A Character From Everyman Essay Example for Free

A Character From Everyman Essay Everyman is a medieval play written by an anonymous author. The central theme of the play is that when the time to leave the world is approaching, an individual may end up being betrayed by his or her family and friends, and only good deeds is important at the end. God and religion are also important aspects in this Middle Age drama, because it portrays Everyman’s progress from fear of death to a â€Å"Christian resignation that is prelude to redemption† (115). The characters in the play consist of subjects, verbs, and objects. The main character in the drama is Everyman, but the name is a representation of mankind in general. Everyman asks other characters to follow him on his journey to death. Firstly, Everyman goes to Fellowship who is his friend, but the first to forsake him by suggesting drinking or socializing with women instead of going on journey of death. Secondly, he asks his family members, Kindred and Cousin, to join him on his journey. However, Kindred and Cousin are disloyal to Everyman by reminding him of the things he has never done for them. Thirdly, Everyman refers to Goods, which are Everyman’s belongings. However, he is disappointed to find out that he cannot take his material possessions with him to his grave. Fourthly, Everyman calls upon Good Deeds. Good Deeds is unable to accompany Everyman immediately, but recommends first going and speaking to knowledge. Lastly, Everyman takes Good Deed’s advice and goes to Knowledge. Knowledge leads Everyman to Confession in order for Everyman to acknowledge his sin and be forgiven. Good Deeds rises again and Everyman asks Good Deeds, Beauty, Strength, Discretion, and Five Wits to join him on his journey to death. Although they all agree and follow him, they run away when they approach his grave except for Good Deeds. Therefore, by closing of the play the audience can conclude that Good Deeds is the only character who did not betray Everyman. In conclusion, Everyman is a medieval theater piece that teaches a lesson to the readers about the importance of life, which is that the things an individual does for others during his lifetime are what counts at the end of one’s life. Everyman first thought his family, friends, and belongings would be there when he dies, but realizes that none of that matters when life ends.

The European Union: International Relations

The European Union: International Relations The European Union (EU) is an economic and political union of 27 member states, located primarily in Europe. Committed to regional integration, the EU was established by the Treaty of Maastricht on 1 November 1993 upon the foundations of the European Economic Community. With almost 500 million citizens, the EU combined generates an estimated 30% share (US$18.4 trillion in 2008) of the nominal gross world product and about 22% of the PPP gross world product. The EU has developed a single market through a standardised system of laws which apply in all member states, ensuring the free movement of people, goods, services, and capital. It maintains common policies on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional development. Sixteen member states have adopted a common currency, the euro, constituting the Eurozone. The EU has developed a limited role in foreign policy, having representation at the WTO, G8, G20 and at the UN. It enacts legislation in justice and home affairs, including the abolition of passport controls by the Schengen agreement between 22 EU and 3 non-EU states. As an international organisation, the EU operates through a hybrid system of supranationalism and intergovernmentalism. In certain areas, decisions are made through negotiation between member states, while in others, independent supranational institutions are responsible without a requirement for unanimity between member states. Important institutions and bodies of the EU include the European Commission, the Council of the European Union, the European Council, the European Court of Justice, and the European Central Bank. The European Parliament is elected every five years by member states citizens, to whom the citizenship of the European Union is guaranteed. The EU originates from the European Coal and Steel Community formed among six countries in 1951 and the Treaty of Rome in 1957. Since then, the EU has evolved through a process of enlargement, while new policy areas have been added to the remit of its institutions. HISTORY After the end of the Second World War, moves towards European integration were seen by many as an escape from the extreme forms of nationalism which had devastated the continent. One such attempt to unite Europeans was the European Coal and Steel Community which, while having the modest aim of centralised control of the previously national coal and steel industries of its member states, was declared to be a first step in the federation of Europe. The originators and supporters of the Community include Jean Monnet, Robert Schuman, Paul Henri Spaak and Alcide de Gasperi. The founding members of the Community were Belgium, France, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands and West Germany. In 1957, these six countries signed the Treaties of Rome which extended the earlier cooperation within the European Coal and Steel Community and created the European Economic Community, (EEC) establishing a customs union and the European Atomic Energy Community (Euratom) for cooperation in developing nuclear energy. In 1967 the Merger Treaty created a single set of institutions for the three communities, which were collectively referred to as the European Communities (EC), although commonly just as the European Community. In 1973 the Communities enlarged to include Denmark, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Norway had negotiated to join at the same time but Norwegian voters rejected membership in a referendum and so Norway remained outside. In 1979 the first direct, democratic elections to the European Parliament were held. Greece joined in 1981, and Spain and Portugal in 1986. In 1985 the Schengen Agreement led the way toward the creation of open borders without passport controls between most member states and some non-member states. In 1986 the European flag began to be used by the Community and the Single European Act was signed. In 1990, after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the former East Germany became part of the Community as part of a newly united Germany. With enlargement toward Eastern and Central Europe on the agenda, the Copenhagen criteria for candidate members to join the European Union were agreed. The European Union was formally established when the Maastricht Treaty came into force