer reviews have been attached in appendix with references. Q3. Carry out a critical literature review to identify what is considered to be Best-Practice in the area of Operations Management related to the problem. Literature Review and Best-Practice Introduction London is one of the major tourist attraction for visitors around the world, every year approximately 150m number of tourism day trips are made to London (source: The Countryside Commission website) and estimated total attendance 50m to London attractions during 2006 (Source: Visit London website). As a result of large number of visitors; attraction increases competition and importance to continuously improve the service quality to attract large chuck of visitors coming from domestically and internationally. Literature Review As previously discussed London Zoo has number of problems from which one of the major problem is to address the issue of service quality and customer satisfaction. There are various academic studies has been conducted to address the issues related to customer satisfaction, service quality and behavioural intent. Different model present different method of measuring the service quality some author describe as gap between customer expectation and perception, alternate author believe assessing the perceive quality by customer is a component to measure quality. A literature overview of different models can be found in Cauchick Miguel and Salomi (2004) presented in table 1 below. Table 1 Proposed models for measuring service quality (adapted from Cauchick Miguel and Salomi, 2004). As it can be concluded from the diagram there is no best practice to be adapted to measure the quality service. SERVQUAL has been centre of debate for most researchers but there have been critics of its accuracy, validity and implication on all kind of service industry. There has been intense use of SERVQUAL model in different service industry like banking, fast-food restaurant, call centre and other various industries despite huge criticism of the model. As oppose to SERVQUAL other model was developed as a result of criticism, SERVPERF is comparatively less used in industries like hotels, public services, cell phones services and various other. SERVPERF critics believed its only applicable in developed countries. SERVPERF Model One of the strong critics SERVQUAL model were Cronin and Taylor (1992) and they developed their own new model based on the original model, they argued that quality service can be measured based performance only. SERVPERF model is single item scale and developed based on performance satisfaction as oppose to performance and expectation in SERVQUAL. SERVQUAL Model The SERVQUAL model is a technique that can be used to measure a gap and perform analysis of an organization between customer expectation for the service and their perceptions of the providers. It can also be used internally to perform the gab analysis of the employees and employers. It was initially based on 10 aspects if measuring the service quality of an organisation and later refined by author to five dimensions which are reliability, assurances, tangibles, empathy and responsiveness. SERVQUAL requires conduction a detailed survey or questioner to analysis the gaps between what was expected by the customer and what currently offered by the organisation. It involves relevant important of each question and measurement of perceived service and measurement of quality service provided. Conclusion From the brief literature review we can conclude that best practice can be SERVQUAL Model as its widely used in for service quality measurement model. SERVERF can be useful but its not as intensely studied and reviewed by researches and practitioners. SERVQUAL Gap Model Diagram illustrated Available at: http://www.gccrm.com/eng/content_details.jsp?contentid=2068subjectid=101 [Accessed 8 November 2009] Q4. From the conclusions drawn from your literature review and your findings within the case study create a proposal for the changes you would like to see introduced to solve the selected problem. Finding and Change Proposal A conclusion can be drowned from research, evidence and literature review that Zoo has number of problems which can be addresses by following these steps. Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction Development Work Animal Captivity and welfare Issues Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction As previously found the customer satisfaction and quality of service score was low. Furthermore the finding of review of different customer at various review sites shows that London Zoo operations have poor performance which includes poor operations and planning, empty cages, low quality food and queues everywhere. This shows there is a gap between customer perception and service provided. As suggested from literature review that customer satisfaction and perception can be achieved and that can be used to improve the services. After gathering the results from SERVQUAL model, these issues should be addressed operation management tools. Development Works There has been greater decline towards the visitors attendance due to lack of attraction and facility provided by London Zoo. The new development like African Bird Safari in 2005, In 2006 Meet the Monkeys opening and walkthroughs Into Africa Butterfly Paradise and Gorilla Kingdom and Clore Rainforest Lookout in the year 2007 by the London Zoo were encouraging and right steps towards creating more attractions, But as analysis shows its only mange to increase visitors at smaller scale and reviews shows customer were not satisfy with the new Gorilla Kingdom as their expectation