Communication Leads to Successful Nursing Practice Essay

In this assignment, I will reflect an incident happened during my clinical placement to develop my communication skills not just theoretically but in practical facing real life environment. There is a lot of factors that may influence nursing practice. In this essay, I will discuss the importance of communication in developing nurse-patient relationship. Communication in nursing as stated by Sheldon (2004) was, â€Å"Many definitions describe [communication] as a transfer of information between a source and a receiver. In nursing, communication is a sharing of health-related information between a patient and a nurse, with both participants as sources and receivers. The information may be verbal or nonverbal, written or spoken, personal or impersonal, issue-specific, or even relationship-oriented, to name a few possibilities. â€Å". The aim of this essay is to reflect what had happen during my placement and this gives me opportunity to improve my nursing care plan, which is based on the patient’s initial valuation. David Kolb,1984 said in his book called † Experiental Learning: Experience as a Source Of Learning and Development,(Kolb, 1984)† that reflection is a way in which we examine our experiences and draw lessons from them. QIA Key Skills Support Programme(2007) added that reflection can help to bridge the gap between theory and practice and enable us to look critically at our own behaviour, the behaviour of other people and at the organizational and social context within which we operate. In my context with my event, it is important for me to improve my nurse-patient relationship in terms of communication. In this reflection essay, I am going to use Gibbs (1988) model of reflection. This model is a recognized framework that will help me to reflect what was going on during my 16 days of clinical placement in one of major government hospital. Gibbs model of reflection consist of six stages where the stages link with each other making a continuous cycle to facilitate critical thought, relating theory to practice where this model allow me to see my weaknesses and improvements during my clinical placement. Gibbs’ model of reflection encourages you to think systematically about the phases of an experience or activity, and you should use all the headings to structure your reflection (Oxford Brooks University, 2011). This model of reflection also a good brainstorming of experiences that will end up with solutions to be made and things to be fix and for us to be aware in the future. Jasper M(2003) explains in her book called † Beginning Reflective Practice – Foundations in Nursing and Health Care† that Gibbs model of reflection starts with description of the event which I will discuss in my reflection. The second stage is going to be the analysis of feelings, where I have to tell how I am feeling when that situation happened. Third stage of Gibbs is evaluation of the experience, then comes the fourth stage that is analysis. In this stage I will discuss about the event and from what sense that I can use out of that situation that I am facing in the event. Conclusion and action plan are the last two stages which later on will discuss what else could I have done and what action can I do if the situation arose again along my course in nursing and in future time. Description In this paragraph, I would like to describe what happen during my clinical placement. I was selected to be in the female surgical ward in one of the government major hospital for my first clinical placement. The ward dealing with pre-operative, post-operative patients and orthopedic patients. The ward is divided into four cubicles which each of the two controlled by different unit; operative care unit and orthopedic unit. So, came this morning when me and my colleagues join the qualified nurses do their passing patients report, a family member of a patient name Ms. A approached me and complains that her daughter felt pain at her abdominal area. Ms. A is a 22-year-old young lady who has been diagnosed with colorectal cancer, (colorectal cancer occurs when tumors formed in the lining of the large intestine, also called the large bowel – National Cancer Institute,2003) as a result, giving her cramp feeling in the abdominal area, vomiting and change in bowel movements. She is in a nursing special care called palliative care,(palliative care – an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual – WHO 2011) as her cancer was in incurable stage. I, as the student nurse immediately followed my mentor with few qualified nurses as they heard Ms.  A who was screaming continuously as she claims her pain was unbearable. It was my first time seeing or even hearing someone in that much pain, so I stood near her bedside and just look at the qualified nurses assess her after I introduced myself as student nurse. Effective communication is vital, as what have been stated in NursingTimes(2007) † Failure to communicate well with a patient right away will destroy the delicate n urse/patient relationship and mean the patient does not trust the nurse. † Feeling Here, I would discuss the feeling and thinking that I had when I was in the situation. First I introduced myself to Ms. A as I need to build a good rapport with Ms. A so she won’t feel awkward and panicked with my presence with other qualified nurses. Like Crellin. K (1998) said in her 11 Ways To Built Rapport article, â€Å"Taking time to establish a rapport with them can help them cope and improve their willingness in cooperate with the treatment†. I was shocked and stood near her as she can’t stand with her abdominal pain. There is limited skills that I can do to help Ms. A during that time as I am still new in the environment. I were taught to ask Ms. A condition and asisst her to calm down by communicating with her. Evaluation In my evaluation, I feel that I did the right thing to attend Mrs. A and help the qualified nurses dong their task by communicating and be an empathic listener (emphatic listener is a way of listening and responding to another person that improves mutual understanding and trust, Richard. S 2003) and active listener so that she feels safe and know that someone care about her other than her family. As said by Richard Salem(2003), Emphatic listening will build trust and respects and creates safe environment that is conducive to collaborative problem solving. So, these control her emotionally to make her to calm down and get back to her stable condition. The doctor who attend her indirectly taught me how to make Ms. A to calm down, by facing a challenging speaker who was in pain. The key to active listening is relaxed attention – to listen with my whole body by using verbal and non-verbal skill like facing the speaker(patient) and maintaining eye contact with them (University of Maine,1914). Analysis To analyse of what happened, the factors that affect my communication with Ms. A was her unbearable pain. Effective communication and act as a professional were quite difficult as I never had a long conversation with her except for asking permission for assessing her vital signs which were temperature, blood pressure and breathing rate. Active listening also needed in this context as it help the speaker clarify what they are saying and makes them feel heard and it reduces emotions that block clear thinking (University of Miane – 1914), hence it reduces her pain mentally. By listening to her, rephrasing what I heard the patient say as patient won’t be receptive to your response until her thought ,ideas and feeling are communicated and understood(U. M,1914). Conclusion To conclude this, I am sure that communication is the most important skill to have as this will lead me to a successful nursing practice in any situation. Without effective communication, I won’t be able to establish a good rapport with Ms. A and her family. As said by Sheldon, (2004) â€Å"The power of creative and effective nursing care is strengthened by good communication skills. Patients share their stories, symptoms, and concerns by talking with us. Both the spoken word and the body language convey information about the patient’s experience. Your words can do so much: put a patient at ease, set up a productive relationship, and carry out interventions. There is no other skill that is used more in nursing than communication. † and Kacperek (1997)suggested that effective communication is dependent on the nurse’s ability to listen and utilize non-verbal communication skills. Ms. A feels thankful for our presence helping her with er pain by giving painkiller right after her mother called us. Action plan If the same situation arose again, I would like to get myself prepared with any circumstances that might happen, in my case, to communicate with patients in professional way without waiting for emergency situations. Research, asking tips for good rapport and effective communication are ways to solve my communication weaknesses. Without proper communication, it is difficult to understand patient’s need. Therefore, I would like to remind myself that, effective communication is the bridge towards successful and efficient nursing practice. Therefore in nursing practice, it is essential to have the knowledge of interaction, not just practical skills like bed making, vital signs and bed bathing but well prepared with good communication skill to face any situation that we might experience anytime. Without good nurse-patient relationship being built, trust and cooperation between both parties won’t exist. As Lanette L. Anderson (n. d) â€Å"They may not remember our names, but they will remember how we treated them during a difficult time in their lives. â€Å"

Hoosiers Essay

‘Hoosiers’ is a sports film made in 1986 about a basketball team of high school of a small town in Indiana. The film represents a time during 1952 when every high school in Indiana used to compete in one or the other state championships. The film is based on the new coach of the basketball team, Norman Dale who in fact has a past with a spot and has been out of the game for nearly more than a decade. The people in the town are adamant to fire him because they are not sure about the coach, not at all trust him and also dislike his coaching style. Despite all these opposing, Coach Dale sets himself focused and finally brings the whole team together and helps it to win the state championship and at the same time wins the heart of the people too. Coach Dale explains to the team members that it becomes necessary to apply different leadership styles in different situations. One of the styles that help the team members to unite and win the championship is authoritative style. Initially, in fact immediately in his first interaction with the team members, Coach Dale applies this style on them and asks Ray to keep out of the game just because he didn’t follow his instructions word by word. The movie is of course about a high school basketball team but it depicts that a person’s leadership and right directions can lead even a community and if one were focused on his goal, he would definitely achieve it. Authoritative style is, in fact, uniting the members of the team by focusing on a common goal that has to be achieved but here the members are to follow the instructions of their leader on the way of achieving the goal. But in this movie it was not only the leadership style but also lot of other characteristics of Coach Dale like his optimism, self-confidence, farsightedness, enthusiasm, toughness and of course motivation, that helped the team to win and follow his instructions. There are times when authoritative style of leadership seems to look like dictatorial or bossy but it best fits in situations when the leader has the best knowledge and experience as compared to other members of the team or when time limit is less for the group to take decisions. Authoritative style of leadership becomes important when the goal is common but the group members are not very sure about the ways to achieve it but the leader has a concrete idea, which if followed there is maximum chance of achieving the goal. The whole and sole responsibility lies on the leader’s shoulders and he or she must have the expertise and should possess all the basic and detailed information to handle the situation. In the movie, Coach Dale has his goal focused and applies this style of leadership most of the time because he has the self-confidence and farsightedness in him along with the experience of the game much more than the other members of the team. Initially his players don’t listen to him and two among them even walk away because they don’t trust him and to follow someone it is very important to have faith in his words. The movie focuses on the significance of determination and importance of right leadership in not only a basketball game but in life too. When it becomes difficult to  achieve the target in life and you have someone who has the confidence and expertise to guide you, you must follow him and trust him.