on 1 November 1993, and in 1995 Austria, Sweden and Finland joined the newly established EU. In 2002, euro notes and coins replaced national currencies in 12 of the member states. Since then, the eurozone has increased to encompass sixteen countries, with Slovakia joining the eurozone on 1 January 2009. In 2004, the EU saw its biggest enlargement to date when Malta, Cyprus, Slovenia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary joined the Union. On 1 January 2007, Romania and Bulgaria became the EUs newest members and Slovenia adopted the euro. In June 2009 the 2009 elections which later led to a renewal of Barrosos Commission Presidency and in July of that year Iceland formally applied for EU membership. On 1 December 2009 the Lisbon Treaty came into force after a protracted and controversial birth. This reformed many aspects of the EU but in particular created a permanent President of the European Council, the first of which is Herman van Rompuy, and a strengthened High Representative; Catherine Ashton. MEMBER STATES The European Union is composed of 27 sovereign Member States: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Only six of these France, (then-West) Germany, Italy, and the three already integrated Benelux countries; Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg were members at the start, with membership having grown as countries willingly accede to the treaties and by doing so, pool sovereignty in exchange for representation in the institutions. To join the EU a country must meet the Copenhagen criteria, defined at the 1993 Copenhagen European Council. These require a stable democracy that respects human rights and the rule of law; a functioning market economy capable of competition within the EU; and the acceptance of the obligations of membership, including EU law. Evaluation of a countrys fulfilment of the criteria is the responsibility of the European Council. No member state has ever left the Union, although Greenland (an autonomous province of Denmark) withdrew in 1985. The Lisbon Treaty now provides a clause dealing with how a member leaves the EU. There are three official candidate countries, Croatia, Macedonia and Turkey. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia and Iceland are officially recognised as potential candidates. Kosovo is also listed as a potential candidate but the European Commission does not list it as an independent country because not all member states recognise it as an independent country separate from Serbia. Four Western European countries that have chosen not to join the EU have partly committed to the EUs economy and regulations: Iceland, which has now applied for membership, Liechtenstein and Norway, which are a part of the single market through the European Economic Area, and Switzerland, which has similar ties through bilateral treaties. The relationships of the European microstates, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican include the use of the euro and other areas of co-operation. GEOGRAPHY The territory of the EU consists of the combined territories of its 27 member states with some exceptions, outlined below. The territory of the EU is not the same as that of Europe, as parts of the continent are outside the EU, such as Switzerland, Norway, European Russia, and Iceland. Some parts of member states are not part of the EU, despite forming part of the European continent (for example the Isle of Man and Channel Islands (two Crown Dependencies), and the Faroe Islands, a territory of Denmark). The island country of Cyprus, a member of the EU, is closer to Turkey than to mainland Europe and is often considered part of Asia. Several territories associated with member states that are outside geographic Europe are also not part of the EU (such as Greenland, Aruba, the Netherlands Antilles, and all the non-European British overseas territories). Some overseas territories are part of the EU even though geographically not part of Europe, such as the Azores, the Canary Islands, Madeira, Lampedusa, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and RÃ ©union, Ceuta and Melilla. As well, although being technically part of the EU, EU law is suspended in Northern Cyprus as it is under the de facto control of the Turkish Republic of North Cyprus, a self-proclaimed state that is recognised only by Turkey. The EUs member states cover an area of 4,422,773 square kilometres (1,707,642 sq mi). The EU is larger in area than all but six countries, and its highest peak is Mont Blanc in the Graian Alps, 4,807 metres (15,771 ft) above sea level. The landscape, climate, and economy of the EU are influenced by its coastline, which is 65,993 kilometres (41,006 mi) long. The EU has the worlds second-longest coastline, after Canada. The combined member states share land borders with 19 non-member states for a total of 12,441 kilometres (7,730 mi), the fifth-longest border in the world. Including the overseas territories of member states, the EU experiences most types of climate from Arctic to tropical, rendering meteorological averages for the EU as a whole meaningless. The majority of the population lives in areas with a Mediterranean climate (Southern Europe), a temperate maritime climate (Western Europe), or a warm summer continental or hemiboreal climate (Eastern Europe). GOVERNANCE The EUs work is divided into three areas of responsibility, called pillars. The original European Community policies form the first pillar, while the second consists of Common Foreign and Security Policy. The third pillar originally consisted of Justice and Home Affairs, however owing to changes introduced by the Amsterdam and Nice treaties, it has been reduced to Police and Judicial Co-operation in Criminal Matters (other matters were transferred to the Community). Broadly speaking, the second and third pillars can be described as the intergovernmental pillars because the supranational institutions of the Commission, Parliament and the Court of Justice play less of a role or none at all, while the lead is taken by the intergovernmental Council of Ministers and the European Council (which operate more by consensus than majority in these pillars). Most activities of the EU come under the first, Community pillar. This is mostly an economically oriented pillar and is where the supranati onal institutions have the most influence. The activities of the EU are regulated by a number of institutions and bodies that carry out the tasks and policies set out in the Treaties. These procedures are all subject to the principle of subsidiarity which requires that action only be taken at EU level where an objective cannot be sufficiently achieved by the member states alone. The EU receives its political leadership from the European