Pestle analysis food industry free essay sample

. We are a government recognized Star export house and deal in Spices, Oil seeds and Dehydrated vegetables. Our main markets are Russia, Eastern Europe and The Middle East. We plan to expand our business into Brazil, Ukraine, Poland and Taiwan. Through the analysis we will try to look into several factors that we think will have an impact on our future investment plans. 2. 0 INDUSTRY ANALYSIS: PESTEL FRAMEWORK 2. 1 Political Factors. Internal factors In India as in elsewhere politics and economics get intertwined quite often. Sudden ban on exports of products such as onion, rice etc. have an adverse effect on our business. Many a time these policy decisions (Bans) are more of a knee jerk reaction to sudden crises rather than a well thought out strategy. This leads to disruption of supplies to the markets that traditionally the Indian exporter’s supply to and eventually gives an opportunity for other countries to get into the market. We will write a custom essay sample on Pestle analysis food industry or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Also, NCDEX although is a tool for better price realization what it is actually leading to is more speculation leading to abnormal fluctuations in the commodities market. (b) External factors: The west is looking towards Asia for new markets. But wants to continue to subsidies its farm produce while at the same time it expects concessions from the developing nations. Many a times instead of putting bans they put non-tariff barriers which is an indirect mode of trade protectionism. Hence today most of the countries have their own Free Trade Agreements with other nations. The ability of a nation to have a balanced trade negotiations and in return get special access to markets leads to economic as well as political benefits. For example there are special trade incentives given by governments for doing business with lesser known and more risky regions such as the CIS countries under the Focus Market scheme. War and political unrest also effects our trade as it leads to increase in uncertainty. For example during the Arab spring there was a decline in trade between Egypt and the world due to the political unrests. Egypt is a major supplier of cumin seeds, dehydrated onion same as India. But due to shortage of these goods the international prices shot up and countries like India and China benefited from this. In many countries including Indiathere is debate going on GMO (genetically modified) and Non–GMO food (non-genetically modified). There is no clear cut decision being taken on the issue leading to uncertainty in the agricultural development of the country. Effect of impact: High impact Dimension: Both micro as well as Macro level Time: All the factors mentioned will have the impact on the present as well as future growth of the company. 2. 2 Economical Factors Economic factors are of concern to Deepkamal Exports Pvt Ltd as they are likely to influence demand, costs, prices and profits. Most of the economic factors are largely outside the control of the company, but their effects on performance and the marketing mix can be profound. Although our business with other countries is growing and is expected to contribute a greater amount to company’s profits over the next few years, the company is still highly dependent on the Russian market. Hence, the company would be badly affected by any slowdown in the Russian food market and hence we are exposed to market concentration risks. The other economic factors that have impact are listed as below: Economic Criteria’s to look for Reason Population of the country As it is one of the indicators of possible higher consumption As to the composition of the food industry Our products are mainly used in confectionary, meat and ready to eat food industry. This data helps us to decide which markets to focus upon. Per capita income and therefore disposable income Another indicator of whether a market is price sensitive or willing to pay a premium for quality products. Effect of impact: Positive Degree of impact: High Forecast for future: With the advent of institutions such as world trade organization, free trade organizations the economies are becoming more and more intertwined. If we consider the factors mentioned above then we will have a better chance to enter these markets as well as an increased chance of establishing business in future. 2. 3 Social/Cultural Factors Since we are into exports â€Å"Social factors† that affect us are mostly macro–environmental in nature. The food habits of the importing country is of great importance to us. The existing and acceptance of new tastes. Also, increasingly due to the busy lifestyle there are more and more instances were both members of a family are working. This has led to people consuming more ready to eat food products. Many of the European countries face severe winters which makes them stock food ingredients for the duration of the winter. Due to globalization people are getting exposed to different types of cuisine. This has given a boost to food and beverage industries were our products are used. In The Middle East the spices and herbs used in cooking are quite similar to that of India and hence a huge market for us. Effect of impact: Positive Degree of impact: Moderate Forecast for future: As people are getting exposed to different cultures and cuisines as well as migration of people from one part of the world to another food habits and tastes are evolving. Indian food especially the chicken curry has become a house hold dish in UK and Europe and hopefully around the world. We see demand for our products to be stable in the near future. 2. 4 Technological Factors It is an aspect which is rapidly gaining in importance. Many a times due to lack of technological advancement in our agricultural and food processing technology we lose out on final product and quality. This make Indian goods costlier as there are more wastages during the various processes. Also, the care that needs to be taken post-harvest is improper due to which Indian food products fail to meet the micro- biological specifications of many importing countries. Technology is a major macro-environmental variable which has influenced the development of many of our products. The improvement in food processing and packaging technology has helped to us to get faster production as well as maintain quality. Although this area still requires a lot of improvement. More and more countries are putting strict micro biological parameters for food products which is making exports difficult to these countries. We require to rapidly adapt to new technologies such as steam sterilization treatment of food products and stricter implementation of laws against the use of banned pesticides which are still being used for farming. Effect of impact: Negative Degree of impact: High Forecast for future: In future if our agricultural techniques and post-harvest practices are not modernized then our agricultural output as well as global competitiveness of our food products will be severely affected. China by using collective farming and modern technology has managed to increase its yield per hectare and has gained grounds in markets were India used to be strong. Same is the case in Cashew industry where with mechanization the Vietnamese are fast catching up with the Indians. 2. 5 Environmental Factors As we are into agro-commodities the monsoon plays crucial role in our business. As Indian agriculture is heavily rain dependent this is one factor which we have no control over. This phenomenon is not just specific to India but the world over due to the effect of El-Nino in the pacific and La-Nina in Asia the weather patterns are changing. This has led to heavy flooding in some parts of the world and soaring temperatures and drought in other parts leading to destruction of crops. Effect of impact: Neutral Degree of impact: High Forecast for future: These factors are all external in nature and one has to take them in stride. It is not possible to do much forecasting in these matters. 2. 6 Legislative Factors These are mainly macro environmental variables which affect our business. Nowadays there is more and more legislation towards non-tariff barriers as developed countries while using mechanization / packaging are not price competitive vis-a-vis developing economies. Therefore more and more legislation is done to protect their industry. Effect of impact: Neutral Degree of impact: High Forecast for future: These factors are all external in nature and one has to take them in stride. It is not possible to do much forecasting in these matters. 2. 7 Ethics: Good trade practices are pre-requisite for any business to have longevity. We at Deepkamal Exports Pvt. Ltd believe that our adherence to ethical practices has helped us to reach wherever we are. In future also it will be our endeavor to stick to ethical practices in our endeavor to grow into large organization keeping in mind the welfare of all the stakeholders. By stakeholders we mean not only the customers but also the supplier, employees and all others involved in our business.