were much higher then the what the got. There should be continue development in providing support facilities like baby facility, seating facility, parking, extra counters to reduce queues and journey planner for Zoo to walk through the Zoo to give complete and entertaining day out in Zoo. Animal Captivity and welfare Issues One of the major concerns by animal rights and welfare society were to address the issues related to animal facility and welfare in society. London Zoo management should work towards the captivity and happiness of animals. London Zoo should work to provide natural environment for animals so there happiness are confirmed with the entertaining of the visitors. Animal breading and preservation research work should be launched by zoological society and should raise awareness about the work been done but zoological society, so in this way instead of become party against all the animal rights and welfare organisation ZSL can actually work with hand to hand to address these issues and develop a positive society attitude. Conclusion The above mentioned points can clearly address the basic and major problems currently faced by London Zoo. It can certainly create positive and healthy attraction and attitude of the society and which can lead to new visitors and as long as returning visitors as well. Q5. Additional task: If you were appointed as a Management Consultant of London Zoo and you were requested to conduct a competitive analysis of your park versus those offered in: 1) Bristol zoo and 2) Chester zoo in order to improve your competitive edge and attract more customers; which operations mange tools/models would you use to do so and why? After so doing, what set of reasonable improvements would you suggest to the London Zoo director. Competitive Analysis To evaluate the strength of competition is the key to gain competitive edge on your competitors. The competitive environment provides opportunity to analysis the own organization and competitor as well, to achieve this edge various tools and models are available which are widely used in different industry sectors. There are different methods and techniques available to conduct a competitive analysis of different organization in similar industry. Popular models include Porters Five Competitive Forces SWOT Analysis Competitive Benchmarking Porters Five Competitive Forces Michael Porter model provides the framework to gain competitive edge by analysing the industry context in which firm operates. The competitive model is identifying the 5 basic competitive forces: Entry of competitors Threat of substitutes Bargaining Power of buyers Bargaining Power of suppliers Rivalry among the existing players Critics believe that this model is to analysis individual business strategies and extra care is required to not to underestimate current organization strength and weakness. SWOT Analysis SWOT analysis is used to analyze the competitor and identify their strengths, weaknesses; opportunities and threats which help determine the target market, competitive edge, customer services and forecasting. Strengths This is use to identify the strength, potential strategy, marketing strength, customer services and positive tangible, intangibles. Weaknesses Weaknesses involve evaluating the culture, organization structure, operation efficiency, operation capacity, market share and position on experience curve. Opportunities An opportunity is consider as a chance to introduce new product or service. Opportunity can arise due to external factors and can increase the chance of high return. Threats Similar to opportunity these may lead to potential threat, it can be social changes, customer, competitor, new technology, economic or political and regularity changes. Benchmarking Benchmarking is a process to identify performance of organizational processes and activity are best-practice. The objective of benchmarking is to evaluate business unit, division, and organisation performance as compared to similar industry. There are 5 types of benchmarking Internal Benchmarking Competitive Benchmarking Functional Benchmarking Generic Benchmarking Collaborative Benchmarking In this scenario competitive analysis should be performed using performance or Competitive Benchmarking. Competitive Benchmarking Competitive Benchmarking is used to identify and compare the company performance with a competitor. Comparison can be all dimension of a business it can range from finance, product and services, technology, development and personal polices. To increase Zoo competitiveness, it helps to understand how your operations and business processes compare to that your competitors. It allows to examination of current processes and weaknesses which help to change and improve with experience and practice. While conduction benchmarking it should be clearly define and data information shared. Wrong comparison and less information may lead to meaningless comparison. Process of benchmarking can be elaborate using following diagram. Benchmarking process [online] Available at www.pcimag.com [Accessed 17 November 2009] Improvement Recommendations Would like to suggest following recommendations: Strengthen the competitive edge and try to come over weakness identified while doing competitive analysis. Improve Quality of service and customer satisfaction Provide support facilities like baby facility, seating areas and information desk Improve daily operation task effectively Increase the big animals which can increase the competitive edge Provide animals with closer to nature living facilities Take measures to cater the animal happiness and welfare issues. Appendix Customer