Henry David Thoreau: Transcendentalist Essay

Henry David Thoreau spent much time studying nature and applying those studies to the human condition. His Transcendentalist ideas shone through in his writings and his life. In â€Å"Economy† he asks, â€Å"Why has man rooted himself thus firmly in the earth, but that he may rise in the same proportion into the heavens above† (Thoreau 58). He asks this question in response to man’s ever increasing need to have more than the basic necessities of life. In other words, if we have warmth, food, water, and clothing what purpose does added luxury serve. Thoreau reinforces this later when he writes, â€Å"When I have met an immigrant tottering under a bundle which contained his all – looking like an enormous wen which had grown out of the nape of his neck – I have pitied him, not because that was his all, but because he had all that to carry† (Thoreau 110). In Thoreau’s opinion these things only hamper one’s ability to rise above a mundane existence. Moving to the pond and living off what it supplied helped him in that quest. Reading on into â€Å"Where I Lived† he says, â€Å"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is dear, nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary† (Thoreau 135). This is an extremely telling statement. Thoreau is speaking of his dedication to finding truth in nature. The real travesty, for him, would be to neglect this opportunity to learn what nature has to teach him or die never the wiser. He honestly believed nature to be the highest physical reality on Earth and only by understanding it could a person understand oneself. Living in harmony with nature was the first and best way to realize the truths of human nature. He furthers these ideas later in â€Å"Sounds† by asking what is gained by earnestly listening to what is around you: The rays which stream through the shutter will be no longer remembered when the shutter is wholly removed. No method nor discipline can supersede the necessity of being forever on the alert. What is a course of history or philosophy, or poetry, no matter how well selected, or the best society, or the most admirable routine of life, compared with the discipline of looking always at what is to be seen? Will you be a reader, a student merely, or a seer? (Thoreau 156). He had not read any books over his first summer at Walden in favor of working his land and keeping other practical matters in order. The sounds of the natural world, as well as the opportunities he afforded himself to sit in the sun, offered a unique opportunity to for inner reflection. While he must have gotten much joy from reading and learning he understood that true understanding could only come from observing what nature offered. He continued, â€Å"†¦I was reminded of the lapse of time. I grew in those seasons like corn in the night, and they were far better than any work of the hands would have been. They were not time subtracted from my life, but so much over and above my usual allowance† (Thoreau 157). How beautiful it must have been for him to have this time to search within himself through nature. Knowing and understanding that nature provides an environment to grow spiritually allowed Mr. Thoreau to learn his place in the world and accept it happily. This utilization of his natural surroundings helped him focus inwardly. Looking at his isolation as a gift he wrote, â€Å"Some of my pleasantest hours were during the long rain-storms in the spring or fall, which confined me to the house for the afternoon as well as the forenoon, soothed by their ceaseless roar and pelting; when an early twilight ushered in a long evening in which many thoughts had time to take root and unfold themselves† (Thoreau 177). The solitude he found at Walden, on a dreary rainy day that may have found others in different depressed states, he used to ponder the idea of loneliness and how it had such a small effect on him. To Thoreau, loneliness was only possible for those who had to be contented by spending time with others in endeavors that did nothing to increase the human spirit or give way to a heightened perception of one’s self. It seems that, above all, Thoreau felt that mankind devoted too much of itself to trying to compete, impress, and just generally keep up with itself. The disarray of the government in Thoreau’s time did not serve to better this opinion. This was the time of the Mexican war and slavery was a growing issue in the United States. Thoreau had come to a point that his faith in government was lost as well as his faith in those that followed it. â€Å"The mass of men serve the state thus, not as men mainly, but as machines with their bodies† (Thoreau 388). He felt all those employed by the state had lost the ability to make rational moral judgments and the citizens were deprived of a true say in government. He argues that by doing this, â€Å"†¦they put themselves on a level with wood and earth and stones; and wooden men can perhaps be manufactured that will serve the purpose as well. Such command no more respect than men of straw or a lump of dirt† (Thoreau 388). To Thoreau, people of the time were blindly following a government that put its interest ahead of the peoples. What was even worse was that the people could see the truth if only they would look. The answers to these problems at the time did not necessarily have to be revolution. In Thoreau’s mind a man could make a dramatic statement by washing his hands of the whole mess and therefore making a powerful statement to others.

Watergate Scandal Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Watergate Scandal - Research Paper Example Five other men plead guilty, but mysteries remain. April 30 - Nixon's top White House staffers, H.R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, and Attorney General Richard Kleindienst resign over the scandal. White House counsel John Dean is fired. May 18 - The Senate Watergate Committee begins its nationally televised hearings. Attorney General-designate Elliot Richardson taps former solicitor general Archibald Cox as the Justice Department's special prosecutor for Watergate. June 3 - John Dean has told Watergate investigators that he discussed the Watergate cover-up with President Nixon at least 35 times, The Post reports. June 13 - Watergate prosecutors find a memo addressed to John Ehrlichman describing in detail the plans to burglarize the office of Pentagon Papers defendant Daniel Ellsberg's psychiatrist, The Post reports. July 13 - Alexander Butterfield, former presidential appointments secretary, reveals in congressional testimony that since 1971 Nixon had recorded all conversations and telephone calls in his offices. July 18 - Nixon reportedly orders the White House taping system disconnected. July 23 - Nixon refuses to turn over the presidential tape recordings to the Senate Watergate Committee or the special prosecutor. October 20 - Saturday Night Massacre: Nixon fires Archibald Cox and abolishes the office of the special prosecutor. Attorney General Richardson and Deputy Attorney General William D. Ruckelshaus resign. Pressure for impeachment mounts in Congress. November 17 - Nixon declares, "I'm not a crook," maintaining his innocence in the Watergate case. December 7 - The White House can't explain an 18 ?-minute gap in one of the subpoenaed tapes. Chief of Staff Alexander Haig says one theory is that "some sinister force" erased the segment....In the cold war era of the United States and Russia, and the war raging on in Vietnam, Nixon felt a need to increase the funding for domestic intelligence gathering. On July 23, 1970, he approves the expanded plans per taining to this action but decides to cancel the plans a few days later. This move on Nixon's part starts a snowballing of events that spin out for control the next year. The president seemed to have been developing a growing distrust of the the people around him so much so that he no longer trusted anyone within his own political party and the opposition party as well. There was never any given psychological explanation for his actions and to this very day, the reasons for his actions at Watergate remain somewhat muddled although most experts tend to believe that the event was closely tied into his re-election campaign and black mail gathering moves. These politically motivated actions have led to the term Watergate as having to refer to political burglary, bribery, extortion, phone tapping,

Political-Economic Resentments in Gulf Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 1

Political-Economic Resentments in Gulf - Essay Example Oil costs rose drastically. Though Saudi Arabia was the uncontested largest producer of oil, its oil industry, located very close to the war face and sell overseas lines were affected by the persistence of the war2. In fact, the war overstated the oil production all over the Gulf area. The "Tanker War" was expanded to the extent of involving the tankers that were used to transport oil to the Gulf since 1987. The Iranian came up with this idea to stop Gulf being held up to Iraq. In its place, it led to the first enormous American military operation in the region to guard Gulf tankers against Iranian attacks3. The two countries incurred foreign debts. They were unable to pay off them after the war ended due to loans from other countries. The war shifted the worlds concentration in the Middle East from the Arab-Israeli clash to the Gulf section. That Lead to decrease in relation of this country with foreign countries in fear of damages; hence, decrease economically. If the Iranians are capable of having some of the economic sanction lifted they would turn into a chief opponent for Iraqs oil led developmental

Marketing and Distribution Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Marketing and Distribution Management - Essay Example This is because it will be easier to determine price floors and ceiling so that adjustments are done within this range depending on the competition trend. The main disadvantage of the pricing policy is that it ignores the public image and the market position of the company. Value-based pricing policy can prove to be very profitable if the company is sure that what they charge is consistent with the value offered to the clients (Mohr, Sanjit, and Stanley 34-45). The disadvantage of this technique is that it can scare off potential customers who are price driven, and it can equally attract more competitors. Microsoft has adopted value-based pricing due to the outstanding performance of its new product Windows 8 on various gadgets including mobile phones, tablets, and other portable electronics. This is the best technique for this company since it has to manage its public image by offering quality products for sustained competitive advantage. Skimming is one of the traditional pricing c oncepts applied to a new innovative product that has just been launched in the market (Ferrell and Michael 56-61). It is suitable when the clients are price-insensitive and simply driven by the value of the product. On the other hand, penetration price is able to attract customers and gain market share and rise steadily after capturing clients. Customers tend to be very responsive to the price. In respect to Microsoft’s new innovation of Windows 8, it is imperative to underline that at its introduction what mattered was its value to the people and, hence, skimming technique application by the company. It is important to note that Microsoft operates in an oligopolistic market structure, and its survival, therefore, hangs on its ability to employ power-pricing model due to the uncertainty of the long-term price dynamics. Vertical marketing system involves mechanisms through which firms that supply a given product or service chain work in co-operation with the goal of all of the m maximizing benefit.

Hotel Restaurant Management Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 5000 words

Hotel Restaurant Management - Research Paper Example Marketing is often a very important part of restaurant management in a hotel environment, as it must become possible to persuade customers of many different lifestyles and backgrounds to choose the in-house restaurant over other external competition. As a manager, it is more than merely ensuring that productivity is high and employee responsibilities are met properly, it is a complicated process that requires ongoing dedication toward building a positive image for the organization in the eyes of customers, employees, and those in higher levels of executive authority. This paper describes several of the different activities that hotel restaurant managers undertake in their roles of leadership, showing how the external environment is strongly linked to the internal environment in order to make every aspect of the restaurant superior to competing food organizations. In addition, the relationship between the manager as a human resources leader and a tangible, cost-focused manager are des cribed. A diverse global travel agency affiliated with AAA Travel, Insight Premium Escorted Vacations, offers, â€Å"great vacations are measured in moments, not miles† (IPEV, 2007, p.10). This statement essentially attempts to offer that regardless of the distance of origin for the travelling consumer, they will remember their experience by their direct contact with those in the hospitality industry and how they perceive quality in each interaction with hotel staff and other in-house representatives. Hotel restaurant managers are exposed to a large volume of different clients who each have different goals for satisfying their vacation or other travel needs. Many of these consumers come from international locations, with widely different socio-economic and cultural backgrounds. Some of these clients, depending on the cost and reputation of

