World Politics: American Hegemony Essay -- The US as Global Hegemon

UNITED STATES POWER Whenever world politics is mentioned, the state that appears to be at the apex of affairs is the United States of America, although some will argue that it isn’t. It is paramount we know that the international system is shaped by certain defining events that has lead to some significant changes, particularly those connected with different chapters of violence. Certainly, the world wars of the twentieth century and the more recent war on terror must be included as defining moments. The warning of brute force on a potentially large scale also highlights the vigorousness of the cold war period, which dominated world politics within an interval of four decades. The practice of international relations (IR) was introduced out of a need to discuss the causes of war and the different conditions for calm in the wake of the first world war, and it is relevant we know that this has remained a crucial focus ever since. However, violence is not the only factor capable of causing interrupt ion in the international system. Economic elements also have a remarkable impact. The great depression that happened in the 1920s, and the global financial crises of the contemporary period can be used as examples. Another concurrent problem concerns the environment, with the human climate being one among different number of important concerns for the continuing future of humankind and the planet in general. In this paper, I will argue that the current system is hegemonial. My explanation to hegemony will then be centered on the sources of the United States as a hegemonial power. Furthermore, I will state the different primary implications associated with the rise of China and what the Roman Empire offers for understanding the United Sta... ... The Costs of US Hegemony: Military Power, Military Spending, and US Trade Performance. Sage. http://rrp.sagepub.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/content/31/4/32.full.pdf+html R. Bruce Hitcher. (2008). Globalization Avant La Lettre: Globalization and the History of the Roman Empire. New Global Studies: Vol. 2: Iss. 2, Article 2. Susan V. Lawrence, Michael F. Martin. (2013). Understanding China’s Political System. Congressional Research Services. https://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/row/R41007.pdf The Rise of China and the Future of the West. (2008, January 1). Retrieved from http://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/63042/g-john-ikenberry/the-rise-of-china-and-the-future-of-the-west Wei-Wei Zhang. (2004). The Implications of the Rise of China. Foresight, Vol. 6 Iss: 4, P. 223 – 226. http://www.emeraldinsight.com.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/journals.htm?articleid=874264

Examination of the factors that contribute to depression among young women aged 15 to 25 of age in the UK

Abstract This dissertation identifies the factors that contribute to a mental health problem (depression) among young women 15 to 25 of age in the UK. The literature review revealed that the young women aged 15 to 25 are exposed to the risk of being depressed as a result of the interplay between biological and environmental factors. Furthermore, the rates of depression were found to be higher in the women population compared to men. The study also reveals that depression in the young women of this age bracket has negative effects on their family and friends. Although the family members and friends are always willing to help their loved ones recover from mental health problems they are prevented from doing so because of their lack of knowledge and skills in handling depression. As a result, depression ends up disrupting the relationship between the patients and their loved ones who equally end up being distressed as well. The findings reveal that the government should increase the funding on i ts programs and consistently review the performance of the policies in order to correct any mistakes in time. Introduction The main purpose of this study is to review literature on the factors that contribute to depression among young women aged 15 to 25 in the UK. The study will explore the impact of the patient’s condition on the family members and friends, and evaluate the effectiveness of the different initiatives to support young women with depression. The study carries out an extensive review of academic articles and will access all available data to discuss the research objectives. Additionally, it will perform an appraisal of the findings and results obtained from related literatures. Thereafter, a conclusion will be provided on all issues deliberated in the study, and then a recommendation will be given for the public education and possibly for future mental health research project among young women in the United Kingdom. Background and Rationale for the study The World Health Organization (WHO) defined mental health as a state of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities, can cope with the normal stresses of life, can work productively and is able to make a contribution to his or her community, whilst, mental problems or illness refers to conditions that affect cognition, emotion, and behaviour for example, schizophrenia, depression, and autism (Manderscheid et al, 2010). Women are more likely to suffer from depression compared to men. Brady (2013) confirmed that the investigation of national mental health surveys have shown that psychological disorders are 20% to 40% likely to occur in women than men. Walsh (2009) claims that this disparity is due to many elements, as studies have given a number of factors have been responsible for the cause of mental health problems among women in the UK; some of the influences include the increasing responsibility of women performing multiple roles in the society, such as care ers, homemakers and breadwinners. Seeman (2006) stated that the care giving role of women, which sometimes extends to spouses, children and the elderly, may induce increased stress and possibly cause mental health problems. Likewise, the associated issues of pregnancy and child-bearing are an additional consideration responsible for a high rate of mental health problems among women (Kidd et al, 2013). Ussher (2010) notes that the issue of domestic violence is also a contributing factor because women have depression or mental health problems because they have been subjected to domestic violence. These women sometimes find it hard to go for counseling as a confidential and safe means by which they can outlet their feelings. There are very few studies that have identified the relationship between mental health problems among young women and depression; this supports studies that have linked stress as a catalyst responsible for mental health problems amongst young women (Pratt et al 201 2). Weich (2004) confirmed that some UK based studies have reported an excess in the prevalence of the most common mental disorders of anxiety and depression. The cost of treating depression and other mental problems is a big financial burden to the government. The Centre for Mental Health (2010) concluded that mental problems have not only a human and social cost, but also an economic one, with wider costs in England amounting to ?105 billion a year. Rosenfeld (2009) asserts that very few studies have focused on the causes of depression among young women in the age group of 15-25. Most studies focus on depression on women, men, or adolescents without necessarily narrowing down to young women (Rosenfeld, 2009). The rationale for this study is to identify the causes of depression among the young women aged 15-25, evaluate the effects of depression on the family members and friends, explore the government policy and interventions and then offer recommendations on how to protect the yo ung women from depression. The study of depression in young women is important because the depression suffered at this age group has a direct effect on the future lives of these women (Thomas et al 2008). It is therefore important to look into ways of protecting them against depression because this will not only save the government money that is currently being used on treatment but also ensure that the young women enter the early adulthood stage with a strong mental ability. To the healthcare profession, this study will be helpful in the treatment of depression through making maximum use of preventive measures and formulating a basis for further research on ways of reducing the rates of depression among women aged 15-25. Aims and Objectives The primary aim of this project is to review literature on the factors that contribute to depression among young women aged 15 to 25 in the United Kingdom. The objectives of the study are as follows: To identify and understand the risk factors responsible for depression as a mental health problem among young women aged 15 to 25 in the UK. To examine the impact of depression on the family and friends of the