Food and Beverage Essay

Food and Beverage Service is the service of Food made in the Kitchen and Drinks prepared in the Bar to the Customers (Guest) at the Food & Beverage premises, which can be: Restaurants, Bars, Hotels, Airlines, Cruise Ships, Trains, Companies, Schools, Colleges, Hospitals, Prisons, Takeaway etc Food & Beverage Outlets are divided in to the following categories: Restaurants: Restaurants are places where Food & Drink is served. There are various types of Restaurants: All Day Dining Restaurants: They are sometimes called as Coffee Shops or Cafe in Hotels. They are usually big in size with many Covers (seats), compared to other Restaurants in the same Hotel. The main reason why they are called All Day Dining Restaurant is because of their hours of operation, as they are open for Breakfast in the Morning to Lunch in the afternoon to Dinner in the Evening. Fine Dining Restaurants: Fine Dining Restaurants are characterized by their elaborate and exclusive menu with special emphasis on the very high quality food they serve. The emphasis being on fresh ingredients and natural flavors or on the type of Cuisine served, or both. Usually the operation of this restaurant revolves around the Head Chef or Chef De Cuisine of this Outlet. Specialty Restaurants: These are Restaurants which usually have a type of National or Regional Character or Cuisine attached to them, for example: Italian Specialty Restaurant, Chinese Specialty Restaurant etc. In some Hotels they do also sometimes have Multi Cuisine Specialty Restaurant, which literally means that Restaurant serves cuisine from more than one country, or the dishes on the Menu at that Restaurant has Food Specialties from many different countries. 2. Lounge: Lounges can be found in different hotels. Their main purpose is to offer Food & Drinks in relaxed surroundings with comfortable and cozy seating in relaxed surroundings. There are many kinds of Lounges ranging from a Lounge in a Lobby, Cocktail Lounge and Cigar Lounge to Executive and Club Lounge in special Floors. 3. Bar: Bar is a place where drinks are served. There is usually a small Snacks Menu too. The service is fast and quick. There are various kinds of Bars ranging from Formal bars to Club Bars, Pubs, Pool Bars, Wine Bars, Cocktail Bars, Beach Bar to Juice Bars and many more. 4. Discotheque/Nightclub: They are outlets where Music and Entertainment takes priority with the Food & Drink. The operation is very fast and the guest numbers are large. Security is an important aspect in these operations. Music and entertainment can range from DJ to live bands playing. 5. Room Service/In Room Dining: Room Service, also known as In Room Dining . It is the service of Food & Drink in Guest Rooms in a Hotel or a Resort. Depending on the size and type of Hotel or Resort its functions vary. 6. Meeting and Conference Rooms: Meeting and Conference rooms together with Ball Rooms come under the Banquets & Conference section. They are a great source of Revenue in Food & Beverage Department usually in Corporate and City Hotels. MICE (Meetings, Incentives, and Conferences & Exhibitions) can alone bring much revenue in some hotels in comparison to other outlets in Hotel. 7. Ball Rooms: These are large Function Rooms which are primarily used for Functions and Weddings. The Staffing ration of Full Time Staff in this section is very less as the Function and Wedding Business can sometimes be seasonal and extra staff is usually filled in by the use of Casual Staff. This Section is the most Dynamic section in Food & Beverage with the Conference Section, which is more physically demanding and creatively oriented. 8. Delicatessen: Delicatessen or Deli traditionally had been a place where fresh meat and other produce were available. Hotels nowadays use this concept of having a Deli on their premises, where guests can buy fresh produce ranging from Freshly Baked Bread, Cold Meat, Fresh Salads, Cakes, Home Made Ice creams and light and healthy drinks. 9. Others: There are many other Food & Beverage outlets ranging from Fast Food Outlets to Food Courts to Snack Bars which are usually stand alone or in a shopping centre. This is just a brief introduction to Food and Beverage. Detailed information on Food and Beverage can be found at Food and Beverage Bible E Book By Santosh Koripella at: www. foodnbeveragebible. com.

