End to End

The challenges of using satellites in end-to-end communications links: GEO satellite networks have the potential to provide the end user the ability to receive broadcast and multicast in greater amounts of information at higher rate of speed providing global connectivity anywhere within the footprint of the satellite. On the other hand there are several challenges that are presented when utilizing satellite networks. These challenges are seen by the end user in several different formats; the most common one being in Internet applications.The latency experienced by the end user due to the communication between two earth stations can be significant and often annoying. A tremendous amount of military and government organizations utilize and rely on satellite communications, when that path fails due to blocked areas, lack of available bandwidth or atmospheric interference then this becomes a serious situation and another reason why redundancy and a secondary and tertiary plan is always n eeded.Point to point fiber optic connections can provide a solid backup plan if availability is an option. The latency may not affect bulk data transfer and broadcast type applications, but those applications requiring extensive â€Å"handshaking† between two sites will be undoubtedly affected. TCP which is one of the Internets major protocols requires such interaction. Satellites that can provide the end user with global and broadband communications capacity are also an option but also come with challenges of its own.LEO(low earth orbit) and MEO (medium earth orbit) each are a viable source that provide latency times comparable to that of a terrestrial fiber optics; however because neither can remain in a constant fixed position relative of that of the earth, a constellation of several satellites is required to maintain comprehensive coverage. In this case network management becomes increasingly more complicated due to handoff to another satellite, tracking problems and prop er routing plans. The advantage of a simple topology is no longer a factor and lost is single-source broadcast/multicast capability and brings you back to ground zero.

Eating Apples at Night: a Korean Superstition

Eating Apples at Night: a Korean Superstition â€Å"An apple a day keeps the doctor away. † This adage is taught to most western children as a way of verbalizing that apples are very healthy to eat. In theory, if we eat an apple every day, we will be so healthy that we won’t need a doctor. Although this is an exaggeration of the health benefits of apples, we can all agree that this is one healthy fruit. Koreans also have the same belief, but there is one exception. It’s believed in Korea that eating an apple at night is actually unhealthy.Eating apples at night would be difficult for one’s stomach to digest, leading to indigestion. This would lead to a sick feeling and make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. The origins of this theory are unknown, but this belief seems to be well known in Korea. Most people don’t eat apples at night anyway, but Koreans will admit to hearing about this from an elder at some point in their life. A few of those will actually believe it and refrain from eating â€Å"sah gwah† (apples) at night.The fact that apples are very healthy is no mystery, but does that change when eating them at night? Eating food before going to sleep is generally a bad idea because foods that are spicy, heavy or fatty will make it difficult to sleep soundly. Apples, however, have none of those properties and are actually filled with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that are beneficial for sleeping. For example, apples contain vitamins C, B6 potassium. They help to decrease blood pressure, improve breathing and lower blood sugar.They also help the body to secrete serotonin causing the nerves to relax easier. All of that provides for a good night’s rest. There are also polyphenols (antioxidants) which are found mainly in the skins of apples. They assist the body in breaking down carbohydrates and regulating blood sugar, providing a steady level of energy (so you don’t stay up due to an energy spike). That causes body fat to burn steadily, all while you are sleeping. Most of an apple is really just water, but there is enough fiber to help you feel full as you sleep.This fiber also is good for digestion and aids in cleansing the colon. The fiber is easily digested and soluble in the intestines. If anything is unhealthy, it could be the fact that apples contain (natural) sugar and account for about 10% of the body’s carbohydrate needs. However, combined with all the other healthy properties, the good far outweighs the bad. If all these facts are to be believed, then an apple at night is actually very healthy and helpful to eat, as opposed to the Korean thought that it’s unhealthy.Due to the fiber, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants which help the body to feel full, relaxed and keep blood pressure and sugar levels stable, the apple is a great snack to have before going to bed. Try it for yourself and see if you can feel and enjoy it. Let’s make a new slogan for apples: â€Å"An apple at night makes the body feel alright! † By Stephen Redeker Health information provided by Matthew Lee â€Å"Eating Apples Before Bed† at www. livestrong. com

Supply Chain Management in the Healthcare Institution Research Paper - 5

Supply Chain Management in the Healthcare Institution - Research Paper Example This can be attributed to the fact that world health bodies frequently update the global stock in medical supplies depending on the emerging trends (Toba, Tomasini & Farhan, 2008). Hospitals rely on these changes in the ordering of medical supplies. However, the quality of the supplies does not create the main problem in supply chain management, but the activities applied to the supply chain management. The difference in the strategies used in supply chain management creates the difference in the cost and efficiency of the process (Toba, Tomasini & Farhan, 2008). Disregard of the process of supply chain management creates the main challenge in making the process efficient and quality. To overcome these challenges Toba, Tomasini & Farhan (2008) suggest that managers should update their technological position and emerging trends in supply chain management. This will create an organization with a lot of sensitivity in terms of coming up with effective logistics procedures. Additionally, this will open up opportunities for the organization to refer to supply chain management bodies and programs that will aid in transforming the state of supply management systems in organizations. Other significant challenges in supply chain management in healthcare institutions include outdated IT systems, lack of executive involvement, poor infrastructure, poor distribution and inventory management and non-improvement of the procurement process (Toba, Tomasini & Farhan, 2008). In overcoming challenges in decision-making processes regarding purchasing decisions, Toba, Tomasini & Farhan (2008) advise that institutions should disregard the majority rule. This mode of making decisions should be replaced by the consensus method which minimizes the occurrence of misunderstandings and opposition. This also increases the compliance rate from physicians.

Executive Chef Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Executive Chef - Essay Example He supervises the entire catering aspects instructing his cooks in the matter of preparation, cooking and presentation of food with embellishments to make the final product not just tasty but also attractive in appearance. All these combine to make the career of an executive chef exciting, rewarding and on the whole fantastic to pursue. A successful executive chef can also look forward to the prospect of getting elevated to the position of Corporate Chef with the ultimate aim of becoming the owner of his own business. I am passionate about cooking and dream of becoming a renowned chef like Gordon Ramsay. Pursuing the career of executive chef, I am sure, will one day see me achieve my dream. The career will give me an opportunity to experiment with culinary art and the satisfaction of giving people the best eating experience. Being an executive chef is not merely a profession but has more to do with a lifestyle. The road to success is arduous but for the passionate the ends are rewarding. According to chef Krumov, "Becoming a chef can be a good career move, but only for those who don't mind working on evenings and weekends (and almost at any other time when the rest of the people are not working), standing on feet for long hours, working under pressure, enduring burns and cuts, hot environment, smoke and fumes, noise and heavy lifting". Along with the hard work and knowledge of cooking are required management, communication and interpersonal relationship skills. The chefs besides knowing how to cook excellent cuisines must also interact with the customers to promote the business. It is this aspect that draws me to this career more than the prospect of being just a backroom cook. While the most potent weapon in the hands of executive chef remains his knowledge relating to food and cooking, when this skill is backed with customer relation skills, the result is a sharpened marketing tool that can really win business. A prospective customer can be best impressed with discussions on food, the primary agenda for a banquet party and an agenda that no one else other than the chef can handle. The customer would be interested to place order only when he is sure about the food. That puts the chef at the nucleus of any business discussion. As a modern day executive chef, I will get to be exposed sometime to the media and that is something I am eagerly looking forward to. It definitely will give me an opportunity to hone my communication skills and to improve my overall confidence. 3 I know the career progression path from the chef to the corporate chef and finally a full-fledged hotel group owner is strewn with difficulties. But at the same time, I also know that the rewards will be limitless. Rewards not just in terms of money but in the forms of the satisfaction of pursuing my creative passion for cooking, lighting up so many faces with the delight of tasting my creation, their appreciation and above all the lifelong opportunity to learn, innovate and advance. The career of an executive chef is more akin to lifestyle than a job in the sense we think where we go to the office, do a particular kind of work and come back home doing little creative work. The profession of executive chef demands much more than the knowledge

Project 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Project 2 - Essay Example Therefore in order to save the ecology of our environment it’s essential to keep a limit on the deforestation operations, even if it leads to losses for the business and corporate sector. Deforestation Deforestation takes place when a large area of the forest is cleared for the purpose of construction of new residential buildings, industrial hubs or for other business purposes. Once the area gets deforested, trees are never re-planted. This results in gradual reduction of forests which has now become an important global issue. If the current rate of deforestation is continued, the world’s rain forests would completely disappear within hundred years. One of the major reasons of deforestation is agriculture. The second most accepted reason includes the logging operation that supplies the wood and paper to the whole world. Rapid urbanization and increased number of constructions can be regarded as the third most logical reason of deforestation. The other minor reasons incl ude wildfires and overgrazing. The effects of deforestation can have various negative effects on the society. The most crucial one is the loss of habitat for innumerable species. Data says that around 70% of the earth’s animals and birds live in forests, which won’t be able to survive when deforestation would take place. Deforestation also causes climatic changes giving rise to soil erosion, decrease in rainfall and temperature swings. Also trees are known for absorbing greenhouse gases that supports global warming. Fewer trees means huge amount of greenhouse gases entering the environment which in turn fuels the severity and magnitude of global warming. Solution to deforestation The secondary research techniques have been used for finding the solution to the problem of deforestation. These types of data are collected from research conducted by other people or organizations. The World Wide Fund for nature (WWF) has started forest conservation approach that aims toward preventing deforestation starting from the rainforests to the temperate forests. They had already started their work towards the protection of forests half a century back and now they have proudly announced the accomplishment of their efforts towards the conservation of the ecosystem. The fastest and simplest solution to deforestation would refer to simply restrict the cutting down of trees. However implementing this solution needs a more organized approach. We can opt for a careful management of the forest resources by the elimination of clear-cutting to ensure that the environment of the forest remains intact. It’s evident from the rate of deforestation that cutting down of forests is unavoidable for the survival and growth of humans. Therefore the solution should try to balance the rate of cutting trees and the rate of planting new ones. Although this solution would start to replenish the loss of forest in recent years, we need to plant more and more trees for settling the damage caused in the past. If we look closely towards our environment, we will find that not only deforestation but also several other factors causes the imbalance of the biodiversity. In our day to day life, we can contribute towards the safety of our eco-system by taking little measures like planting and maintaining trees, avoiding unnecessary usage of