The Study of Elementary and Special Education Teaching Essay

The Study of Elementary and Special Education Teaching - Essay Example hat Charles should not be denied admission into the new school and he should be accorded the necessary education services, which will ensure that he has the ability and power to attain the desired success level. Another regulation, which Charles parents need to adopt in making their accusations, is the part 2 (11), which talks of language or speech impairment that is based on communication disorder. This is relevant to Charles articulation and stuttering problem, which makes him to communicate very fast and not pause while typing. Therefore, the parents have to use this regulation to argue for provision of education services, which will enable Charles to overcome the communication disorder he is suffering from. Charles parents have to argue that Charles is not an anti-social person and nor does he cause harm to other peers. This is because he has the ability of interacting with the other peers effectively. The only challenge he has is that of communicating effectively. As such, the s chool environment has to accept his nature. The parents have also to argue that they have lived with Charles for long and they have not seen any negative effect or impact he has on the other children. In fact, Charles has responded positively in previous school where he been taught to communicate and type slowly with pauses. This is what the new school has to embrace in order to ensure that this child realizes the goals and dreams of education. Moreover, during the previous sessions where Charles has been taught, he has not depicted any form of challenge in terms of taking instructions. Therefore, the new school has to ensure that it provides instructions to Charles in an effective manner. Actually, Charles does not need to be isolated from the other children since he likes the company of... This paper makes an analyzes a boy Charles's and his parents' behaviour. They have to argue that Charles is not an anti-social person and nor does he cause harm to other peers. This is because he has the ability of interacting with the other peers effectively. The only challenge he has is that of communicating effectively. According to the paper the philosophy is aligned to Constructivism Theory as postulated by Jerome Bruner. In this theory, the learner selects information and transforms such information, constructs hypotheses, and engages in decision making process. As such, this theory is based on the need for knowledge construction based on beliefs, previous knowledge and personal experiences. Therefore, as an educator I focus on encouraging students to discover principles and knowledge on themselves. This includes proving an opportunity for students to interact among themselves and the teacher. The curriculum is developed in a spiral manner such that students are able to develop based on what they have already learned in class.One can modifies teaching strategies to encourage students to engage in information, analyzes, interpretation and prediction during the learning process. The paper makes a conclusion the author's philosophy is based on Progressivism education philosophy, which is based on the curriculum development and design. The curriculum will focus of enhancing progress and development in society and individual level capabilities. The main emphasis will be in creation of interpersonal relationships, developmental thinking skills, and improvement in learning process. As such, students will have an opportunity of creating and expressing individual ideas and appreciate differences, which may occur among them. My task would be to push students towards achieving their goals and stimulate curiosity in scientific inquiry and problem solving ideas.

Cancer Cells Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Cancer Cells - Research Paper Example As a female child ages into a woman, the hips gradually become broader to permit the mature female to carry the growing fetus in her womb. The breasts become well-developed to allow her to provide the best nutrition possible once she delivers the conceived child. And since each multicellular organism is a composite of many cells, what we see happening to it is a reflection of what is happening inside the body, within the cells. The aging process of a multicellular organism such as a human is a reflection of division, development, and programmed cell death of its somatic cells. For a cell, the earliest physiological process to disappear once it is developing is its ability to produce daughter cells. Because once a cell is developing, it steps out of the cell cycle and enter a nondiving state, the Go phase. Most of the cells in a developed human body are in Go. Most common examples of these are the specialized neurons, which do not divide (Campbell and Reece, 2002, p. 226). So on the onset of life, a fertilized egg cell divides into many, and will be grouped according to what their functions will be once they develop defining characteristics that make them different from others. However, normal cells cannot multiply forever. Not only will development not permit them, as is the case once a cell dies before the organism, but mortality is engraved in the DNA. Since DNA replication mechanism only makes a daughter strand by adding nucleotides at the 3’ end, its 5’ end, which an RNA primer filled during the course of DNA replication, is left unfilled once the primer is removed, and the resulting DNA is shorter after every replication. The good thing is, the 5’ ends of DNA strands, called telomeres, do not actually code for a gene and are thus dispensable. But since telomeres are of defined length, DNA replication and cell division can only go through a defined number of cycles as well (Campbell

Drama Essay, Riders to the Sea Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Drama , Riders to the Sea - Essay Example In the end, she is left with only enough strength to stumble into her grave. Though painful and lacerating, Maurya’s suffering has been worthwhile. Her ultimate recognition of pain, and her acceptance of death as the irrevocable end of human existence does not compensate for her losses; but certainly, it  makes the losses appear meaningless in a broad human context: the  knowledge of life is available only to those  who have been chastened and purified by suffering. Maurya in the end negates life and accepts the ravages of the death. She becomes a stoic. She becomes a universal figure who can induce others to acquire â€Å"calm of mind, all passion spent†. This purgation of emotion comes after experience (Milton, 87). Death is undoubtedly a universal phenomenon but that should not mean one should be pessimistic about life. She is merely an old woman in a family of fishers on the barren and windswept Aran Island. The poor and illiterate Maurya is taught and enriched only by her experience. Her life has been marked by a series of bereavements. Her husband, father-in-law and all her six sons perish in the sea. When the play opens, we find her almost at the nadir of psychological setback. Michael has been missing for nine days and is possibly dead. Maurya is restless and laments continually. The readers find her confronting the mysteries of the unknown from whose bounds no traveler returns. Her sorrows and lamentations over Michael’s death is a poignant picture of loss and misery. She has acquired a strange, almost uncanny knowledge of premonitions. For years, she has looked at the sea and the sky, trying to figure out the set of the wind and the timings of the tide. For years, she has knocked at the doors of the impenetrable mystery of death, weeping and praying, This continuous mourning has taugh t her a few secrets to bear the misery of suffering and death if not champion them. Therefore, when Nora reports that the young priest has told her that

Week 6 DQ 1 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Week 6 DQ 1 - Assignment Example In individual communication, the initial sender of the message is most commonly a singular entity, with the recipients being either in plural or in a limited number. Communicating with an individual is rather direct since the use of non-verbal communication cues are evident, where the individual’s shift in position can easily be noted (Baack 64). Such responses are easy to monitor in the case that the communication is directed to an individual. This is even better enhanced when it comes to feedback and its analysis. On the other hand, group communication is limited in quality by the number of singular individuals involved since they are limited in terms of response analysis and real-time reaction to such feedback from the recipients of the message. Group communication is additionally limited by the group state of mind that is imposed on the group by the environment, and thus the message and feedback cannot be handled as efficiently as on an individual

Patent Nonuse and the Role of Public Interest as a Deterrent to Technology Suppression Essay Example for Free

