Essay on theories and models of health promotion

Essay on theories and models of health promotion The word health came from the old English word for heal (hael) which means whole, indicating that health concerns the whole person and their integrity, soundness, or well-being (Crafter 1997). Health can be defined as a state of well-being, interpreted by the World Health Organisation as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO 1946). Health promotion (HP) is the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health. HP is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capacities. WHO (1984) In this assignment I will discuss health, HP principles, changing peoples behaviour and attitudes and I will also apply the application of a HP strategy (Beatties model). Beattie (1991) identifies three areas, health persuasion, personal counselling and community development. It also incorporates the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs (KAB model) which helps to support Beaties theories. His model offers a structural analysis of HP approaches. This model involves advice and information that is evidence based, insuring that the correct information is available to the client so she can make an informed choice, as the Nursing and Midwifery council (NMC 2008) stipulates. The KAB model, when applied, concentrates on what makes a person want to change. Dahlgren and Whitehead (1991) discuss the layers of influence on health and its social and ecological theory. They also attempted to link the relationship between the individual, their environment and disease. Individual people are at the centre, with a set of fixed genes. Surrounding them are influences on health that can be changed or modified. The first layer is personal behaviour and ways of living that can promote or damage health. e.g. ones choice to drink alcohol. Individuals are often affected by friendship patterns and their communities. The next layer of Dahlgren and Whiteheads theory is social and community influences, which provide mutual support for members of the community in unfavourable conditions. But they can also provide no support or have a negative effect. The third layer includes structural factors such as housing, working conditions, access to services and provision of essential facilities. Festinger (1957) used the term cognitive dissonance to describe a persons mental state when new information is given. This prompts the person either to reject the new information (as unreliable or inappropriate) or to adapt attitudes and behaviour, which could fit with it. Bradshaws needs also plays a critical role in HP. The schedule of antenatal care is dominated by a medical model. When providing care, the needs of women must be heard and incorporated into their care. Bradshaws needs can be used by midwives and other professionals to identify womens needs in pregnancy. This can lead to the type of healthcare which is more likely to address the social determinants of health and improve health outcomes for pregnant women. Normative Need: As defined by an expert, to be a need that all require. Such as the advised number of antenatal visits. Felt Need: an individual or groups own personal need. Expressed Need: A felt need which turns into an expression for help Comparative need: Comparing the needs of different groups and finding a common occurance. Bradshaws concept has four different types of need: My HP strategy focuses on Bradshaws comparative need. To educate women of 30yrs+ to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy. This is evidence based on research showing the link between alcohol and FAS. HP is a key part of the midwifes role. However, the effectiveness of its practice is often not easily recognisable. The document, Saving Lives-our healthier nation, (DOH 1999), suggests that individuals are not solely responsible for their own ill health. Health professionals i.e. Midwife and the government all play an important part in working towards achieving health for all and reducing inequalities in health and health care provision. The report also states that Healthcare authorities and primary care groups have a responsibility towards public health. (DOH 1999) The Royal College of Midwives (RCM 2000) suggests that maternity care is not just a delivery service. Midwives make a major contribution to family well-being and the wider public health and its contribution is yet to reach its full potential. HP is often used to describe behaviour or actions, which directly or indirectly influence the health of others. This may include preventing ill health, maintaining positive health, raising public awareness of health issues, protecting the public from harm, educating people to make healthy lifestyle choices and reducing inequalities in health and provision of healthcare (Dunkley 2000). HP within midwifery, involves enhancing positive health and reducing the risk of ill health through education. For expectant mothers it is a time of immense psychological and physiological development. During this time the woman acquires a great deal of new and sometimes confusing information from family, friends, magazines and health professionals. Midwifes have a duty of care to inform women about health damaging behaviour where this may occur. They also have a duty to encourage discussion on such topics i.e. alcohol in pregnancy, nutrition and choices of feeding. Following articles written in the Guardian and Telegraph newspaper in February 2010 stating that the Department of Health advice is that women should not drink at all when trying to conceive or when pregnant, but if women do chose to drink they should