Identity: Romeo and Juliet and External Forces Essay

The Impact of External and Internal Forces on One’s Identity What is identity? If you look in the dictionary, it will tell you that identity is what defines someone or something. But there is more to the meaning behind identity than what is said in the dictionary. Identity is complex and changes over time in response to two main factors. One factor that can mold one’s identity is the forces inside of you, internal forces. An example of an internal force is love. Our love and affection for someone or something can lead us to do things differently than a person who doesn’t have the same degree of love towards that person or object. The other factors that can play a role in affecting our identity are external factors. External forces refer to the forces that are in our environment. An example of an external force that can affect one’s identity is a person. If a person matters to you a whole lot and you are trying to prevent something bad from happening to him or her, wouldn’t you stop at nothing to prevent it from happening? This urge to prevent something bad from happening to the person you care about would probably have an impression on your actions and overall identity. To synthesize, identity changes in response to both internal and external forces, meaning that one force does not outweigh the other. Both internal and external forces work together to form a person’s identity as they mature; therefore, identity is shaped by both external and internal forces. Research proves that identity can be affected by external forces. In C. Seefeldt’s article â€Å"Factors Affecting Social Development†, he confirms that identity is shaped by external forces, more specifically, where we are raised, family, and school affect our development. In the article, Seefeldt states that â€Å"those exposed to domestic abuse, gang violence†¦do not feel safe or secure.† And that â€Å"their insecurity will interfere with their total development,† meaning that children are more likely to feel less secure and unsafe if they grow up in or around unsafe communities and bad influences (Seefeldt). Imagine yourself as a small child. Wouldn’t it be scary to grow up around drug addicts, thugs, and gangs? Wouldn’t you be scared of the constant danger lurking around every corner? Just wearing the wrong colors can end your life. Or maybe even things that you can’t control like your ethnicity can end you up in a coffin. If you grew up around all these horrifying situations, wouldn’t these things make you feel unsafe and less secure? Overall, the writer telling us that growing up as a child in an unsafe community can mess with their total development shows that identity can be formed by external for ces. But not only does the writer show us that growing up around negative forces shape ones identity, he also tells us that parents play a role in a child’s overall development. As the article goes on, the writer states that â€Å"parents who are social themselves serve as models for their children. Children may be able to use the image of their parents interacting with others in their own attempts to make friends with other children,† showing that parents’ interactions with their own peers, can reflect on their child’s social skills too. Have you ever heard the saying â€Å"like father, like son† or â€Å"like mother like daughter†? People usually say this because they see something in the child that resembles the parent. This usually happens because the children follow patterns of behavior from their parents. The child can maybe copy how his parent talks or can even copy simple things like how his parent walks. But did you know the way a parent socializes can reflect on the child’s social development? The article tells us that children can use the image of their parents socializing in their own attempts in making friends and being social themselves, and that parents who are more secure and competent offer children a model of security to build their own social skills. Ultimately, Seefeldt stating that parents can affect a child’s development confirms that identity can be shaped by external forces once again. Around at the end of the article, Seefeldt also states that â€Å"In addition to a child’s family, the teacher becomes an agent of socialization† presenting the idea that teachers can also have an imprint on a child’s identity. Have you ever had a teacher that has affected your life? As the human beings, we all have teachers in our lives. Whether it be inside the classroom or out. They can teach us anything from math to valuable life lessons. And according to the article, they can also set new or different standards for social behaviors meaning that without our teachers, we probably wouldn’t know right from wrong. All in all, our environment, parents, and teachers, all external forces, can shape us in a negative or a positive way. In Aida Bortnik’s short story â€Å"Celeste’s Heart†, Celeste is shaped by external forces in a positive way, because her little brother causes her to go from a voiceless girl to a strong-willed lady. As Celeste was putting her little brother to sleep, after yet another punishment from her teacher at school, her brother, as usual, asks her when he was going to start to go to school, â€Å"But that evening she didn’t laugh and she didn’t think up an answer.† Celeste being speechless in this situation shows just how scared she is for her brother’s future (Bortnik 65). Celeste’s brother’s question makes her think of him suffering the same kind of punishment as she does. Even though Celeste’s brother isn’t going to go to her school for a long time, she worries for his future. Celeste is the only girl in her class that doesn’t complain when the teacher punishes the class, but as soon as she starts thinking about her brother enduring the same kind of mistreatment as she does, she realizes what she has to do. So the next time her teacher punished the class, she rebuked against the rough treatment for her brother’s sake. Imagine yourself in Celeste’s shoes. Imagine your little sibling having to put your hands up simultaneously for a long period of time. Wouldn’t you be worried and scared for your sibling’s future? Wouldn’t you do anything so that your sibling wouldn’t go through the same punishment as you? This is exactly what Celeste is doing. Ultimately, Celeste rebelling against her teacher and risking further punishment just so that her brother won’t endure the same punishment as her confirms that Celeste’s love, an external force, affects her in a positive way. In William Shakespeare’s play Romeo and Juliet, Juliet is shaped in a positive way by external forces as well because the encounters that she and Romeo have because they cause her to go from a naà ¯ve, obedient girl to a mature, self-assured woman. In the opening act of the play, Lady Capulet asks Juliet if she can accept Paris’ love. Juliet responds that she’ll try to â€Å"like if looking liking move,† but she won’t fall for him more than her mother’s â€Å"consent gives strength to make it fly,† showing us that she is still too immature to make her own decisions and immature overall (1.3.99-101). She also shows us that she is childish in the way she thinks when she says that marriage â€Å"is an honor† that she doesn’t think about (1.3.66). But after encountering Romeo, we see her adopt a more adult persona. For example, during the balcony scene, Juliet says that the love they have for each other is â€Å"too like li ghtning† and that it is a â€Å"bud of love† still under â€Å"summer’s ripening breath† and the next time they meet, the flower will be beautiful, showing us that Juliet is mature enough to recognize that she is going too fast and recommends that the both of them take things slower. Not only that, but when Romeo asks Juliet to marry him, she asks â€Å"where and what time† they’ll get married and adds that she’ll follow him â€Å"throughout the world† wherever he goes. Juliet deciding to marry Romeo and going with him wherever he goes shows us that she is now mature enough to make her own decisions (2.2.146-148). And finally, we see Juliet’s encounters with Romeo change her even more towards the end of the play. She complains that she has â€Å"bought the mansion of love but not yet possessed it† and even though she is â€Å"sold,† she is not yet enjoyed, meaning that Juliet wants to move in with Romeo and have sex with him already (3.2.26-27). All these events happen right after Romeo and Juliet’s first encounter at the Capulet party. And after that, we see start seeing Juliet change, more and more after or during every meeting with Romeo. From something little like having the ability to make her own decisions, to something big like changing her mind about marriage. It is a well-known fact that the different people we encounter in our lives can change our identities drastically or subtlely. For Juliet, this person is Romeo. As the play progresses, we see how Romeo changes her identity both drastically and subtlely. The way she acts and the way she thinks change all because of the moments she has with Romeo. Overall, Juliet changing from an obedient and naà ¯ve girl to a capable, mature and self-assured woman because of the encounters she has with Romeo proves that she is shaped by external forces in a positive way. In K.L. Going’s novel Saint Iggy, we can see that Iggy is shaped by external factors in a neut ral way because the lack of presence and proper parenting of his parents causes him to look for other people’s help other than his parents during a hard time. When Iggy comes home from getting kicked out of school he wants â€Å"to tell [his] parents all about it,† but he can’t because his mom went visiting someone and â€Å"probably isn’t coming back,† and his dad is â€Å"stoned off his a**†. Here we see that Iggy wants to tell his parents about what happened at school, but he can’t because his mom isn’t home and his dad is busy doing drugs (Going 1). So instead of seeking help from his parents, he decides to â€Å"get away† from his dad and go to his friend Mo’s place because he wants to seek his help and also because that’s the only place he â€Å"can think of† (15-18). Iggy not wanting to be around his dad during this hard time shows us that the lack of proper parenting from his dad causes Iggy to not want anything to do with his dad and decides to face the situation without him. Iggy also shows just how much he doesn’t want any of his parents help by seeking help from his friend. As we grow up our parents are usually the ones that get us through hard times no matter what they’re going through in their own lives. And we usually accept their much needed help and attention because we probably can’t go through it on our own or with anyone else. But for Iggy, his parents haven’t been there for him during the hard times in his life since he was a little kid. Iggy probably lost trust in the fact that his parents are going to be there for him during this hardship. So instead of going to his parents like any other kid with good parents would do, he goes to his friend. Ultimately, Iggy going to his friend for help instead of his parents shows us that the lack of presence and proper guidance from his parents, an external force, causes him to seek other people’s help. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story The Tell-Tale Heart, the narrator’s identity is shaped by the eye because he is coaxed by the eye to kill the man, showing that external forces can affect one’s identity negatively as well. As the narrator was whining about the eye of the old man, he says â€Å"whenever it fell upon me, my blood ran cold†¦I made up my mind to take the life of the old man, and thus rid myself of the eye forever.