Q7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Q7 - Essay Example Some of the processing can also be offloaded to UNIX platforms so that the cost of processing is cheaper.(The, 2008). The basic thrust will thus be to integrate the batch processing as a part of the larger applications, and carry out two to three processes in smaller batches. If batch and real time processing are integrated with the processing pushed down as close to the system as possible, on a JAVA platform, efficiency can be improved. Performance would also improve if the data for the batch processing is cached and placed in the same subsystem as the other major online processing activities that are going on concurrently. The Company could opt to use IBM’s batch processing model (www.publib.boulder.ibm.com), which are JAVA applications for which a patch has to be built so that a batch application can be run. Another option for the Company is to consider using database servers to run these applications. While the HP Integrity r X8640 database can process 76,726 payroll checks with 3000 concurrent users, the IBM power6 based p570 DB server can process 74, 257.(www.h71028.www7.hp.com). In terms of order to cash lines however, the hour batch output is much higher with the IBM system – 94,757 as compared to HP’s 81,477. The HP system costs less, because it is only 3/4th of the IBM price, hence the Company can assess which application better suits their needs. 2. Improvements in mobile applications have led to a change in workplace paradigms. For instance, technology that integrates mobile computing and workflow management technologies enables the creation of a mobile workforce that can perform streamline work activities on the field. One example of such a mobile application is the rise in mobile printing, which enables automated data collection at the site of the transaction itself.(Albright, 2004). This is especially useful in the field of sales and postal applications as well as transportation and logistics.

Audit process Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Audit process - Research Paper Example Some of them are like the independent auditors; these are the types of auditors who are always CPA’s. These individuals are always either practitioners or otherwise members of the public accounting firms who always hire their services to the professional auditing to the customers in need. On the other hand, these individuals are always licensed after going through the CPA tests after which they are certified. These individuals are always ready to render their services after having a factual experience in a working auditing firm. In the contemporary world, the elevated levels of competition subjects external auditors to roles of value incorporated services that can be characterised by business risks as well as providing the necessary management of a business internal management risks. It is noted to be very necessary for the external auditors to act in the control as well as under the perception of an independent thinker as well as with the intents done on good faith while performing their audit responsibilities. The internal auditors are always employees of an organisations concerned with the auditing activities. These types of auditors are always concerned with the analysis of facts in the organisations, often referred to as internal auditing. The major responsibility of the internal editors is always concerned with the management in the firm with the aim of impacting the objectives of the organisation. On the other hand, there are the government auditors. These kinds of auditors are always employees of a particular local government, state or otherwise the federal government. This class of auditors can be further categorised into three other classes; general accounting officers, internal revenue services and lastly the defence contract audit agency. On the other hand, the last classification of auditors is the independent auditors. The independent auditors are neither employed by the government or other agencies but rather they provide their

You choose the topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

You choose the topic - Essay Example Specifically, the author employs horrific imagery of death and revenge in order to set the mood for the eventual murder of Fortunato. Poe uses dark words and images of death like â€Å"a mask of black silk† worn by Montresor and â€Å"the damp ground of the catacombs† that both men see as they descend to the vaults (Poe, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado†). In fact, the phrase â€Å"mask of black silk† and the word â€Å"catacombs† do not only foreshadow Fortunato’s death but also somehow symbolize death itself. The â€Å"mask of black silk† in particular, which is likened to the mask of an executioner, somehow signifies beginning of the initiation rite. Another form of symbolic imagery employed by Poe includes the family coat of arms of the Montresors: â€Å"the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel† (Poe, â€Å"The Cask†). The purpose of this particular form of imagery is to show the reader tha t the theme of death is perfectly intertwined with the theme of revenge and punishment. On the other hand, in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† it was a disease that â€Å"had sharpened [the narrator’s] senses and that makes him â€Å"very, very dreadfully nervous† that has actually made him kill the old man. Moreover, the narrator seems to have admitted the murder and justifies it only on the basis of impulse. In short, unlike Montresor in â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado,† the narrator in â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† does not hold a grudge against his victim although he kills him: â€Å"it was not the old man who vexed me, but his Evil Eye† (Poe, â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart†). This particular disease that somehow sharpens the narrator’s senses has somehow made him too nervous and too afraid of the old man’s Evil Eye and that is the reason why the narrator smothers the latter with a bed or a pillow until his death. He then chops of f the old man’s head and limbs and hides them under the planks. Although

Organ Donation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Organ Donation - Essay Example Usually, the organs are taken from people who have died, or from brain dead patients. In other instances, close relatives, donate their body parts so that their loved ones can survive (Ebadat et al., 2014). In this speech, an argument is made about the positive nature of organ donation, and the need to educate people. Support for organ donation comes from the chance that a dead person has to make a positive difference for the living. A person, who has died in an accident, can give a second chance to another person. Some diseases such as dialysis require expensive treatments, besides placing the patient through trauma and pain. Organ donation can help to remove such issues. The recipient can perhaps rest more easily, if he knows that the organs will be donated to another person. The donor and his family can find comfort in knowing that though their loved one has passed away, the death is not in vain (Brown et al., 2010). Organ donation requires consent from the donors, either through explicit consent or through presumed consent. Explicit consent is a written and signed consent, given by person or close surviving relatives, allowing the organs to be donated. Presumed consnet is controversial and it assumes that a dead person would be willing to donate the organs. Healthy humans have two kidneys, and it is possible to lead a normal life even with a single kidney. However, many people are averse to this concept, and they refuse to refuse to sign any documents giving explicit consent, and on their death, relatives refuse permission to let the organs to be harvested . There is the fear that the organs would be used by criminals, and by people from other religious and ethnic backgrounds (Moraes et al., 2009). The practice of organ donation has unfortunately become embroiled in controversies through the illegal sale of body parts. Poor people are often enticed with money to donate their organs, and some

The feminization of the Community Correction Work force by Jo G Case Study

The feminization of the Community Correction Work force by Jo G. Holland - Case Study Example The research problem of this research article is whether there is balance in the community corrections work force. The study used a number of questions to facilitate a systematic enquiry into the aforementioned research problem. The first question touches on the roles women have been given while participating in the corrections workforce. The second question enquires into the barriers that women have faced while pursuing careers in the corrections work force. The third question looks into how women counter barriers while engaged in the correctional work force. Support systems that provide opportunities for the enhancement of careers are the object of the fourth question. The last question is on the opportunities that the future holds for women to grow within the community corrections work force (Holland, 2008). This study’s data analysis used mean and percentages. For example, the average age of women working in the Virginia community correctional workforce is 35 years. Besides age, location is another demographic factor checked for in the analysis include in terms of whether urban or rural. The positions that the analysis considered are deputy and chief probation and parole officer and that of the administrator. The analysis considered the elements of ethnicity and population status (minority or not). This analysis also enquired whether respondents received mentorship or not. The need for networking among the women working in Virginia DOC was assessed. The analysis measured the percentage of women who received support from other women while participating in the correctional workforce. The study checked for the highest positions that women in the correctional workforce expected (Holland, 2008). The author makes a number of conclusions. She concludes that the correctional work force needs to be expanded in order to augment organizational processes. The