Council, which usually meet four times a year. It comprises one representative per member state-either its head of state or head of government-plus its President as well as the President of the Commission. The member states representatives are assisted by their Foreign Ministers. The European Council uses its leadership role to sort out disputes between member states and the institutions, and to resolve political crises and disagreements over controversial issues and policies. On 19 November 2009, Herman Van Rompuy was chosen to become the first permanent President of the European Council. He took office on 1 December 2009. The European Council should not be mistaken for the Council of Europe, an international organisation independent from the EU. By virtue of a rotating presidency, every member state takes the helm of the EU for a period of six months during which that countrys representatives chair the meetings of the Council of Ministers. The member state holding the presidency typically uses it to drive a particular policy agenda such as economic reform, reform of the EU itself, enlargement, or furthering European integration. INSTITUTIONS The European Commission acts as the EUs executive arm and is responsible for initiating legislation and the day-to-day running of the EU. It is intended to act solely in the interest of the EU as a whole, as opposed to the Council which consists of leaders of member states who reflect national interests. The commission is also seen as the motor of European integration. It is currently composed of 27 commissioners for different areas of policy, one from each member state. The President of the Commission and all the other commissioners are nominated by the Council. Appointment of the Commission President, and also the Commission in its entirety, have to be confirmed by Parliament. The European Parliament forms one half of the EUs legislature. The 736 Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) are directly elected by EU citizens every five years. Although MEPs are elected on a national basis, they sit according to political groups rather than their nationality. Each country has a set number of seats. The Parliament and the Council of Ministers form and pass legislation jointly, using co-decision, in certain areas of policy. This procedure has extend to many new areas under the Treaty of Lisbon, and hence increase the power and relevance of the Parliament. The Parliament also has the power to reject or censure the Commission and the EU budget. The President of the European Parliament carries out the role of speaker in parliament and represents it externally. The president and vice presidents are elected by MEPs every two and a half years. The Council of the European Union (sometimes referred to as the Council of Ministers) forms the other half of the EUs legislature. It consists of a government minister from each member states and meets in different compositions depending on the policy area being addressed. Notwithstanding its different compositions, it is considered to be one single body. In addition to its legislative functions, the Council also exercises executive functions in relations to the Common Foreign and Security Policy. The judicial branch of the EU consists of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) and the Court of First Instance. Together they interpret and apply the treaties and the law of the EU. The Court of First Instance mainly deals with cases taken by individuals and companies directly before the EUs courts, and the ECJ primarily deals with cases taken by member states, the institutions and cases referred to it by the courts of member states. Decisions from the Court of First Instance can be appealed to the Court of Justice but only on a point of law.

Definition of assessment

Definition of assessment Assessment is the foundation of the social work process with service users (Walker and Beckett, 2003:6). Why is assessment a crucial aspect of the social work process and what makes an effective social work assessment? What might be some of the barriers to an affective assessment and how can the worker overcome these? In your answer, you will be expected to refer to relevant research regarding social work assessment. Social workers are expected to carry out an initial assessment of situations they encounter before taking action. These are important because they provide the foundation for any plans to support, protect, manage or provide aid for a client. In a nutshell, an assessment is simply gathering information about people, their situation, factors deemed relative to that situation, and integrating this into a formal report, which will be used to look back on when carrying out a review. This will not only provide a helpful way for the social worker to quickly reacquaint themselves when looking back on a family, but it will also allow other work staff to get a gist of the situation if they are coming into it for the first time. For an effective assessment it takes someone with an organised, rational and open minded knowledge base, using these to compliment a number of unique skills they will hold, enabling them to come to grasps with the varied number of situations they will face and an ability to be sensitive to those involved. It is expected of social work graduates to understand all the legal documentations issued by work bodies (such as the Department of Health), for these will include necessary guidelines on assessment and how and when to act. However, simply knowing these will not cut it, and those who are inexperienced will simply be able to regurgitate back what they have learnt without knowing the true art of carrying out their work. An assessment is more than simply making notes on ones observations, for it includes the workers opinions, beliefs and ideas, which will be essential when carrying out interventions. They are not to be confused with evaluations, although they do contain evaluative sectors, for example determining a clients needs. Unlike evaluations however, assessments are open to more probing and study, which make them more effective tools for making a decision. For the social worker to be able to make their assessment successful, they will need to ensure they can fully appreciate a) all factors that affect the client and b) which of the clients needs are not being met. To do this they will need to establish the type of person their client is, for example how they communicate with others, how they react to stress, how they deal with problems etc. It is important for the social worker to know which bits of information are relevant, and rather than find out everything they can (scatter gun method) they pick out those bits which will serve to help them later. If they ask