Ageism Essay Example for Free

Ageism Essay Journal Assignment: A Review of a Study Measuring Ageism in East Tennessee, USA The renowned gerontologist Dr. Robert Butler defines ageism as â€Å"stereotyping and discrimination against people because they are old† (McGuire, Klein, Chen, p. 11, 2008). McGuire, Klein, and Chen (2008) were interested in determining the amount of ageism present amongst older adults in East Tennessee, USA. These researchers also wanted to examine the types of ageism reported by such individuals. McGuire et al. 2008) hoped that their results from this study would be a precursor for creating strategies to fight ageism in the region. Method McGuire et al. (2008) used convenience sampling methods to recruit community-dwelling older adults. The researchers were interested in surveying individuals 60 years of age or older (McGuire et al. , 2008). They obtained 247 participants who qualified for the study (mean age = 74; 75% females). The survey was administered at eight locations in four counties in the East Tennessee area (McGuire et al. , 2008). Of the eight survey sites, five of them were considered urban/suburban while three of them were considered rural. There were 151 participants from the urban/suburban sites and 96 participants from the rural sites (McGuire et al. , 2008). McGuire et al. (2008) utilized a cross-sectional survey design involving the Ageism Survey. The Ageism Survey is designed to measure the frequency of ageism in different societies, determine which subgroups of the elderly report the most ageism, and determine which types of ageism are most common (McGuire et al. , 2008). The survey includes 20 items that examine the frequency of occurrence of ageism along with examples of negative attitudes, stereotypes and institutional and personal discrimination towards the elderly (McGuire et al. , 2008). Results The participants revealed that ageism is prevalent and widespread. Roughly 84% of the participants stated experiencing ageism at least once and 71% of the participants reported experiencing ageism more than once (McGuire et al. , 2008). 69% of the participants indicated that they were told a joke that made fun of the elderly, while 51% reported that they were given a birthday card that made of the elderly. Furthermore, 40% of the participants stated that they were disregarded or not taken seriously due to their age, while 37. 5% indicated that they were patronized due to their age (McGuire et al. , 2008). Finally, 22. 8% of the participants stated that they were treated with less respect and less consideration as result of their elderly status (McGuire et al. , 2008). In addition, McGuire et al. (2008) found that a statistically significant difference existed between the urban/suburban and the rural locations in terms of the frequency of ageism. The participants from the urban/suburban areas indicated a higher rate of ageism than their rural counterparts on the following survey items: received an offensive birthday card, was told a joke that made fun of the elderly, was ignored due to their age, and a doctor assumed their ailments were age-related (McGuire et al. , 2008). The rural participants reported a higher occurrence only for the following event: someone thought I couldn’t understand due to my age (McGuire et al. , 2008). Discussion and Conclusions Based on their results, McGuire et al. 2008) concluded that ageism is thriving in the USA. Their results support findings from previous research and confirm the existence of ageism. McGuire et al. (2008) also mentioned that their study reveals the utility of the Ageism Survey and the importance of measuring ageism in society. They state that the results obtained by the Ageism Survey are useful for focusing the direction for interventions to fight ageism (McGuire et al. , 2008). Overall, McGuire et al. (2008) stress the importance of shifting societal norms towards a more accepting view of aging. Perceived Limitations  McGuire et al. (2008) state that the primary issue of their study involves their use of urban/suburban and rural dwelling participants. This is because even through the participants lived in urban/suburban or rural neighbourhoods, they may have experienced the ageism that they reported in a different setting. That is, the urban/suburban participants may have been in a rural area when they witnessed ageism, or vice versa. Furthermore, McGuire et al. (2008) mention that they are unable to say for sure whether their results are really cases of ageism and not simply hypersensitivity. In addition, participants may have been embarrassed resulting in their inaccurate responding in the survey. Thus, McGuire et al. ’s (2008) results are only as accurate as the participants’ reporting. Finally, the researchers indicate that their results may be influenced by response bias as the survey only used positively worded events; therefore, it is possible that the results are actually more positive than reality (McGuire et al. , 2008). Other limitations of this study involve the use of a convenience sample. That is, while the results may pertain to elderly participants in the East Tennessee area, they cannot be generalized beyond that. One cannot conclude that the findings from this study necessarily reveal information regarding populations in other parts of the USA or in other countries. Furthermore, the study doesn’t address whether gender differences in experiences towards ageism exist. It is generally believed that women experience a higher degree of discrimination in regards to the aging process, thus perhaps the results in this study are skewed due to the fact that 75% of the sample were female. Therefore, the results may be more negative than what would have arose if more men were surveyed. In addition, this study doesn’t address the context in which the participants experienced ageism. The elderly person may have misunderstood the situation and deemed the experience as ageist when in reality no such intentions existed. This taps into the limitation highlighted by the researchers themselves that states that the participants may have been overly sensitive. However the reverse is true as well. It is possible that the participants experience ageism a lot more than they even notice. That is, perhaps some instances of ageism are so subtle that the elderly person involved is naive to what they are experiencing. Further limitations of this study involve the technique of data collection: a survey questionnaire. While this method is generally inexpensive and allows researchers to use large