Reviews London Zoo, not great! On a 3 day trip to London and unfortunately was part of a day I felt could have been spent somewhere else! It is one of the worst Zoos I have ever been to! Most of the cages were empty and to be honest I have been to much better zoos!! by gooseuk7 [online] Available at: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d187553-r48182591-London_Zoo-London_England.html [Accessed 9 November 2009] London Zoo An expensive waste of time Costly admission prices to a zoo with few interesting animals and many sections and stalls empty. The admission prices are already expensive at  £13 per adult,  £10 per child, but then the ticket sellers force you to pay an extra  £1.50 optional donation. Its hard to stand up to them to avoid this donation. Car parking is expensive at  £9. There were no elephants. This has been the case for a while, and has been mentioned by other reviewers, but seems a shocking omission. There were no gorillas the whole section is boarded off and under development. The bugs area was also under development. There are none of the exotic animals like pandas any more. Many of the animals that were present stayed out of view. The food was pricey like the admission (but this is normal for such places).by yood [online] Available at: http://www.dooyoo.co.uk/theme-parks-zoos-national/london-zoo/1034722/ [Accessed 8 November 2009] Disappointing Ive been many times and this time was the most disappointing. Too many areas seemed to be in the middle of refurbishment. Night zone was too dark couldnt see anything. I like meerkats, but they seemed to be everywhere. The outback was dismal showing a lack of ideas. As Ive said Ive been before and those visits were much better, I would still go again in the hope that things improve. To be honest Chester zoo is better. By munslowl [Online] Available at: http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/ShowUserReviews-g186338-d187553-r36778432-London_Zoo-London_England.html [Accessed 8 November 2009]

Mass Production :: Economics

Mass Production Mass production is the manufacture of products of uniform quality in large quantities using a standardised mechanical process or assembly line. After a short post-war depression, the American economy grew rapidly in the early 1920s. By 1926, the standard of living in the USA was the highest it had ever been in the country's history and America was officially the richest nation in the world. Natural resources such as oil were abundant and this gave the USA an advantage that no other country enjoyed at that level. This profusion of natural resources led to a large-scale industrial development. New techniques meant that goods could be produced much more cheaply on a large scale which led to the production of masses of cheap goods which could be afforded by thousands of normal Americans. Mass production was pioneered by Henry Ford in 1913. He could not manufacture cars fast enough to keep up with demand and so he introduced the concept of an assembly line. As a result, one Model T could be produced every three minutes. Components were added as the car moved along and each worker did one specific job. By 1920, a car was produced every ten seconds and Ford realised that if cars could be produced more cheaply, more people would be able to buy them and as demand rose and the company sold more cars, he could make them even cheaper. Between 1908 and 1925, over 15 million Model T's were made and by the mid 1920s, one out of every two cars sold was a Model T. The cost of cars fell from $1200 to  £295 by 1928 which meant that even normal people could afford them. Henry Ford's mass-production techniques were taken up by other industries in America and the USA quickly became the most efficient producer in the world. The falling cost of each input offset the smaller profit margin because demand was stimulated. Employment prospects also improved with many people moving to live in the industrial cities and American industries saw huge profits and expanded enormously. However, mass production also meant that as the rich got richer, the poor got poorer. Mass production changed the fabric of American society forever. Social freedom was achieved and mass production bought an immense sense of liberty to the rural areas. Making cars affordable changed the face of America and it resulted in large scale urbanisation and the development of suburbs. It encouraged the building of roads, and the growing popularity of owning your own car made it easier to move around so people did not have to be within walking distance to work. The car contributed to the industrial boom of the 1920s by stimulating Mass Production :: Economics Mass Production Mass production is the manufacture of products of uniform quality in large quantities using a standardised mechanical process or assembly line. After a short post-war depression, the American economy grew rapidly in the early 1920s. By 1926, the standard of living in the USA was the highest it had ever been in the country's history and America was officially the richest nation in the world. Natural resources such as oil were abundant and this gave the USA an advantage that no other country enjoyed at that level. This profusion of natural resources led to a large-scale industrial development. New techniques meant that goods could be produced much more cheaply on a large scale which led to the production of masses of cheap goods which could be afforded by thousands of normal Americans. Mass production was pioneered by Henry Ford in 1913. He could not manufacture cars fast enough to keep up with demand and so he introduced the concept of an assembly line. As