Effect of the Black Death in England on London's culture, population Essay

Effect of the Black Death in England on London's culture, population and economy between 1348 and about 1500 - Essay Example The manner in which the plague quickly spread is rather disheartening. The action of the Sicilians to close their Messina port necessitated the ships from the east to seek available port alongside the Mediterranean. As such, the plague quickly grew and spread into the nations where these plague harboring ships anchored. In this way, the plague was responsible for the demise of approximately one third’s of England’s population. In approximately four years, the plague had covered almost the entire world. This illustrates the grave situation that had been fashioned by the plague. As such, it is imperative to analyze the exact impact of this plague on England as a whole. The steady growth that had characterized England prior to the plague experienced a sudden turn. The extent of deaths that were being realized from the plague has a resounding impact on the religious, economic, social and political structures. The fact that the ships could not anchor in Messina was not enoug h grounds to explain the sporadic nature of the spread of the plague. In sourcing the answer to this question, the situation that existed in England prior to the incidence of the Black Death, has to be highlighted. The source of the plague was from the fleas that were preset in animals. This is especially the big black rats. As long as the animals were alive, the fleas stayed with their host. However, a problem arose when these animals died; and the fleas had nowhere to go. In their search for a new host, they tended to also attack humans. As such, the fact that the plague killed one third of the entire England population, it left a significantly large impact on the political, economic and religious structure of England. At the time of the plague, England had been fiercely catholic; as such it is imperative to outline the impact of the Black Plague on religion in England. The plague had its most catastrophic impact in the cities (Sloanb 45). This is based on the fact that the cities had been characterized by overcrowding. Another factor that aided in this unrestricted spread was the low standards of sanitation in the cities at the time. The relative quick period between infection and ultimate demise had a profound impact on the religious practices at the time. The period of the 14th century was a period of profound religious inclinations. England was largely catholic. As such, it was a convention that people would die with their last rights and having confessed their sins. However, this procedure could not be sustained given the vast number of deaths that were being recorded. This compelled the Pope Clement VI to give remission to all those deaths was a directly sourced from the Black Plague. This is because the clergy were unable to be at the bedside of everyone who died. The religious transformation allowed the dying to confess their sins to anyone at their bedside. So much was the need to have people at the bedside of the dying that people were also allowed to confess to women. This had previously been unacceptable in the catholic religion. However, given the nature of the situation, this had to be accepted. The reliance on the clergy hit low probabilities given the characteristic of the plague in attacking isolated populations exemplified by monasteries. It is no surprise that people thought that the plague was as a result

Strategic management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 11000 words

Strategic management - Essay Example The corporate culture of an organization is revealed in its client satisfaction, office setup, business hours, employee benefits, dress code, hiring decisions, turnover, treatment of clients, etc. According to Edgar Schein, the organizational culture is viewed as the simple beliefs and assumptions that function unconsciously and shared by members of a company (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, Angwin and Renger, 2013, p.147). The corporate culture has significant influence on the alteration and development of organizational strategies. Schultz and Ravasi stated that corporate culture is a set of collective assumptions that outlines proper behaviour for numerous conditions to guide what is happening within the organizations. The four different layers of organizational culture proposed by Edgar Schein are values, beliefs, behaviours and paradigm (Johnson, Whittington, Scholes, Angwin and Renger, 2013, p.152). The corporate culture can affect the manner in which groups and people interact with stakeholders, with clients and with each other. A healthy corporate culture can help to improve the performance of an organization. Furthermore, it can benefit positive reputation, high employee retention and increased productivity. The organizational cultures include government, non-profit, public and private organizations. The company with positive corporate culture can make employees to experience positive attitude and high morale. It is critical for organization to develop implicit rules, clear understandings and core set of assumptions that can be effectively incorporate in the workplace environment. An effective corporate culture can help to lessen human resources costs and retain valuable employees of the organization. Moreover, it is believed that company with healthy corporate culture can increase profits, improve financial health, improve morale and increase productivity. The sustainability of corporate culture and focusing on building is one of the primary