† The narrator telling us his horrid thoughts conveys just how irritated and sick of the dreaded â€Å"vulture eye† (Poe 1). He feels so sick that he plots to kill the old man, not for who he is, but simply for his so called dreaded eye. You can also infer just by how the narrator talks about the eye that it drives him to the point where he cannot hold the hysteria inside. Like when the narrator finally saw the old man’s eye after many nights of spying on him just to see his terrible eye and to murder him, he describes the eye as a â€Å"dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in [his] bones†(4). It is a known fact that a person can dislike a person for an action or a trait; however, they keep their feelings inside and go on with their lives because they have control over themselves. But the narrator just can’t do the simple act of keeping his feelings inside and going on with life, instead, he murders the old man just to stop having to look at the dreaded eye. This shows that the old man’s eye, an external force, influences the narrator to feel sick to his stomach, and ultimately end the old man’s life forever. Not only can external forces have an impact on your identity, but internal forces can mold one’s identity as well. In the article â€Å"Adolescent Identity Development†, the author confirms that internal forces can shape our identity as well. As the writer talks about the different dimensions of identity, he tells us that â€Å"our self-identity shapes our perceptions of belonging,† meaning that the way we see ourselves usually determine how we respond to different factors in our environment and how we react to them. In our lives, there can be many factors inside of us that can shape our identity, whether it be love, the drive to see someone, jealousy, or a thirst for power (â€Å"Adolescent Identity Development†). What the article is saying is that these forces can shape how we see and respond to society. For example, if you are a weak little boy growing up around gangs, you might see the power of gangs engaging and choose to indulge in illegal activities purely for your thirst for power. Or if you’re head over heels in love with someone, your love may shape your actions and choices. Maybe even your willingness to see someone can cause you to do something you wouldn’t normally do. All in all, these forces can either lead you to do something good, bad, or both. In O. Henry’s short story â€Å"The Gift of the Magi†, the main character Della is shaped by internal forces and shows us that internal forces can affect a person positively because her passion for Jim causes her to sacrifice one of her most valuable possessions, her hair, just so she can get him a good Christmas present. But not only does she sacrifice her hair for him, but also the opportunity to use the money she got from selling her hair to pay off her expenses. We can tell that not a lot of money came to Della and that she had many expenses to pay off because as the narrator was describing her life, he says â€Å"twenty dollars a week doesn’t go far. Expenses had been greater then she calculated†¦ they always are† (Henry 2). And we can also tell that Della’s hair was worth a lot to her because the narrator tells us that there were two possessions of Della’s family that were valuable, â€Å"one was Jim’s watch†¦the other was Della’s hair† (3). We can see that Della loves Jim very much because she would much rather buy Jim a present than pay off her expenses or keep her hair. As human beings, it is normal for us to feel affection or fall in love with something, whether that something is a person, TV show, or a hobby. And we all have made sacrifices for things we love (flirting, doing homework, free time). But the love we have for that person, object, or hobby determines how big of a sacrifice we would make. For Della, her love for Jim causes her to sacrifice one of the only valuable things she owns, her hair. Her love for Jim makes her feel morally obligated to give him a present, or otherwise feel guilty. We can infer that Della probably didn’t want to cut her hair, but then again, if she didn’t come up with enough money to get Jim a decent present, she would feel guilty. Della’s love for Jim also causes her to not use the money for her hair on something else, her expenses. Ultimately, Della choosing to cut her hair and spend the money for a present for her dear Jim shows that she is shaped by her incredible love for Jim in a positive way, an internal force. In Mark Haddon’s novel The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher is shaped by internal forces in a positive way as well because his drive to see and live with his mother gets him to do things we wouldn’t expect from a person with autism. When his mother was explaining the time when Chris and her were a buying a Christmas gift, she says that Chris broke down because he was frightened â€Å"of all of the people in the shop.† Chris breaking down because of the amount of people in a certain place shows us that he did not like lots if strangers around him (Haddon 106). But later in his life, Chris goes on a train all by himself to London, just so he can finally see his mother. Chris also tells us that he doesn’t like â€Å"new places† because he â⠂¬Å"sees everything (140). Chris not liking new places shows us that he is scared of the outside world,† But once we start to doubt Chris’ ability to go out into the world, he surprises us and proves us wrong. He goes on a whole adventure to places he does not know, just in the name to see his mother. It is a known fact that sacrifices are a part of our lives. We make them for our own desires and our loved ones. Our sacrifices can be big or small depending on what we intend to accomplish. For Chris we see him make a big sacrifice by doing something he horribly hates, going to a new place with lots of people (subway). We see that Christopher’s drive to see his mom causes him to do things he would never do under normal circumstances. We can infer that Chris probably hated being on the train but his willingness to reunite with his mother caused him to tough it out and stay inside. We can only imagine how grueling this experience for Christopher was. Just imagine not liking the feeling of being surrounded by people you don’t know and being in the same situation as Chris. Would you have stayed in that area? Chances are, if you didn’t have a reason to be there and go through that agony like Chris, you wouldn’t stick around at all. Overall, Christopher is shaped by internal forces in a positive way because his drive to see his mother causes him to sacrifice staying home and being secluded from the world like how he usually likes and going out into the world.. In Frank Stockton’s short story The Lady or the Tiger, the princess shows us that internal forces can affect a person’s identity either positively or negatively, because the portion of barbarism inside of her and her love for the youth lead her to do things she doesn’t want to, see things that aren’t really happening, and can ultimately lead to the death or happiness of the youth. When the day of the youth’s trial arrived, the princess attended it. But â€Å"had it not been for the moiety of barbarism in her nature it is probably that the lady would not have been there†¦Ã¢â‚¬ .The princess attending the trial even though she doesn’t want to shows that the princess herself does not want to attend the youth’s trial, but she goes to it anyway to satisfy her barbaric desires. Have you ever done something that one side of you disagrees about doing it, but the other side totally agrees with your decision? This is what exactly is happe ning to the princess. One half of her doesn’t want to attend the trial, but the barbaric side of her coaxes her to do it anyways, ultimately showing that the barbarism the princess inside of her controls her choices and well-being. But the princess’ identity is not only shaped by her barbarism, but also by the love and affection she has for the youth. As the narrator was talking about a lady that the princess despises, he says that the princess had often seen â€Å"or imagined that she had seen, this fair creature throwing glances of admiration upon the person of her lover, and sometimes she thought these glances were perceived, and even returned,† showing that the princess’ love for the youth is clouding her mind from the truth and reality (8). The princess starts assuming that her love is being charmed by the lady and that she might lose the youth to her. These assumptions make the princess very jealous and envy of the lady. Not only do the princess’ barbaric desires and love for the youth trick her mind, but could very well end the youth’s life, or simply salvage it. All in all, the princess exhibiting that internal forces can shape one’s identity in either a positive or negative proves that internal forces can make an impression on a person’s identity positively or negatively. In his memoir Always Running, Luis Rodriguez shows us that internal forces can affect a person’s identity in a totally negative way because his thirst for power causes him to go from a helpless little boy to a power thirsty hooligan. When Luis was in school one day, â€Å"Thee Mystics†, a powerful and influential gang, raided his school. As the ruckus slowly came dangerously towards Luis’ way, he was riveted, riveted by the power Thee Mystics possessed. When â€Å"Thee Mystics† finished their raid, Luis says that he â€Å"wanted this power† and â€Å"wanted to be able to bring a whole school to its knees and even make the teachers squirm†. He also states that â€Å"They had left their mark on the school- and on me† (Rodriguez 42). After Luis sees how Thee Mystics easily took control of his school, he wanted one thing they had, power. He wanted to finally be able to overcome the weal and fearful reputation he was labeled as, and finally obtain what he wanted when he wanted it. Not only can you see the imprint this day made on Luis throughout the book (starts getting into trouble, begins to hang out with the wrong people, and eventually gets kicked out of school), but he confesses it as well. Power is what everyone secretly craves in their lives. Especially for an immigrant like Luis who was always pushed aside and left out simply he wasn’t an American citizen. So when Luis saw Thee Mystics’ power, he saw gangs as a quencher for his thirst of power. Luis just wanted a break from being taken advantage of by Rano, by teachers, by the cruel prejudiced society he lived in. Ultimately, Luis wanting power at an early age after he witnessed how easily Thee Mystics brought his school to its knees proves that he is influenced by his desire of power, an internal force, in a negative way. Both internal and exter nal forces can shape a person’s identity and how they turn out to be. I can use my own life as evidence for this because you can definitely see the imprint of both forces on my identity. My desire to be the best is one of the biggest internal forces that shape me because it causes me to go to try my hardest in everything I do. Myself in school would be a good example of me pushing myself to be the best. Whenever I get assigned to do something, I try my hardest to produce the best piece of work I can. Whether it is an essay or a simple worksheet, I will try my hardest to make it perfect. I also try to make my grades the highest they can. If I have an A I will try my hardest to make it a higher A. My desire for perfection can also be seen in everything I do outside of school. Like if my parents make me vacuum the house I will literally spend hours to make the house the cleanest it can possibly be. When I do something I try to do it at the best possible degree I can. This obsessiveness for perfection usually leads me to do things other people wouldnâ€⠄¢t do. Things like staying up until 1 am to write one paragraph and trying my hardest on improving an â€Å"A† grade. Overall, my desire for perfection and to be the best reflects on my identity, but not only do internal forces affect my identity, but external forces act on my identity as well, more specifically, my parents because they make me want to keep on striving for success when things get hard. This encouragement from my parents causes me to not only get through hard times, but it also causes me to get good grades. In fact, without them, I don’t believe I would be where I am in terms of school because they are my inspiration in doing well in school. Ultimately, both internal and external forces shape who I am because my desire to be the best in everything I do and my parents causes me to be the person I am today. In conclusion, identity changes overtime in response to both external and internal forces, meaning that people can choose what their identity is shaped by to a certain extent, but there are still things in our environment that can affect our identity too. Studies show that external forces can shape identity because people, objects, and other things in our environment all have the power to mold us either negatively or positively as we mature. Not only does research show us that one’s identity can be shaped by external forces, but characters from stories also prove the same. Characters like Celeste from â€Å"Celeste’s Heart†, Juliet from Romeo and Juliet, Iggy from Saint Iggy, and the narrator from â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart† show us that identity can be molded by external forces, but not only can identity be shaped by external forces, identity can also be shaped by internal forces. Research also shows us that Identity can be shaped by forces inside of us like our love, hatred, etc. Like external forces, internal forces can shape ones identity in a positive way, or negative way. Della from â€Å"The Gift of the Magi†, Chris from The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, the princess from â€Å"The Lady or the Tiger†, and Luis from Always Running are all excellent examples of internal forces affecting a person’s identity. My life can be used to exhibit the effect of both internal and external forces on a person’s life. To sum it up, external and internal forces can shape a person’s identity negatively or positively. Works Cited â€Å"Adolescent Identity Development.† ACTforyouth.net. ACT for Youth Center of Excellence, 2013. Web. 15 Jan. 2013. Poe, Edgar A. â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart.† Complete Stories of Edgar Allan Poe. New York: Bantum Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, 1984. 1-7. Print. Bortnik, Aida. â€Å"Celeste’s Heart.† Sudden Fiction Latino: Short-Stories from the United States and Latin America. Ed. Robert Shapard, James Thomas, and Ray Gonzalez. New York: W.W. Norton and Company, 2010. 64-66. Print. Going, K. L. Saint Iggy. Orlando: Harcourt, 2008. Print. Haddon, Mark. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. New York: Random House, 2004. Print. Henry, O. â€Å"The Gift of the Magi.† Gutenberg.com. Project Gutenberg, n.d. Web. 2 Aug. 2012. Rodriguez, Luis. Always Running. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2005. Print. Seefeldt, C. â€Å"Factors Affecting Social Development.† Education.com. Pearson Allyn Bacon Prentice Hall, 2011. Web. 10 Jan. 2013. Shakespeare, William. Romeo and Juliet. New York: Spark Publishing, 2003. Print. Stockton, Frank. â€Å"The Lady or the Tiger?† The Norton Anthology of Short Stories. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 1998. 1-13. Print.