a result, one Model T could be produced every three minutes. Components were added as the car moved along and each worker did one specific job. By 1920, a car was produced every ten seconds and Ford realised that if cars could be produced more cheaply, more people would be able to buy them and as demand rose and the company sold more cars, he could make them even cheaper. Between 1908 and 1925, over 15 million Model T's were made and by the mid 1920s, one out of every two cars sold was a Model T. The cost of cars fell from $1200 to  £295 by 1928 which meant that even normal people could afford them. Henry Ford's mass-production techniques were taken up by other industries in America and the USA quickly became the most efficient producer in the world. The falling cost of each input offset the smaller profit margin because demand was stimulated. Employment prospects also improved with many people moving to live in the industrial cities and American industries saw huge profits and expanded enormously. However, mass production also meant that as the rich got richer, the poor got poorer. Mass production changed the fabric of American society forever. Social freedom was achieved and mass production bought an immense sense of liberty to the rural areas. Making cars affordable changed the face of America and it resulted in large scale urbanisation and the development of suburbs. It encouraged the building of roads, and the growing popularity of owning your own car made it easier to move around so people did not have to be within walking distance to work. The car contributed to the industrial boom of the 1920s by stimulating

A Kingdom In Waiting :: essays research papers

The thunder shook the land like the footsteps of the giant Mitocas. The water crashed against the jagged cliffs of Lithany. Lithany was the greatest city in the land, the lush gardens smelled of juniper and lilacs, the white buildings flowed throughout the city. This was indeed the grandest city of Malik. The ruler of Lithany, Romero the Pharaoh, became distressed when the giant Mitocas decided to block the flow of the Fandi River. The Fandi’s were simple water farmers whom collected vital goods from the river and controlled the water animal’s population, so without the river they’re doomed. Romero the Pharaoh unsure of a solution called upon Virous a young man filled with courage to test into manhood by saving the Fandi clan. â€Å"Romero the Pharaoh, I came to prove myself, and to earn my manhood,† said young Virous. â€Å"I am pleased with your courage young Virous. This task I ask of you is not a simple task, many have tried and failed already, do yo u still live up to the challenge?† asked Romero the Pharaoh with a grim look across her face. â€Å"Yes!† shouted young Virous. â€Å"I am up to your challenge and I will not fail like the others, your river will be restored.† With a pleased looked on Romero the Pharaohs face, and a flip of the wrist young Virous was off for the Fandi’s River.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After riding two days across the lands of Lithany young Virous arrived at the base of the village. To his surprise the village looked as if the serpent from the North Mountains had whipped its long, slimy, cold body throughout the village destroying everything but a small structure at the far end of the village. Virous hopped off his horse and opened the small door to the structure. Within was the entire Fandi Clan, from the chief to the children of the clan. After Virous introduced himself and showed the chief his scroll from the Pharaoh, the Fandi clan told Virous where to find the giant. Due to their fear of Mitocas the Fandi’s remained in the tiny hut. Virous then traveled alone to the Fandi River where he met Mitocas, the largest and most bitter of all giants. â€Å"Why are you hurting the Fandi’s and taking over their river?† asked young Virous. â€Å"It’s rather simple, they denied me of my request,† said the giant Mitocas . â€Å"And what was your request,† asked young Virous.

Analysis of Centaur Abducting Woman with Fallen Lapith Man Essay

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Perhaps the most interesting period in Greek sculpture is the Classical period. During this glorious period of unbelievable craftsmanship, numerous pieces celebrated the Greek’s infatuation with fable and war. The sculpture, nicely titled Centaur Abducting Lapith Woman and Fallen Lapith Man, is a wonderful symbol of the artistic period and image of war. Sculpted somewhere around 447-438 B.C., the sculpture was carved out of solid marble to produce a beautiful, and yet horrifying scene from a battle.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  This sculpture was most likely the artist’s attempt to capture the essence of some fable that had been passed down through the generations. Perhaps more likely, it could have been the artist’s own imagination that fathomed the macabre beauty of the rendered scene. The sculpture is done in high relief, carved out of a solid block of marble. The lines and curves of the sculpture give each character within it great definition. It almost appears though, from the way in which the centaur holds the woman, that he has no head. This adds to the already existing complexity of the sculpture. It is very similar to other sculptures of the Classical period in the way that it depicts a man at death’s doorstep, and a woman being abducted. It seems to be a reoccurring theme.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The sculpture is done in a monochromatic brown hue. It depicts a valiant centaur with a Lapith woman slung over his shoulder. A Lapith...