Patent Nonuse and the Role of Public Interest as a Deterrent to Technology Suppression Essay Patents are contracts between the society and the inventor to encourage development in the field of science and technology. It helps the society by enabling them to utilize this technology, and the inventor by protecting his rights and rewarding him appropriately for this intellectual efforts and innovations. Once a patent is given by the patent office, the inventor has to work the invention by himself or through somebody else by means of an assignment or a license. The patent office does not look at the potential commercial value of the invention whilst giving the patent. The invention should have a specific use and should fulfill what it is meant to do. Many inventions given patents have turned to be commercial failures. However, there are several instances in which neither the patentee has worked the invention by himself, nor has he allowed others interested to do so. This is a very serious situation, because it goes against the very intention of granting the patent. The patent system grants patents only to those inventors who are willing to reveal their invention with others, so that it can benefit society. Some patentees may not work their invention due to several reasons, one of which may be to wrongfully hide or suppress technology from the public. One of the first such cases was the Continental Paper Bag Co. v. Eastern Paper Bag Co. case of 1908. In this case, the patentee had invented a machine that could make a folded paper bag with a rectangular bottom. However, he had not made his invention available to the public, thus preventing others from working the invention. At that time, this invention was a breakthrough, and many people felt bad, because the very intention of giving a patent was not fulfilled. No concrete rules regarding nonuse of patents and compulsory licenses were existent at that time, and everything was left at the mercy of the patent holder. Lower courts also found that the patentee was unreasonable. They in fact tried to draw a line between ‘reasonable nonuse policy’ (inventor unable to use his invention because or some understandable problems) and ‘unreasonable nonuse policy’ (purposefully suppressing technology). However, as no concrete rules existed at that time, the higher court had to give its decision in favor of the rightful owner of the invention. Many breakthrough technologies exist which are being currently suppressed from the public. A plastic that is strong, long-lasting, and can be utilized to make houses that last forever, was granted patents, but not accessible to the public by the owner. New rubber for tires is invented which does not blow up. If this technology could be utilized currently, the lives of many people who die in road accidents could be saved. A new material has been invented for use in toothpastes, which protects the teeth from developing cavities. These technologies are being suppressed due to the anticompetitive intentions of their owners. Some patentees may not use or license their technology so that others may be forced to infringe up on their patents. Lawsuits for infringements could be filed, which could give them earning in millions. An instance of this is a case between Minolta and Honeywell’s, in which Minolta had to pay $127 million to Honeywell for infringing their auto-focus camera patent, although the owners were not using their patent. The patent office should come up with strict rules such that all the patentees have to give an annual report of how their patent is being worked commercially, and in case it is not being worked, the reasons for the same. In case the inventor does not respond, the patent should be revoked. Instances of patent nonuse can be used as evidence in the court, against individuals who indulge in anticompetitive practices. Such practices are strictly considered unlawful under the US Antitrust Laws. The Sherman Act was one of the first such as to protect against unfair trade practices. According to this act, any individual monopolizing or attempting to monopolize, or combines with other people or with other nations to monopolize any trade business in the US, shall be held guilty of an offense under the act. Patent is a monopoly granted to the owner, but they are also contracts between the owner and the public, to permit the later to access the technology. Patent laws are likely to be misused. The exclusionary right (to prevent others from using or making the invention without the license of the owner) is limited and should be more meaningful. The patent system does not give absolute monopoly to the owners. In the case Pfizer V. Government of India [434 US 308 (1978)], the US permitted foreign nations to sue under the Section 4 of the Clayton Act. The Government of India was asking Pfizer to grant licenses for certain broad spectrum antibiotics. However, the company refused to give reasonable licenses. Several antitrust violations such as price-fixing, fraud, market-division, etc were being imposed by the Indian Government against Pfizer and group. The respondents also said that petitioners were trying to limit and monopolize the production, sale and distribution of their patents. The respondents also said that these practices had destroyed businesses. The Company said that the Indian Government could not bring this case forward, as they belonged to another nation. However, the court went on to say that foreign nations could also claim under antitrust laws. The court said that the case was similar to having a citizen having his rights under the antitrust laws being violated. In the case Remington Products V. North American Philips corporation [107 FRD 642, 1985], Remington alleged that the company Philips, a leading Dutch MNC, was indulging in anticompetitive behavior by not disclosing information needed to work the discovery. The defendant claimed that certain clauses in a Dutch statue did not permit disclosure. However, the US court granted the case in favor of Remington saying that the defendant wrongfully withheld information regarding the discovery. The plaintiff had previously approached the defendant to provide information regarding the discovery. However, the defendant refused to give this information needed saying that the information was irrelevant. In the Chevron Research Company’s patent [1970; RPC, 580], the court said that the patentee has to disclose full and relevant information regarding the patent. In the Image Technical Services V. Eastman Kodak Co. [504 U. S. 51 (1992)] provides an association between the antitrust laws and the intellectual property rights regime. Kodak Company had a patent for a photographic device. The case was alleged by companies that serviced Kodak’s products. In this case, a distinction is being made between ‘attempting monopolization’ and ‘attaining monopolizing by exploiting’. The court had to study the market situation to determine if the company was trying to control prices or destroy competition. Kodak in fact monopolized manufacture of components of its photographic equipment and even monopolized servicing of its equipment. The court had said that both patents and copyrights did not come under antitrust laws. An inventor had the right to license or refuse license of his invention. However, a patent owner may be held for developing practices against the antitrust laws (that could destroy competition). The extent to which antitrust laws could be applied to patent laws had to be determined by studying the market situation. The plaintiffs had gathered enough proof that Kodak were trying to monopolize their market situation by limiting the availability of its components to the service companies Nowadays, exclusive license holders may also try to misuse their rights by monopolizing their licensed to make or use the patent. This can be demonstrated in the Medtronic Sofamor Danek, Inc. v. Michelson case. Dr. Michelson had invented a new spinal treatment device and had given a license to Medtronic which manufactured medical equipment. However, the company did not promote his treatment device, and hence the doctor had to grant licenses to other companies that would compete with the original license holder. The company filed a case in the court claiming that the patent holder breached clauses of the contract. However, the Court felt that the company had adopted certain anticompetitive principles that did not promote the patent. Patent holders are trying to maximize their monopoly, by indulging in anticompetitive acts. Often there is a clash between patent laws and antitrust laws. Patent laws provide the holder with rights to eliminate competition, whereas antitrust laws enable protection of healthy business competition practices. A clear border line has to be drawn between these two conflicting legal regimes. In the case Illinois Tools Works V. Independent Ink, the question of the manufacturer having a market power over a patented product or process could be presumed whilst granting the patent, was being asked. A patent holder may hold so much of powers in the market such that he/she may dominate the scene. A patent holder will usually violate antirust laws if he or she feels that they are in a situation to dominate the market. In this case, Illinois printers invented a printing device and had prohibited the customers from using non-patented ink. The defendant felt that such terms were against the true spirits of competition, and were under the impression that Illinois tool works were trying to dominate the market situation. It may be difficult in such a case to determine the party that would carry the burden of proof. The patent holder had tried to extend his patent. In this manner, they had created both, primary and secondary market rivals. The primary rivals included other manufacturers of printers, and the secondary rivals included other manufacturers of printer inks. The court gave its decision in favor of Independent Ink, citing that patents could not be extended to non-patentable areas. A patent had only specific boundaries, and crossing such boundaries constituted infringement. In another case, Schering-Plough held a patent for a drug. A company that manufactured a generic version of the same drug felt that the original company’s patent was invalid. They wanted to file for a patent opposition, but Schering-Plough decided to pay the generic drug manufacturers to withdraw the case and also stay out of the market for some period. Federal Trade Commission filed a case before the Supreme Court, saying that Schering-Plough was trying to destroy all competition in the market by wrongfully preserving its invalid monopoly. The Court felt that the agreement between Schering-Plough and the generic manufacturers was invalid and was executed to destroy competition in the market. Patent laws should make it easier to obtain a compulsory license in case the patentee wrongfully suppresses the invetion from the public. A compulsory license should be given to anybody in case:- The patentee is unable to meet the reasonable requirements of the public with relation to his patented process or product. †¢ The patentee does not make the invention available to the public at an affordable cost. †¢ The invention is not being worked in the jurisdiction of the patent office. †¢ Special considerations should be given to inventions that relate to public health and nutrition, and emergency situations. Compulsory license should be a sanction (for the patentee) and a remedy (for the public); in case the patentee indulges in anticompetitive practices. The concept of compulsory licenses developed following the African AIDS crisis situation. The continent was in a crisis situation with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. A few companies such as Glaxo, Merck, etc held a patent for an antiretroviral drug which could be life-saving for people suffering from HIV/AIDS. However, these companies had indulged in several anticompetitive practices. The cost of treating each AIDS patients in Africa was exceedingly high (US$ 10,000 per patient per year). Hence, the drugs were inaccessible for many poor patients who belonged to underdeveloped nations. Cipla, an Indian pharmaceutical company volunteered to supply the drug at a fraction of the overall costs the other companies were offering (US $ 350 per year per patient). Some of the African Nations had to modify its trade laws so that parallel imports and compulsory licenses could exist. However, the original companies that held the patents for antiviral drugs began to sue for infringement. These companies had to later withdraw their infringement cases, as there was a worldwide agitation against the anti-public health policies adopted by the patent holders. Later, at the WTO conference in Doha, a comprehensive agreement to protect public health issues was adopted to prevent unhealthy practices by the patent holders (through compulsory licenses). Some people feel that the patent system can create an obstruction in the development of science and technology, as instances of nonuse often arise. Once a patent is granted, it may even prevent others from inventing around a particular invention or inventive concept. This will seriously hinder the developments in that particular field. Inventors, who tend to sit on their inventions by refusing access to the public, should be henceforth refused patents.

