Wednesday, August 26, 2020

The impact of October Crisis of Canada Research Paper

The effect of October Crisis of Canada - Research Paper Example With everything taken into account, the impacts of this war had many antagonistic ramifications for the individuals of Canada, and particularly Quebec. This article audits the effect of this in Canada and predominantly Quebec. On 5thOctober 1970, James Cross, who was a British negotiator, was seized in his living arrangement at firearm point. In a couple of hours the individuals from FLQ development admitted to the snatching. They requested for the arrival of their own individuals who were indicted for homicide and viciousness. The equity pastor of Quebec denied these requests. Around the same time the Quebec pastor of work and migration, Pierre Laporte, was abducted and later killed. This set off the administration to send the Canadian military to help the nearby police in keeping an eye on Canada. They additionally announced the â€Å"apprehend insurrection† under the war estimates act. The highly sensitive situation proclaimed a boycott against the FLQ development and detainment without charges were approved (Tetley, 2006). The Quebec patriots began the FLQ development in 1963 as measure to start a feeling of solidarity in Quebec. The Quebec individuals contained people who utilized French as their first language. This soul of patriotism was verifiable from the time France had colonized the locale of North America which is presently alluded to as Quebec. In Quebec most of the individuals were French speakers when contrasted with their number in the remainder of Canada. Accordingly, they saw themselves as a confined minority. This inclination to an enormous degree pushed this gathering to build up a development that would touchy to their law based rights. For example, their compensation was lower than that of the British individuals. In the region of Quebec, the English Canadian earned 40% percent higher than all other ethnic gatherings (Monrue, 2009). This fortified the craving to shape a substance to battle for their endurance as the legislature had neglected to give the equivalent. This was the cause of this progressive development (Tetley, 2006). The FLQ was begun

Saturday, August 22, 2020

Druigs And Sports Essay Example For Students

Druigs And Sports Essay At the point when competitors use drugsIn numerous schools competitors are required to sign an agreement so as to play sports. The agreements incorporate of numerous standards and guidelines that preclude exercises that will risk the competitors execution. The utilization of medications and liquor are carefully illegal. Vandalism and different activities that would bring about an unlawful happenings is likewise restricted. The primary issue with the agreements is that the understudies dont consistently obey them. Numerous competitors will at present go out and gathering and drink and smoke and get into different exercises that will hurt their brains and bodies. Energizers are drugs that animate the focal sensory system and produce an expansion in sharpness and action. They incorporate caffeine, cocaine, and the amphetamines. The amphetamines are made out of three firmly related medications that animate the focal sensory system and advance a sentiment of readiness and an expansion in discourse and general physical action. A few people ingest these medications under clinical watch to control their hunger, yet a significant number of these medications are utilized at gatherings to get high. Abuse and misuse have been related with the entirety of the energizer drugs, yet hazards are the best with the amphetamines and cocaine. Opiates are drugs that assuage torment and frequently instigate rest. Opiates incorporate opium and medications got from opium, for example, morphine, codeine, and heroin. Opiates likewise incorporate certain manufactured synthetic compounds that have a morphine-like activity, for example, methadone. The majority of these medications will leave an enduring impact for all the more then one day. Like an aftereffect from liquor, these medications will make you amazingly worn out or even debilitated the following day. Medications are disallowed by athletic offices since they change your presentation. In the event that a competitor utilizes one of these medications they can have enduring impact on them at some point during a game or at training. All medications are unlawful, and by competitors utilizing them they set a terrible model. Numerous more youthful understudies admire the star competitors in a school and on the off chance that they use medicates that is certainly not a decent impression to make. Schools do have disciplines for competitors discovered disregarding the agreement yet more often than not they arent sufficiently unforgiving. Medications are an intense issue in all understudies lives, yet on the off chance that competitors use them they can have a far and away more terrible impact. They could even imperil potential grants that a competitor could accomplish. Medications in any shape or structure have soo a lot of a seriouseffect of the body that noone ought to try and need to do them and on the off chance that they do theyre just squandering their own lives away.Words/Pages : 435/24

Wednesday, August 19, 2020

When Social Withdrawal in Children Is a Problem

When Social Withdrawal in Children Is a Problem Depression Childhood Depression Print When Social Withdrawal in Children Is a Problem When Withdrawal May Signal Depression By Lauren DiMaria linkedin Lauren DiMaria is a member of the Society of Clinical Research Associates and childhood psychology expert. Learn about our editorial policy Lauren DiMaria Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Steven Gans, MD on August 05, 2016 Steven Gans, MD is board-certified in psychiatry and is an active supervisor, teacher, and mentor at Massachusetts General Hospital. Learn about our Medical Review Board Steven Gans, MD Updated on February 03, 2020 Depression Overview Types Symptoms Causes & Risk Factors Diagnosis Treatment Coping ADA & Your Rights Depression in Kids Jose Luis Pelaez Inc / Getty Images Socially withdrawn children and adolescents may be showing signs of depression.?? While it is normal for a child to begin to pull away from their parents and identify more with peers as they reach adolescence, social withdrawal from friends and peers may be a sign of something more serious. Learn to spot the telltale signs that indicate a child or teen is depressed and what you can do to help. Why Depressed Children May Withdraw Children who are depressed may feel misunderstood, irritable, worthless, or hopeless.?? They may feel like no one can understand or help themâ€"so why should they bother keeping or making friends? Having friends to talk to and confide in is thought to be very helpful emotionally, especially for those who suffer from depression. Without social relationships, some children and teens may begin to feel lonely and isolated, two factors often associated with increased suicide risk. Additionally, depressed children may lack the ability to experience pleasure in social activities, such as school, group activities, or social outings.?? So, they might avoid these situations. How to Spot Depression in a Child Social Withdrawal and Other Disorders Social withdrawal is not limited to depression and is thought to also be associated with other disorders, such as anxiety, schizophrenia, and certain personality disorders. In addition, social withdrawal was found to be a good indicator of major depressive disorder (MDD) in children with co-existing attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to a study that tried to distinguish which symptoms best discriminate cases of MDD in children with attention disorders.?? Social Support Is Imperative for Health and Well-Being What to Do If Your Child Seems to Be Withdrawing As children navigate childhood and adolescence, they are likely to hit some bumps in the road, and parents and caregivers are often left wondering what is normal and when they should intervene. First, talk to your child. Perhaps they had an argument with a friend or is grieving the loss of a relationship by keeping to themselves for a few days. This may be a temporary and normal reaction to an unpleasant event. Perhaps theyre experiencing another conflict at school such as being bullied. They may have been ousted from the social group that they previously belonged to. Situations like these may explain why your child appears to be socially withdrawn. If your childs social withdrawal lasts for more than two weeks, however, speak to your childs pediatrician or other mental health providers for an  evaluation  and  treatment options. Contact a health care provider  sooner if their symptoms escalate or  they are experiencing: Additional symptoms of depressionRecurring thoughts or actions of self-harm or suicideInability to engage in normal daily functions or activities A Word From Verywell If your child is depressed, an effective treatment plan can help put them on the road to enjoying their childhood and those around them.?? Dont delay getting treatment. Give your child the help they need to maintain good mental health. If your child or someone else you know is having thoughts of suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255). How to Help Your Depressed Child