depressed persons To investigate ggovernment initiatives that support young women with depressionEthicsThis study addressed ethical and anti- oppressive issues that relate to research and practice. It adhered to all the ethical principles that guide the use of secondary data. The review was conducted with an interest of finding ways of improving the lives of young people with depression through evaluating ways of reducing the causative agents and providing care for the already depressed population. The findings are meant to benefit both the depressed young people and form a basis f or future research. Literature ReviewMethodsThis review followed an inclusion and exclusion criteria in determining which articles and books to review and which ones to ignore based on the relevance of their content to this dissertation. The journal articles were chosen from EbSCOhost, BNI, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINHAL, government published documents and policy. Simple electronic database search was then done using the key words as a guiding criterion. All the journals and books were screened by reading the titles, abstract and in some cases full text in deciding which ones were suitable for this research. The key words for the search were â€Å"mental illness, young women, depression, and government policies to address depression†. The database search depended on wildcards and keywords in looking for information in the abstracts, title, subject heading, and full text. The words were used separately and then in combination to ensure that as many relevant articles are reviewed. The criteria for inclusi on and exclusion of articles and books The method for selecting articles made use of the inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure that the search generated the best possible articles and books. The inclusion criteria targeted the articles that cover prevalence of depression among women, early adulthood, policy intervention in the United Kingdom, peer reviewed and possible methods of dealing with depression. The exclusion criteria on the other hand included the articles and books published prior to 2001, generalized the youth without separating young women from women, only included children under the age of 15, focused on bipolar mood disorder, studies with small sample sizes (less than 50), and those involving non representative samples like the ethnic minorities.ResultsA total of 100 citations were considered for the research, out of which 30 duplicate citations were filtered out. The remaining 70 citations were then screened using the inclusion and exclusion criteria outlined above. 50 articles were retained for inclu sion and the other 20 were excluded from the study. Therefore, this review is based on a sample of 50 citations. The details of the review are availed in the subsequent sections of this literature review. The articles were then grouped into those that cover the general correlates of and prevalence of depression, those that cover young women below the age of 30, and finally those that cover young women still under the care of their parents. Among the 50 citations considered for review, only a small percentage was longitudinal by design. The samples had different sample sizes with the least having 50 and the most having 20,000 participants. General correlates and prevalence of depression The findings of this review reveal that in the cases where the articles made comparisons between the males and females, women were more likely to be affected by depression compared to the males. Out of the 10 articles that compared the two sexes only three posted a different result. The three articles did not find any significant differences in the prevalence rates between young men and young women. The other seven articles all concluded that women are more vulnerable to depression than men. The prevalence rates ranged from as low as 4.3% to a high of 49%. Factors that contribute to depression among young women 15 to 25 of age in the UK Lundt (2004, p. 67) claims that in addition to women having higher rates of depression than men, many features of depression differ for women when compared to men. These differences include factors like the likelihood of occurrence, risk factors and the symptoms of depression. This literature review reveals an overwhelming support for a multidimensional model of the risk factors for depression in women with a complex relationship being exhibited between life stress, social, biological, sex role socialization and developmental factors. Hales (2008, p. 33) asserts that currently, the exact neurophysiological mechanisms surrounding depression have not yet been identified although stress appears to play a crucial role in the onset of depressive episodes particular at the initial stages. While the conventional perception of depression supports biopsychosocial model of risk factors, more contemporary conceptualizations and research emphasize on the impact of the sex role socialization (Tho mas, et al 2008, p. 41). The societal gender expectations have a direct influence on how to deal with depression. The women who are forced to adopt female roles that are more stereotyped often experience more depression compared to the ones that are not exposed to such hostile environments. Ussher (2010, p. 13) also adds that women are also more likely to make complex inferences and engage in more ruminative self-focus and this may maintain or even aggravate depression. Walsh (2009, p. 66) notes that there is no single theory explaining the gender differences in depression. In fact the different rates of depression are as a result of multidimensional and interactive issues that are functions of idiographic factors. Rosenfeld (2009, p. 76) supports this further by asserting that integrative biopsychosocial theories of depression have been espoused by many different theories. They note that there are five major categories of risk factors which are: Biological, Life stress, Sex role so cialization, Societal/Social and Developmental The interactive model of risk factors is an expansion of the Worrel and Remmer (1992) model (White, & Groh, 2007, p. 65). All the five factors are discussed in discrete sections below for purposes of clarity although in reality most of these factors are interrelated and involve more than one factor at a time. It is for this reason then that some factors will appear in more than one section. Biological Factors In the past, most scholars held the assumption that there were two subtypes of depressions, neurotic and endogenous (Stahl et al. 2003, p. 56). The endogenous depressions were believed to be driven by purely biological factors whereas the neurotic depressions were thought to be functions of interpersonal and intrapersonal factors. However, more recent research shows that very few depressions are purely biological and there is a general consensus that most depressions have a biopsychosocial basis (Savoie et al 2004, p. 29) Although genetics play a significant role in unipolar depression, heredity is not an important factor as it is in bipolar depression. Depression affects women throughout their lives and it is caused by a combination of different factors that range from hormonal, pregnancy, postnatal to biological factors (Paxton, & Robinson, 2008, p. 16). At a later stage in life women may also suffer from depression caused by menopause. These are the factors that make women more vu lnerable to depression than men. Additionally, women are more likely to be diagnosed with depression in their early lives than men. Nimrod (2012, p. 43) found that females start experiencing depression in their early adolescence. The study highlights that depression can occur in the young women and puberty increases the risk. This assertion was supported by Greenblatt (2011, p. 45) who claims that the depression in women mostly starts at puberty. The hormonal levels at puberty are a major cause of depression in young women. The changes in oestrogen and androgen are more responsible for the depression than puberty itself. Hales (2009, p. 77) asserts that this view is consistent with the fact that depression can be as a result of hormonal changes that are related to the reproductive system of women. This is particularly evident in the young women who often complain of both emotional and physical premenstrual symptoms. The young women may also suffer depression during pregnancy. Erland sson and Eklund (2006, p. 32) claim that while pregnancy does not necessarily cause depression, pregnant women who have a history of depression are more likely to suffer relapses because of their reluctance to use antidepressant medication. This thought is supported by Castle et al (2006, p. 61) as they highlight the implications of managing and treating depression in women. Their research revealed that although many women are often reluctant to take medication during pregnancy, the effectiveness of using antidepressants outweighs the consequences of untreated