Emergency management Essay Example for Free

Emergency management Essay The safety of child will always be my number one priority. I will always try my best to protect children in my care from hurting themselves, however, accidents do happen. My premises have been checked and they meet the requirements of the Early Years Foundation Stage in England. I also regularly review, update and practise my safety routines, including fire drills. As a registered childminder, I am legally required to have a valid first-aid certificate. I can administer basic first-aid treatment, and my first-aid box is clearly labelled and easily accessible. It is stored in my utility room. Parent contact numbers are with the first-aid box. †¢ I hold written permission from parents in Childs Record Folder to seek emergency treatment for their child if it is needed. †¢ All accidents will be recorded in an accident book. †¢ As a registered provider I must notify Ofsted of any serious accidents, illnesses or injuries or the death of any child whilst in my care and any action I may have taken within 14 days of an incident occurring. If I am in need of support or advice regarding a serious illness or incident involving a child in my care I may contact National Childminding Association who will log information regarding the incident with regard to their safeguarding policy. A NCMA designated officer will be assigned to my case and all the information given to them will be kept confidentially unless their appears to be a child protection issue which will be reported accordingly. If an accident or incident involving a child in my care may result in an insurance claim I will contact my public liability insurance provider to discuss my case and be allocated a claim number. This may involve discussing details of the child in my care with a third party. I also have an arrangement with another registered childminder to provide emergency back-up cover if necessary. In the event of an accident whilst child in my care: †¢ First, I will reassure the injured child while making sure that the other children in my care are safe. This may mean strapping a baby in a buggy or sitting an older child somewhere where I can see them. †¢ Then, if possible, I will deal with the accident. If not, I will ring 999 for help. †¢ If I have to accompany or take a child to hospital, I will either take the other children with me, or call my emergency back-up cover. This will be another registered childminder or known responsible adult. These people will be known to you (please see below) If there is an accident or emergency, my emergency back-up cover may contact you and you will be expected to collect your child straight away. If I manage to deal with the accident myself, then I will tell the affected child’s parents immediately. If I accompany or take a child to hospital, I will contact their parents and ask them to meet me at the hospital. If I have an accident, I will get the nearest responsible adult to help, while my emergency back-up people are being contacted. After every accident, however minor I will: †¢ Record in my accident book †¢ Ask you to sign the report and then provide you with a copy If the incident requires any medical treatment: †¢ Inform Ofsted within 14 days of an incident occurring †¢ Inform my Insurance †¢ Contact the NCMA for advice/support In the event of an accident in the Childs home: †¢ Parents must inform me on child arrival of any accident at home and record it in the back of the accident book. †¢ If I will see an evidence of injury on a child which has not occurred whilst in my care and has not been reported to me, parents will be asked for information on the incident and instructed to write in the accident book I will do my best at all times to make sure the children in my care are safe, reassured and kept calm. Emergency back-up cover |Back-up registered childminder |Known responsible adult I have read and understand the Accident and emergency policy. I give my permission for the named emergency back-up people to have my contact details for use in an emergency. I give permission for my child ________________________ to be taken to hospital and be given emergency treatment providing every effort has been made to contact me. |Childminder’s name | | |Childminder’s signature | | |Date | | |Parent(s)’ name | | |Parent(s)’ signature | | |Date | | | | | |Date policy was written | 27/07/2011 | |Date policy due for review | 27/07/2012 | Illness and emergencies policy I appreciate that as a working parent you need to be able to go to work, however if your child is unwell then they will be bettered cared for in their own home. It is my policy to keep children safe when they are in my care, promote good health and take necessary steps to prevent the spread of infection within my childcare setting: †¢ I will promote hand-washing in warm soapy water before eating or handling food and after using the toilet †¢ Each child will also have access to kitchen towel, which I will provide for each child under my care †¢ I will promote the use of tissues for children with coughs and minor colds †¢ All children in my setting who are excluded due to having an illness or an infectious disease such as a severe cold or stomach upset will not be allowed to return until they have been free from illness for 48 hours. This is in order to minimise the risk of the transmission of an infection to other children, myself or members of my family †¢ If a child arrives at my setting with a disease or illness I believe to be infectious or that poses a risk to the other children in the setting or myself I will expect the child not to attend my setting until they have been well for the recommended period of time (In accordance with the contract agreed with parents I expect to be paid for the child’s place even if they are excluded from my setting due to an illness or infectious disease) Children and babies can often become unwell with very little warning, if this happened whilst child in my care: †¢ I will contact you and expect you to pick up your child immediately and not return to the setting until your child well again †¢ If you cannot then an emergency contact will be called instead †¢ All parents are expected to provide emergency contact numbers other than their own in case they are unavailable to come and collect their child themselves I will inform the parents of the other children in my setting if there a child I care for has a diagnosed infectious disease If I, or one of the members of my family have a confirmed infectious disease, I will inform you as soon as I am able. (As I will not be able to offer my childminding service I will not charge you for the time the service is unavailable, as agreed with you in our contract) I am happy to care for a child with common coughs and colds providing they can join in with a normal day and do not need medication I will not accept a child with a high temperature as this is usually the first sign of illness and a very high temperature can sometimes lead to convulsions (Please do not bring your child if they are obviously ill as I will refuse care. Remember that I will not be able to give your child the extra atten tion that they need whilst care for other children.) I will ensure Ofsted is notified of any serious accident, illness or injury to any child whilst in my care, and the action taken in respect of it. Notification must be made as soon as is reasonably practicable, but in any event within fourteen days of the incident occurring. If you knowingly bring your child when ill this is a breach of contract and trust and in serious cases could result in termination of our contract By signing this policy you are agree that you have read and adhere to Illness and emergencies policy. |Childminder’s name | | |Childminder’s signature | | |Date | | |Parent(s)’ name | | |Parent(s)’ signature | | |Date | | | | | |Date policy was written | 27/07/2011 | |Date policy due for renewal | 27/07/2012 | Behaviour policy Behaviour policy statement: I aim to offer a quality childcare service for children and parents. I recognise the need to set out reasonable and appropriate limits to help manage the behaviour of children in my care. †¢ By providing a happy, safe environment, the children in my care will be encouraged to develop social skills to help them be accepted and welcome in society as they grow up. †¢ I do not, and will not, administer physical or any other form of punishment with the intention of causing pain or discomfort, nor any kind of humiliating or hurtful treatment to any child in my care. †¢ I endorse positive discipline as a more effective way of setting boundaries for children. Behaviour Procedure: †¢ I keep up to date with behaviour management issues and relevant legislation by taking regular training from NCMA and Early Years Service and by reading relevant publications, such as Who Minds? †¢ I agree methods to manage children’s behaviour with parents before the placement starts. These are discussed with parents during initial visits before the contract is signed to ensure appropriate care can be provided. A copy of the house rules will be given to the parent to encourage positive behaviour. †¢ Wherever possible I try to meet parents’ requests for the care of their children according to their values and practices. Records of these requirements are agreed and kept attached to the child record forms. These records are revisited and updated during regular reviews with parents. †¢ I expect parents to inform me of any changes in the child’s home circumstances, care arrangements or any other change which may affect the child’s behaviour such as a new baby, parents’ separation, divorce, new partner or any bereavement. All information shared will be kept confidential unless there appears to be a child protection issue. †¢ I offer regular review meetings with parents to discuss their child’s care and any issues or concerns, preferably when the child is not present. If I do not share the same first language as the child’s parent, I will find a way of communicating effectively with them. This may include seeking guidance from the local early years team. †¢ I work together with parents to make sure there is consistency in the way the children are cared for. A consistent approach benefits the child’s welfare and helps ensure that the child is not confused. †¢ I will only physically intervene, and possibly restrain, a child to prevent an accident, such as a child running into the road, or to prevent an injury or damage. †¢ All significant incidents are recorded in an incident book and will be shared and discussed with the parents of the child concerned so that together we can work to resolve any behavioural issues. †¢ From time to time children will have difficulty learning to deal with their emotions and feelings and this is a normal part of child development. I will acknowledge these feelings and try to help children to find constructive solutions in liaison with their parents. †¢ Distracting and re-directing children’s activities are used as a way of discouraging unwanted behaviour. †¢ I encourage responsibility by talking to children about choices and their possible consequences. †¢ I aim to be firm and consistent so that children know and feel secure within the boundaries I set. †¢ I will respond positively to children who constantly seek att ention or are disruptive. †¢ I will help children maintain their self-esteem by showing I disapprove of their bad behaviour not the child themselves. I encourage appropriate behaviour by: †¢ Setting a good example, I aim to be a positive role model as children copy what they see. Children learn values and behaviour from adults. †¢ I readily praise, approve and reward wanted behaviour, such as sharing, to encourage it to be repeated. Using praise helps to