Research Study into the Causes of Youth Binge Drinking

Research Study into the Causes of Youth Binge Drinking What are the causes of ‘binge drinking amongst youngsters Abstract The meaning of ‘binge drinking has been questioned considerably; there is no one such definition as it is seen to be too broad and complex. A broad definition that could be used however would be drinking too much alcohol at once or over the recommended daily units, which according to the NHS is no more than 4 units for men and no more than 3 for women. The consumption of alcohol in the UK is on the increase especially amongst youngsters, which has lead to great concern. This dissertation explores a range of issues that aimed to find out the main factors that causes youngsters aged 16-24 to ‘binge drink. This was done by taking a qualitative and quantitative approach in the form of a questionnaire which included 24 questions with regards to the consumption of alcohol. These were paper based questionnaires as well as online based questionnaires which were given to a sample of 60 students to complete. Results showed that there are a number of factors which cause youngsters to consume alcohol. One of the main reasons for the consumption was due to the social aspect. Drinking alcohol is seen as a ‘normal thing to do when socialising with peers, therefore this could lead to binge drinking. Other factors include peer pressure, stress release, enjoyment and confidence booster. However, findings show that the topic is more complex than this; therefore further research and investigation would need to be undertaken to fully grasp the issues underly ing this subject matter. Introduction Significance of the issue The United Kingdom is considered to have one of the most problematic affairs with alcohol due to drinking patterns and styles that have developed over the past century. While numerous other western European countries, such as Spain and France, have seen a decline in overall alcohol consumption, the United Kingdoms overall consumption is on the increase. Greater concern is amongst those aged 16-24 years who are primarily associated with ‘binge drinking. As levels of drinking have increased so has the cause for concern due to social and health consequences, with 30% of men and 25% of women drinking more than the recommended intake. (Paton 2005, p.1) Young people in particular are drinking larger amounts of alcohol over shorter periods of time. The recommended limits of alcohol per session (according to the NHS) should be no more than 3-4 units for men and 2-3 units for women. In 1990, the average amount of alcohol drunk by 11-15 year olds as a whole was 0.8 units in a typical week, rising to 1.6 units in 1998 (Goddard and Higgins 1999). Among those youngsters who do drink, the average of 5.3 units in 1990 increased to 10.5 units in 2002 (Boreham and McManus 2003) which is almost double the amount drunk twelve years previously. Those aged 16-24 in the UK are more likely to binge drink with 36% of men and 27% of women reportedly binge drinking in 2002 at least once a week (Office for National Statistics). These s show potential dangers and risks for youngsters in many ways. A chief example of these risks and dangers would be physical health. Research has suggested that excessive alcohol consumption can lead youngsters to experience many problems, the main symptoms being breathing problems, leading to coma and inhalation of vomit (Lamminpaa 1995). Other dangers of physical health would be through the damage of the organs, mainly the liver, brain and heart (Tuttle, Mazurek, Loveland-Cherry, 2002). Other risk factors affecting youngsters as a result of high alcohol consumption would be the risk of accident and injuries, as they have limited experience in the effects of drinking alcohol and regularly consume alcohol in high risk areas without adult supervision (Newburn and Shiner 2003). These are just a few dangers and risks outlined that are associated with adolescent alcohol consumption, and the reason why the increase of alcohol consumption by young people is concerning, therefore the factors that affect alcohol consumption and what causes this to increase needs to be looked into further in order to avoid these dangers from increasing in the future. Aims/objectives The general aim of this dissertation is to explore what binge drinking is and to investigate the main factors and causes associated with high alcohol consumption amongst youngsters aged 16-24, looking at students in particular. The main objectives are to look at what binge drinking actually is, as there are many definitions and questions arisen as to what could be defined as ‘binge drinking. Also to look at the different causes of high alcohol consumption and an attempt to explain the how and why binge drinking affects youngsters in particular. Future recommendations will also be given, and an attempt will be made to investigate how much people actually know about binge drinking. In order to meet these aims and objectives, research will be conducted in the form of a questionnaire which will be handed out and undertaken around the University of Bradford and Bradford College, as well as posting the questionnaire online through a social networking site known as Facebook. The questionnaire approach method was decided to be taken as this will help this study meet the aim and objectives in many ways; it will enable a detailed examination of the explicit problems that will be investigated, as a method of both qualitative and quantitative data collection. As described by Porter (2000) the differences between the two methods of data collection lie in their focus of analysis. Quantitative research focuses on the quantity i.e. numbers, which aim to identify the relationship between different events. Whereas qualitative research on the other hand is more concerned with the quality of data, focusing on words in the form of writing, this aims to search for the reason behind the actions. As the aim of this research is to investigate the main causes associated with binge drinking amongst youngsters, the questionnaire approach was seen to be more reliable than other methods of data collection as it gives the opportunity to collect both qualitative and quantitative forms of data, which as a result will help in the exploring, investigating and analysing process. Polit and Hungler (1999) stated that a quantitative approach is unsuitable for studying human behaviour, as it is reductionist in nature because it limits human experience to only a small amount of concepts. Therefore a number of questions will be asked in the questionnaire, both open ended and closed ended, in order to gather both quantitative and qualitative forms of data which will reduce reductionism. Questionnaires also provide the opportunity to be distributed to a much larger number of samples quite easily compared to other methods of data collection, and are a more common form of measuring attitudes and beliefs (Sim and Wright 2000). It was therefore decided that questionnaires would be distributed around the University of Bradford campus, the students union in particular, and Bradford College with the aim of gathering an insight into the factors affecting and influencing binge drinking among youngsters. Overall approach The overall approach to this dissertation will be a combination of a literature review and the questionnaire as primary research. The literature review will provide the theoretical background and foundations for the questionnaire that will be conducted, in addition to providing raw data on the history and context of youngsters in relation to alcohol. After the literature review the primary research methodology will be presented, followed by the assessment and evaluation of the methodological issues. The subsequent chapter will then present the results and findings of the research in the form of qualitative data, as well as presenting quantitative data in the form of graphs and charts. There will then be an analysis chapter where the findings from this research will be correlated to the findings presented in the literature review, and both will be linked and analysed. The final chapter will then provide the conclusion and summing up, essentially in relation to the main aim and objectives of the research. Limitations of this research will also be presented here as well as recommendations for future research. Literature review There is a large amount of literature available on ‘binge drinking issues in relation to youngsters, and the factors that are associated with high alcohol consumption. There are many influences affecting young adults drinking behaviour such as gender, age, social class and religion, as well as social, personality and biological factors, and the physical availability and prices of alcohol beverages. Young adults heavy drinking is influenced mainly by social norms of the society, secondly by socialising and thirdly by modelling, which is seen as the perception of other peoples behaviour. According to Cooper (2000) young adults may value the social opportunities drinking situations offer to such a degree, that they be inclined to define drinking itself as a secondary activity to social interaction with other members (Cooper, 2000, p. 39-42). In 1995 one of the first major investigations had taken place by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD). The study was conducted in the UK as well as 22 other European countries with a sample of 15-16 year old students. The main aim was to examine potentially risky behaviour in the use of smoking, illicit drugs and drinking amongst youngsters (Miller and Plant, 1996). Results showed that the UK was amongst those countries with the highest levels of profound drinking and drunkenness (Hibell et al., 1997). A follow-up ESPAD study was undertaken four years later in 1999, which involved more than 90,000 students from 30 different countries, this being one of the largest major international studies of alcohol ever attempted. This report established that youngsters in the UK had remained in the same position as the earlier 1995 study, as having one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption from the 30 different countries that had taken part. As a result, youngsters from countries with the highest levels of intoxication (UK being one of them) were more likely to consume alcohol in heavy sessions and produce higher levels of episodic ‘binge drinking. Researchers found that these heavy sessions mainly occurred on weekends in the form of parties and ‘get-togethers. Youngsters also reported that they believed those who drink the most, enjoy the most so drinking alcohol had positive effects on them, even if this also results in unfavourable consequences i.e. ‘hangovers. One international study known as the GENACIS study, found that people are unsure about the effects caused by binge drinking, and are willing to acknowledge the negative experiences as the ‘price they pay for enjoying their drinking (Plant et al 2002). In conclusion, parents who teach their children to drink within the context of a controlled home environment, result in the children drinking less and with fewer problems than those who drink outside of their home environment under minimum supervision. A study by E Webb, C. H. Ashton, P. Kelly, and F Kamali (1996) was conducted on university students from ten UK based universities, with a sample of 3075 second year university students. A questionnaire was distributed whilst scheduled lectures were taking place. Results showed that 61% of men and 48% of women exceeded the ‘sensible weekly limits. Binge drinking was reported by 31% of men and 24% of women. The main reason for drinking was pleasure, which was reported by 89% of men and 92% of women. Other factors included habit, to increase confidence, decrease anxiety/stress and social pleasure. The main findings by Webb et al. were that a considerable amount of university students are drinking above sensible recommended limits. This applies not just to university students, but has also been found amongst young people in general in the UK. There are many perceptions of alcohol consumption, one of which is mainly the perception of becoming an adult. According to Plant and Plant (1992) alcohol has been regarded as an important rite of passage into adulthood for a number of years. Many participants have introduced alcohol into their social life as they believe it is an indicator of them becoming an adult. Alcohol consumption was traditionally associated with the males going to pubs and drinking beer (Lees 1986). It was also traditionally associated with a males ability to display masculinity (McDonald 1994). However, Honess et al (2000) stated that motivation for the consumption of alcohol amongst adolescents, are now more complex than imitating adult behaviour. Honess et al (2000) found another perception of alcohol consumption, which was as a means of releasing stress. Participants from the study perceived the consumption of alcohol as a way of relaxing after a stressful day at work for example. Another major factor found to influence and cause alcohol consumption to increase is peer groups. Swadi (1999) stated that the influence of peers is a key motivation factor for adolescent alcohol consumption and their perception towards alcohol, as it is now becoming increasingly important for youngsters to gain a social status and develop an identity for themselves amongst their peer groups. As well as peer groups, parents have shown to have an affect on young peoples attitudes towards alcohol too. Youngsters imitate the behaviour, alcohol consumption and perceptions of that of their own parents (Yu 2003). One respondent called Amy from the study by Yu (2003) for example, stated: ‘At 15, I didnt really know anyone who drank, I perhaps might have had a glass of wine at Christmas or half a glass but that was it and my mum and dad didnt really drink, we didnt go to places where people were drinking comments like this from respondents from the study proved that the exposure of alcohol from parents has a major impact and influence on youngsters, as Amy wasnt really exposed to alcohol much from a young age, she did not perceive drinking alcohol as a ‘normal thing to do therefore does not often take part in such activities and behaviour. As a result, the findings by Yu (2003) have been supported; who found that heavy drinking in adolescent offspring can be reduced a nd prevented within the home environment depending on that of their parents. Paton (2005) also found that youngsters are more likely to become heavy drinkers themselves if they have a family history of alcohol misuse. He came up with three main factors that he stated influenced alcohol consumption: Genes, Family and Environmental factors. He claimed that the main influence on the risk of misusing alcohol was the family factor with 46%, secondly was genes with 36.5% then third most important are environmental factors with just 17.5%. He found that ‘alcoholism was more evident amongst identical twins and there was an increase of ‘alcoholism amongst men that were separated from their alcoholic parents after birth. The family factor also played a role in the influence according to Paton (2005). Results showed that up to 50% of heavy drinkers have a history of family alcohol misuse, this was characterised by starting to drink at a young age, addiction, chaotic drinking and antisocial behaviour. Paton (2005) also found that behavioural factors such as b oredom, habit, low self-esteem, loneliness, anxiety and depression can also help promote the consumption of alcohol. He also claimed that drinking alcohol is determined by environmental factors such as culture, availability and price, individuals needs, life events and circumstances. (Paton, Touquet, 2005, p.13). There have been significant cultural influences on alcohol consumption as reported by Ledous, Miller, Choquet and Plant (2002), who looked at adolescent alcohol consumption of that of teenagers in the UK and France. Results showed that adolescents in the UK were more likely to have consumed alcohol six or more times in the past twenty days, than that of the adolescents in France. This demonstrates the difference in the drinking cultures amid different countries. A further study by Cameron (2000) looked into these cultural differences in an attempt to describe such contrasts. This was done by comparing the drinking cultures of Northern Europe countries to that of Southern Europe countries. Cameron (2000) found that countries in the northern region are seen to have ‘wet drinking cultures, in other words people in the northern region drink excessively in order to become drunk as a result of bringing about more alcohol into their daily lives and adhering to fewer government restric tions. This supports the idea that drinking to get drunk is seen as ‘normal behaviour to youngsters within the British culture. The definitions of ‘binge drinking are broad in nature and have been questioned considerably. There is no one such definition to define binge drinking. Studies have shown that many respondents very rarely define binge drinking in accordance with the number of units actually being consumed. A 1997 report for the US based International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) addressed the lack of formal definitions. Recent publications have defined binge drinking as drinking over half of the recommended number of units of alcohol in a week per session. These publications show that researchers tend to adopt the most general definition based on previous research conducted, with no such explanation or rationale for their stated definition. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) illustrates binge drinking as drinking eight or more units of alcohol at least one day in the week for men, and six or more units for women, this is in line with sensible drinking guidelines using daily standard s, therefore could serve as an estimate of binge drinking, with the absence of a Department of Health (DoH) definition. A longitudinal study carried out on high school students by Schulenberg et al (1996) found that 30% of the students had altered their drinking patterns during the conversion period of adolescence to adulthood. 20% of the students who classed themselves as binge drinkers had reduced their heavy drinking as they reached adulthood. However, 165 of the students had increased their binge drinking or had to some extent sustained a pattern of persistent binge drinking as they reached adulthood. Once adult roles are undertaken such as employment, marriage and parenthood, and then these patterns of drinking are shown to decrease and fade out. Also, unfavourable life events such as divorce are correlated with binge drinking, as statistics show that 29.6% of separated and divorced people were occupied in weekly binges, compared to that of only 17.9% of married people. Primary Research Methodology The general aim was to find out what causes youngsters (aged 16-24) to binge drink, this was tested through the use of a questionnaire design. The questionnaires consisted of twenty four questions in relation to drinking, along with a brief at the beginning of each of the questionnaires (see appendix 1) which provided the participants an explanation of the main purpose and context of the research, as well as outlining ethical considerations i.e. anonymity of the questionnaire which ensured the participants that their answers and identifications would remain anonymous and that they could withdraw from the research at any time. The questionnaires included both closed ended and open ended questions, this was to give the participants an opportunity to express their views in relation to the subject matter, and also provided the opportunity to gather quantitative as well as qualitative data to be collected and researched. To ensure that the results were a true reflection of society, the right type of research methodology had to be selected. Questionnaires were primarily selected as it allowed the results to be gathered directly from the target audience. The questionnaires allowed the data to be collected in a structured way because the same questions were asked to all participants in exactly the same order. The inclusion of quantitative, closed ended questions ensured that the data was consistent because the respondents are limited to the answers that they could state, which also makes the interpretation of data simple. The inclusion of qualitative questions allows the respondent to express their own opinions and arguments which may not be covered in the closed questions. After selecting the main research method it was then essential to target the correct audience. Any flaws at this stage could have led to the wrong type of group filling in the questionnaires which would result in incorrect data being gathered. For example, if the questionnaires were handed out in an elderly care home, the results would be of no use in this scenario as the main purpose of this dissertation is based around young adults aged 16-24. The questionnaires were handed out physically around the Students Union (SU) area at the University of Bradford and Bradford College over the period of three days, in addition to this a group was formed on Facebook, a social networking site which provided a link to the questionnaire which could be completed and submitted online by the general public. The students union was selected for the primary location as it is associated with the correct age group for this research and is also has strong links with alcohol consumption. Bradford College w as chosen due to most students being aged within the 16-24 age category. Due to the high interactivity with the internet amongst young adults it was essential that this type of medium was also used to gather results. The internet is a very popular medium in this digital age which allows results to be gathered nationally therefore providing a better sample of results to base the dissertation on. Facebook allowed me to target specific individuals which ensured the validity and fairness of the results. Each respondent that joined this group on Facebook was provided with the essential information needed to give them an understanding of the main aims and objectives of the research, as well as give them information regarding ethical issues, such as anonymity. Once potential respondents were chosen via Facebook they were then invited to join a group specifically created for this dissertation which provided them with a link to the survey. The online survey creator which was specifically sel ected to provide the link for the online questionnaire (See appendix 3) was from the website ‘tigersurvey.com. This was primarily chosen due to its ease of use and ensured questionnaires were submitted anonymously to override any privacy issues, it also gives an automatic calculation for each of the questions which would make the analysis process much easier (see appendix 4). The questionnaires were given out to students in the month of January 2009 during the hours of 12-2pm. This slot was chosen due to the sheer number of students that are present on campus at this time due to lunchtime. The issue of timing is very important as it allows a wider audience to respond making the results accurate and more effective. The type of research conducted was close to a street survey in which participants are asked questions face to face in bustling environments. The only difference in this case was instead of asking participants questions directly they were given a paper based questionnaire, which overrides various issues such as verbal problems, accent problems, shyness and language barriers etc. The link for the online questionnaire was also created in the same month; however this was free to fill out at any time during the day. The sampling method for a study is described as the process for selecting individuals from the population to be included in a research project (Hammersley and Mairs 2004). Rubenstein (1994) stated that there is no definite number of participants that should be used within a study however, other researchers such as Baum (2000) believed that a sample should consist of between twelve and twenty participants in order to obtain maximum variation in the findings, taking into consideration the actual nature of each study. A sample size of 60 students aged between 16-24 years were used for the research in order to achieve this maximum variation, these were a mixture of school, college and university students. The technique of random sampling was used, where each member of the public has an equal chance of being selected. Before the questionnaires were distributed a pilot study was conducted in the previous week, this is a pre-testing stage which gives the opportunity to identify and correct any misleading, unclear or double barrelled questions. The respondents from the pilot study were debriefed to determine whether the questions asked were confusing or misleading in any way or another, and to receive initial feedback in general about the questionnaire. After receiving the feedback some of the questions had to be reworked to ensure that they were understood by all participants and allowed the questions to be answered correctly. The advantage of doing a pilot study includes reduced costs (paper), reduced time, and ensures correct method and effectiveness. If a pilot study was not conducted before a full scale research it could result in falsifying responses from respondents leading to inaccurate results being collected. Ethical Issues It is vital to protect human rights when conducting research involving human beings (Polit and Hungler 1997). Sim and Wright (2000) outlined three ways in which a research question must be ethical: 1. Methods that could possibly threaten the welfare of participants should not be incorporated 2. If the findings of a research are seen to be detrimental of certain individuals in any way, then it should not be continued 3. Certain groups of the population should not be consistently excluded in research Ethical considerations are important in helping researchers to decide whether an investigation or field of study is ethically acceptable, and decide whether it should be continued or not. Ethical issues in relation to research are now mostly considered with research involving human beings. Some examples of these researchers are Moody (1990), Polit and Hungler (1991), Brown (1993). Most ethical guidelines were initiated due to research that was undertaken during the Second World War. Some of the ethical guidelines are as follows: Ø Anonymity and Confidentiality Participants may want information about themselves, their views and attitudes to be kept private; they have the right to privacy. As Brown (1993) stated: ‘Control of personal information is viewed as an expression of autonomy and as an individuals right to protect his or her social vulnerability and identity. To ensure that this guideline is met, the participants data should be used in such a way that only the researcher knows who provided the information. In some cases however, even the researcher need not know of the source. This applied to my research, as participants were selected randomly around the university and college and were told that the questionnaires would remain anonymous as no name or contact information would be taken from them. In addition, the questionnaires submitted online via Facebook, were also submitted anonymously and the answers provided were kept confidential. Ø Informed consent Informed consent is difficult to define and it is difficult to know whether someone has given informed consent or not. Informed consent gives the right of every individual when taking part in research, so can not be ignored (Couchman and Dawson 1990). It is vital that sufficient information is given in order for an individual to decide whether he/she wish to take part in the research (Polit and Hungler 1991) this decision is voluntary and relies on the individual themselves. Participants are more likely to take part in research if they think it is of benefit, or has positive consequences for themselves or society in general in the long run, this is also known as consequentialism. Informed consent was given by the participants in this research after being told about the main aims and purpose of research, this was done verbally and was also stated on the brief supplied along with the questionnaire, which gave participants the right to withdraw from the research at any time. Participant s also gave their consent to participate via the online questionnaire, as they werent forced into completing this and could also withdraw at any time. Ø Deception If participants are deceived in any way, then researchers will suffer from a lack of trustworthiness, so it is imperative that they are not. However, some researchers state that deception must be present in some cases in order to receive valid and reliable data (Gans, 1962; Douglas, 1979). This was not the case in this research as participants were given a full explanation for the purpose of this research, so they were not deceived in any way. Ø Cultural variations It is important to understand that cultural differences may exist in ethical acceptability of research. Conflicts and problems may arise when the researchers are from a different culture to that of their participants. The ethical guidelines of cultural variations do not relate to this particular research, as participants are from the same culture i.e. UK, Bradford university, college and school students to be precise. Looking at these ethical issues, it can be said that this research is ethically sound as all forms of the ethical guidelines have been met and not broken in any way. Methodological issues The research method employed within this study is a questionnaire, both paper based (appendix 1) and online based (appendix 3). There are many advantages as well as disadvantages for using this type of survey method. Below the two distribution methods have been separated and the issues concerning both have been examined separately. Paper Based Questionnaire There are many advantages of using a paper based questionnaire, one of which is anonymity which allows the questionnaire to be analysed and examined without bias input from the researcher. Berdie, Anderson and Niebuhr (1986) stated that ‘an anonymous study is one which nobody (not even the study directors) can identify who provided data on completed questionnaires. People are also more likely to participate in research if they know that their identification is not known by any individual, therefore increasing the response rate of participants. The response rate could be increased due to the cover sheet attached to a questionnaire. Studies have shown this to have an affect on whether the participant completes the questionnaire or not, so keeping this short and maintaining a friendly tone is vital (Goode and Hatt, 1962). Privacy issues are also adhered which makes the questionnaire fair regardless of respondent. The interpretation and analysis of data is also fairly easy in questionnaires compared to other methods of data collection, especially in the case of closed ended questions and fixed response questions where the results can be easily calculated. As well as the advantages, on the other hand there are also many disadvantages of this data collection technique, one of which includes time consumption. The time taken to fill out a questionnaire varies and is dependent on what the researcher wants to find out. If the respondent feels the questionnaire may take some time to complete, it results in them refusing to participate which would restrict the range of respondents. Also if a participant is half way through the questionnaire and realises that it is taking longer than anticipated, it may result in them speeding up their response rate leading to inaccurate results. The time taken to create, distribute