depression on both the child and the woman. As such, their research outlines the importance of the role of nurses, health visitors, general practitioners, mental health practitioners and the other health professionals in educating the young pregnant women and their families. Additionally, the research also highlights the importance of taking the risks of managing and treating depression during pregnancy into consideration as w ell as empowering the young women to make decisions based on the best guidelines and available evidence. However, every pregnant woman must be considered differently and individually because there are many factors that influence their decisions on whether to use the antidepressants or not. Sleath et al (2005, p. 47) say that additional information is required by both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments and that all medical practitioners must always weigh up the different treatment options available as well as the wishes of the patient before making any decisions. In fact this is the reason why Pestello & Davis-Berman (2008, p. 15) asserts that current advice must be provided based on evidence based practice and practice guidelines. Mirowsky and Ross (2003, p. 55) claim that there is often an increased risk of depression after childbirth because of the hormonal changes in the postnatal period. During this time, there is often an influx of other factors like breast feed ing that may influence a young woman not to use antidepressants. Although infertility does not lead to depression, the young women struggling with infertility may be susceptible to depression. In fact Demyttenaere, De Fruyt, & Stahl (2005, p. 37) claim that depression may play a role in infertility. Some studies indicate a positive correlation between depression symptoms prior to attempting to conceive and infertility. However, the inability to conceive may lead to depression which may in turn affect the probability of being able to conceive (Ravindran, et al 2002, p. 99). Several other medical conditions like anemia, AIDS, Addison’s disease, cancer, diabetes, infectious hepatitis, influenza, systemic lupus, hypothyroidism, multiple sclerosis, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, hyperthyroidism, mononucleosis, and Cushing’s disease can cause symptoms of depression in young women (Pratt, et al. 2012, p. 21). Furthermore, other medical conditions like heart disease , asthma and hypoglycemia can equally cause anxiety like symptoms. Lazear et al (2008, p. 30) claims that there is a positive correlation between depression and coronary heart disease. Depression occurs with a high rate mostly after coronary heart disease. In fact recent research indicates that depression is a risk factor for coronary heart disease and a predictor of poor outcome (Eklund, Erlandsson, & Persson, 2003, p. 48). Life stress factors Hales (2012, p.50) claims that certain types of stressful life events eventually lead to depression in most young women. One of the possible reasons for the intermittent nature of depression is explained by the kindling hypothesis. According to this hypothesis, the strength of the association between stressful life events and depressive onsets decrease with an increase in the number of episodes (Eklund et al 2010, p. 82). It is the unspecified changes that take place during the repressive episodes either through learning or brain changes rather than the stressful life events that kindle future episodes. Erlandsson and Eklund (2003, p. 68) note that in people with recurrent depressions, the relationship between stress and depression declines progressively through approximately nine episodes and then stabilises through the future episodes. The stress diathesis theories of depression indicate that depression results from the way an individual interprets the life stressful events (Castle , Kulkarni, & Abel, 2006, p. 51). Hopelessness depression is a stress diathesis theory whereby an attributional style interacts with the negative style events to generate specific subtype of depression with symptoms of sadness, loss of motivation and suicidal ideation. In the context of this model, the internal factors (an attributional style) interact with the external factors (negative life events) to produce depression in the young women. Therefore, stress in womens’ lives has a direct impact on the levels of depressions. Caretaking and parenting demands on women often confer an increased risk for depression. Young women with children are particularly vulnerable especially for those that do not work outside the home (Duncan, 2004, p. 58). In fact, the more children in the house the more depression are reported. The responsibility of caring for the aging parents is often left to the adult daughters, which in turn increases their vulnerability to depression. Women seem to be more vulnerable to the negative effects of interpersonal relationships (McLeod & McLeod, 2009, p. 28). Women in unhappy marriages are three times more likely to be depressed than the single ones or men (McLeod & McLeod, 2009, p. 28). Women are more vulnerable to interpersonal violence than men are, and depression is a function of interpersonal violence (Beck, & Alford, 2009, p. 77). Depression can occur because of psychological and neurological changes caused by the interpersonal traumas. Smith & Elliott (2010, p. 44) claim there is a positive correlation between women with histories of childhood sexual and physical abuse and reversed neurovegatative depressive symptoms such as weight gain, increased appetite and hypersomnia, which suggests unique biological processes in trauma related depressions. Depression may also occur because of the effects of brain injuries suffered by battered women (Thomas, et al. 2008, p. 49). Sex Role socialisation Factors Certain types of stereotypical female personality traits as well as the gender role socialisation often contribute to the vulnerability of young women to depression. Weiten (2010, p. 37) claims that women with stereotypical beliefs on the gender roles of women and higher scores of measures of femininity are more vulnerable to depression. Furthermore, gender related personality traits like instrumentality are positively correlated to depression. The same is also true for socially influenced stereotypical female personality traits like dependency and passivity, which are conceptualised as mild manifestations of depression (Gotlib & Hammen, 2010, p. 22). Societal / Social factors Women are more likely to face lowered social status in work roles, family roles and community roles. Despite the gains, women have made both economically and socially, inequality between the sexes continues to persist in the society (Kittleson & Denkmire, 2005, p. 09). The reinforcement deficit theory postulated by Worrell and Remer (1992) indicates that depression is related to an unfavourable ratio between positive and negative person environment outcomes (Pettit & Joiner, 2005, p. 64). The low rate of positive outcomes is assumed to be caused by the increase in passive behaviour and dysphoric mood as the young women feel incapable of attaining personal goals leading to eventual withdrawal and despair. The inequity in family decision-making and access to family finance can cause women to feel powerless and unimportant, precursors to depression. Kantor (2007, p. 18) asserts that poverty is a pathway to depression. The majority of the people living in poverty in the United Kingdom ar e women and children. Dobson and Dozois (2008, p. 13) note that 10% of new cases of major depression are caused by poverty. The same is supported by Diamond (2005, p. 73) who hypothesises that depression is a function of financial hardships and poverty. Although gender differences in rates of depression do not differ by culture, the ethnic minority women and lesbians are at a higher risk because of the complexity and number of risks that they face on daily basis (Friedman, & Anderson, 2010, p. 63). The ethnic minority young women are more likely to be subjected to different socioeconomic factors for depression like ethnic/ racial discrimination, segregation into low status and high-risk jobs, lower educational and income levels, unemployment, single parenthood, poor health, marital dissolution and larger family sizes. Greenblatt (2011, p. 31) adds that being a member of a non-dominant group can also lead to experiences of discrimination and oppression, which are risk factors. Additi onally, intragroup and intergroup racism are also stressors that lead to poor health and psychological distress. Cultural role prescriptions for some ethnic minority women may at times lead to depression. For instance, for the Asian and British Indian women, the cultural norms of deference, passivity and courtesy may result in difficulties in self-assertion especially regarding issues of power consequently resulting in depression. Experiences of migration for any ethnic minority group may result in lack of social support, cultural