too many questions it will lead to general misinterpretations, often a common mistake in those just starting social work practice. One must understand that views will be different, and that other work forces, agencies or even individuals will draw out their own conclusions for a case. This makes it difficult to assume any kind of truth in an assessment, since what one sees depends on where one looks. (Jones 1983) Another problem assessors face is that there is often the case of clients scapegoating or stigmatising based on a negative assessment. Social workers are aware that they are held accountable for any action they make, and so if they make an error in the assessment that could prove costly to a families support, then they may be faced with court proceedings. In actuality, assessments are by no means a quick process. It is often the case that work staff are met with the stress of having to cope with busy offices, numerous phone calls and masses of paper work. Stress can affect workers in any number of ways, but the biggest concern is that it can lead to negligence such as making quick, inaccurate assessments because there is no time to meet the demands of the office. There is, however, a way of preventing these difficulties and that is to employ a method referred to as triangulation. This is done by drawing comparisons from other groups to find similarities between information gathered. In addition to this, it may prove helpful to discuss the assessment with clients themselves, for this will not only improve the accuracy of the assessment but will also create a sense of trust and warmth between client and worker. In spite of triangulation mistakes are still inevitable. Possibly the most common mistake would be to apply a one sided attitude towards people and/or situations. An example would be of a social worker looking at an argumentative couple; seeing things only from either the controlling wife point of view, or the unfaithful husband point of view. For this reason it is essential for the social worker to bring in other colleagues so as to form a multidisciplinary assessment. Rather than relying on one mans opinion, by working as a team, members may gain further insight into the task at hand and observations may be brought to the table that otherwise would have gone unnoticed. However, the use of multiple assessments is problematic in that the social worker will have to deal with multiple theories. This may lead to conflicts and confusions over the correct path to follow. Because of the time constraints on social work practice, alternative methods have been introduced to take away some of the pressures. Self assessments for example are often carried out when dealing with younger children. It is seen as a fun learning experience and will tell staff workers much about that child. Self assessments will compose of numerous exercises, such as multiple choice questionnaires, rating scales, producing stories, drawings of themselves, and/or their families. Adults often prefer this method as it allows them to use their own words rather than being misinterpreted. Another alternative is computer aided assessments. These have long been used in other fields such as medicine in order to make quick diagnoses. They are helpful in that they save time, and unlike humans do not forget or make errors. It is as simple as loading in all the variables, and allowing the computer to calculate the most likely outcome and therefore the best form of action. However, computers are unable to process social, emotional, or psychological factors and so can often fail to spot key issues. The use of computers is therefore limited. Recently, there have been movements in practice theory, the most important of which is a larger emphasis on the influences of powerlessness, prejudicial views, discriminatory acts and oppression. In addition, workers are starting to develop a more constructionist way of thinking. This includes seeing beliefs and ideas not as relying on the influence of the environment around those who hold said beliefs and ideas, rather them being constructed by individual people whilst they converse and respond to one anothers presence. It is this constructionist way of thinking where many theories on assessment begin. In the past 3 years it was found, through reviews from service users, that many were unsatisfied with the assessment process. One rising concern was that a large number of social workers were failing to conduct reassessments. It seems that they only look at certain information in order to confirm their theories and therefore neglect many important items. This is a critical point because assessments are the basis for all further work. An error here would be damaging for the whole investigation. Even when a reassessment is made, there still remains the problem of prioritising key areas of importance. If this is done shoddily then there is risk of the assessment giving off misrepresentations when conducting an evaluation. To prevent this, there are three areas that it is suggested the social worker start by looking at. These are: Starting where the client is, focussing on meeting the clients needs; legal considerations, which should be made known to the client; and health or safety concerns, for if there are any risks to the client then they must be informed. (Hepworth and Dean 2006) Another important issue relates to the production of a culturally competent assessment. The social worker must therefore demonstrate knowledge of cultural norms, acculturation, and language differences, the ability to differentiate between individual and culturally linked attributes, the initiative to seek out needed information so that evaluations are not biased and services are culturally appropriate; and an understanding of the ways that cultural differences may reveal themselves in the assessment process. (Hepworth and Dean 2006) There are numerous differences between cultures when it comes to forms of, for example; disciplining younger family members, selecting the most dominant group member, aiding those unable to manage for themselves, how to address one another, and many others. And because of these differences, the social worker must be wary when considering things such as; what is seen as normal behaviour in children with autism? What is seen as a healthy amount of sex in afro Caribbean tribe members? At what age is a child believed to reach maturity in China, Africa, Asia etc? The list is endless. Patterns of behaviour which may appear dysfunctional in one culture may be considered normal to another. It is important that social workers have knowledge of their clients background and if not then research it. For an error made may aggravate or offend them. It can be hard to define exactly