Beowulf &Superman essays

Beowulf &Superman essays A hero is defined in classical mythology as a man, especially the son of a god and a mortal, who is famous for possessing some extraordinary gift. Beowulf, the title character of an epic poem and Superman, a more modern day hero are both prime examples. Beowulf and Superman exhibit several differences, but they also share some similar qualities. Beowulf possessed great strength that separated him from other men. Being able to use a sword that no ordinary man was able to carry gives the feeling that Beowulf is something more than a human being. It makes him special and causes him to stand out from all other men. Fame is something that makes a hero more noted. Beowulfs popularity had spread all over the world. He never let this go to his head and he never thought that he was better than everyone else because of it. By engaging in this foolish contest, Beowulf nearly got himself killed trying to prove he was better than Brecca. Jealousy is never a good trait, especially for a hero. Revenge is never a trait of a true hero. A hero has no scores to settle. A true hero should fight only to protect others and not out of his own rage. Also, with Beowulf being a human being, he was not invincible. Beowulf didnt realize this until he fought the dragon. He knew nothing of the dragon, its strengths, weaknesses or powers. Beowulf found out what the dragon was capable of and what its powers were. He knew that it could breathe fire, so he got a shield that would protect him. He planned his attack and thought it trough carefully. He was doubtful about himself and knew that this battle would be his last. Superman, also known as Clark Kent, is one of the most popular modern day hero(not as cool as Batman mind you but relates better to Beowulf). Superman spent most of his time saving people from natural disasters and corrupt businessmen. He would level slums to force the city to build decent housing, and he ...

Interactive Learning Environment Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Interactive Learning Environment - Assignment Example   MUVEs are typically viewed as a popular structure of multimedia-based entertainment. It has been apparently observed that MUVEs are broadly executed in the field of education. The relevance of MUVEs to a learner can be determined by focusing on its usage particularly in the area of education. In this similar context, MUVEs are enthusiastically employed in education for a broad assortment of reasons. The reasons include generating online communities for the learners in order to provide greater opportunities relating to their professional advancements, involving in science-based activities with the intention of fostering communally responsive behaviors and supporting the learners to promote their moral as well as social developments through enrichment of societal cultures or cultural values. In addition, MUVEs are also used in education for delivering an environment of programming as well as collaboration, artistically discovering new mathematical perceptions and most importantly e ngrossing in any sort of scientific inquiry. The educational based MUVEs are specially designed for the learners in order to support their conceptual understanding along with inquiry-based learning. The different facets of MUVEs that comprise accessing diverse virtual contexts, establishing effective communication with other participants and interacting with various modernized digital artifacts ultimately prove to be quite relevant for a learner to advance his or her career in the field of education (Dieterle & Clarke, n.d.).  

A 'middle class, quasi scientific, technocratic or mangerial form of Essay

A 'middle class, quasi scientific, technocratic or mangerial form of collectivism very different from the ambiguites of social d - Essay Example Fabian society is popular for its achievement during nineteenth century proceeding into First World War. The movement formulated a stolid base for the Labour Party. It also subsequently influenced policies of nations rising from the decolonization of the British Empire, particularly India. Presently, the Fabian Society constitutes one of the communalist groups affiliated with the Labour Party and its presence can be felt and seen in nations such as Australia, Canada and New Zealand (Blackburn 2007). The Fabian Society, a London based movement, was formed in 1884 as a budding from The Fellowship of the New Life of 1883. The Fellowship Society’s main objective was to transform society through leading by example by demonstrating a simple lifestyle for others to emulate. However, because of varied thoughts, some affiliates of the society were focused on involving politics to assist in transformation process of the society. Consequently a decision was reached that a distinct societ y was to be founded. This was the rise of the Fabian Society. After its establishment, the Fabian Society campaigned for restitution of Western European Renaissance principles and their propagation globally. The Fabian Society was named after a Roman general, Fabius Maximus popularly known as â€Å"Cunctator† to connote â€Å"delayer.† According to theGuardian (2001), the Fabian Society preferred a gradual change approach to radical change. Fabius adopted the tactics of harassment and attrition as opposed to one-on-one combats against the Carthaginian army led by General Hannibal. The Fabian Society attained great heights of influence, especially through their publication of Fabian Essays of 1889, in which Webb and other Fabian authors made great contributions. The Fabians idea of social reforms and transformation were based on the concept of â€Å"permeation† of already established political systems or institutions. Their argument was that the infiltration of t he existing political organisations was the main way of achieving natural socialism. The Fabian Society was opposed to Marxist revolutionary approach to social change (social democracy). Renouncing the need to have aggressive and brutal class struggles, the Fabian Society affiliates embraced the idea of developing trade unions as well as other labour movements up to the time when Beatrice Potter, latter referred to as Beatrice Webb because of her union with Sidney Webb, became a member of the society. Webbs in 1900s assisted the group to establish Labour Representation Committee, from which the Labour Party was born. After its inauguration, the Fabian Society lured many famous figures into its socialist foundation. The central figures of the Fabian Society were Sidney Webb and Beatrice Webb among other key members. The two key pillars of the movement published numerous articles on property ownership under capitalism in industrial Britain. In the wake of 1900, majority of affiliates of the Fabian Society took part in the formation of the Labour Party and the establishment of its constitution, in which Sidney Webb extensively applied the principles in the initiating documents of the Fabian Society. As unbelievable as it may look, the Fabian Society started as a mere nine-member movement, who endorsed an executive committee of three members. A former chairman of British Fabian Society, Mrs. Cole, pointed out on the group’s success in instilling its socialist ideologies in the entire society and nurturing the schemes to flourish and change

Abuse in the Workplace- a case of Gender Discrimination Research Paper

Abuse in the Workplace- a case of Gender Discrimination - Research Paper Example The notion of discrimination is best described as favorable treatment towards individuals not on the basis of merit but on the basis of bias or other immoral attitude (Mill, 1963). In what follows, a critical approach towards gender discrimination is taken along with its implications for organizations. Cases of gender discrimination are a common sight in the workplace today. Not long ago a lawsuit was filed against the Boston Cigna HealthCare Company for charges of gender discrimination. According to the lawsuit, it is alleged that the company intentionally discriminated against Bretta Karp and other female employees by displaying unfavorable treatment towards them compared to their male counterparts in terms of promotion practices, pay increases and an uncongenial workplace environment (Chase & Reidy, 2011). The company, however, denied all charges by claiming that it is committed to diversity management and does not allow any such behavior that leads to discrimination of any sort ( Chase & Reidy, 2011). Discrimination, such as the above, adds to the woes of females in the workplace by lowering their morale and threatening their self-esteem. Research suggests that after having controlled for factors such as age, education, experience, skills and parental status, women still receive only 81% of the pay of men for similar nature of work (Ashkanasy, Wilderom, & Peterson, 2010).