conflicts, identity confusion, cultural adjustments, and feelings of powerlessness and diminished social status. Developmental Factors Gerrity et al (2001, p. 48) point out that prior developmental experience have a direct influence on the adult susceptibility to depression. This is particularly true for the individuals who have a history of neglect, abuse and parental loss as well as those that were brought up by depressed mothers. Additionally, the subsequent developmental transitions and the accompanying stressors increase the vulnerability of young women to depression. The developmental pathway of women often contain five major key points that begin when they start showing increased rates of depression in adolescence, continuing to the transitions on young adulthood, midlife and old age. Ussher (2010, p. 77) asserts that each of these transitions is accompanied by challenges and stresses. The intensity of these factors varies depending on the unique personality of an individual, social contexts, familial and social support, and life circumstances. One such interactive model indicates that girls arrive at the ado lescence stage with more pre-existing factors than boys do and these factors interact with social and biological changes of adolescence, which then extend into adulthood (Peacock & Casey 2000, p. 74). The young women in the age bracket of 15 to 25 are in the period of young adulthood. This period is a time of potential stress and strain for them because it is a time when they must make important interpersonal and vocational life choices that include decisions related to marriage and motherhood (White & Groh, 2007, p. 17). The young mothers with children at home face higher risks of depression. Epidemiological data indicates that the mid to late 20’s is the age at which women start experiencing depression because of the many decisions that they have to make (Stahl, et al 2003, p. 94). In the period of transition to adulthood, the women that were exposed to childhood adversities are more likely to be depressed compared to the ones that did not go through such terrible childhood s. The mid 20’s is the first time a woman must face the harsh realities of life in the context of the dreams and visions mapped out in the adolescence period. The discovery that adulthood is not as she expected often thrusts most women into despair and confusion. The fact that the young women are facing the challenges and stresses of adulthood for the first time in their lives makes them feel unprepared as the demands of adult life are at times very overwhelming (Ferentinos, et al. 2011,p. 63). These stresses make the young adult women vulnerable to psychological distress, particularly depression. Effects of depression on family and friends of the patients Weiten (2010) says that when a young woman gets depression, it does not affect her alone as it also has gross effects on their parents, siblings, friends and the whole family. All the people close to the individuals suffering from depression often get extremely worried about the patients. Beck and Alford (2009) claim that the worst part of it is that in most cases these people do not have the knowledge and skills to help the patients. This worsens the situation for the patients, as they feel helpless and in so doing adding more misery to the parents, siblings and close friends. Dobson and Dozois (2008) assert that the family members and friends get worried on the possibility of the young depressed women contemplating suicide because of their unstable conditions. In as much as they are always willing to help these young depressed women get back to the normal swing of things, the ways of doing it makes the whole thought a mirage. Therefore, they end up being very focused on them, alway s worrying for them and having difficult time connecting with the depressed young women because depression inhibits their ability to interact with other people. Depression hurts the young women both mentally and physically inhibiting their ability to work and function. The people who have affection for the young girls are often hurt by the experiences of their loved ones (Thomas et al 2008). Unlike the other physical illnesses, depression is not easily visible to people without prior experience. In fact, many people have no idea of its causes or treatment (Sleath et al 2005). The intangibility of the illness makes it very hard for the family and friends who are not able to feel or see the intensity of the suffering. Some family members and friends even deny the existence of depression because of the confusing nature of the illness. Castle, Kulkarni, & Abel (2006) claim that some family members and friends consider depression as a sign of personal weakness, while others often end up fighting alongside their depressed friends and family members. These too cases are both extreme and cause grief especially because the depressed young girls feel frustrated, misunderstood or overstretched to recover quickly. Demyttenaere, De Fruyt, and Stahl (2005) say that the symptoms of depression are very difficult to interpret. The young girls often get withdrawn and have little energy to perform ordinary daily tasks. Unfortunately, this is at times misinterpreted by the other family members as a lack of effort in helping in the daily house chores. Evaluation of initiatives for tackling the mental health problems among young women in the UK The purpose of this part of the dissertation is threefold: Make reference to some policies that touch on mental health of young women in the United Kingdom; Highlight some of the progress made by the government in helping the young people suffering from mental health problems; Identify the weaknesses and gaps in the policy and support and what should be done to improve their effectiveness. Owing to the large number of government policies on the young people, this dissertation will be highly selective in approach. INITIATIVES The National Service Framework for children, young people and maternity services policy contains the 11 standards that contribute to the mental well being of the young people. In 2007, the government developed the National Indicator Set to enable the central government manage the performance of the local government. These indicators were as follows: NI50, which monitors the emotional health of the children and young people; NI51 to monitor the effectiveness of government policy. The Children and Young People in Mind (CAMHS) made recommendations that highlight the role of all universal services like the police and midwives in promoting the mental health of children and young people. The government implemented two of its recommendations through the creation of National Advisory Council (NAC) and National CAMHS Support Service (NCSS). The role of the NAC is to hold the government accountable in ensuring that all the recommendations are met. The NCSS, on the other hand, was charged with the role of continually improving and sustaining service delivery. The New Horizons (2009) made mental health the responsibility of everyone. It required all the government departments to work as a team in the prevention of mental health problems and develop resilience in the households. It paid special attention to the need of improving transition from adolescence to adulthood and emphasised the importance of prevention of mental illnesses. In 2010, the Keeping Children and Young People in Mind applauded the need for the government to invest in the mental health and emotional well-being of the children and young people. The Progress Made The investment in CAMHS led to increased advocacy in building resilience, early intervention, general well being and the called for support from families. As a result, there was an increase in the number of professional staff to offer services to the young people (Ferentinos et al 2011). However, the progress was slower for the 16 and 17 year olds as evidenced by the increased number of young people of this age spending time in psychiatric hospitals. This implies that comprehensive implementation of CAMHS is not easy and will require more time and commitment from all the stakeholders. The Mental Health Promotion Driving Policy in the New Horizons is performing well although it is mainly adult focused which places the young women at an increased risk of being lost in the bigger agenda. The Challenges and Recommendations Most of the government policies on young people are properly aspirational although turning them into reality on the ground remains the biggest challenge. The process of implementation is very critical as it underlines the efficiency of the policies. It will be impossible to realise the vision of these policies without total commitment and consistent long term funding. This is why it is advisable for the government to look into ways of ensuring better management and leadership to ensure that these services reach the people as envisaged in the policies. Presently, there is still a gap in the logic on