Mood Disorders

Read the case study and type using 12 fonts directly into the rubric. Save the document, print it and submit to your clinical instructor (turn in to secretary) when due (see course calendar). Darlene, age 62 years, has been admitted to the local psychiatric facility for inpatient treatment of depression. She became severely depressed when her son experienced a traumatic brain injury sustained in an automobile accident 6 years ago.Since her son's accident, she has selected to pay her bills on time, has difficulty sleeping and difficulty concentrating, has lost interest in eating, and has lost 30 pounds during the last year. She is complaining of frequent headaches, generalized pain and malaise. She no longer attends the weekly sewing club due Tao lack of interest and energy. Her husband of 40 years divorced her 2 years ago. Her home needs repairs, and she says she feels overwhelmed with completing the maintenance required. She expresses feelings of helplessness. She states that she â €Å"is alone and no one cares. Darlene reports that he often sits alone at night watching television and sips on a can of beer. She has been noncompliance with pharmacological antidepressant therapy, which has led to her admission to an acute care psychiatric setting. She hardly makes eye contact, slouches in her seat and wears a blank but sad expression. She says to you, â€Å"this feeling of depression is the worst thing I have had to go through since my son's accident. I will never go through this again. I guarantee you this will be my last episode of depression. † â€Å"My mother suffered from depression and it destroyed our family.The physician has indicated that if Darlene does not respond to medication over the next 2-3 days, he will order ACT. Darlene has a history of hypertension but has not been taking medication. On admission her pulse is 98, Temperature is 99. 2 and blood pressure is 174/96 and her doctor prescribes Corer. She states she has been diagnosed with GEAR and used to take Proposes, but she has not taken any the past six months even though she still has symptoms of Acid Reflux. Her doctor reorders the Proposes upon admission. She had surgery twenty years ago to remove a benign tumor from her left ovary. Mood Disorders By enormous

PPQ PARTs Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

PPQ PARTs - Essay Example The company therefore needs to determine how it will provide a safe work environment for its employees, jobs that are rewarding, stable employment, equitable pay in exchange for a positive work attitude and outstanding performance on the job (Heizer & Render 2006, p33). The fact that PPQ wants to increase the number of facilities would indicate that there is an increase in demand for its products in other markets. Whether or not that is the case the company needs to market its products in those areas. In selecting its location the company needs to design and build economical and efficient facilities that will be capable of yielding high value to not only the company but other stakeholders including employees and the community in which the facilities will be located. In order to do carry out its operations effectively the company will require competent and experienced staff that will be able to deal with customers at the various locations. In will be expanding into different countries and therefore different environments. Building a multicultural and diverse labor force is therefore important. Therefore, PPQ need to carry out an assessment of its management staff to determine whether they possess the skills necessary to deal with multiculturalism and diversity. It is important that they understand what diversity means. Munjal and Sharma their paper â€Å"Managing Multiculturalism & Diversity in Organizations † (n.d.) states that: Managers usually see affirmative action and equal employment opportunity as centering on minorities and women; the diversity here includes race, gender, creed, and ethnicity but also age, background, education, function, and personality differences. The objective not to assimilate minorities and women into dominant white male culture but to create a dominant heterogeneous culture. They will be dealing with employees and customers from different parts of the world and it is important that they understand not only the culture but h ow it can lead to competitive advantage. Rick Bobrow, America’s CEO (qtd. in Black Enterprise, 2001) states: Diversity is fundamental to our business. But it is also fundamental to our view of how we do business. To help our clients, and ourselves, achieve success, we have to leverage the different ideas, backgrounds, and values of all our people. When people of all ethnic groups are represented at all levels of the firm, we are better able to perform in a global environment, attract the best talent, and ensure that our clients are served well. Management has to be of the right caliber to be able to do this effectively. It is therefore important that the recruitment exercise is properly carried out so that the right persons (with the necessary skills and talent) are chosen to fill positions. Another of PPQ’s current weakness is its low profit margin. Additionally, its share of the market is very low. Although no information was provided on the market share of