Practice Nurses Role in Treating Chlamydia

Practice Nurses Role in Treating Chlamydia The practice nurses role in treating chlamydia and improving the sexual health of the nation Introduction Chlamydia treatment has been the focus of considerable research interest in the past few years. A huge proportion of what used to be called NSU, or was even undiagnosed non-specific pathology, is now recognised as being due to the chlamydia pathogen. It has now achieved the unenviable status of being considered responsible (numerically) for the greatest amount of sexually transmitted disease in the UK today (Duncan 1998) Given the fact that it is now therefore recognised as being a major contributing factor in the overall picture of sexual health, we must examine ways in which the NHS is set up to tackle the problem. (HPA 2003) As with many health related issues such as this there are a number of subsidiary issues that must be considered in relation to the main theme. These include the role of the screening process in trying to contain the prevalence of chlamydial infection, the practice nurse’s role in that screening process, the current thoughts on the treatment of chlamydia and the practice nurse’s role in not only the treatment, but also the partner tracing activity that is vital to try to stop the spread of the disease. (Fenton et al 2001) The practice nurse is generally ideally placed within the primary healthcare team to act as a central liaison point for many of these activities If we start by considering the whole issue of screening. On one level, one could be forgiven for thinking that the issues relating to screening are actually rather simple. We know that many cases of chlamydia are actually asymptomatic (see on). Given the fact that it can cause considerable damage and is eminently treatable, why not screen for it and get rid of it? Sadly, it is not as simple as that. (Simms et al 1996) The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has set up the National Chlamydia Screening Programme (NCSP). It quotes its rationale for doing so as: Genital Chlamydia trachomatis is the commonest Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) in England Genital chlamydial infection is an important reproductive health problem ~ 10-30% of infected women develop pelvic inflammatory disease (PID). A significant proportion of cases, particularly amongst women, are asymptomatic and so, are liable to remain undetected, putting women at risk of developing PID. Screening for genital chlamydia infection may reduce PID and ectopic pregnancy. The study itself was exemplary in design with an entry cohort of nearly 8,000 patients. The authors considered the efficacy of several different methods of screening and then compared the results of the programmes against the costs of allowing the disease to continue untreated in the community and these include all the sequelae of infertility, pelvic inflammatory disease and ectopic pregnancy in women together with the complications that can occur in the male partners (infertility again) and prostatitis. (Berry et al 1995) The paper even covered the incidence of both pneumonia and eye infections in their children. The structure of the study was quite comprehensive insofar as it compared the results of four separate groups One group received no screening at all, a second group were screened if they exhibited mucopurulent cervicitis, the third group included all women who were less than 30 yrs. old and the last group was all women irrespective of symptoms. The actual screening tool was the Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) which is a very specific and sensitive antibody based test. It was performed on either urine or direct cervical samples. (Barlow et al 2001) The study protocol then called for all positive testing patients to receive treatment with doxycycline for seven days. The analysis section of the paper is both long and complex. We shall therefore condense our examination of this part of the study into an examination of the results. The overall treatment costs of treating all of the medical complications of chlamydial infection was calculated as $676,000. Each of the positive screening strategies produced a significant reduction in the expected cost of complications that was greater than the cost of the actual screening exercise. A condensation of the tabulated results is shown here: Screening method Screening costs ($) Medical costs ($) Total cost ($) Number of PID cases PID cases prevented No screening 676,000 676,000 152 CDC criteria 55,000 390,000 446,000 88 64 Women 75,000 297,000 372,000 67 85 Universal screening 120,000 270,000 391,000 61 91 The results need little explanation, as it can be clearly seen that both the costings and the number of cases prevented argue strongly for a case for screening. The only point of contention is the decision on the population that the health care system will fund for screening. Overall, the authors state that their regime reduced the incidence and prevalence of pelvic inflammatory disease by 60% when compared to the unscreened group. The other significant factor was that, taking all groups as an average, they noted a total healthcare saving of about $50 per woman screened, and this clearly does not take any account of any associated comorbidity, pain and suffering that is caused by the chlamydia infection A further corollary can be drawn from the results. The authors went on to provide an impressive statistical analysis of the comparative costs of different community groups with different rates of prevalence. Of great importance to our considerations here was the fact that the authors concluded that the cost of screening was cost effective when the incidence of infection in a population of asymptomatic women was above 1.1%. when the incidence rose above 11% then they found that the screening of all women and their partners became the most effective strategy. To some extent, this study can be considered the â€Å"gold standard† for most of the studies in this area. It is well conceived, meticulously executed and well and thoughtfully analysed to give meaningful results which are of great practical importance. Despite such comments it should be noted that there are a number of negative points to be considered in this particular study. The universal treatment constant was the seven day doxocycline treatment. We should note (as the authors did) that there is therefore a potential for non-compliance with the whole seven day regime, and this may introduce a potential source of bias in the figures(Haddix et al.1995). We can also point to other studies that have addressed this particular problem with a one dose treatment regime (azithromycin). It is fair to note that despite the potential for bias, extrapolation to these other studies does not appear to show significant differences in the overall results (Lea et al 1997) The issue of screening, although covered reasonably comprehensively in the last paper, certainly as far as matters of cost are concerned, is examined further in the paper by (Duncan et al. 2001). This paper approaches the issues from a different perspective. It includes the issues of male screening And takes an overview of the Public Health issues from a sociological viewpoint, which makes it, (in our examination of the current literature), almost unique. We should note that we have already addressed the issues faced by the NCSP, but the other major public document in this area is the report commissioned