Sunday, May 24, 2020

1984 Power Of Abuse Essay - 1958 Words

Anwar, Asma Ms. Fujiwara ENG3U 28 July 2017 Power of Abuse A Democracy is a type of government in which people’s opinions are accepted for as they are part of the country, unlike a Totalitarian government where very little freedom is being given. In the novel 1984 written by George Orwell, short story Harrison Bergeron written by Kurt Vonnegut Jr and film V for Vendetta, citizens are being affected by the way the government is treating them. This is evident when the parties manipulate their citizens . citizens are also being impacted by the use of enforced restrictions and laws. Lastly the use of power of abuse that is being disposed to the citizens all play a role in how†¦show more content†¦As a result citizens don’t remember anything except the fact that their past was filled with happiness. Thus making the citizens now believe whatever information the government is feeding them about their past in order to obtain power for the present. Secondly the use of manipulation is similar in V for Vendetta. The scenario in V for Vendetta is when the Norsefire party in the British government tried to manipulate the citizens whereabouts on the St. Mary virus. The virus destroyed and killed many of the citizens .This event was significant because it brought the reality of the governments outlook in showing who they really were. The British government manipulated citizens’ by blaming â€Å" Terrorist† for the cause of this virus which in reality was really them. The leader of the Norsefire party Adam Susan coincidentally came in place when people started aggrivating and acting chaotic. As a result of Adam in charge he uses V as an experiment on the St. Mary virus. This goes to show how the government manipulated their citizens into thinking V was the terrorist in charge of the virus when really they were using him as an experiment in order to keep there reputation clean. Lastly in Harrison Bergerone the use of manipulatiopn is being done by the United Sta tes Handicapper General. Manipulation is seen when the author states : â€Å" It was tragic, all right, but George and Hazel couldn’t thinkShow MoreRelatedThe Literary Impact Of George Orwell . George Orwell, Born1375 Words   |  6 Pagesthe most important science fiction writers of modern time (Elkins). George Orwell, due to his early life experiences, inspired millions to challenge and think independently about their government by writing two of the greatest novels of all times, 1984, and Animal Farm. George Orwell was born June 25, 1903 in Motihari, Bihar in India. This was at the time that India was part of the British Empire. His father was a British civil servant, who worked for the Opium Department. His mother was theRead MoreGeorge Orwell s 1984 ( 1949 )1265 Words   |  6 Pages Power alone can be a dangerous machine when put into the wrong hands. In George Orwell’s novel 1984 (1949), he painted a dark image of the Oceania government’s abuse of political power that destroyed the very fabric of life for many of its society members. Evidence of this destruction is seen through the eyes of the main protagonist, 39-year-old, Winston Smith. The novel is set in Air Strip One, based in London. Although 85 percent of Oceania’s population was made up of proletarians who seemedRead MoreThe Power of Language 1984 Comparison Essay1525 Words   |  7 PagesThe Power of Language George Orwell, the writer of many highly regarded literary works, is extremely interested in the power of language, mainly how it is abused. By analyzing two of his works, 1984 and Politics and The English Language, it is clear that Orwell is using his writing to bring awareness to the dangers of the manipulation, misuse, and decline of language. In 1984 he demonstrates how language can be used to control thought and manipulate the past. This is provenRead MoreWhat Is The Importance Of Ignorance In Animal Farm1558 Words   |  7 Pagesis not given to all, it s far too easy for people with it to abuse it for extra power. Now that the pigs have the preliminary benefit over the opposite animals, the future holds plans of using it as a private device to oppression. After the pigs have educated themselves, they hold to discredit the others schooling and exchange positive policies to claim their elite dominance. After Napoleon has gotten rid of Snowball to have all power to himself, he is taking away all the strength from the otherRead MoreThe Prince Machiavelli Analysis1490 Words   |  6 Pages(Chapter VII, 1984). These three principles of rapid, necessary, and discontinuous cruelty ensure that the Prince does not abuse his power and entice hatred. Here, Machiavelli’s political philosophy advocates for the Prince to walk a thin line between overt kindness and hatred. Overt kindness will result in inefficient work where the Prince will be unable to keep his power. On the other hand, hatred will consequence a revolution by the people, which will also cause the Prince to lose his power. To furtherRead MoreA Bill Of Rights Is Necessary For The Protection Of The Australian Citizens From The Government816 Words   |  4 Pagesnation. The purpose of this essay is to examine if a Bill of Rights is necessary for the protection of the Australian citizens from the government. There are many tenable arguments for leaving Australia as is without the application of a bill of right to the constitution, but there are also equal arguments for the need of a bill of rights. In the first section of this essay, the main arguments for a bill of rights will be addressed. In the second section of this essay, the case against a bill ofRead MoreAnimal Farm, By George Orwell1545 Words   |  7 Pagesis not given to all, it s far too easy for people with it to abuse it for extra power. Now that the pigs have the preliminary benefit over the opposite animals, the future holds plans of using it as a private device to oppression. After the pigs have educated themselves, they hold to discredit the others schooling and exchange positive policies to claim their elite dominance. After Napoleon has gotten rid of Snowball to have all power to himself, he is taking away all the strength from the otherRead MoreEducation In Animal Farm, By George Orwell1537 Words   |  7 Pagesis not given to all, its far too easy for people with it to abuse it for extra power. Now that the pigs have the preliminary benefit over the opposite animals, the future holds plans of using it as a private device to oppression. After the pigs have educated themselves, they hold to discredit the others schooling and exchange positive policies to claim their elite dominance. After Napoleon has gotten rid of Snowball to have all power to himself, he is taking away all the strength from the otherRead MoreEssay on Why Is Religion Important?1417 Words   |  6 PagesIn this essay we will discuss the importance of religion in society. We will attempt to explain why societies have religions and what functions their belief system has for them. We will also ask if these functions are now out-dated and if religions have any meaningful function in todays world or are they just stained glass windows into a bygone era? Religion can be defined by two main groupings. The inclusive definition covers all topics and subjects of a persons life including, not only, theirRead More Domestic Violence Essay with Annotated Bibliography1593 Words   |  7 PagesPhysical abuse is the most obvious form, but this is not to say that ou tsiders always recognize it. Generally, physical violence causes bodily harm, using a variety of methods. Slapping, pushing, throwing, hitting, punching, and strangling are only a few methods. An object or weapon may or may not be used. There is not always physical evidence of physical abuse such as bruising, bleeding, scratches, bumps, etc., therefore, absence of physical marks does not necessarily mean physical abuse had not