what an assessment is, who it is intended for, and the reason it needs to be carried out. Pincus and Minaham (1973) therefore developed a model framework with the specific aim being to help social workers recognise; the reasons for their involvement, the expected goals and outcomes, which persons fit the role of agent and which fit the role of client, what needs to be maintained and what needs to be managed. Pincus and Minaham labelled three kinds of resource system which people will have contact with during their lives and four mapping systems which summarise what is occurring. The advantages of a systems approach are many. Firstly, it helps the social worker to understand a situation in such a way it gives clear definitions of those involved and how they are linked to one another. Secondly, aims and goals are clearly established early on, which helps them create a formal plan with their client and also helps both parties follow any progress made. Thirdly, it removes some of the burden of work off of the social workers back, knowing that not everything depends on their selves. It also helps them to see which areas may take the most work, and which may be met with more conflict. This will help them plan their time and resources irrespectively, know when and where they should be, and how much of their attention is required at any time. By doing this, the social worker is less likely to exclude important responsibilities, or focus too much on only one aspect. Upon evaluation of the system, if for any reason another worker sees something they wish to add, remov e or change, then this can be easily done with little time consumption. It is not unlikely that things may change at a later date, for example new clients may need to be added to the system, or new targets to be met. Peoples needs are not immutable and are always changing. The social worker must recognise this and be able to identify any changes, and adjust so as to fit them into the system. There are also certain disadvantages of a systems approach. Firstly, although it helps to maintain the flow of activities, it will not provide enough understanding of a persons life without the addition of other approaches. Alone, the model is too general, and does not include a great deal of information about the relevant difficulties being assessed. Secondly, despite all its hype about ordering data, the systems approach does not maintain that data should be collected to begin with. Furthermore, it fails to recognise the importance of existing beliefs about human behaviour, so is basically starting from scratch each time. Thirdly, the natural urge to focus primarily on the clients illness, with little attention being paid on their wellness can often lower their sprits and remove their hopes of ever finding a solution to their problem. As a social worker making an assessment, it helps to understand that, since external problems become internal, and the internal affects the external, looking at just the social aspects will prove inadequate, just as looking at just the psychological aspects is inadequate.(Milner and OByrne 1998) We need to look at both, and use various approaches to complement one another. Assessments need to draw in help from psychiatrists and psychologists, those skilled at exploring the unconscious. For it may be the case that the client has certain unresolved issues that may be of relevance. A problem workers face is that the id is like a cavern, in that it is made up of large numbers of interrelated passages. Some will affect others, while others will come to a dead end. And everything inside that cavern is hidden away from the outside world and is immune to any happenings beyond its entrance. Applying a psychodynamic approach as it were is advantageous because it is able to explain away what appears to be irrational behaviour. As I explained, many of a persons difficulties may not be explicit and observable. Many individuals use defence mechanisms as a way of hiding their emotions. And so by combining aspects of psychology (cognitive, psychoanalytic, humanistic etc.) it will allow the worker to delve deep into their clients personality and learn more about their associations with the world around them. This approach has imposed a caring, considering, communicative attitude amongst assessment workers and gets them to gain more of an emphatic relationship with their clients. Rather than applying a tick box assessment and using the same set of questions for each person, the worker now has a set of guideline questions allowing them to go off on a tangent basing each new question on the previous answer. The psychodynamic approach does indeed contribute greatly to the advances in social work assessment; however it has a number of issues of concern. First and foremost, the main interest is on the individual and so social factors are often neglected or disregarded. Secondly, abnormal human behaviour or behaviour that does not fit with the norms of society is grounds for a referral. Homosexuality for example is put down to Oedipal conflicts, homosexuals are not treated as a typical male and this causes much oppression and discrimination. Furthermore, the guidelines for communication are based on a middle class Caucasian male. Although certain groups will see equal gain from this method of practice there are many from other cultures that will react differently. And so to make an effective assessment the social worker must be able to relate their skills across cultures. Thirdly, when dealing with children, psychoanalysis may prove ineffective or even destructive. For example in cases of child abuse the sexual wants of an adult are transferred into the childs want for their parents. The child becomes the culprit and the blame is put towards the mother for being neglectful. When it comes to the ideas of Freud, the population of workers is split, half of them opposing entirely and half of them supporting entirely. As with all other approaches, the psychodynamic approach works best when in conjunction with others. An assessment which includes a descriptive evaluation of client behaviours will prove more effective than one without because the worker is then able to look at how those behaviours have come to be part of their clients being and why they continue to exist. Behavioural assessments see behaviours as being learned, and therefore can be unlearnt through training. All behaviours have an underlying cause; the point of the assessment is to therefore find the route of the problem and find ways to negate its effects. There are often however misinterpretations. For example, what is a negative reinforcer? (strengthening a particular behaviour by removal of something undesirable). Punishment is not a negative reinforcer although