Definitions of Health and Illness

Definitions of Health and Illness Victorine Diana Goin According to the definition offered by the World Health Organisation (WHO) (1948)[1] health is a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This paper seeks to offer critical analysis on the definitions of health and illness in respect of prominent academics in the field. Furthermore an in-depth discussion will be raised on the ways health can be perceived in a social context with regards to the relationship between negative social factors and health through the use of studies and surveys. To find the definition of health one can refer to Kenworthy (2002) who revealed the apparent links to theories that directly relate to health care. A noticeable theory consists of the biomedical concept. This concentrates on the belief that being healthy is to be without recognisable disease. One can see a direct contradiction of the biomedical concept of health in contrast to the definition offered by WHO (1948). On the other hand the WHO recognises that health is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This undoubtedly questions the strength of the biomedical concept in its definition of health. The definition revealed by WHO (1948) has similarities with the holistic concept of health which makes reference to the various dimensions of health each relating to each other and the need for health care professionals to treat the individuals and not just one aspect of their health. Ewles and Simnett (1992) made reference to the individuals physical, mental, emotional spiritual, social, sexual, societal and the environmental aspect of their health. Equally important is the definition of illness. When the elements of the WHO definition are not fulfilled then the individual may be regarded as ill. This is reflected by the definition offered in Mosbys Medical Dictionary (2009)[2]. He defines illness as an abnormal process in which aspects of the social, physical, emotional, or intellectual condition and function of a person are diminished or impaired compared with that persons previous condition. McWhinney (1987)[3] described illness as the subjective perception by a patient of an objectively defined disease. This is an interesting argument as it tells us the extent to which a patient may perceive their own illness. Indeed acknowledging this may be helpful in understanding the definition of illness. However on the other hand it does not allow for a uniform concrete definition as we are made aware that social aspects come to play as well as the individuals own perception. Kenworthy makes an interesting argument when he outlines that health is seen in the context of the distribution of illness, epidemiological patterns and class structures of that society. Helman (1992) builds upon this when he states that the presentation of illness and the way in which an individual responds to it is largely determined by sociological factors. In addition to this he elaborates that these factors influence the perception of which symptoms and signs are abnormal in a given culture. He gives the example of how a child growing in a particular culture learns how to respond to, and express a range of physical or emotional symptoms or social stresses in a culturally patterned way. (Helman 1992) This respect that everyones perception of illness will vary. Abraham Shanley (1992)[4] have adopted a health belief model which raises four key components of a persons belief about their own health. This includes how susceptible we are to the illness in question, the seriousness of the illness, the potential costs and the effectiveness of this action in relation to possible alternatives. The reasons behind the recognition of the socially constructed concept is illustrated by Kenworthy (2002) who points out that nurses for example have become more person centred and individualised whereas prior to this there was a more medical -disease orientated approach. This is emphasised by Corbett (1995) who identifies the recognition of the patient in healthcare as an active participant rather than a passive recipient of care Thus it is arguable that with the changing emphasis of care the study of the sociological aspect of patients has become almost a central feature in the education of nurses and doctors. According to the Poverty Site[5] (2009) poverty and health site the relationship between poverty and health is complex. Various factors are considered such as poor environmental conditions, poor housing, pollution, low education levels and unawareness of needed medical care, financial barriers in accessing health services, and a lack of resources necessary to maintain good health status which may entail poor diets. The Hillingdon Crime Survey 2004[6] is a good representation of the direct effects of crime on health. Although it was carried out five years ago it does offer insights into figures as to the direct and indirect effects of crime on health. The survey was based on a random sample of over 2400 residents on the electoral register of whom 25% responded. Twelve point six percent encountered direct effects of crime including physical injury, disability and death resulting from violent assaults, abuse and accidents, including those caused by dangerous driving. It was discovered that when asked the impact of crime on their health almost seven per cent reported an injury; 6.1% onset or relapse of an eating disorder; 9.4% increased use of alcohol, drugs and/or smoking; nearly 60% increased