Wednesday, May 13, 2020

Essay Snow White - 1577 Words

Research Essay Fairytales Since the beginnings of the abridged and ‘sanitized’ versions of classic fairytales were publically circulated, the design and principle intentions of the fairytale have steadily morphed and changed as society similarly paralleled. Over time fairy tales have been transformed radically as they naturally will continue to do according to the age they are rewritten and reproduced. Traditional fairy tales retold today have been too recurrently rewritten and revised that it has become almost impossible to grade the single most accepted moral understandings. In a critical analysis of the classic tale of Snow White, the various transformations from the retelling of the original Brothers Grimm story to the†¦show more content†¦The film adds an additional theme to the original plot; the theme of empowerment for women, reflecting feminist influences of the modern day in the western world. In previous versions, the tale always ends in the Queen dying from punishment and hav ing to dance herself to death. The film takes on the key change of Snow White herself overruling the Queen and stabbing her in the heart, proving her power and control as a woman. The conclusion of the film poses a major modern-day theme development of female empowerment. The movie transforms Snow White from a helpless princess into a strong and powerful warrior woman. The modernised retelling transforms the ‘damsel in distress’ with the ultimate ambition to get married model for protagonist females into one teaching young girls of their own power and control. One a similar note is the modern film Sydney White (2007) which takes on a similar typecast for the empowered female. The main principles in the film center on self empowerment, staying true to oneself even if it goes against the mainstream or makes you unpopular. At the beginning of the film, Sydney, the Snow White character adaption is distressed about being rejected from a college social club which her mother was a member of. After being cast off from the popular group she comes to the conclusion she would rather be happy and acceptedShow MoreRelatedSnow White Essay1416 Words   |  6 PagesThe tales would often be idealistic and, certainly, the â€Å"happily ever after† fantasy greatly contributes to this function. With the evolution of fairytales onto film came a great change in the purpose of fairytales. Jack Zipes points out in his essay that â€Å"the purpose of early animated films was to make audiences awestruck and to celebrate the magical talents of the animator as demigod† (Bell 31). The advancement of animation techniques rewrote the ways society viewed classic tales (Bell 31).Read MoreA Different Snow White Story Essay examples1011 Words   |  5 Pages Over the years, Snow White’s story has been told in numerous different versions then its original version in 1812 by the Grimm Brothers. The main basis of the story has remained the same. Only a few minor tweaks to the story have changed. The three versions of the story that are going to be analyzed are the original story â€Å"Little Snow White† by the Brothers Grimm, â€Å"Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs† by Disney, and â€Å"Mirror, Mirror† by Disney also. They each were created in very differe nt times andRead MoreEssay on Snow White2913 Words   |  12 PagesSnow White The film that the Disney Company claim to be the start of it all, the 1937 classic, Snow White and the seven dwarfs, has been one of the most successful theatre releases of all time. Re- released almost every decade since it?s premier, the first ever-animated feature film seems to have appealed to audiences of all generations. Synopsis The story begins in fairytale fashion, as a book opens, and the viewer can read the introduction to the film. A princess (The protagonist) imprisonedRead MoreSnow White Role Models Essay1271 Words   |  6 PagesA role model is a person looked to by others as an example to be imitated. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a movie about a young girl whose stepmother, the queen, fears Snow White will be more beautiful than she is. The Queen tries to get rid of Snow White by having her killed. When this fails the queen goes after Snow White herself. Many people view Disney princesses as good role models for young children. Disney princesses are not good role models. Disney princesses make it seem like it is okayRead MoreEssay on Analytical Interpretation of Snow White639 Words   |  3 PagesAn Analytical Interpretation of â€Å"Snow-White†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Throughout the story of Snow-White, Competition is played out in numerous ways. As the famous saying goes-only the strongest survive and to the victor go the spoils. There were a few power struggles going on even under the primary plot. This is one way to describe some of the seemingly bizarre or extreme motivations that push the story to a grisly, but happy ending.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first queen apparently dies in childbirth (but do we really knowRead MoreEssay on Envy and Beauty in Snow White1215 Words   |  5 PagesEnvy, Beauty, and Snow White Few people can grow up within todays society without knowing the tale of Snow White. From the Grimm Brothers to Disney, it has been told and retold to children throughout the ages. However, what is often overlooked are the true meanings within the story. Fairytales typically have underlying messages that can be found written between the lines, generally in terms of the key themes. Snow White discusses the themes of envy and beauty, and shows how humans obsessionsRead MoreEssay on Review: Snow White and the Huntsman1025 Words   |  5 PagesReview: Snow White and the Huntsman Snow White and the Huntsman is an adaptation of the Grimm fairy tale Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. However the focus is not Snow White and her interaction with the seven dwarfs, much like the popular Disney portrayal of the fairytale that viewers have come to know. This version of the fairytale is dark and sinister, placing an emphasis on the evil Queen’s agenda and the Huntsman who is sent to hunt down Snow White. This new action-packed spin on the fairytaleRead MorePersuasive Essay About Snow White796 Words   |  4 PagesOnce upon a time, in the twenty-first century, lived a lovely upper-class girl with skin as white as snow. She was so white that she was named Snow White. Unfortunately, her mother conveniently died in a freak clown attack when Snow White was a baby and her father remarried. Snow White’s new mom was very pretty, with her botox injected lips and her makeup caked face, but she was also very vain. The wicked stepmother wanted to be the most beautifu l lady in the kingdom and she would often ask SiriRead MorePerspectives on Gender Roles: Snow White and Mirrors Essay1049 Words   |  5 Pagesbrother’s original fairytale. In both stories Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs conveys a message about the mirror representing a sense of self on a superficial and deep emotional level. It reinstates many cultural roles that have been put upon both woman and men. It is a story of self discovery and whether or not the characters are able to develop throughout the story in relation to the affects to a â€Å"real life individual†. A common theme in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs for both the Disney filmRead MoreSnow White Descriptive Essay1212 Words   |  5 PagesLong ago, out in the beautiful, vast forest, where the birds were chirping, the skies were bright blue with spots of fluffy, white clouds, there lived Snow White, a beautiful girl with skin as white as snow, and hair as black as the midnight sky. Snow White lived with the seven â€Å"little† giraffes in a small little cabin they built years ago. One day, the beautiful girl went outside to water her plants. As she watered her plants, the girl realized that it had been the perfect weather to explore the