by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO 1998). It is instructional to discuss the recommendations of this group as they differ significantly from the screening criteria used in the previous paper. The recommended groups for screening here are the following: Everyone with symptoms of chlamydia infection, All those attending genitourinary medicine clinics, Women seeking termination of pregnancy.1 Opportunistic screening of young sexually active women under 25 years Women over 25 with a new sexual partner or two or more sexual partners in the past year. In the context of our considerations here, we should note that the advisory group identified the optimum sites for screening as the primary healthcare team (family planning clinic) as well as the usual GUM clinics. (Stokes 1997) The Duncan paper is particularly well written and a major point that comes from it is in sharp contrast to that found in the Howell study. One of the criteria that they suggest for screening males in the population is that women may find that being screened has connotations of being dirty and unattractive A positive result is said to be associated with promiscuity. The authors suggest that not screening men not only fosters gender inequalities but it reduces the Public Health impact on the Man’s responsibilities for sexual health. (Pierpoint et al 2000) There is no argument that this is a valid point, but the paper does not produce any evidence to show that male screening has a positive impact on the cost-effectiveness of the screening procedure. (Stephenson et al 2000) The paper does however, contrast these statements with the accepted fact that women are actually easier to target than men, as they are generally heavier health care users than men in the major at risk age range. (Oakeshott et al 1998) The paper points to the need to tackle the issues of sexual inequality, as it could be considered that the screening programmes may have less than the desired effect if they are perceived by women to be little more than surveillance of their particular sexual habits. It draws a clear analogy between a women only screening programme for chlamydia and the well established women only cervical cytology screening clinics. The paper quotes (Holgate et al 1998) in the comment: The potentially adverse consequences of sexual intercourse a private event can be surveyed and treated through screening services a publicly based and funded system . It is women who transcend this private, public dichotomy and find their lives scrutinised in a manner alien to men . The focus is commonly upon women both as transmitters and contractors of relevant viruses as both those whose cervixes are surveyed and whose sexual activity comes under surveillance. The paper then has a long middle section which, as a critical analysis, is little more than a diatribe against women being singled out for screening. It is fair to say that all of the arguments put forward are valid, to a degree, but are presented with a strongly feminist viewpoint, which is both understandable and worthy of merit form a sociological standpoint. The arguments are not however, convincing from a scientific, financial or practical perspective. The conclusions of the paper are entirely justified in calling for a greater understanding of the woman’s point of view when organising and running screening clinics, in order to broaden their appeal to the target groups. (Santer et al 2000) With specific reference to the role of the nurse in the primary healthcare team screening for chlamydia we can now turn and examine an excellent paper by Grun (et al 1997) which looked at two different methods of screening for chlamydia in a nurse run primary healthcare setting. The study set out to try to accurately determine the prevalence of chlamydia in the North London area using the ligase chain reaction (LCR) technique which is similar to the PCR mentioned earlier. (Butt et al 2001) This particular study used the rather labour intensive cervical scrape method for sampling, which had the added benefit that cervical cytology could be assessed at the same time. The paper is quite detailed in its description of its method and appears to be rigorous in its execution. It is worthy of our consideration here because of it’s direct relevance to our prime consideration. The results and conclusions of the paper make for interesting reading One of the more significant conclusions was that, on the basis of their findings, if there was a policy of simply screening all women aged 25 and all women who had had two or more partners in the past year, they would have detected 20 out of a possible 23 positive chlamydia infections in their cohort. The authors make a salient comment that including other screening criteria such as marital status (which has been suggested by other authors [Lossick JG, et al 1996]), would have made no statistically significant impact on their detection rate. They also make the comment, in line with the other authors we have examined, that selective screening appears to be more cost effective than universal screening, although the actual cost implications were not specifically considered in this paper. In contrast to the Howell paper, it suggests that screening become a viable tool when the community prevalence rate approaches 5% The fourth paper to be reviewed is the more recent paper by Adams (et al 2004). This paper takes a more general overview of the whole issue of chlamydia in the UK. This is effectively a meta analysis of nineteen different papers (selected from 357 studies) which report the incidence of chlamydia as tested by the PCT method on urine samples. This is significant as it is the first meta analysis to be carried out on UK data. (Armitage et al 2001) The results are extremely detailed and many are only of marginal relevance to our considerations here. We shall restrict our comments to those aspects that are specifically relevant. Firstly, the authors comment on the current prevalence of 8.1% of the population testing positive in the under 20 age group, progressively diminishing to 1.4% in the over 30 group. The significance of this is that it is very much lower than other studies. For example studies set in GUM clinics put the prevalence in the under 20 age group in the region of 17% and antenatal clinics at about 12%. (Piementa et al 2003) This may therefore have relevance in targeting of specific at risk groups. It should be noted that this study gave no data with regard to the incidence of chlamydia in the male population. (Dixon et al 2002) Our comments made earlier about the asymptomatic nature of the bulk of the infections, is borne out in the fact that only 8% of those tested and found to be positive, actually volunteered that they had any genital symptoms (of any sort). Another important consequence of this study is the fact that it highlights the comparatively high detection rate to be found in attenders at primary healthcare team premises. This shows a gap in the reasoning and recommendations of the National Sexual Health and HIV Strategy for England (D of H 2002) which currently suggests targeting GUM clinics and family planning centres as prime sites for screening centres. Following on from the reasoning expounded in the last paper, we can look at a provocatively entitled article by Kufeji (et al 2003)† Who is being tested for genital chlamydia in primary care?