samples, safeguard anonymity, and reduce the possibility of researcher bias, questionnaires have a tendency for inaccuracy. As previously mentioned, the results are only as good as the responding. It is possible that the participants lost interest while completing the study and mindlessly responded. There were no incentives given to the participants (i. e. no rewards), therefore intentional distortion may have occurred. Furthermore, self-presentation bias or impression management is a possible confound in this study. The participants may have been trying to preserve their dignity and therefore underreported their experiences of ageism. In addition, the questionnaires were presented to the participants only once; therefore it’s difficult to predict whether or not the results would be stable over time. To check this, the researchers should have used reliability tests, such as test-retest and/or alternate form. Finally, there is always the possibility that the researchers misinterpreted their results. Directions for Future Research  McGuire et al. (2008) suggest that additional research should be conducted to provide larger numbers, further support, and more culture-based population information regarding the measurement of ageism. These researchers suggest that welfare and health professionals and policy advocates can play a significant role in decreasing ageism; but, they must first be able to demonstrate the scope and epidemiology of ageism (McGuire et al. , 2008). As a result, they suggest further research in any and all areas pertaining to the prevalence ageism is vital if it is to ever be eradicated (McGuire et al. 2008). McGuire et al. ’s (2008) study appears to be a starting point and precursor for future research in the field of gerontology. While this study has demonstrated the extent of ageism in East Tennessee, it does not necessarily demonstrate how society should combat it. As a result, future research should be conducted to reveal the most effective means of eliminating ageism. Furthermore, additional research should be performed on other populations and more representative samples, such as from different age groups, ethnicities, and socio-economic statuses. Data from other countries or cultures (i. e. where the elderly are embraced) may be useful in demonstrating to Western societies the benefits and importance of elderly citizens. Furthermore, information from a variety of populations will provide a more all-encompassing view of the topic of ageism and will perhaps pinpoint a better approach to fighting it. Additional studies should make use of both quantitative and qualitative methods. It would be interesting to compare the results from an open-ended interview or case study with those from a laboratory study. By utilizing mixed-methods, the field of gerontology is exposed to a more comprehensive view of ageism. Future research should also examine which types of individuals are most vulnerable to experiencing ageism, so that efforts can be targeted to reduce ageism. Researchers should also focus on methods of spreading awareness. That is, they should study the most effective means of educating society about the effects and prevalence of ageism. Another potential line of research may involve asking younger individuals whether they have participated in acts of ageism. The results from this possible study may provide useful information on how younger generations view ageism and how society can go about educating them and preventing future acts of ageism. It would also be interesting to uncover data pertaining to implicit ageism and self-stereotyped ageism. Finally, it may be beneficial to reveal whether ageism exists amongst and between the elderly. That is, whether or not older adults engage in ageism themselves. Overall, future research should be focused on developing an epidemiology of ageism so that society can start working on decreasing it in our world.

Maxims and Masks: The Epigram in The Importance of Being Earnest Essay

Maxims and Masks: The Epigram in "The Importance of Being Earnest" Oscar Wilde frames "The Importance of Being Earnest" around the paradoxical epigram, a skewering metaphor for the play's central theme of division of truth and identity that hints at a homosexual subtext. Other targets of Wilde's absurd yet grounded wit are the social conventions of his stuffy Victorian society, which are exposed as a "shallow mask of manners" (1655). Aided by clever wordplay, frantic misunderstanding, and dissonance of knowledge between the characters and the audience, devices that are now staples of contemporary theater and situation comedy, "Earnest" suggests that, especially in "civilized" society, we all lead double lives that force upon us a variety of postures, an idea with which the closeted (until his public charge for sodomy) homosexual Wilde was understandably obsessed. The play's initial thrust is in its exploration of bisexual identities. Algernon's and Jack's "Bunburys" initially function as separate geographic personas for the city and country, simple escapes from nagging social obligations. However, the homoerotic connotations of the punning name (even the double "bu"'s, which serve mostly an alliterative purpose, insinuate a union of similarities, and "Bunbury" rhymes with "buggery," British slang for sodomy) flare up when paired with Algernon's repeated assaults on marriage: ALGERNON. "...She will place me next to Mary Farquhar, who always flirts with her own husband across the dinner table. That is not very pleasant. Indeed, it is not even decent ... and that sort of thing is enormously on the increase. The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It looks so bad. It i... ... he was inextricably associated but from which he could just as easily distance himself via a pithy saying, but he treats the tension of homosexuality, his own mask, more seriously. Jack is never ready to admit his entrance into the Bunbury underworld, and we never learn from Algernon the necessary rules of conduct. The personification of homosexuality as a character's double is not surprising - some critics argue that Dr. Jekyl's evil counterpart, Mr. Hyde, has some homosexual leanings - as such a controversial and, perhaps, embarrassing topic can be more easily disguised and obscured in the murky depths of the doppelganger tale. Today, with scientific evidence backing an opinion that places individuals' sexual preferences on a sliding scale from full heterosexuality to full homosexuality, the simple bifurcated view of sexuality in literature may soon be obsolete.