Wednesday, May 6, 2020

Submarine Escape Procedures Free Essays

Michael Menor Professor Cady English 151 25 February 2013 Submarine Escape Procedures There are many catastrophes that can affect the operation of a submarine; fire and flooding can crimple a submarine completely if either is not resolved quickly. Submariners are trained to combat all forms of fire and flooding in different scenarios that are closely monitored in Submarine School. As a last resort, sailors are also trained in submarine escape in the very rare occasion that they must escape from the ship. We will write a custom essay sample on Submarine Escape Procedures or any similar topic only for you Order Now Submarine escape is only effective at depths less than 600 feet; escape any greater depth would be impossible. Michael Menor deployed with two nuclear fast-attack submarines; the USS Santa Fe and the USS Albuquerque; during his four and a half year enlistment in the United States Navy. He is well versed in submarine escape and hopes that this will give you an understanding on how to escape from the depths of the sea. Every ship is equipped with two escape trunks, or hatches as some may call it; one forward and aft, both of which have similar dimensions and operation procedures. Each trunk is able to hold two escape personnel. The Submarine Escape Immersion Equipment; also known as a SEIE Suit; is a last resort option if a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle, or DSRV is unable to save personnel from a disabled submarine. The suit is a single piece construction capable of controlling pressure to prevent decompression sickness, or â€Å"the bends†, which is a side effect of rapidly ascending from ocean depths. Each suit is also equipped with a life boat that is contained within a pouch attached to the left hip. Familiarity with the escape hatch valves is not required; all operations are handled by personnel from within the ship. For the purposes of this procedure we will call these personnel â€Å"Supervisors,† since they are usually experienced supervisory personnel with the knowledge of operating the escape hatch. Depending on where the casualty, is you will always want to choose the escape trunk that is not in the affected compartment. Whether it is flooding in the forward compartment; your escape will be in the aft escape trunk in the Engine Room. The same pplies to a casualty in the aft compartment; your escape will be via the forward escape trunk. During this procedure you will be performing all actions from within the forward escape trunk. On the rare occasion that submarine personnel are not able to stop flooding in the engine room that leaves the ship sinking into the depths, and laid to rest on a sea shelf 500 feet below the surface. You will then need to don a SEIE suit by placing both feet into the suit and taking the zipper, which is placed on the outer side of the left leg and pulling this up until it is at your belly button. As you would put on a coat; place both arms into each sleeve equipped with rubber gloves and flip the hood onto your head. You must then pull on the zipper, which continues upwards centered on your chest, and up to the hood. One common issue that can occur is the zipper getting stuck, or feeling as if it will not budge—remember that it was designed to keep water out of the suit—if this happens you will need to request the assistance of someone else. Now that you have the suit on you will need to make your way to the escape hatch ladder and climb into the 6 foot cylindrical space, which is only designed to hold two escape personnel; the two of you will be standing directly across from each other with your backs against the bulkhead. There is a charging hose attached to the left arm of your suit, attach this hose to the charging manifold on the bulkhead (wall) located to your left; the charging hose will inflate your suit to create a bubble barrier between you and the outside pressures of the ocean. Remember this is your source of oxygen, so continuing to keep the charging hose connected during your time in the escape hatch is crucial. As your suits are being charged please keep your feet away from the lower hatch as the Supervisors begin close and seal it. Once it is confirmed sealed a rush of water will begin to flood the hatch. Due to the buoyancy of your inflated suit you will begin to float; do not let this happen. To prevent this there is a handle to your right that you will be able to use to maintain your grip and keep you anchored safely. Supervisors will then pressurize the hatch to match the outside pressure outside of the hull. The first person that entered hatch will be the first one to escape; once the hatch is clear the second person will wait 30 seconds and follow to prevent getting entangled with one another. Since you are the lucky one to enter first, you will get to escape first. Supervisors will open the upper hatch; continue to maintain your grip until the upper hatch has reached its fully opened and locked position. Supervisors will use a wrench or hammer to knock on the lower hatch three times. This will give you the signal that the upper hatch is clear and you can escape. Release your grip from both the handle and the charging manifold. Allow the suit to take over as its positive buoyancy lifts you out of the hatch and upwards to the surface. The suit is designed to maintain proper atmospheric pressure for your safety during the ascent; as you will be traveling about 30 feet per second. Upon reaching the surface ensure that you are floating on your back, while in this position you need to reach into the pouch on your left hip and remove the life raft; pull on the yellow handle and allow the raft to self-inflate. Once inflated pull yourself onto the raft; during this time you can unzip the hood of your suit. The raft comes equipped with a drogue, water desalination kit, and equipment such as smoke signals, and flares to assist with your rescue. Congratulations on your successful escape; now you will wait for rescue personnel to find you and the others from your ship. At the surface it is highly recommended to regroup with other personnel from the ship and tie your rafts together. This will create a larger object for rescuers to spot during their search. How to cite Submarine Escape Procedures, Essay examples