show that I value the child and it helps to build their self esteem. †¢ I praise children to their parents and other people when they have behaved as expected. †¢ I try to be consistent when saying â€Å"no† and explain reasons why it is not appropriate and considered unwanted behaviour. †¢ My expectations are flexible and realistic and are adjusted to the age, level of understanding, maturity and stage of development of the child. †¢ I try to involving children in setting and agreeing house rules. Children are guided away from doing things which: †¢ Are dangerous or hurtful or offensive to someone else †¢ Are dangerous to the child †¢ Will make the child unwelcome or unacceptable to other people †¢ Damage other people’s property. By signing this policy you are agree that you have read and agree with my behaviour policy. |Childminder’s name | | |Childminder’s signature | | |Date | | |Parent(s)’ name | | |Parent(s)’ signature | | |Date | | | | | |Date policy was written | 27/07/2011 | |Date policy due for renewal | 27/07/2012 | Safeguarding policy Safeguarding policy statement: My first responsibility and priority is towards the children in my care. If I have any cause for concern I will report it, following the local Safeguarding Children Board procedures in England. I understand that child abuse can be physical, sexual, emotional, neglect or a mixture of these. I must notify Ofsted in England of any allegations of abuse, which are alleged to have taken place while the child is in my care. Procedure: †¢ I keep up to date with child protection issues and relevant legislation by taking regular training courses and by reading relevant publications. This helps me be aware of the signs of abuse or neglect and what to do if I have a concern. †¢ I have copies of, and am familiar with, the local Safeguarding Children Board procedures. Every six months I check that I have the latest version of the relevant procedures. †¢ I have a copy of the relevant booklets and guidance; I have read them and understand them. If I am concerned about a child’s welfare, I may contact the local authority, the NSPCC, the National Childminding Association (NCMA), or other relevant support services for advice, providing this does not affect confidentiality. Child protection concerns that could identify a particular child are kept confidential and only shared with people who need to know this information. Parents must notify me of any concerns they have about their child and any accidents, incidents or injuries affecting the child, which will be recorded. I work together with parents to make sure the care of their child is consistent. If I notice: †¢ significant changes in behaviour †¢ unexpected bruising or marks †¢ any comments made which give me cause for concern †¢ deterioration in general wellbeing which causes concern I will implement the local Safeguarding Children Board (LSCB) procedures in England, without delay to minimise any risk to the child. I will call the local social services’ duty desk and follow it up with a letter within 48 hours. I will keep a factual record of the concern and will ask the parents for an explanation, providing it would not put the child at risk. The national standards for registered childminders in England and Wales require me to let Ofsted know of any concerns that I have reported without delay. If a child tells me that they or another child is being abused, I will: †¢ Show that I have heard what they are saying, and that I take their allegations seriously †¢ Encourage the child to talk, but I will not prompt them or ask them leading questions. I will not interrupt when a child is recalling significant events and will not make a child repeat their account †¢ Explain what actions I must take, in a way that is appropriate to the age and understanding of the child †¢ Write down what I have been told using exact words where possible †¢ Make a note of the date, time, place and people who were present at the discussion †¢ Then report my concerns immediately to the duty social worker who has the experience and responsibility to make an assessment of the situation. If an allegation is made against me, I will report it to Ofsted and social services following the Safeguarding Children Board procedures in England. I will also contact NCMA’s safeguarding children service on for advice and support. In all instances I will record: †¢ Child’s full name and address †¢ Date and time of the record †¢ Factual details of the concern, for example bruising, what the child said, who was present †¢ Details of any previous concerns †¢ Details of any explanations from the parents †¢ Any action taken such as speaking to parents. It is not my responsibility to attempt to investigate the situation myself. By signing this policy you are agree that you have read and agree with my Safeguarding Policy |Childminder’s name | | |Childminder’s signature | | |Date | | |Parent(s)’ name | | |Parent(s)’ signature | | |Date | | | | | |Date policy was written | 27/07/2011 | |Date policy due for renewal | 27/07/2012 | Useful telephone numbers NCMA allegations and complaints service for anyone concerned about the welfare of a child 0845 880 0044 NCMA Safeguarding Children Service 0845 880 0044 NSPCC child protection helpline – 24-hour helpline for people worried about a child 0808 800 5000 Equal Opportunities Policy Equal opportunities statement: I always aim to offer a quality childcare. I give all children in my care the opportunity to reach their full potential. Sometimes this means adapting an activity to the child’s ability and stage of development, providing additional resources or giving one child more attention and support than others during a particular activity or routine. I value and respect the different racial origins, religions, cultures and languages in a multi-ethnic society valuing all children equally, and treating each with equal concern and without discrimination. All children in my care are given the opportunity to play with all the toys (subject to health and safety with children under 3 years of age). No toys are just for girls or just for boys. I try to ensure my toys reflect positive images of children and people from different cultures and with different abilities. I have toys and resources that challenge stereotypical ideas on what careers are open to men and women. Equal Opportunities procedure: No child in my care will be discriminated against in anyway, whether for their skin colour, culture, gender, ability or religion. I will challenge any remarks that I feel are inappropriate. I will make sure that I actively promote equality of opportunity and anti discriminatory practices for all children: †¢ I encourage the children in my care to learn more about their own culture and to find out about the culture and religions of other children. We do in this in a fun way through sharing books, colouring sheets, cooking and eating food from around the world and celebrating special festivals. I provide resources such as woks and chopsticks, dressing up clothes, crayons and pencils. †¢ I encourage the children to develop a healthy respect of each other’s differences and to value everyone as an individual. †¢ I encourage Parents to share with us any festivals, special occasions or artefacts, which may enhance the children’s learning and understanding. By signing this policy you are agree that you have read and agree with my Equal Opportunities Policy |Childminder’s name | | |Childminder’s signature | | |Date | | |Parent(s)’ name | | |Parent(s)’ signature | | |Date | | | | | |Date policy was written | 27/07/2011 | |Date policy due for renewal | 27/07/2012 | Emergency Evacuation Procedure In order to keep the children and myself safe I have developed the following procedure to evacuate my home in the event of an emergency. This may be as a result of a fire, flooding, gas leak etc. The children will regularly practice the evacuation procedure with me so they will not be alarmed in the event of the situation being real. Practices will be carried out on different days of the week to ensure all children practice and the details recorded in the evacuation log. †¢ Sound the alarm (this is a whistle) †¢ Evacuate the children using the safest and nearest exit available (Babies and toddlers will be carried to safety) †¢ Take: o Attendance Record for the day o Contact numbers o Mobile phone †¢ Assemble across the road from the house (at the end of the garden if leaving via the rear of the house) †¢ Contact the emergency services †¢ Comfort and reassure the children †¢ Arrange safe place for the children to stay until parents can collect them †¢ Follow the instructions of the Emergency Services †¢ Do not return to the building until the Emergency Services have declared it safe to do so Unexpected Closure of Childminding Service I will do my best to provide a service for the hours and times that I have been contracted to work however very occasionally it may be necessary to close my childminding service. This may be as a result of me being unwell and therefore unable to work. If I have a cough or a cold I will continue to work, however if my illness is contagious then I will not be able to work, until I know I can not pass on the infection to the children or their parents. I will try to provide as much notice as possible if I am unable to work. There may be other occasions when I am unable to provide a service, for example: †¢ Following emergency evacuation of my premises (see evacuation policy) †¢ Loss of power to my home †¢ Mains water turned off †¢ Heating broken †¢ Flooding †¢ Medical emergency for myself or a member of my immediate family †¢ Death within the family I will advise parents as soon as I can if I am unable to provide a service. I will work with parents where possible to find temporary emergency childcare from amongst local childminders. I will not charge you if I am unable to provide a service. Childminding Safety On Outings Policy When taking Children on Outings it is essential that proper planning is done to ensure the safety of all children involved. I obtain written parental permission for all routine and special outings. I inform parents of any planned special trips for example to the coast or a local farm. I ensure that I take with me everything I may need, emergency Contact cards for the children, First Aid Kit, Nappies and changing bag (if required) spare clothes, mobile phone, drinks and a healthy snack. I have developed plans on what to do in the event of an emergency. I carry a contact card for each child. I have also a card on me that explains that I am a registered Childminder. I will make sure to organise outings to fit in with the needs of the children, and ensure that I have the necessary equipment and resources to keep them safe. Olly’s house rules My workplace is also my family home and I would expect all adults and children that I welcome in my home to treat me, my family and my belongings with respect. I have a few house rules that all children will be taught and expected to follow whilst in my home. This is for the safety and well being of everyone. †¢ We keep our coats, shoes and belongings tidied away †¢ Adults/Children leave dirty or muddy shoes at the door †¢ We wash hands after going to the toilet/touching the animals/before and after eating †¢ We like eating our meals at the table †¢ We walk in the house (Running, jumping, throwing, fighting or wrestling we enjoy when we play outdoor) †¢ Older children not allowed pick up babies or toddlers †¢ We say please, thank you and sorry when needed †¢ We will be kind to each other and look after each other †¢ We play nicely with the toys †¢ Sharing is a good thing to do and good manners should be used at all times †¢ We all walking together hading hands when out and about †¢ And we remember to have fun!!! (