Delivering Superior Customer Service- Amazon Essay

Delivering Superior Customer Service- Amazon - Essay Example Instead, brand has improved in significance in relation to other purchase drivers such as location, price, habit and convenience (Millward Brown 3). The Millward Brown survey shows that too many brands are not successful in optimizing their power to persuade, and rather overstress cost while under leverage desire. Some prominent takeaways from the study are that brands, which enjoy strong equity normally, rate high on desire (Millward Brown 4). Also, the most priceless brands successfully drive a desire to shift from normal to astonishing productivity. Finally, according to the study, leading brands such as Amazon do not ignore price, but they adjust price derived from desire (Millward Brown 4). Also, in another study released by ForeSee on customer satisfaction among internet shopping giants, Amazon topped the list (Tecca 1). The truth that Amazon was number one among dozens of companies with regards to their customer satisfaction is not an outstanding finding to the 152 million ind ividuals with active Amazon customer accounts (Tecca 1). What is outstanding is the reality that ForeSee’s client satisfaction score of Amazon is the highest score ever to be awarded to any online shopping website (Tecca 1). It is vital to take note that ForeSee have been carrying out their studies for over five years now and that no other business has attained a higher rating than Amazon. Therefore, Amazon clients have always been satisfied, and the online firm will always strive to satisfy their clients (Tecca 1). An Amazon Prime membership will only cost someone $79 a year. They can begin with a one-month free tryout, or if they are a parent or a student, the Amazon Mom and Amazon Student programs respectively provide other benefits. A single membership can be shared with a maximum of four extra individuals, so someone in a family of four can all get the membership for one annually fee (Tecca 1). A customer can get a free two-day shipping, as well as $3.99 one-day shipping on appropriate purchases. The firm’s account of a perfect client experience is one in which their clients do not just want to talk to them (Tecca 1). Each and every time a client contacts Amazon, they see it as a flaw. The firm says that they consider their clients as friends, but not merchants. Any person can be eligible for the normal Amazon Prime membership, even though subscribers in the U.S. can see the streaming video for free. Buying of goods sold by Amazon itself are primarily eligible for free tow-day shipping, even though some goods are extremely bulky, hazardous and heavy material may get normal shipping instead (Tecca 1). The Amazon Mom and Amazon Student programs provide benefits close to Amazon Prime, but they are not fairly the same (Tecca 1). For example, neither program offers free streaming video. Amazon Student subscribers are entitled to the same shipping benefits as Prime members for six months of subscription and also get deals, as well as promotions li mited to students. Amazon Mom subscribers, on the other hand, get the Prime shipping benefits for only three months and can prolong that through earning an additional month of free shipping for every $US 25 used in the Baby Store (Tecca 1). Amazon Mom subscribers also get discounts, as well as exclusive deals on a variety of baby products. Going through the reviews on their

Engine system for the Airbus A3200 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Engine system for the Airbus A3200 - Assignment Example The FADEC controls the fuel injection and timing; hence, optimize engine power. This adds the considerable amount of wiring to the system due to the needed separate power supply for backup from the alternator. The extra weight of parts of FADEC system has to be checked and recalculated for adjustment. FADEC has cockpit controls and other extra switches added to this system to control the fuel pump. These systems are protected by the FADEC power supply (Gunston, 1990)). The ECU has a 3D memory map, which controls fuel injection under varied circumstances for instance, air pressure density and the air temperature, with respect to throttle settings and the RPM. The Electronic Control Unit can sense barometric pressure and respond by injecting fuel. The spark plug ignition timing is controlled depending on load for each throttle settings. The ignition timing variations yields faster engine starting and smoother operations with the variable loads. The FADEC engine does not need chocking d uring starting since the ECU controls fuel for every cylinder and assists in retarding the ignition. FADEC system does not use the carburettor and the ignition and does not also depend on aircraft electrical system (Guttman, 2009). On the other hand, in the hydromechanical control system, the driver is in control of the aircraft power plant using an internal combustion engine. The sensors and control are the alternator and the battery masters. The battery master activates the battery contractor that connects the battery to the electrical bus aircraft. Alternator master applies power to the field circuit of the alternator to activate the circuit. The two switches provide power to the aircraft systems. The throttle sets up the required power level and controls the massive air-flow rate in the carburetted engines that are delivered to the cylinder. Pitch control adjust the speed unit, which then adjusts the propeller pitch and controls the load required by the engine in maintaining the RPM. The mixture control will in turn set the needed fuel to add to the airflow intake. At high altitudes, the oxygen levels reduce and, therefore, volume of the fuel must readjust to the required air-fuel mixture. The ignition switch opens the ‘P’’lead circuit by activating the magnetos. The magnetron maintains the process of sending the output voltage to spark plugs and connects the engine through the gearing. Movement in the crankshaft causes the magnetrons to generate voltage for sparking (Hispano-Suiza, 2001). TASK 1: FADEC SYSTEM OF THE V2500-A5 ON THE AIRBUS A320 SYSTEM LAYEROUT DIAGRAM FIG1: The AIRBUS A320 FADEC system layout for the V2500 engine The FADEC system for V2500 is designed with EEC, the HMU and the sensors as the components that form the core of the engine system. The other component that is assigned to systems is the ignition system (Ian, 1990). Forces necessary for movement of startar vanes are brought about by the use of air pressure. Con trol valves from the hydraulic part is arranged centrally in HMU or decentralized around the actuators with FMU fixed in fuel distribution system. The alternator that is located at the accessory gear box is the main power supply. The aircraft electrical system provides alternative power supply and is used in case of FADEC alternator fails. The FADEC system requires relatively low power since this power is only used for EEC operation, the servo valves and also the sensors. All the components controlled by FADEC systems

Economic Impacts of Tourism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Economic Impacts of Tourism - Essay Example The economic impacts in the tourism sector immediately ask for grants, loans and stipends to be given to the people who have an indirect or for that matter direct role in the building up of structures, buildings, and pathways – all of which come under the tourist attraction cycle. (Jafari, 2000) The economy gets a facelift and there are changes in the lines of commerce and industry since the country realizes its true potential elsewhere. Consequently, people come to terms with the advancements and technological changes that start to happen within such lands and thus hail the efforts undertaken by the related ministries. It builds a bridge between the different publics which are playing an active role in this impacting cause – tourism development and management within a country. The publics comprise of the locals who would be more than willing to offer hotel/motel services, transport facilities and the like; as well as the foreigners which come towards this region in ord er to enjoy and learn a bit more about the scenery. Tourism is a vast field that has immense economic advantages. The need is to understand the right kinds of interactivity regimes and reject the negative image and propaganda, however, it is wise and in the best interest of building public relations that the government and the authorities always speak unanimously the truth that exists. Shortcomings related to the region and the problems that could happen for the tourists must be educated in advance so that the tourists are given a choice as per their respective undertakings and journeys. The effects of tourism on the region are apparent but what it brings to the country’s foreign reserves is important. It opens up the path that leads towards success since the government finds out the cash cow – the tourism industry.

Strategy quality managment in SABIC Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Strategy quality managment in SABIC - Essay Example Custom Technology Solutions (CTS, 2006) describe strategic management as ‘a combination of strategy formulation and strategy implementation’ (P.5). Saudi Basic Industries Corporation (SABIC), Saudi Arabia’s largest corporation is a global leader in the manufacture of chemicals, fertilizers, plastics and steel. The Saudi government is the majority shareholder with a 60 percent stake with the balance of shares distributed among the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) countries of the Middle East. It has a major presence in Asia particularly the Asia-Pacific region, North America, Europe and Africa in addition to the Arabian Peninsula [Figure 1] (Asia Pacific News, 2008). Established in 1976, SABIC has a broad range of assorted merchandise encompassing ‘basic and intermediate chemicals, polymer resins and polyesters, fertilizers, metals and industrial gases -primary building blocks for products’. These are found in the conglomerate’s 21 manufacturing firms employing over 16,000 employees globally (Al-Abdulgader, 2007). The demand for petrochemical products has increased globally thus ensuring SABIC future growth prospects are bright being one of the largest producers in the world with a rich natural source in Saud Arabia (Jaroudi, 2007). SABIC petrochemical production has subsequently quadrupled over the last fifteen years surpassing 45 million tonnes while aiming at raising the production to over 100 metric tonnes by 2015 (Thomasson, 2007). The company’s expansion plans targets the emerging Asian growth economies of China and India. In China, the country’s enormous expansion and development has meant it is unable to meet its demand for polyolefin resins thus needing 34 percent imports, which puts the Chinese market on top of SABIC agenda. According to SABIC’s country manager for China, Lee Lam Lee,