Tuesday, May 5, 2020

Business Statistics Learning Contemporary Decision Making System

Question: Discuss about the Business Statistics Learning for Contemporary Decision Making. Answer: Introduction: Statistics is defined as a branch of science dealing with data collection, data analysis, data tabulation, and data presentation. The two major types of statistics are the descriptive and inferential statistics (Berenson et al., 2012). Descriptive statistics is concerned with measures of central tendency whereas inferential statistics encompasses on estimation and hypothesis testing. This assignment summarizes topics on data types and their scale of measurement with relevance to the essay. We analyse the use of descriptive or inferential statistics in to present a situation. Further we investigate the use of probability in presenting a practical world problem. The essay selected for the present assignment is Building Approvals: Sydney (NSW) housing activity still smoking in January. In the assignment we study the building approvals in states. The frequency of approvals of dwelling in the private sector from 2009 to 2017 has been studied. Both multi-unit and single unit housings approved have been studied. We further study the frequency of residential buildings approved in different states of Australia with emphasis on NSW, Vic, QLD, WA, SA and ROA. Moreover, the number of buildings approved in the non-residential sector is also studied. The source of the present data is the building approval committee of different states. Quantitative data is used for the study. Data is measured in interval scale. The data in the essay is presented in various forms. To evaluate the total approvals in residential sector ratio scale is used (Keller, 2015). With the use of ratio scale comparison of total approvals in 2015 to 2017 is done. To compare the approvals in states percentage scale has been used. Three graphs are presented in the essay. All the three graphs are time series line graphs. Different time lines have been used in the graphs. The time scale is on x-axis. The frequency scale is in y-axis. Measures of location are used in statistics to find the central tendency of the data. The three measures of central location are mean, median and mode (Gorini, 2012). Mean is given as the ratio of the sum of the values in a sample to the size of the sample. Median can be defined as the mid-point of the ordered data sample (Brase, 2015). Mode is the most frequently occurring data in the sample. In the present essay Central location has not been used to study the building approval rate. The distribution of the data in a sample if used measures variation in a sample. Range and quartiles are used to measure variations in a sample (Newbol, 2013). Range is the difference between the maximum value and minimum value in the sample. In an ordered data set quartile divides the data set into four equal halves. In the present essay on approvals of buildings measures of variation is not used. Descriptive statistics is used in the essay to summarise the data. Descriptive statistics is the use of measure of central tendency and variability to study a variable (Black, 2013) . Different measures of central tendency are mean, median and mode. The central tendency measures the central location of a dataset. However in the essay central tendency is not used. The sum of the total number of approvals in 2015 and 2016 is used for evaluation with the expected approvals in 2017. In statistics data is collected, evaluated and analysed and then presented in a form by which the common person can understand. Statistics is used to analyse situations in every sphere of life weather, disease, business, politics, quality testing etc. In a business environment statistics can be used to analyse data and make decisions based on the analysis. In the present essay longitudinal building data has been collected. The data of the buildings is presented in both numerical as well as graphical from. The numerical longitudinal data has been grouped into three heads residential and non-residential buildings and buildings in a state. The residential data is further divided into houses and multi-unit houses. Building approvals is studied with the help of frequency and ratio analysis. The building approvals for each state are used to compare the growth (percentage) in the states. In the non-residential sector the building approved in different sectors for non-residential use is compared. The numerical data has also been presented in graphical from. The numbers used to compare the data can be beneficial for key policy makers. The analysis of the numbers shows the trend in growth (or decline) in the building industry. The study of the numbers can be used by policy makers to make decisions. The present data can be used to understand the differences in supply and demand of buildings. Thus governments can make provisions for filling the gap. References Berenson, M., Levine, D., Szabat, K., O'Brien, M., Jayne, N., Watson, J. (2012). Basic business statistics: : Concepts And Applications (3rd ed.). Pearson Higher Education. Black, K. (2013). Business Statistics: For Contemporary Decision Making (8th edn). Wiley Global Education 2013 Brase, C. H. (2015). Understanding basic statistics. Cengage Learning. Gorini, C. A. (2012). Master Math. Boston: Cengage Learning. Keller, G. (2015). Statistics For Management And Economics (10th edn). Cengage Learning Newbol, P. C. (2013). Statistics for business and economics. Boston: Pearson.