First Crusade

The First Crusade (1096–1099) was a military expedition by Roman Catholic Europe to regain the Holy Lands taken in the Muslim conquests of the Levant (632–661), ultimately resulting in the recapture of Jerusalem in 1099. It was launched on 27 November 1095 by Pope Urban II with the primary goal of responding to an appeal from Byzantine Emperor Alexios I Komnenos, who requested that western volunteers come to his aid and help to repel the invading Seljuq Turks from Anatolia.An additional goal soon became the principal objective—the Christian reconquest of the sacred city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land and the freeing of the Eastern Christians from Islamic rule. During the crusade, knights and peasants from many nations of Western Europe travelled over land and by sea, first to Constantinople and then on towards Jerusalem, as crusaders; the peasants greatly outnumbered the knights.Peasants and knights were split into separate armies; however, because the peasants w ere not as well-trained in combat as the knights, their army failed to reach Jerusalem. The knights arrived at Jerusalem, launched an assault on the city, and captured it in July 1099, massacring many of the city's Muslim and Jewish inhabitants. They also established the crusader states of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the County of Tripoli, the Principality of Antioch, and the County of Edessa.Because the First Crusade was largely concerned with Jerusalem, a city which had not been under Christian dominion for 461 years, and the crusader army refused to return the land to the control of the Byzantine Empire, the status of the First Crusade as defensive or as aggressive in nature remains controversial. The First Crusade was part of the Christian response to the Muslim conquests, and was followed by the Second Crusade to the Ninth Crusade, but the gains made lasted for less than 200 years. It was also the first major step towards reopening international trade in the West since the fall o f the Western Roman Empire.

Example Project Management Essay - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1474 Downloads: 3 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Business Essay Type Essay any type Did you like this example? Project Management Plan Set-up of a New Restaurant There are four main phases of project management: defining the project, designing the project process, delivering the project and developing the process. This Project Management Plan is concerned primarily with the first two steps: 1. Defining the project: the project objective is broken down into a series of manageable steps called tasks 2.Designing the project process: this work is performed by the Project Manager and is presented in the Gantt Chart and Network Diagram where the tasks are displayed in more detail. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Example Project Management Essay" essay for you Create order The workers (or stakeholders) will actually deliver the project. The final step of developing the project management process is a continual reappraisal of the way in which tasks are planned for and implemented; this is an ongoing process that begins once the first task is under way. Assumptions Certain choices had to be made concerning the parameters to which this project subject. These are stated below. The general working times are as follows: Weekdays from 8am 12pm and 1pm 5pm Calculations are based on an 8 hour day and 40 hour week The only exception to this is the first day of the project, Saturday 1 October 2005 Each worker (resource) will only work up to a maximum of 8 hours per day. Or alternatively 8 hours per day is 100% of each workers allocated work units. The activity durations are presumed to be correct, although extra flexibility has been built into the plan to mitigate any time problems (see Risk Management Plan) The Resource Costs are known and have been calculated in the Project Costings table below, however, the Fixed Costs (purchase of the building, kitchen equipment, dining room furniture etc.) are not known and so have been estimated. Any changes to these fixed costs will affect the total project cost. Project Objectives The overall aim of this project is to create a fully operational restaurant as part of George Wrights business that will be prepared to receive guests for a Grand Opening day. NB: A glossary of terms is included in this report to help explain any unfamiliar terms. Tasks In order to achieve the project objectives the following tasks must be achieved. The tasks have been grouped into the following summary tasks: Building Work, Interior Design, New Staff, Food, Preparation for Grand Opening. The table also shows for each task the resources (or stakeholders, represented by their initials) allocated to it, the task duration and the scheduled start and finish dates. Action Plan The Critical Path Method (CPM)is a way of creating a logical sequence of the work tasks and activities that are described above. The Gantt Chart below neatly presents the tasks necessary to complete the project showing how the tasks are linked to and flow from each other. Constraints There are no constraints associated with each individual task, which means that there is no date set by which a task must be completed. The only constraint or deadline is the Grand Opening day, scheduled to occur on 2 December 2005. Gantt Chart 1 Key Black Bar: Groups of tasks Blue Bar: Individual Tasks Black Diamond: Milestone Red Bar: Critical Task Network Diagram This diagram is very useful in that it shows the dependencies between