Islamic Banking Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Islamic Banking - Essay Example Some recent developments, however, is presenting opportunities for Islamic banks. It should be noted that the Islamic finance market has already matured to $200 billion in assets. Therefore, companies should employ the accurate strategies to capture these markets. The operation of Islamic banks rests on two important tenets: no interest and socially responsible investing (Islamic Banking in UK 2006). These principles practiced by Islamic banks are dictated by the Quran. Usury or the process of lending funds at exorbitant interest rates is strictly prohibited. Also, money or financing acquired from banks can only be used for worthy cause. Financial resources should never be used to fund activities such as illegal drugs, weapons, alcohol, pornography, and terrorism. Analysing this system, we can see that Islamic banks will be more preferred by borrowers than depositors. As these financial institutions do not promise interest on the funds deposited by customers, non-Moslem investors will see it more profitable to utilize the services of conventional commercial banks. This type of product can only be targeted to the adherents of Islam which advocates this type of banking practice. The use of these principles in Islamic banking could have motivated businesses and entrepreneurs to use these financial services. It can be seen that the financing products and services offered by Islamic banks operates on profit and loss sharing (PLS). ... Islamic Mortgage Finance One of the products of Islamic bank which has gained wide acceptance and popularity in the United Kingdom is mortgage finance. As opposed to the conventional mortgage financing, Islamic banks buy and own the commodity for the client. The client then purchases the product from the bank at a markup within a specified period of time. After full payment has been made, the ownership of the property will be transferred from the bank to the client. The success of Islamic banking in the United Kingdom is indicated by t he report of Research and Markets. According to the agency, the market for Islamic banking now reached $164 million. The segment also shows fast paced growth at an average annual rate of 68.1%. This is over and above the industry average of 16.2%. If this trend will continue, the total value of Islamic mortgage banking will be equivalent to over $1billion in 2010 while conventional banking will suffer from intense rivalry. It should also be noted that currently, the profitability of Islamic banking is indicated by the participation of commercial banks like HSBC and Lloyds TSB in the market. It was found out that in 2003, there is only one Islamic lender in UK. Currently, this number has already increased to five. However, it should be recognized that the Islamic banking, specifically Islamic mortgages command only a small portion of the market in UK. One of the hindrance of mortgage finance is the stamp tax duty. Recommendations The success of Islamic banking in the United Kingdom together with the acceptance of the non-Moslem population implies that this type of financial intermediation can be embraced by other clients in the global market. After the above analysis, this report

To What Extent was Napoleon Master of Europe Essay Example for Free

To What Extent was Napoleon Master of Europe Essay I govern not as a general, but because the nation believes that I have the civilian qualities necessary to govern, to heal the wounds, to correct the extravagances, to secure the conquests, Napoleon Bonaparte. Was he really such a person a man of strength, determination and complete domination of Europe, or was he an over rated character, over exaggerated by the press and historians. Those are the questions, which I am going to answer in this composition. I acknowledge this question as asking the actual proportion of Napoleons domination over Europe, during his reign of Frances Emperor. He was well-renowned for the major reforms he made to France. During the revolution, Napoleon strongly supported the Jacobins, a debating society, which consisted of a committed group, dedicated to solving the Republican problems. They believed in establishing a strong centralised government and supported in maintaining peace in France while winning the war against his enemies. Napoleon did not change his opinions even when he came to power. He still maintained the practical ideas and logic during and after his reign. When Napoleon came to power, he changed the lives of many in France. He made many reforms, which before the revolution restricted civilians of doing such activities. He first established a centralised government, and worked on the peace and consolidation of France as this was what the people of France were aiming for before the revolution. He wanted stability. We have finished the romance of the Revolution we must now begin its history, only seeking for what is real and practicable in the application of its principles, and not what is speculative and hypothetical. He also declared other philosophical quotes. The Revolution is made fast on the principles on which it began; the Revolution is finished. These statements support the argument that the new regime was a break and the continuality of the past. He decided in order to dominate Europe he would have to permit stability and order in his France itself. He did exactly that. Once he came to power it was Napoleons leadership to combine the old France with the new. Religion was a huge factor in Frances daily troubles. Therefore Napoleon decided to reconcile the differences between the religions. The main reason for such a rivalry between the religions was that, during the revolution, France was de-Christianised. Millions of Catholics were outraged at such a move. In western France, where Catholics were strong in many, formed rebel groups and tried to overthrow the government at that time, and stop the revolution before any other outrageous reforms were made. On the 15 July 1801, Napoleon signed the Concordat, permitting Catholicism, as the main religion is France. They did not hurry to make it an established religion, as Britain had done. In doing so, the Concordat also allowed protestants and Jews to practice their religion and retain their civil rights and freedoms. This settled the argument between the religions and once again, people of different backgrounds were allowed to walk out of their house without getting hard glares or insults flung onto them. Not only did this restore peace in France, but it also made Napoleon very popular among the priest. All were allowed to believe in what they wanted to believe in without the government or politics interfering in their way. After promoted Consul for life by the senates, with increased confidence, Napoleon started making reforms in the way France should be run. In secondary schools, he created the lycee. The environment of these schools would be run with strict military disciplined. The students in these schools learnt everything that was programmed by the government and took the Baccalaureate to enter university. Science and mathematics increased in importance in secondary schools. The school were extremely selective and it was difficult to get in. Napoleons greatest achievement was probably the Napoleons code, which was a Civil law, produced in 1804. Throughout history, these laws have always been a spectacle to read, as it showed the equality Napoleon tried to share among his people. Those of the most complex codes, existing for centuries, had been simplified in this code. The main codes were that the suspected would be guaranteed a trial, there were no special rights among the people, privileges and feudal rights ended, and parents had control over their children. One could call Napoleon a bit sexist to woman. In this code he included that wives were not permitted to sell anything away, and wives could not own their own property without the consent of their husband. This once again showed Napoleon, as not only just a military general, but also a strategist, improving France to its potential. This truly showed his leadership in his own country, but also a person to be feared of, throughout the leaders of Europe, striking fear into countries like Britain, Austria and Germany. The other side of the argument is Napoleons soon domination when becoming king. He seems to be a bit similar to Macbeth, in the way that he is a bit paranoid in others competing for his place: To be thus is nothing, But to be safely thus. Napoleon began to censor newspaper articles concerning the governments actions. From 32 newspapers he reduced the number to 4 in five years. Ironically it seemed contrary to what his leadership was all about when he censored the newspapers. Napoleon having complete control over the publics opinion controlled the newspapers, which remained in France. It was sort of a restriction of liberty and free-say in the world, the individuals opinion on an issue would not be published. Certainly, Napoleon was highly distinguished as the best of the best war generals existed in this world. Was he really a brilliant war general or was he just general picking easy fights against weak opponents? The Siege of Toulon was a battle against the British soldiers who had captured the town. Napoleon was not at his height yet and was only in command of the French army gunnders, bombarding the French. He was quickly promoted for his victory. This shows that Napoleon was not just a good strategist, but also a person ideal for weaponry combat. After being victorious in Egypt, Napoleon got the agreement from the Directory to an expedition in Egypt. It was hoped to threaten the English power and trade in Egypt. It was going to be an easy victory against the weak Egyptians. It was therefore called the Battle of the Pyramids and, then there was a sudden craze for Egyptian fashions. In fact in Egypt, their expedition was going down the other way. Due to the conditions and the inadequate supply of food and water, Napoleons army was getting into sickness and plague. In August 1789 Nelson, the British general defeated the French navy at the Battle of Aboukir Bay. His expedition was so close to failure. Napoleon left his soldiers, and went back to France, in defeat. The most famous battle in history could be said of the Battle of Trafalgar. It all started when the French army refused to leave Holland. The British were afraid that Napoleon would conquer Holland and capture a great trading spot. Napoleon decided to start an invasion with Britain. Britain had the famous, large navy, whereas Napoleon had the large soldiers. Napoleon was the completely controller of this campaign. He built a new port, ordered the navigations for the ships and even wrote a song to go along with it! The Spanish joined in the alliance with France but both countries lost the battle at Trafalgar. In the end this was a failure since Napoleon realised that his navy will never be a strong as the British, so he rescinded the idea to the Directory of declaring war. A lot of money was wasted in the end since, the French civilians had to pay higher taxes, due to the fact that the war was extremely expensive. The battle of Marengo was a victorious battle that Napoleon won against the Austrians. Napoleon withheld his peace and honour. He beat the Austrians, all through strategy. He tricked the Austrians into chasing a small group of French soldiers. While the Austrians chased them, Napoleons army attacked from the rear, creating a huge surprise for the Austrians. During this surprise attack he spread his generals out, so the Austrians could not escape them. Desaix, the Austrians general came in to save the day. There was a certain amount of confusion that actually won the battle, but many historians says that Napoleon came out victorious. The French defeated the Austrians later that year and the Austrians made peace with France that year. During 1802, Napoleon made peace with Britain. The peace made him even more popular when he came back to France, as it had been the first time in 10 years, Europe had been in peace. The peace eventually did not last and practically the whole of Europe formed another Coalition in 1805. Through a series of battles, Napoleon beat the whole coalition beating Britain, Russia, and Austria at the same time. A few battles against the Austrian armies were at Ulm and Austerlitz, which as I will not elaborate on these battles, proved to be a great victory. Soon Napoleon began controlling mostly of entire Europe. By ruling smaller villages, they provided him food, money and resources in return for protection under his reign. There was too much land that he spread it all among his brothers. This truly also depicts of his domination in Europe, to be able to share land among four brothers. The Bonapartes reformed Europe to a kind of France itself. They followed French ways to rule and organise a country. Obviously there were some disadvantages with their rule. The conquered country had to supply troops to the French. The German states contributed 560 million francs. People around Europe began hating the French. Their domination was proven to control Europe and, they were beginning to become too powerful. All of the powerful countries were beginning to fear the French so much since they were growing in such size. Many painters, especially Spanish, depicted the French soldiers as being cruel and ruthless. This just displays how much Napoleon had dominated Europe that people were beginning to fear his mighty presence, and were jealous of his victories. The continental system was a order forbidding states under his control to trade with Britain. He wanted to make Britain yield to his power since he quoted: Britain is a nation of shopkeepers Bonaparte though that Britain could not survive with trade. The continental system was simply a failure. Bonaparte was greedy and wanted Spain under his liege. They were friends with the British and he really wanted to stop trading. Portugal turned against the invasion of the French and fought for several years using the Guerrilla tactic. The Peninsular War it was called where failure was inevitable. The Spanish people did not welcome the Frenchs intrusion and wanted them out. They ended up leaving Spain, damaged by the attacks. Russia left the system as it was loosing too much money. Napoleon wanted to force Tsar, Russian Emporer to go along with this system, since Russia were big traders, so Bonaparte force a war upon the Russians. The problem with Napoleon, which led him to failure was that he was overly ambitious and egotistical. As time went on, and he became victorious, he became too confident in himself as a leader. He did not know when to stop his domination spree and once he kept on winning, he wanted to achieve more, and if it werent for his failure in the Russian campaign, he would have been spurred onto greater heights, probably next going after Asia or so. Right before the war had started Napoleon boasted that the war against Russia would not take until winter to complete. In fact he was wrong, very, very wrong. He entered Russia presuming that Russia was like any other country he beat. He presumed that they will leave food, resources on the lands for them to use. He thought that the winter will come early and affects his armies progress. They were fighting two wars at that time. Four problems severely affected his army. Napoleon lost 400,000 men in two months. In the end, as he was forced to leave France due to his failure of the Russian campaign, Napoleon fled to Elba. He came back to France for his combat. The British and Prussian forces were collaborating further to erase Frances domination in Europe and they needed his leadership to guide them through the war against Europe. Europe was coming in for the kill. In addition to this Frances economy was collapsing. They needed Napoleon back. He was greeted with much respect when he re-entered France to regain his title as Emperor. He stood in a crowd of thousands, tens of thousands to proclaim to the: If anyone wishes to kill me, they can do so now. Instead, the confluence of people stood on their feet and chanted Long live the Emperor, long live the Emperor, several times. He was back to work. Napoleon concluded the only way to stop the war against Europe, was to stop the troops from Britain and Prussia from coming into France. He decided that he needed to attack them before they entered France and it was too late. The Duke of Wellington was his enemy. He was renowned for having the best defences in Europe alone. Describes as having nerves of steel, the Duke brought 68,000 men. Another 52.300 were expected to come from the Prussians army. The Prussians general was Blà ¯Ã‚ ¿Ã‚ ½cher. Napoleons chances were slim. He only had 72,000 men. Before he entered the battle he quoted I thought fortune was leaving me, already displaying his distrust of his luck and the outcome of this battle. The night before the battle, it rained. The Duke of Wellington positioned his men on the bridge. It was Napoleons time to attack. Risking everything, he ordered all of his troops to attack through one frontal attack. The British formed squares and waited for the French army to come. Napoleon was living in a dream world. He ordered his cavalry to attack from the British soldiers. It was a massacre. With 74 guns in the front line, the British just gave the French a barrage of fire, on and on and on. Napoleon did not stand a chance. His cavalry were destroyed. The English soldiers were fairly battered up, and the Prussian troops just came in to time to settle the score. Napoleon sent in the National Guard the most feared of his troops. Again and again he soldiers were shot down with the arms of the alliance forces. In less than 12 hours Napoleon was defeated at the battle of Waterloo. On June 22nd 1815, 4 days after the battle. Napoleon begged for mercy from the triumphant English, wishing to reside in a country house in Britain. The British just answered St Helena. St Helena was an island situated in the middle of nowhere. It was an island 10 miles far, 6 miles wide. He was a prisoner in this island with 2 ships and 2000 soldiers guarding it. He was assigned a wooden bungalow, with no communications outside this island. He got fairly depressed on this island without anyone to speak to. To die is not a problem, but to be defeated, it is like to die everyday. Bonaparte decided that his last campaign in life will be one devoted to the use of language. He wrote articles, read all the books he could find, and expressed his downfalls and his glistening heights. Napoleon decided to leave a legacy behind for the world in the future, present and past upon. As you can see above, I conclude that after all Napoleon was a great leader, but with the egotistical and over-confidence, he never eventually was the Master of Europe for a long period of time. He won a lot and lost a lot in a few years, which in my consideration, he was the master of Europe throughout his lifespan of domination. Although one can see from what I have said and described above, Napoleon lived a life to be admired by, brought France together and increased Frances land and domination. Quoting My business is to succeed, and Im good at it. I create my Iliad by my actions, create it day by day, Napoleon will always be considerate throughout future as a fierce master of Europe, even through a limited amount of time, he will be a person to be forever admired by historians and people alike.