Tuesday, March 31, 2020

Living Trend of Young People in Vietnam free essay sample

Then, the business model of internet coffee shop started spreading all over the country and this was the time when Vietnamese young people were able to access to the internet. Internet has brought Western culture into Vietnam and changed the lifestyle of Vietnamese, especially the young people. In recent years, there is a growing tendency of young people living following a trend. In this essay, I would like to discuss further about this new problem of Vietnamese society. Living following a trend can be understood as that fashion, hobbies, behaviors and even feelings are affected by a trend existed in the society. In Western countries, subcultures have existed for quite a long time and become familiar with everyone. As internet appeared, these subcultures also entered Vietnam along with the music and fashion. Immediately, it created a huge wave of changing in the young people then. For example, 2007 was the year that emo really became a part of life that was admited by young people. We will write a custom essay sample on Living Trend of Young People in Vietnam or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Emo represents â€Å"a style of rock music characterized by melodic musicianship and expressive, often confessional lyrics; it originated in the mid-1980s hardcore punk movement of Washington, D. C† (Wikipedia). From a style of music, there was a lifestyle created. Young people, who follows the emo lifestyle, are called â€Å"emo kids†. They are usually highly emotional and have pesimistic view of life, they form groups and come together to express their feelings, share stories and even cry together. Emo kids are easily recognized with dark heavy eye make-up, dark deep black lips, colorful hair colors and lots of rings. In some countries such as Russia or Canada, there are now some emo group being very popular. However, when emo came to Vietnam, its nature was not well kept. Only a small part of emo-ers in Vietnam is naturally emotional and in need of sharing feelings, while the larger main part is known because of their ridiculous overeactions. Back then in 2007, there was limited resources for young people to get knowledge and update information about the world, so emo easily became a hot trend because of its strong impression and being an emo kid can quickly make one popular and well-known. But the dangerous thing happened then was that a large number of young people started to think being an emo kid was the definitely right thing to do and they wanted to prove their maturity by living like an emo kid. It was either good or bad, only the inside could understand. At the same time, some other subcultures, mostly from America, also entered Vietnam and became popular, such as Rap – Hip hop, Yuppie, Skateboarder or Punk Rock. These subcultures have been popular for a long time and created a new way of living and behavioring of young people. However, it is necessary to differentiate between these subculture and the living trend. Subculture means â€Å"segments of culture which (while reflecting the dominant aspects of the main culture) show different customs, norms, and values, due to differences in geographical areas or (within an organization) departmental goals and job requirements† (Business Dictionary) while the living trend discussed in this essay reflects the short-term orientation of life due to specific reasons and may be eradicated or replaced by other orientations soon. As rated on the Internet, the followings are the hottest trends of young people which are most concerned by the society. 1. â€Å"Aped and copied† lifestyle Nowadays, young people are having a much easier life compared to their parents, but also life is more complicated and full of temptation that easily make young people fall in and totally atracted to a special or unique lifestyle to prove themselves. A few years ago, a kind of measurement was â€Å"invisibly† formed among young people in order to evaluate people. It means that you have to use expensive and modern mobile phones, wear luxurious clothes and be a billionaire of time and money. This is still model of good living in youth at present, and it may be the reason why Vietnamese are considered as pragmatic. The fact above is only one of the living model that young people are addicted to. As a whole, all the copied lifestyle of young people came from the Korean movies which were extremely famous in the 1990s and 2000s but were mostly spreaded out by famous young people. The prevalence of the Internet and espcially the advent of social network created an environment in which young people can freely show their personality and feelings. Therefore, beautiful talented boys and girls were discovered and their word had profound influence on other young people’s cognitive. They quickly got a large number of fan and followers, so their lifestyle can partly direct the young’s lifestyle. This can be seen as minority influence that small number of people in a group lead to overall change in the group. On the other hand, adapting Western culture while being affected by Eastern culture makes young people stuck in a difficult situation. The nature of youth is to express and define themselves, they want to be different from others but also want to keep themselves in the society. Hence, they simply copy others’ lifestyle so they can be different (from other groups of people) and identical (to their groups) at the same time. Researched pointed out that culturre strongly impact the social influence on people. And people in collectivistic countries have strong belief in fitting in and conforming to the social norms, which can be seen as signs of maturity and self-control (Markus Kitayama, 1994). Despite being influenced by Western culture for almost 100 years of war, Vietnamese culture still remain the basics of a collectivistic culture. So the young people can not be totally blamed on because they easily follow a trend, it is partly because of the complex culture exchange happening in Vietnam. 2. Living with big ego Desire of self-expression is also known as a typical characteristic of young people. To prove their â€Å"self†, that â€Å"self† must be totally different from others’ â€Å"self† first, so a lot of young people are struggling to find a way to define their â€Å"self† clearest. While others use study results or their talents to prove themselves, many do it in negative ways. As Facebook now is the most common social network in Vietnam, it is not hard to find thousands of article criticizing young people who â€Å"over† express themselves on Facebook. Photos of girls in sexy posture or with just little clothes to show their body are not strange to the netizens at all. And there is even a movement of posting videos of girls’ scrimmage. It also points out that violence tends to increase among the young people. And things became extremely serious due to a scandal on Facebook recently. A Facebook user with nick nam â€Å"Keo mut choi boi† (the nick name can be understood as â€Å"dissipated lollipop† in English) posted a status on his timeline to proudly announce the death of a 60-year-old man in a traffic accident that was made by him. This case received lots of concern from the society because this is the red alert of the rising violence trend among young people. Besides, it is not rare to see a status talking bad about parents or elders in the family. The most well-known case is related to the Korean idols wave that atracted a large number of young people. Some famous Korean idols, such as Super Junior, Girl’s Generation and Bi Rain, came to Vietnam and held their concerts. However, the ticket price was quite expensive to Vietnamese so not all the fan could afford it. Then, there was kind of a trend of disappointed fans depreciating and talking bad about their parents on the Internet because of not letting them go to the concert. Since Vietnamese culture highly value the piety of children, this case created a shock to the whole society. These two cases are only a very small part of the whole picture of young people’s cognitive at present. Though, we can still feel the danger of losing traditional values and believes from the hands of future generations. Young people now are decisive and dare to try new things, but they are lack of experience and maturity. They love their big ego so much that advice from others are hard to reach their mind. By the way, because of their big ego, they usually see themselves better than others. There is a phenomenon, known as false uniqueness bias, shows people’s tendency to see themselves as especially talented and better than others. This happens quite often to the young people. But on the bad side, they give themselves the right to look down on people coming from the country side, the disability or the poor. The distinction between people from rural and urban area even let to conflict between students. 