it is associated with something undesirable. But rather than extinguish the problematic behaviour, it is often the case that it causes resistance. And so the behaviour has become strengthened. The problem is that there are no clear definitions of positive and negative reinforcers, seeing as what is considered desirable or aversive will vary between people. What may be pain to one man may be seen as a challenge to another who will welcome it. To work around this social workers must ensure they work with their client to determine what they perceive as basically good or bad. It is important the worker be consistent when making visits (reassessments), for example if they always turn up at a foster home when they get a call the child is misbehaving, yet they rarely turn up when the child is behaving reasonably they may inadvertently be making their misbehaviour more appealing. Many behaviours, be they positive or negative, helpful or hindering, are learned during the course of life and are influenced by our life experiences. Behaviourists believe that when conducting an assessment it is important for the worker to understand where problem behaviours have come from and what reasons there are for their manifestation. Once the underlying routes have been established the worker then helps the client to unlearn those behaviours and get back on track to healthy living. An effective assessment is therefore one that considers the ABCs; the antecedents, behaviours and the consequences. Anything that causes the unwanted behaviour should be removed, whereas anything that promotes desired behaviours should be encouraged. The client should then learn to associate these positive behaviours with pleasant experiences; this way they will want to repeat them. Assessments should look at a clients history thoroughly. It is easy to miss parts out, yet everything needs to be ex amined for even something seemingly irrelevant may hold the key to a persons problem. Of course it is unrealistic to look at absolutely every aspect of a persons life, especially the elderly who have an extremely long history to cover. And so it has been argued that behavioural approaches lack validity and are unattainable. This aside the behavioural approach is still useful because it provides clear definitions of; the aims, goals and the plans for intervention. Furthermore, the approach, more so than other approaches motivates the client to have a say in the overall structure of the assessment. Sheldon (1982) believes there is the advantage that it does not manipulate the data in any way so that the client can be placed in a particular category or theory. People are seen as individuals, individual factors are considered, and client perspectives are used to shape the approach. Task centred theory makes a good starting point for new workers because it is possibly the simplest approach. Assessments can at times be overcomplicated and so it may do workers good to sometimes go back to basics and look at the most obvious action to take. Actions should depend upon ones values rather than any policy one is obligated to follow. Previous experience should be used to improve practice, even the negative ones. Difficulties are inevitable but they will only get worse if the worker continues to make the same mistakes again and again. When there is time pressure to get a job done, rather than crumble the worker should use the pressure as motivation to get things done efficiently. That way they will have to make fewer reassessments. The first task is to determine their clients needs (what it is they want). The next step is convincing the client to accept ones help, firstly recognising they have needs and secondly wanting to do something about it. Epstein (1988) calls this the Start up phase, as it gets the ball rolling so to speak. Next, the wants require their own assessment, to determine what should to be done to meet them, how long it will take and who should be involved. The assessment process is a time to give order to the persons needs, generally up to three of them. It would be helpful to consider not only what changes need to be made, but also what might get in the way of these and what further changes could be done to make the initial changes possible. It would also be helpful to find out how individual problems relate to one another, if at all. If they are then able to tackle the main problem, others may follow suit accordingly with little/no effort on the social workers account. A useful strategy for social workers is to get their clients to firstly write down their problems and secondly assign them a score ranging from no problem at all to highly serious. It is vital that needs are set out from the start and fully understood by both worker and client. Failure at this stage will lead to difficulties come the evaluation. When conducting an assessment on two or more people (such as two partners in a relationship) the worker would be advised to look toward the Want Sheet for support (Masson and OByrne 1984). This gives detailed descriptions of different wants and can be used to help service users explain what they feel. So far, no approach has come up with a solution to this problem, making the task centred approach unique. The Want Sheet can be administered to couples/groups and this way can be used to compare different ideas. Through this stage alone, it is possible for a group to resolve any issues without any need for an intervention scheme. This is most unlike other approaches , which see the social worker as an agent coming in to help the needy, an approach not unlike the medical model of mental health. It is important when assessing individuals, not to mistake the clients as abnormal people just because their behaviour may suggest so, or because they appear difficult or un-cooperative. Doel and Marsh (1992) call this shooting the reflective parrot for what they are doing is making false judgements based on observation, without getting down deep to the underlying issue. Before any interventions, it is important for any decisions to be met together, all other options have been considered, and the client is satisfied with how things are being dealt with. Once a decision is reached, there is still time for one final review. This is a useful step because at this late stage, it is still possible to change ones mind; nothing is yet set in stone. If no changes need be made, the review is still beneficial as it helps to reduce any doubts or anxieties before progression. The task centred approach to assessment seems full proof. Reid (1978) commented that it holds particular value in situations whereby the service user is able to contribute to a moderate degree. It holds the advantage over other approaches because it considers not only