not have more than one or two units once or twice a week and not drink enough to feel drunk is what inspired my decision to look at Alcohol in pregnancy for this HP. The National Institute on Alcohol and alcoholism (NIAA) clearly states that NO alcohol should be consumed in pregnancy. The Telegraph newspaper in January 2009 reported that OLeary (an Australian scientist) states Women who drink five small glasses of wine during the course of a week in the first three months of pregnancy increase their risk of a premature birth by 70 per cent, even if they stop later. Research from the Infant feeding survey 2005 shows that drinking alcohol socially when pregnant has a higher occurrence in women in the 30-35 year age range and above. The Royal College of Obstetricians and gynaecologists (RCOG) 29th June 2010 stating there is no evidence that a couple of units of alcohol once or twice a week will harm an unborn baby. These contradicting reports led me to research the need for a HP on alcohol consumption in pregnancy. Professor Phillip Steer of the RCOG believes that if women ate and drank a more healthy diet this would result in healthier babies thus a healthier nation. Another specialist, Dr Raja Mukherjee, consultant psychiatrist and expert in foetal alcohol syndrome, stated that if a wealthier woman who has previously consumed wine on a regular basis, continues into her pregnancy, she is in the high risk group. He reports that they are actually putting their babies at risk before they even know they are pregnant, in some cases. Mukherjee (NOFAS) also reported that one of the most severely affected children he has seen, was born after a wealthy woman continued to consume half a bottle of wine 2 to 3 times a week. In my HP plan I wanted to target women in the older age ranges. Using the media to publicise the damage caused by alcohol consumption in pregnancy. My idea constituted a run of billboard posters depicting babies being forced to consume alcohol as well as television advertising. The adverts would be hard hitting with a simple dont drink slogan. The campaign would be called the you drink, I drink campaign. The primary aim would be to stop women drinking alcohol in pregnancy. The secondary aim would be to at least educate and inform women of the concerns related to drinking alcohol. Both aims would hope to have an effect in reducing the cases of fetal alcohol syndrome, currently 1:100, (NOFAS 2010), caused by drinking alcohol in pregnancy. Models have been used in HP for some time, but can they be a part of midwifery? It could be claimed that the unique and individual situations of pregnancy and birth do not lend themselves to categorising women and their needs. Every woman and every pregnancy is different. Could it be possible to apply a standard package of professional care? If midwifery is viewed as a health-promoting activity, then it may be that HP models and approaches can enhance the way that midwives deliver care by developing an agreed research-based framework, which, rather than labelling women, standardize good practice (Crafter 1997). The NHS plan, (NHS 2000), which seeks to develop an NHS that is patient-centred and fit for the 21st. Century, suggests that the role of the midwife should be developed in public health and family well being. Whilst researching my strategy I found that the first reported association between maternal alcoholism and a characteristic pattern of cranio-facial, limb and cardiovascular defects in the offspring was published in The Lancet Saturday 9 June 1973. Since then the results of a large body of research have been published. This is clearly an indication that a new HP aimed at pregnant women is needed! In 1996 the RCOG published a guideline on alcohol consumption in pregnancy. They wrote that there was no conclusive evidence of effects in either growth or IQ at levels of consumption below 120 gms per week. Nonetheless, they recommended that women should be careful about alcohol consumption in pregnancy and limit this to no more than one standard drink (8 gms of alcohol) per day. This disagrees with the recommendations from NICE. Who state that if a woman does decide to drink alcohol, she should drink No more than one or two units, once or twice a week. It is clear that the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy cannot be deemed without risk, however, controversy continues as to whether there is any safe level which women should be advised not to exceed. According to The National Organisation on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS), the medical and scientific literature overwhelmingly supports the hypothesis that there are risks of alcohol related brain damage from drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy.   Based on these findings, NOFAS position is that there is no safe time, no safe amount, and no safe alcohol during pregnancy. (NOFAS 2007) The obvious way forward is to re-educate women through HP. There are key drivers in health matters such as the National institute of clinical excellence (NICE) and the Acheson Report for the Department of Health, which was a report to contribute to the development of the Governments strategy for health and an agenda for action on inequalities in the longer term. The publication in February 1998 of the consultation paper Our Healthier Nation; a Contract for Health was an important landmark. It identified the need to improve the health of the worst off in society and to narrow the health gap as an overriding principle. (DOH 1998) The report took into account the main features of Our Healthier Nation as they affect inequalities. It discussed tackling