3. Cognitive distortion about sexual orientation Homosexuality has not been totally accepted by Vietnamese and it is still opposed by the laws. This is a new definition and new situation to Vietnamese society. People are fighting to help homosexuality to be admitted and legal in Vietnam. As some organization supporting homosexuality appeared, many people had courage to recognize and confirm their real gender and others seem to not oppose it as much as in the past. This can be considered as a good signal to the society. However, some young people turn it to a new trend of reconfirm sexual orientation. As we all know, beside homosexual (lesbian and gay), there are bisexual (people who are romantically and physically attracted to members of both sexes) and asexual (people who may not be interested in sex but still feel emotionally close to other people). They are called LGBT. Being a LGBT person is not a bad thing, most medical experts believe that, in general, sexual orientation is not something that a person voluntarily chooses, instead, it is just a natural part of who a person is (Sexual Attraction and Orientation). Because LGBT is considered as abnormal so LGBT people are usually afraid of showing their real sexual orientation, especially in Vietnam. However, there is a rising number of young people aggressively admiting being a LGBT and continuosly repeating that. It can not be assumed that all of them are not real LGBT, but it may be concluded that most of them are having wrong cognition about sexual orientation. This wrong cognition often happens to girls because lesbians are easier accepted than gay in Vietnam. But it is also because of the common thought among young people that lesbians are so hot and special. It can be found easily many articles about two female idols kissing and upload their photos on Facebook, this may be only a way to increase their popularity but it does affect young people’s thought. Besides, with the same reason as the copied lifestyle, many girls want to define them as having a different gender from others, which make them special and excellent. Even though, in fact, there are many cases that young people considered themselves as LGBT because of the external environment. In Vietnam, high school students are divided into classes based on the subjects they will take in the university entrance exam. So, there are a lot of class with all female students or only a few males. Although a person’s genes and inborn hormonal factors play most important role in defining sexual orientation, the environmental factors do have effect. Teenage is absolutely a sensitive period because the sexual orientation is not really clear, teenagers may have feelings with friends having same gender but it does not mean that they are LGBT. Moreover, there are two favorite fashion trends called tomboy (girls dress boys’ clothes and look like boys) and unisex (boys and girls dress clothes which is suitable for both gender and it is hard to know that is a boy or a girl). Because these trends are so popular that many girls want to transform into a boys. Along with the lack of knowledge about sexual orientation, tomboy girls easily act as they are lesbian and even get encouragement from friends. Although they are actually not LBGT, they get used to it and can not get back to be straight. Pretending to be LBGT is likely to happen less to boys. But in some cases, the fake gays still exist. It can be assured that their mental are badly influence and the main culprits here are the depraved products. Although environment now is an important factors that affect young people cognition of sexual orientation, people still tend to make fundamental attribution errors and underestimate the role of external factors. Although three living trends seem to be harmful to the young people, there are still many other trends that encourage them to live better. We may find out the voluntary trend all across the country, or the trend of green living – cut off carbon use in everyday meals, and etc But it is still a sad story that these useful and good trends do not attract as much care as the harmful ones. We have to admit that from apperance to behavior, everything in the youth’s life is running after the trend. This trend-following lifestyle both good and bad sides, so it is hard to tell this is harmful or not to the future generations. Nevertheless, the harmful lifestyles need to be studied carefullly and hopefully we may eradicate them in the near future. Except some specific reasons been explain above, there are some identical factors that let those lifestyles spread widely. Firstly, we can not denied the strong tendency to conform of Vietnamese. Although young people want to be unique, it seem that actually they want to be â€Å"unique together†. That may sound weird, but we can easily see that no lifestyles including only one or few people, young people follow that lifestyles and take into account that action because others do so. It might be immature but they just want to be identical to others so they feel it ok to do even bad things. Secondly, there a widening gap among generations. Vietnam is a country highly appreciating traditional values and believes so it is very hard for elders to understand their children. It is not only the result of different thinking but also the difference in technology that the older can not access to what their children are accessing to. Since the older do not have much experience with the Internet or social networks, it is hard for them to give advice to their children how to deal with problems they may face up with. Thirdly, it is absolute that ebulience and immaturity are two things that everyone has to face in their youth. When people get older, they may find their youth funny or even ridiculous, but everyone has to go over it to grown up. We can not eradicate it but can help prevent bad results by advices and education. Last but not least, the most serious problem Vietnam is facing is the old-fashion educatioin system. Although the government has update the education program several times, it can be seen clearly that what students learn in school nowadays is not enough for them to keep up to the world. Started with sexual orientation and sex, young people still make mistakes because they did not get enough knowledge from school. In high schools, students are asked to learn for the university entrance exam, and it results in the lack of soft skills, surviving skills and knowledge of other fields of life, such as history or geography. Though we can find out the factors leading to wrong awareness in following a living trends, it will take a long time to change things. We can not built a skyscraper without a solid foundation. Vietnamese society put all the hope and responsibility of developing the country on the young’s shoulders but it appear that we are having so many internal problems that prevent the development of young people. As people are more strongly influenced by negative traits compared to the positive ones (trait negativity bias), actions must be taken promptly before more young people getting into this problems.