stress or anxiety, 28.2% depression and about 17% each reported isolation and insomnia. (Hillingdon Crime Survey 2004). On the other hand the indirect effects of crime on the victims health consisted of time off work, financial losses and changes in home circumstances. The findings also disclosed that for some victims, there were long term consequences of higher rates of mental health problems, smoking, alcohol and drug misuse, neglect of their health and risky sexual behaviour'[7]. The Acheson report ()[8] supports this finding as it revealed that fear of crime and violence can affect peoples quality of life and also be a cause of mental distress and social exclusion. The British Medical Association (2003)[9] identifies the important contribution made to health and illness by the standard of accommodation. Undoubtedly the quality of accommodation is strongly related to income, Therefore it is reasonable to conclude that those with a satisfactory or higher income can minimise the adverse effect of poor housing resulting in better health. The report also reveals that social and physical characteristics of the surrounding area are also vital in maintaining good health. Indeed the fact that poor quality accommodation is often situated in impoverished surroundings contributes further to making vulnerable individuals housebound.The report cited the elderly, the very young and those suffering from long-term ill health amongst the vulnerable individuals who are at particular risk. Thus these groups have the greatest exposure to many specific hazards. These studies and surveys highlight the importance of social and economic factors as an adverse effect of poor health. We can see that especially those in poor housing conditions and those habiting in deprived high crime areas are most likely to suffer ill health. However there are encouraging policy and legislation which exists to minimise these social factors on the health of individuals such as the Health and Social Care Act 2008, The Health Act 2006 prohibiting smoking in certain premises and provides a minimum age of persons to whom tobacco may be sold and the Health Bill 2009 that attempts to improve the quality of NHS care and public health[10]. It is apparent that the definition of health and illness endorses not only the individuals objective medical condition but also the impact of social factors. Whereas the biomedical model of health has a more individualistic approach the socio medial approach is more valuable in giving a considered perception of the definitions of health and illness. Indeed one agrees with Helmans analysis (1992) as he reveals that the presentation of illness and the way in which an individual responds to it is largely determined by sociological factors. It is also evident that whilst applying the social medical approaches that the relationship between poverty and health should also be acknowledged. If the individuals perception of health is to improve positively then negative social factors which contribute will need to be addressed further; such as low educational attainment levels, poor housing, and dangerous environments including crime levels. Bibliography Book Kenworthy N, Snowley G, Gilling C, (2002) Common Foundation Studies in Nursing third edition Churchill Livingstone: Philadelphia Mosbys Medical Dictionary (2009), eighth edition Helman 2002 Ewles and Simnett (1992) McWhinney (1987 Abraham Shanley (1992) Corbett (1995) Ebook Shakespeare T, (1998) The Disability Reader :Social Science Perspectives http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=3Pnzk9WfiPkCdg=shakespeare+1998+disabilty+readersource=gbs_navlinks_s Denny E, Earle S, (2005) Sociology for Nurses Polity Press http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=_MVl26vxeqwCpg=PA1lpg=PA1dg=sociology+for+nurses+denny+earlesource=blots=p59GMnjfw9sig=WYRQ6-mit1nli5-nk049BUZQwDUhl=enei=8Yr5SuPoOsTl4QaEtsytCwsa=Xoi=book_result ct=resultresnum=1ved=0CAgQ6AEwAA #v=onepageq=f=false Journals Lynch, J. W.; Smith, G. D.; Kaplan, G. A.; and House, J. S. (2000). Income Inequality and Mortality: Importance to Health of Individual Income, Psychosocial Environment, or Material Conditions.British Medical Journal320:1200-1204 Marmot, M. (1999). Acting on the Evidence to Reduce Inequalities in Health.Health Affairs18(3):42-44 McWhinney IR (April 1987). Health and disease: problems of definition.CMAJ136(8): 815 Websites An Introduction to Social Policy (2009) http://www2.rgu.ac.uk/publicpolicy/introduction/contentf.htm Accessed on 17/11/2009 Palmer G, The Poverty Site http://www.poverty.org.uk/. Accessed on 17/11/2009 World Health Organisation (WHO)(2003) http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html Accessed on 17/11/2009 NHS The Hillingdon Crime Survey 2004 Chapter 3 Health and Crime http://www.hillingdon.nhs.uk/uploads/aphr04/Annual%20Public%20Health%20Report%202004%20chapter%203.pdf accessed on 14/11/2009 Housing and health: building for the future (2003) http://www.bma.org.uk/health_promotion_ethics/environmental_health/housinghealth.jsp accessed on 14/11/2009 World Health Organisation (WHO)(2003) http://www.who.int/about/definition/en/print.html Accessed on 17/11/2009 Mosbys Medical Dictionary (2009), eighth edition Palmer G, The Poverty Site http://www.poverty.org.uk/. Accessed on 17/11/2009 NHS The Hillingdon Crime Survey 2004 Chapter 3 Health and Crime http://www.hillingdon.nhs.uk/uploads/aphr04/Annual%20Public%20Health%20Report%202004%20chapter%203.pdf accessed on 14/11/2009