A Case Study Of Social Work With Families Social Work Essay

A Case Study Of Social Work With Families Social Work Essay This was my third contact with Mrs G however my first contact with Mrs G on her own without Ps presence. The purpose of the visit was to carry out a carers assessment which focused on Mrs Gs needs separate from Ps needs. It was important that I tuned into the visit in order to work with Mrs G effectively. The process of tuning in helped me consider the legal mandate for the intervention, it helped me prepare myself for areas Mrs G may have wanted to discuss, I was able to consider relevant theories, Mrs Gs feelings, my feelings as a worker and how I would address these feelings through the use of good knowledge, skills and values. Before meeting with the family I had read through the existing case file which allowed me to gain an insight into the social work involvement of MS the transition co-ordinator to date, other professionals involved and an insight into the family background. I had previously carried out a UNOCINI assessment on P, had been on a few visits to P and Mrs G and liaised with several other professionals involved with P such as the Renal Team at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children (RBHSC), the school, Ps G.P, Clinical psychologist etc. I had already gathered relevant information and thus obtained a good insight into the family situation, particularly through liaising with the Clinical Psychologist who had done some brief family work with the family. From liaising with him, I was able to determine that there were strained relationships within the home. As my role in this instance involved assessing the needs of a carer, I read around carers in Northern Ireland, their needs and what the y often experience etc. This allowed me to tune into what Mrs Gs life may involve with regards to caring for P and consider some of the challenges carers experience on a regular basis. As I had already been involved with the family and completed a UNOCINI assessment, I gained a great insight into the familys circumstances, history/background. During this contact I wanted to obtain a greater insight into how Ps disability impacted is currently impacting on Mrs G, the primary carer of P. I prepared myself for the contact by familiarising myself with the carers assessment form however I had already decided to approach the situation by allowing Mrs G to take control and explain openly how she was coping etc. My practice teacher also discussed her expectations with me during supervision. My primary purpose in this piece of work was: The purpose of the work was to meet with Mrs G in her home. Carry out an assessment of Mrs Gs needs as a carer separate from Ps needs by allowing Mrs G to talk openly about her situation, how she was coping as a carer etc, express any concerns she had and ask her how she feels we could best support her at this time. This allowed Mrs G to take control of the discussion and identify areas to discuss. My main aims and were they achieved I contacted Mrs G prior to the visit to explain the observation so that she was aware of the situation before we arrived at the house. On arrival, I discovered that Mrs G had forgotten about the visit and planned to go into town. I asked Mrs G if she would like to reschedule but she said she would prefer to go ahead with the visit. I did not have to introduce myself at the beginning of this contact as I had clarified my role and function within the agency during the first visit with the family. I firstly introduced my practice teacher, reassuring Mrs G that she was there to assess me and my practice and that anything she would be writing would be about myself and not her. I further reassured Mrs G that anything discussed within the visit would not be discussed outside of the visit. At this stage I feel I could have explained the boundaries of confidentiality. I explained to Mrs G she was entitled to a carers assessment under the Carers and Direct Payments Act and that this would focu s on her needs as a carer as apposed to Ps needs. On reflection I do feel I could have explained to Mrs G at this stage what the assessment involved and I could have summarised what I intended to cover during the visit. Instead I just explained her entitlement to a carers assessment and that it focused on her needs. I acknowledged how difficult life has been for Mrs G and her family up until this point and asked Mrs g what it was like caring for P. Mrs G gave a very detailed account of Ps medical history and how his condition affected him. Issues arising were Ps restricted diet intake, Ps noncompliance to take medication and his personal care. On reflection, although I did attempt to probe further on these issues as an attempt to determine if and what triggers may have been contributing, looking back I do feel I could have used more effective questioning as an attempt to determine the impact this has had for Mrs G as a carer. Other issues arising were Ps lack of self-esteem and body issues which clearly contributed to his low mood. Looking back I feel I could have explored into this area more through probing more however I recall the carer at this stage having given me allot of in-depth information. I had reacted by probing further on another topic and had forgotten to go back and explore this a rea. On reflection I feel it would have been important to have explored this area further to gain a greater insight into how Mrs G coped with knowing that her son was insecure and body issues. Does she attempt to talk to P? Does this worry her, make her feel stressed etc, how does she cope seeing how Ps disability impacts upon him? Looking back another issue which Mrs G explained was the fact that P had fell out with their local Church over his diet. This was a clear issue/concern for Mrs G, however looking back, I did not probe further on this issue as once again, I recall Mrs G explaining a number of issues at once. I explored further on one issue and again I forgot to go back and explore this concern. At this point I feel I should have listed back to Mrs G the concerns that were arising and explored each of them one by one. Instead I feel I became overwhelmed by all of the information she was giving me, I consequently responded by exploring into one issue, which then led into another issue and I forgot to cover the other issues arising a the beginning. This has been a big learning curve for me as a worker. From this in particular I have learnt that I need to be more assertive and take more control of the conversation, particularly if you are with a service user who is quite talkative. In future I plan to say , ok, mrs G, youve given me quite a lot of information there. You have raised concerns about this, this and this. I would then cover each of the issues separately to ensure I have explored all areas fully that the service user has identified as being problem areas. I will also ensure to take more control of the conversation by stopping the service user if I feel she has overwhelmed me with information and pace the flow of the interaction to ensure each area is being fully explored. I recall Mrs G explaining that P had been abiding by his restricted fluid and diet intake recently as apposed to what he had done in the past. Mrs G did however express that P would still sometimes push the boundaries. I recall just reassuring Mrs G that this was very positive, however on reflection, I feel that I could have picked up on the fact that she had expressed he still pushes the boundaries at times and explored more into how they managed this, how he reacts when she reminds him the importance of his restricted diet and how Ps reactions impacted on Mrs G and other family members within the home. Mrs G went on to explain that the clinical psychologist P had been to see recently had diagnosed P as being biologically depressed and not clinically depressed. I recall probing further as an attempt to determine how Mrs G felt about this diagnosis, and asked whether P would continue to see the psychologist. However on reflection I do feel I could have explored further with regard to the possible risks this presented for P, how P was behaving, had she noticed any significant changes in his mood, behaviour etc. Looking back I feel this would have been very important and usually I feel a very obvious area to cover however I recall reminding myself of my role within that visit and that was to focus on Mrs G as a carer and how she was coping as a carer. Looking back however I do feel it was important to have explored further on this issue as there evidently could have been risks involved which could have led me to determining how Mrs G felt and coped with these. I recall Mrs G explaining about Ps argumentative nature. I did attempt to explore this area further however again at this stage I recall Mrs G giving a lot of detailed information and again I do feel it would have been beneficial to have redirected the information she had given back to how Mrs G was affected and how she was coping. I summarised by explaining to Mrs. G the main issues which we had discussed during the visit and what Mrs G was currently dealing with. I then reminded Mrs G of the main reason for the contact which was an assessment of Mrs Gs needs as a carer, how things have impacted on her and how she was coping as a carer. I summarised by asking Mrs G to once again eplain what the main concerns were for her in coping and caring for P at the minute. Mrs G once again clearly highlighted that the main concern for her as a mother was the fact that P had no opportunities at the minute to meet, socialise and interact others his own age group. She further explained that she felt this would undoubtly help to promote Ps independence while giving her and her husband a little respite. I paraphrased this back to Mrs G to have her clarify what I understood in relation to Ps needs and how this would ultimately benefit them as carers. I summarised by acknowledging and explaining to Mrs G that I understood the l evel of Ps care needs, what the family have come through in their lives to date and the impact of caring for P and other family members. At this stage I recall advising Mrs G of some support groups which may be of support to Mrs and Mrs G. Mrs G however clarified that she felt it was not them as parents who needed the support but their son, P who would benefit from some sort of social outlet. Furthermore, she did highlight she felt this would additionally benefit her and her husband as P relied quite a lot on her and her husband to take him out. Mrs G expressed she felt it would be beneficial for P if someone Ps age were to come and bring P out for a few hours. I mentioned a voluntary befrienders scheme however I was unsure as to the likeliness of getting a befriender that age within the locality thus I reassured Mrs G I would follow this up and get back to her. At this stage I recall introducing the topic of direct payments. Looking back, I feel the conversation had flowed up until this point. On reflection I had no reason to bring up the topic of direct payments as the conversation up until this stage had been centred on Mrs G, her life as a carer and how this was impacting on her. I had prepared to cover this topic solely on the basis that this was one of the topics covered within the agencys Carers Assessment forms. Looking back, I feel there was no reason to introduce this topic as there was simply no purpose in this instance. I recall asking Mrs G if she was aware of direct payments and or if she received direct paymen ts. Mrs G was not and asked if this was the same as carers allowance. At this stage I recall going completely blank. I knew it wasnt however I went completely blank and I could not think and turned to my practice teacher for reassurance and ask her if they were the same. At this stage I felt quite nervous and found it hard to refocus my mind back on the topic of conversation. I then recall trying to explain the concept of direct payments to Mrs G. I was able to explain that It focused on empowering service users through allowing them to be employers and this was a payment paid to them which would allow them to effectively employ someone if for example they wanted to pay someone to come in and care for their disabled child. I recall stumbling through this explanation as I consciously knew I wasnt communicating my understanding of direct payments effectively in a way to ensure that Mrs G understood it and furthermore I doubted what I was saying. I feel I cold have tuned in better to w hat direct payments were, whether Mrs G and P would have been eligible for this service, what the options were for them and been able to explain to them in a way that they understood and have given an example of their circumstances as apposed to a child. i.e. considering the fact that P was turning 18 in a few months. I feel if I had prepared better by doing this, there would have been more structure and purpose to introducing the topic in the first instance, Mrs G would have grasped a clear and concise understanding of what direct payments were, I would have come across as a more competent and knowledgeable worker and this would have lessened the likeliness of confusion or unrealistic hopes and expectations on Mrs Gs behalf on their eligibility and entitlement for the service. Straight away following the visit I acknowledged how my responses could have potentially have given Mrs g unrealistic hopes and expectations with regard to what they could get. I feel nervousness and lack of concise preparation significantly contributed to my inability to explain the service effectively and concisely, particularly after I was unable to explain the difference between carers allowance and direct payments initially. I finally summarised what I was going to do for Mrs G such as looking into the befriending scheme, their eligibility for direct payments, as she queried if she would be able to pay someone to come and take P out for a few hours a week etc. I then explained Mrs G that I would be in touch to arrange a time and date to talk through the assessment once I had completed it and have her sign it. Mrs G agreed. Skills I do feel I listened to Mrs G and demonstrated respect by being empathetic towards her and her situation past and present. I was very aware of the sensitivity around what Mrs G has come through in her life to date and used silence allot to allow Mrs. G to gather her thoughts before answering the questions. When she was talking I continued to use silence as a means of letting Mrs G tell her story and express her feelings. I ensured to maintain eye contact. My non verbals I hope indicated to Mrs G that I was listening to what she had to say. Although I contently listened to Mrs G and what she had to say, I do feel she overwhelmed me with information a lot of the time. Although I managed to explore further some of these issues by probing further on certain issues, I feel I failed to probe further on all the issues/concerns expressed by Mrs G. I feel I could taken control of the interaction more by stopping Mrs G at times and sensitively saying for example, ok Mrs G, you have given me quite a lot of information there. You mentioned this, this, this and this.. Can you firstly tell me a bit more about (1st issue), how does this affect you as a carer etc. I would then have gone through each issue separately and have explored each issue fully. I then would have got Mrs G to proceed. This would have ensured that I was using my probing skills more effectively and ensured I was exploring and analysing equally all areas which arose. Furthermore, I feel I did probe further on certain subjects to gain a further insight into how G fe lt about certain things although in doing this I do accept that I still may not have kept the topics focused on Mrs G as much as what I could have. I do feel however that in this instance, the needs of Mrs G was very dependent on that of meeting Ps needs first