the empowerment of people, families and communities on taking care of mental health (Castle, Kulkarni, & Abel, 2006). Many people have gone through the process of intervention but the real solution lies on empowering individuals with the skills, knowledge and resources to deal with mental health challenges on their own. Helping the young women with self-awareness, social and emotional skil ls, and foster knowledge will help them take the responsibility for their mental health and emotional well-being. Conclusion This dissertation has identified the factors that contribute to a mental health problem (depression) among young women 15 to 25 of age in the UK. The secondary research also assessed the effects of the condition on the family and friends of the patients and then evaluated the policy and support for tackling the mental health problems among young women in the UK. The extensive review of academic articles and books revealed that the young women aged 15 to 25 are exposed to the risk of being depressed as a result of the interplay between biological and environmental factors. Furthermore, the rates of depression were found to be higher in the women population compared to men. The study also revealed that depression in the young women of this age bracket has negative effects on their family and friends. The worst part of it is that the family and friends are always willing to help their loved ones recover from mental health problems but are prevented from doing so because of their lack of knowledge and skills in handling depression. As a result, depression ends up disrupting the relationship between the patients and their loved ones who equally end up being distressed as well. The government has enacted many policies to contain mental health problems in the country, however there are still challenges as highlighted in the discussion. These policies although aspirational, still need more commitment in terms of funding, leadership and management for them to have their intended impact in the country. Recommendations The policies for helping the young girls aged 15 to 25 have already been identified and enacted by the government. The only challenge remaining is the implementation process, which is proving to be difficult as evidenced by the high number of young girls spending their time in the psychiatric hospitals. This can be addressed through increasing the amount of funds allocated to the project. This increase will enable the government to reach more people and empower them with the knowledge and skills on how to handle mental illnesses. As already outlined, the family members and friends are always willing to help the depressed young women but then they lack the necessary knowledge and skills. Equipping these people with the knowledge and skills will be helpful in reducing the rates of depression among young women aged 15 to 25 because they have a close contact and better understanding of their loved ones. Additionally, consistent evaluation and assessment of the policies will also be helpf ul to the government in terms of identifying new ways of helping the young girls. Limitations of the study The study was only reliant on secondary data as the researcher was not able to interact directly with the respondents. This implies that the errors that may have been made by the secondary data could have been replicated in the outcomes of this study. Secondly, very few policies are tailored for this particular age group so the policies used were those overlapping between late adolescence and early adulthood. This may have in some way affected the results although the impact may not be that big given that the age group of 15 to 25 lie in the same period of late adolescence and early adulthood. Bibliography Beck, A. T., & Alford, B. A. (2009). Depression: Causes and treatment. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press. Brady,. T. 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Dobson, K. S., & Dozois, D. (2008). Risk Factors in Depression. Burlington: Elsevier. Duncan, K. A. (2004). Healing from the trauma of childhood sexual abuse: The journey for women. Westport, Conn: Praeger. Eklund, M., Backstrom, M., Lissner, L., Bjorkelund, C. & Sonn, U. 2010, â€Å"Daily activities mediate the relationship between personality and quality of life in middle-aged women†, Quality of Life Research, vol. 19, no. 10, pp. 1477-86. Eklund, M., Erlandsson, L.-K., & Persson, D. (2003). Occupa-tional value among individuals with long-term mental illness. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 70 (5), 276–284 Erlandsson, L.-K., & Eklund, M. (2003). The relationships of hassles and uplifts to experience of health in working women. Women and Health, 38 (4), 19–37 Erlandsson, L.-K., & Eklund, M. (2006). M. Levels of complex ity in patterns of daily occupations: relationships to women’s well-being. Journal of Occupational Science, 13 (1), 27–36. Ferentinos, P., Kontaxakis, V., Havaki-kontaxaki, B., Dikeos, D. & Lykouras, L. 2011, â€Å"Psychometric evaluation of the Fatigue Severity Scale in patients with major depression†, Quality of Life Research, vol. 20, no. 3, pp. 457-65. Friedman, E. S., & Anderson, I. M. (2010). Managing depression in clinical practice. London: Springer. Gerrity, M. S., Williams, J. W., Dietrich, A. J., & Olson, A. L. (2001). Identifying physicians likely to benefit from depression education: A challenge for health care organizations. Gotlib, I. H., & Hammen, C. L. (2010). Handbook of depression. New York: Guilford Press. Greenblatt, J. M. (2011). The Breakthrough Depression Solution: A Personalized 9-Step Method for Beating the Physical Causes of Your Depression. North Branch: Sunrise River Press. Greenblatt, J. M. (2011). The Breakthrough Depression Solutio n: A Personalized 9-Step Method for Beating the Physical Causes of Your Depression. North Branch: Sunrise River Press. Hales, D. R. (2008). 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Modafinil treatment in patients with seasonal affective disorder/winter depression: An open-label pilot study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 81, 173–178. Manderscheid,.R. W. et al (2010) Evolving Definitions of Mental Illness and WellnessPrev Chronic Dis. 7(1):A19[Online] Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2811514/[Assessed on: 10/11/13] McLeod, M. N., & McLeod, M. N. (2009). Lifting your depression: How a psychiatrist discovered chromium’s role in the treatment of depression. Laguna Beach, CA: Basic Health Publications. Medical Care,39, 856–866 Mirowsky, J., & Ross, C. E. (2003). Social causes of psychological distress. New York: Aldine de Gruyter. Nimrod, G. (2012). From knowledge to hope: Online depression communities. International Journal on Disability and Human Development, 11(1), 23-30 Paxton, K. C., & Robinson, W. L. (2008). Depressive symptoms, gender, and sexual risk behavior among African-American adolescents: Implications for prevention and intervention. Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community, 35(2), 49-62. Peacock, J., & Casey, J. (2000). Depression. Mankato, Minn: LifeMatters. Pestello, R G., & Davis-Berman, J. (2008). Taking anti-depressant medication: A qualitative examination of internet postings. Journal of Mental Health, J 7(4), 349-360. Pettit, J. W., & Joiner, T. E. ( 2005). The interpersonal solution to depression: A workbook for changing how you feel by changing how you relate. Oakland (Calif.: New Harbinger Publications Pratt, L. A., Xu, R, McQuillan, G. M., & Robitz, R. (2012). The association of depression, risky sexual behaviours and herpes simplex virus type 2 in adults in NHANES, 2005-2008. Sexually Transmitted Infections, 88, 40-44. Ravindran, A. V., Matheson, K., Griffiths, J., Merali, Z., & Anisman, H. (2002). Stress, uplifts, and quality of life in subtypes of depression: A conceptual frame and emerging data. Journal of Affective Disorders, 71, 121-130. Rosenfeld, J. A. (2009). Handbook of women’s health. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Savoie, I., Morettin, D., Green, C. J., & Kazanjian, A. (2004). Systematic review of the role of gender as a health determinant of hospitalization for depression. International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care, 20(2), Seeman.M.V. (2006) Gender issues in Psychiatry FOCUS, VO L. 4, No. 1[Online] Available at:http://focus.psychiatryonline.org/article.aspx?articleID=50396.[Assessed on: 10/11/13] Sleath, B., Wes, S., Tudor, G., Perreira, K., King, V., & Morrissey, J. (2005). Ethnicity and depression treatment preferences of pregnant women. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology,26, 135–140. Smith, L. L., & Elliott, C. H. (2010). Anxiety & depression for dummies. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. Stahl, S. M., Zhang, L., Damatarca, C., & Grady, M. (2003). Brain circuits determine destiny in depression: A novel approach to the psychopharmacology of wakefulness, fatigue, and execu-tive dysfunction in major depressive disorder.Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 64 Thomas, N., Sleath, B.L., Jackson, E., West, S. & Gaynes, B. 2008, â€Å"Survey of Characteristics and Treatment Preferences for Physicians Treating Postpartum Depression in the General Medical Setting†, Community mental health journal, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 47-56. Ussher, J. M. (2010). Are we medicalizing women’s miseryA critical review of women’s higher rates of reported depression. Feminism & Psychology, 20(1), 9-35 Walsh, L. (2009). Depression Care Across the Lifespan. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons. Weich S, Twigg L, Lewis G. 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Loss of the Creature Outside Analysis