and collec Research Study into the Causes of Youth Binge Drinking Research Study into the Causes of Youth Binge Drinking What are the causes of ‘binge drinking amongst youngsters Abstract The meaning of ‘binge drinking has been questioned considerably; there is no one such definition as it is seen to be too broad and complex. A broad definition that could be used however would be drinking too much alcohol at once or over the recommended daily units, which according to the NHS is no more than 4 units for men and no more than 3 for women. The consumption of alcohol in the UK is on the increase especially amongst youngsters, which has lead to great concern. This dissertation explores a range of issues that aimed to find out the main factors that causes youngsters aged 16-24 to ‘binge drink. This was done by taking a qualitative and quantitative approach in the form of a questionnaire which included 24 questions with regards to the consumption of alcohol. These were paper based questionnaires as well as online based questionnaires which were given to a sample of 60 students to complete. Results showed that there are a number of factors which cause youngsters to consume alcohol. One of the main reasons for the consumption was due to the social aspect. Drinking alcohol is seen as a ‘normal thing to do when socialising with peers, therefore this could lead to binge drinking. Other factors include peer pressure, stress release, enjoyment and confidence booster. However, findings show that the topic is more complex than this; therefore further research and investigation would need to be undertaken to fully grasp the issues underly ing this subject matter. Introduction Significance of the issue The United Kingdom is considered to have one of the most problematic affairs with alcohol due to drinking patterns and styles that have developed over the past century. While numerous other western European countries, such as Spain and France, have seen a decline in overall alcohol consumption, the United Kingdoms overall consumption is on the increase. Greater concern is amongst those aged 16-24 years who are primarily associated with ‘binge drinking. As levels of drinking have increased so has the cause for concern due to social and health consequences, with 30% of men and 25% of women drinking more than the recommended intake. (Paton 2005, p.1) Young people in particular are drinking larger amounts of alcohol over shorter periods of time. The recommended limits of alcohol per session (according to the NHS) should be no more than 3-4 units for men and 2-3 units for women. In 1990, the average amount of alcohol drunk by 11-15 year olds as a whole was 0.8 units in a typical week, rising to 1.6 units in 1998 (Goddard and Higgins 1999). Among those youngsters who do drink, the average of 5.3 units in 1990 increased to 10.5 units in 2002 (Boreham and McManus 2003) which is almost double the amount drunk twelve years previously. Those aged 16-24 in the UK are more likely to binge drink with 36% of men and 27% of women reportedly binge drinking in 2002 at least once a week (Office for National Statistics). These s show potential dangers and risks for youngsters in many ways. A chief example of these risks and dangers would be physical health. Research has suggested that excessive alcohol consumption can lead youngsters to experience many problems, the main symptoms being breathing problems, leading to coma and inhalation of vomit (Lamminpaa 1995). Other dangers of physical health would be through the damage of the organs, mainly the liver, brain and heart (Tuttle, Mazurek, Loveland-Cherry, 2002). Other risk factors affecting youngsters as a result of high alcohol consumption would be the risk of accident and injuries, as they have limited experience in the effects of drinking alcohol and regularly consume alcohol in high risk areas without adult supervision (Newburn and Shiner 2003). These are just a few dangers and risks outlined that are associated with adolescent alcohol consumption, and the reason why the increase of alcohol consumption by young people is concerning, therefore the factors that affect alcohol consumption and what causes this to increase needs to be looked into further in order to avoid these dangers from increasing in the future. Aims/objectives The general aim of this dissertation is to explore what binge drinking is and to investigate the main factors and causes associated with high alcohol consumption amongst youngsters aged 16-24, looking at students in particular. The main objectives are to look at what binge drinking actually is, as there are many definitions and questions arisen as to what could be defined as ‘binge drinking. Also to look at the different causes of high alcohol consumption and an attempt to explain the how and why binge drinking affects youngsters in particular. Future recommendations will also be given, and an attempt will be made to investigate how much people actually know about binge drinking. In order to meet these aims and objectives, research will be conducted in the form of a questionnaire which will be handed out and undertaken around the University of Bradford and Bradford College, as well as posting the questionnaire online through a social networking site known as Facebook. The questionnaire approach method was decided to be taken as this will help this study meet the aim and objectives in many ways; it will enable a detailed examination of the explicit problems that will be investigated, as a method of both qualitative and quantitative data collection. As described by Porter (2000) the differences between the two methods of data collection lie in their focus of analysis. Quantitative research focuses on the quantity i.e. numbers, which aim to identify the relationship between different events. Whereas qualitative research on the other hand is more concerned with the quality of data, focusing on words in the form of writing, this aims to search for the reason behind the actions. As the aim of this research is to investigate the main causes associated with binge drinking amongst youngsters, the questionnaire approach was seen to be more reliable than other methods of data collection as it gives the opportunity to collect both qualitative and quantitative forms of data, which as a result will help in the exploring, investigating and analysing process. Polit and Hungler (1999) stated that a quantitative approach is unsuitable for studying human behaviour, as it is reductionist in nature because it limits human experience to only a small amount of concepts. Therefore a number of questions will be asked in the questionnaire, both open ended and closed ended, in order to gather both quantitative and qualitative forms of data which will reduce reductionism. Questionnaires also provide the opportunity to be distributed to a much larger number of samples quite easily compared to other methods of data collection, and are a more common form of measuring attitudes and beliefs (Sim and Wright 2000). It was therefore decided that questionnaires would be distributed around the University of Bradford campus, the students union in particular, and Bradford College with the aim of gathering an insight into the factors affecting and influencing binge drinking among youngsters. Overall approach The overall approach to this dissertation will be a combination of a literature review and the questionnaire as primary research. The literature review will provide the theoretical background and foundations for the questionnaire that will be conducted, in addition to providing raw data on the history and context of youngsters in relation to alcohol. After the literature review the primary research methodology will be presented, followed by the assessment and evaluation of the methodological issues. The subsequent chapter will then present the results and findings of the research in the form of qualitative data, as well as presenting quantitative data in the form of graphs and charts. There will then be an analysis chapter where the findings from this research will be correlated to the findings presented in the literature review, and both will be linked and analysed. The final chapter will then provide the conclusion and summing up, essentially in relation to the main aim and objectives of the research. Limitations of this research will also be presented here as well as recommendations for future research. Literature review There is a large amount of literature available on ‘binge drinking issues in relation to youngsters, and the factors that are associated with high alcohol consumption. There are many influences affecting young adults drinking behaviour such as gender, age, social class and religion, as well as social, personality and biological factors, and the physical availability and prices of alcohol beverages. Young adults heavy drinking is influenced mainly by social norms of the society, secondly by socialising and thirdly by modelling, which is seen as the perception of other peoples behaviour. According to Cooper (2000) young adults may value the social opportunities drinking situations offer to such a degree, that they be inclined to define drinking itself as a secondary activity to social interaction with other members (Cooper, 2000, p. 39-42). In 1995 one of the first major investigations had taken place by the European School Survey Project on Alcohol and other Drugs (ESPAD). The study was conducted in the UK as well as 22 other European countries with a sample of 15-16 year old students. The main aim was to examine potentially risky behaviour in the use of smoking, illicit drugs and drinking amongst youngsters (Miller and Plant, 1996). Results showed that the UK was amongst those countries with the highest levels of profound drinking and drunkenness (Hibell et al., 1997). A follow-up ESPAD study was undertaken four years later in 1999, which involved more than 90,000 students from 30 different countries, this being one of the largest major international studies of alcohol ever attempted. This report established that youngsters in the UK had remained in the same position as the earlier 1995 study, as having one of the highest levels of alcohol consumption from the 30 different countries that had taken part. As a result, youngsters from countries with the highest levels of intoxication (UK being one of them) were more likely to consume alcohol in heavy sessions and produce higher levels of episodic ‘binge drinking. Researchers found that these heavy sessions mainly occurred on weekends in the form of parties and ‘get-togethers. Youngsters also reported that they believed those who drink the most, enjoy the most so drinking alcohol had positive effects on them, even if this also results in unfavourable consequences i.e. ‘hangovers. One international study known as the GENACIS study, found that people are unsure about the effects caused by binge drinking, and are willing to acknowledge the negative experiences as the ‘price they pay for enjoying their drinking (Plant et al 2002). In conclusion, parents who teach their children to drink within the context of a controlled home environment, result in the children drinking less and with fewer problems than those who drink outside of their home environment under minimum supervision. A study by E Webb, C. H. Ashton, P. Kelly, and F Kamali (1996) was conducted on university students from ten UK based universities, with a sample of 3075 second year university students. A questionnaire was distributed whilst scheduled lectures were taking place. Results showed that 61% of men and 48% of women exceeded the ‘sensible weekly limits. Binge drinking was reported by 31% of men and 24% of women. The main reason for drinking was pleasure, which was reported by 89% of men and 92% of women. Other factors included habit, to increase confidence, decrease anxiety/stress and social pleasure. The main findings by Webb et al. were that a considerable amount of university students are drinking above sensible recommended limits. This applies not just to university students, but has also been found amongst young people in general in the UK. There are many perceptions of alcohol consumption, one of which is mainly the perception of becoming an adult. According to Plant and Plant (1992) alcohol has been regarded as an important rite of passage into adulthood for a number of years. Many participants have introduced alcohol into their social life as they believe it is an indicator of them becoming an adult. Alcohol consumption was traditionally associated with the males going to pubs and drinking beer (Lees 1986). It was also traditionally associated with a males ability to display masculinity (McDonald 1994). However, Honess et al (2000) stated that motivation for the consumption of alcohol amongst adolescents, are now more complex than imitating adult behaviour. Honess et al (2000) found another perception of alcohol consumption, which was as a means of releasing stress. Participants from the study perceived the consumption of alcohol as a way of relaxing after a stressful day at work for example. Another major factor found to influence and cause alcohol consumption to increase is peer groups. Swadi (1999) stated that the influence of peers is a key motivation factor for adolescent alcohol consumption and their perception towards alcohol, as it is now becoming increasingly important for youngsters to gain a social status and develop an identity for themselves amongst their peer groups. As well as peer groups, parents have shown to have an affect on young peoples attitudes towards alcohol too. Youngsters imitate the behaviour, alcohol consumption and perceptions of that of their own parents (Yu 2003). One respondent called Amy from the study by Yu (2003) for example, stated: ‘At 15, I didnt really know anyone who drank, I perhaps might have had a glass of wine at Christmas or half a glass but that was it and my mum and dad didnt really drink, we didnt go to places where people were drinking comments like this from respondents from the study proved that the exposure of alcohol from parents has a major impact and influence on youngsters, as Amy wasnt really exposed to alcohol much from a young age, she did not perceive drinking alcohol as a ‘normal thing to do therefore does not often take part in such activities and behaviour. As a result, the findings by Yu (2003) have been supported; who found that heavy drinking in adolescent offspring can be reduced a nd prevented within the home environment depending on that of their parents. Paton (2005) also found that youngsters are more likely to become heavy drinkers themselves if they have a family history of alcohol misuse. He came up with three main factors that he stated influenced alcohol consumption: Genes, Family and Environmental factors. He claimed that the main influence on the risk of misusing alcohol was the family factor with 46%, secondly was genes with 36.5% then third most important are environmental factors with just 17.5%. He found that ‘alcoholism was more evident amongst identical twins and there was an increase of ‘alcoholism amongst men that were separated from their alcoholic parents after birth. The family factor also played a role in the influence according to Paton (2005). Results showed that up to 50% of heavy drinkers have a history of family alcohol misuse, this was characterised by starting to drink at a young age, addiction, chaotic drinking and antisocial behaviour. Paton (2005) also found that behavioural factors such as b oredom, habit, low self-esteem, loneliness, anxiety and depression can also help promote the consumption of alcohol. He also claimed that drinking alcohol is determined by environmental factors such as culture, availability and price, individuals needs, life events and circumstances. (Paton, Touquet, 2005, p.13). There have been significant cultural influences on alcohol consumption as reported by Ledous, Miller, Choquet and Plant (2002), who looked at adolescent alcohol consumption of that of teenagers in the UK and France. Results showed that adolescents in the UK were more likely to have consumed alcohol six or more times in the past twenty days, than that of the adolescents in France. This demonstrates the difference in the drinking cultures amid different countries. A further study by Cameron (2000) looked into these cultural differences in an attempt to describe such contrasts. This was done by comparing the drinking cultures of Northern Europe countries to that of Southern Europe countries. Cameron (2000) found that countries in the northern region are seen to have ‘wet drinking cultures, in other words people in the northern region drink excessively in order to become drunk as a result of bringing about more alcohol into their daily lives and adhering to fewer government restric tions. This supports the idea that drinking to get drunk is seen as ‘normal behaviour to youngsters within the British culture. The definitions of ‘binge drinking are broad in nature and have been questioned considerably. There is no one such definition to define binge drinking. Studies have shown that many respondents very rarely define binge drinking in accordance with the number of units actually being consumed. A 1997 report for the US based International Center for Alcohol Policies (ICAP) addressed the lack of formal definitions. Recent publications have defined binge drinking as drinking over half of the recommended number of units of alcohol in a week per session. These publications show that researchers tend to adopt the most general definition based on previous research conducted, with no such explanation or rationale for their stated definition. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) illustrates binge drinking as drinking eight or more units of alcohol at least one day in the week for men, and six or more units for women, this is in line with sensible drinking guidelines using daily standard s, therefore could serve as an estimate of binge drinking, with the absence of a Department of Health (DoH) definition. A longitudinal study carried out on high school students by Schulenberg et al (1996) found that 30% of the students had altered their drinking patterns during the conversion period of adolescence to adulthood. 20% of the students who classed themselves as binge drinkers had reduced their heavy drinking as they reached adulthood. However, 165 of the students had increased their binge drinking or had to some extent sustained a pattern of persistent binge drinking as they reached adulthood. Once adult roles are undertaken such as employment, marriage and parenthood, and then these patterns of drinking are shown to decrease and fade out. Also, unfavourable life events such as divorce are correlated with binge drinking, as statistics show that 29.6% of separated and divorced people were occupied in weekly binges, compared to that of only 17.9% of married people. Primary Research Methodology The general aim was to find out what causes youngsters (aged 16-24) to binge drink, this was tested through the use of a questionnaire design. The questionnaires consisted of twenty four questions in relation to drinking, along with a brief at the beginning of each of the questionnaires (see appendix 1) which provided the participants an explanation of the main purpose and context of the research, as well as outlining ethical considerations i.e. anonymity of the questionnaire which ensured the participants that their answers and identifications would remain anonymous and that they could withdraw from the research at any time. The questionnaires included both closed ended and open ended questions, this was to give the participants an opportunity to express their views in relation to the subject matter, and also provided the opportunity to gather quantitative as well as qualitative data to be collected and researched. To ensure that the results were a true reflection of society, the right type of research methodology had to be selected. Questionnaires were primarily selected as it allowed the results to be gathered directly from the target audience. The questionnaires allowed the data to be collected in a structured way because the same questions were asked to all participants in exactly the same order. The inclusion of quantitative, closed ended questions ensured that the data was consistent because the respondents are limited to the answers that they could state, which also makes the interpretation of data simple. The inclusion of qualitative questions allows the respondent to express their own opinions and arguments which may not be covered in the closed questions. After selecting the main research method it was then essential to target the correct audience. Any flaws at this stage could have led to the wrong type of group filling in the questionnaires which would result in incorrect data being gathered. For example, if the questionnaires were handed out in an elderly care home, the results would be of no use in this scenario as the main purpose of this dissertation is based around young adults aged 16-24. The questionnaires were handed out physically around the Students Union (SU) area at the University of Bradford and Bradford College over the period of three days, in addition to this a group was formed on Facebook, a social networking site which provided a link to the questionnaire which could be completed and submitted online by the general public. The students union was selected for the primary location as it is associated with the correct age group for this research and is also has strong links with alcohol consumption. Bradford College w as chosen due to most students being aged within the 16-24 age category. Due to the high interactivity with the internet amongst young adults it was essential that this type of medium was also used to gather results. The internet is a very popular medium in this digital age which allows results to be gathered nationally therefore providing a better sample of results to base the dissertation on. Facebook allowed me to target specific individuals which ensured the validity and fairness of the results. Each respondent that joined this group on Facebook was provided with the essential information needed to give them an understanding of the main aims and objectives of the research, as well as give them information regarding ethical issues, such as anonymity. Once potential respondents were chosen via Facebook they were then invited to join a group specifically created for this dissertation which provided them with a link to the survey. The online survey creator which was specifically sel ected to provide the link for the online questionnaire (See appendix 3) was from the website ‘tigersurvey.com. This was primarily chosen due to its ease of use and ensured questionnaires were submitted anonymously to override any privacy issues, it also gives an automatic calculation for each of the questions which would make the analysis process much easier (see appendix 4). The questionnaires were given out to students in the month of January 2009 during the hours of 12-2pm. This slot was chosen due to the sheer number of students that are present on campus at this time due to lunchtime. The issue of timing is very important as it allows a wider audience to respond making the results accurate and more effective. The type of research conducted was close to a street survey in which participants are asked questions face to face in bustling environments. The only difference in this case was instead of asking participants questions directly they were given a paper based questionnaire, which overrides various issues such as verbal problems, accent problems, shyness and language barriers etc. The link for the online questionnaire was also created in the same month; however this was free to fill out at any time during the day. The sampling method for a study is described as the process for selecting individuals from the population to be included in a research project (Hammersley and Mairs 2004). Rubenstein (1994) stated that there is no definite number of participants that should be used within a study however, other researchers such as Baum (2000) believed that a sample should consist of between twelve and twenty participants in order to obtain maximum variation in the findings, taking into consideration the actual nature of each study. A sample size of 60 students aged between 16-24 years were used for the research in order to achieve this maximum variation, these were a mixture of school, college and university students. The technique of random sampling was used, where each member of the public has an equal chance of being selected. Before the questionnaires were distributed a pilot study was conducted in the previous week, this is a pre-testing stage which gives the opportunity to identify and correct any misleading, unclear or double barrelled questions. The respondents from the pilot study were debriefed to determine whether the questions asked were confusing or misleading in any way or another, and to receive initial feedback in general about the questionnaire. After receiving the feedback some of the questions had to be reworked to ensure that they were understood by all participants and allowed the questions to be answered correctly. The advantage of doing a pilot study includes reduced costs (paper), reduced time, and ensures correct method and effectiveness. If a pilot study was not conducted before a full scale research it could result in falsifying responses from respondents leading to inaccurate results being collected. Ethical Issues It is vital to protect human rights when conducting research involving human beings (Polit and Hungler 1997). Sim and Wright (2000) outlined three ways in which a research question must be ethical: 1. Methods that could possibly threaten the welfare of participants should not be incorporated 2. If the findings of a research are seen to be detrimental of certain individuals in any way, then it should not be continued 3. Certain groups of the population should not be consistently excluded in research Ethical considerations are important in helping researchers to decide whether an investigation or field of study is ethically acceptable, and decide whether it should be continued or not. Ethical issues in relation to research are now mostly considered with research involving human beings. Some examples of these researchers are Moody (1990), Polit and Hungler (1991), Brown (1993). Most ethical guidelines were initiated due to research that was undertaken during the Second World War. Some of the ethical guidelines are as follows: Ø Anonymity and Confidentiality Participants may want information about themselves, their views and attitudes to be kept private; they have the right to privacy. As Brown (1993) stated: ‘Control of personal information is viewed as an expression of autonomy and as an individuals right to protect his or her social vulnerability and identity. To ensure that this guideline is met, the participants data should be used in such a way that only the researcher knows who provided the information. In some cases however, even the researcher need not know of the source. This applied to my research, as participants were selected randomly around the university and college and were told that the questionnaires would remain anonymous as no name or contact information would be taken from them. In addition, the questionnaires submitted online via Facebook, were also submitted anonymously and the answers provided were kept confidential. Ø Informed consent Informed consent is difficult to define and it is difficult to know whether someone has given informed consent or not. Informed consent gives the right of every individual when taking part in research, so can not be ignored (Couchman and Dawson 1990). It is vital that sufficient information is given in order for an individual to decide whether he/she wish to take part in the research (Polit and Hungler 1991) this decision is voluntary and relies on the individual themselves. Participants are more likely to take part in research if they think it is of benefit, or has positive consequences for themselves or society in general in the long run, this is also known as consequentialism. Informed consent was given by the participants in this research after being told about the main aims and purpose of research, this was done verbally and was also stated on the brief supplied along with the questionnaire, which gave participants the right to withdraw from the research at any time. Participant s also gave their consent to participate via the online questionnaire, as they werent forced into completing this and could also withdraw at any time. Ø Deception If participants are deceived in any way, then researchers will suffer from a lack of trustworthiness, so it is imperative that they are not. However, some researchers state that deception must be present in some cases in order to receive valid and reliable data (Gans, 1962; Douglas, 1979). This was not the case in this research as participants were given a full explanation for the purpose of this research, so they were not deceived in any way. Ø Cultural variations It is important to understand that cultural differences may exist in ethical acceptability of research. Conflicts and problems may arise when the researchers are from a different culture to that of their participants. The ethical guidelines of cultural variations do not relate to this particular research, as participants are from the same culture i.e. UK, Bradford university, college and school students to be precise. Looking at these ethical issues, it can be said that this research is ethically sound as all forms of the ethical guidelines have been met and not broken in any way. Methodological issues The research method employed within this study is a questionnaire, both paper based (appendix 1) and online based (appendix 3). There are many advantages as well as disadvantages for using this type of survey method. Below the two distribution methods have been separated and the issues concerning both have been examined separately. Paper Based Questionnaire There are many advantages of using a paper based questionnaire, one of which is anonymity which allows the questionnaire to be analysed and examined without bias input from the researcher. Berdie, Anderson and Niebuhr (1986) stated that ‘an anonymous study is one which nobody (not even the study directors) can identify who provided data on completed questionnaires. People are also more likely to participate in research if they know that their identification is not known by any individual, therefore increasing the response rate of participants. The response rate could be increased due to the cover sheet attached to a questionnaire. Studies have shown this to have an affect on whether the participant completes the questionnaire or not, so keeping this short and maintaining a friendly tone is vital (Goode and Hatt, 1962). Privacy issues are also adhered which makes the questionnaire fair regardless of respondent. The interpretation and analysis of data is also fairly easy in questionnaires compared to other methods of data collection, especially in the case of closed ended questions and fixed response questions where the results can be easily calculated. As well as the advantages, on the other hand there are also many disadvantages of this data collection technique, one of which includes time consumption. The time taken to fill out a questionnaire varies and is dependent on what the researcher wants to find out. If the respondent feels the questionnaire may take some time to complete, it results in them refusing to participate which would restrict the range of respondents. Also if a participant is half way through the questionnaire and realises that it is taking longer than anticipated, it may result in them speeding up their response rate leading to inaccurate results. The time taken to create, distribute and collec