Family Member Perspective and Damage to Temporal Lobe :: Medical Chemistry Chemical Papers

Family Member Perspective and Damage to Temporal Lobe The temporal lobe has several functions. Among these functions are auditory, memory, and emotional tone to sensory input. In these ways temporal lobes allow us to not only hear, but to comprehend what we hear and put it in to the proper context to effectively remember. (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005) Because of the functions of the temporal lobe, someone who suffers from damage to this area due to either a lesion or tumor can also suffer from a major change in personality. Drastic personality changes are one of the primary reasons it can be difficult to live with a family member who is experiencing temporal damage. One important role a family member of a person who suffers from temporal lobe lesions or tumors plays is helping the person recognize that there is a problem. Recognizing that there is a problem can be achieved through understanding the various symptoms associate with temporal lobe damage. One major area of symptoms deals with the drastic personality changes. The predominate symptom associated with personality changes experienced as a result of temporal damage is an extreme increase in aggression. Other symptoms of personality changes deal primarily with personal behavior, such as a change in sexual behavior, and a major shift in general personality as well as affective behavior. A second major group of symptoms associated with temporal damage is in the area of sensation and perception. These symptoms include different disorders of visual perception, difficulty perceiving auditory stimuli, and difficulty paying attention to visual and auditory stimuli. A final group of temporal lobe damage symptoms includes difficulty with long term memory, as well as problems with language comprehension and organization and categorization of verbal material. (â€Å"The Temporal Lobe,† 2005) Once symptoms have been recognized, a family member can assist in testing for damage. Personality Changes As mentioned above, personality changes, particularly aggressiveness, are a major side effect of damage to the temporal lobes. Aggression can be described as â€Å"a form of behavior characterized by physical or verbal attack.† (Columbia Encyclopedia, 2005) This aggressiveness can be expressed either externally or internally. In other words, some patients with temporal lobe damage acts out physically towards other people, while some patients aggressiveness is directed at themselves, through harsh and violent thoughts or physically hurting themselves. (Amens, 2005) Family members of those who suffer from temporal lobe damage due to lesions or tumors are primarily affected by the

Country Risk Analysis †Peru Essay

SWOT analysis Strengths: Peru is a country blessed with natural resources. In 2010 its exports reached some 23 billion GBP, which was mainly made out of minerals, petroleum and agricultural products. Its mining industry is the largest in Latin America, accounting for 7,7 billion GBP of its total exports in 2010. The climate is also favourable for agriculture, representing 13% of GDP, and employing 30% of the population. In addition, sites like Machu Picchu, Cuscu and Sacsayhuaman make Peru a popular tourist destination for millions of people every year. Weaknesses: Although an advantage when the business climate is favourable, Peru’s heavy dependence upon natural resources and agriculture can prove to be an Achilles heel. Volatile commodity prices and low productivity and fragmented land ownership in agriculture makes the economy susceptible to economic fluctuations. What’s more the country lacks vital infrastructure such as high quality roadways, bridges and flight routes. And as with so many other Latin American countries, high unemployment* threatens the economic and political stability, which in turn affects investor confidence. *Despite a fairly low unemployment rate of 7,9%, the underemployment rate is above 40%, which causes similar effects. Opportunities: In the period between 2000 and 2005 the number of visiting tourists to Peru doubled, and the figure has grown by approximately 11% annually, a trend that is expected to continue. Enforcing the rise in tourism is the announcement that there will be eight long weekends in Peru in 2012, generating some 500 million GBP in extra tourism revenue this year. In 2005, the US and Peru signed a free trade agreement enabling a non-barrier trading relationship between the two countries, which is a huge opportunity as the U.S accounts for 16.3% of Peru’s exports, and 19.5% of its imports annually. Threats: Almost 50% of Peru’s population is poor. This is mainly caused by the extraction industry, where people are oppressed in mining villages and remote communities. Income distribution is extremely skewed, as the richest 10% controls 35.4% of the wealth, and the poorest 10% only control 1.6%. PESTLE analysis Political: Peru is a quite democratic country, after the election of Fernando Belaà ºnde in 1980. However the political environment has been troublesome at best, with several attempts on overthrowing the government, last in October 2000. Alan Garcia, the same man who ran the country into the ditch with four-figure inflation rates in the 1990s, has in his second reign as president (2006-2011) witnessed an amazing economic recovery and growth. Corruption has long been a big problem in Peru, but counteraction was taken in February of 2010 when a dedicated commission was created to deal with the problem, which is especially brought on by the drug cartels. Peru also has a stable relationship with most of its neighbour countries, although their ongoing border conflict with Chile keeps that relationship tense. Economical: The economic environment in Peru has gone from hyperinflation (1991) to deflation (2002) to what appears to be stable growth since 2006. Being an exporting nation they where hit hard by the financial crisis, but kept the growth figure above 0, unlike many other Latin American countries. It regained GDP growth of 8.8% in 2010. In 2011 the credit rating agency Standard & Poor raised Peru’s credit rating from BBB- to BBB. In general, Peru has one of the most prosperous economies in Latin America, having tripled in size in the past 11 years. In addition of being a member of the WTO, they also have a non-tariff trade agreement with the US, which has proven most advantageous as the US represents some 30% of both imports and exports. It is worth mentioning that Peru’s economic growth is very much aided by growth in private investment of 13% annually. This is acknowledged by the government, and has led to minor barriers to entry for foreign firms. Social: Since the early 21th century the conditions for Peruvians has improved in many measures. Life expectancy has increased by 4 years to 73 since 2004, and the literacy rate is stable at 90%. However, there is a big split between the rural areas and big cities such as Lima, with 8.5 million people. While people in the cities are lifted out of poverty due to the economic growth, the people living in the rural areas are subject to underemployment and bad infrastructure. The main language used is Spanish. Although some speak Quechua or Aymara, these are mainly spoken by people living in the Andes Mountains. Technological: Peru is known for its substantial bureaucracy and inefficiency, much of which is due to its low amount of technology available. However, more and more people now possess a mobile phone, and Internet usage is increasing steadily. This said these number should be growing as only 10% owns a personal computer, and there are only 3,7 internet subscriptions per 100 people. (http://devdata.worldbank.org/ict/per_ict.pdf) Legal: Although the legal system in Peru appears to lack both independence and efficiency, it has been severely altered to attract foreign investors and aid business. Through removing the requirement for small enterprises to deposit start-up capital in a bank before registration they have made it easier to start a business, and investors are protected through a new law that allows minority shareholders to request access to non-confidential corporate documents. The tax-system has been made electronic, which not only makes it work more efficient, it also makes taxing a lot easier for both parts. It is also legislated that eight-hour days and 48-hour weeks are the maximum working hours, with a minimum wage of $128 a month. Environmental: In August 2010 Peru obtained the Third Programmatic Environmental Development Policy Loan. This money is dedicated to â€Å"strengthen environmental governance, including regulation & enforcement, and mainstreaming of environmental sustainability in the mining, fisheries, urban transport and energy sectors.† The funds will also be used to improve parts of the health sector, especially for those exposed to health risks from environmental degradation. This illustrates Peru’s awareness and concern about the environmental issues and their ability to handle them in a way that draws the World Bank’s attention.