Crisis Communication at Glaxo Smith Kline

Crisis Communication at Glaxo Smith Kline Corporate communication constitutes the totality of companys efforts to transmit a favourable image of its internal values onto key audiences. However, businesses best efforts to be perceived in superlatives only are often inhibited by dissemination of contradictory information. Crisis communication management allows the companies to respond to such allegations to diminish their detrimental impact on stakeholder relations. GlaxoSmithKline in communication with key stakeholders attempts to convey the ethos of seeking to improve peoples lives by providing cutting-edge medicines as well as engaging in extensive corporate social responsibility actions. However, communicates projected mainly via the website, mission statement, press releases and direct-to-consumer-advertising seems achieve the goal to an extent. GSKs image is often undermined by allegations of conduct contradicting its internal values. Avandia crisis has been the most prolonged and acknowledged to date. In response to Avandia safety allegations GSK adopted a strategy based on undermining the methodological bases of studies suggesting the drug malfunction, simultaneously downplaying the risk and denying putting peoples lives at danger. This approach has contributed to further losses. Perhaps GSK should consider surveying publics attitude before responding to future crises, and adopt more emphatic approach. Introduction This report investigates the crisis communication management as an element of corporate communication function at GlaxoSmithKline. In order to fulfil the aim assigned, the paper first defines the concept of corporate communication and crisis management, and looks at their importance in the pharmaceutical industry. Next, the report introduces GlaxoSmithKline, its target audiences, core message and communication media used to develop favourable image of the business and assesses whether emitted message achieves its aim. Subsequently, the paper focuses on Avandia crisis as an example of an image crunch and critically analyses GlaxoSmithKlines response. The paper finalises with a set of recommendations towards improvement of crisis communication management in the said company. Corporate communication, crisis management and Big Pharma Corporate communication constitutes the totality of messages issued by the company to its stakeholders to transmit the organisations values and qualities that distinct it from competitors (Gray Balmer, 1998). The function holds responsibility for ensuring integrated coordination of all communication activities undertaken via communication means borderline of public relations and marketing communication (Cornelissen, 2008). The ultimate goal of the function is to develop a positive association between companys identity, and image of it held by the audiences, therefore generating sustained favourable reputation of the business (Cornelissen, 2008). Positive reputation is a source of competitive advantage (Fill Dimopoulou, 1999; Gray Balmer, 1998) and can aid the organization in achievement of strategic goals (Argenti et al., 2005) by supporting it in retaining committed employees and reinforcing positive buyer habits by enhancing perception of the quality of the brands endorsed (Smith, 1994). However, organisations best efforts to develop and maintain positive image in the eyes of contractual and community stakeholders are often eroded by dissemination of information suggesting a conflict between the values the organisation aspires to stand for and its actions, therefore creating and image crisis. Crisis communication management is an important element of corporate communication function enabling the business to respond to such revelations in a manner allowing offsetting their detrimental impact on public perception of companys standards (Fearn-Banks, 2002). Pharmaceutical companies commonly experience such challenges to their reputation, mainly in the form of accusations of malpractice (Pines, 2009) and unethical portrayals in media and culture (Parker, 2007). The presence of Internet allows otherwise marginal societal groups, e.g. NGOs, to gain access to plethora of information beyond organisations control and to exercise substantial pressure on the pharmaceutical companies (Little Grieco, 2010) holding them to account on fulfilment of the assumed moral obligation to provide safe and affordable medicines (Lee Kohler, 2010). Furthermore, Internet fosters for treatment of information as fast-tradable commodity, often leading to rapid image crisis escalation exacerbating damage to profits. Moreover, the consumer stages of the product life cycle of pharmaceutical merchandise are relatively short due to patent durability constraints (Gray Balmer, 1998) leaving the companies little time to recuperate the image in case of a crisis. Consequently, effective crisis management aimed at preventing further reputation deterioration and restoring credibility in the brand name to develop favourable conditions for new product launches (Smith, 1994) is Big Pharmas biggest concern. Corporate communication at GlaxoSmithKline GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is one of the five top research-based pharmaceutical companies worldwide, capturing 7% of the total market, with US and Europe as the main sales-generating regions. The organisation operates in two dominant sectors: pharmaceutical and health-related products. GlaxoSmithKline is a conglomerate entity with origins in the UK, USA and New Zealand, with the present structure effective of mergers of SmithKline Beecham and GlaxoWellcome in 2000 (GSK, 2010a). Key audiences Due to varied product portfolio including prescription and self-medications as well as healthcare products, the company considers patients as participating consumers rather than end users of the merchandise. This is motivated by the pervasiveness of consumerism in the patient-medical practitioner relationship (DTC Report, 2005) and emergence of consumers actively researching information online on treatment options available (Little Grieco, 2010), rather than relying solely on the medical intermediary. The individual consumer group is particularly influential in the US market due to direct-to-consumer advertising permit. Other audiences recognised by GSK include as key to communication include (GSK, 2010b): Medical practitioners Government and regulatory bodies Stockholders and prospective investors NGOs Employe Communication objectives We have a challenging and inspiring mission to improve the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. (GSK, 2010c) The end objective of GlaxoSmithKlines communication is to transmit the information on companys identity conveyed in the mission statement and Spirit of GSK values of respect for people, patient focus, integrity, and transparency (GSK, 2010c) to create and maintain positive image of the business counterbalancing common unfavourable perceptions of the company. Simultaneous communication goals include generating product awareness, informing the stakeholders on companys financial tenure, and developing brand and corporate image to generate sales (Smith, 1991). Considering the nature of GSKs business and heavy regulatory burden significant part of the product communication is devoted to the informative imperative. Organisation of corporate communication function To communicate the values constituting the centre of companys identity to key audiences in distinctive manner, however maintaining overall integrity of the communicate (Argenti et al., 2005) GlaxoSmithKline divides the function into operational units overseen by the Board, reflecting key stakeholder groups (GSK, 2010b): employees (internal communication) media NGOs investors The media unit is responsible for crisis management. Additionally, the company devotes one division to managing dissemination of information on CSR activities, which suggests companys realisation of the social responsibilitys potential to add value to the businesss reputation (Adams Zutshi2004). Key communication means Website Prominence of consumers actively searching information online on products and ethical standards of their providers enables GSK to use the website to disseminate favourable message in a fully controlled environment (Sones et al., 2009). GSKs website serves the threefold purpose of: informing and educating the consumer by providing product info boosting companys image by addressing transparency imperative through online trial database and financial reports availability airing companys efforts to bring the mission statement to life via CSR The website constitutes the most all-embracing communication tool in transmitting companys identity onto the public by developing trust in external stakeholders, as well as fostering for increased commitment and loyalty on employees part (Morsing, 2006). Mission statement and Spirit of GSK projecting companys persona in the aspects of strategy, philosophy, values and behaviours in reference to broad, objective and culturally un-constrained values of diminishing social costs and emphasizing transparency and integrity. Directed at both external and internal stakeholders to contradict the negative conception of GSK, and foster for publics affinity, and frame employee behaviour (Hackley, 1998). CSR reporting constitutes the axis of GSKs website (Sones et al., 2009). The company provides extensive data on its actions towards offsetting social costs, aiding struggle against life-threatening diseases, as well as investments in society, maintaining strong bond with the essence of the mission statement, simultaneously extending it to preserving peoples habitat Press releases are applied to communicate with media journalists and investors, serving the purpose of quick dissemination of vital positive information, or rapid response to issues and crises arising (see GSK press releases) Direct-to-consumer advertising GSK extensively applies direct-to-consumer advertising within the US market, taking the lead among Big Pharma in marketing expenditure. The company targets consumers in the American market by newspaper and magazine adverts featuring experts and members of independent bodies emphasising product credibility (FiercePharma, 2008). Similar technique is applied to OTC medicines and healthcare products, e.g. Sensodyne toothpaste campaign featuring dentists, as direct-to-consumer advertising is prohibited within EU. Communication effectiveness: corporate image maintenance GlaxoSmithKline is currently ranked 108 in the most-trusted companies classification (Reputation Institutue, 2009). Remaining ahead of some of its competitors, which suggests effectiveness of the identity dissemination, GSK attracts contradictory publicity effectively equalising its reputation to the industry average. The most widely acknowledged image crises experienced by GSK include: Accusations of animal testing Profiteering from sales of overpriced patent-protected HIV/AIDS medication Safety concerns: Seroxat/Paxil, Avandia Failure to adhere to production quality standards Avandia safety crisis is the most prominent and long-lasting issue experienced by GSK to date. Avandia crisis The case In May 2007 an article in medical journal revealed that GSKs blockbuster drug, Avandia, originally devised to lower blood sugar levels and reduce the risks of diabetic patients developing a secondary heart problem severely increases the risk of heart failure and attack. The negative side effects have been linked to deaths among the patients on the medication. Nevertheless, the drug remained on the market until conclusive data be gathered on the basis of longitudinal RECORD