† The paper makes the point that we already have enough evidence to clearly identify the target populations that are the most likely to give a good yield as far as screening is concerned (viz. the most â€Å"at risk† groups). The raison d’à ªtre of this paper was to compare the characteristics of the actual groups screened with the characteristics which we know to be representative of the groups most likely to be at risk. The corollary of this reasoning being that if the two groups do not match then all the calculations made about the cost effectiveness of a selective screening process do not hold water. (Kinn et al 2000) The most striking feature of this paper is the fact that we know (Adams et al 2004) that the maximum age incidence for chlamydia is in the sexually active under 20 age group and the incidence rapidly decreases with age to the over 30 age group. Kufeji and his co-workers found that the majority of the tests done (63%) were done on the over 25 yr. age group where we would expect the results to be positive only in about 1.5% of the population. Adams’ findings were confirmed with a positive rate of 13.3% found in the under 20 yr. olds tested. The paper also point to the fact that the practices studied had a comparatively high healthcare staff to patient ratio. In the practices where the ratio was lower, even less opportunistic testing was done. (Shefras et al 2002) This correlates to the finding that the Townsend score ( of social deprivation) correlated highly with both a reduction in the amount of testing and an increase in the prevalence of chlamydia. In the words of the authors the study points to the fact that screening programmes for chlamydia in primary healthcare settings suffer from â€Å"a selection bias and social desirability bias, and they do not aim to provide complete descriptive information on testing patterns across a population.† It should be noted that this particular study was not just on a small sample. The authors took as their entry cohort all of the 119 General Practices in Nottingham which collected a total of over 7,000 samples. The authors note that the number of tests done in General Practice is increasing at about 35% per year. It follows that if a significant number of these are inappropriately targeted, this has profound implications for the related costings of the exercise. One other salient point in this study was the fact that only 1 in 40 tests were done on men. (Chernesky et al 1999) The last major paper that we shall review in this section is the paper by Cassell (et al 2003) this deals with the thorny issue of partner notification when screening turns up a positive result. Hitherto contact tracing had largely been in the realms of the GUM contact tracing nurse. With the expansion of the screening role into the realms of General Practice and other clinics, the contact tracing role has also expanded and may well have lost some of it’s efficiency due to both a lack of skill, time and resources. (D of H 2002). Cassell and her colleagues have tried to investigate the extent to which this perceived reduction in contact tracing may be responsible for the relentless increase in the overall incidence of chlamydia. (Radia et al 2001). The study was done by postal questionnaire to all GPs in Nottinghamshire. They got a 56% response rate. Arguably the most significant finding of the study was the fact that 86% of respondents considered that chlamydia testing was part of the remit of the primary healthcare team, while only 40% considered that partner notification was a primary healthcare team role. The rationale for this was, that most of the non-contact tracing respondents felt that it was their role to inform the patient that they should inform their partners. Given the fact that we have evidence from the Duncan paper that women tend to equate a positive test with promiscuity and being â€Å"dirty†, it is perhaps not surprising that a substantial number of partners do not get told. If you add to this number the unknown number of chlamydia infections that may have come from clandestine or extramarital liaisons, then this number may be higher still. This is clearly both hypothesis and conjecture but it would seem to be dictated by common sense. The paper goes into considerable detail about the reasons why different primary healthcare teams have different practices, but rather worryingly a surprising 20% treat chlamydia with a dose of antibiotic which is less than the currently recommended therapeutic level recommended by the Central Audit Group for Genitourinary Medicine, (Stokes et al 1997) The difficulty of a postal questionnaire study is that there is an intrinsic bias in the study design. It is quite conceivable that the 56% of primary healthcare teams who responded were the ones who may have been sufficiently motivated to be positive about matters to do with chlamydia and may therefore have been better informed that those who did not respond. In the words of the authors â€Å"our study probably over-represents primary healthcare teams already testing for chlamydia and may exaggerate the extent of good practice.† The paradox outlined by this study is that while the majority of GPs and their teams are already willing to assume the mantle of diagnosing and managing chlamydial infection, the same majority agree that contact tracing is the main difficulty in managing these patients. The study made enquiries relating to the presence of follow up strategies which were designed to minimise the risk of further infection and found that there was â€Å"very little evidence to be found† other than by putting the onus on the patient to tell their partners. It follows from this observation, and the authors put it quite succinctly: If testing in primary care continues to increase without adequate support for partner notification, much of the resource used in testing women will be wasted. (Griffiths et al 2002) If we accept the premise that an increasing amount of chlamydia screening will be done in General Practice in the future, it is likely that an increasing proportion will fall to the practice nurse or the family planning nurse specialist. (Stokes et al 2000). If this is the case, then it is common sense to maximise the benefit of chlamydia screening by supporting the healthcare professionals with time and resources to perform proper contact tracing to minimise the risk of re-infection. (EHC 1999) Conclusions In this review we have selected six primary papers which each represent a significant contribution to the evidence base in our knowledge of the rationale for screening and treatment of chlamydia infection. (Sackett 1996) From our examinations it is clear that there is a considerable disparity in the figures pertaining to the prevalence of chlamydia infection in the community. The paper by Adams (Adams et al 2004) gives us a partial rationale for this and that is that studies done in different areas of health care practice will yield different results because they have a different clientele. It is not, perhaps, surprising that a study done in a GUM clinic will report different prevalences than a study done in a General Practice setting. The common factor that runs through all of the papers examined is the fact that it is rare to find that men are screened. Generally the figures suggest about 2-5% of men are screened when compared to the number of women. There is no evidence to suggest that they have lower infection rates than women and, according to Duncan (et al 2001), there are a number of very good sociological reasons why men should be screened as frequently as women. The fact of the