Strain Theories

Strain theories look through a structural scope to examine crime in society. When people fail to meet societal goals, they feel a strain in their lives. An increase in strain can lead to an increase in crime.Strain can be felt throughout any community, large or small. I’m from a town of 3,000 people in rural Iowa. Even though it is much smaller than a city such as Denver, problems with crime and delinquency still exist. A summer drought reduces the profits during harvest and leads to much strain throughout the community since agriculture is the main industry. This puts the whole town into a sort of slum, which leads to increased crime and delinquency. For example, low-waged employees steal from employers or neighbors due to their frustration over lack of income. Teenagers often commit more vandalism and petty thefts since their parents are spending more time at the bar to distract themselves from the harsh times and less time at home with family.According to Merton’s st rain theory, anomie is the inability to satisfy natural appetites such as wealth and social status. When people from my community feel anomie, they tend to fall into the â€Å"retreatism† category of the five adaptions. They consider the work they do in the fields or time with their family a lost cause and turn to alcohol for their problems. There are plenty of â€Å"regulars† at the local bar because that is a place where they can escape their problems and gossip about others. This illegitimate coping mechanism might make them feel good for a short time, but it does them no favor over the long run.Another vantage point of crime is through general strain theory, which focuses on negative relationships. Like I mentioned before, a drought is highly detrimental to agriculture and leads to a â€Å"blockage of a positively valued goal†. This might also fall under the anticipated strain category because farmers spend every day of the summer worrying about rain, and a lack of it builds up the strain they feel. This creates an overall low social control over teenagers and it becomes especially bad when parents take out their frustrations over money on their children, as this leads to a  high negative emotionality and low constrain- a.k.a. the perfect recipe for delinquency.The empirical article did a great job of summarizing strain theory. It reasoned that people feel negative emotions when they experience strain, and those negative emotions are likely to lead to illegitimate coping mechanisms. Once an individual begins using illegitimate coping mechanisms, it can be very difficult to change directions and use legitimate strategies. It truly becomes a test of character when people experience strain, and the unfortunate fact-of-the-matter is that there will always be those who chose the wrong path in life.