study; nevertheless additional usage constrains were issued by the regulators. In 2009 RECORD study and leaked staff e-mails suggested that GSK knew of potentially lethal side effects of Avandia, and might have knowingly bias pre-approval study results to conceal the dangers. This gave rise to second revision of the safety profile of the drug. In 2010, the crisis reached the third peak with US Senate Commission investigation, EU drug regulatory body withdrawing Avandia from marketing, and BBC Panorama broadcast reviving the issue in European media. However, Avandia remains on US market, again with restrictions towards its use. (Lofstedt, 2010) GlaxoSmithKlines response To manage the crisis GSK employed an integrated strategy based on distancing itself from the accusations by undermining the methodologies and statistical significance of the study findings suggesting Avandias side effects. The complexity of the disease, challenge it creates in treatment and economic savings to the public health system, as well as comparability of alleged Avandia risks to other diabetes drugs were attended to throughout. GSK also challenged the impartiality of medical periodicals publicising unfavourable results. To date GSK consequently opposes to agree with the notion of its own error and deceptive practices, repeatedly referring to studies depicting favourable results (see GSK press releases). In its appeals to investors and media through press releases largely constituting responses to allegations or pre-emptive statements, GSK emphasized compliance with regulatory requirements, openness in communication and data disclosure, as well as focus on patients safety as the priority, therefore reassuring the stakeholders on the appropriateness of a chosen course of action and lack of error (see GSK press releases). Appeals to patients and members of general public where handled through the website, with Avandia resource centre section aimed at providing information on the drug. Additionally, at the wake of the crisis the company has issued a printed letter-styled advertising copy in the newspapers, with message from the chief medical officer reassuring the public on Avandias safety and encouraging patients not to withdraw the treatment without prior consultation (TargetMarketNews, 2007). However, the attempt to pre-empt negative response and ensure consumer trust by recalling expert authority of GSK was limited to US market only, due to prohibition of direct-to-consumer advertising in Europe. Within EU the company has used the website to appeal to practitioners, only addressing the patients following Avandia recall via video message from the Chief Medical Officer (GSK Europe, 2010) Effectiveness of adopted approach In its crisis management approach, GSK failed to appreciate the context of the crisis and misjudged certain stakeholder groups perceptions of responsibility and blame, consequently adopting inappropriate response strategy (Cornelissen, 2008). This evoked consequences in the form of (Lofstedt et al., , 2009): 8% share price drop following the crisis outbreak 60% prescription rate decrease in the first 6 months following the accusatory article 50% of diabetes patients failing to switch from Avandia to any other drug following the public anxiety outbreak in the US Potential compensation expenses of 1.6$ billion extending beyond patent expiry in 2012 GSK failed to account for the publics distrust towards the Big Pharma and regulators following the infamous Vioxx case in 2004, where the drug has been voluntarily recalled by the manufacturer following comparable safety concerns. The regulatory crisis transferred trust mandate to independent researchers, therefore assigning credibility to Dr Nissens research on Avandia (Lofstedt, 2010). Additionally GSKs public image has not yet recuperated from the detrimental impacts of concerns surrounding Seroxat linking the drug to increased tendencies in teenagers to self-harm and have suicidal thoughts (BBC, 2002). Given such circumstances, the response based on reference to GSKs expert authority and credibility failed due to the public perceiving the company as the one to blame (Cornelissen, 2008). GSK seems to have erred in noticing a strong emotional baggage associated with raised concerns. Public is vigilant to allegations on medicines possibly causing death and health damage, as this puts peoples lives at stake, and life is a value to the public (Parker, 2007). Concern for peoples safety combined with factors identified before, inhibited the recovery potential of GSKs assertions that patient wellbeing is their prime concern, consequently leading to loss of patient affinity. In similar vein, GSK erred in its crisis communication approach with medical practitioners, which is projected in significant slump in Avandia prescription rates shortly after the crisis outbreak. This suggests that medical practitioners made up their mind regardless of GSK consequently reinforcing message on Avandia safety. GSK has also failed to notice an important stakeholder to the crisis management relationship: consumer groups. Following the allegations a number of websites such as avandiarecallnews.com emerged projecting ex-patients and family members testimonials on Avandia, as well as reporting mounting lawsuits and providing support in filing a case (Avandiarecallnews, 2010). This significantly offset GSKs attempts to marginalise the scale of issue and its severity. Recommendations It is justifiable to assume that the current and future profit losses and still non-quantified detriment to the brand name, could have been mitigated had the company tap into stakeholders needs with the crisis response. Given the commonness of image crises in Big Pharma, it is permissible to say that accusations of conduct contradictory to the mission statement recur. Provided similarity of contextual factors, GSK should consider the following as improvements to crisis communication management: Consider surveying key stakeholder groups perceptions of the responsibility for a given crisis matter before giving a statement that is difficult to withdraw. This allows devising complimentary communication strategy, reducing the potential of public defiance. Consequently, should the public blame the company perhaps admit the error and apologise (Cornelissen, 2008). Consider JohnsonJohnsons response to Tylenol crisis as an example. Perhaps rely more on video messages from board members to address the stakeholders. This allows for more personal approach and permits to transmit strong message on companys involvement and effort to solve the issue. Consider Toyota crisis as an example. Accordingly, increase spokespeoples presence on the media. This fosters for the publics perception of the company as adopting open and frank communication approach (Fearn-Banks, 2002). Address other stakeholder groups more forcefully. Possibly intensify communication efforts with medical practitioners through symposia and representatives visits to reassure favourable relationship (Pines, 2009). Issue press releases aimed at informing NGOs on actions taken to resolve the issue and recall CSR efforts to gain publics favourable attention, thereof reducing the crisis to a single mishap in a series of positive actions (Parker, 2007). Reference section Adams, C., and Zutshi,A. 2004. CSR: Why Business Should Act Responsibly and Be Accountable? Australian Accounting Review. 14 (3) pp.31-39 Argenti, P.A., Howell, R.A., and Beck, K.A. 2005. The Strategic Communication Imperative. MITSloan Management Review. 46 (3). Pp.82-89 AvandiaRecallNews. 2010. Home Page. [online] Available at: http://avandiarecallnews.com/ Accessed: 16 December 2010 BBC. 2002. Patients May Sue Over Anti-depressant. [online]. Updated: 13 June 2002. Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2041430.stm Accessed: 16 December 2010 Cornelissen, J. 2008. Corporate Communication: A Guide to Theory and Practice. London: Sage DTC Report. Internet is the Key to Integrated DTC: Study. Medical Marketing and Media.[online] Available at: Accessed: 16 December 2010 Fearn-Banks, K. 2002. Crisis Communications: A Case Book Approach. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum [e-book] Available at:http://books.google.pl/books?id=7GU4BVS-a2sCpg=PA59dq=fearn-bankshl=plei=M0MKTbqAH4XOswbqhpWxCgsa=Xoi=book_resultct=resultresnum=1ved=0CCkQ6AEwAA#v=onepageqf=false Accessed: 16 December 2010 FiercePharma. 2008. Big Pharmas Top 13 Advertising Budgets. [online]. Updated 24 September 2008 Available at: http://www.fiercepharma.com/special-reports/top-13-advertising-budgets Accessed: 16 December 2010 Gray, E.R., and Balmer, M.T. 1998. Managing Corporate Image and Corporate Reputation. Long Range Planning. 31 (5). Pp.695-702 GSK. 2010a. About Us. [online] Available at: http://www.gsk.com/about/index.htm Accessed: 16 December 2010 GSK, 2010b. Roles at GSK: Communication. [online] Available at: http://us.gsk.com/html/career/career-roles-communications.html Accessed: 16 December 2010 GSK.2010c. Culture and Values [online] Available at: http://www.gsk.com/careers/culture-values.htm Accessed: 16 December 2010 GSK Europe. 2010. Health GSK News: Avandia Information for Patients. [online] Updated 23 September 2010 Available at: http://public.gsk.com/news/138494/ Accessed: 16 December 2010 Hackley, CH. 1998. Mission Statements as Corporate Communciations: the Consequences of Social Constructorionism. Corporate Communications: An International Journal. 3(3). Pp.92-98 Lee, M., and Kohler, J. 2010. Benchmarking and Transparency: Incentives for the Pharmaceutical Industrys Corporate Social Responsibility. Journal of Business Ethics. 95. Pp. 641-658 Little, S., and Grieco, M. 2010. Big Pharma, social movements, international labour, and the Internet: Critical Perspectives on Coordination. Labour History. 51 (1). Pp. 71-86 Lofstedt, R. 2010. Risk Communication: the Avandia Case, a Pilot Study. Expert Reviews: Clinical Pharmacology. 3(1). Pp. 31-41 Lofstedt, R., Bouder, F., Warman, J., and Chakraborty, S. 2009. The Changing Nature of Communication and Regulation of Risk in Europe. Risk and Regulation Advisory Council Report. Morsing, M. 2006. CSR as Strategic Auto-communication: on the Role of External Stakeholders for Member Identification. Business Ethics: A European Review. 15(2). Pp. 171-182 Parker, J. 2007. The Reputation, Image and Influence of the Pharmaceutical Industry: Regaining Credibility. Journal of Medical Marketing. 7. Pp. 309-313 Pines, W. L. 2009. Pharmaceutical Physicians and Crisis Management. Pharmaceutical Medicine. 23 (1). Pp.7-10 Reputation Institute. 2009. The Worlds Most Reputable Companies, 2009. [online] Available at: http://www.corporatereputation.it/idee/docs/Global_Pulse_2009_Free_Global_Report.pdf Accessed: 16 December 2010 Smith, P.R. 1991. Pharmaceutical Marketing: Strategy and Cases. Pharmaceutical Products Press. in Fill, Ch., and Dimopoulou, E. 1999. Shaping Corporate Images: Attributes Used to Form Impressions of Pharmaceutical Companies. Corporate Reputation Review. 2 (3). Pp. 202-213 Smith, P.R. 1994. Marketing Communications: an Integrated Approach. London: Kogan Page in Fill, Ch., and Dimopoulou, E. 1999. Shaping Corporate Images: Attributes Used to Form Impressions of Pharmaceutical Companies. Corporate Reputation Review. 2 (3). Pp. 202-213 Sones, M., Grantham, S., and Vieira, E.T. 2009. Communicating CSR via Pharmaceutical Company Web Sites. Corporate Communications: An International Journal. 14 (2). Pp. 144-157 TargetMarketNews. 2007. GlaxoSmithKlines Niche Marketing Strategy for Diabetes Drug under Stress. [online] Updated 6 June 2007. Available at: http://www.targetmarketnews.com/storyid06060701.htm Accessed: 16 December 2010