inequalities in the settings of schools, the workplace and neighbourhoods. The section on the NHS included an element on the reduction of inequalities through local partnerships taking into account plans for Health Improvement Programmes and Health Action Zones. It also takes into account the changes outlined in the White Paper The New NHS: Modern and Dependable. Whilst developing my HP strategy I looked for current Local and National strategies. The key strategy is that of the National Organisation on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). They offer an extensive service, including conferences, support group meetings, publications and in particular the Baby Bundle Project. The training for Midwives Project is an initiative of NOFAS-UK to provide useful and positive health information about the consumption of alcohol in pregnancy. Midwives play an important role and can help prevent FASD. Another key strategy is Drinkaware. Drinkaware aims to change the UKs drinking habits for the better. They promote responsible drinking and find innovative ways to challenge the national drinking culture to help reduce alcohol misuse and minimise alcohol-related harm. They are an independent, UK-wide charity, who are supported by voluntary donations from across the drinks industry to equip people with the knowledge they need to make decisions about how much they drink. Drinaware also helps tackle alcohol misuse. As well as working with other organisations and individuals across the UK to fulfil the educational, community and awareness campaigning function envisaged in the Governments Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. They also provide easily accessible, evidence-based information about alcohol and its effects, to employers, young people, teachers, parents and community workers, such as Midwives. They use a range of advertising mediums, such as film, multimedia and TV. Another National strategy is NICE. Their current recommendations on alcohol in pregnancy is that Pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy should be advised to avoid drinking alcohol in the first 3 months of pregnancy if possible, because it may be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. But as previously discussed they also advise that women planning a pregnancy or in the first 3 months should not drink at all. The negative theory of this is that the government is presuming that all women will know what 8g of alcohol is, or 1.5 units. Should the government be advising women in a more user friendly way? The HP strategy advising women what they should or should not do will fail as not all women will know how much is too much. This creates a concerning risk. The government need to re-address the strategy to be usable by midwives and pregnant women alike. They should be re-thinking ways to educate women as to what a measure of alcohol is. Nice is also adding to the confusion in saying avoid alcohol then expressing that it can be drunk but in moderation. This sends a very confusing message to health promoters and pregnant women. According to NICE it is the responsibility of the midwife to educate their clients in the safe levels of alcohol consumption at their first meeting. At the expectant mothers first visit to the antenatal clinic the midwife should explain how the pregnant woman will be monitored with regular examinations and tests to ensure that the pregnancy is progressing normally. It should also be emphasised that the womans health inevitably influences that of the fetus and can have major impact on health in childhood and later life. Midwives need to advise their clients on what is safe. Would it be safer and clearer to advise all women, all of the time, not to drink alcohol at all? But the midwife would then not be offering the woman informed choice. It is the role of the midwife to offer lifestyle advice and to tell women of the implications of what alcohol consumption can do to a fetus. Then as Beatties model states, its the clients prerogative to choose what their actions are but it is the midwives role to try to encourage a change in previous unhealthy behaviour. During the development of my HP strategy i gained a peer review. (See appendix A). The positive feedback was tremendous. Confirming that I had correctly assessed the need for the target audience to be women aged 30-35 years+ and that a hard hitting advertising campaign was the right route to take. It highlighted the need to define which health models i would use and I decided on Beatties and KAB rather than Tannahill, which is another well know model. Although I did realise the need to decide on a primary and secondary aim for my promotion. The review also highlighted the need to be able to assess the success of this strategy. This would be easily measured by seeing a reduction in babies born with FAS. During antenatal care Midwives impart relevant information in a teaching way, but it is of no value if that teaching is facilitated in a lecturing style. Women wont learn if spoken at. It is not possible to provide an exhaustive coverage of pregnancy, labour, and the postnatal period during a set of 3/4 classes. A childbirth educator can boost her clients self esteem by valuing everyones comments and creating an atmosphere in which learning is a shared experience. The aim of childbirth education, therefore should be to help the women understand the importance (for their mental health) of getting the information they need, and to empower them to ask questions when and of whoever they want. It has been clearly demonstrated that a womans mental health after delivery has been closely linked to the amount