Fort Sumter

Fort Sumter was a turning point in determining the outcome of the Civil War. Fort Sumter was built on a man-made island of seashells and granite. It was a pentagon shape that was fifty feet high and the walls were eight to twelve feet thick. Fort Sumter is located in South Carolina. It was a defense system for Charleston Harbor. It was named after a Revolutionary War hero from South Carolina. For one of the causes of the Civil War was that the South demanded that fort Sumter be turned over to its new government.United States troops were to leave the fort. President Abraham Lincoln refused to let them. Lincoln said that Fort Sumter belonged to all of the people of the United States, not just to South Carolina. The people of South Carolina were determined to have the fort. They threatened to starve the men stationed there. Lincoln sent food and supplies to the men stationed there. The Carolinians fired on the ship and, then they fired on the fort and destroyed it. That was how the war began (Hakim 61).On April 13, 1861, Fort Sumter surrendered after heavy bombardment to Confederate forces. Accounts of this victory created wild excitement in North Carolina. The Union was deeply saddened that war had started. On the other hand, the South was ecstatic (Hakim 62). President Lincoln had a major role in the Civil War. Lincoln refused to withdraw soldiers from Fort Sumter. He sent a supply ship after the South threatened to stop supplying them. He differed with other northern leaders by that the other leaders told him to back out and Lincoln did not listen to them.He refused to let the South leave the United States. Lincoln proclaimed a blockade on April 16, 1861. The blockade extended from Virginia to Texas. At the time, it was impossible for the federal government to enforce a blockade of the coastline measuring almost four thousand miles and containing one hundred and eighty-nine harbors. In conclusion, many important battles such as Gettysburg and Antietam took plac e after. The Civil War lasted for four years. Today, Fort Sumter is a tourist attraction and it attracts many visitors.

Pet Overpopulation Epidemic

Persuasive Speech Topic: Pet Overpopulation Epidemic General Purpose: To persuade. Specific Purpose: To persuade my audience that the public is to blame for the pet overpopulation epidemic. Central Idea: In order to control the overwhelming population of homeless pets, we need to stop throwing our â€Å"family friends† away. There are 1. 5 dogs and cats put to sleep every second & 4-6 million dogs and cats are euthanized every year, states the Humane Society. The pet overpopulation epidemic has become more than overwhelming. But who is at fault for the ever increasing number of homeless and euthanized pets each year?The public, government and breeders all have their hand in this catastrophic epidemic. So who is to blame for this epidemic? Since government intervention has caused more harm than foul, what will need to change in order for anything to improve? The pet overpopulation epidemic is not a myth, not something to be swept under the rug or shamelessly forgotten. This epi demic is our making and therefore our responsibility. So where does the problem really lie? One would think its 100% the fault of breeders and those multitudes of litters. But no, that is not the route of the problem, not by a long shot.Breeders are the effect of the problem, and the massive pet overpopulation is the aftermath. Yes, breeders, as a whole, are breeding more litters than there are homes for, yet, they are selling them. So why is that, why are breeders selling their litters when there's a worldwide pet overpopulation problem? Because people do not look at the purchase of a puppy or kitten as a lifelong commitment. Puppies and kittens are so cute, most are purchased on impulse. Who could, after all, resist that cute little face? Yes, the problem lies with the general public who, do not research, and buy these pets without thoroughly thinking it through.Without doing their homework on the type of pet they should get, and without taking the time to learn what a dog really needs in order to be that perfect dog. They later â€Å"Get Rid† of their pet, passing them onto rescues or pounds. Later, most will end up â€Å"Testing Out† a different type of pet. The vast majority of people, who adopt a puppy or kitten, do not keep the animal for life. If this were to turn around and most people were to actually keep their pets through the good times and the bad, as they do their own children, the demand for these animals would go down.With less of a demand, breeders would not breed as many litters. Breeders are only breeding as many litters as they do, because people are buying them. The demand for a cute little puppy or kitten is great, because people do not keep the animal for life. Animals are recycled. If a breeder had a litter and could not sell the puppies, they would not keep having litter after litter. People are buying them, so breeders are breeding them. In a perfect world, breeders would breed less and force people to adopt from an ani mal rescue, but this is not a perfect world.The solution lies with the general public educating themselves, supply and demand, that's the