matter is that women are subject to screening with much greater frequency than men and therefore bear the brunt of both the indignity and the responsibility. There is no doubt however, that the case for screening and treatment and contact tracing is made on both economic and health grounds. It is equally clear that the practice nurse has a central role in the efficient administration of all of these vectors to varying degrees. The advent of nurse prescribing (Legge 1997) will make the practice nurse as valuable in this area as they already are in both the screening and contact tracing roles. The only concern here is that according to Kufeji (et al 2003) we are collectively targeting the wrong population in terms of efficacy and efficiency. References Adams EJ , A Charlett, W J Edmunds, and G Hughes 2004 Chlamydia trachomatis in the United Kingdom: a systematic review and analysis of prevalence studies Sex. Transm. Inf., October 1, 2004; 80(5): 354 362. Armitage P, Berry G, Matthews J. 2001 Statistical methods in medical research. Malden, MA, 2001. Barlow RE, Cooke ID, Odukoya O, et al. 2001 The prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in fresh tissue specimens from patients with ectopic pregnancy or tubal factor infertility as determined by PCR and in-situ hybridisation. J Med Microbiol 2001;50:902–8 Berry J, Crowley T, Horner P, et al. 1995 Screening for asymptomatic Chlamydia trachomatis infection in male students by examination of first catch urine. Genitourin Med 1995;71:329–30. Butt A, McCartney R, Walker A, et al. 2001 Economic advantages of ligase chain reaction for diagnosis of genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection in GUM clinic attenders. Sex Transm Infect 2001;77:227–8. Cassell JA , M G Brook, R Slack, N James, A Hayward, and A M Johnson 2003 Partner notification in primary care Sex. Transm. Inf., June 1, 2003; 79(3): 264 265. Chernesky M, Lee H, Schachter J. 1999 Diagnosis of a Chlamydia trachomatis uretral infection in symptomatic and asymptomatic men by testing first void urine in a ligase chain reaction assay. J Infect Dis 1999;170:1308-11. CMO 1998 Chief Medical Officer. Main report of the Chief Medical Officers Expert Advisory Group on Chlamydia trachomatis. London: Department of Health , 1998. Dixon L, Pearson S, Clutterbuck DJ. 2002 Chlamydia trachomatis infection and non-gonococcal urethritis in homosexual and heterosexual men in Edinburgh. Int J STD AIDS 2002;13:425–6. D of H 2002 (I) Department of Health. The national strategy for sexual health and HIV: implementation action plan. London: DoH, 2002. D of H 2002 (II) Department of Health. Action plan for the sexual health strategy for England. London: DoH, 2002 Duncan B, Hart G. 1998 Screening for Chlamydia trachomatis: a qualitative study of womens views. Prevenir 1998; (suppl 24): 229. Duncan B, Graham Hart, Anne Scoular, and Alison Bigrigg 2001 Qualitative analysis of psychosocial impact of diagnosis of Chlamydia trachomatis: implications for screening BMJ, Jan 2001; 322: 195 – 199 EHC 1999 Effective Health Care. Getting evidence into practice. York: University of York, 1999. Fenton KA, Korovessis C, Johnson AM, et al. 2001 Sexual behaviour in Britain: reported sexually transmitted infections and prevalent genital Chlamydia trachomatis infection. Lancet 2001;358:1851–4. Griffiths C, Cuddigan A. 2002 Clinical management of chlamydia in general practice: A survey of reported practice. J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2002;28:149–52. Grun L Julia Tassano-Smith, Caroline Carder, Anne M Johnson, Angela Robinson, Elizabeth Murray, Judith Stephenson, Andrew Haines, Andrew Copas, and Geoffrey Ridgway 1997 Comparison of two methods of screening for genital chlamydial infection in women attending in general practice: cross sectional survey BMJ, Jul 1997; 315: 226 230 Haddix AC, SD Hillia, WJ Kassler. 1995 The cost effectiveness of azithromycin for Chlamydia trachomatis infections in women. Sexually Transmitted Diseases 1995 22:274-80. Harry T, Saravanamuttu K, Rashid S, et al. 1994 Audit evaluating the value of routine screening of Chlamydia trachomatis urethral infections in men. Int J STD AIDS 1994;5:374–5 Holgate HS, Longman C. 1998 Some peoples psychological experiences of attending a sexual health clinic and having a sexually transmitted infection. J R Soc Health 1998 Howell MR , TC Quinn, CA Gaydos. 1998 Screening for Chlamydia trachomatis in asymptomatic women attending family planning clinics. Annals of Internal Medicine 1998 128:277-84 HPA 2003 Health Protection Agency, SCIEH, ISD, National Public Health Service for Wales, CDSC Northern Ireland, UASSG. Renewing the focus. HIV and other sexually transmitted infections in the United Kingdom in 2002. London: Health Protection Agency, 2003 Kinn S, Macnaughton J, Noone A, et al. 2000 Chlamydia trachomatis in primary care: knowledge and practice in Glasgow. Br J Gen Pract 2000;50:214–15 Kufeji O, R Slack, J A Cassell, S Pugh, and A Hayward 2003 Who is being tested for genital chlamydia in primary care? Sex. Transm. Inf., June 1, 2003; 79(3): 234 236. Lea AP, HM Lamb. Azithromycin. 1997 A pharmacoeconomic review of its use as a single-dose regimen in the treatment of uncomplicated urogenital Chlamydia trachomatis infections in women. Pharmacoeconomics 1997 12:596-611. Legge. A 1997 Nurse prescribing is a success BMJ, Feb 1997; 314: 461. Lossick JG, et al. 1996 Recommendations for the prevention and management of Chlamydia trachomatis infection, 1996. MMWR 1996;42:1-37. Oakeshott P, Kerry S, Hay S, et al. 1998 Opportunistic screening for chlamydial infection at time of cervical smear testing in general practice: prevalence study. BMJ 1998;316:351–2. Pierpoint T, Thomas B, Judd A, et al. 2000 Prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis in young men in north west London. Sex Transm Infect 2000;76:273–6. Pimenta JM, Catchpole M, Rogers PA, et al. 2003 Opportunistic screening for genital chlamydial infection. II: Prevalence among healthcare attenders, outcome, and evaluation of positive cases, Sex Transm Infect 2003;79:22–7 Radja N, Slatter E, Thin N, et al. 2001 A tale of 2 cities: a comparison of demographic details, source of referral, spectrum of infection and contraceptive practice in patients under 16 years attending genitourinary medicine clinics in London and Swansea. Int J STD AIDS 2001;12:361–4. Sackett, (1996). Doing the Right Thing Right: Is Evidence-Based Medicine the Answer? Ann Intern Med, Jul 1996; 127: 91 94. Santer M, Warner P, Wyke S, et al. 2000 Opportunistic screening for chlamydia infection in general practice: can we reach young women? J Med Screen 2000;7:175–6. Shefras J, Edmondson S, McNulty C. 2002 Countywide survey of the current practice of chlamydia detection in primary care. J Fam Plann Reprod Health Care 2002;28:145–8. Stephenson J, Carder C, Copas A, et al. 2000 Home screening for chlamydial genital infection: is it acceptable to young men and women? Sex Transm Infect 2000;76:25–7. Stokes T. 1997 Chlamydia infection in UK family planning clinics. Br J Fam Plan 1997;23:47–50. Stokes T, Bhaduri S, Schober P, et al. 1997 GPs’ management of genital chlamydia: a survey of reported practice. Fam Pract 1997;14:455–60 Stokes T, Mears J. 2000 Sexual health and the practice nurse: a survey of reported practice and attitudes. Br J Fam Plann 2000;26:89–92 Wilson JS, Honey E, Templeton A, et al. 2002 A systematic review of the prevalence of Chlamydia trachomatis among European women. Human Reproduction Upda