as she continually stated, if I thought that P was getting ready and looking forward to going out and meeting with others his age, I would be able to relax and when he would be away, this would act as respite for me. I truly feel this was the main issue for Mrs G and she clarified this towards the end of the visit. I was particularly ware of this as I had tuned into the fact that in a typical encounter involving two people, it is estimated that the actual spoken or verbal content is likely to carry only one third of the social meaning in any given event, whereas the non verbal forms convey roughly two thirds of the meaning (Birdwhistell, 1970). Communication is a two way process. It involves listening as well as speaking. Non- verbals used were: nodding, having an appropriate body posture, using eye contact, smiling and sitting in the SOLAR position. Allot of the time Mrs G was talking. I hope my non-verbals indicated to her that I was listening to what she had to say, respected the information she was sharing and demonstrated empathy and respect. I feel I used my interpersonal skills throughout the visit ad this contributed to a relaxed atmosphere and interaction. I do feel however I had developed a good rapport at this stage with Mrs G as I had been on a few previous home visits through carrying out the UNOCINI assessment. I feel I had a generally good structure to the contact however I do feel I could have explained at the beginning the content of what I hoped to cover with Mrs G instead of just summarising that I would be looking at her needs as a carer. I feel I demonstrated good non verbal communication through appropriate facial expressions, a good sitting position with an open posture, good eye contact and nodding my head to reassure Mrs G I acknowledged, was listening and understood what she was saying. I feel I laughed when appropriate and showed empathy when covering sensitive issues such as Ps past medical history of cancer and chemotherapy. I did ask various open questions which I had planned as a means of applyin g the exchange model and allowing Mrs G to talk openly about her life as a carer. This also allowed me to gain an insight into what Mrs Gs life was like, what her caring role entailed and how she coped with her caring responsibilities. I asked closed questions to gain more information on certain issues and clarify information. I feel my tone of voice was appropriate considering we were covering issues which were sensitive to Mrs G. Generally, I feel I effectively communicated with Mrs G. Effective communication is an essential component of traditional social work activities (Lishman, 1994, pg 1). I communicated clearly with Mrs G by explaining why I was there, introducing my practice teacher, explaining her role, reassured Mrs G my practice teacher was there to observe me and not her. I explained clearly what I hoped to cover during the contact and under ground she was entitled to a carers assessment. The process of engaging entails social workers being explicit about what we are do ing and why (Munro 1998a: 98). I feel I engaged well with Mrs G by clearing explaining my role and purpose. I paraphrased back to Mrs G what she had said at certain stages, particularly towards the end of the contact to show Mrs G that I understood what shed told me. This involved me paraphrasing or feeding back to Mrs G what theyd conveyed, in a meaningful way. This was also useful in having Mrs G clarify that this is indeed what she meant. Empowerment- Empowerment is more commonly used to describe service users being given meaningful choice and valuable options (Clark 2000: 57). I feel I provided Mrs G with choice and valuable options by providing her with information, informing her of the services available. I do feel I actively listened to G and responded by probing further on certain issues. On reflection, I feel the type of questions I asked G could have been more focused on the needs of G and Ge as apposed from having her explain about P. Initially I felt this may have given R an insight into what Gs life is like and I thought it may have been a good starting point however I feel I could have covered aspects such as how she coped when P was away to college, to dialysis. In saying this I do feel that G made it very clear particularly towards the end that the main concern for her at the minute was the fact that her son had no friends his age, was unable to get out and had nothing to look forward to. And continually expressed that this was the main issue for her and that if he had an opportunity to get out and socialise with others his age, this would positively impact on her as she would be able to relax if she felt P was happy and this would also act as a few hours respite for her as relationships in the family had been strained recently. I feel I did not communicate to Mrs G in a clear and concise manner what direct payments was and was unable to provide her with a clear distinction between that of carers allowance and direct payments. Looking back I went blank at this point and felt I could not think and panicked. As a result I looked to R for re-assurance. I do not feel I came across as a competent worker as on reflection I turned to my practice teacher when G asked me if a carers assessment was the same as a direct payment. Looking back on this I feel very silly as I knew the difference but I just recall going blank as I stumbled with how to explain the difference. I feel this was down to nervousness and as a result I panicked and turned to R for advice. I will definitely try to avoid doing this in future as it is not professional and service users expect that we as workers know what we are talking about. I feel I could have been better prepared with regard to knowledge in relation to direct payments and carers allowance etc. Although I thought I knew what they were, obviously hadnt read enough around them or had the information prepared in a way that would enable me to effectively communicate to the service user what they were. Although prior to the contact I felt I was prepared, On reflection, I feel I could have been better prepared with regard to familiarising myself better with direct payments and carers allowance etc. I should have prepared in my head how I would explain this to G in a way that was clear and concise that she would have understood. My main aims achieved were: I was successful in getting Mrs G to open up about her situation and her feelings I was successful in determining what it was she felt would best help and support her and her husband at the moment, which was providing them with respite by providing P with opportunities for social interaction. The main knowledge used and how it impacted upon my work: I had an understanding of Mrs Gs circumstances through previous visits with the family and carrying out a UNOCINI assessment and liaising with other professionals already involved with the family. I feel I tuned in thoroughly to Mrs Gs past history, current circumstances and her life and needs as a carer. I did not have a lot of knowledge about the appropriate way of completing the carers assessment form. From discussing the topic with my practice teacher and other work colleagues, I felt it was better to not bring the form in with me during the visit. I felt this may have put Mrs G of or have distracted her. I considered the sensitivity of some of the issues that Mrs G may be relaying to me and I wanted to give her my utmost attention, reassure that I was fully listening to her, engage fully with Mrs G and let her lead the interaction and speak openly about her situation. This then led me to apply the exchange model of assessment which looks upon service users as experts in their ow n lives. I tuned into the fact that no-one knew Mrs G and her life situation as well as herself and so I felt this model was ideal to apply as a method of assessment. The Life needs model is another model which informed my knowledge base prior to the visit. This is a developmental and social-ecological model and increased my knowledge base on key transitions in childrens lives. Although this model informed my knowledge base more so with regards to Ps UNOCINI assessment, it also allowed me to consider how Mrs G as a carer may be coping with Ps transition and current life stage of adolescence, as a carer and mother. Knowledge around assessment theory increased my knowledge base on what assessment is and what it involves. Erik Eriksons life stage theory increased my knowledge base around Mrs Gs life stage. Theories around loss increased my knowledge base as to how Mrs G had experienced loss as a consequence of Ps physical disability and his cancer. This was very significant as the focu s of the work was on assessing Mrs Gs needs as a carer, considering who she cares for, how that impacts on her life and how she effectively copes with her caring responsibilities. As a carer of a child who has a physical disability and who had had cancer and been treated with chemotherapy and has had two failed kidney transplants, this theory allowed me to tune into a number of losses Mrs G may has or may have had, losses in terms of lack of socialisation, independence etc. This knowledge allowed me to consider that Mrs G may have been affected psychologically, physically, emotionally and socially. One of my objectives for the visit was to discuss direct payments. I feel that I did not carry out sufficient research to allow me to explain this service clearly and concisely in a manner that Mrs G would have understood. I recognise that direct payments is a relatively new way of receiving services and other professionals are still learning about what they are and how they are used. How ever, this is an area I had planned to cover with Mrs G as it is one of the questions within the carers assessment form and thus I do feel I could have researched this area more concisely to ensure I was confident in explaining it in a way that Mrs G would have understood. I also feel I had a good grasp of the current family situation through completion of the initial UNOCINI assessment and thus I could have enquired into the familys eligibility for receiving direct payments prior to the visit. I feel I had already previously adequately researched into Ps renal condition, kidney dialysis, the effects, the importance of a restricted fluid and dietary intake and the consequences of not abiding by a restricted diet from completing Ps UNOCINI assessment. This information allowed me to further consider what life is like for Mrs G as a carer. I had already gained a great insight into the family circumstances through liaising with other professionals and completing the initial UNOCINI asse ssment. This knowledge was significant as it allowed me to consider the challenges Mrs G was facing as a mother and carer and thus I already had an insight into how she was coping with caring for P. I also done some research on carers of children who have disabilities which allowed to familiarise myself with what pressures and stresses carers are faced with on a daily basis. Throughout my work with this family I am constantly aware of overarching legislation such as the Childrens Order (NI) 1995, the Human Rights Act 1998, Disabled Persons Act (NI) 1989, and The Education (NI) Order 1996. The main piece of legislation that informed this piece of work however was the Carers and direct payments Act (NI) 1996. I must always be aware of the legal and statutory context in which I work. It is impossible to practice without coming up against the Law: it is impossible to practice effectively without an in-depth understanding of how the Law affects everyday social work practice (Johns, 2005:1). Looking back I strongly feel I could have increased my knowledge base more effectively around direct payments and familiarise myself with what the criteria is for eligibility for families. I have since spoken to other workers in the team and have read around the topic more and thus feel much more confident about the topic. The main values I used were: The NISCC Codes of Practice for Social care Workers underpins my professional value base and I felt this impacted when working with this family. I feel that I treated Mrs G and her home environment with respect by asking Mrs G prior to the visit if she would mind my practice teacher being present to observe my work. I feel I empathised with G by being understanding of her all that her and her family have come through in their lives to date. I felt I could easily empathise with her when she was referring to P and his medical history and his cancer. I considered prior to contact how devastating this particular time would have been in their lives and acknowledged the importance of showing empathy, particularly if this service user was willing to talk openly to me who she may have looked upon as a stranger, about such a sensitive area in her life. I empathised with her further when she talked openly about her older son also having been born with a renal condition and the ongoing everyday stresses and strains this had. I did not judge Mrs G. I listened openly to what she had to say and demonstrated empathy by being understanding of Mrs Gs circumstances at present and what she has come through to date. By being empathetic and understanding towards Mrs G, I feel she was more motivated to work in partnership with me. I feel I demonstrated respect by explaining the issue of confidentiality, explaining my student status, gaining consent and ensuring Mrs G was happy and content working with myself, a student, by reminding Mrs G of my student status and allowing her to clarify she was happy to proceed. Furthermore, I feel I respected Mrs G by pre arranging the appointment and turning up on time. I feel I demonstrated respect at all times throughout the visit by maintaining eye contact, listening to Mrs G, using silence when appropriate and allowing her to speak, gather her thoughts and express her feelings. I was genuinely interested in what Mrs G had to say, finding out m ore about her life and past experiences and I was honest and open which I feel contributed to an effective, positive working relationship with Mrs G. I made myself aware of any cultural/structural oppression that the service user may be experiencing, such as gender, religious issues. I also considered that Mrs G attended a Church group and that she and her family held firm religious beliefs and attended Church on a regular basis. Future learning requirements indicated by this piece of work What I hope to improve upon in the future: From looking back I can see that there are significant areas I need to develop my knowledge and experience in. For example I strongly feel I could have increased my knowledge base more effectively around direct payments and have familiarised myself with what the criteria is for eligibility for families. My lack of experience delivering direct payments is obvious here. I feel that my understanding on this topic could be improved through reading further on the topic and possibly shadowing other social workers in the team when they visit service users about direct payments. Being well prepared for what it is I want to cover during contacts is another significant area I need to work on. Looking back, I feel the contact had flowed up until the point at which I introduced the topic of direct payments. I feel, I already had an insight into the family situation through completing the initial assessment ad I knew that Mrs Gs main concern was that P did not have enough opportunities for social outlets and if I had prepared to introduce this topic, I should have previously enquired into whether this was an option for Mrs G and her family. On reflection this would have made much more sense as I would have had reasoning for introducing the topic and I would have been able to inform Mrs G of information that was clear, concise and accurate, preventing informing Mrs G of information that was inaccurate, risking false hopes and possible dis