of information she received during her labour (Oakley 1980). Health promoters are not always effective at providing information. Hillan (1992) suggests many women feel that there are a variety of ways during an antenatal class to empower women to ask questions of their caregivers. Women can be empowered by the attitude of their teacher. In Beattie (1991) Strategies for HP, he incorporates empowerment as an important aspect of his model to empower individuals to have the skills and confidence to take more control over their health. Analyses of empowerment shows there is a need to distinguish between self-empowerment and community empowerment. Self empowerment is used to describe HP strategies which are based on counselling and which use non-directive, client centred approaches aimed at increasing peoples control over their lives. Midwives frequently engage in client-centred work, as they are concerned with facilitating client autonomy. The client sets the agenda and the health professionals role is facilitating, guiding, supporting and empoweri ng the client to make informed choices (Dunkley 2000). Community empowerment is used to describe a way of working which increases peoples power to change their social reality. It is also a way of working which seeks to create active participating communities who are empowered and able to challenge and change the world about them. This approach helps people identify their own concerns and gain the skills and confidence to act upon them. It is unique as a bottom-up strategy and calls for the different skills from the health promoter (Kendall 1998). The midwife, becomes a facilitator whose role is to act as a catalyst. Carl Rogers has also developed the theory of facilitative learning. The basic premise of this theory is that learning will occur by the educator (in this case, the Midwife) acting as a facilitator, thus establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors. When teaching adults we must be aware of their different learning styles. Adult learners are a very diverse group. Andragogy (the teaching and learning of adults) was first developed by Alexander Knapp in 1833. Then in 1984 Knowles used Knapps theory and expanded on it. Knowles emphasizes that adults are self-directed and expect to take responsibility for decisions. Adult learning programs must accommodate this fundamental aspect. Knowles himself changed his position on whether andragogy really applied only to adults and came to believe that pedagogy-andragogy represents a continuum ranging from teacher-directed to student-directed learning and that both approaches are appropriate with children and adults, depending on the situation. (Knowles 1984) Beattie offers a structural analysis of the HP approaches. He suggests that there are four paradigms for HP. These are generated from the dimensions of mode of intervention which ranges from authoritative (top-down and expert-led) to negotiated (bottom-up and valuing individual autonomy). Most HP work involving advice and information is determined and led by practitioners, or midwives in this case. The work and thoughts of Carl Rogers in the 1960s have been formative in understanding the importance of self-awareness and the experiential learning in helping individuals to understand and make decision. It is therefore important before commencing adult education to examine the structure of the model and look at whom it is aimed at. It is important when working within a team that certain values are shared and made explicit so that the carers can work towards the same goals and the recipients of care can be clear about the standards and outcomes to expect. Developing and working with unified models and approaches in health promotion and midwifery can therefore help midwives to communicate with each other more effectively and strengthen initiatives, which benefit everyone (Crafter 1997). The transition to parenthood is an emotional time for both the pregnant woman and her partner. The shift from marriage or partnership to the first pregnancy is a major transition point in a womens life. It is also the time that HP can have its biggest effect. Women are open to learning new things and hearing from many different sources about whats best for them during this time. A number of studies have suggested and therefore confirm this theory that the most difficult transition for couples to make is the birth of the first child (Cowan Cowan, 1992). All major transitions involve making changes and a period of disequilibrium. A professional career woman may find the whole process out of her control and be left reeling. Motherhood can significantly challenge a womans sense of identity, revealing a tension between personhood and parenthood. Antenatal classes, media, books etc all play a part in acclimatising the woman to her new role. Other outside influences are the social surroundings. Pregnant women from lower or working classes may not feel they have the same support as those from middle or upper class social areas. They may not reach out to areas of support, including what we consider basic antenatal care. Younger mothers may look at parenthood through rose tinted spectacles, imagining their baby will sleep through the night. While the more mature first time mother is more realistic in her outlook. This is where HP again plays an integral part in educating the woman through sources of media, care and through learning in the community. Expectations and theories have changed greatly over the last 40 years. Older mothers are more common as are teenage mothers. Teenage mothers in the 1960s were sent away to discreetly have their babies, now