The Lie of the Land :: Haydn Middleton The Lie of the Land Essays

The Lie of the Land This is a list of explications--things a North American reader might need to know in order to make most sense out of Haydn Middleton's The Lie of the Land. I re-read the novel and made a list of unclear references or ambiguous words or terms. I included the page number and a short explanation of the context; I then proffered each word with the definition I was able to find! Before delving into my textual explications, let me add a short "preface" first. As I re-read Middleton's novel, I found myself intensely interested in the cultural differences between North Americans and the English from (you guessed it...) England. My fascination with the inexplicable difference, yet explicable intertwining of our two cultures is probably provoked by a book I'm reading for another class, Cultural Misunderstandings by Raymonde Carroll, a French anthropologist. Carroll has extensively studied the differences between Americans and Europeans, mainly French. She gave an interesting analysis concerning Americans and our way of conducting or cultivating relationships. Well, I was reading the novel again, and if you caught it, Rachel offers Alasdair an invitation to dinner. This might not strike you as significant at all, but hold on--note that here in the United States, we will frequently end a conversation with, "Call me!" or "Let's get together, sometime, okay? I'll cal l you sometime!" These advances are never realized, of course, but are merely conversation climaxers. Rachel says to Alasdair, "Look . . . you should come round some time with Maggie. We'd love to see you . . . " (25). A couple of chapters later, the dinner scene is a very significant addition to the story, hmm? Carroll made the comment that Americans portray themselves as superficial and flighty with their many unrealized invitations. Europeans, on the other hand, tend to extend invitations and set the date in the proceeding avenue of discourse. Details. Dr. Gilgun taught my Fiction class last semester, and we learned that details develop ordestroy the story. Details divorce me from the story or seduce me, leaving me wondering where reality ends and the surreal begins. Details characterize the culture behind the author, the culture in and within where delight is reached, found, discovered and eventually shared. But anyway . . . enough of diversion! TEXTUAL EXPLICATIONS--please feign acquiescence, and pretend that this list is complete and can stand alone; there were so many more textual nuances that I wanted to include! Hmm .

Case Study: Evolution Psychology Essay

1) Application questions†¦ 1. One way evolutionary psychology can answer Dylan’s promiscuity is that it has become a learned behavior that he has never had to correct/change. The study states that he has been promiscuous since high school and he sees no reason to change his ways. 2. To explain Dylan’s typical womanly interests being of mostly the same physical attributes, has to do with is innate drive for successful reproduction. His attractions to an athletic blonde of medium height, is what Dylan believes the best fit to produce healthy children. Even though Dylan shows no concern after the fact of having children, evolutionary psychology suggests that it is Dylan’s cognitive drive to find these types of women. 3. Such as Dylan’s evolutionary drive for an attractive partner to reproduce with, the women he agrees with dating have some of the same drives for success with their partners to reproduce with. They may know of his wealth and great looks which may be some deciding factors for their choice of a mate. It isn’t until later that the women find out the not so attractive attributes of a man in Dylan’s position. 4. Dylan most likely takes his dates out for a tennis match, to test their physicality and athleticism. He may not want to base his decision on a mate just off of looks; he wants to know if they are strong enough to bring him strong offspring. We look at human evolution to justify this type of occurrence, even if it is a cognitive (subconscious approach) to determining a mate. 5. As we see in nature, many male species do not care for the offspring after birth. That job is left to the mothers and this can explain Dylan’s feelings towards his own children. He feels he found a mate for a reason, to have strong children that they can look after. He does not feel it is his part to raise the children, once he has found a suitable mate, his job is  done. 6. Dylan does not use birth control, because he feels it is the female’s duty to keep herself from becoming pregnant if she does not want to be pregnant. Same goes for std’s , in the relationship , if the woman has chosen Dylan he believes she has made the choice to trust him. Dylan would use protection if he did not trust that the woman he chose to be was clean or not suitable for reproduction. He made a choice and so did the woman, he believes she has thought about all issues that may arise and that is why she is not worried about protection (in Dylan’s eyes).

Hangover Remedies and Prevention

Hangover Remedies and Prevention A hangover is a name given to the unpleasant aftereffects of drinking too much alcohol. While a lucky 25%-30% of drinkers are naturally resistant to experiencing hangovers, the rest of you might want to know how to prevent or cure a hangover. Heres a look at what causes a hangover and some effective hangover remedies. Hangover Symptoms If you have had a hangover, you knew it  and didnt need to read a symptom list to get a diagnosis. Alcohol hangovers are characterized by some or all of the following symptoms: dehydration, nausea, headache, fatigue, fever, vomiting, diarrhea, flatulence, sensitivity to light and sound, trouble sleeping, difficulty concentrating, and poor depth perception. Many people experience an extreme aversion to the smell, taste, sight, or the thought of alcohol. Hangovers vary, so the range and intensity of symptoms may be different between individuals and from one occasion to another. Most hangovers begin several hours after drinking. A hangover may last as long as a couple of days. Hangover Causes According To Chemistry Drinking an alcoholic beverage that contains impurities or preservatives can give you a hangover, even if you only have one drink. Some of these impurities may be other alcohols besides ethanol. Other hangover-causing chemicals are congeners, which are by-products of the fermentation process. Sometimes impurities are intentionally added, such as zinc or other metals which may be added to sweeten or enhance the flavor of certain liqueurs. Otherwise, it matters what you drink and how much you drink. Drinking to excess is more likely to cause a hangover than drinking moderately. You get a hangover because the ethanol in the drink caused an increase in urine production, leading to dehydration. Dehydration causes headaches, fatigue, and dry mouth. Alcohol also reacts with the stomach lining, which can lead to nausea. Ethanol is metabolized into acetaldehyde, which is actually a lot more toxic, mutagenic, and carcinogenic than the alcohol itself. It takes some  time to break down the ace taldehyde into acetic acid, during which youll experience all the symptoms of acetaldehyde exposure. Prevent a Hangover The only sure way to prevent a hangover is to avoid drinking. While you may not be able to totally prevent a hangover, drinking a lot of water or other rehydrating drink will go a long way toward preventing or lessening most hangover symptoms. Hangover Remedies If drinking water didnt help you out enough or its too later and youre already suffering, there are some potentially beneficial remedies. Drink Water: Youll feel miserable until you are rehydrated. Water is an excellent hangover remedy. So is orange juice, unless your stomach is too upset to handle it.Eat Something Simple: Eggs contain cysteine, which may help combat hangover symptoms. Milk is more food than water, but it serves to rehydrate you while supplying calcium, which may ease your misery.Sodium Bicarbonate: Try a spoonful of baking soda in water to help quell the hangover queasiness.Exercise: It raises your metabolic rate, which helps you clear toxins associated with metabolizing alcohol. Exercise helps you deliver oxygen to your cells, which can increase the speed at which you detoxify harmful compounds.Oxygen: Supplemental oxygen is another way to speed up detoxification after drinking alcohol, without having to exercise.Vitamin B1 or Thiamine: Thiamine helps prevent the buildup of glutarate in the brain, which may be associated with part of a headache associated with a hangover. Other B vitamins are deplete d when you drink, so taking a B vitamin complex may be beneficial. Hangover Dont While it may be alright to take a couple of aspirin to deal with a hangover, dont take a couple of acetaminophen (Tylenol) tablets. Alcohol with acetaminophen is a recipe for potentially lethal liver damage.