tasks by use of arrows, for example, the task Test Menu Items is dependent upon the Create Menu and Install Kitchen Equipment tasks having been completed satisfactorily. Project Costs Table 2: Resource Costs Table 3: Project Costs Total Cost = 218,805 Section 2 The critical path is shown in red. The project has a new end date of6 December 2005. Although the project is starting two weeks after the start date of the pathway shown in the Gantt Chart in Section 1, the earliest possible Grand Opening day is not delayed by two weeks but a mere four days. This is because the project is now more tightly scheduled with no room for error (whereas the previous plan had anticipated delay time built in to its schedule). The consequences of the building alterations taking 5 days longer to complete are twofold: 1) Change of Completion Date The completion date would be setback to the 9 December 2005. 2) Increased Costs The increased costs would be due to the extra hours of pay that would be given to PJ Construction. This is calculated by the cost per hour multiplied by the number of extra days multiplied by the number of hours work in each day. This would amount to: 18 x 5 x 8 = 720 There would also be an increase in the overhead costs, due to heating and lighting of the building whilst the building work was in progress. Section 3. Risk Management Plan The PRINCE 2 Method tells us that tone of the fundamental principles of risk management is that risks should be considered and modifications made to a particular course of action in order to remove or lessen the impact of those risks. There are three areas to risk management: 1) Risk Identification 2) Risk Analysis 3) Response to Risk Risk Identification The identification of the risks to this project is presented in the table below which states for each risk the likelihood that it will occur and the range of possible outcomes. Table 4: Risk Register Risk Likelihood of Occurrence Possible Outcomes Building alterations take longer than expected High As no other work can proceed until alterations are completed this will cause significant delays Completing the market research takes longer than anticipated and / or does not cover sufficient ground to inform later decisions Medium Could delay or affect quality of many decisions and delay associated tasks Order of kitchen equipment is delayed Medium (although hard to define as it is dependent on an external source) Installation of the equipment will be delayed then affect testing of the menu items and training of new staff One or more new staff not available on training days Medium Training sessions re scheduled to allow all new recruits to receive training Food items chosen for the menu are not of an acceptable standard Medium Create Menus task must be revisited to revise the menus in order that the food is suitable Risk Analysis The risks shown above have the following factors in common: they have long or uncertain durations and / or external dependencies. For example, the building alteration work has the longest duration of any task in the project and is therefore seems the most likely to overrun. The ordering of kitchen equipment being delayed is an example of a task that has external dependency: no one involved in the project can have any direct influence on how quickly the equipment is delivered. As well as the kitchen equipment, various other items will be ordered from organisations outside the scope of the projects resources, namely the dining furniture, tableware and flowers for the table displays. Risk Mitigation The Risk Mitigation Plan can be used to prevent or alleviate the risks identified above; its aim is to reduce uncertainty and to make the team as self sufficient as possible in order to overcome any negative external factors. The tasks have been distributed amongst the stakeholders in such as way as to ensure no one is overburdened with tasks at any one time and is therefore more able to perform to the best of their abilities. The Grand Opening day of 2 December has been deliberately set just over a week after the final tasks are due to be carried out. This is to help ensure that any previous delays do not impose upon the all-important Grand Opening. However, if when the time comes to contact the press and design the invitations (where the date of the opening day will be declared) the project is on schedule, the Grand Opening day may be brought forward if desired. Encourage the team that change is likely due to likely changing external demands and the knock-on effect of the subsequent changing task schedule. The advantage of this is that long-term learning can come from recognising and engaging with this process. It has been assumed that no one will work at the weekends, except for the very first day. If delays occur however, the weekends can be used to carry out more work although this would have two effects: the cost implication of overtime pay; and that each Stakeholder will be under greater pressure leading to the increased likelihood of errors. Working 8 hour days only at weekends may seem a very conservative estimate of time allocation however this is a deliberate choice to allow leeway for if delays occur. Tasks of longer duration should be closely monitored to try and foresee problems before they occur. By looking into the short-term future the probability of successful completion can be ascertained more easily and preventative steps taken. Check lists are a useful way of ensuring nothing important is forgotten. Order ing of kitchen equipment has been set back as early as possible to allow for a possible delay with supply of the equipment.