Saturday, March 7, 2020

Lord of the Flies Symbolism Essays

Lord of the Flies Symbolism Essays Lord of the Flies Symbolism Essay Lord of the Flies Symbolism Essay Essay Topic: Lord Of the Flies In literature symbolism is an important device that has many layers of hidden meaning by using an object or action that means more than its literal meaning. William Golding has said that his novel â€Å"Lord of the Files† is symbolic from the beginning until the end when the boys are rescued. During the course of the novel these symbols are constantly changing, giving us a new interpretation of the island society. In novel there are three important symbols that evolve in what they mean during the story. The first symbol is fire, which changes its representation from hope to destruction. The seconded symbol is Piggy’s glasses, which are a symbol that represent innovation, advancement but soon become a symbol that regresses into savagery. The last symbol is the conch shell which, at first, is a symbol of the organization of island society and then it becomes a symbol of the breakdown of society that the boys have tried to create. In the novel, the use of fire changes when the boys become more and more savage. In the beginning the boys use the fire as a signal for the ships that might pass by. It represents their hope of getting rescued. Ralph suggests the idea of a signal fire and what it cam do for them, â€Å"If a ship comes near the island the may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountain. We must make a fire† (Golding,38). Later on when the boys start to forget the purpose of the fire, Ralph reminds them again, â€Å"The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep the fire going?† (Golding,80). These actions demonstrate that the fire is the only hope for the boys to get rescued if not by luck. Keeping the fire going is one of the most important elements to their hope for rescue. As the story progresses, many of the boys become more wild and savage. They then begin to use the fire in a destructive way. In chapter twelve of the book Jack and his tribe m

Thursday, February 20, 2020

According to the instruction Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

According to the instruction - Essay Example The Bosman case came about for the reason that of a Belgium player going by the name Jean-Marc Bosman (Rafaeel, 1997). He had a contracted with the RFC liege. However, his contract had expired and opted for a transfer to the French side Dunkerque(Faridah.p78,2001).Due to the systems during the time Liege refused to let Bosman leave without transfer fee being paid in which Dunkerque was not willing to pay. However, Bosman argued that, being a European Union citizen, he was fully entitled to the freedom of movement within the premises of European Union to earn a living. In the contrary the system of transfer prohibited him from exercising his exact right of freedom of movement. Following these disagreements which arose from the transfer saga Bosman argued that changes in system and policy should be effected to allow players whose contract had ended with a certain club could freely move to another club without the payment of the transfer fee (Inuendo, 2003). The European court of justice held the proceedings and it found favour of Bosman and it was against Liege football club, the football association of Belgium and the UEFA. It emerged that two very vital decisions arose from the court declaration: For out of the contract players it was illegal to pay the fees for transfer of players where a player was shifting from one club to another or between one nations of the European Union to the other. Commencing those only players still on service with their club teams is required to pay the transfer fees. Moreover, the prohibitive ration were rendered to be against the law. It was free for the clubs to have as many foreign players in their teams as they wished from other countries within the European union sphere of influence.(Gary.p89,1997) The situation before the Bosman ruling was pathetic with the reference on the transfer of players and the quota systems. Before the ruling, a football player

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Financial Leverage Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2250 words

Financial Leverage - Essay Example Higher expected returns are associated with the firms that are having high financial leverage ratios when the economy of a country is normal. Whereas, when the economy of a country is in recession so firms having high financial leverage ratios will face risk of loss. On the other hand, firms having low financial leverage ratios are supposed to be less risky but higher expected returns are not associated with these firms. IMPORTANCE OR AIM OF THE STUDY The importance or aim of this study is to show that analysts use financial leverage ratios to accomplish two things: †¢First, they are a measure of the extent to which firms finance their assets through debt. †¢Second, they are the indicators of the financial risk of the firm. Analysis of a firm’s financial leverage ratios is essential to evaluate its long-term risk and return prospects. Leverage as a debt-financing indicator is important because whenever a firm’s rate of return on assets is in access of interest rate, the profits to equity investors are magnified in direct proportions to increases in leverage. The reverse also holds true-whenever the rate of return falls below the interest rate, the profits to investors decline with increases in leverage. In fact, if the firm is sufficiently levered, interest expenses may be so high that under adverse economic conditions the firm may not be capable of paying them-that is, financial risk is directly proportional to leverage. In conclusion it can be said that analysis of a firm’s financial leverage ratios is essential to evaluate its long-term risk and return prospects. Leveraged firms accrue excess returns to their shareholders so long as the rate of return on the investments financed by debt is greater than the cost of debt.

Monday, January 27, 2020

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