the client, but their interactions with the outside world. They get a fair hearing, and communication between them and the social worker is mutual, leading towards a more accurate evaluation. There have been arguments that giving too much leeway can leave the worker vulnerable to misinformation. More so with children, there are cases where the client is not responsible or trustworthy enough to be given a shared role in the assessment. In conclusion, there are numerous positives and negatives of any approach to assessment. Every worker will have a preference on how they will deal with a situation; however it need be emphasised that no two situations are alike. And so workers must be able to think on their feet if they are to become competent social workers. Those who are open minded will reap the most success, for the key lies within managing all the different approaches, integrating them into a whole. Care should still be taken, for within the approaches lie numerous contradictions. There will always be a degree of uncertainty, but what makes the difference between good and average work, is the confidence to give an opinion, whilst at the same time welcoming the views of others. In conclusion, why is the assessment process vital? Because it forms the foundation for understanding ones client, and gets the ball rolling when planning actions for change. It forms a record which can be referred to when evaluating said changes, and can also be used as evidence in court. What makes an effective assessment? One which investigates all relevant factors rather than stick to anything specific, which matches with individuals aims and goals, which is centred on the tasks at hand, which draws from multidisciplinary agencies, which forms a partnership between agent and client, and which is anti oppressive or discriminatory. What barriers do workers face? They can be time consuming, workers are under pressure to get through their work load and may be unable to spend time getting to know their client, groups who are often the target of oppression may seem uncooperative and resistant to change, and all assessments are in some part vulnerable to bias. How can these be overcome? It is imperative that when conducting an assessment one shares thoughts and ideas with not only other workers, other agencies and welfare authorities, but also with the client themselves, thus spreading out the work load, and reducing the likelihood of any errors going unnoticed. Furthermore it helps to be self aware. This way one picks up on any fool hardy assumptions they may be making. One should not be afraid to challenge higher authorities and understand that personal values and the law will often conflict. And finally, every assessment should be instigated with care and precision, frequently asking why one has come to that conclusion and what other alternatives are there. References Ahmad, A. Practice with Care, London, Race Equality Unit/National Institute for Social Work, 1990 Challis, D., Chessum. R., and Chesterman, J., Luckett, R. and Traske, K. Case Managementin Social and Health Care , Cantebury, Personal Social Services Research Unit, 1990. Department of Health. Protecting Children: A Guide for Social Workers Undertaking a Comprehensive Assessment, London, HSMO, 1988. Doel, M. and Marsh, P. Task Centred Social Work. London: Ashgate, 1992. Epstein, L. Helping People; The Task Centred Approach. Olumbus, OH: Merrill, 1988 Forder, A. Concepts in Social Administration: a Framework for Analysis, London Routledge Kegan Paul, 1974. Hepworth and Dean, H. Direct Social Work Practice: Theory and Skills, p. 179-205, London: Thomson/Brooks Cole, 2006 Jones, C. State Social Work and the Working Class, London , Macmillan, 1983 Masson, H and OByrne, P. The Family Systems Approach: A Help or a Hindrance, in Violence Against Children Study Group. Taking Child Abuse Seriously. London: Unwin Hyman, 1990. Milner, J., OByrne, P. Assessment in Social Work: Chap 7; Psychodynamic Approaches, Macmillan Press LTD, 1998 Pincus, A. and Minahan, A. Social Work Practice: Model and Method. Itasca, Il: Peacock, 1973. Reid, W. J. The Task Centred System. New York: Columbia University Press, 1978. Sheldon, B. Behaviour Modification, Theory, Practice and Philosophy. London: Tavistock, 1982. Thoburn, J. Child Placement: Principles and Practice, Aldershot, Wildwood House, 1988

J.R.R. Tolkien Biography Essay -- J.R.R. Tolkien

J.R.R. Tolkien was born in South Africa, although he considered himself a British man throughout his adulthood. He experienced World War I firsthand in the trenches. He was a professor of Old English and other archaic languages and had a strong love for such languages. Tolkien also felt a strong tie for his homeland, England, and desired to create mythology for England. Tolkien was able to write the first modern fantasy novel through his life experiences and his love for archaic languages and British lore. Tolkien's mother, Mabel Suffield, left England in March of 1891 for South Africa to marry a man by the name of Arthur Tolkien. They had been engaged for years; however Mabel's father had denied Mabel her marriage due to her young age. Tolkien's father, Arthur Tolkien, had sailed to South Africa a few years earlier to try out his luck in the diamond discovery craze. Only a few short years later, Arthur and Mabel gave birth to a son, named none other than John Ronald Reuel. Tolkien lived in a village surrounded by wilderness in his first few years and faced several adventures. Three of his pinafores were chewed off by a monkey. He avoided several snakes. He stumbled upon a tarantula, and ran around until his nurse grabbed him and sucked out the poison. Perhaps this is why Tolkien includes poisonous spiders in his future tales (Carpenter 13). Mabel and Arthur gave birth to a second son, and within two years Arthur passed away from a severe case of rheumatic fever. After Arthur's death, Mabel and Tolkien's younger brother Hilary returned to England to the West Midlands of England. Tolkien was exposed to the rural and industrial sides of England. The area was heavily polluted and could be the reason for Tolkien... ...orld of JRR Tolkien. URL: http://www.indepthinfo.com/tolkien/biography.shtml (8 May 2005). Rosebury, Ryan. " Tolkien, J. R. R. ". The Literary Encyclopedia and Literary Dictionary. Ed. Robert Clark, Emory Elliott and Janet Todd. URL: http://www.litencyc.com/ (8 Jan. 2001). Tolkien, J.R.R. The Fellowship of the Ring. New York: Ballantine Books, 1977. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Hobbit. New York: Ballantine Books, 1977. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Return of the King. New York: Ballantine Books, 1977. Tolkien, J.R.R. The Two Towers. New York: Ballantine Books, 1977.