they are a common part of the community with different needs to that of the older mother. HP has to be aimed at all groups all of the time. It is up to the care giver to facilitate this information at the right level for each individual case. Good quality teaching, support and HPs received well, all contribute to the transition to parenthood, thus increasing the confidence of the new parent. After all, it is one of the most vulnerable times in their life. With successful antenatal learning in place this would then enhance the transition to parenthood and that of attachment. Bowlby (1969) devoted extensive research to the concept of attachment, describing it as a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings Proximity Maintenance The desire to be near the people we are attached to. Safe Haven Returning to the attachment figure for comfort and safety in the face of a fear or threat. Secure Base The attachment figure acts as a base of security from which the child can explore the surrounding environment. Separation Distress Anxiety that occurs in the absence of the attachment figure. Bowlby (1969)Bowlby believed that there are four distinguishing characteristics of attachment: These characteristics are learned as children and are what we use when moving from childhood to parenthood. Without a good base we cannot expect new parents to successfully proceed into parenthood without some re-education and the support of quality care givers. In conclusion, the RCM Vision 2000 describes the midwife as a public health practitioner. Midwives have always enhanced, facilitated and supported factors, which promote physical health, psychological, social and spiritual well being for the woman and her immediate family. Some of the key points that should be considered for the future of midwifery HP practice, is that it needs to be clearly defined, national and political recognition of the midwives contribution to public health should be improved and midwives should promote health within the socio-culteral and economic context of how individuals live their everyday lives (Dunkley 2000). Providing antenatal care to woman and fetus demonstrates a unique opportunity to enhance holistic health through advice, guidance, support and social networks where the woman can be offered further specialised care if needed. This assignment has discussed the concept of health and HP, the value of alcohol avoidance and briefly the effects on the pre gnant woman. Beatties and KAB model was used to show the importance that a supportive environment is created in which people can challenge ideas and question beliefs. Beatties model is adaptable and could be applied to many scenarios, the model shows a knowledge of awareness of adult education by provoking a deep understanding of processes and problem solving, and therefore the quality of teaching and the learning process. There are a number of ethical issues involved in parent education. Participants need to be listened to carefully and their questions answered truthfully, which gives a positive effect on the woman and leads to the skills and confidence to take more control over their health.

Heraclitus - Permanent Flux :: essays research papers

Permanent Flux It is said that every great journey begins with one step. This is not true. A more accurate saying would be, â€Å"every great journey begins with the idea of the journey†, thus leading to the idea of the step, and so on. The steps will surly follow an idea, but nevertheless the ideas will always precede any action. Once one gets an idea in one’s head, one must either forget it, or act on it. Such as the case with the first Philosophers, known now as the Pre-Socratics. The Pre-Socratics, which started around 600 B.C.E., formed ideas of a journey to enlightenment of their society. Instead of dismissing this idea, they thrived off it and took the first steps toward teaching an entirely new way of thinking. These first thinkers of philosophy, which has an appropriate meaning of the love of wisdom, wanted to know more about life, earth, the stars and most importantly, the â€Å"being† of it all. Though not the first of the original thinkers, Heraclitus of Ephesus, wa s among this group of lovers of wisdom and revolutionized the world with his idea of â€Å"being† and allowed mankind to follow in his steps. The Pre-Socratics are known for creating philosophy by searching for a rational order to their world and their being. Prior to the philosophers, man simply accepted the mythological stories and supernatural concepts. The philosophers, however, approached questions to by observing their surroundings. This was the world they could touch and feel, therefore making it an ideal foundation to their quires. The first of the Pre-Socratics examined the natural world and assumed the â€Å"stuff† that made all things â€Å"be† came from the natural surroundings around them. For example, by an early scientific and rational approach, the Pre-Socratics took the four elements of the world, as they knew them to be (water, air, earth, and fire), and studied them. Some deduced water to be the â€Å"stuff†, while others looked to air, or the earth to answers their zealous questions of being. Heraclitus, on the other hand, found a unity in all the elements, and related â€Å"beingà ¢â‚¬  to â€Å"fire†. His reference to fire, however, is purely metaphorical. While his predecessors focused on the actual elements they felt were the â€Å"stuff† that made the existence of being, Heraclitus’ only focused on fire to demonstrate his metaphysical concept of constant flux. Heraclitus is noted for saying, â€Å"there is nothing permanent except change.