The Crime Survey For England And Wales Criminology Essay

The Crime Survey For England And Wales Criminology Essay The National Statistician in 2011 acknowledged that the exclusion of crimes against children from the BCS estimates has been considered a major gap. As a result, in 2009 the survey was extended to include children aged between 10 and 15 (Home Office Statistical Bulletin 2010/11, p. 20). This may help in gaining further knowledge of the full extent of crime in Britain, although this process also comes with its own limitations. The children may not be entirely accurate in their accounts, or fear what may happen to them after responding. The Crime Survey for England and Wales measures the extent of crime in England and Wales by asking people whether they have experienced any crime in the past year.  The survey has measured crime in this way since 1982 and is an important source of information for the government about the extent and nature of crime in England and Wales. It also aims to enquire information regarding the location and timing of crimes, the offenders characteristics and the relationship between victims and offenders (Office for National Statistics, 2012).    A separate survey (the Scottish Crime and Justice survey) measures the extent of crime in Scotland. The survey is conducted by TNS-BMRB on behalf of the Office for National Statistics. Evidence in support of this argument comes from The Home Office (2011) which stated: the BCS offers a more dependable measure of trends in crime as it has a consistent methodology and is unaffected by changes in levels of reporting to the police, recording practice or police activityHowever, the BCS does not aim to provide an absolute count of crime in England and Wales, but to produce estimates of crimes experienced by adults aged 16 and over resident in households. (Home Office Statistical News Release: Crime in England and Wales, 2010/11). Therefore, the survey is not representative of the whole population of Britain and cannot be used to give an overview picture of crime, due to the nature of its sample. Moreover, the survey does not cover all offences such as homicide, fraud and drug offences. On the other hand, police recorded figures have a greater coverage of offences compared to those of the BCS. For example, homicide is not covered by the surveys. Sexual victimisation questions are asked in a separate form, and results are not included in the main total of crime collected by the BCS, due to their delicate nature (Home Office, 2011). Office for National Statistics, 2012): Latest figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) for the year ending June 2012 show a 6 per cent decrease in overall crime against adults compared with the previous years survey. This continues the downward trend in recorded crime, seen since 2004/05. (Ref 6, the Guardian) There were 9.1m reported crimes in 2011/12, according to the Crime Survey for England and Wales, but less than half as many 3.9m were recorded by the police. (Ref 13 Home Office, 2010/11, p. 15-16) Police recorded crime has been subject to major changes in recording practice over time, making interpretation of long-term trends for this series is difficult. The BCS and recorded crime provide generally good coverage of crime committed against the public, particularly for offences involving physical harm, loss or damage to property. Recorded crime is limited to those offences which come to the attention of the police, and is affected by changes to reporting rates, recording practice and police activity. Thus for the crime types and population it covers, the BCS is the best long-term measure of crime trends. However, the BCS is limited in its coverage to crimes against those residents in households and so cannot cover all crime types (for example, homicide, crimes against businesses and other organisations and drug possession). Crime is recorded according to the victims account of events, rather than requiring criminal intent to be proven. Th e BCS asks about individuals experience of crime, irrespective of what action was subsequently taken. For police recorded crime, the victim-focused approach is enshrined in the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS).The NCRS states that all incidents reported by a victim to the police should be recorded, if the events described amount to a crime in law and unless there is credible evidence to the contrary. The drop in crime since the mid-1990s is because of improved property and vehicle security, economic influences, social change, use of CCTV and other local crime reduction initiatives and changes in policing and the wider criminal justice system. Pg. 22: A range of non-notifiable crimes may be dealt with by the issuing of a Penalty Notice for Disorder, a Fixed Penalty Notice or prosecution at a magistrates court. Along with non-notifiable offences dealt with by the police (such as speeding), these include many offences that may be dealt with by other agencies for example, prose cutions by TV Licensing or by the DVLA for vehicle registration offences. These counts only relate to offences where action has been brought against an offender and guilt has either been ascertained in court, or the offender has admitted culpability through acceptance of a penalty notice. These crimes generally only come to light through the relevant authorities actively looking to identify offending behaviour. However, they do illustrate that, taking the broadest definition of crime, the main BCS and Recorded Crime statistics only cover a fraction of total criminal behaviour. Crime and society in Britain, Hazel Croall, 2011, p. 40: The role of victims and the public varies with the offence. Some maybe relatively invisible or the victim is totally unaware of any harm or actions regarded abnormal. For example the sexual abuse of children takes place in a private and children are often unaware that something is wrong. Some incidents such as theft at work may result in dismissal only and not involve criminal proceeding. Such incidents are therefore missed out in total crime accounted for by the police records and CSEW. Croall, 2011, Pg. 51: victim surveys use standard classifications of crime missing out white collar and financial crimes, the CSEW is based on households omitting organisations such as businesses, hospitals, schools and care homes, omitting young teenagers and kids, respondents definitions of crime are limited by their memory and restricted to crimes which they are aware of and miss out those they cannot detect themselves, the surveys capture s ingle incidents and underestimate the full extent of repeat victimisation. Pg. 52: self-report surveys that find out how many times the population have participated in criminal activity, provide more detail about the class, age sex or race of those that have admitted to offending. They are often used with young people and therefore provide extremely valuable information about participation in crime. However respondents, particularly children, may be afraid to answer properly as they fear parents might see their answers, or others may exaggerate, hence affecting the accuracy of responses given. These surveys have been restricted to young people making it harder to question other groups of people such as senior executive about embezzlement. Pg. 60: Muir 2010 found that crime has always been and remains higher in England and Wales than in Scotland and Northern Ireland having much lower levels of crime, using a comparison of crime surveys across the UK for 2008/9 figures. Pg. 61: Moreov er, Higgins and Millard 2009 argue that Wales which is generally combined with England has lower rates for most types than England. Tierney, 2006, Pg. 34: before 1992, the BCS used to survey households randomly chosen from electoral registers, however thereafter, the Postcode Address File was used. Pg. 35: Although the BCS provides large numbers of crime incidents not present in police recorded crime figures, this only applies to certain offence categories, rather than crime in general. Pg. 38-39: victim surveys just like police recorded crimes; do not pick up all criminal offences, such as for those under 16 years. Including corporate and organised plus occupational crimes; theft from businesses (shoplifting, insurance fraud), criminal damage, or crimes without victims, plus taxation and social security fraud. Victims may be scared, embarrassed or unaware they are victims. Pg. 41: according to class conflict theories, statistics provide an insight into the class based nature of the criminal justice system, as well as being manipulated to suit the interests of the powerful plus provide indicators of the inequalit ies and biases inherent in the system itself and in a capitalist society in general. Also one must consider the links between criminal activity, police clear up rates and various community-based initiatives. Tierney, 2006, Pg. 44: changes to counting rules in 1998 mainly affected violent crime and led to some previously less serious, non-notifiable assaults being categorised as notifiable. In 2002, police had to take victims account at face value, until proven otherwise, resulting in increasing the number of offences recorded. This is a further illustration of the socially constructed nature of criminal statistics. Pg. 20: Maguire 1994 suggests crime itself is a social contrast and statistics that relate to it are socially constructed. Croall, 2011, p. 42: the higher rates of reporting property crimes, especially car thefts, result from the requirements of insurance policies. Potential crimes come to the attention of police and other law enforcement agencies by being directly encountered or reported, with the majority being reported to the police by the public (Maguire 2007). Law enforcement decisions affect all subsequent stages when a crime is encountered or reported. Not all complaints are recorded, creating a distinction between offences reported to and recorded by the police. Offences may not be recorded because they are not regarded as sufficiently serious or defined as involving no crime (Coleman and Moynihan, 1996). Croall, 2011: Changes were made in police recording procedures following the introduction of the national crime recording standards (NCRS) in 2002. These have a major impact on the reliability of official statistics, especially as recording practices in different areas and jurisdictions may vary , complicating any comparisons. They also affect overall increases and decreases and changes can create apparent crime waves. Recorded crime series were affected by new counting rules from 1998 onwards and by the NCRS from 2002 onwards. Pg. 44:.most police forces are encouraged to be cost effective and as a result successive governments have introduced diversionary schemes where offences are dealt with out of court such as on-the-spot fines. This underlines the existence of an unknowable dark figure of crime which is never recorded in the official statistics. Therefore officially recorded crimes and convicted offenders are those that have survived the process of attrition and are not representative of all who break the criminal law. Pg. 45: crimes which are more visible and take place in public are more likely to be processed than those taking place in private. For example street crimes of young people are more likely to be counted than crimes of white collar offenders which take pl ace in the offices or crimes which take place in the home, further distorting the relationships between age, gender or social class and offending. Variations in the proportions of crimes counted means that it can rarely be said with any certainty that any particular kind of crime is rising or falling, as any apparent increases or decreases could merely represent a change in the proportion of crimes reported to or recorded by the agencies. Changes in police recording practices can create crime waves or alternatively reductions in crime. On the other hand, more policing can increase crime rates, by catching more and recording more crime. Home office, stats bulletin, 2010/11, Pg. 24: Together they provide a more comprehensive picture than could be obtained from either series alone. However, neither the BCS nor police recorded crime aim to provide complete counts of crime. The coverage of police recorded crime statistics is defined by the Notifiable Offence List1, which includes a broad range of offences, from murder to minor criminal damage, theft and public order offences. However, there are some, mainly less serious offences that are excluded from the recorded crime collection. These non-notifiable crimes include many incidents that might generally considered to be anti-social behaviour but that may also be crimes in law (including bye-laws) such as littering, begging and drunkenness. Other non-notifiable offences include driving under the influence of alcohol, parking offences and TV licence evasion. The survey also excludes some other offences for which it may not be possible to collect robust estimates of crime l evels (such as sexual offences). However, the BCS does capture other information about such offences. The BCS is a face-to-face victimisation survey in which people resident in households in England and Wales are asked about their experiences of crime in the 12 months prior to interview. Until recently the BCS did not cover crimes against those aged under 16, but since January 2009 interviews have been carried out with children aged 10 to 15. Experimental statistics for children are shown separately. Pg. 26: For the crime types and population it covers, the BCS provides a better reflection of the extent of household and personal crime than police recorded statistics because it includes crimes that are not reported to or recorded by the police. The BCS is also a better indicator of long-term trends because it is unaffected by changes in levels of reporting to the police or by police recording practices. Although the focus of ensuring comparability over time means that the BCS does no t include some relatively new crimes in its main crime count, such as plastic card fraud, these are asked about and presented. BCS estimates for 2010/11 are based on face-to-face interviews with 46,754 respondents. The BCS has a high response rate (76%) and the survey is weighted to adjust for possible non-response bias and to ensure the sample reflects the profile of the general population. Being based on a sample survey, BCS estimates are subject to a margin of error. Police recorded crime statistics are administrative data based on notifiable crimes that are reported to and recorded by the police in England and Wales. Unlike the BCS, recorded crime includes crime against commercial and public sector bodies, and so-called victimless crimes (such as drug possession offences). Recorded crime figures provide a good measure of trends in well-reported crimes (in particular, homicide, which is not covered by the BCS), can be used for local crime pattern analysis and are important indicators of police workload. However, there are also categories of crime whose numbers are heavily influenced by the extent to which police proactively investigate. Police recording practice is governed by the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS). The NCRS was introduced nationally in April 2002 to ensure greater consistency and transparency of crime recording between forces, together with a victim focus where crimes reported by the public are recorded unless there is credible evidence to the contrary. Crime data are collected from police forces for each crime within the Notifiable Offence List and according to Home Office Counting Rules. Police recorded crime figures should be seen as a product of an administrative system where rules can be subject to different interpretation a nd, for some categories of crime, can reflect police workload and activity rather than underlying levels of crime. Pg. 27: While the coverage differs both in terms of offence types and population groups, property crime accounts for the majority of both BCS and recorded crime (77% and 70% respectively) with violence, including robbery, accounting for most of the remainder 23 per cent of BCS crime and 22 per cent of recorded crime. Pg. 17; the introduction of the NCRS in April 2002 considerably increased the recording of less serious violent crime by the police and figures are not directly comparable across this break in the series. Philip Schlesinger Howard Tumber, 1999, Pg. 7: new forms of crime have emerged: hard drug trafficking, terrorism and corporate fraud. Page 144: developments in police work such as computer use and forensic science, this allows for more crime to be detected. Newburn, 2012, the guardian: theft has become much more difficult.  Then there is surveillance. While the impact of CCTV is generally much less than one would imagine given how widespread it has become, it is effective in some areas and is an aid to the police and private security. There are now more police officers than there were 20 years ago. Add in  Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) security guards and the gradual re-emergence of other jobs with a partial safety and security focus (ticket inspectors, caretakers, park keepers and the rest) and you have a substantial expansion of the eyes and ears available for crime prevention. Home Office Statistical Bulletin, 2010/11: Pg 29-30: BCS crime fell markedly between 1995 and the 2004/05 BCS. Since 2004/05 the underlying trend in BCS crime has continued to be downward, although at a slower rate and with some fluctuation in year-to-year estimates. Recorded crime fell each year until 1998/99 when the expanded coverage and changes in the Counting Rules resulted in an increase in recorded offences; this was followed by the introduction of the NCRS in April 2002, although some forces adopted NCRS practices before the standard was formally introduced. The introduction of NCRS led to a rise in recording in 2002/03 and, particularly for less serious violent crime, in following years as forces continued to improve compliance with the new standard. From 2001/02 to 2003/04 there was considerable divergence in the trends for BCS and police recorded crime, mainly associated with police recording changes (which particularly influenced violence against the person). Since 2003/0 4, despite some fluctuations, trends have been more consistent between the two series.

Iconography :: Essays Papers

Iconography Iconography, in art history, the study of subject matter in art. The meaning of works of art is often conveyed by the specific objects or figures that the artist chooses to portray; the purpose of iconography is to identify, classify, and explain these objects. Iconography is particularly important in the study of religious and allegorical painting, where many of the objects that are pictured—crosses, skulls, books, or candles, for example—have special significance, which is often obscure or symbolic. The use of iconographic symbols in art began as early as 3000 BC, when the Neolithic civilizations of the Middle East used nonhuman or animal figures to represent their gods. Thus, the Egyptian mother goddess Hathor was associated with the cow and usually appeared in relief sculpture and wall paintings as a cow-headed woman. The sun god Ra had a hawk's head, and the creator Ptah appeared as a bull. In ancient Greece and Rome, each of the gods was associated with specific objects. Zeus (Jupiter), the father of the gods, was often accompanied by an eagle or a thunderbolt; Apollo, the god of art, by a lyre; Artemis (Diana), the hunter, by a bow and quiver. In addition, the Romans perfected the use of secular allegorical symbols. For example, a woman surrounded by bunches of grapes and sheaves of wheat would be readily understood as a representation of the bounties of the earth. Early Christian art during the period of Roman persecution was highly circumspect, and innocuous objects—the fish and the dove—were used to symbolize Christ and the Holy Spirit. Later Christian art, however, became replete with iconographic symbols. In particular, many of the saints became associated with specific objects—Saint Peter with two keys, for instance, or Saint Catherine with a broken wheel. During the Renaissance and through the 18th century, allegorical paintings were especially popular, as artists constructed elaborate symbolic schemes to illustrate such themes as the vanity of human existence.