solution. Lessen the demand and the supply will, on its own, lessen. The power lies within each and every one of us. Scripted by Kim Sturla (of the San Mateo ordinance fame) and her continual cross-country junketing preaching her message: â€Å"The problem is simple: we have too many dogs and cats. Too many for too few homes. † Another contributing factor to this huge problem is government intervention. The state run dog pounds make it way took easy to unload the responsibility of owning a pet onto someone else.Most people could â€Å"Get Rid† of their dogs in one day. Almost anyone can take their pets to the pound. It is very easy to â€Å"Get Rid† of a dog or cat at a local state run kill shelter (dog & cat pound), but it's not so easy to adopt a dog from one. Some years back my cousin went to a state run dog pound near his work and tried to adopt a dog. He was told it was the dogs last day, yes it was going to be killed the next day. My husband told the shelter he wanted to adopt the dog. Upon doing his paperwork he was told he could not adopt the dog because he didn't live in that county.He explained he worked down the street, didn't live in the county but worked there. No, that was not acceptable; he was not allowed to adopt the dog. The pound was going to kill the dog, but would not adopt it out to a man who lived in the next county over. These state run pounds have all kinds of rules and restrictions in place for adopting a pet, but not for dumping one. Yes, they will take your pet, and they will also kill it for you. Know if you take your dog or cat to one of these pounds chances are extremely high it will be dead in a month.The majority of cats and dogs who are taken to this state run kill shelters are not adopted out, but are killed. One might as well save the tax payers some money and kill the animals themselves. Sound harsh? Yes, it is, so don't take your pets to the pound. You took on this responsibility, now you must deal with it without dumping your problems onto someone else. What needs to change, the attitude of the general public. When one decides to buy a cute little puppy or kitten, the decision should be looked at as a 10-15 year commitment.If one cannot, or does not, wish to commit this amount of time to a dog or cat, do not buy a puppy or kitten, and then pass your problem off to someone else when it grows up and the situation does not work out as you envisioned it would. Just like when one decides to have a human baby, things will not be perfect. The child will not be perfect. They will be expensive and press us to the end with issues to deal with. Dogs and cats are not disposable and they are not all the same. Chances are, a type of dog that will fit into your lifestyle will not be the type of dog that will fit into your neighbor’s lifestyle.Sometime s there is no type of dog that will fit into your lifestyle, and if you want a pet, it’s time to consider something else, something less demanding. This research should be done before you adopt a pet, it should not be a trial and error experience. With the internet so readily available, there is no excuse for not researching BEFORE adopting a pet. It should be made harder to dump unwanted animals off at these state pounds, putting more responsibility on the pet owner. Maybe than people would think twice about buying a puppy or kitten when they were not sure if they were ready for the responsibility of owning one for life.These state run shelters are hurting the pet overpopulation problem more than they are helping. The world would be a better place if there were not an easy place to dump your pets after you got tired of them. Let private no kill rescues work with people who think they want to dump their dog. It needs to be harder for someone to dump an unwanted pet and never look back. If you would like to try owning a dog or cat, but are not sure if you are a dog / cat person, start with a full grown homeless dog or cat rather than adopting a puppy or kitten.Grown cats and dogs are easier to care for than kittens and puppies and you will not be contributing to the overpopulation problem should you decide it was not something you should have taken on. There are millions of wonderful dogs and cats that need homes. People who adopt a cute little puppy or kitten without researching, how a dog thinks, the type of pet they are getting, the care, time and responsibility it will need, and end up â€Å"Getting Rid† of your pet after it has outgrown that cute puppy or kitten stage, using one of the many common excuses for not keeping a pet, it is you who are the problem for the worlds pet overpopulation.Bibliography American Humane Association. Adoption & Pet Care: Issues and information. 2009. 5 11 2010 . Avery, Gladys. â€Å"Overpopulation – The Importance of Spaying and Neutering. † 22 July 2007. I Heart Paws. 5 November 2010 . Humane Society. Pet Over Population. 2010. 18 11 2010 . Mansuso, Judie. â€Å"One of the most frequent questions asked about SB 250 is. † n. d. SB:250. 5 November 2010 . Pennington, Ian. â€Å"Facts on Pet Overpopulation. † n. d. Eziine @rticles. 10 11 2010 . Sadler, Anna. â€Å"Pet Overpopulation — A Self-Fulfilling Prophecy? † September 1994. The Cat Fanciers Association, Inc. 10 11 2010 .