Earl Giles Assessments Of and How For Learning

Earl Giles Assessments Of and How For Learning Earl Giles Assessments Of and How For Learning Earl Giles Assessments Of and How For Learning Teaching and learning are ongoing interactive process that takes place in the classroom between teachers and students. Assessment relates to gathering data of this process, which expresses teaching and learning outcome. The data is then analyzed, which reveals success and failure of both teacher and student, areas of improvement, whether teaching method is suitable for students, how the students are thinking, how are they visible during teaching. Collected data can also discover many other additional perspectives. Earl Giles in the article â€Å"An-other Look at Assessment: Assessment in Learning† implies a new concept of teaching and learning assessment (Earl Giles, 2011). Educational assessment so far has been described using phrases: assessment of learning, assessment for learning and assessment as learning. The cornerstone of this new concept is in the proposition â€Å"in† to describe educational assessment. The authors suggest that teachers need to find a way of â€Å"being in† assessment while assessing knowledge and skills of students. Assessment of learning, also known as summative assessment largely determines learning outcome at the end of the teaching program. Assessment for learning also known as formative assessment evaluates both teachers and students’ activities undertaken by them. Formative assessment is conducted in interactive process from teacher to student and student to the teacher, as well as from student-to-student. It evaluates teaching planning, and students thinking and learning process. The aim of this assessment is not grading, but to increase the student’s self esteem. Earl Giles describes asses sment is an experiment with living individuals, which involves thinking and strategizing of language use and activity of participants (Earl Giles, 2011). That is why; the concept uses the term â€Å"being-in†. This idea reveals how well a teacher is â€Å"being-with†, and â€Å"being-in† relationship with the students. The concept evaluates both teachers and students â€Å"being- in† assessment. The â€Å"being-in† assessment includes: focusing on students’ learning process, seeing and reading them, responding and acting on what is noticed, and recognizing their changes and growth. live CHAT

Analysis of one of Humes arguments touching on the existence of God Essay

Analysis of one of Humes arguments touching on the existence of God - Essay Example Hume compares God’s (the Designer’s) created systems and the intended purpose on creation. In using the two characters, Cleanthes and Philo, Hume weigh both sides of the creator. Cleanthes supports the rationale of the Designer’s creations and attests that the designer is both never-ending and munificent in his creation. Both characters agree on one point that the Designer had a wise plan in his creation and that human suffering is evident in the world (Tweyman 84). However, in his work, it is evident that Hume inclines his arguments to Philo who argues that the Designer’s purpose was for human’s goodwill ought to eliminate the recurrent human suffering, and the conflicts between humans and other organisms. Cleanthes attempts to compare the designer’s intended purpose on the creation with that of machines shows the significance and interrelations of every aspect of creation in comparison to the roles various functional parts of a machine. However, Philo attacks Cleanthes’ hypothesis using a cause-effect approach and argues that the world designs do not uphold Cleanthes’ arguments (Tweyman 85). In his arguments to counter act Cleanthes’ beliefs on the Designer’s purpose on creation, Philo explains the unsatisfactory nature of both humans and animals and explains that the Designer ought to intervene since he is power is never-ending. As such, he argues that the creator’s purpose was that his creations could not be happy. At one point, Philo doubts the capability of the Creator’s ability to eliminate various evils of the world. Philo asserts that if the creator is willing to eliminate the evils and does endeavor to eliminate such evils, then he is powerless. He gives another assertion that if the Designer is capable of eliminating such crimes but does not do so, he ought to be malevolent. Conversely, Philo asserts that there ought to be no evils and human suffering if the Designer is both capacitated and

Life in Prison Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Life in Prison - Essay Example This is coupled with the political system, economic background and culture followed inside prisons. The writer also discusses a number of philosophies which play a vital part in this book. Carceral talks of the importance of understanding why criminals choose the path they are convicted for (Pollock 2005). The book is not the work and opinion of Caceral alone; it is coupled with the perspective of the four editors of the book. This adds a unbiased touch to the book as it is not limited to the ideas of a convict alone but also of individuals who are living in the outside world. Little is said about the crime committed that forces the writer into prison but the novel is interesting in its concept and theory for a number of reasons. The first striking thing about this novel is the politics that run inside a prison. Despite every individual being behind protective custody, the life shown by Carceral makes it seem like life in the jungle: a quest for survival. The weaker inmates are threatened by stronger ones who use and abuse the weak individuals. Like life in the wild, the weak learn to adjust to life in these tough prisons through different means. They either join prison gangs which afford them the security they lack or they pay for their protection. It is not the weakest convicts who adjust to the system. According to the book, each individual learns to manipulate their way to the system. This is used to gain advantage and survive within the prison cells. This is evident in the way the prisoners exploit the clinical tests and physicians to gain medication that will assist them in fitting and adjusting to their environment. Thus, by using these wrongfully obtained drugs, the inmates get high or sell the drugs off to other inmates to make money. Economics plays a vital role in the prison cell. This economy decides the life the inmate will lead inside the prison cell. Not only is this money important for their survival but it also helps in the conditions provided to every inmate. The text speaks of $130 being given to each inmate every month. While this seems like a phenomenally small amount to the ordinary individual, it is actually a great amount for the inmates who need not pay for housing or any other bills. This lack of expenses makes the amount given to the inmates enough to buy the basic resources they need. The inmates can choose to spend this on food, water, cigarettes or the protection they need to survive. Thus, each inmate is given the money to decide on the resources they wish to buy with their money. Apart from this economy, the convict can seek other ways to achieve to obtain their goods. Bartering is a perfect tool for gaining items that the inmates need. An instance of the goods that were traded included lea ther belts and laundry services, showing that the most basic of necessities are of such importance that inmates will exchange their very belongings to get them. Thus, the prison cell is also an economic world where barter and money are of as much importance for survival as they would be in the real world. An individual named Anonymous is introduced. This character is important in the non-fiction book because it allows the reader to divulge into the details of a specific person, thus allowing them to better relate to them. The first of these is the way of "minding your own business." This technique allows