People in society today have influences throughout their life that help structure and dictate their thoughts. Choices are made based on these influences, and when these influences begin to take shape as different labels, no real choices are made. People begin to compromise their right to think on their own and instead turn to the most convenient choice. This is how a great deal of society has acts today, choosing the easiest path just so that person can get a given task out of the way and continue on with their life. These influences are frequently seen in politics today. People become so wrapped up in political parties that they become more interested in who is running in which party, instead of which candidate, at any level of government, has the stances that the voter agrees with the most. According to â€Å"The Loss of the Creature† and â€Å"Ways of Seeing†, multiple aspects of having the labels the political parties have inhibit voters from making sovereign decisions. When a candidate is running for an office, they should not have a political party label attached to them because that label can inhibit voters from choosing a candidate who they think will best serve the position to better the region they are running for. Walker Percy constantly reiterates the importance to avoid the beaten track and to not allow experts to control the experiences and dictate the ideas someone may have. Having the labels that political parties have allow different political experts to dictate the way people vote and because of the labels people are losing their ability to make sovereign decisions. These labels are symbolic complexes because they act as pre-made assumptions that get in the way of the voters ability to make a vote based on personal standards alone. â€Å"The highest satisfaction of the sightseer (not merely the tourist but any layman seer of sights) is that his sight should be certified as genuine† (Percy 487). The American voter takes the position of the sightseer, and the voter is losing the ability to have that high satisfaction because the vote is not a genuine vote. This is what Percy refers to as a loss of sovereignty, and the sovereignty is frequently lost due to the impact of the experts. â€Å"He too could use an instructor and a book and a technique, but he would use them as subordinates, just as he would the jackknife† (Percy 489). Percy conveys to the reader that the experts must not be used to form and manipulate any experiences or ideas, but instead used as tools to help guide a person as that person has a genuine experience or forms an idea of their own. Voters who do not take the time to research candidate’s specific views tend to assume that because they belong to a particular party the candidate’s views will align with the voter’s view. If voters aren’t paying attention to specifically who they are voting for and instead voting out of convenience, they aren’t making their vote count and the candidate that the majority of the people share the most views with might not be elected. Similarly to Walker Percy, John Berger stresses the importance of making your own decisions not based on what others endorse; to do so will bring the power back to the people. This comes with the implications that the people are not in complete control, and John Berger uses mystification to show that the art critics are in control of the art world because they are making art less accessible (Berger 103). According to the Campaign Finance Institute, out of a random sample of 100 candidates that were elected to the House of Representatives, 20% of their total campaign finances came from the states party funding. That shows a great representation of how much influence the party label has on politics today. In general, the more funding a campaign had, the more likely that candidate was to win the election (Malbin). The funding of political parties takes away the power from the people because the more a voter who does not research the stances hears about a candidate from different campaign strategies, the more likely the voter will like what he/she hears, base their opinions off of those endorsements, and in turn vote for the candidate. â€Å"A people or a class which is cut off from its own past is far less free to choose and to act as a people or a class than one that been able to situate itself in history† (Berger 118). The voters who do not take the time to research the stances of the candidates are the type of people the Berger is referring to. When the people listen to the critics and choose to not place themselves in the history of politics where they can institute their own decisions of who to vote for, they are not â€Å"acting as a people† as Berger refers to. This is because they are not always basing the decision off of which candidate would represent the individual best, who would in turn represent the people the best. People are being cut off from acting as a people, and this is in part because of the negative influence political party labels have on the overall scheme of politics. As I finish up high school and close into the age to vote, I have become increasingly interested in politics because soon it will be my civil duty to vote. Growing up a fairly independent student, I grew up assessing situations and creating my own opinions like Percy advises people of all ages should do. My parents never forced their political views on me, and because of that I am able to side with candidates based on my own stances. The more I became interested in politics, the more I began to realize that not all candidates at any level shared the same stances as other members of their equivalent political parties. This is where the idea of calling myself Republican of Democratic became incredibly distasteful and unappealing because every year when elections come, stances of certain representatives change and I have found myself siding with both sides of the party. Berger would find these labels unappealing as well because labels can be reproduced through media and what the candidate stands for can be altered because of the party they represent. These political party labels are similar to the camera because they are destroying the uniqueness of the candidates like the camera does to paintings (Berger 106). Only so much personal research could be done, so I decided to turn to others to learn more about politics and about their views and stances and different issues. The more I spoke with adults, the more I began to realize how prominent the influence political parties have in our society. Three different parents of close friends told me they voted either completely democratic or completely republican for the election in 2009 because they were working too often to take the time to research the stances of every single candidate. This is exactly what Percy would not want in this day and age. People are losing their sovereignty as voters because they are following the beaten tracks and following the tour guides without having unique experiences or opinions in this situation. The American voters have the right to have a title that describes the general trend of their political stances. However, those titles should explain how they morally stand in most circumstances, in most cases conservative or liberal, instead of automatically identifying themselves with a particular party. The importance of eliminating the labels that political parties possess will substantially improve the political system in America because it will cause voters to take the time to truly know who they are voting for, and not base their decision off of a mere title. Walker Percy explains that we as a society can not allow symbolic complexes such as these titles stand in the way of having a sovereign experience. In this situation, the sovereign experience would be for a citizen to cast a unique vote based solely on personal stances and how much that person agrees with the candidate in question. John Berger would wish to eliminate the labels as well because eliminating the labels would be one step closer to the people truly being in power. Political party labels need to be removed from the political system in America so that the citizens can truly make what they believe to be the correct choice when voting.