Essay --

Tracing back the history of accounting scandals, major corporate scandals not only hurt the economy but also crush investor confidence on investing in company. Majority of corporate scandal are create by greedy CEOs â€Å"cooking the books† to meet the number that they expected. In this case, Richard Scrushy is one of the greedy CEOs. This is a case of a falling American dream. Richard Scrushy, was a self-made son of the new South, a former teenage parent who hauled himself up from a menial job to become an emperor of the new economy. Health South Corporation is the United States’ largest inpatient rehabilitative hospital. Health South provide the service of rehabilitative care to patient recovering from all kind of conditions. It all started in 1984, the company is used to known as Amcare Inc. at the decade of 1990, Health South Corporation expanded in tremendous speed. At the year of 2003, Health South has expended to two thousand facilities in not only every state in United States but also United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Puerto Rico, and Saudi Arabia. The company has recorded almost four and half billion U.S dollars in revenue, which dominated the entire rehabilitation care industry. Health South Corporation seems like a dream. Unfortunately, Health South Corporation’s accounting issue started to surface in the end of 2002. Richard Scrushy sold seventy- five million worth of stock a few days before the corporation announced a huge loss to the public. Since that event, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission started to investigate whether Richard Scrushy was involved in insider trading. March 20, 2003, Richard Scrushy, the former chief executive officer of HeathSouth Corporation, was charged by the Securities and Exchang... ... you are involved in cheating, your tolerance of unethical behavior will increase. Ethical is one the fundamental virtue for all business student. If business students are not well train for maintaining ethical judgment, the scandals they might create will damage investors’ confidence on investing corporation, which damage nation’s economy as a whole(Works Cited). In conclusion, all officers who are responsible for the Health South Corporation scandal is convicted and pay their penalty. Although Scrushy was not convicted the first trail, but the prosecutor tried their best and successfully bring justice on the Health South scandal. Ethical is one the fundamental virtue for all business student. All business student should be well train to maintain ethical judgment and prepare to have the courage to deny all kind of unethical situations and scandals(Works Cited).

Nauru: The Gap Between Perception and Reality Essay -- Country Analysi

It would be easy to overlook the third smallest country in the world as a frivolous waste of time. Nothing could be further from the truth in regards to the island of Nauru. It is a multifarious nation described as almost a topographical micro slice of paradise. The Nauruan people have formed a democratic republic with a constitution safeguarding liberties and ensuring prosperity. At least this is according to the Nauru websites available to the public. Countries often present themselves as a glossy postcard picture on the outside. This picture does not always match the reality of what is on the inside. Looking at what the Nauruan Government and Tourist Organization have to say can serve as a baseline for comparison to the realities that Nauru is facing and the gap between the two. Nauru is a small island located only 26 miles south of the equator with a land mass of just over eight square miles. The government describes the island purely in topographical terms as â€Å"surrounded by a coral reef, exposed at low tide and dotted with pinnacles. The reef is bound seaward by deep water, and inside by a sandy beach. The presence of the reef has prevented the establishment of a seaport †¦a 150–300 meter wide fertile coastal strip lies landward from the beach. Coral cliffs surround the central plateau. The only fertile areas are the narrow coastal belt† (Republic of Nauru [RON], 2012, p.1). The Nauru government is also very proud of their parliamentary democracy and much of their website explains not only the freedom but also compulsory voting at age twenty and above. Their constitution also touts the protection of fundamental rights and freedoms such as â€Å"life, liberty, security of the person, the enjoyment of property and th... ...all, D. (2009). Doomed Island: Nauru's short-sightedness and resulting decline are an urgent warning to the rest of the planet. Alternatives Journal, 35(1), 34-37. Nauru Tourism, Department of Economic Development.(2012). Unique Nauru. Retrieved on 27 May 2012 from: http://www.discovernauru.com/ Singh, S. (2007, Mar 28). South pacific: Island nations struggle with obesity epidemic. Global Information Network, pp. 1. http://search.proquest.com/docview/457564219?Accountid =38569 The Republic of Nauru.(2011). Republic of Nauru. Retrieved on 27 May 2012 from: http://www.naurugov.nr/index.html The Republic of Nauru.(2011). The constitution of Nauru. Retrieved on 27 May 2012 from: http://www.naurugov.nr/parliament/constitution.html U.S, Department of State Website(2012) Background Note: Nauru. Retrieved on 27 May 2012 from: http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/16447.htm

Final reflection Essay

After the studying of this semester, my writing skills of business writing, reading skills, and communication skills had a progress. First of all, the process of writing is really important and significant. I learned the process which covers planning, composing and revising from this JGEN class. To be honest, it is really helpful. Before studying the process, I always feel the business writing is hard for me. Currently, I just need to follow the steps of the process and an effective business writing can be finished. In addition, for the business writing, I can use direct and indirect methods to respond the complaint messages, to give the customer’s negative messages and to provide the persuasive letters which attached with business goals. At the same time, the readers’ moods and the emotions which the messages convey also need to be considered. More than that, I was also benefit from the email and letter writing. The techniques of those writings not only can be used in business field, but also can be used to communicate with your teacher and family, etc. For example, I even don’t know the formatting of the email before this class. Moreover, for the resume and job application cover letter, I think it also extremely helpful, because finding jobs is the necessary and the first steps of our careers. The resume should be made personally and specially. Last but not least, the most important thing which I should state is the group project. I want to say that I really enjoy the whole process. From preparation of the report to performing of the presentation, I learned many things, like research skills, discussion which can share the ideas, and practice of the presentation. The effective communication of the group is really inevitable and we made it.