Relationships with children and young people Essay

Describe how you would establish respectful, professional, relationships with children and young people. It is important to establish respectful and professional relationships with children and young people as a role of a Teaching Assistant. A relationship in which a child trusts and respects their teaching assistant and feels comfortable in their company, will allow you to offer a supportive and caring environment in which the child can learn and develop. Listening is arguably the most important way in which to establish a respectful and professional relationship with a child or young person. By listening to what a child has to say, without interruption, conveys to the child that you are in interested in and values what the child has to say. By not interrupting the child, it shows that their views and opinions are not only respected by you, but are also as important as the views and opinions of you themselves. You should also take an active interest in what the child has to say and an interest in the child themselves. For example, what are their hobbies, their interests, their likes and dislikes? . Children respond to routine and rules and should be made aware of what the rules are and the consequences of breaking rules. By doing this, this will enable you to explain to the child that the punishment they have received for breaking a rule ‘is fair’. Fairness helps to establish respectful relationships. Children are very aware of the concept of fairness and the statement ‘it’s not fair’ is often heard within the classroom. Every child should feel secure and valued no matter of their culture, abilities, sex or race and your interactions with the child or young person should demonstrate this at all times. It is important you establish these ground rules and mutual respect right from the beginning, as well as discuss the factors with the pupils that are important when working together. It is crucial that you start by talking about how you are going to work together and what each person wants to get out of it. By doing this it will help you develop a mutually respectful relationship with the pupils. You must also  remember to be able to adapt your behaviour, and be able to communicate accordingly to every child. It is important that you can demonstrate effective communication skills and show that you are approachable to each individual child or young person you are working with. You need to take into consideration that each child or young person is different and can be at different development stages. It is very important when talking or listening to a child that you maintain eye contact, concentrate on what they are saying and physically lower yourself to their level. This shows the child respect and that you consider them as an equal. Finding out about some of their interests and hobbies will also show them that you are really interested. You should make an effort to learn all children’s names, how to spell them and how to pronounce them. Professionally this is also important; being able to put a face to a name will ensure the child’s safety. Children have a great respect for fairness; ‘it’s not fair’ is a common phrase in the classroom. A way of showing fairness is allowing a child to explain their version of events; again this shows that you are willing to listen. However it is important to be consistent in situations, if two children break the same rule it would be unfair to punish one and not the other, this would result in lack of respect from the children. It would also be unfair if you were to show favouritism, like letting your ‘favourites’ get away with things that you would punish other chi ldren for. Being polite not only shows respect but as an adult being polite is a good role model for the children. Children always have stories to tell and being interested and polite shows them that you have listened to them. Children mimic the behaviour of adults, if you are polite, honest, fair and respectful to children there is more chance that they will be act the same towards you.

Application of the spiral of silence theory Essays

Application of the spiral of silence theory Essays Application of the spiral of silence theory Paper Application of the spiral of silence theory Paper This public opinion concept refers to the way in which ‘the commonwealth is held together by prevailing views, habits and prescribed behavior;’ from which none can deviate ‘without running the risk of being ostracized’. (Noelle-Neumann, 1989, p. 6). The fear of isolation is the centrifugal force that accelerates the spiral of silence. (Griffin, E. M. ,2009). It is believed that most of the reason of the following suit behavior is that people like to be respected and do not want to be isolated. But, this theory still has some limitations. The critics of this theory most often claim that individuals have different influences that affect whether they speak out or not. Research indicates that people fear isolation in their small social circles more than they do in the population at large. When they are at work, they are in their small social circles, this fear of isolation is stronger than the