Application Security Essay -- Technology, Programming, Video Games

According to [3], game design refers to â€Å"something to program about.† When creating games, one must take into account the flow and structure of a game. These cannot be ignored since a domino effect follows: poor design will lead to a poor implementation of the game. A poorly implemented design would then lead to a program that is vulnerable to both simple and complex attacks. [1] mentions that loopholes or bugs in games may occur as a product of poor game design. This brings another point: poor design can lead to exploits. Bugs (in games) are more often than not exploited in order to gain some sort of virtual good or advantage, rather than being reported to the developer for further improvement. [1] also discusses different forms of cheating, some of which can be attributed to a poor design. These forms of cheating may include (as an example, for online games) hacking a server or database to gain an advantage, or hacking a system itself to extract valuable information, a mong many others. With respect to offline games, [4] describes an exploit which could affect others’ game play. Theoretically, one would assume that offline games would not affect others’ game play since, there are no networks or servers or connections to the internet, unlike online games. However, for offline games, it is possible for two users to share the same system, and therefore share the same game but with a difference in the saved game file though. The sum of it all is that a game developer’s poor design could be a â€Å"portal† for exploitation. There are ways though to improve design. One may review the design over and over again, from all perspectives, to ensure that there are as minimal â€Å"flaws† as there can be, since these flaws cannot totally be eradicat... ...VA, programmers must take into account the access modifiers of their classes. Preferably, programmers must make class’ attributes private and make use of getters and setters [9]. Use the protected access modifier for superclasses so that its subclasses can access it. Anticipate exceptions that might come along the way and use proper exception handling to avoid bugs that attackers may exploit. Encryption has always been one of the best ways to secure data. Always encrypt sensitive data like passwords and game assets. All in all, the techniques mentioned above are just some of the techniques one can use to secure his or her game. One can use whatever technique as long as it will help improve the security of his or her game. What’s important is to know security threats that pose risks to your game and be able to implement proper techniques to address these issues.

Essay --

Andrea St. Mary English 104 Dr. Gronsky 13 February 2014 Designer Children Who would have known a baby could be so customizable? Within the past few years, science has advanced so much that it is giving prospective parents a chance to pick and choose how they want their child to look. Designer children should be available for families everywhere because it will help with disease prevention, give parents the choice of the traits for their child, and it will give scientists a better understanding of the continuously evolving science of embryology. Many families carry genetic diseases that, with the help of science, can easily be terminated. Diseases like juvenile diabetes, heart disease, AIDS, breast cancer, and sickle cell disease run in thousands of families today. Being able to take a closer look at DNA will give parents a chance to help expand their child’s life span. Parents everywhere would agree to have their child rid of any harm. The doctors would be able to access the egg or sperm and discard the specific gene. This alteration would last for generations to come. If the mother is able to attend doctor’s appointments while she is pregnant to check on the health of the baby, why not be able to cure the sickness before it is born, rather than waiting until birth? Today, not only could infertile parents get the chance to have a child, but also they can make sure it is safe and healthy. Genetic diseases can be devastating news to potential parents, but science can help reduce the likelihood of contracting it . Don’t people wish they were born with bright blue eyes? Wouldn’t it have been nice to be a foot taller for the basketball team? Giving future parents the option to customize their baby is a phenomenon that will soon... ...ing prenatal vitamins and going to extreme measures to ensure the success of their child. In this process, the parents are in full control, so they have the ability to withdraw from the study whenever they deem it necessary. This research is the new frontier of how we look at pregnancy. The science of genetically engineering babies is an idea that should be invested in immediately. Altering embryos will be beneficial because it will eliminate hereditary diseases, allow for distinguished future generations, and will aid in modern technology’s stride for perfection. Although this study can be dangerous and unethical, it is offered to benefit families that aren’t lucky enough to have healthy genes. Hereditarily improving babies is essential for the growth of our future. Finally, parents’ vision of their dream child is within arms reach from this revolutionary study.

On the Idle Hill, The Drum and Drummer Hodge Essay

Poets often write poems to express their ideas, opinions, emotions and experiences of life. Choose three poems you have studied to show how writers have been influenced by the events of war. War, in any shape or form, affects people in many different ways. Many people choose to express their feelings and experiences of war in poems. The three poems I have chosen all have different moods, structures and rhythms but their meanings are all the same – war is ruthless terrifying and pointless. The poem ‘On the Idle Hill’ is by A.E. Housman. Housman wrote the poem in 1896 and he was not writing about any particular war but just the horror of battle in general. Housman never partook in any war but heard about the terror of it from other people’s experiences. The first stanza portrays a peaceful, happy, warm scene. Words such as ‘summer’, ‘sleepy’ and ‘streams’ emphasise this. However, the ‘steady drummer’ cuts through this peaceful atmosphere. It is the sound of the army coming, looking for new recruits to go to war with them. The first stanza seems to be about the drum and how it calls people to war and tears them away from their homes. The line; ‘Drumming like a noise in dreams.’ makes the drum seem like a nightmare, something everyone dreads. In the second stanza, the tone is a lot sadder and darker. The phrases, ‘Far and near’ and ‘low and louder’ are suggesting that war is everywhere, and can be seen in different levels all over the world. Probably one of the most striking and powerful lines in the poem, ‘Dear to friends and food for powder’ is very shocking and adds a more personal theme to the poem, because the soldiers are now being seen as friends, fathers and real people instead of just toys in war. The ‘powder’ is gunpowder so the poet is hinting at the fact that the men are just food for the war. The war is made to sound like a real living thing; this is a good example of personification. The final line of stanza two, ‘Soldiers marching, all to die.’ is depressing and it emphasises the pointlessness and horror of war. Stanza three maintains the sad, depressing tone. There is more powerful and graphic imagery such as, ‘bleach the bones’, which is very sinister and shocking, and, ‘of comrades slain’. ‘Slain’ does not just mean killed, it means murdered and it outlines the brutality of war. Another graphic phrase is, ‘Lovely lads and dead and rotten’. These are contrasting images, and the writer is trying to put the idea across that innocent, good people can be killed in war for no reason. The final line of the stanza, ‘None that go return again.’ sums up A.E. Housman’s view on war – that it is just something which takes the lives of anyone who fights in it and has no point whatsoever. The rhyme in ‘On the Idle Hill’ is ‘abab’ and it keeps a slow, steady rhythm throughout the poem, giving a sad, melancholy tone to the poem. The form in which the writer has set out the poem, in four stanzas, is effective because each one talks about a different aspect of war. This poem shows A.E. Housman’s hatred of battle and how pointless and ruthless he thinks it is. War has obviously effected him deeply and we can see from his language throughout the poem that he feels very strongly about it. The poem ‘The Drum’ was written by John Scott, who was a Quaker. The significance of this is that according to Quaker beliefs, he was a pacifist and so was completely against war and violence. His poem concentrates on the famous recruitment drum which called people to was. He opens the poem directly by saying, ‘I hate that drum’s discordant sound,’. We immediately know what Scott’s feelings about war are – he hates it. Even the rhythm is drum-like, as seen in the repetition of the word ’round’. This has a hypnotic effect, just like the drum was to knew recruits. Scott is bitter about the drum and criticises its ability to hypnotise young men, as seen in the phrase, ‘To thoughtless youth it pleasure yields.’ The poet is saying that the drum almost takes advantage of the young men. The next two lines, ‘To sell their liberty for charms Of tawdry lace, and glittering arms.’ are suggesting that was takes your freedom for something material and worthless, the uniform and the weapons. The poet’s thoughts here are that was may seem exciting and a chance to be a hero but it is really taking your freedom and life. Scott uses the words ‘tawdry’, ‘charms’, and ‘glittering’ to create an image of honour and glory. In the following line, Scott makes the word ‘Ambition’ seem like a person – this is a good example of personification. He is stressing the fact that ‘Ambition’, or the war officers, only have to give one order to send you to your death. The final line of stanza one, ‘To march, and fight, and fall in foreign lands.’ is used by the poet to tell us that in war, you are always matching to die. Stanza two begins with the same two lines as stanza one, with the hypnotic repetition of the word ’round’. The poet now puts his personal feelings into the poem by saying ‘To me it speaks’. He uses powerful imagery, as seen in the words ‘ravaged’, ‘burning’ and ‘ruined’, to create a scene of destruction and death. Also, words such as ‘mangled’ and ‘dying’ provoke horror and terror in the reader’s mind. The following line, ‘And widow’s tears and orphan’s moans.’ is depressing and it shows the aftermath of war – the families ruined. The final two lines, ‘And all that Misery’s hand bestows, To fill the catalogue of human woes.’ are summing up Scott’s view on war, it is terrible, destructive, pointless and terrifying. Again, he uses personification and makes ‘Misery’ seem like a person. The form in which ‘The Drum’ is set out is quite effective – the first stanza is about the recruitment of men and the pointlessness of war and the second is about the aftermath and the death. The rhyming scheme ‘abab’ is used throughout the poem and it is drum-like in sound, which is very fitting to the subject of the poem. In summary, ‘The Drum’ shows John Scott’s hatred of war. Being a pacifist, he obviously did not fight in any wars but he knew enough about them to know of the destruction and death which came with them. He has written the poem to express his views on war and also to try and dissuade people from going to them. ‘Drummer Hodge’ was written by Thomas Hardy after he read about a local drummer boy who had been killed at war. He thought how sad it was that a young boy, who didn’t know the horror of war, should be buried in an alien landscape so far from home. The boy died in the Boer War (1899-1902), which took place in South Africa. The poem has a very pessimistic, sad tone. The first stanza is about how the young boy is buried. The phrases ‘they throw’ and ‘uncoffined’ suggest to us that no thought was put into his burial and he had no proper funeral. He wasn’t even given the luxury of a wooden box, he was just thrown into a hole. Hardy emphasises the fact that he is miles away from home with the phrase ‘foreign constellations.’ The reader feels sorry for the poor boy, buried away from everything familiar to him.