Weber and Simmels Take on Power and Conflict Essays

Weber and Simmels Take on Power and Conflict Essays Weber and Simmels Take on Power and Conflict Essay Weber and Simmels Take on Power and Conflict Essay Amber Clayton Weber and Simmel’s Take on Power and Conflict Jon Witt, explaining Max Weber’s theory on resources of power, was not surprised at the fact that students do not use the party resource to fight for better tuition costs, because of the individualistic society of the United States. This fits into conflict theory because the school would be considered a rational-legal authority. The students â€Å"give in† to the rules and perceived rights of the school to raise tuition costs. As Jon Witt said â€Å"there are reasons†¦ for why people should do what they are told to do. If the school did not charge the students money then they would not be able to pay the teachers and professors to educate them. This idea fits into the broader theory because Witt’s claim about the US being individualistic is not expanded in this chapter, but it is in previous ones. In chapter 4, Witt mentioned â€Å"†¦we combine extreme interdepe ndence (due to specialization) with a strong sense of individualism (tied to a weak collective conscience). We depend on each other more than ever, but we realize it less. In an article by Margaret Foster, she asks 70 college presidents â€Å"can you school continue to attract students at its current rate of tuition growth? † and 80% said yes. This tells me that students are simply following the rational-legal authority of the bureaucratic schools, choosing to accept the higher charges and taking out higher loans. The students most likely do this because they are too weak as individuals to do anything about it or they assume the school leaders are making these decisions because they have no other choice (bad economy, budget cuts, ect). George Ritzer claims that the unpredictability of human error has led to a desire for greater control and the replacement of human with nonhuman technology. The idea of companies (bureaucracies) replacing humans with technology to ensure efficiency fits into Weber’s theory of formal rationality. As Ritzer explains â€Å"[Fast-food chains have] employed all the rational principles pioneered by the bureaucracy and is part of the bureaucratic system because huge conglomerates now own many of the fast-food chains. McDonald’s utilized bureaucratic principles and combined them with others, and the outcome is the process of McDonaldization. † Ritzer backs his claim up with multiple examples and evidence. One of which being the replacement of human communication over the telephone. Companies force people to go through a string of â€Å"press 1 for yes or 2 for no†s before they even talk to a real person. In some cases, the person doesn’t speak to a real person at all. Although annoying, people just excuse it away as a consequence of living in our technological world. This idea is expanded in an article by Karen Korzep. She outlines the advantages and problems with TeleHealth (medical technology) and the resistance among people to a total technological take-over. She explains in her conclusion that â€Å"just because the technology exists, does not mean that everyone will be accepting to it†¦ [however] [i]n my opinion, it will be at least one more decade before we see this technology take over and really have an effect on jobs. † Therefore, even though people may have resistance to the technology and worry that it will affect jobs negatively, the technology will still, most likely, take over in time. William J. Staudenmeier, Jr. claims in his chapter about Georg Simmel’s theories on social drinking that when a member of the group buys a round of drinks, the others would not simply pay them money, because â€Å"treating†¦ has to do with personal relationships, and it is not strictly an economic exchange. † This idea fits into conflict theory because the taverns are becoming more and more bureaucratic with rules and regulations that the consumers must follow or face the consequences (kicked out or banned for fighting or over drinking). Instead of backing his claim up with evidence, Staudenmeier expands on the idea by saying â€Å"the ‘surplus of satisfaction’†¦ comes from the value of giving and receiving in a group in which such actions and the thought of such actions make us feel good and make us feel a part of the group. This is outside the narrow cash nexus of economic exchange because what is calculated here is not mere profit and loss. † The issue of teenage pregnancy and how it fits into this theory is best addressed in an article by Linda Arms Gilbert. She outlined a study done by the Franklin Heights Federal Housing Project in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. The Murfreesboro Housing Authority partnered with the police department to help rid the projects from drug-related behaviors by developing positive relationships with the Franklin Heights families. The police department made over 500 contacts, creating a positive working relationship between the families and law enforcement as well as informed residents willing to provide tips against drug-related behaviors. The Parks and Recreation Department started an after-school program for 8-13-year old students, which included educational leisurely activities and an after-school tutoring program. A Parents as Teachers Program was started that allowed teen mothers to connect with their children. The program â€Å"held group meetings to help young parents understand the emotional, physical cognitive needs of their young children and to form a community of teen mothers who could offer support to each other. In the end â€Å"Franklin Heights has taught an entire city about the importance of collaboration and has shown what can be accomplished when individuals and agencies choose to look beyond the borders of their own job descriptions and departments to see the needs of families within that community. † The point is that, even in a bureaucratic society where, typically, rational-legal authority does not think about the well-being of their â€Å"workers† (in this case, the people who req uire government assistance), there can be an authority who thinks beyond what is efficient and profitable and helps the issue of teenage pregnancy, drug use, and violence. - [ 1 ]. John Witt, The Big Picture: A Sociology Primer (New York: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. , 2007) p 89 [ 2 ]. Witt, p 86 [ 3 ]. Witt, 59 [ 4 ]. FOSTER, MARGARET. Sticker Shock. American Scholar 82. 1 (2013): 120. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. [ 5 ]. George Ritzer, The Weberian Theory of Rationalization and the McDonaldization of Contemporary Society, Peter Kivisto, ed. , Illuminating Social Life: Classical and Contemporary Theory Revisited, 4th ed. (Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2008), p 52 [ 6 ]. Ritzer, p 45 [ 7 ]. Ritzer, p 54 [ 8 ]. Korzep, Karen. The Future Of Technology And The Effect It May Have On Replacing Human Jobs. Technology Health Care 18. 4/5 (2010): 353-358. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. [ 9 ]. Korzep, p 357 [ 10 ]. William Staudenmeier, Jr. , Alcohol-Related Windows on Simmels Social World, Kivisto, 109 [ 11 ]. Staudenmeier, Jr. , p 110 [ 12 ]. Gilbert, Linda Arms. The Teen Pregnancy Dilemma: A Different Solution. Delta Kappa Gamma Bulletin 73. 3 (2007): 5-8. Academic Search Premier. Web. 2 Mar. 2013. p 3 [ 13 ]. Gilbert, p 3

Pascals Triangle Essays - Blaise Pascal, Combinatorics, Free Essays