fear of being isolated from the entire public. Also, personal characteristics will have an influence on whether a person will willingly speak out. Naturally, if one has a positive self-concept and lacks a sense of shame, that person will speak out regardless of how she or he perceives the climate of public opinion. (Ross, C. , 2007). Another important element for people not to speaking out is culture. What culture a person lives in affect their minds directly. Not every culture holds freedom of speech in as high regard as the United States, and in some cultures, open expression of ideas is forbidden. (Ross, C. , 2007) Scheufele Moy, further assert that certain conflict styles and cultural indicators should be used to understand these differences. Although the spiral of silence theory caused a lot of controversy, it still has a practical significance. Internal communication plays a key role in all organisations, particularly regarding employee engagement. Nowadays, all companies are experiencing rapid growth. P. Sanchez(1999) asserts that doing business and managing change makes effective internal communication a critical success factor. When internal corporate communication becomes smooth, managers could collect useful advice and wisdom, understand different point of view and evaluate different levels of suggestions, providing more reference for their decision-making. Maybe a little suggestion from one subordinate can have a greatly influence on the interests of the company. Furthermore, through the communication, employees feel comfortable and are respected, it will establish their loyalty and make them care about the development of not only themselves but the whole company. In fact, their engagements directly affect the company’s performance. The theory provides a unique perspective that the final consequence of the discussion in company is not the rational opinions and may be the convergence of the strong opinions. Sometimes, the strong opinions are not accurate and result in the wrong choice of managers. Because of the spiral of silence, some people hold their opinions in mind and do not speak it out, they will lose their enthusiasms of their work and make no contribution to the company. Usually, those people’s opinions are known as adverse opinion, which are opposite to the leadership or the mainstream. It may be correct, also may be wrong. So we cannot just treat it as wrong opinion. Only if the administrators make it clear, the employees would disclose their true own opinion. It is not normal that there is not a voice against the majority opinions, this actually means managers do not play a good role in creating a free, democratic environment for employees. As time passes, the staff are too lazy to put forward their opinions. If so, the managers of company will lose so many value aspects of the different voice. Amounts of adverse opinions may stimulate some other new, fresh ideas, sometimes these ideas are even better than the original advantageous opinions . For minorities to stimulate the thinking of the other group members, the minorities have to share their opinions. Factors that might encourage people to express minority opinions would include having personal qualities that can offset the risk ( Hollander, 1958); getting support for their position ( Latane Wolf, 1981; Tanford Penrod, 1984); and having a positive and accepting social atmosphere in the group ( Hackman, 1987). In fact, creating a nonjudgmental atmosphere is the cornerstone of group discussion techniques designed to maximize participant contributions (e. g. , Delbecq, Van de Ven, Gustafson, 1975; Osborn, 1957). There is no doubt that the existence of the spiral of silence in company is the last thing managers want to see. If it exists, minority will not comment about many things, they bend to the public opinion. Several different opinions precisely are the indispensable condition of making correct decisions. Critically, that doesn’t mean managers should adopt the minority opinions all the time. When discussing adverse opinions, managers should not reject them flatly, but let employees fully expound them views and reason, and then analysis their opinions seriously. The reasonable part should be accepted and the unreasonable part should be abandoned. Since some few people’s insights are profound, decision-makers need to determine whether the strategy should be changed. Managers must be able to recognize those wrong opinions, and according to their different properties, adopt appropriate methods. In order to maintain the enthusiasm of staff, it is important for managers to treat all opinions of the staff equally, no matter they are right or wrong, positive or negative and valuable or not valuable. For those right and valuable opinions, managers should not only verbally accept them, but give the presenters praise and reward. For those abandoned opinions, it is important to encourage the presenters to continue to point their opinions out. Only totally understand how the spiral of silence theory works in the enterprise and treat the disadvantageous opinions properly, administrators could create a smooth channel of internal corporate communication.

IRS No Longer Sending Paper Tax Forms

IRS No Longer Sending Paper Tax Forms They say the only things certain in life are death and taxes. That might be true. But the way you pay your taxes is certainly changing. Key Takeaways The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) officially stopped mailing annual tax return forms to individual taxpayers at the end of 2010.The IRS estimated at the time that the change would, in fact, save taxpayers over $10 million a year in printing, postage, and processing costs.Paper tax forms and instructions can still be ordered from the IRS or picked up at local IRS assistance centers or participating post offices and public libraries.Electronic filing or â€Å"efiling† is now the predominant method of filing tax returns, with over 56 million taxpayers having prepared and efiled their federal tax returns since the IRS stopped mailing paper tax forms in 2011 The Internal Revenue Service announced that it will no longer mail out paper tax forms to Americans, effective 2011. The move is designed to save everyones favorite government agency a little cash - about $10 million a year. With the continued growth in electronic filing and to help reduce costs, the IRS will no longer mail paper tax packages that typically arrive in January of each year, the agency said in a postcard mailed to taxpayers. The IRS will save money by not having to print and mail the thick, 44-page packet of information, tax tables and Form 1040s. If you dont want to file electronically, here are your options for getting paper tax forms: Log onto IRS.gov, where you can download and print the latest tax forms.Drop by your local IRS Taxpayer Assistance Center.Go to your local post office or library if they participate in the federal tax products program.After Jan. 1, you can also dial the IRS toll-free hotline and ask them to mail you the paperwork. The number is (800) 829-3676. The IRS has been encouraging taxpayers to file electronically for years. About 96 million taxpayers filed electronically in 2010, and another 20 million submitted their forms to the IRS through professional tax preparers, according to the agency. By comparison, only about 11.5 million taxpayers who filed paper tax forms had received them in the mail. Electronic Filing Now Dominates Figures released by the IRS in 2019 show that the agency’s 2011 decision to â€Å"go paperless† was a wise and popular one. According to the IRS, the number of tax returns that are filed electronically- efiled- has grown every year since. By the end of May 2019, for example, more than 127,939,000 million tax returns for Tax Year 2018 had been efiled. Taxpayers who self-prepare and efile their own tax returns have continued to grow. In 2019 (for Tax Year 2018), over 56,214,000 million taxpayers have prepared and efiled their federal tax returns themselves as of May 2019. In addition, as of May 2019, over 86,965,000 million taxpayers had received faster federal tax refunds via direct bank deposits into bank accounts through electronic bank transfers (EBT). The average tax refund received by direct deposit was $2,868. The option to file tax returns electronically has actually been around for 25 years. The practice of efiling began in 1986 as a small test program in 1968, when only 5 tax IRS-selected tax preparers from Cincinnati, Raleigh Durham, and Phoenix agreed to participate. Since then, efile has grown to become commonplace, serving millions of taxpayers every year. Updated by Robert Longley

Post-Modernism and art Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Post-Modernism and art - Essay Example Quaternity is another artwork by Anself Keifer that depicts art as a production in the post modernism era. The painting has a rough grains on the floorboards traced in various charcoal lines bleeding over a burlap canvas. There are three flames burning at the centre with each one being a member of the Christian fraternity: father, son, and the Holy Spirit. At the right hand corner, there emerges a snake that commune through the flames and it is labeled as Satan. In his sense, he labels the Christian fraternity and Satan as having a complex relationship by placing Satan equidistant from the three Christian trinities. Thus, his artwork portrays that Christianity suppressed evil. In the artwork, every trinity has a hidden fourth, which all the three combine to make a quaternity. In his brain by David sale, there is a picture of a naked woman on a bed. The image is almost pornographic. Across the canvass are tiny images of Abraham Lincoln that are taken from pennies. These images suggest cheapness and moral rectitude. The conflicting meaning in the artwork competes with each other and competes over the naked woman thus draining its pornographic content . This relays the recycling of a culture authenticated by the audience. Though pornography is prohibited in most states, the artwork tries to reveal pornography on a lighter note. Thus, most individuals are able to identify with the artwork though on a lighter note. . All the ideas and emotions expressed are only implied due to lack of.

Marketing Communication Manager for Local Chain of Fast-food Assignment

Marketing Communication Manager for Local Chain of Fast-food - Assignment Example The market, contribution, and limitation of competitors are central to competitor analysis (Sekhar 2010 p.67). And it is a systematic review of competitor’s activities for gaining competitive advantage (Harris 2009 p.24). KFC remains the most important challenge for the Burger Hut. KFC has spread across the world and has largely been able to open various branches and franchises in almost all countries, including in the mainland China. Furthermore, it has been observed that the KFC has largely been to retain its current market share in China. And its current market share and market position have largely been supported by various factors. KFC has a strong brand image. Brand and quality are two words that are mostly used interchangeably. And when this is applied to KFC, it can be easily extracted that they collectively represent KFC’s image in the minds of its customer. It is relevant to highlight that it is the prime contribution of KFC brand image that has enabled the company to retain its market share in China and in other countries where it is currently operating. It would not be incorrect to say that effective marketing strategy has also played its role in making the KFC brand image more competitive and unique as well. The KFC has adopted different marketing strategy in which it gives more importance to all those methods which enable the company to penetrate the different markets. For example, in some countries, the KFC has opened up its branches and in other countries; it has issued the franchise ownership to the local investors.