Pascals Triangle Essays - Blaise Pascal, Combinatorics, Free Essays Pascals Triangle Pascals Triangle Blas Pacal was born in France in 1623. He was a child prodigy and was fascinated by mathematics. When Pascal was 19 he invented the first calculating machine that actually worked. Many other people had tried to do the same but did not succeed. One of the topics that deeply interested him was the likelihood of an event happening (probability). This interest came to Pascal from a gambler who asked him to help him make a better guess so he could make an educated guess. In the coarse of his investigations he produced a triangular pattern that is named after him. The pattern was known at least three hundred years before Pascal had discover it. The Chinese were the first to discover it but it was fully developed by Pascal (Ladja , 2). Pascal's triangle is a triangluar arrangement of rows. Each row except the first row begins and ends with the number 1 written diagonally. The first row only has one number which is 1. Beginning with the second row, each number is the sum of the number written just above it to the right and the left. The numbers are placed midway between the numbers of the row directly above it. If you flip 1 coin the possibilities are 1 heads (H) or 1 tails (T). This combination of 1 and 1 is the firs row of Pascal's Triangle. If you flip the coin twice you will get a few different results as I will show below (Ladja, 3): Let's say you have the polynomial x+1, and you want to raise it to some powers, like 1,2,3,4,5,.... If you make a chart of what you get when you do these power-raisins, you'll get something like this (Dr. Math, 3): (x+1)^0 = 1 (x+1)^1 = 1 + x (x+1)^2 = 1 + 2x + x^2 (x+1)^3 = 1 + 3x + 3x^2 + x^3 (x+1)^4 = 1 + 4x + 6x^2 + 4x^3 + x^4 (x+1)^5 = 1 + 5x + 10x^2 + 10x^3 + 5x^4 + x^5 ..... If you just look at the coefficients of the polynomials that you get, you'll see Pascal's Triangle! Because of this connection, the entries in Pascal's Triangle are called the binomial coefficients.There's a pretty simple formula for figuring out the binomial coefficients (Dr. Math, 4): n! [n:k] = k! (n-k)! 6 * 5 * 4 * 3 * 2 * 1 For example, [6:3] = = 20. 3 * 2 * 1 * 3 * 2 * 1 The triangular numbers and the Fibonacci numbers can be found in Pascal's triangle. The triangular numbers are easier to find: starting with the third one on the left side go down to your right and you get 1, 3, 6, 10, etc (Swarthmore, 5) 1 1 1 1 2 1 1 3 3 1 1 4 6 4 1 1 5 10 10 5 1 1 6 15 20 15 6 1 1 7 21 35 35 21 7 1 The Fibonacci numbers are harder to locate. To find them you need to go up at an angle: you're looking for 1, 1, 1+1, 1+2, 1+3+1, 1+4+3, 1+5+6+1 (Dr. Math, 4). Another thing I found out is that if you multiply 11 x 11 you will get 121 which is the 2nd line in Pascal's Triangle. If you multiply 121 x 11 you get 1331 which is the 3rd line in the triangle (Dr. Math, 4). If you then multiply 1331 x 11 you get 14641 which is the 4th line in Pascal's Triangle, but if you then multiply 14641 x 11 you do not get the 5th line numbers. You get 161051. But after the 5th line it doesn't work anymore (Dr. Math, 4). Another example of probability: Say there are four children Annie, Bob, Carlos, and Danny (A, B, C, D). The teacher wants to choose two of them to hand out books; in how many ways can she choose a pair (ladja, 4)? 1.A & B 2.A & C 3.A & D 4.B & C 5.B & D 6.C & D There are six ways to make a choice of a pair. If the teacher wants to send three students: 1.A, B, C 2.A, B, D 3.A, C, D 4.B, C, D If the teacher wants to send a group of K children where K may range from 0-4; in how many ways will she choose the children K=0 1 way (There is only

First jobs of millionaires and billionaires

First jobs of millionaires and billionaires When we think about our futures, who among us doesn’t dream of following in the footsteps of rich and successful people? You might be shocked to discover what some of these amazingly wealthy people did for their first jobs. Let’s take a closer look. A study conducted by the sales recruitment specialist company Aaron Wallis revealed that the most common first job amongst the billionaire crowd is a salesperson. Approximately 10% of these fabulously wealthy folks started out in the world of sales, which stands to reason- this position allows individuals to build their negotiating and deal-brokering skills, learn how to be persuasive in the face of overwhelming negative odds, and discover the value of persistence, which are common traits of successful people. Financial investor George Soros, entrepreneur Mark Cuban, and Dell founder Michael Dell can be counted amongst those who got their start as salespeople.Other common first jobs of the ultra wealthy include stock traders (Carlos Slim Helu, telecom magnate), engineers (Mikhail Fridman, business magnate), accountants (Phil Knight, co-founder of Nike), and software developers (Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft), but the list is surprisingly robust- you can practically name any job and it’s likely that at least one millionaire or billionaire got his or her start doing that.Have these rich folks typically stayed within the fields that they started in and made their fortunes there? Well, sometimes they do, like Mark Zuckerberg, whose first job was starting Facebook. However, more often than not their first jobs have little to do with how they made their money. Amancio Ortega, founder of fashion mega-brand Zara, started out as a shop hand for a shirtmaker.Since education and career path are often intertwined for most folks, let’s take a look at a few other interesting statistics from the Aaron Wallis study. Among 100 of the world’s top billionaires, approximately 30% inherited or wo rked for family businesses, 53% worked for other businesses, and 17% actually started their own businesses. Around 75% obtained a college degree, with the mostly commonly pursued academic path being engineering (22%). Business and accounting degrees are also popular among this economically elite group.So, what’s the takeaway from this look at the first jobs of millionaires and billionaires? The truth is, many of us dream of becoming wealthy and wildly successful, but may have assumed that it’s a path that’s not open to us. Think again! Clearly, the road to riches for many successful millionaires and billionaires didn’t start off paved in gold. This is good news for you if you feel as if you haven’t quite found your professional niche just yet. The road to success can start from any location!

Measuring Institutional Performance Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Measuring Institutional Performance - Assignment Example For instance, if the students at School A receive higher scores on a standardized exam than students at School B, School A is viewed as being the better school. Some areas even rate their schools based on standardized score reports, with parents moving their children around to the higher-rated schools in hopes of them receiving a better education. Certain other statistics are also used as a performance measure when it comes to educational institutions. A large one is the number of students that enroll in college close to graduation or upon graduation from that educational institution. The rating and/or popularity of the colleges that those students enroll in also play a large factor in the process. The numbers of students within an educational institution that participate in community or other outside activities also give a favorable impression when it comes to measuring the performance of that institution. Generally, the more positive media attention an educational institution recei ves, the better it is rated in its overall performance. ... The rating and/or popularity of the colleges that those students enroll in also play a large factor in the process. The numbers of students within an educational institution that participate in community or other outside activities also give a favorable impression when it comes to measuring the performance of that institution. Generally, the more positive media attention an educational institution receives, the better it is rated in its overall performance. Size and financial matters also play a significant role in the performance measurement of an educational institution. Generally, larger schools are seen as being more productive since they typically have more resources to fund activities that can better enrich the lives of their students. They can also afford more educational materials that can help their students learn and retain more material. The tradeoff is that students in smaller schools often receive more personalized attention because of smaller class sizes and better student-to-teacher ratios. According to Mayston when referring to this topic (2000, pg. 1), "These issues relate to the clarification of the objectives of the education system, the impact of performance reward systems, such as Performance Related Pay, the role of resources in influencing educational outcomes, the reliability of existing methods of assessing educational performance, such as Data Envelopment Analysis and multivariate regression, and the need for an improved national comparative database if progress is to be made in several of these directions." Motivational Factors Likely to Influence the Level of Performance of Staff and Ways in Which Efforts May Be Made to Quantify Such Factors Staff members in pretty